90265 FROM THE PUBLISHERS OF
FEBRUARY 2015 VOL. I, ISSUE 4
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curators of coastal culture
VEGAN VS. CARNIVORE MEAT IS ON THE HOT SEAT
DISCUSSING THE BENEFITS OF A PLANT BASED DIET
PLANT POWERED ATHLETE
RICH
ROLL
TROUBLE in
PARADISE
WILL THE COVE EVER FIND PEACE AGAIN?
The
RINCON CLASSIC
SURFERS TAKE ON THE QUEEN OF THE COAST
CURATORS OF COASTAL CULTURE
JANUARY 2015
VOL. I, ISSUE 3
90265 FROM THE PUBLISHERS OF
FEBRUARY 2015 VOL. I, ISSUE 4
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VEGAN VS. CARNIVORE
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MEAT IS ON THE HOT SEAT
DISCUSSING THE BENEFITS OF A PLANT BASED DIET
PLANT POWERED ATHLETE
RICH
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TROUBLE in
PARADISE
WILL THE COVE EVER FIND PEACE AGAIN?
The
RINCON CLASSIC
SURFERS TAKE ON THE QUEEN OF THE COAST
90265 FROM THE PUBLISHERS OF
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Cover photo of Rich Roll by Liana Louzon
MALIBU
PCH
H I G H W A Y T O
( N O ) W H E R E Story and photos Steve Woods
PCH GOING NORTH AT COUNTY LINE IS EXPECTED TO BE CLOSED THROUGH FEBRUARY Frustrated Malibu natives, especially local surfers who normally chase Northwesterly swells in Ventura are getting restless after seven long weeks of PCH being closed due to the December 12 2014 rains. With lengthy gas consuming detours on Kanan to the 101, everybody is asking why is it taking so long to clear some mudslides off the hwy? Although Neptunes Net business has down 40 %, it has been lucky enough to snag a few disgruntled customers but several employees who live in Port Hueneme have not felt so lucky to make the long detoured commute for less tip money. Much to the dismay of many preoccupied sightseers and tourists who missed the “HWY Closed” signs, the seasonal migration of travelers found themselves trapped at the appropriately named Neptunes Net Restaurant near the Ventura County Line. Grumbles are followed by U-turns and long detours. The May 2013 Santa Fe Springs fire that burned around 24,000 acres of brushland along coastal Ventura County and into the Santa Monica Mountains encountered the seasons first big rain with adverse consequences on Dec 12. With no vegetation to absorb the onslaught of torrential rain, hundreds of thousands of cubic yards of sediment cascaded down lose hillsides and into houses of Camarillo and towards the ocean but much of it was trapped behind concrete barriers along PCH. As a result much of the sediment that should have ended up as natural beach replenish- ment for our sediment depleted beaches down the coast was trapped behind concrete barriers instead of pouring into the ocean and much of it was inexplicably being trucked out to inland destinations. The day after the closure on December 12 the Ventura County Star Newspaper made a video of the worst areas that showed deep mud that ended up trapping several cars but it looked as though it would only take a few days ,maybe a week with a concerted effort by Cal Trans using its vast resources to remove the debris from the problem areas. I found myself involved in a quandry with only a few more shopping days before Christmas unable to access the fertile shopping grounds west of Point Mugu via PCH having to resort to the worst case scenario of a madman’s dash to the Thousand Oaks Mall on Christmas Eve. New Years day went by and PCH was still closed, I thought “My God what is going on”? Did parts the highwy fall into the ocean? Were entire mountains still succumbing to gravity in defiance of our selfish need to freely roam anywhere we want? Road closures on this timescale happens along the massive cliffs of Big Sur, surely not on our arid coast. Reports trickled in that the mud was being cleared yet hillsides above PCH were still unstable and needed rock climbers to dislodge loose boulders above the road. Cal Trans crews were supposed to be working non stop to get one of California’s major throughfares open yet private pilots cruising the coast reported seeing dozens of heavy duty dozers sitting idle and only a few workers actively clearing the highway. Curious, I drove down to County Line and parked my car at the No Go Zone barriers and tres- passed on my mountain bike into the least developed pristine areas of the Santa Monica moun- tains. I was imagining what is like in the twenties when the public was denied access west of the Rindges eastern gates near Topanga and what a paradise it must have been to have all of Malibu to yourself. I imagined my Grandparents who backpacked in through Malibu Canyon, before the dam was built, fishing for Steelhead in 1922 and only seeing three people in two weeks .
Hawk’s eye view of a closed coastline.
