Environmental Benefits or WTH Al Gore! How did you forget to mention these statistics?

So-my education opened my eyes to that fact that this lifestyle is not just good for my health but for the planet as well!

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Environmental Benefits or WTH Al Gore! How did you forget to mention these statistics?

A little segue into environmentalism:

I am in the midst of the last class I will need to get my certification in Plant Based Nutrition. I read a few facts today as I did some research for a paper I need to write about food production and environmental concerns. Let me share them with you:

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (UN-FAO) attributes 18% of worldwide greenhouse gases to the production and consumption of livestock. This is a greater percentage of GHGs than those produced worldwide by all the cars, trucks, buses, trains, and planes combined. 

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=20772&Cr=global&Cr1=environment

How did Al Gore miss that one? 18%!!

Researchers H Scott Matthews & Christopher Weber at Carnegie Mellson estimate that eliminating meat from your diet one day a week would reduce greenhouse emissions by the equivalent of driving 1000 less miles per year.

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es702969f

This is fantastic news for those out in the suburbs and even more so for rural dwellers. Public transportation may not always be an option when you live in the country and need to drive 30 or more miles to work each day, but everyone is capable of going 1 day a week without meat. A nice salad in the summer or thick, hearty veggie and lentil soup in the winter. Good for you, good for the planet!

I know and agree that we should all do our part to cut down the driving, turn down the thermostat and generally be more aware of our impact on the planet. However, I now know that eating a whole foods, plant based diet is not only better for me, it gives me the best chance of having an impact on our planets health.

Too Much Information or How do I not turn into a PITA*

So, fast forward a month and the journey had begun.  On my way to getting certified in Plant Based Nutrition and trying to navigate the kitchen in the process.  Who could have known my life was about to find direction and purpose....

Friday, March 26, 2010

Too Much Information or How do I not turn into a PITA*

School has begun and I have completed two classes: The Fundamentals of Nutrition and Diseases of Affluence.

First an aside:  I LOVE school! I had forgotten how wonderful it is to have someone actually care if you produce, look at what you do and give positive feedback on it when you had to do it anyway! No paycheck EVER felt this good! My eternal gratitude to the teachers who make this happen.

Now back to the blog.

I have no idea where to start, as I said Too Much Information! It is hard to begin, because it is all so important and it can absolutely save and extend lives. How do I deal with that? I have information that can extend and save the lives of people I know, love and care about. It will even help the other people in town, but I digress.

If I am too passionate (aggressive, oppressive, zealous-need I go on?) I drive away my friends before they hear the oh so important details. If I do not share this information, and they get sick or worse, I feel complicit.

So, I try to strike a balance: I am living on an (almost) fully plant based diet. I do not tell people who invite me over, nor do I sway a restaurant suggestion. This way, I pick and choose among the foods offered. In California, this is very easy. I have not been to an event yet where there was not a large veggie platter and at least one fantastic salad along with a whole grain. As I mentioned in the previous post, this is about the big picture and if the salad has cheese, I do not sweat it because I know I am most of the way there and making a more healthful selection. A veggie kabob with a bit of meat-no problem. You get the idea.

I have to say that without the full and enthusiastic support of my husband Joe, none of this would work. In fact, I often find that it is his enthusiasm that opens the door for me to talk about what I am learning. 

So now our challenge is What to Eat? I have been testing many recipes and Joe has been experimenting with the bounty of vegetables that we bring home from our local farmer's market each Saturday. We have had some great meals! To the point that one of my sons asked for a recipe we made while he was home for Spring Break. SUCCESS!

So let's talk fundamentals. Drilled down to its most basic, this diet is: Eat all parts of the plant and all colors of the rainbow everyday. So some leaves, some roots, some flowers, some red, some yellow, some orange or purple and some green. Easy enough, right? 

Joe and I found some challenges and so many questions as we started this journey. I hope to help you navigate this road without having to rediscover the things we have uncovered. I will be posting recipes and also events in the SF Bay Area where we can further our education about the benefits of a whole food, plant based diet.

