I had the pleasure of meeting Melanie Joy in Orlando a year ago when she came to do this same speech to promote the ideas in her book, “Why we Love Dogs, Eat Pigs and Wear Cows“.   If you don’t have time to read her book, this speech sums up the main points.  She talks about how all beings are sentient and it does not make logical sense to eat certain animals and not others.  For example we think it is okay to eat cows, but why don’t we eat dogs?  There is an invisible belief system that conditions us to eat certain animals, this is what Melanie calls “Carnism” or the opposite of “Veganism”.   It is a violent ideology since meat cannot be procured without killing.

To find out more about Carnism after watching the video you can go to Melanie’s website at Carnism Awareness.

Step 1: Educate Yourself! Read books, especially The China Study by T. Colin Campbell and then start looking at specific plans.  I gravitated toward Dr. Fuhrman’s plan even after reading Dr. McDougall’s plan, Dr. Esselstyn’s plan and several others.  I also revisited the ethical side to veganism, as I was an ethical vegetarian for several years before becoming vegan.  I had no idea the cruelty suffered by dairy cows and chickens for egg production.   Forks Over Knives, Food, Inc.,  Processed People are three very impactful documentaries that everyone should watch, I mean EVERYONE!

Step 2: Find YOUR REASON! It really helps to have a reason in writing.  Read my blog post titled “Want to go Veg?”

Step 3: Make a PLAN with deadlines!  Decide what things you can eliminate right away.   I advise my clients to start with dairy products and red meat and then work down to wild caught fish being the last animal food you eat.

Step 4: Find Support! Join the local Vegetarian Resource Group in your community!  Or search on Meetup.com to see if there is a Nutritarian Meetup in your area.  The best thing you can do is surround yourself with others who are eating like you, especially if your friends and family are not supportive of your decision.  I also recommend subscribing to Dr. Fuhrman’s online forum if you need specific recommendations for your health situation.  You can ask questions to Dr. Fuhrman and his staff and they will respond promptly.

Step 5: Plan Your Meals!  It sounds simple, but if you don’t make time to plan what you are going to eat on a weekly basis, it is easy to slip back into the old habits.  I make my meal plans every Saturday afternoon or Sunday morning and then I shop on Sunday.  I have many meal plans that I have saved that I like to reuse.  So save your meal plans when you have a good week!  You may also want to subscribe to Vegetarian Times for recipes and popular blogs like Fat Free Vegan.

Step 6: Seek Out Restaurants in your area and before you travel anywhere.  Vegan options are available around the world.

Step 7: Keep a Food Journal!  Keep a journal of what you are eating.  It is so helpful in the beginning to make sure you are gettting enough fruits and vegetables every day.  My daily target is 1 pound of fresh vegetables, 1 pound of cooked vegetables, 4 fruits and 1 to 4 ounces of nuts and seeds.  Green smoothies and salads help me meet that target

If you need additional help, give me a call!

I have been following this way of eating for the past 6 years and I agree with Dr. Fuhrman on his position with animal foods in the diet.

From the newest edition of his book “Eat to Live” he states:

“There were primitive populations who ate high-meat diets and there were primitive people who at plant-predominate diets. Humans were desperate for calories, so they at whatever they could get their hands on. The two questions we have to look at are these: How long did they live on that diet? What diet for humans gives them the best protection against disease and the greatest chance for longevity in modern times?

…A comprehensive overview and a sensible interpretation of the scientific evidence support the conclusion that we can increase human longevity and prevent disease if we make specific food choices. We still retain our primate physiology- a physiolgy that depends on high vegetarian consumption- which is relevant to explain our ability to thrive on a plant-predominate diet.

Dr. Katharine Milton, at the University of California of Berkeley, is among the few nutritional anthropologists in the world who has worked with and studied cultures and primitive peoples not influenced by modern technology. She has concluded that the diet of both primitive people and wild primates is largele plant-based. The main difference between primitive diets and our own is their consumption of nutrient-dense wild plants and the lack of acces to low-nutrient, high-fat foods such as cheese and oil, as well as refined grains.

We have a unique opportunity in human history, we have fresh produce being flow into our food stores from all over the planet. We can take advantage of this abundant variety of fresh vegetation to eat a diet with more phytochemical density and diversity than ever before. We have the opportunity to make decisions about what we eat that were not available to our prehistoric ancestors. Fortunately, we have knowledge that they lacked, and we can use this knowledge to live longer than ever before.”

Dr. Fuhrman goes on to say

“A diet heavily burdened with animal products places a toxic stress on the detoxification systems of the body. As with stopping caffeine, cigarettes, and heroin, many observe withdrawal symptoms for a short period, usually including fatigue, weakness, headaches, or loose stools. In 95% of these cases, these symptoms resolve within two weeks.