MALIBU Pedaling west, not a soul to be seen on PCH, empty beaches, offshore winds blowing against an incoming westerly blue swell. My advance was halted by another set of concrete barriers at Deer Creek and a guard who denied me from proceeding towards my goal of riding to Point Mugu. I questioned him about why the highway was not open yet. He grinned an embarrassed guilty look and said the highway has been cleared but he grumbled something about the red tape of the bureaucracies and having to do more work shoring up the ocean side of the highway. Also, SCE had to remove poles so that the cranes could drop in more rip rap boulders. Plan B was more of a cardio workoutas I peddled up the long steep grade through the burned area to the top of Deer Creek Road where you come in view of the majestic Boney Ridge. Below me to the west was the empty Serrano Valley and the vast last undeveloped wilderness area in the Santa Monica Mountains that extended from Sand Stone Peak to La Jolla Canyon and Point Mugu with breathe taking views of the Channel Islands. Without a road or a trail heading west into the burn area that was trying its hardest to impersonate an Irish landscape, I ditched my bike and headed off on foot and spent the next six hours cross country hiking into an area that was not accessible on foot before the fire. Traversing ridges and following the watercourses through Serrano Valley and making numerous steep elevation climbs into the La Jolla Valley watershed, I was in a heaven complete with wild flowers, the scent of new sages and high coastal views that I did not know existed in our coastal range. Deer, coyotes, meadow larks and falcons were signs of a new beginning for an area that just recently appeared as a lifeless moonscape. Millions of cubic yards of fresh new sand stone sediment lay in the creek bottoms patiently waiting for the next big rainstorm to wash it out to sea and become beach sand down the coast in Malibu. I flashed back to the winter of 1969 which surfers use as a bench mark for huge winter swells. That year was also an El Nino Year with historic amounts of rainfall . Malibu Creek flooded to biblical proportions in two separate flood events but in the fall prior to the winter floods the Malibu Creek watershed also sustained a massive brushfire. As a result, massive amounts of sediment, boulders and new cobblestones were transported out to the top of Surfrider Point during minus low tides. Previous to the 1969 floods, the wave quality at the top of point consisted of poor quality closeout waves but after the dust settled two distinct world class cobblestone reefs were created that were called 2nd and 3rd point. As the finer sediment washed out from currents, the world class first point wave was temporarily destroyed as the perfectly formed cobblestone point was buried under sand. The sand filled up Kellers Cove out to the end of the pier turning first point into a junky beach break close out for about a year until currents and swells scoured the fine sand down the coast. For at least fifteen years, the 1969 floods were responsible for the rock formations at the new second and third points that were a result of a rare perfect storm of fire and water. The surfers who were lucky enough to be present during that Golden era will never forget the blessings that the extreme forces of nature had created.
Business is down 40% at the iconic Neptune’s Net because of the road closure.
Bony Ridge, top of the watershed.
For weeks I have whined about PCH being closed but on the bright side, hiking alone through the canyons and ridges has been like stepping back in time, to a time when man had less influences on the land. May this area be kept as natural as possible for ever and ever!  Latest news is reporting that PCH will not open February 2nd as hoped and will be delayed another month to shore up the hwy from erosion due to heavy surf. Union Engineering of Santa Paula was awarded a $7 million contract for the roadwork. That section of PCH saw an average of about 10,500 drivers a day in 2013, according to Caltrans spokesman Patrick Chandler. I may have to make another pilgrimage into one of natures finest theaters. Apparently, Craig Sap of State Parks told the Ventura County Star he has been trying to get the campground and trails open by the February 2 but limited access from the Oxnard side is still questionable as road work continues into March . For the adventurous, an empty pristine paradise awaits those who appreciate the work of cross country exploration. The burn area - still accessible by foot or by bike.
The bright side of the road closure? Empty, pristine beaches.
OPINION
TROUBLE in
Photos by Tim Horton
PARADISE By David Stansfield
I was going to write about Paradise Cove and the controversy over Walk-Ins and having to pay $20 and then not having to pay $20 because the California Coastal Commission says so, but I’m not going to do that because it’s too controversial. I’m also not going to write about certain rowdy Walk-Ins, whether paying or not, littering the beach with garbage and nobody cleaning it up because this is a private beach and no one’s responsible for any of it beyond a little circle of even privater beach around the Paradise Cove restaurant, whose owner was the one who wanted to charge $20 in the first place (+ $50 parking on long weekends) and really should have contributed some of his ill gotten gains to pay to pick up the garbage, but he didn’t. And I’m certainly not going to rattle on about two young men not being allowed to carry their surfboards onto the little beach at Paradise Cove and then being allowed to because it’s all to do with the pier, which should never have had a gate to stop people going on to it because it’s too dangerous, and then the gate being removed because it’s not really too dangerous, after all, because the California Coastal Commission said this too. Similarly, I don’t have a word to say about the gauntlet you have to run of parked car doors bashing you in the face and tiny children threatening to scamper under your own vehicle’s wheels when you drive along the PCH within a mile of Paradise Cove on any summer weekend because why shouldn’t half a million people come to Malibu when it’s hot as Hell in the Valley and they want to seek respite from the heat by baking themselves silly in the sun or charging into the waves to see how long they can stand up on pointy pieces of polyurethane before they fall off. None of that. The same goes for proposing a new version of that silly old Tennyson poem about The Charge of the Light Brigade that used to start “Into the Valley of Death rode the Six Hundred,” but should really begin “Into the Valley of Bu rode the Six Hundred Thousand on a Labor Day Weekend” making us hold up MLO signs and lock our doors. Perish the thought that I should breathe a word of any of this to a living soul. And I swear on my grandmother’s grave that I won’t make any daft jokes about some bright spark screaming “I’m a personal friend of St. Peter” through the bars of the Pearly Gates blocking entry to the road leading to Paradise Cove when everyone knows his Holiness is on another of his interminable bathroom breaks and his guardian angels have been translated into Los Angeles County Sheriffs in cowboy hats and shiny boots, who won’t budge an inch until you hand over your Jackson – or at least they used to until they didn’t have to any more (see para 1). Finally, I’m definitely not going to drag the 17th century English poet John Milton into the middle of all this by imploring the gentle reader to respond to the question, “Will the recent actions of the California Coastal Commission and/or the lessees of the little beach in the cove result in Paradise Lost or Paradise Regained?”
