Whole Food Living- Summer 2020

SUMMER 2020 VOL 1 • ISSUE 4

A SUMMER OF FOOD!

PLANT BASED

RECIPES Recovery Stories

The animals are eating our medicine

Janice Carter Fire in her belly

Pile in those Plants

Shotover River Retreat

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Where we stand THE WHOLE FOOD CONNECTION

Food

Health

Environment

It all starts with our most basic, primal desire. Even before our need for shelter or our desire to procreate, food comes first. The recipes for the food we talk about in Whole Food Living are all based on solid scientific research and clinical experience gathered over the last 50 years.

Our health, good or bad, is the result of the food choices we make. There are genetic and environmental conditions that can affect our good health but for most of us, our health will be determined by what we put on our plates. For this magazine, food and optimal health is the primary focus.

The third and final factor in the whole food connection is environment.

Why? Because the condition of our environment is affected by our food choices. Understanding the connection between food, health and the environment is key to developing a sustainable world.

WFL Optimal Health Guide

Whole Food Plant Based The WFL Optimal Health Guide is a simplified, visual explanation of different eating styles.

Our policy is to assist and encourage plant-based eating and to explain the significant health benefits available to those that become fully whole food plant-based.

WFPB eating is comprised of foods drawn solely from the first four categories of the table.

Strictly speaking, sugar, oil and salt are off the menu for people who are fully WFPB based, especially those who have experienced serious medical events.

We place sugar, oil and salt along with highly processed foods in the Avoid category as a warning because, unless you prepare everything you eat at home yourself, you are unlikely to achieve a perfect score.

In your quest towards better eating, don't let perfect become the enemy of good.

WFL MEDICAL DISCLAIMER The medical and/or nutritional information covered in Whole Food Living magazine is for educational purposes only.

It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please seek medical advice before using diet to treat disease.

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EDITORIAL CONSULTANTS Critical contents of this magazine, particularly articles that cover medical issues, are referred to our editorial consultants.

Our consultants are: * Dr Mark Craig * Dr Caitlin Randles * Dr Martyn Williamson

Editorial

I

The politics of weight

t's almost always a sensitive conversation, although, with some people, it's rude to even raise the subject. Just prior to election day here in New Zealand it came close to becoming a public debate but, unfortunately, we never quite got there. As you can probably guess from the headline, I'm talking about our weight.

In this issue, Dr Will Bulsiewicz (P11) notes that over a 30 year period, the average weight of US citizens has risen around 14kg while here in New Zealand, scientific research from the University of Auckland, has revealed we are now producing some of the heaviest children in the world.

Australians are in trouble too. A study published in the journal Nature last year found that in the period 1985 to 2017, the average Australian male gained 8kg, with the average female adding 6kg. The study examined data from more than 112 million people from 200 countries and territories. It showed internationally, that the average person became 5-6kg heavier over these years.

The US based World Cancer Research Fund runs an ongoing analysis of evidence related to diet and cancer prevention called the Continuous Update Project (CUP). They say: "There is strong evidence that being overweight or obese puts you at increased risk of many cancers.

We are experiencing a global obesity epidemic, declining physical activity

among both children and adults in many parts of the world, and an increase in the consumption of energy-dense foods. If these current trends continue, overweight and obesity are likely to overtake smoking as the number one risk for cancer."

So, if the evidence is so clear, what is it about weight and why can't we talk about it – easily? Is it too personal? Do we feel judged?

At a public level, it's possibly an easier discussion because the talk often centres on statistics alone. But rarely do we see someone stand up publicly and say, "I'm too big. I don't like it. I'm doing something about it and, I think this is how it happened."

That is until Isoa Kavakimotu went on New Zealand's TV Breakfast programme and took National's opposition leader, Judith Collins, to task for comments she

made about obesity. As she saw it, the problem of weight was simply a matter of personal responsibility.

Isoa explained that he had been overweight since birth. "The doctors said that I was going to become a big boy."

For people like Isoa, weight has been a lifelong struggle.

Isoa agrees with Collins on taking personal responsibility for the choices we make, but he also sees himself as a product of his environment. He grew up surrounded by takeaways and the foods his parents learned to eat back in the islands. "I didn't spot the problem until I was maybe, about 25," he said.

By standing up on national television, Isoa did something very brave, and now he's on a journey to change himself.

But when I weigh it up, all I can see is urban planning issues, food regulation issues, confusing health messages and dangerous social acceptance that getting bigger as we grow older is simply a matter of fate.

In all that lays a political issue which, for me says, if people like Isoa are prepared to accept personal responsibility and make a change, then why can’t our politicians grow some collards and do the same?

This year our politicians made much of the value of listening to scientific evidence when it came to controlling COVID-19. We listened (well mostly), they acted, and it worked. Perhaps we all need to broaden our thinking.

Cover Design

Viewpoints

Producers

NicButterworthDesign www. facebook.com/nicbutterworthdesign

Peter Barclay, Editor

Whole Food Living (ISSN 2624-4101 - Print.

ISSN 2703-4313 - Digital, is subject to copyright in its entirety. The views expressed in this publication are those of the contributors and not necessarily those of Iclay Media.

No responsibility liability is accepted by Iclay Media, the publisher, nor the authors for information contained in this magazine.

Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy and veracity of all content in this publication but neither Whole Food Living nor its publisher Iclay Media is responsible for damage or harm of whatever description resulting from persons using any advice, consuming any product or using any services in Whole Food Living's print, electronic publication or website.

Contact us 67 Kayes Road, Pukekohe, Auckland, New Zealand 2120 p. (Peter) +64 27 218 5948 e. editor@wholefoodliving.life w. www.wholefoodliving.life

Editor: Peter Barclay e. peter@wholefoodliving.life

Food Editor: Catherine Barclay e. catherine@wholefoodliving.life

Printer: Inkwise, Christchurch Distributors: NZ Post & Iclay Media Contributions & Assistance Contributions & assistance is gratefully acknowledged from the following people: Janice Carter, Dr Malcolm Mackay, Jenny Cameron, Grant Dixon, Sandy Pluss, Plant Strong Living, Dr Adrian Griscti, Shamiz Kachwalla, Karen Crowley, Padhu

wholefoodliving.life | Summer, 2020

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CONTENTS 55 17 11

General Features 11. Dr Will Bulsiewicz

28. Dr Adrian Griscti

Overfed, undernourished and over medicated. Dr Bill talks gut biology.

19. Janice Carter

Digging into detail. A 101 on whole food plant-based nutrition.

31. Shamiz Kachwalla

Reviews her journey & explains how whole food changed everything.

23. Salad days are back

Absolutely loves his spuds but won't let oil anywhere near them.

38. Dr Malcolm Mackay

Discover why the simple salad is so good for you.

25.Plant based what?

How to tune WFPB for heart disease.

43. Prof Michelle Power

Unravelling the confusion behind of plant based eating.

27. Crohns Disease

There's a big problem with the wildlife near our cities.

54. All about eggs

It's a serious health issue and it's getting worse.

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When there's an egg in the house diabetes is close by.

55. Grant Dixon Talks about a very unexpected journey and his recovery from a near death experience.

58.Bushfires Study confirms the release of toxic pollutants from years back.

References Many of the articles published in this magazine refer to scientific studies. To see these click on the QR code or go to the url below.

Click or scan QR image for references.

wholefoodliving.life/references-summer-2020/

59

The inside goss The other thing that research studies have shown is that the greater the proportion of whole plant foods included in your diet, the greater the benefit. - Dr Malcolm Mackay

34

Superbugs are — antimicrobial-resistant bacteria, have jumped from humans and are running rampant across wildlife and the environment. - Prof Michelle Power

21 Recipes 14. Korma Curry An indian favourite made thick and creamy with cashews and lite coconut milk.

18. Chickpea & Pineapple Simple saute with an amazing combination pf chickpea and pineapple.

32. Gut Health Recipe HIgh Carb Healths amazing recipe for good gut health.

33. Edamame Guacamole Smooth and Creamy without the fat of avocado

36. Namasu Salad Quick Japanese furmented salad using Daikon & Carrot.

44. Potato Puffs Crispy on the outside, soft in the centre, with a peanut sauce to die for.

45. Polenta & Mushrooms Wild mushrooms and thyme top a base of polenta. Light meal for summer.

50. Lentil Bolognese Easy to create served with mash potatoes.

56. Christmas pudding Traditional Christmas pudding with custard.

62. Watermelon slushy Watermelon & strawberry slushy for hot summer days.

You could say any sausage is plant-based because a sausage is about 60% meat and a lot of filler and most of those fillers come from plants. - Niki Bezzant After another two weeks, I got on the scales and almost made a complete fool of myself – I was so excited – I had lost three kgs! - Janice Carter

wholefoodliving.life | Summer, 2020

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WFPB ADVOCATES International

Dr Scott Stoll

Dr Michael Klapper

Dr Kim A. Williams

Dr Shireen Kassam

Dr Joel Khan

Dr Renae Thomas

A former Olympian and now is co-founder and chairman of The Plantrician Project and Regenerative Health Institute amounst numerous other organisations.

Gifted speaker on plant-based nutrition.

Teaches other health care professions on the importance of nutrition in clinical practice and integrative medicine

An American cardiologist and currently head of a Chicago medical centre. Vocal on the benefits of plantbased nutrition to cardiovascular health.

Founder and director of Plant Based Health Professionals UK. An honorary senior lecturer at King's College Hospital London. Passionate about plant-based nutrition.

An American cardiologist who believes plant-based nutrition is the most powerful source of preventative medicine on the plant: creator or many books and podcasts.

An Australian doctor based at Loma Linda California. Passionate in empowering people to optimize their health through improving their lifestyle choices with evidence based eating

Dr Michael Greger

Dr T Colin Campbell

Dr Alan Goldhamer

Dr Saray Stancic

Dr Nandita Shah

Founder of NutritionalFacts.org a significant resource in both videos and researched writings on the benefits of eating Whole Food Plant-based.

A biochemist and author of The China Study. He coined the term Whole Food Plant-Based, at age 86 he is still regularly speaking at plant based events.

Dr Caldwell Esselstyn

A chiropractor and founder of the TrueNorth Health Centre based in California. Co-author of best selling book, The Pleasure Trap. An expert in fasting for health.

Author of Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease. Former Olympic athlete now directs the Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute.

Diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis Dr Saray created a movie called Cold Blue showing her wellness journey through adoption of lifestyle medicine.

A registered medical doctor and author based in India, Founder of SHARAN and recipient of Nari Shakti Award for her pioneering work in the field of health and nutrition.

Dr Neal Barnard

Dr John McDougall

Dr Alan Desmond

Dr Dean Ornish

Drs Dean and Ayesha Sherzai

Founder of Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and a very active member of the WFPB Community.

Dedicated to helping people transition to a WFPB Diet. Runs 10 day retreats for people making the transition to a plantbased diet.

Leads a Gastroenterology clinic in Torbay, South Devon UK. Advises plant-based dietary treatment for many chronic digestive disorders.

Founder of the nonprofit Preventive Medicine Research institute, California.

Creator of the Ornish program for Reversing Heart disease.

Founders of Team Sherzai, this couple are dedicated to educating people on simple steps to long-term health and wellbeing through their work as co-directors of the Alzheimer's Prevention Program at Loma Linda University in America. They work to demystify the steps to achieving long-term brain health and the prevention of devastating diseases like Alzheimer's and dementia.

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WFPB ADVOCATES Australasia

Dr Mark Craig

Dr Heleen RoexHaitjema

Dr Luke Wilson

Dr Coral Dixon

Drew Harrisberg

Stephanie Wynn

A Paediatrician and Co-.Founder and chairman of Doctors for Nutrition. Based in Teringie, South Australia

A GP in Wellington NZ. Co-Founder of Two Zesty Bananas, Board Director of Doctors for Nutrition and co-author of the BROAD study.

A GP in Mt Maunganui, NZ. An advocate of preventative medicine and lives a plant-based lifestyle with her physio husband Brad and their two daughters.

An exercise physiologist, sports scientist, diabetes educator based in Australia who is healthy and thriving with type 1 diabetes.

Qualified in therapeutic massage, WFPB nutrition and life development coaching. Founder of Moving Health Forward and committee member of EBE.NZ

Robyn Chuter

Dr Adrian Griscti

Dr Libby Forsyth

Gerald Haslinger

A GP in Alexandra NZ. Co-Founder of Plant Strong Living, Founding board member of EBE.NZ and Central Otago Health Services Ltd.

A Naturopath, counsellor, EFT therapist and Lifestyle Medicine Practitioner, Founder of Empower Total Health, Australia.

Based in Robina, Gold Coast.

A rural General Practitioner in South Australia. He is a fellow of ASLM, and a Ambassadoc for Doctors for Nutrition.

He counsels and educates on healthy living.

A practising medical doctor. Focused on advocating the benefits of WFPB nutrition for managing and preventing chronic diseases. Member of Doctors for Nutrition.

Is the principal psychologist in the Highlands Recovery Support Centre based in Bowral NSW, he is focused on helping people adopt a healthier food lifestyle.

Emma Strutt

Dr Nick Wright

Dr Caitlin Randles

Dr Malcolm MacKay

Dr Taisia Cech

Dr Wayne Hurlow

An Australian practising Dietitian and Nutritionist.

Founder of Greenstuff Nutrition.

The Queensland Lead Dietitian for Doctors for Nutrition.

A General Practitioner based in Gisborne. Co-Founder of Plantbasedvideos with his partner Morgen Smith.

Co-Author of The BROAD study.

A British General Practitioner based in Auckland. NZ. Passionate about educating on Whole Food Plant-based living.

A General Practitioner based in Nelson. She continues to explore the evidence-based effect of a diet on health and healing through food.

A General Practitioner based Tasman. Is passionate about preventative medicine, promoting wellness by addressing the common underlying causes.

A lifestyle medicine and General Practitioner in Ponsonby, Auckland, NZ. Founder of TrueSouth Medical and founding member and deputy chair of EBE.NZ

Hannah O'Malley A clinical Pharmacist and founder of The Better Base in Nelson NZ. She has an eCornell Cert. in Plant-Based Nutrition.

Dr Martyn Williamson

A General Practitioner based in Melbourne Australia.

Co-Founder of Plant Based Health Australia. He is Resources Advisor for Doctors for Nutrition.

wholefoodliving.life | Summer, 2020

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Pile in those plants Dr Bill Bulsiewicz isn't shy about piling up his plate, and it can be done quite simply, he says. To put your gut biome in the right mood, he believes we should be consuming at least 30 different plant types a week.

All it takes is a smoothie and a good bolognese to start you on your way.

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Dr Will Bulsiewicz He spends most of his days dealing with issues many of his patients might never need to face. At times it can be frustrating and has led him to conclude...

We're overfed, undernourished and hyper-medicated

T

en years ago, Dr Will Bulsiewicz was in a totally different space. He was 30 years old and had already achieved good professional success, but he was miserable. Despite all the accolades, he was 23kgs overweight, had anxiety issues, high blood pressure, low self-esteem, and suffered from constant fatigue.

“I felt I was 60 years old miserable, and I needed a solution.

But though I had trained at some great institutions and I have a Masters of Clinical Investigation from North Western, and I did an epidemiology fellowship at one of the top schools of public health in the country; I didn’t really know how to fix myself.”

He first tried exercise.

“I’m a very type-A guy, so I went to the gym and was there six days a week. I’m not exaggerating when I say I did 45 minutes of lifting weights and then at least another 30 minutes of cardio. I’d then jump on the treadmill for 5 to 10k or jump in the pool if it was summertime and swim 100 laps.

“I could build strength, I could build muscle, I could create endurance, but I couldn’t lose the gut, and I didn’t really understand why. “ He wondered if the problem and had anything to do with the diet he had been raised on - the standard American diet.

“I was certainly no more than 10 per cent plant-based at this point in my life. It was normal for me to have chicken fillet for breakfast, to have a cold cut sub for lunch and some sort of fast food for dinner. Although I suffered from fatigue and food hangovers – I loved the food. And I didn’t want to give it up.”

Then he met his future wife and was exposed to something he had never seen before – a person eating a plant-based diet.

“We would go out to dinner, and I would weigh up my options on the meat side of the menu, and she would discretely order a whole bunch of plants. She was never very evangelical about it, but I made my observations. I noticed that she could eat without restriction, in abundance, that she was satisfied, that she loved her food. She felt full when she finished it, and yet she had complete control over her weight.

“I decided I needed to make changes, but it wasn’t an all-in phenomenon, to begin with. It was a process I went through over the course of time. Then one day I decided to substitute the fast food and make myself a massive smoothie.