It is more common that the temporary adjustment period lasts less than a week, during which you might feel fatigue, have headaches or gas, or experience other mild symptoms as your body withdraws from your prior toxic habits.  Don’t buy the fallacy that you “need more protein”.”

If you have tried a vegan diet and for whatever reason decided not to stay with it, I’d love to have a discussion about it in the comments section below! 

This is an excellent speech given by Collen Patrick-Goudreau at the San Francisco VegFest this past October.  Some of the highlights include the following points:

-For people who think they don’t eat a lot of animal foods- the truth is you don’t know how much of any food you are eating until you stop.

-We don’t crave animal flesh, we are not obligate carnivores. If we were we would hunt and kill animals with our bare hands and eat them raw.

-We crave fat and protein which we can very easily get from avocado, nuts, seeds, olives, lentils and beans.

-Your palate changes over time.  The more often you eat a given plant food or beverage, the more you enjoy it.

-For those who say they don’t have time to chop vegetables and cook- if you have time to drive to a restaurant and wait for food to be prepared for you and then drive back home, you have time to chop vegetables and cook!

-As a Vegan we should not be concerned with making others uncomfortable by letting them know our truth.  Raise the bar and have expectations that people will change.

-Being Vegan is about living life with integrity, compassion, joy and meaning.

-The mindset of believing that animals are here for us to control and exploit can be traced back thousands of years ago.  We can change our mindset

Watch the entire video!

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The PCRM 21 Day Vegan Kickstart is starting again on September 5th!  Go to the 21 Day Kickstart website to view the next three weeks of recipes.  If you have tried the program and had success with health improvement that has caused you to change your diet to vegan or vegetarian, I want to hear about it!  Please post in the comments

]]> http://totalwellnessmentor.com/2011/09/pcrm-21-day-vegan-kickstart-starting-again-soon/feed/ 0 http://totalwellnessmentor.com/2011/08/food-inc-on-pbs-tomorrow-night/ http://totalwellnessmentor.com/2011/08/food-inc-on-pbs-tomorrow-night/#comments Mon, 08 Aug 2011 17:10:21 +0000 Gretchen http://totalwellnessmentor.com/?p=382 Food, Inc. will be airing on PBS tomorrow night, August 9th.  Even if you have seen the movie before, it is worth watching it at least one more time.  It is a lot of information and it’s worth reabsorbing more than once so that you can either continue making the right choices or start making the right choices for the animals, for your health and for the planet.
Here’s a great summary of what the movie is about from the documentary’s website:

“Not a day goes by that I don’t get at least a few emails from people who have suffered negative health effects from veganism: vitamin deficiencies, exhaustion, constant sickness, unwanted weight change, depression, insomnia, anxiety, hair loss, fertility problems, loss of muscle tone, etc. They all want to know one thing: how do you recover from veganism?”

My response to this is:

1. If someone is consuming a Vegan diet and having health issues, perhaps they would benefit from talking to a Vegan Dietician or Plant Based Nutrition Educator like myself who is EXPERIENCED in helping people with eating a nutrient dense vegan diet.  Really, why are they contacting Tasha at Voracious Eats?  Does she have the educational background to counsel people on nutrition, specifically for “Recovering Vegans”?

2. Vegan does not equate to healthy, there are plenty of well intentioned people out there who don’t want to harm animals but are consuming a diet that lacking in nutrients because they eat a lot of fake meats and vegan processed foods and very little of high nutrient foods like kale, bok choy, papaya, broccoli, etc.  Dieticians and Doctors are not educated on Vegan diets in school.  You will find that the handful of dieticians and doctors out there who recommend Vegan Diets are self educated or got educated through organizations outside of their degree program.  As it is clear from Tasha’s original post on leaving Veganism, she went to see a conventional MD who of course discouraged her Vegan diet.

3. There are WAY more people who are consuming the Standard American Diet and suffering with REAL DISEASES that could benefit from a Nutrient Dense Vegan Diet.  Let’s not undermine this fact by making people believe that Vegan Diets in general are not healthy and there are so many Ex Vegans or “Recovering Vegans” out there who are in need of a 12 step recovery program similar to AA.

4. I challenge Voracious to stop putting a focus on “Recovering Vegans” and write something about the benefits of eating a Nutrient Dense Plant Based Diet.  Fine if she wants to consume animal foods, that is her preference, but let’s not make readers think that animal foods NEED to be in their diet on a daily basis for health.  The research points heavily in the other direction and she is doing her readers a great disservice by promoting animal food consumption almost daily on her blog.

