Julie and Julia Inspiration

saw the movie last night by the same name and was really struck by how easily Julie started a blog and it took off. My first post was in 2006, and I would say it has been on a slow jog. I was also inspired by my 5K run race this morning. For those not familiar, it is a 3.1 mile race. I've been running since 28...half my life, off and on. Off, when my weight ballooned and made my knee hurt too much. But when I returned to my low-fat vegan way of eating, the weight came off and running returned easily.

I should have been at my cousin's memorial service out of town today. It would have been different if we had been close. But I've long been considered the "health nut" of our extended family. Though it seems just plain nuts to me when so many of our diseases are so preventable with diet and exercise. It seems so nuts to undergo the knife, meds and a huge lifestyle change to accommodate preventable diseases.

My cousin joins my sister, mom aunt and best friend in falling prey to cancer. I felt the best way to honor his memory was by running the first race of the Florida running season. It's just too hot in the summer. It wasn't a walk in the park this morning either...80/80 rule was in effect. That's a temperature of more than 80 degrees and humidity more than 80%. The park was beautiful and I came in 3rd in my age group. There were 10 in that category...a much larger race than last year. With the recession, running is the new health club.

I credit my placing and 5 minute improvement over last year's time (very unusual I'm told) to my attending high school track team camp this summer for 2 weeks and continuing to work out with the team during the school year when I can. Here's the local paper's account of that: http://www.bradenton.com/roger_mooney/story/1659954.html?story_link=email_msg
As the story says, I did this to jump start my training in preparation for an Oct. 31st half marathon. It will be my first. I'll keep updating here to tell you how that goes. The camp was great in forcing me to do core exercises. Everyone says to do them, but doing them correctly and regularly is always the challenge. My goal as I cross the finish line thinking of some relative who couldn't be there, is to finish without injury.

Tonight: 2 bean burritos (Amy's), leftover eggplant/tomato soup and a Vega smoothie mid afternoon. Lunch was bagels/peanut butter, fruit and healthy goodies at the race. Breakfast was oatmeal and a few blueberries and mild green tea. Never too much before a race.

Support Your Local Ag

If you're here, you probably know about the local vs. Chinese agriculture. How it is financially feasible for a piece of garlic to come from China rather than the farm 5 miles away is mind-boggling. I have been a member of our local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture...go online and check for one near you at www.localharvest.org) for 2 years, although I've run co-ops or participated in them since my college days in the 1970's. This year, with the business of my cooking classes, writing a book and media training, I wasn't always able to pick up my weekly "share." Delicious, flavorful and fresh as it was, I considered not joining again next year. They're going to have a new service where you can actually buy produce at a stand, like a farmer's market.

But then I considered recent stories about issues with some soy products, the way it is processed with hexane and organic foods not being regulated so well in China (imagine that?), and I thought, "ya know what? I'm going to support the CSA even if I never show up. They donate the food to the food bank if you don't show up, and more than any charity I could donate to, this is as good as any. We have to make the statement and show our demand for local foods. Article after artice on so many different food issues, say this is the way to go. And if we don't wake up and smell the garlic soon, as some national stories are starting to suggest, we are going to have a crisis similar in the food/agriculture industry that will make the financial services meltdown seem like nursery school.

If you compare the taste of your CSA's tomatoes compared to the grocery, I think you'll quickly understand what we're talking about. Even the USDA has done a study comparing nutrients in veggies now compared to years ago. Guess what? Not so many today. Of course, eating any veggie today is better than not eating them at all...

Lycopene Magic Bullet

Well, I know I already wrote earlier, but I couldn't let this one pass me by.

Last night, my favorite news magazine show ran a piece on the discovery of resveratrol and it's fountain of youth and wonderful antioxidant qualities. Even though this segment was a repeat, it reminded me of how we are so duped into thinking this new product will do the trick, give me the quick fix, and make me live till 100. I should have counted the number of times the doctor interviewed or the reporter used the phrase, "magic bullet." I couldn't have written an infomercial better.