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ART CHUCK CLOSE, one of the most influential artists of our time, earned his reputation by continuously reinventing portraiture. He developed his signature style in the late 1960s when he painted his first self-portrait enlarged to a monumental scale. Since then, he has explored various methods and techniques for depicting the human face. Never content to remain within a predictable style or technique, he has always rethought the nature of representation by devising bold new ways of rendering his subjects.
His zeal for experimentation led him to make his first print in 1972. Since that time, he has rigorously explored a full array of different printmaking mediums. Prints have become a key part of his creative process. Close once said: “Virtually everything that has happened in my unique work can be traced back to the prints.” This exhibition features over 70 prints offering a rich survey of his involvement with printmaking, ranging from traditional techniques (etchings, engravings, woodcuts, and lithographs) to more unusual materials (tapestry and handmade paper pulp). Close typically begins with a gridded photograph of a person he knows intimately. This exhibition features works depicting close friends such as the contemporary composer Phillip Glass, family members, and fellow artists such as Alex Katz, John Chamberlain, and Lucas Samaras, as well as his ubiquitous self-portraits. He renders his subjects using a variety of approaches that range from precise photorealism to freeform expressionism. His desire to push his medium to its limits results in boldly dynamic and unforgettable images that make Chuck Close one of America’s most important living artists.
Collector Jordan D. Schnitzer said: “Chuck Close is the master portrait artist of our time. For tens of thousands of years artists have drawn faces, but no one has taken the art of portraiture to the same level as Chuck Close. He is a brilliant artist. His portraits within portraits are a mirror of not only his subjects, but of all of us.”
CHUCK CLOSE E X H I B I T I O N AT THE
FREDERICK R. WEISMAN MUSEUM EXHIBITION: JANUARY 17 – APRIL 5, 2015
“It gives me great pleasure to bring this exhibition of portraits by CHUCK CLOSE to Southern California,” said Michael Zakian, director of the Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art. “The artist’s obsession with the human face touches upon our very humanity and captures a key element of Los Angeles culture. I would like to compliment Portland collector Jordan Schnitzer for his tireless commitment to the visual arts and for his willingness to generously share his art with our city.” Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art Pepperdine University 24255 Pacific Coast Highway Malibu, CA 90263 Museum hours: Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed on Mondays and major holidays No admission fee
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Now in it’s 20th year, a newly revamped L.A. Art Show turned out an impressive rosters of artists and attendees. Billie Weisman, curator and director of the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation ( the museum is located at Pepperdine University )attended the event, pictured right in front of the Peter Alexander resin Bars at the Ace Gallery Booth.
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FEATURE
V E GA NVS.
CA R N I VORE Optimal health, disease prevention, environmental sustainability and compassion. What more motivation would you need to stop eating meat? Ultraman athlete and wellness advocate Rich Roll sits down with Sunlife Organics owner Khalil Rafati to discuss the ethics and benefits of switching to a whole foods, plant based diet.
K.R.: The reason that I wanted to get together with you is because I wanted to talk about a hotly debated subject in Sunlife Organics, Carnivores v.s. Vegans. As you know, because we are friends, I am not a vegan, but I do have a lot of vegan aspects to my diet. One day I had a situation where one of my customers saw I was eating a cheeseburger, walked up and flipped out. She said “What are you doing?” and I didn’t understand the question. I said “I’m just eating dinner” and she said “no I can’t believe you’re eating that” and really laid into me on the whole subject. R.R: Was it a cheeseburger from Jack in the Box or ... K.R.: No, no it was grass fed, it was free range, and it was from next door actually at Ollie’s Duck Dive. They use super high quality meat from a venerable source and there’s no animal cruelty going on - I’m pretty conscious about that. R.R.: Well, it’s problematic right there to say that there’s no animal cruelty. I think that there’s a lot of confusion and misdirection and denial when you talk about the ethics of meat labeled “sustainable” or “grass fed”. These are elusive, sliding scale definitions and I think that we are now in a situation where we are being convinced to believe that just because meat is grass fed or has this label of being sustainably raised that that somehow exonerates it from the equation of animal suffering and cruelty. We can have that discussion; that’s probably beyond the topic of what we’re talking about today, but I think what you’re saying is interesting. Basically what you’re saying is, you’re feeling pressure from your customer base to be more dogmatic about this plant-based approach. I mean, if you look at the sign on your door there’s nothing here that says plant-based. You offer tons of healthy foods and plant-based foods in here, but I’ve never heard you say that this is a plant based café, right? Sunlife Organics in the Calabasas Commons K.R.: No, but people are presumptuous. R.R.: People are inferring that. I think that raises an interesting subject and line of discussion, which is the dogmatic aspects of attaching a label to whatever your lifestyle or diet is. Whether it’s paleo or