If you took the time to read her article and have something against what she is saying, please post your feedback here on my blog because I guarantee that she will not allow your comments on her blog…

My first training was with Wellcoaches.  I highly recommend this program to anyone who wants to coach individuals or groups from a Wellness and Whole Health perspective.   The focus is on telephonic coaching, which is perfect for the coach who wants to work from home and have minimal travel.  The training gives you a very in depth understanding about “change psychology” which is imperative for any coach to understand.  There are many tools that I gained from this program to help me help my clients to clearly define their goals and stay realistic about what they were willing to do on a weekly basis toward reaching their goals.

My second certification is in Plant Based Nutrition through eCornell and the T. Colin Campbell Foundation.  The program is an innovative online certificate program set up as a series of three courses designed to help you understand the role of diet in healing and managing disease. It expands upon the ground-breaking book, The China Study, and each course provides approximately six hours of learning based lectures and research of Dr. T. Colin Campbell, Professor Emeritus at Cornell University in Nutritional Biochemistry, and a variety of other experts in the field of lifestyle medicine.  If you are interested in becoming certified in Plant Based Nutrition, go to the eCornell website for more information.

I have been asked if Wellness Coaching is a lucrative job. I will tell you that it takes time, in fact several years to gain enough clients to make it part time.  So if you are thinking about quitting your full time job or have recently graduated from college and think that this is what you want to do for a living, I suggest that you make it a “side job” until you are confident you can keep up a steady enough clientele that will support your lifestyle.

I do this work VERY PART TIME, and I am only willing to take on one to two clients at a time.  I also teach nutrition classes at the Florida School for Holistic Living, homeschool my kids, prepare healthy food, take care of many household duties, and take care of myself with exercise (running, dancing and strength training) and stress relief (meditation).   Eventually I would like to work 20 hours/per week, when both of my kids are middle school age and then maybe increase my time as they reach high school.

I love what I do, I cannot see myself doing anything else!  It is rewarding to be in those “aha” moments with a client who suddenly sees something about their habits in a new light and because of that decides to make a change that will better their health.  It is also wonderful to talk to them months later and find out that they have continued to make changes toward health improvement.

Got a question about what I do that isn’t answered here?  Ask in the comments section below!

10 Strategies for Preventing Prostate Cancer

1. Eat lots of cruciferous vegetables. Cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, kale, bok choy, arugula, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, cabbage, radish to name a few) contain phytochemicals that stimulates the body to detoxify carcinogens. Men who consumed three or more half-cup servings of cruciferous vegetables per week were 41 percent less likely to develop prostate cancer.¹

2. Reduce consumption of animal protein.It is widely recognized that a high consumption of animal protein has been linked to a greater risk of prostate cancer.² Greater consumption of meat, poultry and fish is associated with higher blood level of IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor-1), which is positively correlated with an increased risk of prostate cancer.³ For prostate health, limit or avoid animal products to less than two servings per week. Plant protein, however is protective – legumes, and specifically minimally processed soy products, are associated with decreased risk of prostate cancer.⁴

3. Eat lots of tomatoes. A study of over 40,000 men revealed that those who consumed the most tomato-based foods (including cooked tomatoes and tomato sauce) reduced their total risk of prostate cancer by 35 percent and their risk of advanced prostate cancer by 50 percent.⁵ Lycopene, which is abundant especially in cooked tomato products is believed to be primarily responsible for this benefit. Tomatoes are extremely nutrient dense, containing lycopene as well as a variety of other protective phytochemicals.

4. Eat plenty of Allium and yellow/orange vegetables. Allium vegetables – onions, garlic, leeks, shallots, scallions, and chives – have organosulfur compounds with anti-cancer effects, and are associated with reduced prostate cancer risk.⁶ Consumption of orange vegetables including carrots, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, winter squash and corn was also found to be inversely related to prostate cancer.⁷

5. Confirm adequate vitamin D levels with a blood test. Accumulating research shows that insufficient vitamin D levels are associated with an increased risk of several cancers, including prostate cancer.⁸ While sun exposure is one of the best sources of vitamin D, it is unlikely to get adequate vitamin D from a sun exposure, throughout life, without increasing risk of skin cancer. The safest way to obtain vitamin D is through supplements.

6. Do not rely on PSA screening as a method of “early detection” to prevent prostate cancer. About 70% of men with elevated PSA do not actually have cancer, and many scientists believe that PSA screening does not reduce prostate cancer-related deaths.⁹ In fact, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, the American College of Preventive Medicine and the American Cancer Society do not recommend routine PSA screening.¹⁰

7. Avoid supplemental folic acid.  Folic acid is the synthetic form of folate, one of the B vitamins. Similar to breast cancer, folic acid supplementation has been associated with increased risk of prostate cancer, whereas food folate is associated with decreased risk.¹² Get natural folate from green vegetables and beans instead of synthetic folic acid from supplements.

