Interview with Forks Over Knives Executive Producer, Brian Wendel

Brian Wendel is the Executive Producer of an extremely powerful, unstoppable new documentary, Forks Over Knives. Releasing in Los Angeles and New York theatres on May 6th and nationwide on May 13th, this is a film you do not want to miss. Documenting the fascinatingly parallel lives of a nutrition biochemistry researcher, Dr. T. Colin Campbell, and  physician, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, Forks Over Knives presents their groundbreaking path towards changing the way we think about nutrition and medicine. Simultaneously, the film explores both how we ended up in the health disaster we are currently experiencing in the United States as well as offers the audience a solution.

I have seen this film at least ten times, and I learn something new each time I watch it. Forks Over Knives may be one of the most critical films of our generation and I highly and passionately recommend it. Also starring in this film are Dr. Neal Barnard, Dr. Pam Popper, Rip Esselstyn, Dr. John McDougall, Dr. Alona Pulde, Dr. Matt Lederman, Dr. Doug Lisle, Mac Danzig, Ruth Hedrich, Dr. Terry Mason, and some warm and wonderful real-life examples of what a whole food, plant-based diet can do.

In this interview, Brian tells us about his experience making Forks Over Knives and then watching it blossom into a huge success...

JH: You went from commercial real estate straight into producing one of the most important documentaries of our time, Forks Over Knives, as your first film. What inspired you to take the leap?

BW: The evidence that diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and sometimes cancer, can be effectively prevented, and even reversed, by a whole foods plant-based diet is compelling. For whatever reason, the information wasn’t getting to the masses, so only a few people were benefiting from it. I thought making a feature film was an opportunity to change that, and doing something that would have a positive impact on people’s lives was something I always wanted to do.

JH: How do you feel about the outpouring of support and enthusiasm for the film?


BW: The response has been beyond what I had imagined. It’s rewarding. I think people see the potential in the concepts brought forward in the film as a real way to make our lives better.

JH: What are your ultimate goals for Forks Over Knives?

BW: I hope that the level of education about food and its impact on health will increase, and that as a result, people will lead more healthful lives. It turns out that the same diet that is good for human health, is compassionate to animals and less taxing to the environment, so it’s important to see improvements in these areas as well.

JH: Can you describe the message you are trying to relay by creating such a critical piece?

BW: The message is that there is evidence that there’s something very specific we can do to greatly reduce our suffering from degenerative diseases. At a time when we’re trying to find solutions to difficult problems, it’s good to know that there may be one at hand—especially something that is simple.

JH: What was it like working with a healthy handful of the most innovative, influential scientists of our generation?

BW: Given my passion for the subject, there are no individuals I would have rather worked with than Dr. Campbell and Dr. Esselstyn. Getting to spend as much time with them as we did, and getting to know them personally, was an experience that is difficult to describe in words.


JH: What was your biggest challenge in making the film?

BW: The biggest challenge was figuring out how to take a vast amount of information along with a significant number of stories, and making into a presentation of less than 96 minutes. There’s a lot of material that didn’t make it in. We realized that the film represents more the beginning of a discussion.

JH: Do you intend to continue making documentary films with a similar message?


BW: Right now I’m focused on releasing the film, an undertaking that is quite substantial. I do, though, like the idea of making another documentary film.

Check local listings beginning May 6th in New York and Los Angeles and nationwide beginning May 13th. This film will change your life!

The Chef and The Dietitian - Episode 16

Happy, Healthy New Year! In this episode, Chef AJ shows us how to make her party favorite pesto-stuffed mushrooms. By the way they taste and by their elegant presentation, you'd never think they could be so simple to make.

Remember to follow my Whole Food, Plant-Based Food Guide Pyramid to achieve and maintain optimum health all year-long. To a healthy, fruitful, plant-based 2011! Cheers!

Is it a Coincidence?

Is it a coincidence???
That the human body suffers when the animals’ do?

Is it coincidence???
That our body responds to the torture and slaughter of innocent lives in kind by offering little more than torture and an untimely death to those who accept it?

There are two components to achieving sustenance and optimal health:

First…there is what we must avoid…
From animals, we obtain cholesterol, animal protein, saturated fat, steroids, hormones, biochemicals produced from utter fear and pain…

Secondly…there is what we choose to absorb…
Plants contain fiber, water, phytochemicals, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants…oh, and, none of the above which we need to avoid…

Is it a coincidence?
We are, above all, Earthlings…living amongst one another…striving to thrive…or else to survive…

Where we choose to sustain ourselves sends messages inwardly and, also, to those around us.
When we eat for health AND out of compassion, we flourish…
When we eat for carelessness or chosen blindfullness, our bodies and the people witnessing it, demise…

There’s nothing we can obtain better from animals than we can from plants. The single nutrient we need to concern ourselves with as strict herbivores is vitamin B12. It is a bacteria-built nutrient and if we chose to not wash our plants, we could derive from the dirt our plants lived with. Or…we can simply consume a supplement of B12 or fortified plant milks or nutritional yeast to prevent any deficiency.

