The Chef and The Dietitian-Episode 23-Hail to the Kale

Here is the reason I fell in love with Chef AJ...her Hail to the Kale salad. No matter how often I eat this (and I eat it quite often), I can never stop crunching away! It is always a hit when I make it for guests or for parties and I cannot recommend it highly enough. The combination of nutty, sweet, and citrusy makes for the perfect blend. Use it on raw kale for a nutrient explosion or on any salad mix, cooked broccoli, baked potatoes, or anywhere else that allows you to indulge!

A surprise visit from the tres famous et tres chic chef extraordinaire from France! But, s'il vous plait, DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!!! Merci and bon appetit!

Plant-Based Kicked Meat-and-Potatoes Ass on National TV!

I am not one to brag...but I think that Chef AJ and I might have made plant-based history today....

As far as we know (and please correct me if I am wrong), there has never been a plant-based team competing in a reality TV cooking show. Chef AJ and I auditioned and were accepted to compete against two other meat-and-potatoes teams on the new TLC show called Kick-Off Cook-Off. We spent a day baking ourselves in the sun (we both look like lobsters) on a football field with a famous football star, a famous Chef judge, and AJ's famous recipes competing for the title.

There was so much resistance to what we stand for by the other teams, the hostess, and the judge. Nobody hesitated to make commentary about their preferences for fast food, junk food, and their beloved meat and potatoes. Heaven forbid we should mention the ease and health benefits of cooking without oil. It was a huge controversy that it is possible to use only whole food ingredients when preparing full meals. In fact, the judge and competing team members kept coming over to see what we were doing and check our ingredients!

Now, of course, I cannot reveal the results (that would be too easy...and, anyway, it is much more fun to actually watch the show)...BUT, the judge, who had never had a plant-based team before on this show and had never heard of the majority of our ingredients (apparently, miso, cacao, and date syrup are not yet popularized in the world of traditional chefery), LOVED our food! His eyes lit up and he had nothing but wonderful comments to make...surprised as he was!

Regardless of what the ultimate results were, AJ and I are thrilled that- even though we were laughed at, heckled, and not taken seriously- the food walked the walk and we were able to show the world that plant-based whole foods can not only compete with the Standard American Diet...but can exceed the expectations of all those closed-minded folk. We make "healthy taste delicious" so watch out world, here we come!

Elevation

There is inspiration and then there is elevation. I have been blessed (or cursed) with a mad passion for plant-based, whole food nutrition...a passion that wakes me up early in the morning and keeps me up late at night, constantly striving for ways in which to share my passion, educate others, motivate, contribute. This depth of inspiration grows from the hope that I might help as many people and animals as possible...and then multiply that exponentially.

Usually, my days are filled with answering questions, defending my choices, guiding others to proper resources, explaining, expressing, describing, enlightening...

Last night at the EarthSave event honoring John Robbins and fundraising for our new beautiful program, Meals for Health, the ambiance was radiating with this feeling of home, comfort, inspiration, compassion. I felt surrounded by like minded people, filled with the same drive, fortitude and focus. This is why it is elevating, a step beyond inspiring, when all of that energy comes together and fills the soul, empowering the mind, body and spirit to proceed, to endure, to connect.

As I listened to John Robbins, my hero, speak, I had the same reaction as when I heard for the first time last Fall and the first time I discovered him as a young girl reading Diet for a New America. Physically, I cried. Mentally, I ventured. Spiritually, I soared. As I had tears running down my cheeks, I asked John's wife Deo (who I sat on the floor in front of in order to sill myself with enough energy to fuel me until the next visit) if she cries everyday from the wisdom and inspiration that is *John*. She said she cries every time she hears him speak. I can only imagine. The profundity and sagacity that pours out of John's lips every time they move is impossible to express. Thus, I cannot recommend enough his books, his talks.

The whole evening was invigorating. As the new Executive Director of EarthSave, just starting out with this new program, I could not sleep last night...eager to get started. We have the potential and the amazing people behind us (Dr. John McDougall as Medical Director, Rip Esselstyn and Ambassador, Blake Young as our partner at the Sacramento Food Bank, to name a few) to make a significant impact...and we will. There is no limit to the prospects for which this project is intended...to make a difference in people's lives. People who have limited or no access to resources, who are sick with chronic disease. We will show the world that food is everything...and can make or break human health. It will underscore the relevance of how sick we have become as a nation via our misguided educators and strident misinformation coming from the food and pharmaceutical industries. We are going to establish a precedence like none previously recorded.