8. Avoid dairy consumption. There is substantial evidence indicating that men who avoid dairy products are at a lower risk for prostate cancer. One study that spanned 41 countries reported a strong correlation between per capita milk consumption and prostate cancer deaths.¹³

9. Exercise at least 3 hours a week. Exercise, particularly endurance-type exercise such as walking, running, cycling and swimming, are effective forms of disease protection. In one study, men who reported vigorous activity for at least three hours per week had a 61% lower risk of prostate cancer-specific death. Not only does exercise prevent prostate cancer, but it can also slow the progression of cancer.¹⁴

10. Supplement with zinc. In one study of 525 men with prostate cancer, those who consumed the most zinc (15.7 mg daily) were shown to have 74% reduction in risk of death as compared to men who consumed less than 12.8 mg zinc daily.¹⁶ The power of zinc lies in its ability to cause prostate cancer cell death. It is important to note that zinc from plant foods is not always efficiently absorbed by the body.¹⁵ To ensure adequate zinc levels, (and B12, D and iodine) I recommend supplementation with a multivitamin and mineral supplement that does NOT contain folic acid.

References

¹Kirsh V, Ulrike P, Mayne S, et al. Prospective Study of Fruit and Vegetable Intake and Risk of Prostate Cancer. J Nat Cancer Inst 2007 Aug 1;99(15):1200-9.
²Wolk A. Diet, lifestyle and risk of prostate cancer. Acta Oncol 2004; 44(3):277-81.
³Key TJ. Diet, insulin-like growth factor-1 and cancer risk. Proc Nutr Soc 2011 May 3:1-4.
⁴Kolonel L, Hankin J Whittemore AS, et al: Vegetables, Fruits, Legumes and Prostate Cancer: A Multiethnic Case-Control Study. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2000; 9:795.
Hwang YW, Kim SY, Jee SH, et al. Soy food consumption and risk of prostate cancer: a meta-analysis of observational studies. Nutr Cancer. 2009;61(5):598-606.
⁵Giovannucci E: A review of epidemiologic studies of tomatoes, lycopene and prostate cancer. Exp Biol Med (Maywood) 2002.227(10):852-9.
⁶Galeone C, Pelucchi C, Levi F, et al. Onion and garlic use and human cancer. Am J Clin Nutr. 2006 Nov;84(5):1027-32.
Hsing AW, Chokkalingam AP, Gao YT, et al. Allium vegetables and risk of prostate cancer: a population-based study. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2002 Nov 6;94(21):1648-51.
⁷Kolonel L, Hankin J et al: Vegetables, Fruits, Legumes and Prostate Cancer: A Multiethnic Case-Control Study. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2000; 9:795.
⁸Holick MF, Chen TC. Vitamin D deficiency: a worldwide problem with health consequences. Am J Clin Nutr. 2008 Apr;87(4):1080S-6S.
⁹Esserman, L., Y. Shieh, and I. Thompson. Rethinking Screening for Breast Cancer and Prostate Cancer. JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association, 2009. 302(15): p. 1685-1692.
Coldman, A.J., N. Phillips, and T.A. Pickles: Trends in prostate cancer incidence and mortality: an analysis of mortality change by screening intensity. CMAJ, 2003. 168(1): p. 31-5.
Andriole, G.L., et al.: Mortality results from a randomized prostate-cancer screening trial. N Engl J Med, 2009. 360(13): p. 1310-9.
¹⁰Ablin, R.J: The Great Prostate Mistake, in New York Times. 2010. p. 27. Available from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/10/opinion/10Ablin.html?_r=2
¹²Figueiredo JC, Grau MV, Haile RW, et al. Folic acid and risk of prostate cancer: results from a randomized clinical trial. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2009 Mar 18;101(6):432-5. ¹³Grant WB. An ecologic study of dietary links to prostate cancer. Altern Med Rev. 1999 Jun;4(3):162-9.
¹⁴Kenfield SA, Stampfer MJ, Giovannucci E, Chan JM. Physical activity and survival after prostate cancer diagnosis in the health professionals follow-up study. J Clin Oncol. 2011 Feb 20;29(6):726-32.
Giovannucci E, Liu Y, Platz EA, Stampfer MJ, Willett WC. Risk factors for prostate cancer incidence and progression in the health professionals follow-up study. Int J Cancer. 2007 Oct 1;121(7):1571-8.
¹⁵de Bortoli MC, Cozzolino SM. Zinc and selenium nutritional status in vegetarians. Biol Trace Elem Res. 2009 Mar;127(3):228-33.