Going Veg!

To Your Health Fitness & Nutrition and Genre Pictures are heading into production of Going Veg with the Plant-Based Dietitian! We are kicking off our interview tour next week where we will meet with and interview the most significant contributors to nutritional science and practice of our generation. Track us on our blog www.goingveg.net for updates and pictures as we begin this extraordinary journey...

To Cheese or Not To Cheese Chose Uncheese

Meatless Monday's Chef Kinzie, a dear friend of mine, decided to give up cheese after the Veg Source Health Expo this weekend! Check out her amazing description of why at http://www.tocheeseornottocheese.com/

Veg Source Health Expo 2009

Getting back to the daily grind was tough this morning after coming off of the daze initiated by the most inspirational and educational weekend of my entire career. Not only did I hear Dr. Fuhrman speak twice and have the opportunity to speak with him, but I had lunch with Dr. John McDougall yesterday!!! He gave three fascinating and provocative lectures about the importance of a starch-based diet, the myth about salt, and about fat vegans.

One of the most touching parts of this weekend was listening to John Robbins, the animal rights- and environmental activist hero of our generation. He is the wise and compassionate author of at least two of the most important books of our time: Diet for a New America and Food Revolution. The former is the reason that I became empassioned about animal rights as a little girl. He fueled my fire to help stop factory farming, which is what led me to plant-based nutrition. I was able to thank him for that, even though I couldn't hold back the tears as I spoke. He has such a presence...the room vibrated with powerful positive energy. He fills his audience with compassion and left not a single member unmoved.

We also saw the charming and "Plant-Strong" author of The Engine 2 Diet, Texas firefighter Rip Esselstyn speak. The hillareous dietitian, Jeffrey Novick, M.S., R.D. made us all laugh as he spoke about fats (a usually un-funny topic). They provided us with a cooking demo, a panel discussion, and delicious plant-based meals created from Dr. Fuhrman's recipes. Right in the middle of the day yesterday, a Buddhist monk named Rev. Heng Sure, PhD, spoke beautifully about simplicity and played the banjo and sang!

Overall, this weekend left me infused with energy. I am bursting at my seams with new knowledge, heightened passion, and fire under my feet!!!

I met my Guru Dr. Joel Fuhrman, M.D.!!!

Yesterday at the VegSource Health Expo, I finally was able to hear Dr. Joel Fuhrman speak. He is the author of some of the most important nutrition books written in our generation, including Disease-Proof your Child, Eat to Live, Fasting and Eating for Health, and his latest, Eat for Health. His books explain the whys and hows of achieving "nutritional excellence" with strongly substantiated research. This man is a walking encyclopedia! It was definitely a highlight of my education. He is also incredibly warm and kind, offering answers to everyones' questions, providing powerful and provocative responses.

What an amazing day!!!

My Interview with Dr. Terri Lisagor on Meatless Mondays

Check out my interview with my favorite professor of all time, Nutrition Expert Extraordinaire, Dr. Terri Lisagor: http://bit.ly/RmdE4!

Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine Pre-Gala Event

I met Dr. Neal Barnard last night at a kick-off party for PCRM's 25th Anniversary Celebration Gala that will take place in April. It was so inspiring! Rory Freedman, author of the very successful book Skinny Bitch, was there as was Kathy Freston, author of Quantum Wellness and person responsible for getting Oprah trying a vegan diet for 3 weeks! Skinny Bitch is actually the book that started me on my journey towards becoming completely plant-based. I had wanted to do it since I was a child, but somehow this book made it seem impossible not to. It was amazing to thank Rory for doing that for me, as well as thousands of other readers. If you haven't read it yet, I highly recommend you pick up a copy. She set me in motion for my mission to teach the world about the miracles of plant-based nutrition!

PCRM is one of the most important and active organizations that fight for both animal rights as well as educating the public on why plant-based nutrition can save your life. I highly recommend you check out their website www.PCRM.org and sign up for their mailing list. They make it so simple to help animals by providing links to send e-mails and make phone calls to universities, hospitals, government officials to support specific issues, such as eliminating needless cruel animal testing, providing healthy options in schools, and many others. You can also order a free Vegetarian Starter Kit that is full of great facts and advice.

In honor of their 25th anniversary, I hope to get more people involved and, at the very least, aware of this phenomenol and critical organization.

Another Dreamy Plan-Based Mom Moment!

My Mom is always asking to have sleepovers with my kids. I usually hesitate for a few reasons: 1) I am a control-freak :)!; 2) My Mom feeds my kids ice cream at any opportunity and then claims, "They wanted it"; and 3) I really miss my kids when they are gone for a whole night.

The other day I relented and allowed my 4 year-old daughter to stay over my parents' house. A few hours after I dropped her off with my Mom, I received a phone call. My Mom says, "The lady at the store where we are shopping is offering Maya a Tootsie Roll Lollipop. She said she had to call you to see if it was OK."

(YES! I am thinking to myself...a minor miracle!).

I replied, "Mom, why couldn't you just distract her, say no politely to the lady, and move on?" She relayed the information to Maya, that I did not want her to have the lollipop. Here is the real kicker...she exclaimed, "OK! I didn't want it anyway."

The moral of this story is this...kids do not have to have everything they want. Maybe they don't even want to have everything they say they want. Learning boundaries applies to food just as it does to buying toys. In fact, one of the most important lessons kids need to learn is how to eat healthfully in order to set up their habits for life.

Yea! Score again for Mommy!!!

Walk for Farm Animals this Saturday

Please join me on Saturday, October 3rd at 9:30am for a short walk (1.5-2 miles) around beautiful, breezy Ventura, CA: http://bit.ly/SenTT

The small donation of $15 goes to support Farm Sanctuary, an incredible organization that fights to save animals from their horrifying plight on factory farms. Plus, you get a t-shirt!

I will be giving a brief nutrition schpiel before the walk and will have a table set up to offer nutrition advice about Plant-Based nutrition.

Green Your Diet, Your Fitness and Your Home

Happy October, Plant-Based Friends!
Check out the October To Your Health Newsletter: http://bit.ly/7PwJA