So stay tuned...

Yams

Yams are not only filled with flavor but they are also nutrient-dense sources of energy.They are very low in fat but yield lots of energy and fiber with vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, folate, calcium, phosphorus, and choline.

Jon succeeded in developing the simplest and sweetest way to make yams and they were a huge hit in the kitchen! We washed and sliced the yams into discs. Then we shook some cinnamon (excellent for controlling optimal blood glucose levels) on them, coated them with orange juice (vitamin C, folate and B vitamins) and topped it off with slices of fresh pineapple (vitamin C, folate, bromelin).

Simple, delicious and full of nutrition! Cheers!

“TOXIC HUNGER” THE MAIN CAUSE OF OBESITY by Dr. Joel Fuhrman, M.D.

Hunger is good to experience on a daily basis. Hunger is important to aid in our enjoyment of food and get the precise signals from our body to know the amount of calories we need to maintain our lean body mass. When we eat when we are hungry food tastes much better and we are physiologically primed for proper digestion. Hunger, in the true sense of the word, indicates to us that it is time to eat again.

Consider that real hunger is not often experienced in our modern, overfed population. Most people no longer even remember or are aware what hunger even feels like. Most people are surprised to find that true hunger is felt in the throat and not in the head or stomach.

Instead of true hunger, people get detoxification or withdrawal symptoms that they mistakenly consider hunger. They feel shaky, head-achy, weak, fatigue, get abdominal cramps or spasms and other symptoms which they consider manifestations of hunger symptoms because they are relieved by eating. I call this “toxic hunger.” Toxic hunger is the symptoms a person experiences that are due to toxic wastes being mobilized for elimination. It occurs after a meal is digested and the digestive track is empty, and it could make us feel very uncomfortable.

Generally, we eat to get rid of these withdrawal symptoms and it works. In fact, this is one of the most important contributors to our population’s overweight condition. We eat the wrong foods and just a few hours later we feel ill, stressed out, shaky, weak, mentally dull, and we are driven to eat again to relieve the discomfort. Did you ever hear someone saying they needed to eat because they feel so shaky? The question is, are these symptoms “true hunger,” “hypoglycemia” or something else? I claim that these symptoms occur simultaneous to our blood sugar decreasing but they are not caused by “hypoglycemia.” Rather, they result from sensitivity to mobilization of waste products which is enhanced when most active digestion is finished.

When we eat a nutrient-dense diet, rich with lots of colorful vegetables, we will better meet the nutrient needs of our body and reduce free radicals and other toxins that build up in our tissues from a diet of poor quality. When we have a lower level of waste on our tissues as a result of micronutrient adequacy people no longer feel those (withdrawal) symptoms of “toxic hunger” leading to overeating behavior.

When our diet is low in nutrients, we build up intra-cellular waste products. So when digestion stops, our body goes through a period catabolism or breakdown and this results in, and is accompanied by, the release of toxic substances into circulation for removal. Our cells harbor toxic products that build up in the body when our diet is relatively nutrient-poor. Phytonutrients enable cellular detoxification machinery. When we don’t eat sufficient phytochemical-rich-vegetation and consume excess animal proteins (creating excess nitrogenous wastes) we often exacerbate the build up of metabolic waste products in our body.

The confusion is compounded because when we eat the same heavy foods that are causing the problem to begin with, we feel so much better. This makes becoming overweight inevitable, because if we stop digesting food, even for a short time, our bodies will begin to experience symptoms of detoxification or withdrawal from our unhealthful diet. To counter this we eat heavy meals, eat too often and keep our digestive track overfed to lessen the discomfort from our stressful diet-style.

When our bodies have acclimated to noxious agents it is called addiction. Try to stop taking the heroin and we will feel ill. In fact, we must have it or we will become terribly sick. This is called withdrawal. When we stop doing something harmful to ourselves we feel ill as the body mobilizes cellular wastes and attempts to repair the damage caused by the exposure.

If we drank 3 cups of coffee or caffeinated soda a day, we would get a withdrawal headache when our caffeine level dipped too low. We could take more caffeine again (or other drugs) or we could eat food more frequently which can make us feel a little better as it retards detoxification or withdrawal. In other words, the caffeine withdrawal symptoms can contribute to our drinking more caffeine products or eating more frequently as a means of managing the symptoms from caffeine withdrawal.