Resveratrol...the story ranted, is found in red wine. So follow the wisdom of the Mediterranean diet and drink till you feel healed. A double-whammy...not only do we have a magic bullet, but it comes in something that we can feel justified in getting drunk. How wonderful. Is anyone questioning the reporter, "what about alcohol and its' link to cancer? What about the connection of drinking leading to more eating which leads to weight gain which is not good for cancer survival and other conditions? Why isn't it equally wonderful to just eat friggen grapes which have every bit of resveratrol that wine does, only they are healthy enough that kids can eat them!???"

What are these reporters and their bosses thinking? Again, I understand how cash-strapped media outlets are. But why are the true heroes of our time, Drs. McDougall, Barnard, Essylstyn and Colin Campbell not the focus of real investigative reporting? Why are their successful lifetimes of fighting so many diseases with a low-fat, plant-based diet not in the headlines.

As a cooking instructor for The Cancer Project and lessons of the above-mentioned docs, I see these battles being won on the front lines every day. It is so friggen easy! Food as too many have said, is powerful medicine. I see how relatively easy it is for students to lose weight without every being hungry or counting a calories. I see them come off heart, blood pressure and diabetes medications. As Dr. McDougall says, this is so much more convenient than having your chest cracked open, chemo, or daily insulin injections. Where are the courageous doctors who tell it like it is and have the guts to tell patients what they need to hear, not what they want to hear? When you see how easy and lucrative it is to sell a supplement, a gadget, a device or a complicated diet plan, then you understand why your doctor may not share this lifesaving information.

In my classes, many attend knowing this is the best way to eat. But they just don't know how to make a variety of salads, or even salads without lettuce. They don't know how to cook beans, or the huge variety and advantages to some over others.

I don't get paid for saying any of this. I do it because I've seen death and disease up close and personal. It isn't pretty, convenient or life-saving. It is so sad to know that your parents are so sick they will never pick up your child, let alone baby-sit. Selfishly, I want to be healthy if and when my children ever have kids. I want to be there for them, able to do what my parents could not. And I hope my children will learn enough through good examples that they won't be part of the coming generation which may be the first to not live longer than the one before them.

I feel better now. Do you? Till next time...and thanks for being here!

Eat Well on $4 a Day #1 "I'm Mad as Hell!"

I'm mad as hell & not taking it any more, as the movie classic Network embedded in our brains.
If I see one more Twinkie in one more grocery cart on one more network broadcast, I will tear out my thick vegan hair. So...I'm trying to sell my book, Eat Well on $4 a Day. My agent is wonderful and shopping it hard. Everyone says you have to have a "platform." I think I do. I have many friends in high and low places, and of course, many friends on Facebook and other cyber hangouts. I'm thinkin' I have a huge platform. Every time I mention the book title, the reaction always is, "let me know when it comes out. I NEED that book!" C'mon publishers...I know the economy is tight, the industry like many others, are changing hugely. But this is information so many people need right now. C'mon America, wake up! Smell the garlic!

Part of my experience of 18 years in broadcasting, and media consulting some of the names in news you would know, says don't give away the store. Don't write here what will be in the book. So I won't. But just enough to be interesting.

My agent and editor tell me after years of experience, they have never seen a book so well researched. They say they almost never have clients who write too much. Guess that means I should have enough for an occasional blog that might be of interest to you. I promise I'll write more. But for now, just consider this a teaser of what's to come. Let's see how many we can get to the party. Thanks for being here.

Cataracts & Lutein-Another Magic Bullet

So my eye doc says the cateracts I probably got in childhood from way too many blistering sunburns in FL are alive and well. He quietly told me a patient of his significantly reduced her cataract in just 4 months by taking a lutein supplement, which I could conveniently find on the checkout counter for $40 for one bottle.

Save yourself some bucks, and here's the "natural" lutein. Aren't we always looking for the magic bullet? The answer in a bottle. Scroll down and you'll find the rankings of veggies with the most amount of Lutein.
If you Google Lutein, you'll find as many links to supplements. Pretty amazing!