Mediterranean or, you know, high-carb, low-carb or whatever it is. I think, as human beings, we are looking for an identity. We’re engineered, or genetically hard-wired to figure out what team we are routing for. Whether it’s the Packers or the Steelers, you know, you’re seeing that increasingly with respect to diet and lifestyle. In other words, people hanging their hat on the paleo philosophy or the vegan way of living and eating. K.R.: And both of them will viciously defend their point of view. R.R.: Of course. K.R.: Which I think, is the worst thing. I mean, as a non-vegan, I am the first to admit that it is absolutely imperative for the future of this planet, and for our children; I think that it is absolutely imperative that we move towards a plant-based diet. Which is why I opened Sunlife Organics. I’ve been a vegetarian for many years; I’ve been a vegan on and off at times, for six months, eight months at a time. I went raw vegan one time for seven and a half months. I’ve played around with a lot of different diets. And I’m always looking to find how my body is going to work best. How it’s going to make me function at its highest capacity, but what’s challenging on both sides of the fence; if you talk to somebody who’s paleo, or whatever, they want to put down the vegans, make fun of the vegans, talk about how vegans are pussies and how the vegans are coming up and writing books like “Meat is for Pussies” and... R.R.: I wrote the foreword of that book. K.R.: Did you? But, I mean, I think the greatest thing we can do, as a species, or as a race, is to obtain the objective or move towards the objective, which is going towards a plant-based diet, you know. If you come in and shame me, or I see you running, and I make fun of you like, “hey go eat a cheeseburger,” how would that ever get you to open up your mind, you know? And I’m not saying eating meat is the right way, you know, and I know that you are saying eating meat is not the right way. But for me, the way I’m functioning best right now is to have a diet that does incorporate some animal products. I feel really good right now. R.R.: Good. And what I love about what you’re saying is that you’re using yourself as a testing ground, and you’re not just buying into some pre-packaged, dogmatic program, because so and so told you to, or it’s the latest book on the shelf. You’re paying attention to how your body is responding to the foods you are eating and you’re making increasingly more and more conscientious choices about where your dollars are going and what you’re putting in your mouth. That’s the most important thing because that transcends labels and dogma, you know. From my perspective, I’m plant based, and that’s what I talk about, but I’m always very conscious and measured in how I communicate things that I believe in and things that I feel strongly about. The principles that I use are really principles I learned in recovery. I’ve been in recovery for a long time, and one of the first things you learn in recovery is to share from a place of experience. I’m not here to tell everyone what you should and should not do; I’m not here to tell you what you should and shouldn’t eat; I’m here to share my experience. This is what happened to me, and you’re free to draw your own conclusions on that, and do as you will. And the other thing you learn in recovery is that it’s a program of attraction not promotion. I’m not trying to promote anything, I’m trying to share my experience, and I’m trying to live as healthy and as vibrant as I can, because I know that the actions that I take throughout my day are much more potent and powerful in terms of attracting people to this lifestyle than anything that comes out of my mouth.
RICH ROLL is a world renowned, plant-based ultra-endurance athlete, in demand public speaker, wellness advocate, #1 bestselling author and inspirational hero to a global audience of wellness seekers as a transformative example of courageous and healthy living. After succumbing to the sedentary throes of overweight middle age, at age 40, Rich made a decision to overhaul his life, adopting a plant-based diet and reinventing himself as an ultra-distance endurance athlete. To learn more about Rich Roll and his plant powered lifestyle go to richroll.com
FEATURE K.R.: Absolutely, and of the many conversations that we’ve had, I’ve never once heard you start talking about your diet. I’ve heard you talk about your Ultraman, I’ve heard you speak lovingly of your wife, I’ve heard you talk about your kids, we’ve discussed travel, we’ve discussed writing, and that’s what is so intriguing to me about you, about your book. First of all, I’ve got to say, long before I met you, I read your book. I saw it on Amazon, it came up on the suggestion thing, and I saw your book and I got your book, and I was absolutely blown away. I couldn’t wrap my head around the story. I mean, it was amazing to me. And what really got me; I think this is just because we do judge books by their cover and I am very shallow and pretentious, when I saw this picture of you, right here, with that fat old man face, because that’s what happens to guys when they are 35-40 years old, they get the round, the fat old man face. And then, I’m thumbing through here, and I’m like wait a second, all of the sudden I see that and I think, “Oh shit, that’s him today.” That. That is amazing. That picture right there and this story immediately made me feel compelled to start switching up my smoothies. In the morning I went with a vegan protein powder, I found a hemp protein powder instead of the whey protein powder, I was really, really big into whey back then. When I read your book I immediately switched to a vegan option. I think I started using Sun Warrior and then another brand, and we, actually, as a result brought them into Sunlife Organics and started to use them. And I felt great.
Rich Roll and his wife Julie Piatt.
