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Paris Olympics Offering Plant-Based Fare

Paris Olympics Offering Plant-Based Fare

by | Jul 26, 2024 | Whole Food Plant Based

Well, this is exciting. I know that Europe is more forward thinking in many ways. But we don’t often associate Paris with being the epitome of healthy food. Delicious yes, but not necessarily healthy.

Yet, the 2024 Paris Olympics is setting a new standard. The Olympics start today July 26th and this is the first time plant-based foods are being offered abundantly at a major international event. Every article I read cites different figures.  (I’ve read 30% plant-based at the athlete’s village, 60% plant-based overall, and also 2x plant-based whatever that means.)

Whatever the figures are, the lowdown is that the Paris Olympics aims to be more sustainable than ever by offering a significant increase in plant-based fare. They are also emphasizing local and organic foods.

It is encouraging that major organizations like the Olympics are not only taking note of what needs to be done, but also taking action.

Here are some articles that discuss making the Paris Olympics more plant-forward.

All of this plant-based discussion also draws attention to the numerous vegan athletes (as well as spectators, volunteers, media and employees).

I suspect this endeavor will be a smashing success. Well, maybe I’m blowing fairy dust to the Olympics so that the plant-based endeavor is a smashing success. And I also hope that when it is a success, that the Los Angeles Olympics takes note ahead of the 2028 Olympics. May it all be so.

For the rest of us not in Paris being treated to climate-friendly, health-friendly compassion-friendly and likely delicious fare, (and being in person for the games), we can enjoy plant-based fare right in our own homes. Not any old plant-based fare, but home-cooked deliciousness!

Starting August 7th we are launching a new plant-based cooking class! The class will not require that you turn on your oven. Over 7 sessions via Zoom, we will cook at least 12 dishes ranging from hearty (not boring) salads, breakfasts, healthy and easy pasta dishes, a complete dinner, desserts and a bonus cheese class! (Yes, plant-based cheese which I suspect will also be served at the Olympics.) Plus, one session will be a coaching and Q and A call where we get your plant-based nutrition questions answered.

Click the green for more information and to join our class.

All of the sessions will be recorded in case you have to miss, and in case you are reading this after class has concluded, you will still be able to take the class.

Have fun cheering on your favorite team (or Olympian) to go for their gold.  And let’s watch Paris make history setting a new gold standard with plant-based fare on offer.

Featured Image: Cauliflower Alfredo from Fortune.com article, photographer Henry Sanchez

A Healthy Mind: Another By-Product of a Plant-Based Lifestyle

A Healthy Mind: Another By-Product of a Plant-Based Lifestyle

by | May 28, 2024 | Whole Food Plant Based

Maybe it’s because I’m now “of a certain age” that my friends and I are talking about aging parents. My parents are in good health, but other people in my family are experiencing, or experienced some form of dementia. 

There is so much still unknown about dementia, but we are all familiar with some of the suggestions as to how to keep our minds sharp. This article from the National Institute on Aging cites the following:

  • Take Care of Your Physical Health
  • Manage High Blood Pressure
  • Eat Healthy Foods
  • Be Physically Active
  • Keep Your Mind Active
  • Stay Connected with Social Activities
  • Manage Stress
  • Reduce Risks to Cognitive Health

Take Care of your Physical Health is broad and the following three: Manage Blood Pressure, Eat Healthy Foods and Be Physically Active all fall under that umbrella. 

If you are living a healthy plant-based lifestyle, most of the elements listed fall into place naturally. (Think Blue Zones. If you have not yet watched the series, I recommend.) Before I knew about the benefit of a plant-based diet on the brain, I was only familiar with “Keep Your Mind Active.” 

My husband does a crossword puzzle (and plays other word games) daily, he learned to surf and play the bass guitar in his 40’s. I am studying Spanish (Again? Still?), learning about healthy plant-based eating and am cooking new plant-based recipes all the time. I think the newness of learning new cooking skills keeps my mind active. (I recently cooked the plant-based Greek-style bowl in the photo above for the first time. The combinations of the ingredients and condiments were novel to me. Not difficult, but it did require a little extra mental effort since I had no idea how it would turn out. Oh…it turned out delicious!) 

This foray into a new genre of cooking is a good segue back to the Eat Healthy Foods suggestions. We mostly think of eating plant-based as healthy for our heart, diabetes, cancer, weight loss and the like. Lesser discussed are the benefits of eating healthy plant-based for our brains. 

Neurologists Dr. Ayesha Sherzai and Dean Sherzai, co-directors of the Alzheimer’s Prevention Program at Loma Linda University Medical Center “have dedicated their lives to scientific breakthroughs in Alzheimer’s prevention and care. What have they discovered? Alzheimer’s prevention starts with a 30-day commitment to delicious food that feeds your amazing brain.”

Their book, The 30-Day Alzheimer’s Solution begins with an overview of why a plant-based lifestyle is key, how it benefits our minds and the rest of the book is a food plan and recipes. I have made a few of the recipes in the book and they are great.

Of course, when you eat and live this way for your mind, the rest of your body benefits too. And, we can’t forget how a plant-based diet also benefits the climate and of course the animals. The wins keep stacking up in favor of plant-based. 