Beyond that, a whole food, plant-based diet is the ultimate key to achieving health. To prevent and reverse disease. To live compassionately amongst our fellow Earthlings. The science is as clear as our morality when we choose to feed ourselves with our body, mind, heart, and soul. Eat plants for your health and for the mercy of the animals. There is no such thing as coincidence.

The Plant-Based Food Guide Pyramid

There are almost as many food guide pyramids out there as there are diet books. I have yet to find one that meets my standards for an optimal plan. Thus, I decided to work with my graphic designer, Sherri Nestorowich, to create a visual guide for the whole food, plant-based diet I recommend to my clients and students.

What makes mine unique is the fact that I have fruit and vegetables at the bottom (right above the need for daily exercise and fluid consumption). Although people may disagree with this decision, I made it based on evidence showing a strong association between higher intake of fruit and vegetables and decreased incidence of chronic disease:

• Higher intake of fruit and vegetables may be protective against cardiovascular disease (Liu et al, Am J Clin Nutr, 2000;72:922–8)
• The risk of some chronic diseases may be lower at higher dietary flavonoid intakes (Knekt et al, Am J Clin Nutr, 2002;76:560–8) 
• Fruit and vegetable consumption is inversely associated with the risk of Coronary Heart Disease (Dauchet et al, J. Nutr. 136: 2588–2593, 2006)
• Greater vegetable and fruit intake is associated with a lower risk of breast cancer (Zhang et al, Int J Cancer, 2009;125,1:181-8)
• High total fruit intake and certain fruit and vegetable intakes may be associated with a reduced risk of colorectal adenomas (Wu et al, J Nutr, 2009; 139,2:340-4)
• In a review of  200 epidemiological studies, strong evidence was found to support the protective effect of fruit and vegetables. For most cancer sites, persons with low fruit and vegetable intake experience about twice the risk of cancer compared with those with high intake, even after control for potentially confounding factors (Block, Patterson & Subar, Nutrition and Cancer, 1992; 18,1: 1 - 29)
• Fruit and vegetable consumption reduces incidence of  cancer and cardiovascular disease (van't Veer et al, Public Health Nutrition, 2000, 3:103-107)

In the vegetable category, it includes carotenoid-rich and starchy vegetables. Carotenoids are high in antioxidants (protect cells from damaging effects of free radicals); provide a source of vitamin A; enhance immune function; and help reproductive system function. Specifically, it includes: carrots, greens, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, bell peppers. The starches are rich sources of complex carbs, fiber and include potatoes, squash, and corn.

Fruit contributes vitamins A, C, some B vitamins as well as some minerals. Dried fruit may contain iron. This section contains all whole fresh fruit and frozen fruit (which should be the priority and majority of fruit consumption) even though it can also include dried fruit, whole fruit juices, canned fruit (in order of health-promoting capacity).


Further, I have a separate category for leafy green vegetables additional to the foundational vegetable recommendations. My new quote that I tell my clients and students is "Let thy greens be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy greens". Leafy greens are chock-full of macro- and micronutrients, including calcium, fiber, folate, vitamins C, B6, B2, E, potassium, manganese, magnesium, phytochemicals (such as lutein, beta-cryptoxanthin, zeaxanthin, beta-carotene). This category of vegetables include kale, collard greens, spinach, mustard greens, beet greens, turnip greens, romaine lettuce, bok choy, Swiss chard, rainbow chard, Brussels sprouts, sea vegetables, broccoli, Napa cabbage. See my previous blog, The Greatness of Greens, for more about the undeniable superhero-esque power!