R.R.: It’s all about how you feel, I mean, you’re saying “oh I do judge a book by its cover, and I looked at these pictures and that was impactful on me,” and I will tell you that this whole journey that I’ve been on was triggered and catalyzed by purely selfish reasons. I was overweight, I looked in the mirror, I had a round head, I didn’t like it. I didn’t like how I felt. And my energy levels were terrible, I was a complete couch potato; I was unenthusiastic about my life. On paper, it looked like I had a good life, I was sober, I was building a family, we had a beautiful home. But I had this hole in my spirit, like I was living someone else’s life. Something was wrong. So I was having this sort of existential crisis about my place in the world that intersected with this health crisis I was having eating a junk food diet. My friend calls it the “window diet” — if you can roll down the window and they hand it to you and you eat it, you know, cheeseburgers, all that kind of stuff. And I had this epiphany on the staircase shortly before I turned 40 and when I thought I was having a heart attack, like “I got to change what I am doing” and that catalyzed, it was sort of like that moment of clarity you have when you realize it’s time to get sober. It clicks and it’s like, “I’m ready” you know, and I was ready. That doesn’t mean that the changes that I made were overnight, they certainly weren’t linear, they weren’t perfect. It wasn’t like I immediately adopted a plant-based diet. I played around with a bunch of stuff, some worked, some didn’t, but I will say that when I stumbled into eating plant based I just felt better. So it wasn’t because I read this book, or I saw this diet documentary, or this doctor told me I was supposed to do it. I was experimenting on myself and this agreed with me. I understand and realize that everybody is different. K.R.: Did you have somebody prior to that trying to encourage you to get on a vegetarian diet? R.R.: Not really, I mean my wife was eating a vegetarian diet, and she had had an experience a couple years prior, and this is not in the book. She developed a thyroglossal duct cyst on her neck. She had a big, golf-ball sized growth on her neck. All the surgeons said - we went to UCLA, we went to Santa Monica, Cedars – they all said the same thing, that the good news is it’s not a malignant tumor, but the bad news is it’s never going to go away, you’re going to have to have it surgically removed. And it’s also a tricky surgery because it was connected to some bone on the vertebra and there were some nerves in there. And Julie had, a couple years prior to this, she had a botched tonsillectomy that left her on bed rest for six weeks drinking out of a straw. It was bizarre. So she is like, understandably, not excited about going under the knife and to have this thing cut out, and she said “I’m going to heal this myself.” And she sought out the advice of an Ayurvedic doctor, who put her on a protocol of all these crazy, horrible smelling herbs and basically a plant-based diet. There was like some ghee in there and stuff like that, but basically plantbased, and she committed to resolving it with some lifestyle alterations, including a reduction in her stress. It wasn’t overnight, but ultimately her cyst disappeared and, despite what every doctor told us, it never came back. That was well over ten years ago. So that was very impactful on me and heavily influenced my decision to go plant-based. It’s the first time I truly understood what Hippocrates meant when said, Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food. As humans we are incredibly resilient. When we begin to treat the body properly, there is no ceiling. I’m living proof. I spent decades abusing myself with drugs, alcohol and horrible lifestyle choices until I woke up at 40 quite overweight, sick and too out of shape to ascend a simple flight of stairs without a break. Then one day I made a decision to change. On paper what I have been able to do as an athlete in the years since I made that decision — Ultraman, the EPIC5 — it makes no sense in the logical world. Add in the plant-based diet thing and it blows people’s minds. But the truth is that if I could change so radically, I assure you that everyone can change. You know this to be true Khalil because you have experienced it yourself. Your personal transformation is absolutely extraordinary. So my message is always to help people embrace the idea that that we are all capable of so much more than we allow ourselves to believe. This journey begins with being more conscious about what we put in our mouths. And irrespective of whatever your dietary preferences are, I think we can all agree that everybody can benefit from incorporating more plant-based whole foods into our daily dietary routine.
COMING SOON: The Plantpower Way: Whole Food Plant-Based Recipes and Guidance for the Whole Family (Avery / Penguin), hitting bookstores May 2015, introduces Rich, his wife Julie Piatt and their four children as one of America’s healthiest, most inspiring families. Part cookbook, part lifestyle guide, this beautiful roadmap is the first to provide plant-based, whole food recipes the whole family will love, along with essential tools to transform your own kitchen and catalyze the modern active family to live healthier, more sustainable lives. Packed with meal ideas, advice, and practical tools like shopping lists, information on ingredients, simple cooking techniques and more, The Plantpower Way is a book about getting back to the food that truly nourishes our bodies and souls; about celebrating both of a way of life and of life itself; and about shifting our perspective and becoming our best selves. Available for pre-order at http://richroll.com
Sunlife Organics owner Khalil Rafati with Ultraman athlete and wellness advocate Rich Roll at Sunlife Organics in Calabasas.
WELLNESS HOW TO
FEEL AMAZING
EDITOR’S NOTE: As I write this, I am fresh off this 10 metabolic detox. Renewed energy, less aches and pains, and an overall feeling of body rejuvenation. The combination of the diet plan, supplements and in office treatments only available through Dr. Joe ferrara truly made a difference to my overall health. Cece S. Woods.
IN JUST 10 DAYS By Dr. Joe Ferrara, PHD
Years ago, the term “detoxification” was used to describe programs to address the problems of drug or alcohol addiction. But today we hear this word used in so many different ways that it can be confusing and is often very misleading. We do know long-term exposure to toxins have been linked with many serious health problems and so safely getting rid of accumulated toxins should be a high priority for anyone seeking better health. Each year more than 4 billion pounds of toxic chemicals are released into the environment and your body has probably been accumulating toxins for decades. Toxic pollutants are everywhere - in what we touch, eat, drink, and breathe. These toxins are dangerous because they increase cellular stress, burn up vital nutrients, sap your energy reserves, slow down your metabolism, create hormonal imbalances and increase stubborn weight problems. Other symptoms for those suffering from toxic overload include chronic fatigue, increased allergies, chemical sensitivities, food intolerance, digestive problems, aches and pains, low grade fever, headaches, insomnia, depression, sore throats, weight loss or gain and lowered resistance to infection. The United States Centers for Disease Control estimate that over 80% of all illnesses have environmental (toxins) and lifestyle causes. When healthy, your body’s natural detoxification processes are capable of getting rid of most harmful chemicals and pollutants. But as we age, the sheer volume of toxins to which you have been exposed can overwhelm natural processes and so toxins accumulate more and more rapidly in your tissues. Add to that an unhealthy diet lacking in nutrients and the problem can get even worse.
Metabolic detoxification is helpful for those suffering from many chronic diseases and conditions, including allergies, anxiety, digestive problems, arthritis, asthma, chronic infections, depression, diabetes, headaches, heart disease, high cholesterol, low blood sugar levels, mental illness, and obesity.
Cleansing the body has become a popular “treatment” as people have become more aware of the problems created by toxins in our environment. However, not all “cleansing” programs are safe or effective at detoxification. You may feel better, but getting rid of toxins in tissues requires specific proteins, vitamins, minerals, and amino acids to be effective.
