Day 21- The Beauty of a Plant Based Diet

“What we eat is a matter of life and death.  Food is who we are.” – Scott Jurek

It’s the 21st day!  We’ve done it!  I’ve heard wonderful stories from many of you about losing up to 11 pounds, feeling lighter and happier, performing better in sports and increasing running distance, and feeling liberated by the consciousness of your choices.  I concur with all of these, although I’ve only lost 7 pounds (so far).  Works for me!

We’ve learned a great deal about how beneficial it is to eat a plant-based diet.  Here are a few more facts.

“Genetically and structurally, we are designed to thrive on plant foods…Plants store the sun’s energy, which we receive by eating them.  If you can, just picture the light energy from the sun beaming down to the vegetables and fruits, and as we eat those foods, imagine that energy being transmitted into our bodies.  Our nervous systems are maintained and stimulated by this light.  What an amazing gift from nature- to be able to eat such pure foods that give our bodies so much!” – Skinny Bitch

If you’d like to step it up a notch, opt for organic, preferably locally grown veggies.  According to Dr. Todd Pesek’s book, Eat Yourself Super, based on studies performed on individuals who display longevity, it’s “worthwhile to note that their foods are locally produced whenever possible and grown in rich soils.  Your sense of place is in your local ecosystem.”

The picture to the left is all produce from local farmers.  I'm not sure what I will do in the winter!

Click here if you would like more info on where to find local produce.

If you would like more information on going vegan or vegetarian, there is some great info at Goveg.com and you can even order a free vegetarian starter kit.
 If you enjoyed this 21-day program, another one that I would strongly recommend (that I have done several times and really like) is PCRM's 21-Day Vegan Kick Start.  They share delicious recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for all 21 days.

“My refusing to eat flesh occasioned an inconveniency, and I was frequently chided for my singularity, but, with this lighter repast, I made the greater progress, for greater clearness of head and quicker comprehension.” – Ben Franklin

Not only does a vegan diet “restore health and tighten waistlines, there’s evidence it extends our lives as well.  The U.S. National Institute on Aging did a study of the longest-lived peoples in the world and found the people of Okinawa (Japan), Sardinia, and Seventh Day Adventists are among the longest lived on earth.”  Their common traits are:

• They eat lots of fruit, vegetables, and whole grains

• They don’t smoke

• They are active every day

• They stay socially engaged

• The Adventists also eat lots of nuts and beans

-The Kind Diet

Thank you for joining me on this journey of learning and experimenting with health and nutrition.  It has been an absolute joy for me to share this information with you and I hope you’ve found it helpful.  I’ve found this way of living to be so beneficial that I plan to continue a vegan lifestyle, while avoiding gluten, sugar, caffeine, and alcohol.  It sounded so difficult at first, but now I’ve found many delicious substitutes and new recipes.  I will re-introduce occasional dark chocolate (it’s dairy free!) and may have a glass of wine, a cup of green tea, or fresh baked bread from time to time, but I fully intend to maintain this healthy lifestyle.

If you decide to continue omitting any of the Big 5 from your diet, Kathy Freston encourages us, “remind yourself that you have free will and it is your choice to have or do whatever you want.  And then say to yourself, ‘Okay, I can have this piece of cake [or jigger of Scotch or chunk of cheese, or what have you], but if I do, these are the consequences.’ And then list them.” 

Starting tomorrow, I will begin regularly posting on Mondays and Thursdays.  I hope you will follow my adventures as I continue the search for life’s balance through nutrition, exercise, and whatever else life brings!

To conclude the cleanse, I would like to share Kathy Freston’s parting words:

“Now you know just how powerful you are.  Now you know that you are the healer who can heal yourself and extend that healing out into the world.  May you be well and thrive in every respect, and may you use this foundation of power to help move us all forward.”

Day 12- Food for your Spirit

“There is a sacrosanct quality to taking something into your body to nourish it.  Treat the foods you eat with the respect they deserve.”- Eat Yourself Super, Dr. Todd Pesek

You’ve made it through eleven days!  We are more than halfway there, and I’m sure you’re starting to feel amazing.  Have you started noticing a more kind, spiritual connection yet?  I know that I was surprised by it the first time I did the cleanse.  I felt, and still feel, more gentle in the world and proud of myself.

