THE ROOTS OF

It’s not a diet or a fad; it’s a way of life. ~Ocean Robbins

THE ROOTS OF GOOD HEALTH Thriving on a Plant-Based Diet

Whetheridentifyingasvegan, vegetarian,pescatarian,flexitarianorotherveggie-friendly variant,agrowingnumberofAmericans aremovingawayfrommeatproductsand towardplant-richfoods.Mostcometoa plant-baseddietforpersonal,planetary oranimalwelfarereasons;however,they stayfortheflavorfulfoodstheydiscover alongtheirdietaryjourneyandthehealth benefitstheyreap. MarlyMcMillen-Beelmanwasprescribedmedicationstoalleviatesymptomsofirritablebowelsyndrome.“Iknew Ididn’twanttobeonprescriptions,soI decidedtochangemydiet,beginningby givingupmeat,dairyandeggs.Iimmediatelyfeltmuchbetterandmysymptoms wentawaynaturally,”saystheKansas

by April Thompson

City,Missouri,authorofThe Everything Vegan Meal Prep Cookbookandfounder ofChoppedAcademy,anonlineresource forfoodbloggers.“NowIeataneven greatervarietyoffoodthanIdidbefore Iwentvegan.” Whileonly3percentofAmericansidentifiedasveganand5percentas vegetarianinarecentGallupPoll,a2018 reportbyrestaurantconsultantsBaum+ Whitemanindicatesthatabout83percent areeatingmoreplant-basedfoods. Embarkingonaplant-baseddietisa lifelongadventure,butitcantaketimeto adjust.Expertsrecommendahealthydose ofself-lovewiththenewfoundfondness forfruitsandveggies.“Giveyourselfsome slackandrealizethatdietarychangesdo nothappenovernight,”saysAprilMurray,aregistereddieticianinCostaMesa, California.“Startwithfamiliarplant-based foodsyoualreadyenjoy,andeaseintotryingnewfoods,whethertempehorlentils.” Aplant-orienteddietalsocanbeflexible;healthadvocatesencourageindividualstofindadietthatworksforthemand theirfamilies.LeahWebb,theAsheville, NorthCarolina,authorofSimple and Delicious Recipes for Cooking with Whole Foods on a Restrictive Diet,hasadaptedherdiet overtimetoaccommodateherfamily’s healthneeds.AlthoughWebbhasalways maintainedaplant-richdiet,shebegan incorporatingsomeanimalproductswhen hersonwasborn.“Hehadseverefoodallergiesandasthma,andneededamorediversediet,”explainsWebb,whosedaughter alsohascysticfibrosis.Cuttingoutgrains

wasagame-changerin“calmingdownhis gut,wheremostofimmuneresponselies,” saysWebb.“Heisnowoffasthmamedicationandthenumberofallergenshesuffers fromhasdroppedfromseventotwo.” Webb’sfamilyeatsbountifullyfrom theirbackyardgarden,complementedby meatandproducefromlocalfarmers’markets,whereshecanbecertainthefoods wereproducedsustainablyandhumanely. “Iusemeattoflavorsoupsoraccentvegetables,ratherthanasthestaroftheshow. Iliketofocusonrealflavors,usinglotsof garlic,herbsandspices,”saysWebb. Murray,authorofThe Everything Pegan Diet Cookbook: 300 Recipes for Starting—and Maintaining—the Pegan Diet, followsthatdiet,amash-upofpaleoand veganregimensthatfocusesonwhole, freshandsustainablefoodhighinhealthy fatsandvitamins.ThePegandieteschews refinedsugarandhighlyprocessedfoods, whileallowingmeat,poultry,fishandeggs, aswellasgluten-freegrains,legumesand dairyproductsinsmallamounts. “Thisdietcanbehelpfultodifferent peopleinsomanyways,”saysMurray. “Forpeoplewithdiabetesandbloodsugar dysregulation,thishigh-fiberdietcan helplowerbloodsugarandinsulinlevels. Hearthealthwillimprove,asyou’llbe eatinglessanimalproducts,whichcanbe

I call myself a secular vegan because I don’t have a dogmatic approach to the way I eat. ~Marly McMillen-Beelman

Flexitarianseatamainlyvegetarian fruits,withfewornoanimalproducts. diet,butwillconsumemeatonoccasion. Vegansdon’tconsumeanyanimal