It is helpful for those with conditions that are influenced by environmental factors, such as cancer, as well as for those who have been exposed to high levels of toxic materials due to occupation or where you live. It is also effective for those suffering from allergies or immune system problems which conventional medicine is unable to diagnose or treat, including chronic fatigue syndrome, environmental illness/multiple chemical sensitivity, and fibromyalgia.
Traditional natural health cleanses are generally focused on cleaning out the colon with bentonite clay, herbs and psyllium husks. However, these products are very limited in their ability to remove heavy metals and other toxins throughout the body and many people complain about allergic reactions to psyllium husks. What is Metabolic Detoxification? Metabolic detoxification a highly effective treatment in alternative medicine and has the potential to eliminate a myriad if health problems’’. It is based on the principle that illnesses can be caused by the accumulation of toxins in the body. Eliminating existing toxins and avoiding new toxins are essential parts of the healing process. The most effective metabolic detoxification programs must include the following:
What is Different About Metabolic Detoxification? It’s important to understand that true detoxification requires specific types of proteins, amino acids, vitamins, minerals and herbs in order to be effective. For example, the body needs high levels of anti-oxidants, especially glutathione, to offset the massive amounts of free radicals created when the body metabolizes (breaks down) the toxins in the liver before they are removed. Juicing and other types of cleanses can be helpful, however they don’t fully support the highly demanding metabolic processes that occur in the body during the detoxification process. They work more at the surface level, but do not work deeply to rid the tissues of toxins. Benefits of Metabolic Detoxification
- Fresh vegetables and fruits that are organic
- Naturally Boosts Your Energy
- Adequate calories and nutrient intake to prevent under nutrition
- Eliminates brain fog, lack of concentration and /or poor memory
- Foods and supplements that are free of common food allergens such as gluten from grains and casein from dairy
- Reduce and/or eliminate headaches caused by toxic overload
- Elimination of stimulants, synthetic chemicals, alcohol, tobacco products and modified food ingredients (while on the program).
- Improved sleep
- Lose weight
- Many other benefits
- Pure spring water (½ your body weight in ounces per day) - Moderate exercise (such as 30 minutes of walking) - Adequate fiber to promote proper bowel function and prevent constipation - Adequate (but not excessive) protein, with an emphasis on vegetable pro tein (I have found rice protein to be well tolerated)
Dr. Joe Ferrara is a natural health and energy medicine practitioner, specializing in detoxification, pulsed electromagnetic therapy, microbiome restoration and cellular rejuvenation. His clinics are in Malibu and Westlake Village. To learn more about his customized 10-Day Hi-Energy Metabolic Detox program, call 323-825-9595 or visit www.quantumhealthandhealing.com.
WELLNESS
BLUE MIND Review by Linda Atkinson, MA
Ever wonder why you love being by the Sea? Ever think about how the Ocean calms you? Do you ever want to know what is it about Malibu that soothes your soul? Wallace Nichols, PhD has written an intriguing book on the subject entitled ‘Blue Mind’ - the surprising science that shows how being near, in, on or under water can make you happier, healthier, more connected, and better at what you do. Wallace is a research associate at the California Academy of Sciences and founder/ co-director of Ocean Revolution, SEE the WILD, and LiVBLUE. Wallace’s research shows the incredible truth and scientific proof of the benefits of being near, in, on or under the water. “The brain and the ocean are deep, complex, and subtle realms that we struggle to see into and to see out from. We’re drawn to their mysteries and rhythms, and strive to find language to describe them.” Dr. David Poeppel, Professor and Neural Science, New York University. Our experience of water is tactile, deep and profound whether playing on it or under it… "surfer Joao de Macedo waits on his board, a hundred feet or so from the beach. He’s relaxed yet alert, scanning the water for indications of the next wave. As he spots a smooth swell pattern that indicates a potentially rideable wave, anticipation releases another wave - of neurochemicals cascading throughout his brain and body… dopamine explodes in his brain …feel-good neurotransmitters rise in waves inside his brain and body.” (from Chapter 2 Water and the Brain: Neuroscience and Blue Mind). Wallace does a great job of drawing us in to experience and opening us up to a deeper science behind that experience. Written with both story, research and in an 'easy to read' format Wallace pulls us in and has us thinking deeper into our experiences. There is more going on it seems while we surf, play on the beach or enjoy scuba diving or snorkelling. Just seeing the water everyday has a neurological effect on our brain and body. Most of us who experience this know it but from Wallace’s work we are draw in to scientific reasoning and proof behind it. Wallace covers, from a scientific perspective, studies that show all that we already know and feel about living by the Ocean - proximity to water can help increase calm, reduce blood pressure and depression, reduce multitasking issues and attention and distraction disorders, overcome addiction, reduce anxiety, improves mental health and its vary vastness and beauty reflects our own inner vastness and beauty promoting connection to ourselves, nature and something greater than ourselves. If you live near, in, on or under water this is an excellent, informative and paradigm shifting book to pick up and read … where else but … by the beach! “On the beach, you can live in bliss” Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys.
Dr. Wallace J. Nichols, author of The Blue Mind.
WELLNESS
KALE
YEAH!