“By giving up meat and dairy, you withdraw your support from industries that take a toxic toll on the environment and on the well-being of your fellow humans…By not eating animals, you are reducing the needless suffering that occurs in the world, on many levels.  Whether or not that’s a priority for you, isn’t it nice to know that being good to yourself benefits others?  You’ve arrived at the place where kindness to yourself meets kindness to the earth meets kindness to other creatures, and that’s pretty cool.  Abstaining from animal products is a profound act, with physical, emotional, and even spiritual benefits.” – The Kind Diet, Alicia Silverstone

Kathy writes that by changing a few eating habits, we also align our behaviors with our spirituality, our sense of values.  She encourages us to keep our eyes – and our hearts- open and to think deeply about everything that goes into feeding ourselves the diet that we’ve grown accustomed to.  In this way, we become more conscious eaters.  She writes: “Just slow down enough to ponder the big picture, and soon enough, it will begin to come into focus.”

The reason that I have posted a new recipe every day is to share with you how abundantly delightful vegan, and even gluten-free eating can be.  You have traded in brown and gray colored foods for the colors of the rainbow, for vegetables so delicious they make you crave more, grains that are nourishing and make your body sing, like quinoa and brown rice, new sources of protein like black beans, black-eyed peas, chickpeas, seeds, and nuts.  An avocado can taste like butter and is wonderful on top of spicy, Mexican dishes in place of cheese.  I never used to like green beans until I found the recipes I’ve shared with you.  This has been a great opportunity to reach outside of my comfort zone and to try new vegetables and recipes. 

In Eat Yourself Super, Dr. Todd Pesek writes:
“There is no substitute for home-prepared, close-to-nature whole foods…plant based, nutrient-dense, calorie sparse.”   He also says, “When you love people, feed them.  But only yummy, healthful food.”

Kathy urges us, before sitting down to eat, ask yourself:
How can I eat in a way that is kind, responsible, and attuned to the needs of my body?
What can I do to bring my life to the highest vibration possible?

Kathy’s Meditation:

“I open my eyes so that I might heal.  What a powerful statement.  It means I am ready to confront the darkness within (the parts of myself that care only about immediate or personal satisfaction) and darkness in our world.  By nudging myself to open my eyes, I will begin to see what needs to shift on a fundamental level.  By healing myself and becoming more aware and thoughtful about my choices, I am also offering that light and healing outward into the world.”

It was really hot today, so I was in the mood for a nice, light veggie salad.  This is one of my go-to recipes.

Light Summer Tomato Salad
3 tomatoes, diced large
1 avocado, diced large
½ medium onion, diced or sliced
1 large cucumber, diced large
1 TB Apple Cider Vinegar
2 TB Good Olive Oil
2 TB Fresh Italian Parsley
1 TB dried oregano
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp onion salt
Salt & pepper to taste
plus a couple handfuls of walnuts

Mix together, let marinate for 10-15 minutes, serve and enjoy!



We had the tomato salad with grilled corn on the cob and grilled bell peppers.  Tastes like summer!

Day 10 - What’s wrong with meat?

“Avoid as many animal products as possible.  The vast majority of major publications regarding disease prevention and reversal support this, and in the healthiest parts of the world, animal (whether it flies, swims, runs, jumps or slithers) and dairy consumption is nowhere near the epic proportions reached in the Western diet.  Eliminate animals and animal products from your diet for optimal health.” – Dr. Todd Pesek, Eat Yourself Super

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) just revoked support of “Meatless Monday,” a campaign encouraging people to observe one vegetarian day a week.  The reason?  The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association got mad.

Now wait a minute, last time I checked, wasn’t it the USDA that is supposed to be inspecting the products and making sure our food is fit for human consumption?  So, the USDA reneged because the cattle companies got mad at them?  Whoa… who’s in charge here?  Are you still feeling like they care about your health?

The US Department of Agriculture said originally:  “The production of meat, especially beef (and dairy as well), has a large environmental impact. According to the UN, animal agriculture is a major source of greenhouse gases and climate change. It also wastes resources. It takes 7000 kg of grain to make 1000 kg of beef.”

So even the USDA recognizes that meat is detrimental to the environment (well, until they got yelled at.)  I’m sure you’ve heard rumors of the conditions in the slaughterhouses and the constant mistreatment of the animals.  I’m going to spare you on that (for now) and move on to our health.

Eating meat and animal products leads to a great risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke, contributes to arthritis pain, increases cholesterol, and has been linked with not only causing cancer, but also for serving as fuel when cancer already exists.