Lutein is a yellow or orange pigment found in some fruits and vegetables.

Function of Lutein:

Lutein is concentrated in the retinas of your eyes and is necessary for good vision. A diet rich in lutein may lower your risk of developing cataracts and macular degeneration.

Lutein may also help prevent or slow down atherosclerosis, the thickening of arteries, which is a major risk for cardiovascular disease.

Where To Find Lutein:

Carrots, squash and other fruits and vegetables with orange and yellow pigments are sources of lutein. Green leafy vegetables, such as spinach, also contain high amounts of lutein. All are an important part of a healthy diet.

Lutein is also available as a dietary supplement. The Age Related Eye Disease study found that high doses of lutein, combined with other antioxidants, may help slow down the progression of macular degeneration. The supplement formula used in the study is Twin Lab Ocuvite, which also contains zinc and other antioxidants.
Ranking of Foods ContainingLutein

Vegetable/Fruit (100 grams or 1/2 cup)	Lutein or Zeaxanthin (Micrograms)
Kale	21,900
Collard Greens	16,300
Spinach, cooked & drained	12,600
Cress Leaf, raw	12,500
Swiss Chard, raw	11,000
Chicory Leaf, raw	10,300
Parsley	10,200
Spinach, raw	10,200
Mustard Greens	9,900
Beet Greens	7,700
Okra	6,800
Pepper, Red	6,800
Dill	6,700
Romaine Lettuce	5,700
Endive	4,000
Celery	3,600
Scallions	2,100
Leeks	1,900
Broccoli, cooked	1,800
Leaf Lettuce	1,800
Green Peas	1,700
Pumpkin	1,500
Iceburg Lettuce	1,400
Brussel Sprouts	1,300
Summer Squash	1,200
Corn	790
Pepper, Yellow	770
Green Beans	740
Pepper, Green	700
Asparagus, raw	640
Cucumber Pickle	510
Green Olives	510
Avocado, raw	320
Carrots, cooked or raw	260
Plum, raw	240
Tomato Paste, canned	190
Peach, dried	188
Kiwi Fruit, raw	180
Prune, dried	120
Pear, raw	110
Tomatoes, raw	100
Apple, raw	45
Squash, winter, cooked	38
Peach, canned, drained	28
Cabbage, red, raw	26
Tangerine	20
Onion, yellow, raw	16
Nectarine	15
Orange	14
Watermelon, raw	14
Apricot, canned, drained	2
Turnip, raw	1

Russert, Fixx & Heart Disease

Feeling like the purpose of life is to improve your community and world is what gets me up in the morning. That goal has been best served the past number of years by teaching my Cancer Project cooking classes and giving media advice to those in a position to best influence the health of others. Namely, the doctors and health care professionals I'm privileged to work with who support a low-fat vegan diet as the best medicine against diseases of affluence.

But was anyone else struck by the Tim Russert postmortems? Here's one from USA Today comparing Russert's sudden death from a heart attack to legendary runner Jim Fixx: "Both men took steps to reduce their odds of the same fate. Russert had been diagnosed with coronary artery disease...and his doctor prescribed medication and exercise. Fixx changed his diet, laced up his running shoes and ate up the miles." Fixx died alone, on the side of the road, of a heart attack similar to Russert's.

When will it become obvious to the majority of doctors that changing the diet didn't go far enough? When will doctors like John McDougall and Neal Barnard who have been singing this song for so long be appreciated and accepted by all of the mainstream doctors and media? How many Russerts will pass away before the light goes off?

I'm not a doctor, but I am a runner who suffered from angina when I did high protein diets and my cholesterol soared in one year from 135 to 203! My medical records are on Dr. McDougall's site...http://drmcdougall.com/stars/ellen_jaffe_jones.htm
All my ills completely evaporated when I changed my diet to low-fat vegan. I couldn't run without chest or joint pain until I lost the 25 pounds. My uncle dropped dead of a heart attack in his fifties, both parents had major heart disease, and so do my two sisters now. Did I get all the good genes? Don't think so. It really is this easy. I've seen it so often in my classes. More than half the class usually loses some weight after only six weeks...half of them more than 10 pounds. Without counting a single calorie or ever being hungry, and loving the great tasting CHEAP food!