By Diana Nicholson
“Kale Yeah I’m Vegan,” I read that on a T-shirt of a 77 year old body builder, who by the way, looks better than most meat eating muscle men half his age! If someone were to tell me a year ago that I would be Vegan (plant based food) today, I would have said Hell No! Who knew this was going to happen to me. Making a commitment to my health has been a daily journey. One thing I have discovered, you will never change your life until you can change something you do daily. The secret to success is found in your daily routine! As a health coach my job is to investigate many different diet theories… so many opinions. Recently, a client came in and asked me to try a cleanse, “Arise and Shine.” I don’t always subscribe to all the volumes of theories, cleanse options and differing points of view; this one excluded meat chicken, fish, and all dairy. Intriguing challenge for a two week commitment. Almost immediately I started feeling different, better in fact! It completely changed my perspective on eating meat. As long as I was feeling strong, fortified and nutritionally supported, why would I go back to eating meat? So I continued on this WHOLE-FOOD, PLANT-BASED journey, it’s now 3 months later. I lost weight, feel stronger, have more energy, etc.! For years, I ate Paleo. Healthy: limiting processed and refined foods, excluding dairy, grains and legumes. Instead, the healthy recipes are chock-full of grass-fed, pasture-raised meats and eggs, sustainable, wild-caught seafood, plus an abundance of fresh, seasonable fruits and vegetable. This worked, but I am always open to “try” a new diet theory. Some things to always consider: one body or another, knowing our blood types and blood sugar levels contribute to our best eating habits and results for feeling our best. Self-exploration with each of these personal choices is a must, and let’s not leave out a sustainable exercise regimen (also a must). The Institute of Medicine has established minimum recommended dietary allowances (“RDA’s”) for balance between protein and carbohydrates. The RDA for carbohydrates is 130 grams per day for adults. Protein RDA’s are 46 grams per day for women, 56 grams per day for men and 71 grams each day for pregnant and nursing women. Regardless of the protein and carb balance that’s appropriate for your individual needs, aim to consume at least the RDA for protein and carbs each day.
In America most of us are accustomed to building our dinner plate around meat. This will change with your new lifestyle. The center of your plate is now going to be the starch-based comfort foods most of us have always loved, but have long been relegated to side dishes or stigmatized because of a misperception that they’re “unhealthy.” Yet these are the foods that people around the world have thrived on for generations: tubers like potatoes and sweet potatoes, starchy vegetables like corn and peas, whole grains, like brown rice, millet, quinoa and buckwheat, and legumes like chickpeas, black beans, kidney beans and lima beans. They may be prepared differently, leaving out refined oil or dairy for example but most of them will be familiar, delightful new discoveries. Delicious new dishes like Sweet Potato Lasagna, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, Tuscan White Bean Burgers, Easy Thai Noodles and Spicy French Fries. (Recipes for all these dishes can be found can be found in “The Forks Over Knives Plan”). You can also enjoy as much whole fruit as you like. No more eating for single nutrients… Focus on the “Package” and the Foods You Enjoy. We’ve been led to believe we should eat meat for protein, dairy for calcium, fish for omega-3-fatty acids and even tomatoes for lycopene. Misguided… and in some cases can harm health. One example: meat consumption for protein can add cholesterol present in animal foods. No food is a single nutrient and any given food has countless nutrients. What matters most is the overall nutrient profile, THE WHOLE PACKAGE! Whole, plant-based foods contain all the essential nutrients (with the exception of vitamin B12) and are more consistent with human needs than animal-based or processed foods. So, why waste any of what we eat on inferior packages? As long as, over time, we choose a variety of whole, plant-based foods, we’ll meet our nutritional needs. Even on this diet, people sometimes tend to worry about eating a certain type of green vegetable for calcium, beans for protein, nuts for fat, etc. Let go of that type of thinking. The most important thing in this lifestyle is to choose the whole, plant-based foods you enjoy most! If you want to learn more about the whole-food, plant-based lifestyle and how to make a successful transition, be sure to check out “The Forks Over Knifes Plan.” at forksoverknives.com.
What Is a Whole-Food, Plant Based Diet? One great study I read from Alona Pulde, MD and Matthew Lederman, MD shares that a whole-food, plant-based diet is centered on whole, unrefined, or minimally refined plants. It’s a diet based on fruits, vegetables, tubers, whole grains, and legumes; and it excludes (or at the least minimizes) meat (including chicken and fish), dairy products, and eggs, as well as highly refined foods like bleached flour, refined sugar or oils.
*Fruit: mangos, bananas, grapes, strawberries, blueberries, oranges, cherries, etc. *Vegetables: lettuce, collard greens, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, carrots, etc. *Tubers and starchy vegetables: potatoes, yams, yucca, winter squash, corn, green peas, etc. *Whole grains: millet, quinoa, barley, rice, whole wheat, oats, etc. *Legumes: kidney beans, chickpeas, lentils, lima beans, black beans, etc. A Whole-Food, Plant Based Diet is Not a Diet of Vegetables. Maybe you’ve heard that people living this way eat lots of spinach, kale, and collard greens. Nothing can be further from the truth. We would need to eat almost 16 pounds of cooked kale to get 2,000 calories of food! It’s virtually impossible to get enough calories from leafy vegetables alone to form a sustainable diet. Not eating enough calories leads to you feeling hungry. Over time, resulting in decreased energy, feeling of deprivation, cravings and even binges. This isn’t due to switching to a plant-based diet; rather, they’re related to not eating enough. Leafy vegetables are great but not the energy source on your food plate. Starch-Based Foods and Fruit Form the Basis of the Whole-Food, Plant-Based Diet.