“Instantly, I felt the difference. I was energized, I was lite, I didn’t have that post-meal hangover. I went to the gym and smashed a great workout. I felt like I was onto something. I started to explore this connection with my gut. I discovered that I needed to heal my own gut if I wanted to heal myself – which was ironic because I’m a gastroenterologist.

“When I changed my diet, the weight melted off my body. My blood pressure normalized, my anxiety lifted, my self-esteem came back, and I started feeling like the young man I should feel like. Now, here I am, at 40 years of age.

“I feel younger than 30, but when I was 30, I felt like I was 60.

I feel like I’ve reversed ageing. But I’m a man of science. I need science to get me fully on board.

“When I pulled up PubMed, I was shocked when I saw study after study - thousands of them supporting the power of a plantbased diet for our health. In my process of studying this material, I began devouring research studies.

“I discovered the special connection that exists between the plants in our diet and the microbes in our gut. As a gastroenterologist, this was such a natural fit for what I do for a living. From what I discovered; I was convinced that this was the key to human health.”

He soon began implementing what he had discovered into his medical practice.

“The results have been incredible. This is not a fad; it’s not a diet.

It is a lifestyle trajectory that heals. And, when done properly, you will find it be effortless and incredibly powerful.”

Bulsiewicz says it’s hard for any of us to comprehend the number of microbes that make up the human microbiome – there are 39 trillion of them.

“How do we wrap our minds around 39 trillion microbes? Let me put this into perspective. Take our galaxy. You would need 100 galaxies full of starts to equal the number of microbes that you have as a part of your body. They are massive in their number and believe it or not; they make up more than you have human cells. If you count the number of microbes and you count the number of your human cells, you are less than 50 per cent human. You are more microbial than human.”

He says each of us has a unique microbiome.

“It’s as unique as a fingerprint, and you have up to 300 and

wholefoodliving.life | Summer, 2020

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Overfed, undernourished and hy potentially there are 1000 or more of these microbes living as a part of you.”

The human microbiome consists of bacteria, fungi, archaea, parasites and viruses.

Human beings have a symbiotic relationship with a large range of bacteria, he says, but there were some bad players like e Coli, Alzheimers's disease Anxiety salmonella or shigella. There were a lot fewer fungi than bacteria, Parkinson's disease Depression but many of these were also good for us. Candida was one example Schizophrenia Autism spectum disorders of a bad fungus.

ADHD Bipolar disorder “My personal favourite is the archaea. Archaea are not bacteria; Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis Migraine headaches they are not fungi, they are somewhere in the middle between the Chronic fatigue syndrome Fibromyalgia two. And, we believe, they represent the first life on this planet.

Restless legs syndrome Hepatic encephlopathy “There is evidence that archaea existed on this planet four billion years ago. There was no oxygen until 2.5 billion years ago. you get less bad guys. You strengthen the These archaea lived on scorched earth that intestinal barrier, meaning that you correct had no oxygen for 1.5 billion years. They’re intestinal permeability or leaky gut - you have incredibly hardy and resilient. You will find just reversed dysbiosis, short-chain fatty acids them at the bottom of the ocean in a rift vent. are the key.

You will find them inside of a volcano, and you “They are in constant communication with will find them inside of your colon.” each other. If you damage the gut, you damage According to Bulsiewicz, humans generally the immune system, and when you heal the live in harmony with all these microbes in gut, you are optimizing the immune system. the gut, but when things go out of balance, “Every single immune-mediated condition, dysbiosis results. whether it is an allergic condition or an “When we damage our gut, we develop autoimmune condition occurs with gut symptoms, and these symptoms can be the dysbiosis. classic intestinal symptoms that you would “To date, I have not found an immuneexpect with a damaged gut. Conditions like mediated condition that occurs in the absence abdominal pain, gas, bloating, food sensitivity, of gut dysbiosis. It is to the point that I would food allergy, diarrhoea, constipation, mucus say that it is required to have a damaged gut in in the stool, nausea, digestion, heartburn or belching. order to have an immune-mediated condition, “But what about these other symptoms like an allergic condition or an autoimmune Archaea are Dr Bulsiewicz that keep showing up in my clinic? Weight issue. personal favourite. Archaea are gain, fatigue, brain fog, trouble concentrating, An area of particular fascination for not bacteria; they are not fungi, mood imbalance, anxiousness, skin breakouts, Bulsiewicz is the connection between the gut they are somewhere in the middle joint pains, muscle aches, bad breath, sinus and the brain. between congestion or shortness of breath. These can “Your mood affects your gut; your gut the two. They can survive without be the manifestation of a damaged gut. affects your mood. This is part of the reason oxygen, are part of the human gut “We know how central the gut is to our why many people, who are in a setting of biome, and have lived on earth for digestion, but it is so much more. Your gut is stress, will manifest that stress in their gut. millions of years. connected to your health throughout your “When you look at many of the entire body, your immune system, your mood and cognition, neuropsychiatric conditions that exist, many of them have been metabolism, hormones, even the expression of your genetics. connected back to a damaged gut. I don’t think it’s any surprise that All these things, although at face value, may not seem they are anxiety and depression are connected but how about Alzheimer’s, connected to your gut – they are.

Parkinson’s, ADHD, Bipolar disorder and autism?

“Seventy per cent of your immune system lives in your gut.

“These are things that appear to be on the rise in our society, and There is this single layer of cells; we call it the epithelial layer. On I don’t think that is a coincidence.” one side of this single layer of cells are your gut microbes, the food Gut a hormonal organ that you eat, and the stuff produced by those gut microbes, like Bulsiewicz argues that your gut is as much of a hormonal organ, short-chain fatty acids.

Short-chain fatty acids are the definition of anti-inflammatory. as much as an endocrine organ as the ovaries and the testicles.

“When you look at conditions associated with damage to the gut, They are the single, most powerful thing in all of the nutrition that we should be talking about and we are not. Short-chain fatty acids endometriosis is a condition of excessive oestrogen production, oestrogen that can be controlled by the balance of microbes in our are what we call post-biotics.

Pro-biotics are the material that is alive but guess what, you’ve gut.

“You see other examples of excessive oestrogen production, already got probiotics inside you. You just need to feed them.

What you feed them is prebiotics. This is soluble fibre. When endometrial hyperplasia, breast cancer, endometrial cancer. you combine soluble fibre with probiotic bacteria, you will get Polycystic ovary syndrome, also hormonally motivated and connected to the gut microbiome. postbiotic short-chain fatty acids.

“I would go as far as to say it is not possible to be healthy with Short-chain fatty acids have healing effects throughout the body. If you want to heal dysbiosis, you get more good guys, and an unhealthy gut microbiome. If you want to be healthy, you need

Neuropsychiatric conditions associated with dysbiosis

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yper-medicated a healthy gut microbiome because of how connected this is to our entire body.

“The most important thing in determining the makeup of your gut microbiome is your diet. But there are other things like medications, sleep, substance use, exercise, stress. Stress can be very important. You can do everything else right, but stress can hold you back.

Reflecting on the changes in our society over the last 100 years, Bulsiewicz says we now live in an overfed, undernourished, hyper medicated world.

Our weight has gone up “Over the last 30 years, our weight has gone up on average by almost 14kgs, yet we continue to eat more than our body weight.

Our systems and culture are not designed to support our gut health. If anything, they’re designed to take it away. We’re staying up late and tweeting at 11.30 at night, exposing ourselves to bright blue lights, sleeping in front of the television and disrupting our normal biological rhythm.”

Getting a healthy gut is not going to happen by accident, he said.

“We need to have a plan in order to optimize our gut. We need to create a diet and lifestyle that is going to heal the gut.

“I would encourage you to get at least 30 different plants in your diet on a weekly basis.

“This may sound intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. You can make a smoothie and very easily have ten different plants in there, and its Monday morning and you are already a third of the way there.

“After work, I get organic whole wheat pasta and tomato sauce, throw in garlic, onions, mushrooms, zucchini and spinach. Then serve it up with fresh basil and parsley.

“Without much effort, you’ve got up to 9 different plants. It tastes delicious, your gut loves it, and your gut microbes are doing the River Dance because they are so excited that you are feeding them.

I want to encourage you to treat the gut like it’s a muscle because your gut can grow stronger. You can overcome food sensitivity by exercising your gut. You can heal it. You can restore function and make it stronger.”

Immune-mediated conditions associated with dysbiosis Type 1 diabetes mellitus Celiac disease Multiple sclerosis Asthma Food allergies Eczema Seasonal allergies Eosinophilic esophagitis Dermatitis herpetiformis Psoriasis/psoriatic arthritis Scleroderma Chronic fatigue syndrome Antiphospholipid syndrome Restless leg syndrome Sjogren's syndrome

Rheumatoid arthritis Ulcerative colitis Crohn's disease Microscopic colitis Ankylosing spondylitis Lupis Interstitial cystitis Autoimmune hepatitis Primary biliary cholangitis Sarcoidosis Fibromyalgia Guillain-Barre syndrome Behcet's disease Kawasaki disease ANCA-associated vasculitis

Got a Question?

Ask a plant-based doctor Wholefood Living regularly receives reader questions on how plant-based eating affects personal health. Some involve pre-existing conditions but often are more general in nature.

Got a question? Send it to askadoc@wholefoodliving.life We'll follow it up with one of our plant-based doctors.

Q

I have been following your articles, blogs over the last six months and have been inspired by the plant-based journeys.

Can you please explain in depth how prostate cancer can be healed and reversed through a plant-based diet? My dad (age 72) is diagnosed with the same type of cancer and underwent surgery for the same. We have also turned plant-based (vegan) now and hope to heal him through the same. I wanted to know if there are any particular type of foods/diet which can be included in the diet to reverse or slow the progress of the disease. – Prasad.

Dr Martyn Williamson responds:

Make sure to use the diet as an adjunct to treatment T

here is no doubt that a whole foods plant-based diet is healthier for prostate cancer. There has been a small trial looking at men with mild prostate cancer that chose to go with observation rather than treatment. This trial showed a regression of their cancer generally compared to those who ate the standard diet. These men also exercised more and did mindfulness work to reduce stress. None of them smoked.

This is the only solid evidence we have. Fascinatingly these same men had changes in their genetic activity from the whole food plant-based diet, with harmful cancer genes being turned off and healthy ones being turned on. They also had improved cellular ageing so reduced cell death.

As part of a whole food plant-based diet is to minimise the impact of prostate cancer, it is important to avoid added fats and oils (including for cooking) to have soy products, to ensure a good selenium intake, 1-2 brazil nuts per day will help with this, and also to try and include three tablespoons of ground flaxseed daily in meals.

Leafy greens like kale and broccoli should be consumed regularly and in plentiful quantities as should a wide range of fruits, berries and other veggies.

It is important to use the diet as an adjunct to treatment, not instead of, and this is the best way I know of for minimising the risk of recurrence following surgery.

Foods like milk and meats of any sort will encourage the growth of prostate cancer cells because of their fat content and also their role in causing high levels of a hormone like substance which encourages overgrowth of cells, hence cancer.

Hope this helps and that you are able to make a difference for your Dad. It's important to understand that whole food plantbased eating doesn't include any processed vegan foods or vegan junk foods as these contribute to ill health. Also, it means cooking without oil to keep the fat content low.

Your Dad should also consider a regular vitamin D supplement to ensure good levels. He will also need a vitamin B12 supplement if he goes plant-based, which you should be taking also. 50mcg/day of methylcobalamin is adequate.

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Easy Peasy Korma Curry An indian favourite made thick and creamy with cashews and lite coconut milk PREP 10 MINS COOK 30 MINS | Serves 4-5 by. plantstronglIving.co.nz INGREDIENTS 2 cups brown basmati rice 1 curry stock cube (we use Massel 'beef' style) 2 onions roughly diced 4 garlic cloves minced or finely diced 1 knob of ginger peeled and sliced Curry spices: 2 tsp 1 tsp 1/8 tsp 1 tsp 1 tsp 1 tsp 1 tin 1 Tbsp 1/2 cup 1/2 head 1 tin 1 tin 500g

garam masala turmeric cayenne pepper salt onion powder garlic powder chopped tomatoes tomato paste cashew pieces 800g cauliflower cut into florets chickpeas drained and rinsed light coconut milk baby peas, frozen chilli flacks optional

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METHOD 1. In a medium pot bring the rice and 4 cups of water to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer covered for 20 mins or until the water has evaporated.

2. Dissolve the curry stock cube in 2 cups of boiled water.

3. To make the sauce, in a large saucepan or pot sautĂŠ the onions in small amounts of stock as needed until tender. Add the garlic and ginger, sautĂŠ for a couple of minutes, then add the curry spices, cook for a further minute or two, stirring until fragrant.

4. Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, cashews and remaining stock, simmer over a medium heat for 8-10 minutes (the liquid will reduce). Allow to cool for 10 minutes.

5. Meanwhile steam the cauliflower until al-dente or tender (your choice), rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process. Set aside.

6. Now blend the sauce mixture in a high-speed blender until smooth and pour back into the pan (you may need to do this in batches).

7. Add the chickpeas and coconut milk and simmer over a low heat for 6 minutes to meld the flavours, you will need to partially cover the pan/ pot with a lid to avoid splashes, stir occasionally.

8. In a heat proof bowl, pour boiled water over the peas and leave for 5 minutes, drain.

9. Finally add the cauliflower to the sauce and heat through and season to taste. Serve with a side of rice and peas, optional sprinkle with chilli flakes for extra heat. Enjoy.

Dukkah Roasted Yams With Creamy Avocado Dressing Got to be tried to believe, very delicious. Cooking couscous in stock, ingenious!

PREP 15 MINS COOK 35 MINS | Serves 4-5 by. plantstronglIving.co.nz INGREDIENTS 1 vegetable stock cube (we use Massel) 2 cups couscous 750g yams, halved length ways 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed 2.5 Tbsp dukkah (16g) 1 Tbsp maple syrup Creamy avocado dressing: 1/4 1/3 cup 1/2 clove 3-4

avocado soy milk garlic mint leaves salt and pepper to taste

2-3 radishes tops cut off and sliced thinly 80g 2 avocados sliced (1/4 reserved for dressing) bunch of mint leaves 8-10g approx.

METHOD 1. Turn the oven on to 200 C. 2. Dissolve the stock cube in 500ml of boiling water.

3. In a heatproof bowl, add the couscous and stock liquid, mix well.

4. Cover with a lid or plate and set aside for 5 mins. After 5, stir the couscous again, fluff the grains, cover and set aside until needed.

5. In a large mixing bowl place the yams, chickpeas, dukkah seasoning and maple syrup. Toss and coat evenly.

6. Transfer the coated yams and chickpeas to a large lined baking tray.

7. Bake for 30-35 minutes.

8. Meanwhile, to make the dressing throw into a high-speed blender, a quarter of an avocado, soy milk, ½ garlic clove, 3-4 mint leaves and salt and pepper to taste.

9. Blend until smooth.

10. Once the yams are cooked, spread the radishes, remaining sliced avocado and remaining mint leaves over the tray.

11. Drizzle with the avocado dressing and enjoy with a side of couscous.

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Almond Crusted Broccoli and Mashed Potato Absolutely delicious recipe and so easy to put together.

PREP 15 MINS COOK 30 MINS | Serves 4-5 by. plantstronglIving.co.nz INGREDIENTS 1 1/2 Tbsp chia seeds 4 1/2 Tbsp water 1 stock cube for the gravy (we use Massel 'chicken' style) 1.7kg Potatoes peeled and cut into chunks.

Almond Crust: 3/4 cup 2 Tbsp 1 tsp 1/2 tsp 1 Tbsp 1/4 tsp 3/4 cup 1

almond meal brown rice flour curry powder salt (optional) nutritional yeast white pepper soy milk lrg head of broccoli (or 2 sml) cut into florets

Gravy: 1 tsp 3 tbsp 1/4 cup 1 Tbsp 1/2 tsp

onion powder nutritional yeast brown rice flour soy sauce dijon mustard

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METHOD 1. Turn the oven on to 220 C fan bake.

2. In a small bowl combine the chia seeds and water, mix well and set aside to set (approx. 10 minutes).

3. Dissolve the stock cube in 2 cups of boiling water.

In a large pot cover the potatoes with water, cover and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered until the potatoes are tender, approx. 20 minutes.

4. Meanwhile in a large mixing bowl mix the almond crust ingredients, chia seeds and the soy milk well (it may seem like an odd consistency but don’t worry!). Add the broccoli florets and coat using your hands, get stuck in to ensure broccoli is well coated.

