Day 94 | Happy New Year!

Fine, I'm a little late on the well wishes but I'm getting over bronchitis and pneumonia - my attitude just wasn't where it needed to be to post a positive message earlier. When I'm sick I don't like connecting to anyone because I don't like to whine or rub my mood on anyone.

I am very excited about the new year especially since I turn 48 next month - the numbers 4 and 8 are my favorite and I feel that this has nothing to do with anything but it makes me feel good. If this year turns out to be full of positive abundance in every aspect of my life I know that it's just good fortune (who am I kidding? It will be because I turned 48!!!!!).

So what am I looking forward to this year? I have so many great things to focus on including:

• Working on my health, working on my health and working on my health
• Launching my creative business
• Developing my children's stories (at least a few of them)
• Putting my experiences at Google on paper - tying them into the rest of my life moving toward a positive outcome this year (ex., bad decisions turning into an amazing decision to work on what I'm passionate about)
• and...working on my health! (wink)

This is just a few things on my plate and really, I never know what other opportunities I'll be presented with so I like being flexible to change.

Do I have any resolutions? I'm glad you asked - no. I used to be the ultimate planner and had numerous resolutions/goals to accomplish each year only to have something negatively impact me that would cause me to lose focus. I would always end up feeling like a failure even though it was my own impossible/overly ambitious list. This year I want to just continue on my path of learning and applying whole body health practices. I also want to continue developing my creative ideas, many that I've had for over 10 years now. As you can see, I'm simply going to focus on what I'm already doing rather than create a wish list that takes too much energy and time to jump to just because I put it on a list.

So, the big focus now and through this year (and, well, beyond) is my health. I have government-sponsored health insurance (Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Program - PCIP - www.pcip.ca.gov) so I've already seen a doctor under this plan and it's leading to other appointments after I get my lab work done this week. Most likely I'll be referred to a host of specialists especially when it comes to the heart and artery disease but I'm up for the task. I really need to get a baseline of where my health is at. Here's the list of concerns (some obviously more important than others):

• Heart and artery disease
• Small mass in my lung
• Diabetes
• High blood pressure
• High bad cholesterol
• Retinopathy
• Neuropathy
• Obesity
• Depression

If you know how high fat/highly processed diets affect health you can see how most of these ailments got started. More importantly, by eating FFV (fat free vegan) most of these will go away or see great improvement within a few more months - certainly by the end of the year.

Exercise is also a big component to focusing on my health. The lack of consistent cardio and core work has greatly impacted my health. For years I worked with a personal trainer who helped me lose 150 pounds. Once I stopped seeing her and negative situations happened I went back to my old ways of self medicating with food that usually followed with doing no exercise whatsoever - it's not hard to see how I got to the health I'm at now, seriously. Whether I walk and/or do core/strength training, I need to do it consistently at least 5-6 times each week. Once the bronchitis and pneumonia are taken care of I'll be exercising.

Here's to a great year - 2011!

FOOD

My taste buds have really been dulled by the bronchitis and antibiotics. I usually can only taste one strong flavor in whatever I'm eating no matter how many ingredients there are. For example my beloved vegie sushi that I thought I would never stop eating has had the single flavor of fish (nori). All I can taste is fishiness and not in a good way. I haven't eaten sushi now for over a week and I don't know if I'll be eating it in the near future.

Tonight I modified a family favorite recipe, hamburger pie. It's basically a shepherd's pie but with condensed tomato soup as the base. It turned out really good - I think I like it better than my favorite childhood meal.

RECIPE

FFV Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients:

• Mashed Potatoes - 4 to 6 cups fresh or frozen mashed (with or without almond milk, cracked pepper and cracked sea salt to make them tastier and creamy)
• Mushrooms - 1 pkg - sliced, chopped or quartered
• Onion - 1 cup - diced
• Jalapeno - 1 or 2 fresh - finely diced (to taste)
• Carrots - 1 to 2 fresh - diced
• Zucchini - 1 large or 2 small/medium - diced
• Green beans - if fresh, large handful that is blanched in salted water for a few minutes - canned is fine (1 can) but make sure no salt added and rinse in a colander before adding to recipe
• Whole Tomatoes - 20 oz - canned - pureed with hand blender or food processor
• Tomato Paste - 6 oz - canned
• Almond Milk - 1/2 cup
• Garlic - to taste - minced
• Worcestershire Sauce - 2 Tbsp
• Garlic Powder - to taste or 1 tsp
• Chili Powder - to taste or 1 tsp
• Chipotle Powder - to taste or 1/2 tsp
• Pepper - cracked - to taste or 1/2 tsp
• Sea Salt - cracked - to taste or 1/2 tsp

Instructions:

• Make the mashed potatoes fresh or from the 'Steam 'n Mash' frozen variety (without fat added); cover and set aside
• Make tomato sauce by hand blending the pureed tomatoes, tomato paste and almond milk; set aside
• Dry saute minced garlic, jalapeno and onions very quickly for a minute or so
• Add in rest of vegetables blending with the sauteed vegies
• Stir in tomato sauce mixture and Worcestershire sauce until incorporated
• Pour entire mixture into the bottom of a casserole pan
• Top with mashed potatoes - you can either dot spoonfuls all over the top or smooth an entire layer on top depending on the potato to sauce ratio you prefer
• Bake covered with foil for 30 minutes; turn oven off at that time and let dish sit in cooling oven for 10-15 minutes
• Serve and enjoy!

Notes:

• You can play with the vegetables in this dish - you really can't go wrong. Corn would be a nice edition as would pearl onions, red/green/yellow/orange bell peppers.
• If this is being made as a vegetarian dish, you could put any type of shredded cheese on top of the mashed potatoes.
• You can make this dish more Southwest by adding red onion, cilantro, cumin and hot sauces/salsa.
• This is a great "make ahead" recipe - it will taste better the next day after the potatoes soak up more of the sauce.

Day 83 | Happy Holidays!

I was hoping to post this message sooner but I came down with a bad cold that turned into bronchitis and a sinus infection. Thankfully I was able to see a doctor to get on antibiotics. This is only day 2 so I have 8 1/2 days left on the meds. Unfortunately, being sick is putting a cramp in my holiday season mood.