Pegans(atermcoinedbyDr. Mark products,includingeggs,dairy,honey Hyman,whofollowsthediet) focus orgelatin.FamousvegansincludeEllen oneatingvegetables,fruits,nuts,seeds, DeGeneres,BettyWhite,Beyonce,Bill meat,fishandeggs,whileavoiding Clinton,MadonnaandVenusWilliams. dairy,grains,legumes,sugarandproVegetariansrefrainfrommeat cessedfoods. andseafood,butwillconsumedairy

Pescatarians likeradiohostHoward orotheranimalbyproductssuchas Sterneatfish,seafoodandotherformsof honey.Well-knownvegetariansinclude animalproductssuchasdairy,butdon’t AlbertEinstein,ArnoldSchwarzenegger, eatotherformsofmeatsuchaschicken, DorisDay,JaneGoodall,KristenWiig beeforpork. andPrince. isamustforgrowingbones.“Calcium, vitaminDandproteinarethenutrients weusuallyassociatewithbonehealth.One easywaytogetallthreeisasoy-based orpeaprotein-basedplantmilkthatis fortifiedwithcalciumandvitaminD,”says Mangels,addingthatgreenvegetableslike kale,bokchoy,collardsandbroccoliare greatsourcesofcalcium. “‘Eatingtherainbow’isgreatwayto makesureyou’reconsumingavarietyof nutrients,”offersLondon-basedBenPook, whoco-authoredthecookbookSo Vegan in 5 withhispartnerRoxyPope.“Many vitamins,mineralsandantioxidantsbring theirowndistinctivecolorstofruitsand vegetables,sopreparingcolorfulmealsis asimplewayofgettingasmanynutrients intoyourdietaspossible.”

Plant-Based Primer N avigatingthelexiconofplant-based Plant-based diets,followedbycelebridietscanbetricky,andchoosinga tieslikeBenStiller,consistmostlyorentirely dieteventrickier.Here’sabriefguideto offoodsderivedfromplants,including someofthecommonlyusedterms. vegetables,grains,nuts,seeds,legumesand

highincholesterolandsaturatedfat.Many individualsalsofindthemselveslosing unwantedweightastheygetfilledupso quicklywiththesewholefoods.”

Plant-Based Nutrition Made Easy

Whilesomeworryaboutgettingsufficient nutrientsonalargelyplant-baseddiet,nutritionexpertssaythesefearsareunfounded.“Peoplethinktheyneedtocalculateeverynutrient,butifyoueataplant-centered, whole-foodsdiet,youwillgeteveryvitamin andmineralyouneedtothrive,”saysOcean Robbins,co-founderoftheFoodRevolutionNetworkandauthorofThe 31-Day Food Revolution: Heal Your Body, Feel Great, and Transform Your World.Legumes,nuts andseedsareallhealthy,abundantsources ofproteinandiron. ReedMangels,authorofYour Complete Vegan Pregnancy: Your All-in-One Guide to a Healthy, Holistic, Plant-Based Pregnancy,buststhemyththatcow’smilk

Getting Social

Dietarychangescanbechallengingto navigateinitially,particularlywhenfaced withsocialsituationsrangingfromfamily gatheringstocohabitation.Havingagood plangoingintosuchsituationscanhelp easethetransition,sayexperts.“Never showuptoaneventhungry.Youwillbe morelikelytomakeagooddecisionifyou arenourished.Onthewaythere,remind yourselfwhyyouaremakingthetransition toplant-basedeating,”suggestsMurray.

“IcallmyselfasecularveganbecauseIdon’thaveadogmatic approachtothewayIeat.IfIgotoafamilydinnerandsomeonehas madesomethingspecialforme,buttheyusedanon-vegancheese, Iwillrespectmyfamilymember’seffortandeatsomeofit.These situationswillpopupfromtimetotime,andthemoreyoucanbe compassionatewithyourself,thebetter,”saysMcMillen-Beelman. “Ifyouarelivingwithpeoplewhoarenotjoiningyouin makingadietaryshift,agreetorespecteachother’schoices. Makeitasharedlearningjourneyratherthanapowerstruggle,” saysRobbins.Forexample,hesuggestsmakingavegetarianbase andallowingthosethatwantanimalproductstoaddthemas toppings.Aburritobarcanaccommodatealldietsbyallowing peopletoaddtheirownfixingstoabaseofbeansandtortillas, whetherthosebedairyoptionslikecheeseandsourcreamor vegan-friendlyguacamoleandsalsa. Forfamilieswithkids,beingflexibleandinclusivecanhelp makechangesfeelmorepositiveandsustainable.“Wenevereat processedfoodsathome,butpartiesarethattimeItellmykids theycaneatwhatevertheywant,”saysWebb. “Getyourchildreninvolved,sothattheyaremoreengaged intheeatingexperience.Letyourchildrenpickoutrecipesor snacksfortheweek.Makethefoodlookprettyanditwilltaste moresatisfying,”addsMurray.