Anyone concerned about the cost of food? This is the way to go. Three bucks a day. It can be done.

I'm just so weary of reading the quotes in the Russert/Fixx USA Today summary: "Though you can lower your risk of sudent death, you can't always prevent it...no matter how many veggies and miles he ran." McDougall and others have said, yes you can prevent and even reverse it. So tragically sad.

Vegan Veg Coach is back again

I took a little break while Google I hope took care of the spamming that happens on these blogs. It's been awhile since I've been here, and I'm glad to see that only one spammer has been here since my last visit. I continue to teach cooking classes, coach people individually on weight loss struggles and plans, and monitor, write and photograph the Ospreys that are camped outside our house in a tall tree. The story with photos were on the cover of our local newspaper yesterday. It is something to watch these awesome "birds of prey" tear into live, wiggling, flopping fish with a vengeance. As I pointed out in the diary that was published, these birds' beaks were meant for serious filleting.

As for us humans, many would argue if we were meant to tear through flesh like that, we would have beaks or canine teeth that could rip and shred. After watching this mom and pop operation, I'm really hoping that fish don't have feelings.

In between Osprey journaling, I'm writing the story of living well when your genes are stacked against you. The more classes I teach, students gasp when they see my "before" and "after" photos. I only lost 25 pounds, which for many is not a big deal. But on a 5'3" woman, it looks like a lot. Keep in mind, I was not trying to lose weight. I was just trying to save myself from the emergency room ordered hysterectomy. Fortunately, I had a great doctor who said, why don't you return to that low-fat plant-based diet and call me in the morning.

I was never hungry, never counted a calorie. A month later, all symptoms, including hot flashes and other problems associated with menopause were completely gone. 6 months later, so were the 25 pounds I'd managed to put on in a sedentary, stressful period of my life.

It wasn't until I'd lost the weight that I was able to return to my favorite sport of my 20's & 30's of running. Up until I lost the weight, I'd had knee, ankle and back pain. But once the weight came off and the inflammation resolved, the miles started packing on. One year later, I placed third, then second for my age group in local 5K races. Amazing.

It is possible to do this. I think this is the best kept secret. And cheap, cheap, cheap. Both in the food you eat, and the money you save in health care. Insurance companies tell me they fight over people like me. Who wouldn't? I pay my low premiums and don't go to the doc unless I overtrain in running. Who would do that? ;) Be sure to eat lots of green raw veggies to make that weight melt off. A salad at lunch and dinner will go a long way in revving up your metabolism. Despite what you may hear in pop-up daily journalism, (low-fat) vegans really are on average much healthier than other populations.

cooking class was standing room only!

I teach low-fat plant-based cooking classes in Florida. I taught at Whole Foods today, and even though they had people sign up in advance, we had an extra 10 people come in above the 30 that had signed up. Everyone asked such good questions. We made calabacitas which we loaded onto low-fat whole wheat tortillas. We made guacamole plus with peas mashed in...couldn't even tell the peas were in it. We also used low-fat refried beans. Yummy.

I eat tortillas with lettuce and salsa all the time. A great thing to shove down before going out to dinner to a place you know won't know what the word "vegan" means.

Management told me, "you have quite a following." When people see my "before" pictures...145 at 5'3" is not a pretty site, they gasp as they realize the chef standing before them is the same person. They also get wide-eyed when I tell them both my sisters and parents had/have major heart disease, and my mom, sister and aunt all had/have breast cancer.

I really love teaching these classes. I think it is in part because no one in my family of origin ever took my vegetarian eating and recommendations seriously. My audiences are so hungry ;) for this information.

The Whole Foods assistant today kept saying, "I'll organize and serve the food. You just keep talking." I'm used to serving and talking at the same time in my other classes. It was nice to have the help and to focus on addressing everyone's questions.