Likewise, a few hours after eating the standard low-nutrient diet most people begin to feel "hungry". They feel weak, headachy, tired, mentally dull, and have stomach spasms. I call it "toxic hunger" because these symptoms only occur in those who have been eating a toxic diet. True hunger would not have occurred so early after the meal.

True hunger signals when our body needs calories to maintain our lean body mass. If we ate food demanded by true hunger and true hunger only, people would not become overweight to begin with. In our present toxic food environment, we have lost the ability to connect with the body signals that tell us how much food we actually need. We have become slaves to withdrawal symptoms and eat all day long, even when there is no biological need for calories.

Fortunately, this cycle of eating, and then avoiding the symptoms of detoxification by eating again, does not have to continue. There is a way out. When you restore the nutritional integrity and relative cleanliness to your tissues, you simply will not have the desire to eat. You will naturally desire less calories.

In an environment of healthy food choices, we would not feel any symptoms after a meal until the hormonal and neurological messengers indicated the glycogen reserves in the liver were running low. Nature has made it so that our body has the beautifully orchestrated ability to give us the precise signals to tell us exactly how much to eat to maintain an ideal weight for our long term health. This signal I call "true hunger" to differentiate it from the “toxic hunger" everyone else calls hunger.

Feeding ourselves to satisfy true hunger does not cause weight gain and if people were better connected with these normal signals it would be almost impossible for anyone to become overweight. True hunger is felt in the throat, neck and mouth, not in the stomach or head. It is a drawing sensation. It is not very uncomfortable to feel real hunger, it makes food taste much better when you eat, and it makes eating an intense pleasure.

We do not have to carry around a calculator and a scale to figure out how much to eat. A healthy body will give us the correct signals. So in order to achieve superior health, maximize our longevity potential, and achieve our ideal weight, we have to eat healthy enough to get back in touch with true hunger and rid ourselves of this “toxic hunger”.

Every cell is like a little factory, it makes products, produces waste and then must compact, detoxify and remove waste. If we don’t ingest sufficient antioxidants and phytonutrients from our food choices, our cells are unable to effectively remove self-produced waste. If we let waste metabolites build up, the body will attempt to mobilize them (discomfort) when it can; but it only can do that effectively if not actively digesting food. Eating makes one feel better because it halts or delays the detoxification process.

My books, Eat to Live and Eat For Health explain how eating for health is the most effective way to reach our ideal weight and stay there permanently when you get there. There are lots of ways to lose weight, but only by eating lots of nutrient-rich foods as a method of choice for weight loss will we not have to fight off cravings and ill feelings.

In a portion controlled (calorie counting) diet it is likely that the body will not get adequate fiber or nutrients. The body will have a compounded sensation of hunger and craving which for most is simply overwhelming. It invariably results in people losing weight then gaining back their weight. Calorie counting simply doesn't work in the long run. Diets based on portion control and calorie counting generally permits the eating of highly toxic, low nutrient foods and then requires us to fight our addictive drives and attempt to eat less. This combination undernourishes the body resulting in uncontrollable and frequent food cravings.

Without an adequate education in superior nutrition and solid principles to stick to; these individuals are forced to flounder and fail bouncing from one diet to another, always losing a little and regaining. Frequently regaining more than they lost. With the right knowledge base, we can get more pleasure from eating and protect our precious health. So for superior health and our ideal weight, don’t diet, Eat For Health.


Joel Fuhrman, M.D is a board certified family physician specializing in nutritional medicine. He is the author of the acclaimed books Eat To Live and Eat For Health. Visit his website at: drfuhrman.com and his blog at: diseaseproof.com.

The Greatness of Greens

If I were stuck on an island that was beautiful and peaceful; filled with my friends and family; abundant with new books to read, movies to watch, beaches for walking and playing; but I had to choose only one type of food that would sustain and nourish me for a long healthy life of relaxation and bliss, what would I choose? That's right! Of course, it is the only choice...leafy green vegetables. (Did you really think I would say chocolate???)


Leafy green vegetables are modern medicine in the magnificent quantity, quality and variation of nutrients it provides. They are rich in vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and antioxidants that are critical for warding off heart disease, cancers, osteoporosis, type 2 diabetes and inflammation. Greens are genius at promoting weight loss, immunity, eye health, and hormonal balance.