Here’s the double whammy, if plant-based cooking is new for you, not only do you get the benefit of the healthy food, but also of the benefit of keeping your mind active as you learn new skills.

The skills I’m talking about are simple and fun and can easily be learned.

If you have a friend or family member who is showing symptoms of cognitive decline, or if you are concerned about your brain health, it’s not too late to address the issues.

Cooking plant-based is bursting with so many benefits, and brain health is just one. Grab a copy of Drs. Sherzai’s book and reach out to me if you need help with getting started and cooking healthy plant-based.

My New Balsamic Love Affair (it’s a little spicy)

My New Balsamic Love Affair (it’s a little spicy)

by | Apr 2, 2024 | Whole Food Plant Based

I love a good synchronicity. Read on to find out about my recent balsamic synchronicity! Here’s the whole story:

I used to eat oil and vinegar regularly. Often a vinaigrette on my salad. And I love steamed artichokes. Growing up I dunked them into mayo (gross), butter (also gross) and then I discovered balsamic and oil. 

However, while studying plant-based nutrition at Cornell, I learned that oil is just empty calories. We are better off getting our fats from the whole food- avocados, olives, nuts…  Yes, olive oil is better than animal fats, but if you can avoid oils, you are better off.  

When I learned this, I dramatically cut back on my oil consumption. 99% of my home cooking is now oil free. So, my oil consumption (which I attempt to minimize) is mostly from dining out. 

One of the suggestions made in the Cornell program was to try different balsamic vinegars as a salad dressing. Great idea! It’s easy and in my experience, the oil is unnecessary. 

Last year, a friend gifted me a lemon balsamic from a specialty store in California. It offers yummy flavor for salads. 

Sometimes I make interesting whole food plant-based dressings (like the spicy Thai dressing from Garden of Eydie), but I’m pretty lazy and often just use balsamic. Same for artichokes. They don’t need the oil. 

I also use a plain balsamic in a vegan Bolognese sauce. Really delicious. 

Life just got more interesting, however, when Chef AJ introduced me to California Balsamic. Their flavors are endless. Shopping on their website made me feel like a kid in a candy store. What’s great too is California Balsamic offers small bottles (like airline shampoo travel sized) so you can taste a bunch. (And they offer free samples too!)

All I want to do is eat salads now so I can try new flavors! (This is a good thing.)

Here’s the synchronicity: 

Someone recently joined our Facebook group and asked for recipes with balsamic. Other than the Bolognese, artichokes and salads, I didn’t have any.

As luck would have it, California Balsamic (which I discovered the SAME WEEK the person joined my group) has TONS of recipes on their website. I’m trying one tonight! Here’s a link to the recipes. 

I ordered a bunch of flavors and started sampling them this week. I had the jalapeno lime balsamic and it’s delicious (and a little spicy). 

Chef AJ has her favorites, and California Balsamic offers a Chef AJ sampler (which I purchased). Some flavors lend themselves best as a salad dressing and others as marinade. I will be trying many! 

Let me know if you have tried California Balsamic and if you have a favorite flavor, or a favorite recipe that uses balsamic!

This post may contain affiliate links.

Where Compassion for Animals, Our Health and the Planet Intersect

Where Compassion for Animals, Our Health and the Planet Intersect

by | Feb 27, 2024 | Whole Food Plant Based

In my personal and spiritual development, I’ve done some soul searching about compassion.  As a kid I had a lot of it for others. 

Somewhere along the way, I forgot to have it for myself. I’m re-learning. Definitely a work in progress. 

One tangible way I now express compassion is through the food I eat and the lifestyle I lead. When I first adopted a vegan lifestyle, I was making compassionate choices for the animals, and as it turns out, for our planet. With a little bit of education and tweaks to some of the food I eat, my food choices are now also compassionate for my body. 

The animal, health and climate trifecta positively affects the mind, body and soul trifecta. I can sleep at night knowing that, to the best of my ability, animals weren’t harmed for my consumption. And now that I practice a whole food plant-based lifestyle, my body is fueled with love, care and all the nutrients it needs. 

Here are some examples of how vegan and healthy plant-based lifestyles can be compassionate. 

Consciously choosing not to eat animals is compassionate:

  • No sacrificing animals on my behalf.  
  • Nor am I sacrificing taste as there are so many delicious plant-based options now. Plant-based food is readily found around the world.  
  • I’m certainly not sacrificing my health and there is endless proof and literature on the topic. 
  • My food habits don’t contribute to the environmental destruction caused by animal agriculture. 
  • Animal agriculture is not sustainable for the earth or her people. Choosing plant-based is sustainable. 

Consciously choosing to cook plant-based is compassionate:

  • It is compassionate to my wallet (cheaper than dining out).
  • It is compassionate to my taste buds because I get to try so many different recipes.
  • Learning to cook healthy vegan offers even more delicious options plus an introduction to new textures, flavors spices and more. 
  • Cooking has become fun and creative, which are important qualities to me.
  • I get a bit of movement while cooking. (More than ordering in from a restaurant!)
  • Cooking is the easiest way to eat healthy plant-based.
  • And cooking (and eating!) can be meditative if I allow it to be. 