5. On a large lined baking tray spread the almond broccoli evenly over the tray. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until browned.

6. For the gravy, in a medium pot add the gravy ingredients, including the soy sauce, Dijon mustard and the 2 cups of vegetable stock, bring to a boil, whisk over a medium heat for a couple of minutes until gravy thickens.

7. Mash the potatoes with a few splashes of soy milk, whisk with a fork for fluffy mash. Season to taste.

8. Serve the almond crusted broccoli with the mashed potato and a serve of gravy. Enjoy

SCRUMMY BLACK BEAN TORTILLAS WITH A CREAMY ‘CHEESE’ SAUCE AND AVOCADO A very moreish Mexican dish, a family favourite.

PREP 10 MINS COOK 50 MINS | Serves 4-5 by. plantstronglIving.co.nz INGREDIENTS 1 onion - finely diced 1 pack of spring onion - finely diced 1 red chilli - deseeded and finely chopped.

Black Bean Spices: 2 tsp cumin seeds 2 tsp ground cumin 1/2 tsp smoked paprika 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp ground black pepper 2 tsp ground coriander 1/2 tsp salt (optional) 2 Tbsp soy sauce or tamari 1 Tbsp lemon juice 2 tins black beans - rinsed and drained 3 tomatoes - diced Cashew 'Cheese': 200g 1 tsp 200 ml 1 tsp

cashew pieces soaked garlic powder soy milk lemon juice

METHOD 1. Add the cashew pieces to a bowl and pour boiling water over until covered. Set aside.

2. In a large fry pan, add the onion, spring onions and chilli and dry sauté for approx. 2 minutes stirring continuously until soft. Add the black bean spices, soy sauce, lemon juice and fry for another minute until well combined and fragrant.

3. Throw in the black beans and tomatoes and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Lightly mashing the mixture at the end, leaving some bits still intact. Turn off the heat, put a lid on and set aside.

4. Drain the cashews and rinse with cold water to cool. Add to a highspeed blender along with the rest of the cashew ‘cheese’ ingredients and blend until you have a rich creamy smooth consistency. Season to taste.

5. Heat a fry pan over a high heat and add a tortilla. Heat for up to 10 seconds then add a good smothering of cream ‘cheese’ over the whole tortilla, followed by a good dollop of bean filling, sliced avocado and chopped coriander. Fold over and brown on both sides. Remove and cut in half to serve. Repeat with remaining tortillas.

6 wholemeal wraps 2 avocados - halved and thinly sliced bunch of fresh coriander wholefoodliving.life | Summer, 2020

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Chickpea and Pineapple Saute What an amazing combination, simple yet a remarkable combination of flavours | Serves 4

by Janice Carter

INGREDIENTS 2 cups 2 Tbsps 1 tsp 1 tsp 1/4 tsp 1 1 1 cup 1 Tbsp 1/2 cup 440gm can

cooked chickpeas wholegrain flour oregano curry powder ginger powder onion, chopped carrot, diced water soya sauce frozen peas pineapple pieces in natural juice

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METHOD 1. Place chickpeas, flour, oregano, curry powder, ginger powder, onion and carrot in a paper bag or plastic container with a lid and toss well.

2. Heat a frying pan with a little water or vegetable stock and saute the chickpea mixture for 2-3 mins.

3. Add the pineapple juice, water, soya sauce and peas.

4. Simmer for 10 mins, stirring occasionally.

5. Add the pineapple pieces and heat through.

6. Serve on brown rice.

Janice Carter

The fire in my belly I

grew up in Auckland in the 70s and 80s on a typical Kiwi diet of meat and three veg, plus a weekly treat of a chocolate bar when we went grocery shopping. In the late 70s, a few vegetarian dishes started to come to the dinner table, but they were the typical Lacto-ovo – high in saturated fat and low in fibre.

My Mum is an excellent cook, and the cake tins were always full of the most delectable cakes and slices a kid could ever wish for. I was never a fat kid, but I was certainly well built with a few extra kilos on my frame.

When I married my husband, Don, in 1985, we decided to ditch meat and remain Lacto-ovo vegetarian. I didn’t even know the word vegan, and the phrase plant-based had not even been invented.

Three years after we were married, we started a family and all three of our children were ten pounders or close to. I was the proverbial beached whale whilst pregnant and as a new mum, didn’t have time or give thought to my eating – after all, I was eating for two while pregnant, breastfeeding and my appearance and waistline just never featured in my thinking.

When our youngest was three years old, I started working at a private preschool and the morning and afternoon teas served to the children were a piece of fruit and two biscuits – any left-over biscuits were eaten by the staff, including me. Grateful parents would frequently bring chocolates for the staff and staff birthdays were a party for all with cake. The mindset was, “it’s just a little bit” but that “little bit” was a weekly and sometimes daily occurrence.

My willpower was weak and mostly non-existent. I just loved my food!

My doctor then told me she wanted me to lose weight. I was a size 14 when I was married, and now 11 years later, I found I was buying size 16 clothing, and they were starting to get tight, and I was rapidly heading for a size 18. My cholesterol was rising, and although it was never diagnosed, I was most likely pre-diabetic.

The saturated fat, the sugar, the hidden fat and sugar was catching up with me, but I didn’t realise it. After all, we were eating a really healthy vegetarian diet – or so we thought.

Frequent migraines From the day I met my husband in April 1984, I have only ever known him to suffer frequently from migraines and mouth ulcers – really bad mouth ulcers. Three weeks out of four, he would have mouth ulcers and many ulcers at once. Sometimes they would join up and make one big ulcer. The stuff that oozed out of them would make him feel nauseated, he would struggle to eat, he sometimes couldn’t talk properly, and he was always in pain.

The doctors would just prescribe Bonjela and say there is nothing you can do for them other than that. He also had really bad dandruff – he was a walking blizzard. He wore out his collars and waistbands on clothing very quickly. Unbeknown to us at the

Don & Janice Carter who are now developing a health retreat and wellness centre on the Coromandel Peninsula. Hidden Valley Health & Lifestyle Retreat is expected to open towards the end of next year. time, his body was acidic from our lifestyle.

Then, in February 2007, our life had a massive turn around – a life-changing event. We were invited to attend a four day CHIP (Complete Health Improvement Program) summit in Rotorua.

We invited my Mum to come and join us. It is hard to put into words just what happened there that long weekend. We sat in the convention room that first night and listened to Dr Hans Diehl, DrHSc, MPH, FACN Clinical Professor of Preventive Medicine, Loma Linda University, School of Medicine. He is a stimulating, motivating and dynamic worldwide speaker and author.

As the founder of the CHIP program, Dr. Diehl has seen the priceless benefits of CHIP over the past 35 years.

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The fire in my belly As an epidemiologist, he understands the health crisis and delivers a powerful lecture on reversing many of today’s western killer diseases. His sense of humour and mindblowing evidence-based presentation had us riveted to our seats right from the start.

For the rest of the weekend, we sat front row and centre and listened to outstanding speakers on Lifestyle Medicine such as Dr Neal Barnard, Dr Hans Diehl, Dr Caldwell Esselysten and Dr T Colin Campbell.

To say we were wide-eyed and bushytailed would be an understatement. It wasn’t just a light bulb moment; it was the point of no return for us. You could not argue with what was being presented. It made total and absolute sense – but why had we not heard this from our family GP?

A new beginning

"We have kept to our whole food plantbased lifestyle for 14 years now and have never looked back."

We had an entire weekend of trying the most amazing, beautiful whole food plantbased meals and saw straight away how easy it was. We sat at the feet of these incredible doctors who are more than outstanding in their field of medicine, and just soaked it all in.

There and then we decided we had nothing to lose. Of course, we didn’t realise at the time just what we were going to lose!

We came home after our weekend with the doctors and started instantly to make changes. We were going to give it a try. The first thing we did was get good quality and nutritionally balanced plantbased recipe books. From there, we made a selection of recipes that appealed to us, wrote a menu plan, then a grocery list to go with the menu plan.

We decided that we would do the grocery shopping together and help each other stick to the list. You can go through a supermarket blindfolded and just grab the same old same old that you have grabbed off the shelves all your life – old habits needed to be broken. It only took three weeks, and the new shopping habits were installed; the new eating regime became part of our life. We also joined Jetts Gym. Don has always been a tall skinny “bean pole”, but he joined to support me and help me “Stay on the Wagon.”

It was no coincidence After eating this way for a month, Don mentioned that his mouth ulcers had all healed and no new ulcers had popped up. At first, we wondered if it was a coincidence but decided to keep going on the new regime. Then another two weeks went by, and no ulcers and no migraines. So, there is something to this, we thought. We kept on the new whole food plant-based eating plan, and life went on.

Our family is and always has been avid snow sports fans and skiing, and snowboarding was the focus of ours and our children’s lives. Armed with a season pass each and every ski season, we would be out on Mount Ruapehu on a frequent basis. Sometimes using the family ski cottage at Owhango, sometimes staying with friends.

One weekend we stayed in Taupo with friends we were skiing with. They too are vegetarian but Lacto-ovo. We decided from the start of our new lifestyle that if we were at friends for a meal, we were not going to make a fuss and say ”Oh, we don’t eat that”.

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We just ate what they were eating, and we really enjoyed the toasted cheese sandwiches, the ice cream and the usual Lacto-ovo fare. Mmmmm…really miss that cheese!

After a Bluebird day on the slopes that Sunday, we started our drive home.

Partway through the drive, Don said, ”Argghh, my eyes are going bad, I’ve got a migraine, you are going to have to drive”.

This was followed by ten days of mouth ulcers.

More migraines

Same scenario, different weekend, six weeks later we were having lunch and dinner with a different set of Lacto-ovo friends in Taumaranui for a ski weekend.

Driving home, Don had a migraine and ten days of mouth ulcers.

So that solidified it for us! A Whole Food Plant-Based lifestyle was the answer to migraines and mouth ulcers for Don, and he has never looked back.

For me, after five weeks at the gym, I was not seeing any change.

I was getting despondent and told the gym staff member on duty that night that I was not going to continue. That staff member sat down with me to talk through what was happening. He said he wanted me to keep going for at least three months because it can take that long to start seeing the results. I gasped and said “three months! Serious?” He then told me that at the moment I am building muscle which I have not done for many years, and the body is getting used to the metabolic changes going on. He then said the one thing that changed everything for me; “the more muscle you build, the more fat you burn”.

Personal turning point That was exactly what I needed to hear and was the turning point for me. I kept going to the gym and working even harder than the complacent way I was working. And after another two weeks, I got on the scales and almost made a complete fool of myself – I was so excited – I had lost three kgs! Things just kept on going in the right direction with my weight, and after eight months, I had gone down to a size 12. I was so happy. People were noticing and making really positive comments which were so cool to hear.

We have kept to our whole food plant-based lifestyle for 14 years now and have never looked back. We are so passionate about it. We both trained as C.H.I.P facilitators, and I trained as a Community Health Educator and certified Wellness Coach and Nutrition Advisor, specialising in teaching Whole Food Plant-Based living. I have had the privilege of teaching classes in Australia and through New Zealand. One of the highlights of our journey coaching others were working at Cedarvale Health & Lifestyle Retreat in Kangaroo Valley, NSW. We met people there with the full spectrum of lifestyle-related illnesses.

After spending time at the retreat, these people were well on their way to being well, off their medications and living life to the full. It was the most rewarding work we've ever done. It's what keeps the fire in our belly to keep spreading the word and teaching the way to health.

If ever there was a documentary that shook thinking to the core it was That Sugar Film - free on Youtube. Janice Carter says it had a big impact on their son-in-law, Jackson, who worked hard to remove every ounce of sugar from his diet.

Here’s what happened.

The benefits of giving up on sugar B

ack around mid-September 2019, I made the decision to give up added sugar. My goal was to lose about 4.5 kilos. It is now nearly mid-March 2020, and I have noticed the following results: 1.

2.

3.

4.

I lost over 9 Kilos. I did not realize I had that much to lose. I lost weight from my chest, abdomen, face, neck, arms/legs, buttocks, etc. I even lost weight from my wrists and fingers.

My wedding ring, wristwatch, and all of my clothes are fitting loosely. I need to have my business suits tailored because they no longer fit properly.

I am sleeping much better. Prior to giving up sugar, I had a hard time falling asleep and staying asleep. For the first time in my adult life, I am sleeping soundly through the night, without using sleeping medication.

I have better mental clarity. I have noticed it is easy for me to focus and pay attention and work, and I am more productive.

My back pain is nearly gone. I have had back pain since I was 16 years old, due to a car accident. The pain is so minor now

that I sometimes forget I have it. I also have knee pain from years of military service. The knee pain is also nearly gone.

5. My moods are more stable. I used to struggle with stress, anxiety, and mood swings. Sometimes I would even feel chest pain, due to the anxiety. I am the calmest I have ever been in my life. I no longer struggle with these issues. I was having lunch recently with my friend, who has known me for years.

He remarked over how calm I appear, compared to what he was used to. He asked me what I had done differently in my life.

6. My body fat percentages have decreased massively. I am now 14 per cent body fat when prior to giving up sugar, I was closer to 30 per cent.

7. My blood pressure is the best it has ever been. As young as 25 years old, my doctors were trying to put me on high blood pressure medication. It was normal for my blood pressure to be 135/85. It was even as high as 140/90. I am now 33 years old, and my most recent blood pressure readings were 99/61 and 102/68. My overall heartbeats per minute were between 100 to 110 beats per minute, prior to giving up sugar. It is now 68 beats per minute. The blood pressure and higher heart rate is something I struggled with even as a teenager. My doctors always told me it must be stress-related, because I was too young and healthy for it to be caused by something else.

8. More energy. I have noticed that when I am exercising, I am stronger, faster, and more agile.

9. Stronger immune system. I feel so much healthier than before, and when I do get sick, I recover so much more quickly. When I was working as a Detective in North Carolina, I was averaging about one sick day per month off of work (but I would feel sick several days a month). I made several changes after I left NC, which helped my immunity, but after quitting sugar, I have forgotten what it feels like to get sick.

10. Improvement with urinary function. From approximately age 17 up until giving up sugar, I struggled with a medical condition no doctor could ever explain. At night while trying to sleep, I would feel a burning sensation in my urinary tract.

Sometimes it was mild, other times, it was so bad that I feared I had a urinary tract infection. I had multiple tests by multiple doctors trying to determine the cause. No one could explain it. I was told that it must be dehydration, so drink more water.

I received very little relief. I gave up sugar, and the problem is gone.

11. Taste improvement. I now enjoy the taste of water, and because I enjoy it, I drink it more, and I stay hydrated. I used to drink lots of juice, sports drinks, and soda because I didn’t like water. Now, water is my drink of choice. Food also tastes better than before.

Giving up sugar was not easy, but it was well worth it. I went through withdraws for approximately three days, and I craved sugar for several weeks. Eventually, it passed, and I felt normal and healthy. I no longer crave sugar like I used to. When I do get the taste for something sweet, I eat fruit or berries, and it tends to satisfy me the way that sugar did previously.

Occasionally I will eat a couple of squares of dark chocolate, but I make sure to buy a bar with as little sugar as possible. I feel like a new man, and I am healthier at 33 than I was at 17. It is truly amazing.

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Shell Harbour Cafe Salad The combination of ingredients makes a stunning fusing of flavours in your mouth.

by Janine Carter

INGREDIENTS - Salad mix 1 can 1 can 2 1 4 6 1 1/2 cup

chickpeas, drained brown lentils, drained large celery sticks, sliced in half lengthwise and chopped red capsicum, diced lettuce of your choice, shredded tomatoes, cubed oil-free sun-dried tomatoes, chopped carrot, finely julienned a handful of parsley currants

INGREDIENTS - Sauce 1 1

lemon, squeezed a handful of your favourite fresh herbs, chopped finely. small garlic clove, chopped finely

METHOD 1. Place all the salad ingredients in a large bowl.

2. Pour over the dressing and mix together.

3. Serve on a large platter.

Summer days are salad days!

I

f you’ve had any doubts about the value of salad, perhaps the following points might help. Of course, it’s probably easier to consume salads in Summer because they’re quick to make and much lighter than many winter dishes, but salads should be an allround, all year part of your eating routine. Here are a few good reasons why.

Great for fibre: Leafy greens and raw veggies are a superb source of natural fibre, and consuming enough fibre each day has several health advantages: • • • •

Fibre helps to reduce LDL or “bad” cholesterol.

It helps to control blood sugar.

Adequate fibre intake helps with weight loss and healthy weight maintenance.

Can regularise bowel movements and aid in the prevention of bowel disease.