In terms of nutrient density, greens win with the greatest amount of nutrients per calorie. They are high in fiber, protein, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, and vitamins K, C and folic acid. Additionally, they are swimming in a plethora of phytochemicals including lutein, beta-carotene, and zeaxanthin. With all of this nutritional punch, they provide minimal calories and fat.

As Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn says, the goal is not to drip, but to shower your body with greens as much as possible. There is an abundance of methods of increasing your intake of leafy green vegetables. They are easily hidden in smoothies and soups and they make a delicious accent to salads, all cooked entrees, as well as being fantastic on their own.

I recommend testing your creativity and finding ways to incorporate green leafies into every meal of the day. With such a variety, this is not at all difficult. To name a few, there is curly kale, black kale, dandelion greens, collard greens, bok choy, spinach, arugula, swiss chard, rainbow chard, beet greens, romaine lettuce. And this is just the beginning! Imagine the possibilities!

Here are two videos of my two favorite green smoothies. I have one for breakfast every morning and it is the perfect way to start the day. Experiment with these recipes to make your favorite version. There are no rules...just mere guidelines.

Greens are magic that can save your health, prevent disease, reverse disease, fuel energy, help recovery and repair, protect the GI tract, boost immunity, slow aging, and enhance beauty more than any other food, drug, supplement or cosmetic. Cheers to greens!

Guest Blog: Joel Fuhrman, M.D. on Sodium, Acid-Base Balance, and Bone Health

I am honored to introduce my readers to Dr. Joel Fuhrman, M.D. in his first Guest Appearance on my blog:

Joel Fuhrman M.D. is a board-certified family physician, nutrition researcher, best-selling author, and one of the country’s leading nutritional medicine experts.

Dr. Fuhrman is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and he is presently involved in research trials of his high micronutrient, plant-based diet with physicians and scientists at the University of Pennsylvania health system as well as other researchers.

Dr. Fuhrman created the Aggregate Nutrient Density Index (ANDI) scoring system that evaluates the levels of micronutrients and antioxidants in food to aid people in making healthier food choices. Dr. Fuhrman is on the medical advisory board of Whole Foods Market.

Dr. Fuhrman is the author of six books, including Disease-Proof Your Child and his best-selling book, Eat To Live which has gone through 18 printings and several foreign language translations. His most recent book, Eat For Health was published in April 2008.

Dr. Fuhrman teaches nutritional excellence which is not only preventative, but is also the safest and most effective therapeutic intervention for most chronic medical conditions. Dr. Fuhrman is on the board of directors of the American Academy of Lifestyle Medicine and active in educating physicians and health professionals on nutritional medicine. His lectures have been approved for CME credit by the American Academy of Family Physicians.


To learn more about Dr. Fuhrman please visit his website at DrFuhrman.com and his blog at DiseaseProof.com.





Sodium, Acid-Base Balance, and Bone Health

We’ve known for years that excessive sodium intake contributes to hypertension, and a new meta-analysis of 13 studies has confirmed that high sodium intake is associated with increased risk of stroke and overall cardiovascular disease.1 Salt consumption is also associated with kidney disease, and a new study suggests that reduced sodium intake could benefit bone health.

Women 45-75 years old with prehypertension or stage 1 hypertension were assigned to either a low-sodium diet or a higher sodium, high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet. Both diets supplied the same amount (800 mg) of calcium, but the low-sodium diet was designed to have a lesser acid load than the high-carbohydrate diet.2

Western diets, generally high in animal protein, produce acid in the body, forcing the body to buffer this acid in part by the release of alkalizing salts from bone (e.g. calcium citrate and calcium carbonate) – this is associated with urinary calcium loss and is thought to contribute to osteoporosis. Fruits, vegetables, and legumes have favorable effects on acid-base balance, since the acid-forming effect of their protein content, which is lower than that of animal products anyway, are balanced by their mineral content.3-4

After 14 weeks, the women on both diets increased markers of bone formation and reduced their calcium excretion – those on the low sodium diet had a greater reduction in calcium loss. The authors concluded that this diet was protecting the mineral reserves in bone, and that this could have long-term implications for bone health. Future studies will likely measure bone mineral density and fracture incidence in response to these diets.2

The average daily consumption of sodium for Americans is around 4000mg, almost double the U.S. recommended maximum of 2300mg. The low sodium diet in this study provided a maximum of 1500mg of sodium per day, but included up to six servings of red meat per week, limited the consumption of nutrient-rich legumes to 4-5 per week, and was based on high-calorie, nutrient-poor grain products - 7-8 servings per day.5 The high-carbohydrate low-fat diet was likely based on grain products as well.