For one reason or another I've had a difficult time getting through the holidays - maybe its because my immediate family was good at being on their best just for that day while the rest of the year I didn't feel love or support from them. Yes, I know that everyone has their own lives but who doesn't think about their siblings and parents all the time? That's how I learned not to think too much about them because I knew it would never be reciprocated.

The last few years has been a little different because my father had passed away. He usually set the tone for the holidays cooking a surf and turf meal on Christmas Eve and then my mother and I would fix a turkey dinner with all the trimmings and desserts on Christmas Day. We now go to my brother's house on Christmas morning to open gifts and have lunch. My mother and I go to an afternoon movie and then have a nice dinner out. This year we're going to see "Little Fockers" with Ben Stiller, Robert DeNiro, Barbra Streisand and Dustin Hoffman. It'll be slapstick humor that is painful for me to watch but I'll laugh and that's the important thing.

Dinner will be at Peohe's on Coronado peninsula. The restaurant faces downtown San Diego so we'll get to see the buildings all lit up. We'll most likely go to Hotel Del Coronado - hands down my favorite festive thing to do during the holiday season. The lobby is covered with decorations that include a 30 foot tree (I actually have no idea how tall it really is) and we get hot cocoa and walk around the hotel shops. It's as close to a holiday tradition as I partake in - well, that and Cantebury Gardens in Escondido with all of its themed-decorated trees.

FOOD

Being sick has really numbed my senses and its made it hard to focus on nutrition in that I've had no appetite whatsoever. I try to hydrate and I try to get fruit and vegies in each day along with some whole grains but its not much or enough. I am taking a multivitamin (vegan) to help bridge the gap.

For dinner tomorrow night I called ahead to the restaurant and asked if the chef was willing to do very low fat vegies and mashed potatoes. Between these two items and a nice, fresh salad and cucumber sushi (weird that they serve this but great for me), I'll have a fantastic meal that I'm really looking forward to.

Enjoy your holidays - I'm sure I'll post more thoughts before this year ends.

Day 73 | Apples, Apples and more Apples

I grew up eating Granny Smith or Pippin green apples - I love them because they are so crisp. I've tried so many other colored apples but if they aren't crisp enough I won't eat them. The ones I most dislike are McIntosh and Golden Delicious because they are just too mushy for me.

While in Henry's market a few days ago I was looking for Honey Crisp - a mix of red and green apple that my brother has been buying for a while now. The sweet and tart flavors of this apple are outstanding and I was thrilled that Henry's had them. While talking to the produce dude (I initially asked where the honey crisp apples were and he pointed to the bin behind where I was standing...I hate when that happens) I learned that there were a few other apples that I might like as well:

• Braeburn (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braeburn)
• Fuji (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuji_apple)
• Gala (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gala_apple)
• Pink Lady (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink_Lady_(apple))

For baking or cooking I believe the Granny Smith/Pippin is still the best apple because they hold up well during the heating process but it's great that I have a variety of apples to select from going forward.

FOOD

I've been trying to eat more 'raw' so that I get the most amount of nutrients from the fruit and vegetables I'm eating every day. Raw is defined as not being cooked over 115 degrees Fahrenheit. Wikipedia has a good and varied definition/description of this diet at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raw_foodism.

The raw vegan diet would be the ultimate for me because I am looking for whole body health through nutrition. I've done a pretty good job of finding ways to cook and bake for the maximum flavor satisfaction during my transition from regular eating but deep down I know that I need to strip away the need to still live for food rather than eat to live. Flavor can still be important in preparation but I need the ingredients to be more important going forward.

Another issue I'm battling is my weight - I've lost about 30 pounds in the past 2.5 months of changing my diet but I still feel bloated, gassy and have a lack of energy. I desire to exercise more than I am now - walking 30-45 minutes 4-5 times a week - both in cardio and core work. In addition to traditional exercise I want to learn yoga - especially to compliment my meditation. Meditation is still work for me and I have to force myself to sit quiet for a short period of time in order to do it - I'm always happy afterward but it's not automatic as I would like it to be.

What I ate today:

• Honey Crisp apples
• Cantaloupe
• Just Strawberries (dehydrated)
• Just Peas (dehydrated)
• Kashi Cinnamon Harvest dry whole grain cereal
• FF Spicy Corn Chili
• Crudite - red bell pepper, green bell pepper, celery, carrots
• Baked potato
• Steamed broccoli
• FF Sorbet

Day 72 | The Gift of Nutritional Education

I had a long day today because in addition to my normal activities I needed to go visit a friend in the hospital. Ever since my father passed away in November 2008 I haven't really wanted to go to the doctor or a hospital - this was simply something I couldn't avoid doing.

While driving to the hospital this afternoon I realized that I didn't know what the real problem was and why my friend had been there for 4-5 days already - he only mentioned his prostate and surgery. After talking with him and one of his nurses I learned that he had an infection on a portion of his prostate after it had become enlarged and was being irritated by the sphincter (sorry, there just is no nice word for this body part). He went to the ER because he wasn't able to have a bowel movement without excruciating pain - this was his prostate.

The more we talked the more I learned - he had uncontrolled diabetes and was told the infection was so severe and needed surgery because of it. Though blood sugar spikes when there is infection or sickness in the body - his was 380 when he was admitted and 258 after several days of slow and fast insulin injections. He was in so much pain and discomfort that he hadn't been able to sleep and the pain medication wasn't alleviated enough to be able to fall asleep - definitely not helping his sugar and overall health.

He told me that I was looking a lot healthier since the last time he saw me - about one month ago. I had already mentioned the heart disease and the fat free vegan diet previously but didn't elaborate - until today. I had a captive audience and though he was constantly adjusting himself in the hospital bed because of the pain I explained the significance of my diet in the plainest wording I could and I think he actually listened.

