Give It Up For Health

One of the hardest things when moving from a meat-based diet to a plant-based diet is actually how to get started with it. When I did it myself 7 years ago, I realized it's essentially a matter of educating yourself. Most of us grow up in families and cultures where animal protein is at the center of our plates. When we first learn to cook we are essentially taught to decide on what animal protein we'll put at the center of the plate and then decide what to surround it with. It's a great relearning to make a transition from that. Below is a link to a guide from the masters of the whole-food plant-based universe, the good people at Forks Over Knives. I hope it helps you to get started. Beginner's Guide to a Plant-Based Diet

There is one vitamin that all vegans and vegetarians MUST take as a supplement, and that is vitamin B12. There are two reasons for this. First, vitamin B12 is an "essential" vitamin, which means it is something we must have otherwise we will develop a deficiency disease, but it is a vitamin that is not made by our bodies so must be consumed from food or supplements. Food is always better than supplements, but because of the nature of vitamin B12 we basically have no option other than to take a vitamin B12 supplement. Which leads to the second reason why we need to supplement vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 is actually created by bacteria in soil and is not found in plants. In the past, we were able to get the small doses of vitamin B12 that we need from the residual soil left on plants that we ate. However today we don't forage for food, and most of us don't grow our own vegetables, but rather we head off to the supermarket or grocery store and buy bags of triple-was

An inspirational story in time for new year's resolution season. This guy is actually a weight loss coach who himself couldn't lose and keep his weight off. A bit like having a doctor who smokes telling you that you need to quit. At one time he weighed over 300 lb (136 kg). Then he turned it around. "I once read these Forks Over Knives Success Stories night after night, just as you are reading mine now. You may be asking yourself if you have what it takes. The answer is yes. I am not unique: My results are typical. You, too, can rewrite your story." https://www.forksoverknives.com/weight-loss-therapist-plant-based-diet-for-sustainable-weight-loss /

Think of your body as planet earth and eating animal protein as pouring greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. In the face of all the scientific evidence that animal protein harms your health, are you a climate change denier"? The sooner you act, the better. Check out the science, especially if you are a cancer survivor, hope to lower your risk of cancer, or improve your overall health. https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2004nl/jan/protein.htm

Here's a nice straightforward explanation of what the whole-food plant-based diet is that I would like to share with you. As you'll see, it's pretty simple really. And I like that they say at the end it's not really a "diet"; it's a "lifestyle". That's how I like to think of it, and it's not something to be afraid of. "Diet" makes it sound like depriving ourselves to lose weight. But really the WFPB lifestyle is a complete change of heart in how we view what we choose to eat. Everything we put in our mouths we intend to be real, health-giving nutritious food. And it's not hard to find. It's just a matter of choice. Give it for health! "The WFPB diet doesn’t include any meat, dairy, or eggs. It’s not, however, the same as a vegan diet, which is defined only by what it eliminates. A WFPB diet is defined also by what it emphasizes: a large variety of whole foods." Take it away, Center For Nutrition Studies. Cli

I really want to share Mike Meltzer's story of reversing his type 2 diabetes with a whole-food plant-based diet. The effects of diabetes are very serious and as Mike says in his piece, he really wishes he had had this information 20 years ago so he could have avoided all the long lasting negative effects on his health. But it's always better late than never with a life threatening disease like diabetes. Please read Mike's stirrup of successfully reversing his type 2 diabetes with his change of diet. https://www.forksoverknives.com/ reversed-type-2-diabetes-20-years-battling-disease /