Every time you consume factory-farmed chicken, beef, veal, pork, eggs, or dairy, you are eating antibiotics, pesticides, steroids, and hormones:
“Half of all the antibiotics made in the United States each year are administered to farm animals, causing antibiotic resistance in the humans who eat them.  A study at the University of California Berkeley linked eating beef to urinary tract infections (UTIs) in women.  It just so happens that the most common infectious disease in women is UTIs.” – Skinny Bitch 

Feeling proud about eating only “white meat” and maybe “the other white meat?”  These were slogans invented by the meat industry.  Chicken has just as much fat and cholesterol as beef.  It hides in the muscle.  It might even be worse; eating chicken and fish has been linked to colon cancer.

Fish alternatives that contain essential fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, and protein: flaxseeds, pumpkin, sesame, sunflower seeds, nuts, soybeans, fruits, vegetables, leafy greens, soy products, and whole grains.
And as if Mad Cow Disease and tainted meat aren't scary enough, did you know that there is fecal matter in half or more of all chicken?  Skinless was even worse than skin-on.  Kathy Freston Investigates:  There's Poop in our Chicken Meat! 

What about protein?  Will I get enough?
It’s a myth that vegans don’t get enough protein.  There are many cases of disease caused by getting too much protein, but it’s exceptionally rare to not get enough.  Just make sure you are eating beans, lentils, nuts, whole grains, and seeds.

“A portion of meat may have a high density of various essential amino acids, but it also has loads of saturated fats.  Proteins from legumes and grains, on the other hand, can deliver an equal number of amino acids with little saturated fat.”  Plus, vegetables are high in fiber, where animal protein has none, and high in vitamins and minerals (again, meat has none.)

There's always the argument:  “Man is superior.  That is why I eat animals.  Because I can – we’re at the top of the food chain.”

Interesting.  “If you study animals in the wild, you will note that they do not rely on anything other than their natural hunting ability, speed, strength, claws, teeth, and jaws.  They have no tools or weapons.  Now look at yourself.  Look at your flimsy fingernails in comparison to an eagle’s talons.  Look at your flat, blunt teeth compared to a lion’s fangs.  Compare your speed and agility to that of a tiger.  Compare the strength of your jaw to a wolf’s  Imagine yourself trying to run after an animal, catch it, and kill it using your bare hands, fingernails, teeth, and jaws  Not only would you look ridiculous, but you’d probably get your ass kicked, too.  And even if you were successful, envision yourself feasting on the kill without the aid of an oven and silverware.” – Skinny Bitch

I know it was a lot of info, but this was just a teaser.  The more I read, the more considerable the evidence grows that we have been fed dangerous lies, hormones, chemicals, and complacency.  There is SO MUCH more to this – the science, the studies, the specific chemicals, the acidity of meat, the diseases spread by tainted meat, the hormones released by terrified animals, all of the health complications linked to meat, the profit of an industry leading to loss in our health, the environmental devastation.  It’s all preventable.  If you are interested in learning more, I would recommend the following:

The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone – she’s even kind to you as you read it.  Her recipes are awesome.  Highly recommend.

Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin – a no-nonsense approach.  They tell it like it is and sometimes that’s what we need to hear.

The Engine 2 Diet by Rip Esselstyn – Son of Caldwell B Esselstyn, Jr., MD, who conducted ground-breaking research at the Cleveland Clinic in reversing heart disease through a plant-based diet.  He’s been a professional triathlete and is currently a firefighter.  He has great advice, scientific evidence to back his claims, and even an exercise plan to go along with eating plan and recipes.  A good one to give to your male friends; he makes being vegan sound very manly and cool.

21-Day Weight Loss Kickstart by Neil D. Barnard, MD – He’s one of the ones that all these other folks quote.  Solid information and meal plans.

The Blue Zone: Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who’ve Lived the Longest by Dan Buettner  - Interviews with people in the “Blue Zones” along with advice and conclusions drawn based on research.  Good stuff like “Walk six miles a day”, “laugh often”, “find the meaning in your life and live with joy”, as well as dietary advice.

The Quantum Wellness Cleanse: The 21-Day Essential Guide to Healing Your Body, Mind, and Spirit by Kathy Freston – I think you know a bit about this one by now.

Food, Inc.  – This is a very lively documentary that held my interest the whole time.  It’s fast-paced, fascinating, and not your usual documentary.  Check it out.  You don’t even have to read.

I’m still reading and will keep you posted!

Leftovers would make a nice breakfast.

A light and lovely recipe:  Avocado Fruit Salad

1 cucumber
1 avocado
7 strawberries
1 apple
Juice of ½ lemon
1 TB basil
½ tsp salt or to taste

Dice, Mix and Enjoy!  It tastes like summer.

I just made this up today.  Thanks to Colleen for showing me that basil and apples go well together – turns out, basil makes strawberries sing, too!