Load up on fruit and vegetables: The idea that fresh vegetables and fruits are essential to our good health and well-being isn’t anything we haven’t heard before, but it’s good to be reminded of it every so often. The following quote comes from an article published by the Harvard School of Public Health: “A diet rich in vegetables and fruits can lower blood pressure, reduce risk of heart disease and stroke, prevent some types of cancer, lower risk of eye and digestive problems, and have a positive effect upon blood sugar which can help keep appetite in check”.

It’s important to eat a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, in as many different colours as possible. Combining them in a salad is both easy and delicious!

Weight control: Eating a fibre-rich salad will help you to feel full faster, so you’ll consume less calories than you might when a meal

is served without this appetizer. The more raw vegetables you can incorporate into your salad, the greater the potential positive effects will be.

Add some chia or flax? Add some ground flax or chia. Dr Michael Greger prefers flaxseeds over chia seeds because their lignan content, which averages about 15 times more than other seeds, including sesame and chia. This is thought to explain the anti-cancer effects of flaxseeds for both prevention and survival.

Bone strength: Low vitamin K levels have been linked with low bone mineral density in women. For healthy bone growth, a recommended full daily serving can be found in just 1 cup of watercress (100%), radicchio (120%) or spinach (170%).

Eye protection: The carotenoids found in the green leaves like spinach, Romaine and Red Lettuce help the eyes to adjust from bright to dark, and to filter out high-intensity light levels, protecting them from the formation of damaging free radicals.

Muscle performance: Well, it turns out Popeye knew his stuff.

The nutrients found in spinach not only help to build strong bones, but they also help to improve the performance of the mitochondria – little structures inside our cells that help to produce energy, as well as inform and power our muscles.

Heart protection: Romaine lettuce contains two key nutrients in significant levels that help to protect the heart muscle: folate and fibre. High levels of folate have been shown to assist in the prevention of stroke and cardiovascular disease.

Skin tone: The high levels of water found in salad veggies improves hydration in our bodies, which is necessary for youthful skin tone and various basic bodily functions.

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Confusion, compromise & doubt on plant-based terminology

by Peter Barclay

I

n a panel discussion at the New Zealand Horticulture Conference in Hamilton, last year noted Kiwi food writer Niki Bezzant referred to the gathering discussion around plant-based eating and made it clear what the term plant-based meant to her.

For Niki, if a meal is ‘plant-based’, then it definitely can include some meat, fish or dairy products, as long as most of the contents of the plate consist of plants. It’s an explanation that irks many vegans because her definition sullies what they have come to accept. For them, a plant-based meal means a plant-only meal.

Not so for Niki. For her, the term is one that has become popular amongst millennials only and seemingly, has no connection to an earlier time.

As the microphone was passed around, one man, who identified himself as vegan, took issue with her over the “rhetoric” she had developed around the term and questioned why she took this stance.

“I’m a little worried that if more people take up your rhetoric of plant-based with meat, then restaurants and cafés will then be advertising their food as plant-based even if it contains animal products,” he said. “If it says it is plant-based then we’re a little more comfortable to eat it as vegans.”

Bezzant: “Yeah, well, I guess it’s kind of a point for me of promoting the idea of plant-based as being a bit more inclusive of everyone. We should all be eating a plant-based diet, and a plantbased diet can be a plant-only diet, it can be a vegan diet, or it

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can be a diet that includes small amounts of animal protein but is based on plants.

“So I guess I want to take the term plant-based away from the vegans, in a way, and make it for everybody. I think it is much more of a way [easier] for most people to understand it. And, when we talk about a plant-based diet in terms of nutrition, we are not just talking about a vegan diet, we are talking about a diet that is mostly plants. Eat food, not too much, mostly plants. That’s the philosophy that we should be following.”

She conceded that the questioner had a point, however.

“The backlash that you’re referring to happened recently with the creation of a flexitarian sausage. I think they [the producers] have missed the mark because they are trying to cash in on the trend in a way that is not very sincere or useful.

"You could say any sausage is plant-based because a sausage is about 60% meat and a lot of filler and most of those fillers come from plants.”

Interestingly, in an article published on October 27 last year, Stuff took up the cudgels and, in an item that similarly reflected the point raised by Bezzant, made the following comment: “Some people who identify as flexitarian even go as far as to be completely plant-based during the week and then on the weekend, consume meat.”

They, at least, were in no doubt what plant-based really means.

Except for the obfuscation put forward by Ms Bezzant, for many, the term still describes a plant-only meal.

This conference discussion was significant for other factors as well, however.

Chunky research Bezzant referred to some “chunky pieces of research” that contained dire predictions on the future of food.

“There was a big study published at the end of last year (2018) in the journal Nature. That was where the researchers started to say the world food system is broken. They said, quite chillingly, that if we keep producing food the way we are now, then by 2050 the environment system could reach levels ‘that exceed the proposed boundaries for planetary stability.’ That is science speak for we are in serious trouble.”

based has been embraced enthusiastically by people who follow a vegan or vegetarian diet, but I would like to see that term be more widely used by all of us who are omnivorous and eat everything but who eat mostly plants because that is what we know to be a healthy way of eating.”

So, is it possible to unravel this? If it’s just a matter of understanding or accepting different definitions, then let’s consider the situation with cigarettes. While many still smoke them, it doesn’t alter the fact that most of the rest of us probably think they’re unhealthy. Why? Because scientific studies prove it and evidence-based laws now govern every part of their promotion and supply.

People are dying

This, and other research, came on top of information from the American Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) stating that there would be significant food insecurity by 2050, “which means we might not be able to feed ourselves.”

All of this, she said, was central to the need to eat less red meat and that’s where another confusion creeps in. If meat is to remain on the table for some, then the big question is, how much of it should grace the plate?

Confusion abounds Unfortunately, on that point, confusion abounds. The World Health Organisation recommends no more than 14gms of meat consumption per day but the World Cancer Research Fund is more generous and suggests limiting red meat consumption to no more than about three portions per week. Three portions, it explains, should be equivalent to about 350–500g cooked weight. It says 500 grams of cooked red meat is about equivalent to 700 to 750 grams of raw meat.

Where processed meat is concerned, the WCF’s medical and scientific adviser, Professor Martin Wiseman, makes a much more definite comment, however.

He says: “The evidence on processed meat and cancer is clearcut. The data show that no level of intake can confidently be associated with a lack of risk. Processed meats are often high in salt, which can also increase the risk of high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.”

Bezzant recognises that while plant-based eating is becoming much more popular, she says nine out of 10 Kiwis still eat meat on a regular basis.

“We need to put it into context. While there is huge growth in this area of plant-based protein, we’re also pretty traditional us Kiwis and we still really like our meat. And we still eat quite a bit of it. We eat a little bit more than is recommended for our health.

There is quite a body of evidence showing that eating too much meat is not good for our health.

“This plant-based trend is really fascinating to me. I consider that I eat a plant-based diet and yet I eat everything. I eat meat, and I eat animal products, but I consider that my diet is plant-based. If you talk to a vegan, they would not agree with me. The term plant-

Food, it seems, still has a long way to go before aspects of its creation, management and marketing ever reaches that point.

In the meantime, and while we fuss over various interpretations of the terms, people are getting sick and dying. The connection between food and health received pretty light treatment at this event but Jocelyn Eason, from Plant Research, did have this to say.

“We understand that they (plant foods) are more environmentally friendly than some animals or monocultures of animals, but we need to do more digging to understand what the environmental impact of our farming systems are. Not just plants but for animals as well. Not all plants are equal. They vary in their nutritional benefit. They’re always good for fibre, but they also bring fats and proteins and a whole lot of other positive and negative nutrients.”

She saw a big opportunity for New Zealand and what it meant for primary production, “but we need to work out how we are going to deliver that. My interest comes from a whole value chain approach – how we are going to grow them, what that premium product might look like because we don’t want to go into an ingredients race to the bottom.”

Former Master Chef winner, Brett McGregor took a different approach.

“I’m coming from purely a cook’s perspective and whether or not I think it could be adopted into a weekly meal.”

He cooked a non-chicken chicken curry (Sunfed) and tacos with plant-based mince and noted that ten years ago when he finished Master Chef, “I never would have thought I would be standing in a place cooking with these types of things. The evolution in food is very, very quick,” Jocelyn picked up on this and on a point raised by Bezzant around why people are eating more plant-based meals.

“People are actually eating some of these new products or eating more plants because they are feeling the benefit,” she said. “Part of that might actually be the fibre or moving away from fat. Plants have protein just like anything else. It’s part of living organisms.

We might have to change the conversation a little bit.

“I think consumers are thinking different things when we say protein to what meat producers are. Mashed potatoes, because of how much we eat in one go, gives you quite a good dose of protein as well.”

When it comes to the production of commercial products that imitate meat, Bezzant has a beef that some producers are moving too much towards approximating meat.

“I think we’ve got to move beyond that to where we actually are embracing plants, whole plants, as well as other value-added products that are made out of plants but that are better for us, are more whole and more nutritious too.”

In response to a question from the floor around the popularity of plant-based food, chef McGregor was very clear.

“I see a real change in the way chefs are using, preparing and thinking about food for the future. We are continuously thinking about the plant-based diet, whether that it is vegan or vegetarian and actually in everything that we are doing it is getting skewed towards that or halal.”

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SHOPPING LIST

Heart Disease Bowel Cancer Crohn's Disease Asthma Multiple Sclerosis Irritable Bowel Syndrome Type 2 Diabetes Alzhiemers Disease Acne Breast Cancer Ulcerative Colitis Prostate Cancer Osteoporosis Inflammatory Arthritis Constipation Menstral Pain Ovarian Syndrome Hypertension

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Looking at

Crohn's Disease Genetics load the gun, lifestyle pulls the trigger.

Dr Caldwell Esselstyn

In Australia

In New Zealand

IBD affects approximately one in 250 people aged 5-49.

Almost 75,000 Australians have Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis; this number is projected to increase to 100,000 by 2022.

A landmark 2007 study revealed a $2.7 billion annual cost of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis in Australia.

There is a recognised gap in data and knowledge on patient pathways and outcomes, service coordination, and resources.

Sufferers are seen as having a life-long burden and often face a hidden struggle that affects their personal, social and work life.

The problem is regarded as becoming more prevalent, more complex, and more severe.

New Zealand has the third-worst rate of inflammatory bowel disease in the world, and it is growing at an alarming rate, a study has found.

It is estimated that 20,792 New Zealanders are affected by the disease. That’s a rate of one in every 227 people which puts the disease on par with type 1 diabetes.

In New Zealand, during the ten years from 2003 to 2013, the number of new cases increased by about 81 per cent, indicating the number of Kiwis with the disease would double by 2026.

Official current NZ thinking on Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis is that sufferers face a lifelong, incurable disease that is unpredictable in diagnosis, disease course and treatment.

Plant-Based Diet Leads to Crohn’s Disease Remission Plant-based diets may lead to a remission in Crohn’s disease, according to a case study published in Nutrients.

Clinicians followed a patient with Crohn’s disease whose condition did not reach remission after more than a year of intravenous treatment.

During his second year of treatment, the patient removed all animal products and processed foods from his diet for a 40-

day religious observation and experienced a total absence of symptoms. The patient decided to maintain the new dietary pattern and experienced a complete remission of Crohn’s disease.

The prevalence of Crohn’s disease across areas with increased intakes of animal products highlights the dietary factors involved in this condition.

"This case study offers hope for hundreds of thousands of people suffering from the painful symptoms associated with Crohn's disease," said study co-author Hana Kahleova, MD, PhD, Director of Clinical Research at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine

The 101 of whole food plant-based nutrition

Some key essentials of whole food plant-based eating • Always eat a wide variety of different coloured foods.

• Eat food in its whole form as much as possible.

• Avoid processed foods and animal products.

• Avoid sugar, oil and salt.

• Be careful of the amount of nuts you eat.

• Starch is your friend. Don't fear carbs.

• Eat as much fruit as you desire.

Dr Adrian Griscti

H

ere I discuss what a whole food plant-based diet is, and some of the relevant research showing clinically significant ways in which whole food plant-based eating can not only prevent and treat major causes of morbidity, and mortality, but also reverse them.

When I talk to my patients about a whole food plant-based diet, I explain that this is an eating pattern that includes an abundance of whole plant foods. It includes fruit, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, beans and lentils etc. and a small amount of nuts and seeds.

This way of eating excludes processed foods and animal-based foods. A well-planned diet with a diversity of plant foods provides healthy and complete nutrition, apart from vitamin B12 of course which can be taken as a supplement.

Whole foods retain the entire nutrient profile and are, in general, less calorie-dense, which is a significant consideration for patients who are overweight.

By way of reassurance to patients, I explain that the largest professional body representing dieticians and nutritionists in the world, The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, clearly state that a well designed plant-based diet is nutritionally complete, and puts one at reduced risk of most lifestyle conditions - this includes coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, certain types of cancer and obesity. They also state that it can be eaten in every stage in life, from pregnancy, through childhood to old age.

Let’s consider type 2 diabetes. How can a diet, high in plant food, be beneficial for not only preventing and treating diabetes but also reversing it? A whole food plant-based diet is generally low in calorie density, which means you can eat lots of delicious food and still lose weight.

One of my female patients lost 22kg in eleven months really easily and deliciously, as did her family. Her BMI dropped from 40, down to 32.2, and it’s still dropping.

The antioxidant level helps calm endothelial (internal blood vessel wall) inflammation, and dietary fibre also contributes to the improvement of glycaemic control. It also helps the microbiome to carry out its role in fat and glucose metabolism.

Through the mechanisms stated above, there is an increase in insulin sensitivity with a subsequent improvement in diabetes control. There are a lot of studies that bare out the information above and I’m going to present a small sample.

For instance, a 2019 metanalysis showed that those consuming three serves of whole grain per day had a 26 per cent risk of type

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This article was compiled from an address Dr Griscti presented in a webinar organised by Doctors For Nutrition.

Dr Griscti has been a rural GP for 34 years. He has completed his fellowship with the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine and his fellowship with the Australian Society of Lifestyle Medicine.

2 diabetes relative to those who never or rarely consumed whole grains.

This improvement in insulin sensitivity can be achieved quite quickly. A fascinating but small prospective study was carried out on lean type 2 diabetic inpatients. Where else but on a metabolic ward inpatient unit can you so totally control the food intake of a diabetic.

Participants were placed on a low fat, high complex carbohydrate plant exclusive diet for 16 days. On average, participants’ insulin dosage was reduced by 26 units in the 16 day period. A number of participants were actually able to completely cease their insulin in this period due to the rapid improvement in their insulin sensitivity.

Then, there is The Nurses’ Health Study which followed 130,000 people for at least 18 years.

When controlling for BMI, those with the highest animal protein intake had a 13 per cent risk of type 2 diabetes. They also found that exchanging five per cent of calorie intake, from animal protein to vegetable protein was associated with a 23 per cent reduced risk of type 2 diabetes.

The other thing that research studies have shown is that the greater the proportion of whole plant foods included in your diet, the greater the benefit. Because, when food is processed, one of the effects is the addition of SOS – salt, oil sugar, with a subsequent increase in calorie density and fat content.

A systematic review from the Harvard School of Public Health, encompassing over 300,000 participants, revealed a 23 per cent reduction in type 2 diabetes in those who only moderately adhered to plant-based diets, and a 30 per cent risk reduction for the most adherent to a whole food plant-based diet. It isn’t just all or none.

The more you adhere, the better the result.

So, how does a whole food plant-based diet impact on cardiovascular disease?

This type of diet appears to cause a reduction in plasma lipid levels which results in both plaque regression and inflammation.

From personal experience, I can say that my total cholesterol fell

from 6.1 mmol/l to 3.7 mmol/l on a whole food plant-based diet.

The antioxidant content of this diet is another factor in reducing endothelial inflammation through a variety of mechanisms.

Biomarkers of inflammation including high sensitivity CRP, IGF1 and homocysteine can be reduced by eating in this manner.

There is also some evidence that one way that meat appears to infer an increased risk is by way of exposure to gram-negative bacteria and the endotoxins within the gut. These are readily absorbed in the presence of saturated fats and appear to trigger a gain of microscopic inflammatory reactions that perpetuate vessel inflammation.

I also wanted to mention trimethylamine N-Oxide (TMAO) upon the level of endothelial inflammation. TMAO is a molecule generated from choline and carnitine via gut microbial metabolism.

In humans, recent clinical studies show a positive correlation between elevated plasma levels of TMAO and increased risk for major cardiovascular events. The major dietary sources of carnitine and choline are meat and egg.