One of the problems he was experiencing by being in the hospital - other than being out of work, that is - is that he doesn't want his 3 children to see him in pain. I told him that since he was never away from home and that the children already knew he was in the hospital that it would be better to allow them to see that he is okay and that he had the perfect opportunity to tell them that he was going to make sure that he never had to come back to the hospital because he was going to eat his fresh vegies and fruit AND drink a lot of fresh water. Like most dual-income families, life is so hectic for him and his wife so fast food options are used more than they would like. I thought in that moment that I would find lower cost fresh produce options for him to have - it can be very difficult for low income families to find cost-effective healthy meal options - especially if their waking moments are working.

I spent a fair amount of time in his hospital room talking about how I eat at home and in restaurants - the choices I make and the questions I ask. We also talked about his incentive to make such a positive change to his health - his kids and their life events that are yet to happen...grandchildren...general happiness.

One thing he interjected was that he was under a tremendous amount of stress due to the job market and now his health issues keeping him from earning much needed money. It's so hard to give simple answers to someone in his situation because the truth is I have difficulty with saving my own life and I don't have a 9-5 (or 7a-8p in his case) job, a spouse or children to worry about (well, I sometimes worry about my niece and nephews but from afar...).

All I could do was to remind him of his faith/beliefs and told him that I take at least 20 minutes every day to sit in a peaceful place in my home and clear all of my thoughts. I have a small water fountain that helps me do this but it can be done anywhere that you can be peaceful for a short amount of time (a friend of mine with kids told me once that she sits on the toilet to do this because it's the only place where she has privacy...). I told my friend that it's the disconnection from the frenzied thoughts that was the real exercise - that somehow the feeling of possibilities, hope and peace affects the brain in a positive way. The more I did this the more benefit I was getting because I started craving it - the stressful thoughts are now filled with a feeling of floating on water and watching random situations resolve themselves without me having to take action. At first I felt a little stupid forcing myself to sit quietly and be void of thought - I didn't really understand the significance but I sure do now!

So my day ended with this powerful discussion with my hospitalized friend - I didn't intend for the visit to be that way but I think it was beneficial for both of us. He knows a lot more about how nutrition affects his health (whole body health through nutrition rather than treating only one symptom at a time) and that he has a lot of control over his health going forward. I walked away with a reaffirmation of what I'm doing with my own health and why. I can honestly state that whole body health through nutrition is something that I really believe it - more than anything else in my life.

FOOD

The timing of the visit with my friend in the hospital is interesting - I've felt like 'cheating' on my diet but when I challenge myself I know it's due to a few emotional situations going on around me that I have a lack of control over (ex., news that an uncle has stage 4 lung cancer that has metastasized to his shoulder bone, a first cousin who has lived a difficult/sad life passed away at 47).

I've been so focused on my health for the past few months that I was shielded by real life going on around me - this is a time that I should feel extremely grateful that I am on a path of whole body wellness because of nutrition and I am but, I can't help feel that all of this knowledge didn't save other members of my family. Yes, they made decisions about how they wanted to eat and live but I've somehow survived all of my mis-guided and bad decisions throughout my life. I'll work through this but I know that it will be a process - the bottom line though is that I must continue moving forward in this direction boldly and without reservation. The one thing that no one tells you when you're growing up is that no matter what is going on around you - good and bad - you must move forward in a positive direction.

What I ate today:

• Apples - Honey Crisp
• Cantaloupe
• Carrot, cucumber and avocado sushi rolls
• Vegie skewers with teryaki sauce (mushrooms, onions, red bell pepper and zucchini)
• Crudite (celery, red bell pepper, green bell pepper)
• Pickles - dill
• FF Brownie Oatmeal Cookies

Day 68 | Do What You Love To Do To Make Life Easier

This is week 2 of doing daily exercise (walking) and I found that I needed to pick different places to walk because though the area I live in is nice with a park-like setting, it gets boring very quickly. On Tuesday, my regular day to do inventory/stocking at my small retail spot in Leaping Lotus, I decided to make it a day at the beach since Leaping Lotus is in Solana Beach (just north of Del Mar).

One of my all time favorite things to do in San Diego County since I've been able to drive - a really long time ago - is to sit and/or walk on Del Mar beach and then go to Stratford Court Cafe on 13th and Stratford Court for breakfast or lunch. The food is more healthier and I love chatting with the owner, Teri. I haven't been doing this for many months this year because of my health scares and focus on the fat free vegan-like diet. I thought that incorporating these beach activities into my new routine would prove beneficial because I would look forward to hanging out at the beach at least once a week.

The day was so magical - the weather was in the low 70s with a bright blue sky and plenty of sunshine. The tide was up on the beach but I was able to walk on it for a while before crossing over toward the town and then to Stratford Court Cafe. I loved being able to see Teri at the cafe and order a healthy sandwich of whole wheat toast with red bell pepper hummus, thinly sliced cucumbers, beefsteak tomato slices, red onion, mixed field greens and a little bit of avocado. I enjoyed it so much and vowed to go there once a week whenever possible.

I think knowing what makes you happy and incorporating it into a new, healthier lifestyle is important. Maybe it's my "all or nothing" mentality but thinking that I can't do things that I love to just because I've changed the way I eat has made it a little more difficult to accept that I have completely changed the way I eat - not just transitioning or eating this way temporarily until the heart disease is gone. This is it and the more I do to support it going forward, especially by continuing to do things that I love in a more healthier way, the easier life will be.

FOOD

Knowing that I had made too much of the FF 'Super' Spaghetti Sauce earlier this week I decided to drop off some to my mother and brother. My mother is a regular eater and she told me tonight that she loved the sauce over macaroni (it was the only pasta she had on hand). I'm always happy when regular eaters like the fat free vegan-like food because I know my palette has already changed so I'm not the best judge of great tastes for regular eaters.