Being compassionate is intrinsic to our nature. We are born that way and then life happens, and sometimes we forget. I spent a bunch of time in my life disconnected from that inherent compassionate part. I’m glad I’ve re-awakened to compassion and I’m delighted that it includes a plant-based lifestyle. 

I often explore a vision of a future when everyone relates to their inherent compassion.  Compassion for other people, compassion for the animals and the earth.  We are deeply connected to one another and all other beings. It is worth pondering. 

Now I have the great privilege of sharing cooking and eating plant-based with you and others. It’s a beautiful way of living, easier and more fun than I thought. It’s one of the most compassionate ways of expressing myself that I can think of.

If eating more plant-based has been on the backburner for a while and you’d like to get started, I’m here to help.  

Why I’m Not Drinking Alcohol in January

Why I’m Not Drinking Alcohol in January

by | Jan 11, 2024 | Whole Food Plant Based

I used to drink a lot. I was a party girl. Big time. And a party girl, for me, included alcohol. 

I didn’t drink every day. It was mostly social. When I did drink, however, I usually drank more than necessary.

I also went through a phase when I was really into wine. My goal was to recognize at least a couple of good wines on any restaurant wine list. It was a fun hobby until I decided to cut back on my drinking. 

When I was younger, I could handle alcohol. These days, my body just can’t process it. Just one drink, and I don’t sleep well at night, and I feel lousy the next day.

I still do have an occasional drink. I just know that I’m not going to be my best the next day. Plus, I have a meditation practice, and a hangover, even a tiny one, messes up my meditation. Thus, I’m more thoughtful about when I consume alcohol.  

I’ve heard about dry January before, but I’ve never tried it. Generally, the only time I want a drink is when we go out to dinner. I do love a nice glass of wine or a celebratory cocktail. But I’m also fine choosing sparkling water. And I’m always happier in the morning when I didn’t have a drink the night before. 

I decided not to drink in January for two reasons. The first is that I’m busy teaching a class and I want a clear head. The second is to challenge myself. I figure that anyone who is used to a Standard American Diet (SAD) and trying vegan or plant-based for the month of January is challenging themselves. I’m already vegan all year long, so committing to a month without alcohol is my challenge. I don’t mind not-drinking, it’s just about being mindful.

If people new to plant-based are being more mindful about food choices, I can be more mindful about something too. Making the commitment not to drink for the month requires being mindful. That’s all. Maybe part of my meditation practice will be to pay closer attention to the green tea I sip during the day, or the herbal tea I enjoy at night. 

Kudos to those of you doing a reset by trying vegan for the month. I hope your Veganuary is going well. If you need some support, or have questions, please reach out. Our Cook-along goes through the end of the month and it’s not too late to join!

 

Your Biggest Plant-Based Questions Revealed

Your Biggest Plant-Based Questions Revealed

by | Jan 4, 2024 | Whole Food Plant Based

When people join my Facebook group, I ask them what their biggest questions and concerns are about eating plant-based. Here is a sampling of what I’ve learned:

🌿 Getting enough protein

🌿 I think it will be too time consuming

🌿 How to cook plant-based ingredients into a healthy, satisfying meal

🌿 Cutting veggies is so time consuming, is there a better way?

🌿 I need easy and budget-friendly recipes

🌿 Still enjoying rich flavors and textures in my food

🌿 Animal welfare is my biggest concern

🌿 Making sure my daily eating is nutritionally complete

🌿 I’m concerned I’ll miss eating animal products

🌿 Creating a whole plant-based menu is challenging

🌿 I have trouble finding good easy filling meals

🌿 I need variety. I get stuck eating the same things

🌿 I’m afraid to eat high carbs

🌿 Sticking to plant-based in a family that isn’t

🌿 I don’t like cooking. I want it to be easy

There are many more responses but these are the most common.

Here are my next questions: Has everyone reading this gotten their questions (even if they aren’t listed above) answered? Are you eating as plant-based as you’d like?

Or do you still have concerns?

If you still have concerns and you are serious about eating plant-based, then it is time to take action. Reading posts isn’t going to magically teach you how to cook and eat more healthfully, or to stop eating animals. And if you don’t already know how to cook plant-based, a recipe might not be sufficient. It’s time to take a class (whether mine or someone else’s) or contact me for one-on-one coaching. 

If you are really interested in eating more plant-based and haven’t done it yet, taking my upcoming class is a perfect next step. Not only will you learn SIX new recipes over four weeks, but it will also be interactive. You’ll be able to ask questions about the recipes as we go, AND you’ll be able to pick my brain at the end of the class when we’re done cooking. 

We’ll have plenty of time for questions at the end. 

Class starts on January 10th and will be recorded. 

It’s a brand new year and we are celebrating trying vegan for the month of January. It’s called Veganuary.

It is not too late to make a difference to your health, our planet or the animals. But you do need to take action to get results. 

Please join us. It’s going to be fun and we’re all going to learn a lot. 

Click here to learn more and join our Veganuary cook-along.