 
Note: Apologies to my international readers that most references are to the USA.  I need to get more international reading material!  Then again, I'm pretty sure it's the USA's fault for spreading this garbage around the globe...

Day 5: Move! And ch-ch-ch-choose Chia

 “Recognize that anything worth having is worth fighting for.  Good health, vitality, more energy, more confidence, better sex, great abs, a tight ass- you either want ‘em or you don’t.  You can continue plodding along in your life feeling like you’re not living up to your glorious potential or you can dedicate yourself to creating the life you want.”   Skinny Bitch

As I’m sure you know, exercise has many benefits.  It is better than an antidepressant, sending pleasure hormones to your brain.  According to Dr. Neal Barnard, “Vigorous exercise not only gives you an opiate effect of its own, but also helps you sleep, boosting your resistance to cravings.”  And of course, I’m sure you’ve heard by now that most every study ever conducted on health proves that regular exercise (30 – 60 min, five times a week) can help reverse and/or prevent nearly all health problems, from diabetes to high blood pressure to depression.

I’ve also noticed that I have much more energy the day after I’ve exercised.  Honestly, I believe regular exercise to be one of the secrets of life.  It makes me feel more efficient, my brain processes better, my body hums as energy moves more freely.  I can get exceedingly more accomplished in a day if I’ve been exercising.  Being sedentary makes life feel more like molasses.  If you have missions and adventures that you would like to accomplish in your limited time on this earth, then get that momentum going and keep it going!

Lately, I’ve been running, bicycling, and attending yoga classes.  I am training for a 10K (6.2 miles) in October and to help me climb back up to athletic endurance, I have been turning to chia seeds.  In Born to Run, Christopher McDougall calls chia seeds “Home-brewed Red Bull!”

He continues, “In terms of nutritional content, a tablespoon of chia is like a smoothie made from salmon, spinach, and human growth hormone.  As tiny as those seeds are, they’re superpacked with omega-3s, omega-6s, protein, calcium, iron, zinc, fiber, and antioxidants.  If you had to pick just one desert-island food, you couldn’t do much better than chia, at least if you were interested in building muscle, lowering cholesterol, and reducing your risk of heart disease; after a few months on the chia diet, you could probably swim home.”

According to Dr. Todd Pesek in Eat Yourself Super, chia has more calcium than cow’s milk.  Also, an excellent Superfood, chia can stabilize blood sugar, contributing to the prevention and reversal of diabetes.

You can eat the seeds raw, sprinkle into soups or whole grain dishes, or add them to baked goods.  The best way for your body to streamline the nutrients, however, is soaked in liquid for at least 10 minutes.  It forms a gel.

As you can see, the gel is not the prettiest or the most pleasant drink, but it makes a HUGE difference if I chug a glass right before a run.  It makes running easier.  Try it.

If you would like to learn more about chia, as well as recipes and how to make chia gel, the following is a great resource:  http://www.rawreform.com/content/view/345/127/.

If you are sore after a tough workout, drink some chia.  It reduces muscle soreness, which I have not read yet, but my sister-in-law, Jessica, swears by it and I've experienced it myself. 

Now for a treat!  This is the perfect after-exercise snack (or a great way to start the day as breakfast.)  The banana in this smoothie will nourish your muscles and replenish your carbohydrates. 

Fun banana fact:  When running long distances (over an hour,) a banana is a perfect snack for refueling – the high water content keeps you hydrated and the carbohydrates keep you going.  It’s very popular with marathon runners.  “Is that a banana in your pocket…?”

Bananas for Peanut Butter “Milk” Shake

1 Frozen banana, in small chunks

¼ cup chia gel

½ cup almond milk (unsweetened vanilla for now – the chocolate almond milk is wonderful in this but contains sugar)

1 ice cube

1-2 Tablespoons of peanut butter (depending on if you plan to snack on nuts later, if so, have just one)

Blend together.  I pulse a few times, then blend for 30 seconds straight, pause and blend another 15 seconds, then check consistency.  If it’s too thick, add a little more almond milk and blend for 15 more seconds.

You can also add cacao powder or protein powder.

*In today's picture, I added a heaping teaspoon of cacao powder and 2 teaspoons of steel-cut oats.  I put the oats in first, then poured the almond milk and chia gel over so that the oats could soak for about 5 minutes, then started adding the other ingredients.  It was delicious!  If I had more time, I would probably use more like 1/4 cup oats and soak in boiling water, then let cool (or make a bunch to keep in the fridge?)  The raw oats surprised me by disappearing though - I barely noticed them.

It tastes like a milkshake and is my favorite smoothie of all!