What I ate today:

• 'Bologna' soy protein sandwich with dill pickle relish, chipotle mustard, sliced tomatoes and butter lettuce
• Carrot, cucumber and avocado sushi rolls
• Jamba Juice's 5 Fruit Frenzy "Fruit Only" smoothie (no dairy or fat added)
• FF Vegan Oatmeal Brownie cookies (see my modified version of this yummy recipe below)
• Baked russet potato with FF "Super" Spaghetti Sauce
• Ultra thin pretzel sticks
• Crudite (carrots, celery, red & green bell peppers, poblano chile) w/FF dressing

_______________________________________

RECIPE

FF Brownie Oatmeal Cookies

(modified from the Fat Free Vegan website: http://fatfreevegan.com/blog/2010/02/25/brownie-oatmeal-cookies/)

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup unbleached Flour
• 1/3 cup Turbinado (raw) Sugar
• 1/4 cup fine or baking Sugar
• 1 cup quick cooking rolled oats (can use steel cut/not quick, if that's what you have)
• 1/2 cup Cocoa Powder - unsweetened - non-Dutch processed
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/4 tsp salt (can be omitted if on a sodium-free diet)
• 2 Tbsp powdered Egg substitute (I use Ener-G) - mix well with 4 Tbsp water before adding to recipe
• 1/3 cup Corn Syrup, light or dark (I used light)
• 1 1/2 tsp Vanilla (pure is best)
• 1/2 tsp Almond extract (pure is best)

Instructions:

• Pre-heat oven to 350F
• Mix wet ingredients in their own bowl: mixed egg replacer, vanilla, almond extract and corn syrup
• In separate bowl, combine dry ingredients: flour, sugars, salt, baking powder, cocoa and oats
• Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the blended wet ingredients - stir until moistened (you'll know because the cocoa will be darker)
• On a silicone baking sheet on top of a baking pan (if you don't have a silicone sheet you can use a wax paper-lined or Pam sprayed pan), work with batter between 2 palms to form approx. 2 dozen cookies. "Form" takes a little extra work because you'll want to be sure that the batter doesn't crumble and that it's fully formed into a slightly flattened ball.
• Bake at 350F for 10 minutes
• Pull slightly cooled silicone baking sheet onto a cooling rack for 10-15 minutes
• Put in covered container or zipped baggy after cooled
• Enjoy!

Notes:

• The cookies are a little on the drier side but still have a good consistency especially with the slightly chewy oatmeal
• The flavor is more like dark chocolate (less sweet than milk chocolate, that is) so if you want to add a little more sweetness you could gently roll the cookie after being formed into sugar (especially the more coarse Turbinado sugar) and/or you can drizzle the tops of the cookies after they've cooled down with a simple FF chocolate icing (see recipe below)

Simple FF Chocolate Icing

Ingredients:

• 1/8 cup Cocoa Powder - unsweetened - non-Dutch processed
• 1/8 cup Powdered/Confectioner's Sugar - organic, if you can find it
• 1/8 cup Water or Almond/Soy/Rice Milk
• Touch of flavoring to taste (ex., vanilla, peppermint, orange, almond, hazelnut) - optional
• Pinch of ground cinnamon - optional

Instructions:

• Mix all ingredients together at once with a small whisk or fork adding droplets of water/liquid to get desired consistency; if too thin you can always add more powdered sugar (it's hard to screw this recipe up...)
• Using a spoon, drizzle the cookies with the icing or you can dip the tops of the cookies into the icing for even more sweetness
• To serve as a very special dessert you can use warmed liquid with the dry ingredients and any flavored extract (ex., peppermint, almond, hazelnut, orange) - serve in a small open container on a small decorative plate with cookies and coffee - YUM!
• Enjoy!

Day 65 | Forks Over Knives - The Movie!

Thanks to my twin brother, David, I heard about a movie that was coming out first quarter 2011 focused on the work of Dr. T. Colin Campbell and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn - 2 of the most important people that have greatly and positively impacted my survival. I'm so excited about this film and can't wait to see it either as one of the first screenings or when it is released on March 11, 2011. You can see a trailer of the film at: http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=104639306228046. If you don't have a Facebook account you can see it and learn a lot more about the behind the scenes work at: http://www.forksoverknives.com.

As someone with multiple diseases stemming from long-term misuse of food I am thrilled that a movie is hitting mainstream to shed even more light on this incredibly important issue. To me, more attention and support of the plant-based diet, especially fat-free (or very low fat), means more resources to those of us following this diet and lifestyle making it much easier to incorporate eating into our social. People who will be learning about this important disease prevention and reversal diet should find it easier to adopt because it will be more widely known - though the movie will simply be nudging the industry rather than completely changing it.

I'm sure it will be included in the movie but the facts are that where there are powerful lobbies in Washington, DC, it makes the "right" decision about the public's health hard to change/implement. Of course we can lower medical costs and save the lives of millions (certainly allow people to live their lives without disease) but it would mean the dairy, meat and processed food industries would become obsolete - I feel I'll get into trouble just stating that fact out loud. Further, these industries have their own data from payrolled scientists that will be used to thwart any attempt to move American's toward a plant-based diet.

Another stumbling block that I see is that the fast-food (high fat, highly processed foods) industry provides economic incentive for individuals and families to incorporate their food into the weekly diet - it's just so cheap to eat fast food. The $1 menus alone grip people to continue eating fast food more and more often even though most people know logically that fast food shouldn't be a staple in their diet.

I hope you'll see the movie and make up your own mind - I already have made up my mind and that's why this blog was created - to tell anyone who will read/listen that a plant-based diet is vital/mandatory/obvious/common sense/essential/NECESSARY! And, yes, I'm a bit of a zealot on this issue since it's taken over my life and given me such a positive and productive focus in an otherwise mentally and physically painful existence.

FOOD

As I'm writing this post I am enveloped by the aroma of a FF Super Spaghetti Sauce that is slow-cooking in my crock pot. It's so intoxicating that it's actually making it difficult to stay focused on my post. I get so excited to feel this way about a dish I've created even though I'm eating to live rather than living to eat - but what's wrong with loving what you eat to live? The phrase "if loving you is wrong I don't want to be right..." is hanging in my brain right now, seriously.

What I ate today:

• Watermelon
• Strawberries
• Corn & flax cakes (like rice cakes)
• Cucumber and carrot sushi
• "Bologna" soy protein sandwich w/sliced tomatoes and butter lettuce on Ezekiel toasted bread
• Soy mocha (I ask for 1/2 the amount of chocolate powder to be mixed in)
• Crudite plate (green and red bell pepper, celery, grape tomatoes)
• Pretzel sticks
• FF Super Spaghetti Sauce over brown rice spaghetti (see recipe below)
• Honey Crisp apple (my gosh these are good!)