Although both of these diets had favorable effects when implemented in place of a standard western diet, they both have room for improvement. By minimizing the high-protein, high-saturated fat animal products, and replacing grain products with mineral- and phytochemical-rich vegetables, fruits, and legumes as the base of the diet, both acid load and sodium would be further reduced, presumably leading to further benefits on bone health.

To learn more about this topic and more, please visit his website at DrFuhrman.com and his blog at DiseaseProof.com.

References:
1. Strazzullo P et al. Salt intake, stroke, and cardiovascular disease: meta-analysis of prospective studies. BMJ 2009;339:b4567
2. Nowson CA et al. The effects of a low-sodium base-producing diet including red meat compared with a high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet on bone turnover markers in women aged 45-75 years. Br J Nutr. 2009 Oct;102(8):1161-70. Epub 2009 May 18.
3. Welch AA et al. Urine pH is an indicator of dietary acid-base load, fruit and vegetables and meat intakes: results from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and
Nutrition (EPIC)-Norfolk population study. Br J Nutr. 2008 Jun;99(6):1335-43. Epub 2007 Nov 28.
4. Massey LK. J Nutr. Dietary animal and plant protein and human bone health: a whole foods approach. 2003 Mar;133(3):862S-865S.
5. http://dashdiet.org/
http://www.bakeryandsnacks.com/Publications/Food-Beverage-Nutrition/FoodNavigator.com/Science-Nutrition/Salt-reduction-may-also-benefit-bone-health/?c=9EU3KtLmkBBxmwtf4jYClA%3D%3D&utm_source=newsletter_daily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Newsletter%2BDaily
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/hbp/dash/new_dash.pdf

Super Superbowl Hummus

Here is a perfect snack for Superbowl Sunday. Not only is it decadently delicious, but it is healthy and takes less than 10 minutes to prepare. This healthy hummus has only a few ingredients and, after blending or food processing it together, can be served with raw veggies, mini pita bread pockets, or any type of chips. I use it as a snack or even a meal throughout the week as it is rich in protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals. Here is the recipe:

1 can garbanzo beans

1/2 cup cashews

juice of 1 lemon

1 clove garlic

1-2 Tbsp tahini (sesame butter)

2 Tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 cup water

Place all the ingredients into the blender or food processor and blend until smooth. We added some paprika for color and decoration (plus it smokes up the flavor a bit too). Serve with raw veggies (carrots, broccoli, cucumber, celery, bell peppers, jicama, etc.), whole-wheat pita pockets, corn chips, or anything else you like to dip. It can also be served on bread as a sandwich spread with sliced cucumbers and tomatoes. Yum! Enjoy!

Fighting for Fat-ism

Yesterday morning, as I was peddling away on the seated elliptical, reading Dr. David Kessler's The End of Overeating, I looked up at the muted television screen right above me and saw a headline on one of the morning shows. It said "How to find a doctor who is not fat-phobic". It was impossible not to simply see the irony of my current location and the literature I was absorbing. But, more notably was the red light that flashed in my head. Really? We need to tell people to avoid a physician who is interested in ignoring a huge symptom in minimizing disease risk?

Two out of every three Americans is either overweight or obese. This is a grand majority and the numbers are only increasing. Children are growing overweight and obese rapidly. This is an epidemic and it is a crisis. Talk about a health care emergency! One of the most significant causes of type 2 Diabetes, heart disease and many cancers is the presence of too much fat on the body. These are the number one killers in the West. Fat causes Metabolic Syndrome, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure, factors that lead directly to heart attacks and strokes.

Since when has a health issue become a political correctness compass? Clothing stores are popping up everywhere for the "larger-sized" woman. Magazines specialize in this population. The scary part is that our society is trying to adjust for the majority of the population instead of working to make changes to lead people into healthier lifestyles. This may well be the reason we are in Health care crisis and why health care has become utterly unaffordable. We can't keep up with our growing population as it is draining resources.