*PITA - Pain In The A**

The China Study

So-looks like it took me a week or two to read and digest The China Study.  So glad to find out that in the 5 years that have passed, I still stand by these words-most especially "WHY IS THIS NOT ON THE FRONT OF EVERY NEWSPAPER IN THE COUNTRY!!!!"

Saturday, February 13, 2010

The China Study

So, the name does not do justice to this book. This is an owners manual to feeding the human body, with the scientific proof as to how and why it works. This should be required reading in every high school in the country. Not an easy read, but it is written in plain enough english that it is completely comprehensible. And when it began to sink in I was awed.

First, the recommendation: Eat real food. Simple as that. Now this is not a vegan diet, with soy dogs, pasta, cheese substitutes and veggies crumbles. This is a plant based diet where the food should be recognizable as it came from the plant when you buy it. The target is to get below 10% animal protein in your diet. Better yet, below 5%, and if you have one of the diseases of affluence, down close to zero. A vegan, plant based diet would be ideal. In following this way of eating, a bowl of fresh vegetables simmered in chicken stock would be preferred over a bowl of pasta. Don't sweat the small stuff, just eat real food. Humans can get all essential nutrition from a whole food, plant based diet. This diet is rich in antioxidants that are not available in animal based foods and it is also high in dietary fiber that binds to toxins and unwanted acids in the intestine to whisk them away. However, a plant based diet is missing one thing-cholesterol. Cholesterol is not essential in the human diet and in fact it is down right mischievous in the human body.

In an nutshell, the standard American "Healthy" Diet that is recommended by a good majority of our health profession is killing us, literally. This study, which takes place over many, many years and records a massive amount of data, found that diseases of affluence rise in a population as the consumption of animal protein increases. It also found that these same diseases can be halted and even reversed when animal protein and sugar are removed from the diet. What are the diseases of affluence? Heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and cancer. YES! You read that correctly. In this study, the above diseases were halted and even reversed by diet. WHY IS THIS NOT ON THE FRONT OF EVERY NEWSPAPER IN THE COUNTRY!!!!

Well, there are many factors here: 

Doctors have a mere 8 years to learn everything about the human body and so nutrition is not always heavy in the course load. 

A doctor must follow a treatment plan that can be controlled. Your medicine intake can be controlled and monitored accurately by you doctor, your eating habits cannot. Your doctor can't always wait to see if you will change your habits-it could be disastrous in many cases.

Our government heavily subsidizes many agricultural concerns and several of our government agencies that watch over our food supply and its human value, were started to promote food. The USDA states in its Strategic Framework that it is responsible for expanding markets for our agriculture, among other activities that put it at odds with telling us to drop meat and dairy.

And so, now that I have this knowledge, what do I do? I have three first hand experiences, that again, prove the merit of these claims. I have always felt better when I ate a diet heavy in whole foods. I have a freaking freezer full of grass-fed beef! So-baby steps. 

At the end of "The China Study", there is information on attending eCornell and receiving a Certificate in Plant Based Nutrition. I decided that I needed more knowledge on the science, and this became baby step number 1.

Begin at the Beginning or The Omnivore's Dilemma Created One for Me

My second entry to the blog continued my story and so I will continue with it here.  So much has changed in these past 5 years.

Begin at the Beginning or The Omnivore's Dilemma Created One for Me

So innocently, I purchased and brought home my book club selection. Such a small act. Such an unassuming book. I began to read it with the mild interest that I take in all books at the beginning. I have an open mind and I want to fall in love. I found it hard-I found it challenging. Was I really so asleep to what I was shoving in my mouth each day? I try to be an educated consumer. I try to feed my family nutritious meals. I buy organic (sometimes), I read labels (sometimes), but I had gotten tired of putting meals on the table day in and day out that always seemed to have something, someone disliked. I had gotten lazy and complacent and this book would not let me hide from that. Crap!

Now what? Now that I knew. How had this happened? I used to be such a health nut! I used to be aware of everything I put in my mouth. I used to think of food so differently. I actually had a spreadsheet on my fridge when I was pregnant to make sure that I ate the proper nutrients each day, No lie-ask Joe.