________________________________________

RECIPE

FF "Super" Spaghetti Sauce

Ingredients:

• Brown/Baby Portabella Mushrooms - chopped or sliced (I use a lot - like 2-4 cups...they cook down)
• Sweet/Yellow Onions - large dice - to taste (I use a lot - like 2-4 cups)
• Pearl Onions - raw w/ends and skins off and then cut in 1/2) - to taste (I use 1-2 cups)
• Poblano Chilies - 2 large - deseeded and chopped
• Celery - 4 stalks sliced or diced
• Carrots -2 large or 4 small - diced or thinly sliced
• 2 36oz cans Crushed Tomatoes
• 1 8 oz can Tomato Paste
• 1/4 cup Chili Sauce
• 1 Tbsp Pick-A-Pepper Sauce (or Worcheshire Sauce) - to taste
• 1/2 to 1 cup White or Red Wine - your choice but should be dry with body
• 1 Tbsp Garlic - minced (ok to use less or omit but replace with 1 Tbsp Garlic Powder)
• 1-2 cups Green Beans - fresh or canned (no salt added or low sodium) chopped (par-boil if you want them to cook down with the sauce)
• 1 cup Sun-dried Tomatoes - roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup Mushroom Broth
• 1 pkg LiteLife Ground Beef soy protein (optional)
• 1 packet Spaghetti Seasoning (FF)
• 1 Tbsp Oregano or Italian Seasoning - dried
• 1 Tbsp Basil - dried
• 1 tsp - 1 Tbsp Garlic Salt
• Sambal Oelek sauce - to taste (I use 1-2 Tbsp)
• Fresh Basil - chiffonade - to taste - use as topping/garnish at serving time

Instructions:

• Place all ingredients into the crock pot - I usually put in canned and dried ingredients first and then add the chopped/cut fresh ingredients as their are cut
• Cook on High for 30-60 minutes - stir every 20 minutes or so (no exact science here - just want to incorporate all the ingredients/flavors prior to the slower cooking)
• Cook on Low for 6-8 hours - stir every hour or so (again, no exact science)
• Prepare pasta - I use spaghetti but any FF/whole grain pasta will do
• Serve and eat!

Notes:

• You can add any vegetables you prefer - zucchini and yellow squash work great as does broccoli or broccolini.
• Corn and peas could also be added but will add more starch - I find that the dish doesn't need it.
• The length of cooking is also easily modified - if you have less time you will want to cook on High for a little longer (up to 2 hours) keeping an eye on the boiling or you could cook on Medium for up to 4 hours and then switch it to Low for the last 2-4 hours.
• You can switch the flavoring to Mexican by removing the Italian spices and adding cumin, chili powders, chipotle powder, garlic powder and chopped/minced fresh cilantro

Day 61 | Finding Happiness in Being Ordinary

"...I cherish the day, I won't go astray, I won't be afraid, You won't catch me running, You're ruling the way that I move, You take my air..."

I was driving home from Solana Beach along Pacific Coast Highway to avoid the traffic on the 5 freeway this evening when a song by Sade came on the radio, Cherish The Day, it transported me to a time earlier in my life way before Google, the death of my father, the bird rescue/rehab, hitting rock bottom emotionally or even going through the pain of many lost friendships (that weren't real friendships in the first place...another discussion for a different blog...life's lessons...). The skies were clouding up and the sun was making its final descent so there was a beautiful orange/pink/purple hue out over the water as I drove north - this view mixed with the beautiful music culminated in an emotional wave with tears of familiarity and the sense that this is what happiness must feel like. This drive, one that I've made throughout my life - as long as I could drive - was both familiar and, ordinary.

Recently I was talking with a dear friend and together we realized that though I've been through a lot of emotional struggle in the past few years (actually, my entire life...) I was somehow at a place in my life right now that I've been craving for a very long time - simple, honest, nurturing, educational...sustainable. It may be that I'm really taking care of myself now and that I'm living with a lot more intention and consciousness than ever before but it's really the ordinary way that I'm living day to day that is bringing me so much happiness - does that even make sense? Yes because I'm calmer, less confused and getting healthier by enjoying where I am right now - not where I think I should be.

I should take a step back and explain that for most of my life I have been searching for a place where I belong - where I'm safe - where I feel I can be myself - where I can be loved for who I am - where the beauty of my surroundings overshadow the pain of my childhood and poor decisions I've made to avoid pain as an adult. This constant searching for where I truly belong, with the assumption that once I find it I'll no longer be searching (obviously) is what has led me to travel domestically and internationally. I have so many clips of beautiful and interesting places that replay in my head randomly - sometimes it stops me in my tracks and I wonder if I'm meant to be there. What I have figured out is that I've been searching for love/safety/security in being Theresa and that though I love beautiful landscapes and views, it won't matter where I live until I learn to love and trust myself - to have the courage to live, thrive and flourish for me.

So back to ordinary - anyone who has lived their life believing that they were meant to be special - special because it meant that you didn't have to live like everyone else and that someday, maybe, your specialness would take you to a place where you would be completely left alone to explore and reach your potential without scrutiny and judgment of others who don't have your best interest at heart - will hopefully realize that being ordinary is a lot less stressful way to live your life...this is where I am right now.

FOOD

My love affair still continues with raw vegetable sushi rolls and edamame. I keep thinking I will get tired of it but that hasn't happened yet. I think the sushi chefs at the little local Japanese restaurant are waiting for me to order something else but I just can't get myself to do that.

I have noticed that if I don't have fresh fruit or vegetables in the refrigerator, I will likely not eat them with the exception of eating the vegie sushi. So this isn't good - I am committing to going to the organic supermarket every 3 days to make sure I have both fresh fruit and vegetables so that I can snack on them as well as use them in recipes. I also will be going to a salad bar restaurant (Souplantation in my area) a few times each week to get fresh and varied salads to ensure I'm eating raw and fresh as much as possible. Committing to this way of eating is far reaching in that I have to continue to find ways to make sure I'm eating as healthy as possible - eating to live versus living to eat.