• Consumption of vegetables, green-yellow and green leafy vegetables was inversely associated with the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (Kurahashi et al, Br J Cancer, 2009; 100,1:181-4)
• Kale demonstrates excellent absorbability of calcium (Heaney & Weaver, Am J Clin Nutr, 1990; 51,4:656-7)
• Lutein, a powerful antioxidant that protects the eyes against macular degeneration is bioaccessible from leafy greens (Chandrika et al,  J Nutr Sci Vitaminol, 2010; 56,3:203-7)
• Dietary supplementation with leafy vegetables may be useful for protecting cells from lipid peroxidation and oxidative DNA damage (Kim et al, J Med Food, 2009;12,4:877-84)
• Significant decreased cancer risk found with increased carotenoid intake from green and yellow vegetables (Colditz, et al, Am J Clin Nutr, 1981, 41: 32-36)
• Deficiency of folate, a vitamin that is abundant in leafy greens, induces and accelerates carcinogenesis (Duthy, J Inherit Metab Dis, 2010  [Epub ahead of print])
• High combined intakes of vitamins C and E, beta-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, and lutein-zeaxanthin from food, or a diet high in their food sources (like leafy greens), may protect against cumulative DNA damage in radiation-exposed persons (Yong et al, Am J Clin Nutr, 2009, 90,5:1402-10)
• Better behavioural outcomes in adolescents are associated with a higher intake of fresh fruit and leafy green vegetables (Oddy et al, Prev Med, 2009; 49,1:39-44)

I can go on and on about the beauty of greens...but there are so many other topics to delineate with respect to why I chose the food groups I did.

Moving on up the pyramid...

Whole grains are the backbone of the plant-based diet as they contribute calories, fiber, protein, iron, B vitamins, trace nutrients in whole grains. This category includes: corn, brown rice and sprouted tortillas; whole grain breads; cereals (i.e. oats); bulgur; brown rice; couscous; millet; quinoa; whole grain pasta; polenta; wheat berries; popcorn; wheat germ and bran.

Legumes provide a supporting role in the diet. They are used extensively in international cuisines and provide protein, fiber, iron, calcium, zinc, selenium. Legumes include cooked & dried beans (adzuki, anasazi, black, black-eyed peas, cannellini, chickpeas, great Northern beans, kidney beans, lima beans, navy beans, pinto beans, soybeans), lentils, peas, split peas, and soy products (tempeh, tofu).

At the top of my pyramid, I have listed high fat whole foods, dairy substitutes (which are great sources of fortified vitamins B12, D, and sometimes calcium), and whole food sweetened treats (which can be done by using dates, date syrup, pure maple syrup and other fruits). High fat whole foods refer to olives, avocado, nuts and seeds, which are important in order to consume adequate omega 3 fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids, fiber, protein, fat, iron, calcium, and trace minerals. All of these items should be used sparingly and less in situations where weight loss is a goal or when there has been a diagnosis of heart disease, diabetes, high cholesterol or other metabolic conditions.

Overall, I hope that this pyramid is used as a guideline. The serving sizes are not necessary to perfect...it is more important to look at it as a way of proportioning out what a day's worth of food should look like. The foods closer to the bottom should be a mainstay or foundation of intake and those near the top are to be used as support.

I also highly recommend everyone consume a vitamin B12 supplement of either 10μg daily OR 2,000μg weekly and have their serum vitamin D levels checked. If your serum 25 hydroxy D levels are less than 35 ng/mL, it is necessary to increase sun exposure (during peak hours and with no sunscreen for a few minutes a day...without allowing any reddening of the skin to occur) and possibly add supplemental D2. Please speak with your physician to address this issue.

Thai Corn Chowder & Cabbage Salad, Part 1

Chef Kirk Leins and Tony Pinto from www.NoTimetoCook.com offered me the opportunity to work with them and I was magically able to "inspire" them to go plant-based with me for a few recipes. This is the first part of a two-part series and an additional series to come (in the can...as they say in Hollywood :)!).

We developed a Thai theme for these two soup and salad recipes. Part 1 shows the preparation of the Thai Corn Chowder and stay tuned for Chef Kirks delicious and easy-to-make Thai Cabbage Salad.

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:


2.5 cups vegetable broth
1 cup onion, chopped
bunch of celery, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 inch fresh ginger, grated or minced
½ tsp coriander seeds
½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 good pinch of sea salt
1 stalk lemongrass
4 cups frozen corn
1 can light coconut milk
1 cup red pepper, chopped
2 limes' worth of zest
juice of 2 limes
½ cup fresh cilantro

Instructions:

Sauté onion, celery, garlic, ginger, coriander, red bell pepper and sea salt in ½ cup of the vegetable broth in a large pot on low-medium heat. Stir to prevent sticking and to combine flavors. Cover and let simmer for about 5 minutes or until vegetables look translucent. Add lemongrass bulbs, 2 cups of the corn, rest of the broth and coconut milk to the pot and bring to a boil. After boiling, reduce heat to low, cover and let cook for 10 minutes. Use immersion blender to blend the mixture (or remove some and blend in a regular blender and return to the pot). Add the other 2 cups of corn and red pepper flakes. Cover and let simmer for 10 more minutes. Add lime zest and lime juice, cilantro and serve. Serves 4-6.

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.