So, what broader evidence is this based on?

A Swedish study involving over 37,000 males, aged between 45 and 79, compared the risk of heart failure relative to their meat production. They found that men who ate the most processed meat had a 28 per cent higher risk of heart failure and a twofold risk of death from heart failure, relative to those who ate the least amount of meat per day.

In response to this study and others in 2014, the American Heart Association stated: Men who eat moderate amounts of processed red meat, may have an increased risk of heart failure incidents and a greater risk of death from heart failure.

They recommended limiting the amount of red meat consumed to one or two servings a week or less.

Does a whole food plant-based diet work in practice?

Cardiologist, Dr Dean Ornish, the lead author of a five-year study found that at one year, coronary artery stenosis diameter had shown a 4.5 per cent relative improvement and at five years, up to 7.9 per cent relative improvement in the diameter of the vessel.

In the control group, at one year, stenosis had worsened on average by 5.4 per cent and, by five years, by 27 per cent. These measurements were made by using quantitative angiography.

So, can we reverse coronary artery disease on a whole food plant-based diet?

Dr Caldwell Esselstyn, from the Cleveland Clinic, undertook a

long term follow up dietary based intervention and showed some remarkable results.

Of the 198 participants who were enrolled because they were, basically, not suitable for a revascularization procedure, 177 (89 per cent) were adherent to the diet over the four-year period.

Of these, only one patient had a major cardiovascular event, and 92 per cent experienced improvement or resolution of their angina. Twenty-one of the 198 were non-adherent to the whole food plant-based diet and of these 62 per cent had a major cardiovascular event. None of them saw their angina improve.

So how doable is all this?

In New Zealand, we have the Broad Study. A lead researcher for this was Dr Luke Wilson, a GP and board member of Doctors For Nutrition. The Broad Study was conducted in Gisborne in a relatively low socio-economic community.

All the patients enrolled in this study were either overweight or obese and had at least one of diabetes mellitus, heart disease, hypertension or hyperlipidaemia. The control group received routine general practice care, and the intervention group received routine general practice care plus coaching and instruction in eating a whole food low fat plant-based diet on a limited budget.

They also learnt some culinary skills.

The intervention lasted 12 weeks, and follow up was for up to 12 months. At the six-month mark, there was a statistically significant weight loss between groups with an average 11kg difference in the intervention versus the control group.

Total cholesterol, weight circumference and HbA1c were also improved at six months.

These results demonstrate the efficacy of a whole food plantbased diet in reducing chronic disease risk factors and diseaseassociated biomarkers for type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and obesity. Also, despite the intervention being for only 12 weeks, the benefits were still statistically significant at the 12-month mark.

I’d also like to share a case from my own practice. Mrs D is now aged 64, and she was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2014.

She was disappointed. In fact, she was furious, because she’s an active person who leads a healthy lifestyle eating a diet based on healthy guidelines. In early 2017 we talked about how a whole food plant-based diet could help her reverse her diabetes. She enthusiastically went down this path.

After adopting this diet, she no longer has diabetes, and nor does she have any of the medications that made her tired with muscle ache. Not only do her numbers look good, but she also feels great, loves the food she eats, and she has also become an advocate helping her family, friends and community. Mrs D took responsibility for her own health and is enjoying the benefits.

Dr Griscti concluded with some advice for health professionals.

To introduce healthier eating to patients, the conversation can be started by asking if they would be interested in making changes to their diet and lifestyle, explaining how these changes may reduce the need for medication, and some of their risk factor biomarkers, such as lipids and HbA1c.

If not, I’ll sometimes plant a seed – the so-called two-minute general practice intervention. Often patients will come back next time with questions, and you can take the conversation further from there.

It’s important to find out what the patient is willing to change.

The step by step approach works with some people. For instance, start on changing with breakfast and gradually building from there.

However, in patients who have had recently had a complication from their chronic disease, adopting this diet with high adherence might be the most effective response because they can get immediate results which are very encouraging for them.

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Steam, bake or boil just don't use oil!

by Shamiz Kachwalla

P

eople are often surprised by our recommendations to increase their dietary intake of starchy foods, such as potatoes. We are normally met with stern responses suggesting my doctor, dietitian, or naturopath said to avoid potatoes because they are "bad for us" because of the perception that they cause weight gain, blood sugar spikes or are unhealthy carbohydrates.

However, this is simply not true. In fact, potatoes have been around for hundreds and thousands of years and populations eating the most potatoes or starch based diets have less chronic diseases and live a lot longer. Most people are unaware that it is the oil, the butter, the sour cream, the cheese, that is creating more inflammation and disease activity, not the humble spud!

We are often told that we should stay away from carbohydrates and eat more protein and fats. However, what if potatoes were much healthier than we think? What if the good old spud could have profound health benefits, and specifically in our gut? With more and more people seeing an increase in digestive discomfort, bloating, constipation, and IBS symptoms, it’s no wonder why gut health is becoming more popular.

Well, the good news is that there is new research suggesting that potatoes, along with other high-fibre whole fruits and vegetables, are great for our gut health!

Potatoes are considered a high carbohydrate food but so are many of the other fruits and vegetables we eat today. And there is nothing wrong with foods higher in carbohydrates.

As long as they are in their whole form, they are very beneficial.

Steam, bake or boil, just don't use oil! What can't you do with potatoes? They are delicious and should be included in your diet along with a variety of other whole plant foods. Why are they good for gut health? Let us explain.

Potatoes and other root vegetables are high in resistant starch – a type of fibre that is "resistant" to digestion by human enzymes.

Some of the resistant starch in the small intestine is not broken down by our body and ends up in the Colon, where it ferments, yielding incredible health benefits!

Recent research has shown that not only do we benefit from good gut bugs but also their by-products - short-chain fatty acids. Resistant starch is a type of fibre, also known as MACs or Microbiota Accessible Carbohydrates.

A 2019 study from the University of Michigan, “attempted to increase butyrate production by supplementing the diets of 174 healthy young adults for two weeks with resistant starch from potatoes (RPS)… (& a few others)… Resistant Potato Starch resulted in the greatest increase in total Short Chain Fatty Acids, including butyrate.”

Production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), especially butyrate, is required for optimal health but is limited by the lack of fermentable carbohydrates or "resistant starch" in the western diet. Butyrate is actually shown to reduce inflammation in the gut and maintain our epithelial barrier (gut lining).

This can potentially prevent leaky gut and promote satiety following meals. It may also be protective against several diseases, including colorectal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes, and obesity. This research could be the definitive answer in preventing gut issues that are so common among young adults today. - See research references online at www.wholefoodliving.life/ references-summer-2020

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High Carb Health's Good Gut Health Recipe You have got to try this delicious recipe easy to put together and tastes amazing by. highcarbheath.com | Servers: 4

INGREDIENTS 2 kg potatoes, peeled and cut into medium chunks (4 lb 6 oz) 1 tsp ground turmeric 1 tsp cumin seeds 1/2 tsp asafoetida (hing) 8-10 curry leaves 1/2 bunch fresh coriander (cilantro), roughly chopped, to garnish (optional) seas salt, to taste (optional)

METHOD 1. Steam the potato in a steamer basket suspended over a saucepan of simmering water until tender.

2. Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat and toast the cumin seeds until fragrant. Add a little water, if needed, to stop them from burning.

3. Add the remaining spices, followed by the steamed potato and mix gently to prevent the potatoes from breaking down.

4. Season to taste with salt and garnish with fresh coriander.

TIP: Asafoetida Also known as Hing is a spice that is anti-inflammatory and contains antioxidants that help protect against chronic inflammation, heart disease, cancer and type 2 diabetes.

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Edamame Guacamole Enjoy this creamy guacamole without the fats of an avocado.

INGREDIENTS 2 cups 1/2 cups 2 Tbsps 2 Tbsps

shelled edamame diced red onion lime juice sweet chilli sauce handful of coriander (optional) chilli flakes (optional)

METHOD Place all ingredients in a blender and pulse until at your desired constancy.

Unlike avocado you can chill this guacamole in the fridge overnight without it going brown.

TIP: Edamame beans Edamame Beans are whole immature soybeans. Served in a lot of sushi bars and Asian restaurants. They are high in protein with all the essential amino acids. They are very low in cholesterol and carbs but high in fibre. Nutritionally rich food, high in folate, iron, manganese and vitamin k.

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Hamilton Gardens

A world of wonder

N

estled alongside the banks of the Waikato River, the Hamilton Gardens must surely rank as one of New Zealand's pre-eminent attractions.

If you haven't been here already, pack a picnic and prepare for a pleasant surprise.

Work on the gardens started back in the 60s, and over the intervening 50 odd years, a remarkable transformation has taken place.

Today there are a series of themed gardens which include the Tudor Garden, the Japanese Garden of Contemplation, the Indian Char Bagh Garden, an Italian Renaissance Garden, a Surrealist Garden and, of course, an English Flower Garden.

But that's not all.

One of the factors that make the Hamilton Gardens special lays in its effort to preserve an area that speaks of the way things once were and still are in many parts

of New Zealand and across the Tasman as well.

Down below the East Park Cemetery, there is easy access to the river itself. The area looks like the kind of spot many of us might have enjoyed as kids. Families still go there today and there some great picnic spots here.

The list of themed gardens above is far from conclusive, and there are more coming. Currently under construction is an Ancient Egyptian Garden, a Medieval Garden a Baroque Garden and a Pacific Garden. On a sunny Summer afternoon, Hamilton Gardens take on the atmosphere of an English promenade with hats and dresses of all types on display. A place to see and be seen.

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To see more go to wholefoodliving.life/gardens

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Namasu Salad (Daikon and Carrot) A Japanese dish consisting of thinly sliced uncooked vegetables, marinated in rice vinegar for serveral hours. Servers: 4

INGREDIENTS 400 grams daikon radish 90 grams carrots (around 2 large carrots) 1/4 tsp lemon zest Dressing: 1 tsp pure maple syrup 1 1/2 Tbsp rice vinegar 1 Tbsp water

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METHOD 1. Peel the daikon radish and carrot.

2. Cut the diakon in half (this will be the length for the final dish). Then cut into thin slabs about 3mm thick. Or use a julienne peeler.

3. Repeat the process for the carrot.

4. Place both into a large bowl.

5. Combine in a separate bowl the dressing ingredients, whisk well.

6. Squeeze excess water from the daikon and carrot and put them into the bowl with the dressing.

7. Chill for at least an hour to allow the vinegar to marinate the vegetables.

Oatmeal Raisin Biscuits Very scrummy, nice and chewy just like a biscuit should be, only difference is it is done without eggs, butter, white sugar or dairy milk. Serves: 24

INGREDIENTS 1 1/2 cups 1 cup 1 tsp 1 tsp 1/2 cup 10 1 tsp 1/2 cup 1 1/2 cups 1/4 cup

oat flour rolled oats baking soda cinnamon unsweetened almond milk dates vanilla essence almond butter raisins walnuts, finely chopped

METHOD 1. Preheat oven to 180°C 2. Mix together the flour, oats, making soda and cinnamon in a large bowl.

3. Pulse blend almond milk, vanilla and dates in the blender until smooth.

4. Add blended mixture to the dry ingredients 5. Create biscuit balls with rounded tablespoons and place on a baking paper lined oven tray, spacing the biscuits apart.

6. Bake for 10-12 mins until biscuits are golden brown.

7. Allow to cool on the tray then gently transfer them to a wire rack, cool completely.

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Dr Malcolm Mackay

www.wholefoodsplantbasedhealth.com.au

Tuning a WFPB diet for the treatment of heart disease "All older men and women who have eaten the standard Australian diet for much of their lives will almost certainly have diseased arteries."

The work of Nathan Pritikin, Dean Ornish, MD, Caldwell Esselstyn, MD and others has shown that a low fat, whole foods, plant-based diet has the ‘runs on the board’ for heart disease prevention and reversal.

This is a precis of a webinar I presented in October this year. The aim was to provide the comprehensive nutrition education session that I would like to give to all the patients I see who are trying to prevent or reverse heart disease with diet and lifestyle. The focus was on the practical aspects of nutrition with only just enough science to explain why each dietary adjustment is important.

As a Board Certified Lifestyle Medicine Physician, I appreciate that all healthy lifestyle domains are relevant to heart disease – nutrition, resilience to stress, psychological health, social interaction, physical activity, sleep and substance use avoidance.

However, I consider that nutrition is the keystone and if you get the nutrition right, many of the other domains fall into place – mental health improves, you feel more like socialising, sleep better, and if you are not careful you end up with a race number on your chest running a half marathon.

So, who needs to eat for heart health?

Obviously, anybody with established heart disease or at very high risk - that’s anyone with diabetes, very high cholesterol or multiple risk factors. In fact, all older men and women who have eaten the standard Australian diet for much of their lives will almost certainly have diseased arteries. For most of us, it’s already treatment rather than prevention.

The current medical approach to heart disease risk factor management is flawed. We treat risk factors with drugs. Each drug inhibits a specific, normal physiological process, for example by blocking a cholesterol synthesising enzyme. But drugs are only partially effective in reducing heart risk and there are always side effects. We need to treat the cause not just the symptoms

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or biomarkers (blood pressure, cholesterol etc). The cause is the animal products, processed foods, the lack of plant fibre and phytonutrients with contributions from other lifestyle domains.

The symphony of nutrients and phytonutrients in whole plant foods work on a multitude of mechanisms versus the pharmaceutical which tends to inhibit a single process. With whole foods there are side benefits rather than side effects.

The same diet that is good for your heart is good for your blood sugar control, good for your gut health and good for your sports performance.

The standard heart disease ‘risk factors’ include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and smoking. Non-traditional risk factors include inflammation, TMAO, haeme iron and animal protein. Drugs can’t treat all of these. However, most of these risk factors are increased by animal products and processed foods but decreased by whole plant foods.

Underlying the risk factors are multiple physiological mechanisms that promote or retard heart disease – endothelial cell function, blood cholesterol, blood pressure, blood glucose and insulin, chronic inflammation and oxidative stress, gut microbiome, and immune system regulation. Whole plant foods work through these and other mechanisms to enhance or balance normal physiological functions that keep us healthy and protect the heart.

Nutrition and lifestyle can overpower most of the inherited risk of heart disease.

In the webinar, I elaborate on each mechanism and provide nutrition tips for each.

The laboratory reference range for ‘normal cholesterol’ has always been too high and explains why so many people with ‘normal cholesterol’ (<5.5) still have heart attacks. Now that we have cholesterol lowering drugs, the target for LDL cholesterol following a heart attack (<1.8) is more in line with what it should

have been to avoid the heart attack.

If we drill down further on cholesterol particles and heart risk, we find that the cholesterol particle quality is important as well as the quantity. Your cholesterol numbers do not tell the full story (and can vary considerably from day to day). What we eat changes both the quality and quantity.

Eating saturated fat or cholesterol raises LDL cholesterol. We can minimise dietary saturated fat by eating plant-based, limiting nut consumption, and avoiding coconut products. Some types of dietary fibre (e.g. beta glucan found in oats) actively remove cholesterol from the system. Whole plant foods also provide antioxidants that protect circulating cholesterol from turning into the more artery toxic oxidised form.

Endothelial cells (EC), tile-like cells that line our arteries, are central to artery health. Healthy ECs produce more nitric oxide which improves blood flow, reduces blood stickiness, and protects arteries from plaque and stiffening. What we eat can sicken EC or enhance EC. One meal of high fat animal products can stun EC and impair blood flow for several hours – every meal improves or damages artery health. We can stop beating up EC by not eating animal products, fried food, or large amounts of sugar, and protect EC by bathing them in whole plant foods at every meal. We can turbocharge EC nitric oxide production by eating nitrate rich whole plant foods, particularly GLVs (green leafy vegetables), several times per day – Dr Esselstyn recommends eating them six times per day.

High blood pressure rivals cholesterol as the leading risk factor for coronary heart disease and stroke. To some degree it may be a sensible adaptive response to overcome the reduced blood flow that results from constricted arteries and claggy blood. I certainly treat very high blood pressure with drugs because they reduce cardiovascular risk, but they don’t treat the cause. Anything that improves the health of EC, improves blood pressure. We need to talk about salt: research suggests that sodium intakes above 1200mg raise blood pressure – a target that very few people meet because of the high salt content of bread, soy, miso and most meals not prepared at home. Other lifestyle domains – stress, sleep, exercise – also influence blood pressure.