What I ate today:

• Watermelon
• Strawberries
• 'Bologna' sandwich (soy protein)
• Carrot, cucumber and avocado sushi rolls
• Edamame
• Roasted Soy Nuts
• Pretzel sticks
• Soy Latte
• Salad (carrot, radish, tomato, lettuces, zucchini, butternut squash, green bell pepper, cucumber, beet, jalapeno and broccoli)
• Kashi Cinnamon Harvest cereal (dry)

Day 59 | Feeling The Pain

I can't believe how much time has passed since starting the new way of eating yet it seems like it should have gone by even faster. Whenever starting something new it takes some time to incorporate it into my life - well, it seems to take even longer the older I get.

There is quite a list of symptoms I've been dealing with both before I started eating so healthy and after due to the major transition to healthy food from a high fat/highly processed diet (can you say "self medicated with food?"). I guess I'm feeling like I should be improving faster but I woke up a few days ago with severe pain in my left first 2 fingers and knuckles - like arthritic-type pain. It went away after a day but then it was back yesterday morning with even more intensity.

I got a hand massage yesterday that helped somewhat and the pain was less intense this morning. It's a very strange feeling because I have diabetic neuropathy in my feet and a little in my fingertips. This seems to be getting worse, not better after starting the new lifestyle. This is why I need to consult with a doctor who knows the whole body and fat free vegan lifestyle.

I was talking to a dear friend this evening who told me about a spa in the Czech Republic that he went to in 2009 for 7 weeks to get healthy and lose weight through eating healthy and exercising throughout the day - he highly recommended it to me especially since he reads my blog and is aware of my struggles. Believe me, the thought of going to a beautiful European-esque place to focus on nothing but my health sounds heavenly. Once I find the website I will provide it in a future post.

The thing is, I would love to go for 7-8 weeks because that would allow me to get used to being in another place and for my body to get used to the exercise and weight loss but it would be nearly impossible for me to take that kind of break from my life. I have been looking for a reason to travel abroad again (it's been a few years now) and this definitely would be worth it. We'll have to see how things go over the next few months of my life (ex., preparing for grad school, fully launching my small creative business, internship with child welfare and/or women & children's shelters) - my family doesn't plan travel at all especially when finances are an issue but I'm sure they'll support me if I can keep my life running smoothly when traveling.

FOOD

I didn't eat enough food yesterday and I knew it before going to bed. I snacked on thin pretzel sticks very late at night even though I knew that would mess with my diabetes and colon. As expected, I didn't eliminate this morning as I have been for several weeks now. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it) I had a few IBS-type episodes this afternoon that I attributed to the small amount of avocado in my cucumber and avocado sushi roll at lunch. I'm not used to eating anything with a fair amount of fat, even naturally occurring fat.

I really don't understand why Dr Esselstyn doesn't allow even small amounts of avocado - in my research I found that they raise good cholesterol and decrease the bad. I thought they had cholesterol in them but I couldn't find any evidence of this - all the food labels listed online state 0 cholesterol so I'm even more confused - I WANT TO EAT AVOCADO! That's it for the rant for now - I know better than to second guess a heart surgeon who has dedicated his life to the prevention and reversal of heart and artery disease with great success...

What I ate today:

• Gala apples
• Pretzel sticks
• Carrot, cucumber, avocado sushi rolls
• Soy gingerbread latte
• FF Fast & Easy Mexican-style Chili (see recipe below)
• Oatmeal

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RECIPE

FF Fast & Easy Mexican-style Chili

Ingredients:

• 1 can organic FF Chili Beans
• 1 can FF Refried Beans (any flavor as long as it doesn't have fat)
• 1 tub (16oz) Salsa (pureed or chunky)
• 1/4 cup Chili Sauce (or 1/8 cup ketchup/catsup + 1/8 cup taco sauce)
• Onions - any type (I like red for this recipe) - diced - to taste (I use a whole one but then again, I live alone)
• Jalapeno - fresh - finely diced (can omit if you don't like this type of heat)
• Poblano Chili - fresh - roughly chopped - to taste (I use a whole one)
• 1 packet Chili Seasoning (make sure it doesn't contain fat or whey)

Instructions:

• Put all ingredients into a pot with a lid; loosely combine; cover
• Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes
• Uncover and stir well; cover and turn heat to low
• Cook for 10-15 minutes; remove from heat
• You can let this sit in the pot for up to 30 minutes but is ready to eat at any time
• Serve and eat!

Serves 4 (as the main course - goes further when using it as a topping)

Notes:

• You can easily add other vegetables but chop to similar size - corn provides a great taste and texture as do chopped or sliced mushrooms
• This makes a great topping for baked or mashed potatoes, rice and pasta.

Day 58 | In Search of a Vegan Doctor!

I had a really great Thanksgiving week last week - I stayed with my mother for 5 days spending most of the time cooking and holiday shopping. I think it was good for me to be outside of my own home for a little while so that I could appreciate my new lifestyle. My mother has really come around about supporting me in my fat free vegan eating - we go to salad and sushi restaurants for lunch and dinner. We even discovered that CPK (California Pizza Kitchen) serves whole grain pasta and they were willing to steam mixed vegies and use their amazing tasting fat free salsa to create a pasta dish that was incredible.

I was a lot more active over the past week and I've felt more tired than usual at the end of the day. I have been sleeping more soundly so overall I have been feeling better. Today I walked for 30 minutes as I've been planning to do for the past month - this tells me that I have more energy and better health.

A thought that came to me yesterday was that it would be a good idea to find a doctor that specializes in vegan nutrition especially since I eat extremely low fat. A search on 'vegan doctor san diego' yielded nothing except a vegan forum that posed the same question. I'm sure traditional doctors know something about vegan issues but they are part of the medical community that supports the dairy and animal food as part of a healthy diet so I feel they would be biased. I'll keep on researching this topic and will write to Dr Esselstyn to see if he has any contacts in San Diego. A simple consultation would really help me with the questions I have about my health - what's normal, what's not.