Photo by Dan Amezcua
We know that’s a mouthful! Rest assured, though, that you’ll be eating in a way that people have thrived for thousands of years. Make no mistake, these foods are very tasty and satisfying. Following are the food categories from which you’ll eat, along with a few examples from each. These include ingredients you’ll be using to make familiar dishes, like pizza, mashed potatoes, lasagna and burritos:
Diana Nicholson training longtime Malibu resident Bernie Safire DIANA NICHOLSON is a trained and certified Pilates coach providing a precise, concentrated Pilates program that offers Diana guides you through deep core strengthening and a repertoire of exercises, biomechanically correct, finding your weak links. This srategy strengthening the muscles around the moveable joints, with as much balance as is possible to achieve. Diana is also a trained Health Coach receiving her training from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, a cutting edge health coach training program. Her goal is to help you achieve optimal health and fitness and guide you toward a comprehensive holistic approach to a healthier lifestyle. Contact Diana for a private consultation. malibubeachpilates.com @malibubeachpilates
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Actress Tracey Bregman on her black Friesian, “Standing Ovation” and holding Labrador Duke on an SC-FOY leash at the Malibu Equestrian Center.
Samuel Foy’s tireless efforts to deliver exceptional craftsmanship to his clients left an indelible mark in the equestrian world, and we take pride in continuing that tradition by bringing a line of hand-crafted leather accessories you can share with your pets for a lifetime.
SC-FOY.com
BEAUTY
LOVE
Gold
Inspirational and iconic pieces to to covet and collect.
Local Malibu jewelry designer Jennifer Meyer has been designing elegant, yet substantial pieces to wear every day since 2005. The coveted, classic clean designs are on the fast track to icon status. barneys.com
The Cartier LOVE bracelet, originally designed by Aldo Cipullo. The solid gold design includes two C-shaped halves unhinge to clasp together before being screwed on with a miniature screwdriver included with each bracelet, reinforcing the idea that love is not to be taken lightly. Cartier.com
BLUE
MALIBU Globally sourced treasures including handmade semi precious, one of a kind jewelry, haute bohemian and casual resort style clothing. 21219 Pacific Coast Hwy Malibu, California (310) 456-1555
The magpie is insatiably curious, and forever searching for the unusual, unexpected and beautiful – just like us. LOVEGOLD’s 18k gold magpie represents the joy of always seeking the new and beautiful. lovegold.com
Influenced by sculptor Henry Moore, designer Elsa Perett created the “Open Heart” pendant for Tiffany, a highly collectible piece for decades. Tiffany.com
FOOD
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS Need a new date night spot? Grab some moonlight and Malibu Farm.. DINNER IS SERVED!
Photo by Linda Atkinson
Photo by Linda Atkinson
Photo by Tim Horton
Malibu sunset - check; waves lapping at your feet - check, romantic breeze as the candles flicker -check; yummy, fresh organic dinner that you did not have to make - triple check! Malibu Farm is now taking reservations between 5pm and 9pm Wednesday through Sunday. Dining on two levels with tables both indoors and outdoors as well as wine and beer served - it doesn’t get any better than this. A full menu is available online at malibu-farm.com
Above: Beauty in a bottle. Red wine strawberry basil sangria. Right: Fresh catch. Falkland Island sea bass topped with soy-ginger marinade and served with black and white rice.
Photo by Tim Horton
Photo by Tim Horton
PAULA MARCHETTI
HAIR Paula Marchetti H A I R delivers fresh new beauty trends that resonate the Malibu lifestyle 3900 Cross Creek Rd. (inside the Beauty Collection ) Malibu, CA. 90265 310-317-4247
Photo by Mikel Roberts
A full service salon, specialzing in corrective color and styling
M
MALIBU DESIGN CENTER
LET US DESIGN, BUILD AND FURNISH YOUR HOME VISIT OUR DESIGN SHOWROOM AND OUTDOOR LIVING SPACES 25001 Pacific Coast Highway MALIBU, CA 90265 310-317-9922 malibumarketdesign.com
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OUR NEW LOCATION IN SUMMERLAND 2173 Ortega Hill Rd. Summerland, CA 93067
SURF The
RINCON CLASSIC
Mike McCabe
Many locals who have been weened on Malibu point breaks naturally develop an affinity for similar waves that require a unique down the line style, so it is only natural that Rincon has been a seasonal destination since the thirties for Malibu Rippers. Many Point Break aficionados have migrated to the classic winter season “Queen of the Coast” and have become residents with their lifestyles revolving around Rincon’s seasonal perfection - making it the perfect platform for the Rincon Classic, a locals only event. The event has showcased such household names as Tom Curren, Bobby Martinez, Chris Brown, Kim Mearig, Davey Smith and Dane Reynolds and local up and comers, Lakey Peterson, Conner and Parker Coffin, Demi Boelsterli and Kilian Garland.
Andy Neumann
Founded in 1979 by Roger Nance, Jeff White, and a crew of local surfers, the Rincon Classic ran for 17 consecutive years before falling dormant in 1996. In 2001 the event was resurrected by Chris Keet and the Surf Happens crew to continue the legacy. Under the tutiledge of this generation the event has grown exponentially and now involves the community in grass-roots fundraising efforts. This year’s sponsors included Channel Islands Surfboards and Hurley. For more information on the winners go to surfhappens.com Rincon Classic coverage by Gus Johanson and Jon Shafer. *EDITORS NOTE: Sean Woods, Malibu a Surfrider regular, enjoys dual citizenship at Rincon and earns 2nd place in his division. Sean Woods
Cory Arrambide
Nick Rosza
Cassidy Urbany
SURF Demi Boelsterli
Conner Coffin
Tommy McKeown
JP Garcia