Plant Prep Made Easy

Plant-basedchefshaveplentyofkitchenhacksformakingfood prepandplanningfunandeasy.Robbinssuggestsfindinggo-to recipestoputonrepeat.“Yourpreptimegoesdownalotasyou makethesamedish,andthefamiliaritywillhelpyoudeveloplastinghabitsaroundnewfoodpatterns,”hesays. Webbincorporatesahealthyprotein,fatandvegetableinto everymeal,evenbreakfast,butcooksinbatchesandfreezesportionsorrepurposesleftoverstosimplifymealtimes.“You’llget burnedoutifyoutrytocooksomethingfromscratcheverymeal,” saysWebb.“Weeatalotofeggsbecauseweraisechickens,soI’ll dobakedfrittatasIcanreheatduringtheweek.” Advancemealprepcantakethepressureoffbusytimeslike theweekdaybreakfastrush,addsRobbins.Oneofhisfavorite breakfastsinvolvessoakingoatsandchiaseedsovernight,which hetopsinthemorningwithsomeunsweetenedsoyorcoconut milk,choppedbanana,frozenblueberries,andadashofmaple syrup,vanillaandnutmeg.“It’sfullofomega-3fattyacids,protein,antioxidantsandphytonutrients,”hesays. Webbencouragespeopletogetoutoftheirfoodcomfort zonesbyexperimentingwithapproximateingredients,likeswappingkabochaorhoneynutsquashforbutternutsquash. Robbinsalsosuggestsmakingsocialconnectionswithothersonthesamepathbycookingthemameal,organizingameal swaporsharingextras.“It’snotadietorafad;it’sawayoflife. Startwhereyouareandrememberit’snotaboutperfection,it’s aboutprogress.Havelove,dignityandcompassiontowardyourselfandothersalongthejourney,”hesays.

Clear Skies Ahead with Captain Glenn M anyofusareconfused withallofthechoices availabletodayregardingproperhealthandwellnesscare. Theaveragepersonischallenged dailywithmanynutritionalchoices intryingtobalancetheirlivesincludingdealingwithmental,physicalanddietstressors.Ourdaily wantsmaybecreatingproblemsin ouremotionalandphysicalbeing. Further,whatmaybegoodforanindividual’sbiochemistrymay notbegoodforanother’s.CaptainGlennHieronymus,founderand ownerofHieronymusElixirTeas,says,“It’snothowmanytimes you’velanded,it’showmanytimesyou’verecovered.Itpaysnotto haveacookie-cutteroperation.LetitgoandletGodleadtheway.” Hieronymuscontinues,“Cliniciansarefocuseddailyon testingpromisingnewtechniquesandtherapies.Ifintegrated properly,theymaydetourorevenfixacertainconditionofthe bodysogoestheclaim.However,mostconventionaltreatments in‘Westernmedicine’practiceareactionmode,whereasnowis thetimewhenproperdailycareisvitaltoourwell-being.”He recommendstofirstslowdown,loveandembracesimplicity— thetrinitytechniquethatincludesspirit,mindandbody—and combinewithatherapeuticmenuandappropriateexercisedaily. Aspartofhishealthyregimen,theCaptainhasintegratedCBD oilintohistrinitytechniqueforthemedicinalqualities.Thenatural, pure-mixed,appropriatelyprocessedbenefitssupportsourinner neuralsystem.AccordingtoHieronymus,“Kentuckyisthegranddaddyofhempproduction,”andthismeetstheCaptain’sstandards ofCertifiedHieronymus(Certi-Hi).“Therearealotofknockoffs (rabbitholes),intheCBDmarket.Kentuckyisaforerunnerintechniquesofdistillationandworldfamousforitslimestone/bluegrass regionfortheultimateproductionofCBD,”reportsHieronymus. Ifusedproperly,elixirteaandCBDoilcansupportmind andbody,detourhumancancercells,promotequalitysleepand helpthebodytomitigatenegativeeffectsofPTSD.TheCaptain recommendsone-thirdofamillimeterofCBDoil,droppedunderthetonguedaily,enjoyedwithhistea. “Takealittletimedailytomakesureyouareinbalance. Slowdown;loveandsimplicity.Weareonlyasstrongasour weakestlink,”headds.

For more information about or to order Captain Glenn’s Life Elixir Wellness Tea, call 970-903-5311, email Glenn@CaptainGlennsTeas.com or visit LifeElixirTea.com. See ad, back cover.