Insulin resistance is atherogenic well before it progresses to type 2 diabetes. Most overweight, sedentary, or elderly adults will have some degree of insulin resistance. Flour products, sugar and processed carbohydrates can cause spikes in glucose and insulin but the key to reversing insulin resistance is to reduce fat intake to less than 30g per day, particularly saturated fats (no animal products, no coconut products, low nut intake). Note the similarity

to dietary strategies to reduce cholesterol.

Fibre and resistant starch provide the fuel for the gut microbes that support metabolic health and vascular health through short chain fatty acid production. Low carb diets starve the microbiome.

Less processed ‘starches’ such as intact whole grains (brown rice, rolled oats etc) ferry more resistant starch to our colon microbes as well as being better for glucose/insulin control – another example of synergy.

Being overweight is not heart healthy. I am sorry, but it is what it is, and I can’t explain why nature made it this way. Any excess of body fat releases inflammatory mediators and free fatty acids into the blood. Even a small amount of excess visceral fat ups the risk of heart disease. The good news is that we can still eat generous portions to lose weight by following the principle of ‘calorie density’. However, there may need to be times of the day when the buffet is closed.

Chronic inflammation is another well-established heart risk factor covered by the breadth of effect of whole plant foods.

Dr Esselstyn has described artery plaques as “a cauldron of inflammation”. Eat your anti-inflammatory greens, berries, spices, and other whole plant foods.

No oil! For so many reasons. See our website.

The dietary strategies relating to each of the ‘mechanisms of disease’ are consistent and can be summarised to describe a lowfat WFPB diet optimised for the treatment of heart disease: • • • • • • • • •

Base your meals on intact whole grains, legumes and starchy vegetables Combine these with generous amounts of non-starchy vegetables Eat green leafy vegetables with every meal, including breakfast Flavour your meals with herbs and spices Strictly limit nuts and seeds but include a small amount of ground flaxseed Fresh fruit is unrestricted, and berries recommended.

Limit dried fruit Minimise or avoid sugar and sugar syrups and absolutely no oil Limit salt to less than 1200mg sodium per day Use the principles of calorie density to manage your weight

My ‘Reverse Heart Disease Webinar’ will be publicly available on YouTube from late December and will be linked from the ‘Heart Health’ section of our website.

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Simple potato salad Easy yet delicious, just as tasty as the traditional summer potato salad

INGREDIENTS 900 g 1 1/4 cup 1 cup 2 tsp 4 2 Tbsp 1 Tbsp 4 2 2 1 tsp 1/2 cup

potatoes, chopped in small cubes garlic clove apple cider vinegar raw cashew nuts maple syrup spring onions, slice into small pieces dijon mustard whole seed mustard gherkins, diced in small pieces celery sticks, sliced into small pieces sml red onions, diced finely sriracha sauce (optional) combined fresh mint and parsley

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METHOD 1. Add cashews to a bowl and cover with boiling water, set aside for one hour.

2. Add to a large pot the potatoes and cover with water. Bring to boil on high then reduce the medium and cook for 15-20 mins or until the potatoes are tender. Drain and spread out on a tray and place into the fridge or freezer to cool (but don't freeze) 3. Drain the cashew nuts and add them to a blender with the garlic, vinegar, maple syrup, sriracha and mustards, blend until creamy and small amounts of water so that it is thick but pourable.

4. Place potatoes into a large mixing/serving bowl with the chopped red onion, spring onion, gherkin and celery, mix through. Mix through the cashew sauce.

5. Garnish with the parsley and mint.

Stuffed Kamo Kamo ( or Marrow) Very filling. A great quick weeknight meal for two people

INGREDIENTS 1 1 4 1 1 2 tsp 1 1 cup 1 Tbsp 1 1/4 cup 1 Tbsp 1 Tbsp

lrg kamo kamo or marrow red onion, finely diced garlic cloves, finely chopped red capsicum, diced zucchinni, diced mixed herbs can brown lentils mushrooms, diced tomato paste tomato, diced dried bread crumbs nutritional yeast ground flaxseed

METHOD 1. Preheat oven to 180°C 2. Cut the Kamo Kamo lengethways and scoop out the seeds. Arrange cut side down in a roasting pan and bake for 30 mins until the flesh is tender when pierced with a knife.

3. In a frying pan with a small amount of water addd the onion and cook until translucient, then add the garlic and mushrooms, cook for 2 mins.

4. Add all other ingredients mixing through and cooking for 5 mins 5. Remove the Kamo Kamo from the oven, flip it over and scoop the filling into its cavity.

6. Place back in the oven and cook for a further 20 mins.

7. Serve immediately with a green salad.

TIP: Kamo Kamo Is a type of Maori marrow introduced to NZ in the 18th century. It is similar in taste to a courgette but stronger. It is an excellent source of fibre helping reduce bad cholestrol (LDL) and makes you feel fuller for longer.

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42 wholefoodliving.life | Summer, 2020

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria polluting environment "Humans are polluting the environment with antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and I’m finding them everywhere," Prof Michelle Power, Dept Biological Sciences, Macquarie University.

M

any of us are aware of the enormous threat of antibiotic(or “antimicrobial”) resistant bacteria on human health.

But few realise just how pervasive these superbugs are — antimicrobial-resistant bacteria have jumped from humans and are running rampant across wildlife and the environment.

My research is revealing the enormous breadth of wildlife species with superbugs in their gut bacterial communities (“microbiome”). Affected wildlife includes little penguins, sea lions, brushtailed possums, Tassie devils, flying foxes, echidnas, and a range of kangaroo and wallaby species.

To combat antibiotic resistance, we need to use “One Health” — an approach to public health that recognises the interconnectedness of people, animals and the environment.

The recent appointment of federal Environment Minister Susan Ley to the world’s first One Health Global Leaders Group on Antimicrobial Resistance, brings me confidence we’re finally heading in the right direction.

Tackling antimicrobial resistance with One Health requires studying resistance in bacteria from people, domesticated animals, wildlife and the environment.

Humans have solely driven the emergence and spread of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria, mainly through the overuse, and often misuse, of antibiotics.

The spread of superbugs to the environment has mainly occurred through human wastewater. Medical and industrial waste, which pollute the environment with the antibiotics themselves, worsen the issue. And the ability for antibiotic-resistant genes to be shared between bacteria in the environment has propelled antimicrobial resistance even further.

Generally, wildlife closer to people in urban areas are more likely to carry antimicrobial-resistant bacteria, because we share our homes, food waste and water with them.

For example, our recent research showed 48 per cent of 664 brushtail possums around Sydney and Melbourne tested positive for antibiotic-resistant genes.

Whether animals are in captivity or the wild also plays a role in their levels of antimicrobial resistance.

For example, we found only 5.3 per cent of grey-headed flyingfoxes in the wild were carrying resistance traits. This jumps to 41 per cent when flying-foxes are in wildlife care or captivity.

Likewise, less than two per cent of wild Australian sea lions we tested had antibiotic-resistant bacteria, compared to more than 40 per cent of those in captivity. We’ve found similar trends between captive and wild little penguins, too.

And more than 40 per cent of brush-tailed rock wallabies in a captive breeding program were carrying antibiotic resistance genes compared to none from the wild.

An animal with antibiotic-resistant bacteria may be harder to treat with antibiotics if it’s injured or sick and ends up in care. But generally, we’re yet to understand their full impact – though we can speculate.

For wildlife, resistant bacteria are essentially “weeds” in their microbiomes. These microbial weeds may disrupt the microbiomes,

Republised from theconversation.com under the Creative Comwmons Licence. impairing immunity or increasing the risk of infection by other agents.

Another problem relates to how antimicrobial-resistant bacteria can spread their resistant genes to other bacteria. Sharing genes between bacteria is a major driver for new resistant bacterial strains.

We’ve been finding more types of resistant genes in an animal’s microbiome than we do in comparison to commonly studied bacteria, such as Escherichia coli. This means some wildlife bacteria may have acquired resistance genes, but we don’t know which.

Many of the wildlife species we’ve examined also carry humanassociated bacterial strains — strains known to cause, for instance, diarrhoeal disease in humans. In wildlife, these bacteria could potentially acquire novel resistance genes making them harder to treat if they spread back to people.

This is something we found in grey-headed flying-fox microbiomes, which had new combinations of resistant genes.

These, we concluded, originated from the outside environment.

Antimicrobial stewardship — using the best antibiotic when a bacterial infection is diagnosed, and using it appropriately — is a big part of tackling this global health issue.

This is what’s outlined in Australia’s National Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy: 2020 & Beyond, which the federal government released in March this year.

The 2020 strategy builds on a previous strategy by better incorporating the environment, in what should be a true “One Health” approach. The World Health Organisation’s appointment of Ley supports this.

Antimicrobial stewardship is equally important for those in veterinary fields as well as medical doctors. As Australia leads the world in wildlife rehabilitation, antimicrobial stewardship should be a major part of wildlife care.

For the rest of us, preventing our superbugs from spilling over to wildlife also starts with taking antibiotics appropriately, and recognising antibiotics work only for bacterial infections. It’s also worth noting you should find a toilet if you’re out in the bush (and not “go naturally”), and not leave your food scraps behind for wild animals to find.

The 2020 strategy recognises the need for better communication to strengthen stewardship and awareness. This should include education on the issues of antimicrobial resistance, what it means for wildlife health, and how to mitigate it.

This is something my colleagues and I are tackling through our citizen science project, Scoop a Poop, where we work with school children, community groups and wildlife carers who collect possum poo around the country to help us better understand antimicrobial resistance in the wild.

The power of working with citizens to better the health of our environment cannot be overstated.

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Delicious Oil Free Potato Puffs with Peanut Sauce Crispy on the outside and super soft in the center. With the sauce it's hard to resist just one more. Creates 9-12 puffs

INGREDIENTS - Puffs 2-3 cups 1/2 1 tsp 1 Tbsp 1 tsp 1/4 tsp 1/4 tsp

cold mashed potato (unseasoned) brown onion, diced fresh basil nutritional yeast fresh parsley garlic powder black pepper

INGREDIENTS - Sauce 1/3 cup 2 1/2 Tbsp 1 1/2 Tbsp 2 tsp 3 Tbsp

low salt peanut butter lime juice maple syrup sweet chilli sauce coconut aminos water to thin ( if needed)

METHOD

METHOD

1. Prepare mashed potatoes ahead of time and allow to chill, I placed it in the freezer for 15 mins, forking through at 10 mins.

2. Fry the onion in a small amount of water or vegetable stock until caramelised.

3. Mix all ingredients together well.

4. Make ping pong ball sized of the mix and place them on a single layer into our air fryer.

5 Air fry for 20 mins at 200°C

1. Add all ingredients together in a small bowl and whisk with a fork.

2. Add water as needed if too thick.

3. Be sure not to make it too firm to dip your puffs into, or else you will lose the potato in the sauce, which is never favourable.

44 wholefoodliving.life | Summer, 2020

Polenta with Wild Mushrooms and Thyme First time using oyster mushrooms and I am hooked. This dish is full of flavour, you just have to try it. Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS 1/4 cup fresh sage leaves 4 cups wild mushrooms, thinly sliced (I have used oyster and shitake mushrooms) 1 cup polenta 1 1/2 cups water 1 1/2 cups soy milk (or any plant milk) 3 Tbsps nutritional yeast 6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped 1/4 cup vegetable stock 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar

METHOD 1. Preheat oven to 180°C 2. Combine mushrooms, thyme sprigs, and garlic on a large rimmed baking sheet, pour over 1/4 cup of vegetable stock over mushroom mix and toss to coat. Place in oven and roast while preparing the polenta, shaking mushrooms occasionally.

3. Make polenta as per instructions, though swap out just water for water and milk as the liquid.

4. When polenta is near completion add the sage leaves and nutritional leaves.

5. After 25 mins remove mushrooms from oven, drizzle with vinegar, toss to coat and let slightly cool.

6. Split polenta among bowls and top with mushrooms, thyme and garlic.

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Summer fruits 46 wholefoodliving.life | Summer, 2020

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here are several reasons why fruit is so good for you.

Perhaps the best reason for eating lots of fruit is that it lowers your risk of developing the disease. Fruit can also help control your blood pressure, lowers your risk of developing certain cancers.

It’s often overlooked, but fruit also makes you strong.

A 2011 Florida State University study found that eating dried plums, in particular, can help prevent osteoporosis.

Another study by the University of East Anglia found that vitamin C can help you retain muscle mass.

And then there’s the water content.

Certain fruits are super high in water content, which of course, keep you hydrated. While straight and plain water is always best, eating more fruit can help you reach your daily requirement.

When it comes to knowing how much water there is in fruit, watermelon would be the obvious choice, but did you know that strawberries also have about 92% water content?

Grapefruit is about 90% water. Even apples are good, with about 86% water.

Fruit deals diligently to those pesky free radicals that run about our bodies.

If you didn’t know, free radicals are unstable atoms that make us age faster, damage our healthy cells, and even cause cancer. Antioxidants are substances that help fight them off.

While all fruits have them to some degree, ripe fruits are heavily loaded with antioxidants.

But one of the greatest benefits of fruit lays in its healthy fibre. It helps reduce blood cholesterol levels. That, in turn, goes back to the first point - it lowers your risk of heart disease. Fibre is also super important for healthy bowels.

It helps keep you “regular,” which can prevent issues like constipation, haemorrhoids, and diverticulosis.

Foods high in fibre and low in calories also help you lose weight (or keep it off) because they make you feel full longer.

They also control your blood sugar, which again, helps you eat less junk throughout the day.

Essentially, fruit is nutrient-dense, and provide our bodies with a stack of vitamins and minerals.

We need a huge array of vitamins and minerals to stay healthy and keep going. Some of those nutrients, like calcium and potassium, are absolutely vital to our survival. For example, our hearts need both sodium and potassium to keep pumping. Fruits like figs, peaches, and kiwi fruit are loaded with potassium.

Pretty much the entire alphabet of vitamins can be found throughout various fruits.

And last but not least, it looks and tastes so good. Be sure to put it out on a platter this Summer.

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by Sandy Plüss

Easy plant-based weekly meal planning To make this way of eating sustainable and easy long term, I feel we must learn to ‘cook’ without following recipes.

After a busy day at work, we often don’t feel like coming home and preparing masterchef style plates!!! But knowing how to prepare simple meals, that are quick & easy to make, that also meet our nutritional requirements, means that we won’t be reaching for convenience items that are detrimental to our health.

I like to encourage people to get experimental in their OWN kitchen. Find some flavours that they enjoy and expand from there. I believe that in order to succeed on this lifestyle we have to get used to cooking basic meals without needing to follow an exact recipe every time.

Given that people have different taste preferences, texture desires, appetite sizes and available cooking facilities and/or appliances, listing exact amounts of ingredients (including spices and sauces), cooking times, serving sizes, and tools needed can sometimes feel limiting!

I have found that batch cooking 2 varieties of legumes, and 2 starches means I can get through a week simply and easily.

This makes mid-week meals much quicker to prepare and it’s enough variety that we don’t get bored of the meals!

We buy our produce seasonally depending on what’s available, but always have a backup of frozen produce in the freezer. This also adds to variety but means we can opt for ‘ease’ from the frozen products if needed.

Items to cook in advance (optional, but could be helpful): Black beans Brown rice Lentils Potatoes We choose to do our cooking prep on a Sunday. We use the pressure cooker for our legumes. We find that storing our cooked legumes in their cooking water makes them keep for longer. We strain them when we are ready to use them.

Planning our meals in advance and having some pre-prepped staples on hand can be hugely helpful. This is particularly useful during busy times, like the holiday season that will be here soon.

We choose a rice cooker for cooking rice. For potatoes, we opt for a microwave potato bag if I want to prepare them in advance, or else I just cook them when needed if I have the time.

Here’s what works for our family and will hopefully encourage you to experiment with something similar:

I also would like to point out that if you are genuinely time pressured that menu planning like this can still work!

48 wholefoodliving.life | Summer, 2020

About Sandy

S

andy has eaten a WFPB diet for over 13 years, happily married to Robert, they live near Sydney with their beautiful 16yr old daughter and two fur babies (a bunny and a cat).

Both her husband and her daughter also eat a WFPB diet. And the bunny loves sharing in all the leftover veggies scraps!

Sandy works part time as an accountant, and enjoys tea drinking, yoga and various craft activities.

Her mantra in the kitchen is “if it’s too time consuming or difficult, I don’t make it!” and with that in mind she frequently shares quick & easy cooking tips and recipes on both her Facebook and Instagram page – both called “Vegans Eat Yummy Food Too”.

Her site is full of inspiration and healthy meals. www.veganseatyummyfoodtoo.com

MONDAY Mexican rice bowls with black beans You can opt to cook the rice fresh on this night to start your week off. We like our black beans cooked fresh and served plain.