I am not trying to be insensitive as I know this is a very taboo way to approach the topic. But I am coming from a concerned perspective. We need to accept the fact that being overweight is dangerous...it is literally one of the most preventable and reversible symptoms of illness in America. Instead of focusing on finding physicians that will ignore the weight of his or her patients, we need to deal with it head on. Practitioners need to educate their patients on why carrying too much fat is unhealthy and to lead them in the direction of adopting healthy lifestyle practices, such as exercising regularly and eating a whole food, plant-based diet, rich in nutrients that help the body shed excess weight and fight disease. Nutrition counseling by Registered Dietitians and personal training by qualified individuals need to be covered by insurance and offered as incentives to employees who want to take advantage of this option. Healthier, fitter employees perform better and more efficiently. Our entire society can improve vastly if only we attack fat as the health issue it is and not acclimate culture to accept it.

Veggie Peanut Pasta Masala

Here is a very quick and easy meal that can be made in literally 15 minutes, including cooking time with absolutely no chopping, washing or mess. Jon Ham and I boiled brown rice pasta (but any type of whole grain pasta will be great). When it was about 4-5 minutes before being cooked, we added a bag of frozen organic mixed Thai vegetables to the pasta. Then, we let the water re-heat to boiling and let it sit for a couple minutes to make sure everything was cooked through. After straining the water out of the veggies/pasta mix, we placed it in a wok and added Basu's Homestyle Peanut Masala Sauce. It simmered for less than 4 minutes. Presto! A delicious, healthy Indian-flavored meal that was made in barely enough time to get your pajamas on and pour a glass of wine after a long day at work! Cheers!

Noritos!

"Noritos" is a concept I came up with many years ago, thanks to my wheat allergy...making sandwich wraps using nori wraps instead of tortillas...


Plus, sea vegetables (including Nori as well as Hijiki, Wakame, Dulse and Kelp) are filled with minerals such as iodine, iron, and calcium. They are very low in calories (about 10 per sheet of nori) and contain zero fat so they make a meal healthier, lighter and much more nutritionally dense than a tortilla or bread.
I made 3 different variations of Noritos: a Japanese, Mediterranean, and Mexican.
The Japanese Norito contains brown rice, miso paste, cucumber, carrot, tamari and gomashio.
The Mediterranean Norito is made with hummus, red pepper slices, cucumber and sundried tomatoes.
Finally, the Mexican Norito...filled with guacamole, jicama, salsa and cilantro.
Easy meals in minutes...cheers!

Green Sludge for Going Veg

Yesterday, Jesse Pomeroy and I shot the production of my favorite breakfast, my Green Smoothie, for Going Veg. This is what I make every morning. It provides every nutrient possible and tastes delicious. A perfect way to start the day.

In it, there are as many greens as I can pack in (usually a combination of collard greens, dandelion greens, and black kale). The greens are filled with antioxidants, phytochemicals, vitamins, minerals and chlorophyll which floods the body with oxygen. Then I add a couple tablespoons of both flaxseed and hempseed for the omega 3 fatty acids. Next, I fill the blender to capacity with frozen fruit (typically I combine blueberries, cherries, raspberries, mango, pineapple, papaya and frozen banana). Finally, I pour in either almond milk, coconut water or a chilled mug of green tea (depending on my mood). Blend it all together and voila! The perfect breakfast is served!

What is Plant-Based Nutrition?

The perfect ideology about eating can be summed up by the Father of Modern Medicine, Hippocrates, when he said: “Let thy food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food”. I propose that the ultimate epitome of medicinal consumption is a whole food, plant-based diet. What is plant-based nutrition? It sounds like a vegan diet. It also may seem like a diet where the participant grazes on grass all day long, similar to a cow. However, there is a beautiful synergy between all of these terms and it all winds down to a perfect way of eating…one that creates health; prevents and even reverses disease; assists with weight loss; and enhances energy, endurance, beauty and strength.

There is currently a vast enormity of scientific data that confirms and substantiates the fact that a whole food, plant-based diet creates health. There is decades of evidence showing that the Standard American Diet (SAD; high-fat, high-protein, low nutrient) is the cause of the growing incidence of heart disease, cancer, obesity, diabetes, and many other chronic diseases. Ultimately, no matter what your genetic destiny, these diseases can be prevented and reversed and it all depends on what is at the end of your fork…

There are two components to eating for health…what you choose not to eat and what you should eat. The worst products to put into your body includes animal protein, fat, processed “foods”, artificial colors/flavors, preservatives, and chemicals. On the other hand, what your body and immune system need to thrive and protect itself is a variety of plants, namely: grains, legumes, vegetables and fruit…the new four food groups.