Well-no matter how it happened, this was something I could correct. We have a fantastic farmers market in Pleasanton year round. I live less than 15 minutes from Whole Foods and Raley's has a great organic food section. Joe and I began walking to the Farmer's Market each Saturday morning. We talked to the vendors. We found a meat vendor and did the research. Holding Ranch- at our own market each Saturday -sells grass fed meat raised humanely in a sustainable manner! Eureka! We had hit the mother lode. We stocked up each week and also had Holding bring us a quarter of a cow.

Well-this food is good! The meat is fantastic, the veggies and the fruit taste like veggies and fruit! The eggs are fresh, the cheese....I could go on all day. I felt fantastic. Less than 3 months from finishing this book, I was feeding my family healthy food!

Then a month or so later, I ran into my good friend, John Perez at Safeway. He was a personal trainer for our family for many years. He and his lovely partner, Kristi are extremely knowledgeable in all aspects of health: Mind, body and soul. Their business, Body Balance, cares for the whole of their client, and so we are friends many years after we have ceased to be clients. I was so proud to tell John that our family was back on track nutritionally. "That is fantastic!", John exclaimed. "I am so glad for all of you and proud of the changes you have made!" We continued to talk in the aisles and I invited John to dinner. Well, he had to confess. He had just read a book (sound familiar?) and it had changed his mind about the way he was eating. "Get The China Study.", he tells me.

So innocently, I purchased and brought home my book......

I typed these words on January 21st in 2010.  As I begin blogging (again? or maybe this is truly the first time) I thought it appropriate to begin at the beginning and this post was it. This remains as true today as it was then, maybe more so:

"Typing these first few words feel like stepping off a cliff. Is there a ledge? Am I tied in? Is anyone out there? I am praying that I will have the dedication to follow through and blog about my quest to a new way of healthy living.

However, as I begin to write this, I realize that the dedication I want will come from those I would dedicate this study to:

1)Lori-Everyone has a friend like Lori. Smart, pretty, driven. The kind of friend who asks a question and then really listens to your answer. The kind of friend who asks questions to make you think. The kind of friend who believes in you and makes you believe in yourself. Lori invited me to join a book club. She assembled a diverse and fascinating group of people and we read a wide range of books. One selection, "The Omnivore's Dilemma" set the stage for my quest.

2)Susan-We were "The Susans"-but no more. Cancer took this beautiful, kind, caring woman from her family and friends at the age of 49. Susan did everything right-exercise, nutrition, a loving family, a large community of friends who loved her, exemplary medical care. She had the odds in her favor, and yet she is gone. What did we miss that would have made a difference?

3)Amy-Our boys played soccer together in the early 1990's and we have been friends ever since. Amy and her family have a faith in God that is awesome. Her son was diagnosed with cancer in late 2008. The medical community was unclear with a treatment plan and the prognosis was not good. Through research and prayer, Amy found a diet that has lead to a 75% reduction in her son's tumor. Her journey has greatly contributed to my faith in God and all that He provides for us.

4)Ryan, Andrew and Kevin-My boys. I would love to find a way of living and eating that gives them control over their medical destiny so they can live long, healthy, disease free lives.

5)Joe-My ever so patient husband who stands by me through my ups and downs while I try to find the balance here. Joe bought 1/4 of a cow because I am convicted it is so important to eat grass fed meat raised on a ranch dedicated to sustainable farming. He did not even raise an eyebrow when, two weeks later when I told him that we needed to drop protein intake to less than 10% of our diet. He is a great cook, loves food adventures and has been not only a great sport, but interested in learning about all this along with me.

And so the dedication will come, not from me, but from God, as I try to honor those who have served as the inspiration for this journey."

These people have and continue to be an important part of my life.  I would now add a few more I am grateful to:

To my Juice Plus family for the great support and education as I moved forward from "here" back in 2010.  Without them and Barbara Messmore specifically I would never had met Dr. Pam Popper who has been such an instrumental part of my education and growth.  To Pam for her tireless answering of my questions all these years and her belief in me when I did not have it.

I hope you will enjoy the few posts from the past as we move forward into a future that looks very healthy indeed.