If you’d like to make the meal more fancy and desire to do a bit more cooking, you can make a really easy black bean/tomato dish as follows: Simple Mexican style black bean dish: Heat together a salt free can of diced tomatoes with your cooked black beans and some chilli.

Suggested veggies: Dry-fry some capsicum, zucchini, mushrooms and onion. Stir through Mexican spices of choice (we love oregano, cumin, coriander and smoked paprika) and a tablespoon of tomato paste.

Air-fried cauliflower, coated with lime juice and smoked paprika. With a simple mix of onion, garlic, zucchini, capsicum, and mushrooms water sautéed with dried cumin, coriander, paprika and oregano.

Served with black beans, brown rice, lettuce, corn cobs, freshly chopped tomatoes and herbs.

Serve the beans and veggies over rice, with corn cobs and shredded lettuce in a bowl.

Suggested toppings: Salsa, fresh coriander, avocado, lime juice.

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TUESDAY Lentil Bolognese over mashed potatoes Combine a bunch of chopped veggies of choice (great options include onion, garlic, carrot, celery, spinach) in a large frying pan and cook till tender. Add some Italian Herbs such as marjoram, thyme, parsley, basil, rosemary, black pepper, oregano. Add the lentils and a jar of tomato passata cooking sauce. Bring to the boil and then simmer till lentils are softened and veggies are desired consistency.

An easy way to make mashed potato is to bring potatoes to a boil using ONLY JUST enough water to cover them. Once they are tender you won’t need to drain them and can just mash them in their own starchy cooking water!

We love adding dried onion and chives to our mashed potato.

Serve the Bolognese over the mashed potato with fresh basil leaves.

Lentil Bolognese made using red lentils.

Veggies finely chopped - onion, garlic, carrot and mushrooms. A jar of passata a splash of balsamic vinegar and liquid smoke, dried Italian herbs and fresh basil leaves. Our potatoes are cooked as explained to the right.

Served with steamed kale and green beans.

WEDNESDAY Lentil curry with brown rice To make an easy lentil curry, sauté veggies of choice in either stock or water. Some great veggie options for curries include green beans, cauliflower, carrot, kale and pumpkin.

Add curry powder of choice and add some extra turmeric if desired.

To make a low fat creamy sauce base we combine plant mylk with coconut essence and corn flour to thicken. Make sure to whisk the cornflour with COLD mylk or else it won’t dissolve.

We then stir the coconut-style mylk over the veggie/curry mix and add the lentils. Stir til thicken.

Reheat enough rice to serve.

Pressure cooked curry – red lentils, onion, silverbeet, cauliflower, eggplant and fresh tomatoes. An experimental blend of spices to make a curry powder! Once cooked I stirred through the coconut-style mylk as described to the left using unsweetened almond mylk.

Served with steamed green beans and brown rice.

50 wholefoodliving.life | Summer, 2020

THURSDAY Rice bowl with edamame For tonight’s meal we’re using the freezer supplies of edamame.

You can substitute tofu if you’d rather.

Simply stir fry any veggies desired and serve with reheated brown rice.

Our meal pictured to the right is as follows: Stir fried onion, wombok cabbage, mushrooms, zucchini, broccoli, snow peas and green beans with ginger, garlic and a splash of tamari.

Served with edamame and brown rice.

FRIDAY Black bean patties with potato fries Why opt for take-away when you can make simple and healthy alternatives at home!

Many bean-burger recipes call for multiple ingredients and require quite a bit of prep.

I’ll be honest – I’m lazy in the kitchen and only want to make things that are quick and easy.

Here’s how we make “Too easy bean burgers” 2 cups black beans 2 Tablespoons tomato paste 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard Lightly pulsed together with oregano, paprika and garlic flakes till the mixture comes together.

Press mixture together firmly into patties (makes approx 4).

Oven bake or heat over a fry pan. (Oven approx 30 mins, pan fry approx 5 mins – turning half way through cooking time.)

Air fried potato wedges and basic side salad.

Basic black bean burgers as mentioned to the right - using neither flour nor flax.

These hold together, but are a little crumbly. You need to be gentle when flipping them. You can add chickpea flour or flax if you desire to make the batter firmer but the basic instructions above work quite well for those who are flour free and/or following the principles of calorie density.

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SATURDAY Stuffed potato bar We find we can “roast” potatoes super quick when we have done them part way in the microwave first. We heat them for a few mins each and then cut the potatoes open and bake in the oven for about half hour. The tops get crispy which adds great texture.

Suggested toppings: Corn, black beans, tomatoes, herbs, shredded carrot, capsicum, spinach, zucchini, hummus, salsa, spring onion.

Your choice – raw or cooked. Toppings are truly endless and can make for many different flavour combinations!

Leftovers of your bolognese or curry work well for this too!

SUNDAY Leftover night- meal recreations!

This is where the fun kitchen experimenting really happens!!!!!!!

Use any leftovers from the week - and top up with frozen or canned items as needed.

Soup/stew Leftovers in lettuce cups – this works great in warmer weather Loaded salad bowls

Roasted wraps with side salad Pizza using leftovers as the toppings Shepherd’s pie – using legumes/veg/rice as base and potatoes as the topping Baked ‘loaf’ or lasagne with roast veggies

Lasagne.

We combined lentils/ black beans and a heap of veggies. We pulsed all the ingredients in a food processor till it resembled a crumbly texture, but not too finely pulsed. Transferred mixture to a pan and cooked with passata and Italian herbs. Once the mixture was cooked through it was layered with wholemeal lasagne sheets and topped with polenta and nutrition yeast to be cooked.

52 wholefoodliving.life | Summer, 2020

Carob Mousse You just can't ignore a melt in your mouth mousse and this is no exception. Serves 6

by Janice Carter

INGREDIENTS 2 cups soya milk 3/4 cup dates, softened in hot water (drain water afterwards) 1/4 cup carob powder 2 tsp caro (coffee substitute) 1/4 cup cornflour 1 tsp vanilla essence sliced almonds (optional)

METHOD 1. Place all ingredients in a large pot stir to combine then add in another 2 cups of soya milk.

2. Heat until thickened stirring constantly.

3. Pour into a glass bowl and cover with plastic wrap pushing the plastic down to cover the mixture to prevent a skin forming.

4. Chill for at least six hours and serve sprinkled with sliced almonds (optional).

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When there's an egg in the house, diabetes is bound to follow

C

onsuming one or more eggs per day may increase the risk of diabetes by 60 per cent, according to a study published in the British Journal of Nutrition.

Researchers compared egg consumption with blood glucose levels in more than 8,000 participants from the China Health and Nutrition Survey. Those who habitually consumed the most eggs increased their risk for diabetes when compared to those who ate the fewest eggs.

Participants who ate the most eggs were less physically active, consumed more fat and animal protein, and had higher serum cholesterol levels.

Possible mechanisms for the increased risk include oxidation and inflammation from choline found in egg yolks and hindered carbohydrate absorption from chemicals found in egg whites.

The authors suggest the rise in egg consumption is related to the increased affordability of eggs in China and an overall shift toward Westernized diets low in vegetables and high in meat and high-fat foods.

These results support similar findings in other cohorts of participants in China as well as populations in the United States.

Another study published in Nutrition found an increased risk for diabetes and high cholesterol among Chinese women, while research published in Circulation found a link between higher egg consumption and prevalence of diabetes mellitus and hypertension.

The authors note results from a recent meta-analysis and data from the Physicians' Health Study and Women’s Health Study showed an increased risk for diabetes of up to 77 per cent with seven or more eggs consumed per week.

Humble breadfruit looks set to become bigger than Ben-Hur

A

fruit that has long been a diet staple amongst our nearest neighbours has all the hallmarks of being the next big thing in food production, according to a team of British Columbia researchers.

Breadfruit, which can be eaten on its own or dried and ground into a gluten-free flour, has the potential to improve worldwide food security and mitigate diabetes, according to the researchers.

During a series of studies, the scientists used flour ground from dehydrated breadfruits to gather data on the impacts of a breadfruit-based diet on mice and on an enzyme digestion model. After three weeks on the breadfruit diet, mice showed a significantly higher growth rate and body weight than those on a standard wheat-based diet, with similar body composition. In the enzyme digestion model, breadfruit protein was found to be easier to digest than wheat protein.

As a nutritious staple food, breadfruit could make inroads in food sustainability for many populations, according to lead researcher Ying Liu. As an example, she cites the average daily consumption of grain in the United States at 189 grams. The same amount of cooked breadfruit could meet up to nearly 57% of daily fiber requirements and more than 34% of protein requirements while also providing vitamin C, potassium, iron, calcium, and phosphorus.

“Overall, these studies support the use of breadfruit as part of a healthy, nutritionally balanced diet,” said Liu. “Flour produced from breadfruit is a gluten-free, low glycemic index, nutrientdense, and a complete protein option for modern foods.”

54 wholefoodliving.life | Summer, 2020

Now fitted with his own personal defibrillator, Grant is good to go again. The image above shows where the device was implanted.

From health to death, to hospital, & back to health again Grant Dixon recounts his recent journey

O

n Wednesday September 23 I was out on my usual five kilometre run. My custom was to run the length of the Hobsonville Point walkway three times a week. But this day was very different.

During my run I normally take a brief rest halfway, sitting near the local wharf and adjacent to the new restaurant precinct. The rest of this story I’ve pieced together from others, as I’ve lost all memory of the following event and the week following.

Apparently, once rested, I got up to continue my run and then fell head first onto the concrete and received a severe head wound.

A cardiac arrest is suspected although I may have simply tripped, - I was trying out new orthotics for the first time. A women who discovered me then yelled; “There’s a dead man here!”

This got the attention of Dan from the Air Force who was waiting for his girlfriend to arrive on the ferry. Dan immediately sprang into action and took control. He couldn’t detect a pulse or breath, - for all intents and purposes I was now dead. Dan then began CPR while an employee from the Fabric Cafe dialled 111.

Rupert, the manager of Little Creatures Restaurant rushed over their AED device. The machine was then hooked up to my chest and I was shocked. This got my heart going again. Soon arrived no less than two ambulances, a fire engine and an on-call volunteer fireman who lived up the road! As well a church friend got involved, who had just arrived off the ferry. Recognising me he gave my personal details to the medics and then went around to my house and informed my wife.

Less than 10 per cent of cardiac arrest sufferers survive and even fewer leave hospital without neurological damage. I was very fortunate indeed to have so many neighbours around me who responded so quickly.

What followed was four days in Auckland Hospital intensive care, where I was immediately put into a coma so that I could be intubated. Then followed another 34 days in North Shore Hospital Cardiac Ward. For most of this time I was being treated for a blood infection and then finally I was fitted with an ICD, - my own personal in chest, automatic defibrillator.

This wharf side collapse happened 10 years after my original heart attack, which resulted in four stents. It was also nine years

after I discovered Dr Caldwell Esselstyn’s book; ‘Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease’.

So did the advice I followed in this book work or not? Well, yes it did. In hospital no further heart plumbing or artery work was considered necessary and my cholesterol was recorded at an amazing 3.0 mmol/L, - way below the 3.8 mmol/L Dr Esselstyn considers to be cardiac safe. On the other hand the thickening in my heart arteries hadn’t lessened. But while I credit my Whole Food Plant Based diet for my main artery stent being just as clear as it was 10 years before, a lesser artery or two may have degenerated. However my heart no doubt had grown new vessels to compensate so it’s hard to compare apples with apples.

As well, I have high blood pressure. Unfortunately I’m not one of the three out of four who can cure high blood pressure through a plant based diet. A while ago I tried increasing my medication, but the next day was hot and while watching a soccer game I fainted. So I then chose to live with the blood pressure. However in light of this collapse I’m now endeavouring to again increase my medication.

For the record, assuming at the wharf I had a cardiac arrest, the doctors think that it would have been caused by historic scaring across my heart that momentarily stopped the electric current and my heart. Most of this scaring would have occurred prior to my plant based diet change, caused by my high blood pressure.

So, will I go out running again? Younger fitter athletes have ICDs inserted above their hearts for various medical reasons, and they continue to compete. So there is no clinical reason why I can’t resume running, even though some family members think I’m mad even to consider it. I still feel fit and would like to get out there again so I probably will, but this time I’ll try to find a minder or two to run with me.

And what about my loss of memory? Apart from that week, I believe my memory and brain is back to where it was (although my wife may think otherwise). Apparently during that week I thought John Key was our current Prime Minister and I later got caught on the; “What year is it?” question (it’s not 2008). So if we meet out there and chat please be gentle, who knows what else is still missing!

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Christmas Pudding and Custard No Christmas is complete without a traditional pudding with custard, Tweaked by Jenny's sister to make it whole food plant-based, it is well worth making | Serves 8-12

By Jenny Cameron and Lynne Georgiou | wholefoodsplantbasedhealth.com.au INGREDIENTS 3 cups rinsed dried fruit (eg. one cup each of raisins, sultanas, currants) 2 1/2 cups water 6 medijool dates - rinsed, pitted and chopped 10 mashed pitted prunes 2 Tbsps brandy (optional) 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda egg replacer: equal to two eggs (use 2 Tbsps ground flaxseeds plus 6 Tbsps water) 2 cups wholemeal self-raising flour 1-2 tsps spice (eg: cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves) 1 tsp vanilla essence

to form single rectangular sheets and place them overlapping, and fold over once to seal, in a large pudding basin, (Lynne uses a stainless steel pudding bowl) then place pudding mix on the oven bags lining the inside of the bowl.

3. Collect all the edges of the open oven bags (leaving room for pudding to expand) then tightly fasten the oven bag edges in the middle with string, then fold down the gathered edges before tightly covering the top of the pudding bowl with a double sheet of foil to form a good seal.

4. Put a piece of string under the bottom of the pudding bowl and tie it in the centre at the top of the bowlâ&#x20AC;Ś. This helps you lift the hot bowl out to check water level throughout cooking.

METHOD

Steaming in a saucepan: 5. Place foil-covered pudding bowl in a large saucepan with enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the bowl. Place a low metal vegetable steamer on the bottom of the saucepan so that the pudding bowl is slightly elevated. Cover with a tight-fitting saucepan lid, replenish boiling water as necessary during cooking time. Steam for minimum of 4-5 hours. When cooled, remove oven bags from pudding and replace with fresh oven bags. Store pudding in the oven bags in the pudding bowl, in the fridge for up to 4 weeks.

1. Place dried fruit, dates, prunes, water, and brandy (opt.) into a large, lidded container and place it in the fridge for 24-36 hours. The next day add carb soda, egg replacer, flour, spice and vanilla. Stir.

2. As a lining for the pudding mix: cut open two large oven bags

On Christmas Day: 6. Add a bit more brandy (optional) then re-cover the pudding bowl with another double foil sheet to form a tight seal and re-tie string to enable easier lifting from pudding bowl. Re-steam using above method, for a least 2 hours â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the longer the better.

56 wholefoodliving.life | Summer, 2020

Vanilla Custard for the Fruit Pudding

By Jenny Cameron's Mum METHOD

INGREDIENTS 4 tbsp 1/2 tsp 6 1 tsp 1 litre

cornflour turmeric medjool dates, chopped vanilla essence soy or other plant milk

Soak dates in boiling water to cover for 10 mins, drain, then blend with some of the milk, add cornflour and turmeric, blend again, add rest of milk, cook for 18 mins /100’/ speed 4 (in Thermomix).

Alternative: use blender or food processor to mix ingredients then place in saucepan, bring to low boil, stirring continuously until cornflour is cooked.

Fruit Cake Packed with so much dried fruit this plant-based version of the traditional rich fruit cake is super delicious. | Serves 24

By Jenny Cameron | wholefoodsplantbasedhealth.com.au INGREDIENTS 750 g mixed dried fruit (sultanas, raisins, currents) 725 ml soy milk 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour 4 tsps baking powder (or use SR Flour) 1 tsp each Spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice) 1 tsp vanilla essence lemon zest (optional) 1 Tbsp brandy or whisky (optional)

METHOD 1. Soak mixed dried fruit in the soy milk for 24 hours or longer 2. Pre-heat oven to 160 degrees C (320 F) 3. Add essence, lemon zest and opt. brandy to fruit 4. Sift flour, baking powder and spices into bowl and add soaked fruit, mix well 5. Pour into a lined 8 inch (20cm) square tin 6. Bake at 150-160° C for 1 ½ hours For a richer fruit cake try these proportions: 1kg dried fruit, 750 ml soy milk, 2 cups whole wheat flour, all other ingredients and method the same.

