Kickstart a Plant-Based Lifestyle

The Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) is hosting another round of its 21-Day Vegan Kickstart on April 4. Get in on the action and access plant-based recipes by joining here.
You can also download an app, which includes recipes and the 21-day plan.
Even if you don't want to follow the plan, there are a lot of great recipes on the program. I've used a bunch in my recipe rotation!
If you join, let us know how it goes.

Plant Based Diet Hits Low Income Community

I love this idea. Engine 2 released an article describing their participation in a plan to provide plant-strong education for lower income families with serious health risks. I love the fact that there are groups out there thinking about these things and acting on them on a large scale. It's great that we can all impact our family and friends, but the community projects are fun too.

Check out their report here.

The organization heading up "Meals for Health" within the food bank community is EarthSave.

I can't wait to hear the results of the study. They're collecting information to document health transformation and lifestyle changes. They will even have mentors available for participants. Isn't that we all need? A mentor to just get us through the change?

Consider asking a friend or acquaintance you know who is plant strong to take you to that next level. Feel free to ask your questions here too.

Quinoa

Interesting article from the NY Times on Quinoa. I never knew it was related to beets and spinach, but I guess that's what makes it a power food.

NY TIMES

The article also includes some interesting observations about food prices as demand grows and the impact on grower nations. I guess taste for processed junk food is universal, unfortunately.

In our house, we never waste Quinoa. It tastes great by itself, and I never throw any of it away -- it is pretty expensive. I would love to try it in a drink, too. Too bad the article doesn't show readers how to make the traditional Bolivian drink.

Has anyone come across a recipe? I know I'll be searching for one.

Normalizing High Fructose Corn Syrup

Have any of you seen the latest commercial endorsing high fructose corn syrup? SNL did a parody that was pretty funny, but the message remains. 

As Michael Pollan stated in his book "Food Rules," avoiding high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is beneficial because it means you're basically avoiding highly refined foods (because HFCS is in MOST processed foods) and foods with a high sugar content.

In this book, he says it isn't... 

"any worse for you than sugar, but because it is, like many of the other unfamiliar ingredients in packaged foods, a reliable marker for a food product that has been highly processed. Also, high-fructose corn syrup is being added to hundreds of foods that have not traditionally been sweetened – breads, condiments, and many snack foods – so if you avoid products that contain it, you will cut down on your sugar intake.

It just doesn't sit well with me that a lot of our food supply has an artificial ingredient in it, even though it's from corn, to "soup" it up. What's the point? Why not put government subsidies toward fresh food? Wow. That's the most "political" I think I've ever been in a post. What's your view on the matter?

UK Dietary Guidelines Support Vegan Diet

The Seattle Times recently issued an article regarding the new Dietary Guidelines released in the UK. The article focuses on the guidelines' suggestion for eating less red meat and includes studies that show negative health consequences as a result. It's interesting to see how other countries are responding to the relationship between health and diet.

Despite our current economic "crisis" in America, we continue to be one of the wealthiest countries, with a majority of citizens accessing calorie-rich, yet almost nutrient-free and not necessarily healthy, foods. This raises a completely different issue, but one that has certainly influenced our culture of diet and lifestyle. Enjoy the article.

UK Dietary Guidelines

Funny Video

I'm posting a link to a video. entitled "Ask Your Doctor About Meat."
It has a modicum of humor, shock value, and contains at least some truth. Enjoy!

"Ask Your Doctor About Meat"

This blogger has been pretty busy lately with other writing projects, but promises to return to regular blog postings soon. New topics are piling up! Stay tuned.

New Beginnings

We are well into January and most of us have probably made some kind of resolve to change some habits and eat healthier. The Whole Foods, Plant Based Living for Kids blog wants to help you along the way. I have to confess that recently I have been allowing myself too many "treats."

True Confessions:

• I recently bought donut holes AND ate them.
• My sweet spot is "Hint of Lime" chips with salsa. The salsa is good....but the chips are LOADED with fat and not whole grain. Yes, I've indulged.
• M&Ms. Need I say more.

One site I look to over and over again for good recipes is "Whole Foods." They have a series of Health Starts Here recipes that are a surefire way to get back up on the horse. Check them out here.
I recommend the "Grain Stuffed Red Peppers." Share some new recipes you've tried that are keeping you on the straight and narrow.