Research demonstrates the fact that animal protein itself (including that from eggs, dairy, fish, fowl, red meat, and pork) can turn on and off carcinogenesis (cancer formation). Additionally, the further you get from nature (meaning, the more processed the food), the closer you get to disease formation.

Conversely, plant-based, whole foods are full of phytochemicals, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. They are nutrient-dense and flood the body with usable compounds to build immunity, fight disease, re-build, detoxify and maintain health. The more of these nutrients you consume, the stronger your immune system will be.



To learn more, check out my website: http://www.plantbaseddietitian.com/

Why Plant-Based?

I read John Robbins’ book, Diet for a New America, when I was a young adult. It branded me for life. I tried profusely to become a vegetarian immediately after the conclusion of this book and experiencing the truth behind our food. Unfortunately, this was an uphill battle at a pinnacle of battle I had not yet fought. I did not realize I would be fighting my parents, my friends, myself as I waged this war to save the environment; stop the painful mutilation, torture and murder of innocent animals; and protect my body from the brutal damage a Standard American Diet defends. It has been a long journey as I struggled to research, read, and absorb as much information as possible; to be able to confirm and then defend the facts. But I have finally come to this sacred place…the point at which I have no further doubt. I have successfully completed a Dietetic Internship after spending weeks and months in hospitals, schools, offices and classrooms. I have finished a graduate degree in nutrition despite the vast support from the super-powerful and economically endowed food and drug industries. And, here I am…alone with what I have gathered from decades of homework, reading and gathering. I am a plant-based dietitian confident in my steadfast decision to avoid animal products, to not allow my children to be sucked in by the vacuum of money-driven propaganda. Although I am constantly faced with dissidence, I have taken a stance, for good or for bad, in sickness and in health, until death do I depart my viewpoint.

My First Cooking Demo with Jon Ham...Vindaloo Veggie Stirfry

My all-time favorite type of cuisine is Indian. My husband and I have very close friends who make us delicious, homestyle, vegan Indian recipes. The problem is that every time I try to make the dishes myself or try recipes, they taste nothing like the authentic dishes. The reason for this is the complex, diverse and vast amount of spices and herbs that create the magic. I often wish I was born in India just so I could have a natural understanding of how to use these spices to create the delectable flavors and fragrances that I have come to adore.

When Jon Ham of Fitness on the Run told me he has a client named Basu who makes homestyle Indian sauces and sells them at Whole Foods, I got so excited...I had to try them all!

And we did. This is the first one we tried...a vindaloo sauce. I decided to make a veggie stirfry served on a bed of brown rice. We used scallions, red pepper, broccoli, mushrooms and a bit of vegetable broth to saute the veggies in. So easy and the sauce makes it incredibly delicious! Plus, it is filled with phytochemicals, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and fiber! Cheers!

Jon Ham interview with Me!

My Interview with Jon Ham

My New Year's Wish

So here we are in the future...where we are supposed to be flying around in our spacecars, wearing silver metal sleeksuits, and where robots make our dinner and clean the dishes. We are actually heading in that direction at the rate we are going...but not in the idealized projection. We will be forced to live up in our sky hightower homes because our Earth will be sucked dry and destroyed from all of the damage we have placed on it. We will be eating food that we grew in our hydroponic, indoor planters, depleted of true sun-filled nutrition and popping chemistry lab-made supplements to fulfill our deficiencies...

Oooo...this sort of prediction is eerie in its potential probability. I prefer to live on the planet the way we are now...visiting Farmer's Markets and Trader Joes, cooking my meals at home, and having beaches, mountains, and farmland to visit whenever I feel the desire.

In order to do this, I am making a New Year's Wish...I am wishing that the knowledge of the implications associated with Factory Farming; the overuse of drugs (antibiotics, steroids, and hormones); the abuse of pesticides, herbicides and fungicides; and the abuse of animals due to the high demand for their use as food will be acknowledged and absorbed by millions of people in 2010. I am hoping these millions of people will simultaneously recognize that the healthiest diet for the planet and for the animals just happens to be the same one that will sustain longevity and vitality, prevent disease and enhance energy, beauty and endurance.

To a happy, healthy 2010!!!