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The concentration of the human-sourced pollutants, containing lead and cadmium, doubled during bushfire periods.

Study finds bushfires release a toxic legacy W

e know forests absorb carbon dioxide, but, like a sponge, they also soak up years of pollutants from human activity. When bushfires strike, these pollutants are re-released into the air with smoke and ash.

Our new research examined air samples from four major bushfires near Sydney between 1984 and 2004. We found traces of potentially toxic metals sourced from the city’s air — lead, cadmium and manganese — among the fine particles of soil and burnt vegetation in bushfire smoke.

These trace metals were associated with leaded petrol — which hasn’t been used since 2002 — and industrial emissions, which include past metal processing, fossil fuel burning, refineries, transport and power generation.

This means bushfires, such as the those that devastated Australia last summer, can remobilise pollutants we’ve long phased out. The health and other effects may not be fully understood or realised for decades.

We chose four major bushfires — which occurred in 1984, 1987, 2001-2002 and 2004 — because of their known impact on air quality across Sydney. The New South Wales government collected air samples every sixth day on filters over that period and archived them, which meant we could study them years later.

We analysed these air samples during the bushfire periods and compared them to the months either side of each event.

As expected, air pollution levels were higher during bushfires periods, in terms of total suspended particles and fine particles (“PM10”, which are particles 10 microns or less in size).

Using statistical analyses, we separated the source components of the particles: those from natural soils and those originating from human-sourced pollutants. We found the concentration of the human-sourced pollutant component — containing lead and cadmium — doubled during bushfire periods.

Pollution of the air with cadmium is associated with mining, refining, burning fossil fuels, and even from household wastes. But the source of lead pollution has a more complicated story.

Isotopes are variants of an element, such as lead. Different lead “isotopes” have different atomic masses.

Our study measured lead isotopes in the air samples to “fingerprint” the pollution sources.

The data show that the source of the lead ranges from natural origins derived from the weathering of rocks to those from leaded petrol emissions.

Leaded petrol started being phased out in 1985 due to environmental and health concerns and hasn’t been used in vehicles since 2002. Much smaller amounts are still used in AVGAS — the fuel used to power small piston aircraft engines.

This article was compiled by Prof Mark Patrick Taylor and Dr Cynthia Faye Isley. It was first published by theconversation.com and is republished here under the Creative Commons Licence. The story provides an indication of the dangers we all face from aerial contaminants, especially during bushfire season.

As a result, lead levels in Sydney’s air decreased dramatically from 1984 to 2004. At the same time, the lead isotopes in the air changed.

The lead used in NSW petrol predominantly came from the mines at Broken Hill. Broken Hill lead has a very different isotopic signature to the lead found in Sydney’s main bedrock, Hawkesbury Sandstone. This corresponds to previous research showing ash from Sydney trees contained Broken Hill lead.

In 1994, lead in Sydney’s air was closer to the Broken Hill lead signature. By 2004, the lead isotopes in air resembled natural Sydney rocks. But during bushfires in 2001-2002 and 2004, the lead that was released started to look more like Broken Hill lead again.

This shows that the forests had absorbed leaded petrol emissions over the 70 years it was used and stored them. When the forests went up in flames, the lead was remobilised along with smoke and other bushfire particles.

Breathing in bushfire smoke is a serious health risk. Bushfire smoke resulted in more than 400 excess deaths during the devastating 2019-2020 bushfires.

Recently, the focus of air quality and health research has shifted to very fine particles: “PM2.5”. These are particles 2.5 microns or smaller that can penetrate deep into our lungs. During the Black Summer bushfires of 2019-2020, PM2.5 levels reached 85 micrograms per cubic metre of air over 24-hours, more than three times the Australian air quality criteria of 25 micrograms per cubic metre.

While our study shows that potentially toxic metals were more elevated in the atmosphere during bushfires, the concentrations

University vege project checks garden soil safety A

project initiated by Prof Mark Patrick Taylor is deeply involved in ensuring that locally produced garden vegetables are as healthy as possible. VegeSafe, run by the Earth and Environmental Science Staff at Macquarie University, seeks to inform people about metals and metalloids in their garden soils.

The programme provides soil metal testing for domestic and community garden soils. Participants receive a formal report and links to information and advice about "what to do next" in the event of soils containing elevated concentrations of metals and metalloids.

"Our motto is "Carry on Gardening" because this is exactly what we want people to do - in the knowledge that their soils are metal free as is the produce from their gardens. So far, we have analysed over 15,000 samples from 3,200 Australian homes," Prof Patrick Taylor says.

VegeSafe was launched at the Macquarie University Open Day in 2013. Since then, they have visited, sampled and tested soils from multiple schools, community and domestic gardens from all over Australia.

The project receives frequent enquiries for soil sampling and related advice and has assisted, advised and given comment presentations to thousands of Australians. Their work has been covered in the media - news and gardening programs, newspapers,

were not likely to be a health risk. The main risk is from the total concentration of fine particles in the air, rather than what they are made of.

The concentrations of the trace metals measured during the four major bushfires in our study were below Australian and World Health Organisation criteria. The period of increased exposure was also very limited, further reducing risk.

Nevertheless, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important to minimise exposure to all chemical contaminants. This is because many, such as lead, have no safe lower exposure limit and the effects are often proportionately greater at the first and lowest exposure levels.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not just Australian forests that have a lingering toxic legacy.

In Ukraine and Belarus, radioactive materials from Chernobyl have been released during bushfires.

And as global knowledge of the damaging effects of pesticides grew, we stopped using them. Yet we still find them far from civilisation in the frozen Arctic, waiting to be released when the ice melts.

Metals such as lead, copper, manganese and uranium continue to be mined and processed in Australia. The most significant environmental and health impacts are felt by the immediately surrounding communities, particularly children, as contaminants in the air deposit on surfaces and are later ingested.

Globally, the recycling of lead batteries continues to contaminate communities and environments, particularly those in low to middle income countries.

Yes, our modern lifestyles depend on these metals and other toxic chemicals. So, we must mine, use and dispose of them with great care, because once in the environment, they do not go away.

online articles and radio and continues to be positively received by all stakeholders.

Most Australians live in populated urban areas, and the rise of industry in the last century has resulted in the widespread accumulation of metal contaminants in soils.

Metal contaminants can remain in these soils for hundreds of years and may become highly concentrated, presenting potential exposure hazards to humans which may lead to adverse health effects. Exposure to metals such as lead can cause permanent negative intellectual and neurological effects on children.

Soil metal tests are conducted using X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometry.

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Books to Consider

From the groundbreaking results of his twenty-year nutritional study, Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease

by Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn illustrates that a plantbased, oil-free diet not only prevents the progression of heart disease but can also reverse its effects.

Lisle and Goldhamer offer unique insights into the factors that make us susceptible to dietary and lifestyle excesses and present ways to restore the biological processes designed by nature to keep us running at maximum efficiency and vitality.

T. Colin Campbell and his team at Cornell University, in partnership with teams in China and England, embarked upon the most comprehensive study ever undertaken of the relationship between diet and the risk of developing disease.

Their results still astound.

Why rely on drugs and surgery to cure you of lifethreatening disease when the right decisions prevent you from falling ill to begin with? How Not to Die gives effective, scientifically proven nutritional advice to prevent our biggest killers.

Suzy Amis Cameron environmental advocate, former actor, and mom of five, presents an easy guide for you to improve your health and shrink your personal carbon footprint.

Just swap one meat- and dairy-based meal for a plant-based one every day.

John A. McDougall, MD, and kitchen savvy wife, Mary, prove that a starchrich diet can help us lose weight, prevent a variety of ills, and even cure common diseases by fueling the body primarily with carbohydrates rather than proteins and fats.

The film's companion cookbook, The PlantPure Nation Cookbook brings a powerful, science-based approach to nutrition from the big screen to your kitchen with some of the same mouthwatering recipes that kick-started a revolution.

Dr Dean Ornish's research has proven that lifestyle changes can reverse undo! The progression of many of the most common and costly chronic diseases and even begin reversing ageing at a cellular level.

Several insurance companies cover his programme.

Neal Barnard, MD, a leading authority on nutrition and health, offers insight into how dietary changes can alleviate years of stress, pain, and illness.

What's more, he also includes delicious and easyto-make hormone-balancing recipes.

Sophie Steven's stunning cookbook is packed with over 100 delicious, vibrant plant-based, gluten-free and refined-sugar-free recipes. Some great recipes and taste sensations to try.

A book that will benefit the whole family.

This is a book that will let you live longer, reduce your need for medications, and improve your health dramatically. It is a book that will change the way you want to eat. Follow the Eat to Live diet, and you will lose weight faster than you ever thought possible.

Colin T Campell's Whole is an absolutely eye-opening, paradigm-changing journey through some cutting-edge thinking on nutrition. It is a scientific tour de force, that has powerful implications for our health and for the future of our world.

Want to eat healthily, but worried it will cost too much? Looking to save on grocery bills, without compromising on nutrition value or flavour? This book will answer all your questions. Great if you need to keep the food bill tight.

Great inspiration here.

Before Dr Barnard's scientific breakthrough, most health professionals believed that once you developed diabetes, you were stuck with it. We know now that this is simply not true. Barnard has shown it is possible to tackle type 2 diabetes.

Rip Esselstyn arms readers with the knowledge they need to win any argument with those who doubt the health benefits of a plantbased diet and to convince any number of curious carnivores to change their diets once and for all.

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Movies to Watch The Big FAT Lie Produced by Kiwi documentary filmmaker, Grant Dixon, this movie traces his efforts to discover why he wasn't told about problems with meat and dairy. If he'd known he could have saved himself a heart attack. He asks why he wasn't told about WFPB. On iTunes

What The Health A 2017 documentary film which critiques the health impact of meat, fish, eggs and dairy product consumption, and questions the practices of leading health and pharmaceutical organisations. Is there a conspiracy here? Check it out on Netflix.

The Game Changers A documentary film that follows several elite vegan athletes. It gives a broad overview of the benefits of plant-based eating and contains great personality interviews with people that have made the change. A must for all sports coaches. Available on Netflix

Forks over Knives The seminal film of the WFPB movement that has impacted millions the world over. Forks over Knives examines the profound claim that most, if not all, of the chronic diseases that afflict us, can be controlled or even reversed by rejecting animal-based and processed foods. Available on Amazon & iTunes.

TakeOut This movie highlights how corporate greed, global food consumption, and political corruption create conditions that are irreparably harming earth's ecosystem. Created by Emmy nominated filmmaker, Michal Siewieski, TakeOut is available on Amazon and from iTunes.

Diet Fiction This film calls to attention the most popular diets on the planet and draws together several misconceptions about weight loss and nutrition.

Filmmaker Michal Siewierski presents a punchy case and followed it up TakeOut. Bottom line message, go WFPB. View on Amazon.

Code Blue Code Blue reveals lapses in the current state of medicine and provides a common sense solution by featuring the practise of lifestyle medicine to prevent, manage and reverse chronic diseases. It covers hurdles to such a change and looks at the barriers. View on Amazon.

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Watermelon and Strawberry Slushy Can't beat the combination of watermelon and strawberry for a cooling summer drink. Serves 6

INGREDIENTS 1 small watermelon 1 punnet of strawberries 2 Tbsp lime juice fresh mint

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METHOD 1. Cube watermelon , removing the skin and seeds, place in the freezer for at least two hours or overnight.

2. When you are ready to make the slushy, slice off the hull of the strawberries.

3. Blend all ingredients until "slushy" and serve immediately.

4. Garnish with mint.

Oil-Free Granola Super easy to put together and great on breakfast in the morning.

Full of fibre and flavour. Creates around 6 cups

INGREDIENTS 4 cups 1 cup 1/4 cup 2 tsp 1/2 cup 2 tsp 1 cup

whole grain oats slivered almonds chia seeds ground cinnamon maple syrup vanilla essence dried fruit ( sliced apricots, sultanas, cranberries, apple)

METHOD 1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a large baking tray with parchment paper or silicon liner.

2. In a large bowl, mix in oats, almonds, chia seeds and cinnamon.

3. Spread mix over tray evenly, then pour over the maple syrup and vanilla essence, mixing it in with a spatula.

4. Bake for 10 mins then stir before baking for a further 10 mins.

5. Remove from the oven and add the dried fruit while all is still warm mixing right through.

6. Allow to cool before transferring to airtight glass jars for up to a month, if it lasts that long.

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Take a break

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Healthy crossword

Across 1. Iron found in animals (5) 6. Bearing of fruit twice a year (8) 9. Art of cultivating gardens (12) 12. Large radish (6) 13. Scent (5) 14. Antibiotic resistant bacteria (9) 15. Round tumor (5) 17. Tidy (4) 18. Yellow fruit (6) 19. Abnormal narrowing of a bodily canal (8) 22. Jenny ... (p.57) (7) 23. Breakfast cereal (7) 24. Mouth secretion (6) 26. World Health Organisation (1,1,1) (3) 27. Hamilton river nz (7)

29. Cooked (5) 30. Basic substance (7) 31. Used a bench (3)

22.

23.

25.

28.

Down 2. Single-celled microorganisms (7) 3. Strong headaches (9) 4. Community of microorganisms (11) 5. Thin strips of vegetables (8) 7. Cornmeal dish (7) 8. Type of IBD (6) 10. Put in the play (4) 11. Fat-cell part (5) 12. Gut imbalance (9) 16. Gathers (5) 20. ... Kachwalla (p.31) (6) 21. Indicators of ill health (10)

Chinese tea (3) Flowing garment (4) Pains (5) An .. of desire (6)

Go to link below for solutions Click or scan QR image for references. wholefoodliving.life/references-summer-2020/

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Recipe index

BREAKFAST

MAINS

Oil-Free Granola...............................................63

LIGHT MEALS / SNACKS Edamame Guacamole.....................................33 Namasu Salad (Daikon and Carrot)...........36 Oatmeal Raisin Biscuits ................................37 Potato Puffs with Peanut Sauce.................44

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Easy Peasy Korma Curry...............................14 Dukkah Roasted Yams ...................................15 Almond Crusted Broccoli .............................16 Scrummy Black Bean Tortillas.....................17 Chickpea and Pineapple Saute ...................18 Shell Harbour Cafe Salad .............................23 HCH Good Gut Health Recipe....................32 Simple potato salad.........................................40 Stuffed Kamo Kamo........................................41 Polenta with Wild Mushrooms ..................45 Lentil Bolognese ..............................................50 Lentil curry..........................................................50 Rice bowl with edamame...............................51 Black bean patties with potato fries.........51 Stuffed potato bar ...........................................52

DRINKS Watermelon and Strawberry Slushy .......62

SWEETS Carob Mousse ...................................................53 Christmas Pudding and Custard.................56 Fruit Cake............................................................57

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WFPB's Four Food Groups Based on the guide developed by PCRM (Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine) in 1991

FRUIT

3 or more servings a day Full of vitamin C and beta carotene, fruit is also rich in fibre. You should include at least one serving of fruit per day. Fruits are full of flavour, make a welcome afternoon filler and are great as a night time desert. They're best eaten whole because your gut benefits from their soft fibre.

Serving sizes: 1 medium piece of fruit, 1/2 cup cooked fruit, 4 ounces juice.

WHOLE GRAINS 5 or more servings a day

The wholegrain list is large. Here is a sample: barley, freekeh, whole rye, brown rice, oats, wheat, buckwheat, bulgur, quinoa, whole wheat couscous, corn, millet. Build meals around hearty grain dishes. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re rich in essential fibre, complex carbohydrates, protein, B Vitamins and zinc. Great for breakfast.

Serving sizes: 1/2 cup hot cereal, 1/4 cup dry cereal, 1 slice bread

LEGUMES

2 or more servings a day Beans, peas and lentils are your key source for good fibre, protein, iron, calcium, zinc and B vitamins. In this group you can also include items such as chickpeas, baked and refined beans, soy milk, tempeh and vegetable protein.

Serving sizes: 1/2 cups cooked beans, 4 ounces tofu or tempeh, 8 ounces Soy Milk.

VEGETABLES

4 or more servings a day Vegetables are your essential nutrient injection. Dark green leafy vegetables such as broccoli, collards, kale, mustard and turnip greens, chicory or bok choy are all good sources of important nutrients. They provide vitamin C, beta-carotene, riboflavin, iron, calcium, fibre and more. Extra beta-carotene comes from dark yellow and orange vegetables such as carrot, squash, sweet potatoes and pumpkin. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be afraid to eat generous amounts. Load up your plate!

Serving sizes: 1 cup raw vegetables, 1/2 cup cooked vegetables

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Thank you

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