FOOD

I know that I need to better plan my meals each day because when I am away from home during the day I tend to forget to eat and then I feel sick until I do. Though I usually keep snack type foods in my purse I didn't have any today. If anything I should be eating more food but I seem to be eating less.

Another issue I'm dealing with is loss of hunger - I don't feel like eating in the morning until around 11a-12p and then I don't even think about eating until 4-6p. I may just be recovering from being away from home but being sick is not fun so I better get on top of this tomorrow.

What I ate today:

• Green apple
• Cucumber & carrot sushi
• Edamame
• Pretzel sticks
• Huge vegie salad

Day 49 | So much for being on auto-pilot

It's a rainy day here in San Diego - perfect for doing a lot of nothing, watching Little Miss Sunshine again and taking a nap. I'm just not feeling well again today so I'm taking it easy for once. I've mentioned in a few posts that I started not to feel well in the past few weeks and I wasn't specific because I didn't really know if I was coming down with sickness (cold/flu) or something I could attribute to my new diet.

The researcher in me sat down at the computer this morning to find any information on the following symptoms I've been experiencing lately, specifically:

1. Extreme fatigue throughout the day (I'm 47 but feel like I'm 87)
2. Extreme coldness in my body, especially in my feet and hands - I can't get them warm no matter what I do (picture me in sweats, layers of clothing and in a double thick blanket cocoon - still shivering)
3. Strange stomach/colon uneasiness (like pre-flatulence or something) about 1 hour after I eat
4. Weakness all over my body - especially in my arms and legs
5. Tingling hands and feet - more than the usual I have with neuropathy but not unlike it (sometimes it makes it hard for me to fall asleep)
6. Strange sharp/burning pain in my upper middle/right back muscle

The good news is that there is information out there on all of these symptoms. It looks like I do need to see a doctor to be sure that I'm not overlooking a more serious issue - the heart and artery disease is issue enough.

Here's what I've learned so far:

1. Extreme fatigue - This seems to be quite common among newbie vegans (4-6 weeks from starting); anemia, slowing metabolism, lack of calories/amount of food eaten are but a few of the culprits
2. Extreme coldness in my body - This could be due to a slow metabolism (lack of eating enough calories or right foods), anemia (lack of iron from not eating meat), hypothyroidism (though I've never had this problem before)
3. Strange stomach/colon uneasiness - This can be so many things but it's likely that my colon is still adjusting to the raw foods and lack of fatty acids - I'll keep researching this one. I actually have diarrhea today so it's even harder to figure out what's really going on.
4. Weakness all over my body - This is most likely the same as the fatigue and coldness - experienced by many newbie vegans who haven't quite figured out the right amounts of food to eat
5. Tingling hands and feet - This is most likely part of the weakness I'm experiencing elsewhere. The fact that I already have neuropathy from diabetes doesn't help this at all.
6. Strange sharp/burning pain in my upper middle/right back muscle - This is completely unrelated to the diet - whew! I've been doing more computer work over the past few weeks and this causes me to hunch over/forward tilt my head a lot putting a tremendous amount of strain on my upper back and lower neck muscles thus causing the pain - basically it's over strain of the lower neck muscles. I need to focus on proper head and spine posture so that this pain will go away (it's pretty intense now so that may take awhile).

I think I already mentioned that I currently don't have health insurance due to being unemployed. I am able to see a primary doctor at Kaiser (where all of my medical records are for the past 10 years) but I have to pre-pay the visit and I'm not allowed to see specialists even if referred by the primary. This complicates my life, as you can imagine. I did find that California has already set up a website for people who cannot get insurance and have pre-existing major health issues after the 10/25/10 passing of the healthcare reform bill (PCIP - http://www.pcip.ca.gov/Downloads/).

Though there is a website containing an informational package that provides a copy of the application - it's not electronic so you are required to print it and send it in. I guess my plans to get in to see a doctor next week will have to wait for an indeterminable amount of time (let's think...government...new program...manual process...lengthy process!). At least its something and hopefully I won't have anything bad happen in the next so many weeks.

FOOD

Based on all the recent research and all of my newer symptoms I feel like I don't know how much or how often I need to eat. If I truly have a sluggish metabolism I don't need that much food and eating as often as 6 times per day would be too much. I am just making sure that I'm eating raw/fresh vegetables and fruit as much as possible without worrying about anything else.

What i ate/plan to eat today:

• Green apple
• Strawberries
• Banana
• Ezekiel toast - plain
• Edamame - steamed w/soy sauce
• FF Vegie Udon Soup - see recipe below
• Sweet Potato - baked
• Green Beans w/tomato, onion & garlic
• Kashi Whole Wheat/Mixed Grain dry cereal w/vanilla

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RECIPE

FF Vegie Udon Soup

Ingredients:

• FF Vegie Broth
• FF Udon Noodles - prepared (you can buy these noodles dry, semi-cooked and cooked - just have them prepared and set aside for the soup)
• Water - equal to the amount of broth used
• Corn - cut/frozen
• Broccoli - chopped in bite sized pieces
• Potato (any type, including sweet) - diced 1/2"
• Celery - sliced
• Carrot - sliced thin
• Red Bell Pepper - chopped
• Onion - chopped in large chunks
• Mushrooms - diced or sliced
• Jalapeno - diced or sliced
• Cilantro - chopped finely
• Garlic powder
• Soy sauce
• Sambal Oelek
• Peppercorns - cracked

Instructions:

• Dry saute garlic, onion, celery, carrots, bell pepper and jalapeno for about a minute
• Add broth and spices; stir
• Add mushrooms, broccoli and potatoes; cover and let cook for 20 minutes - until potatoes are done
• Uncover, stir and add noodles and cilantro
• Serve and eat!

Notes:

• You can add or omit any vegetables - the idea is to get a lot of varied colored vegies into this dish so you get the most amount of nutrients in every bowl - the addition of potato makes this even more satisfying
• You can easily make this more Mexican, Asian or Indian by the spices and herbs

Day 48 | I'm tired, so very tired

Over the past few weeks I have really been tired every day around 2p. I feel like it's midnight and I've been up since 6am but not really. This has worried me quite a bit and I know I need to research vegan nutrition/energy/fatigue very soon so I can get on top of it.

I talked to a dear friend of mine today who went vegan earlier this year - I thought she would be a good resource for why I'm so tired after a month and a half of eating this way. Unfortunately, she said that after 2 months of eating vegan (her diet included fat from nuts, avocados and vegetable oils) she was so tired and run down that she opted to go vegetarian so she could add dairy products and eggs to her diet - she feels much better now. I completely understand where she is coming from however, I don't have the chose to go vegetarian at this point in my life (if ever again...).

She is worried about my health especially since I'm eating this way to stave off further heart and artery disease and to ultimately avoid surgeries. I just have to believe that eating this healthily is doing what Dr Esselstyn claims - to stop AND reverse heart and artery disease so that you don't have to have surgery. It may be in my best interest to contact him to verify that I can avoid getting stents put in my arteries all together if I continue my diet change. I may be playing with my life at this point by not having this key information.

Yesterday I traveled to San Jose for the day and spent most of it in airports. I was pleased to see that San Jose finally opened their Terminal B for Southwest Airlines and that there were several eating options. The best one was Sushi Boat that offered edamame (they even warmed them up for me), salad packed with vegies (even asparagus!) and a sushi chef who was willing to make me a cucumber roll with the rice on the outside ('kappa' maki usually is prepared with the kelp on the outside and they are a lot smaller with less cucumber). I was thrilled.

For dinner I opted for a 'Margherita' salad from Unamas though I had to ask them to not put a dressing on it and not include the cheese, tortilla strips, and meat/poultry. I did ask for more salsa fresca so I could use it as a dressing. It was ok but not as satisfying as my Japanese lunch, that's for sure. Thankfully I packed snacks (black sesame rice crackers, pretzel sticks, Kashi wheat/whole grain cereal with vanilla) and an apple for the trip so I was able to round out my meal. I also had a small "all fruit" smoothie from Jamba Juice - they don't add dairy products but did offer to add plain soy milk to make it creamy - and it was! It just goes to show that if you seek out options to maintain whatever diet you're on, you will find things.

I have been doing research on a number of issues surrounding "truly healthful eating" and will be sharing them with you in the weeks to come. Some of the topics include:

• Mastication (good ol' chewing)
• Portion Control & Meal Planning
• Acidity
• Sugars
• More condiments/sauces
• Skinny Bitch, the book and cookbook & other helpful vegan cookbooks
• Organics - essential and not so essential fruit and vegetable lists
• GMO products (genetically modified)
• Dry Goods (think rice, lentils, peas, beans, couscous, pasta)
• Glycemic Index
• Soy, Soy Products, Soy Isolates
• Protein Protein
• Vegan Survival Kit

I have always loved to research whatever I've been interested in but I have to say that this latest adventure is the most productive and meaningful to me.

FOOD

So I'm still addicted to vegie sushi and edamame for lunch but I have wondered if there is such a thing as 'excessive soy' in a diet. I've been researching this and there is some differing thoughts/research on this topic so I'll keep researching before I share what I've found.

I noticed that I've been so consumed with fantastic flavor in my meals that I may have gotten away from the core foods - fresh fruits and vegetables. For this reason I have gone out of my way to incorporate fresh items in every meal. Not only is this healthier but I've noticed that I lose a little more weight than usual because of it.

Thanksgiving is coming up and my twin brother and I will be preparing the meal for our family. There are regular, vegetarian, vegetarian/vegan and fat free vegan (me) eaters this year so it does present a challenge but I'm up for it. I'll be writing up the recipes and/or providing links to the recipes very soon.

Our menu so far is (subject to change based on final negotiations with the other chef, my brother):

Main Course

• Turkey - Regular (Roasted)
• Field Roast Turkey - Vegetarian/Vegan
• Mashed Potatoes - FFVegan (Mixed Potatoes/Vegie Broth/Almond Milk/Spices)
• Stuffing - Vegetarian (Vegie Broth/Mushroom/Onion/Garlic/Earth Balance/herbs/spices)
• Stuffing - FFVegan (Vegie Broth/Mushroom/Onion/Celery/Zucchini/Jalapeno/Red Bell Pepper/Garlic)
• Gravy - Regular (Mushrooms/Turkey Broth/Cream of Mushroom soup)
• Gravy - FFVegan (Mushroom/Almond Milk/Vegie Broth/Whole Wheat Flour/Gravy Master)

Sides

• Chopped salad (lettuce, cauliflower, broccoli, radish, red bell pepper, tomato, celery) - avocado on the side & homemade FFVegan as well as vegetarian dressings
• Corn - FFVegan - sauteed with onion, mushrooms and garlic
• Scalloped potatoes - FFVegan - sliced potatoes/almond milk/onions/spices/jalapeno
• Slow-cooked green beans with tomatoes/garlic/onion - FFVegan
• Cranberry Orange sauce - FFVegan (homemade with fresh cranberries/fresh squeezed OJ/spices)
• Stuffed Mushrooms - Vegetarian (bread crumbs/garlic/onion/roasted vegies/herbs/spices)
• Sauteed Spinach - FFVegan - Garlic & Lemon
• Sauteed Pearl Onions - FFVegan

Other

• Pickles (variety)
• Olives (green and black)

Dessert

• Pumpkin Tartlets w/Cool Whip - Vegetarian - recipe coming soon!
• Chocolate Drop Cookies - FFVegan (but taste much better!) - recipe coming soon!
• Berries w/Berried Treasure Sorbet - FFVegan (fresh berries and Ben & Jerry's Berried Treasure FF sorbet)

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What I ate today:

• Seedless green grapes
• Carroway FF crackers
• Cucumber & carrot sushi rolls
• Edamame
• Green apple
• Bubbies
• Red plum
• Fiesta Bean Dip (see FF Recipe link on the sidebar) & Salad (romaine, amarosa & grape tomatoes, red & green bell pepper, zucchini, red cabbage)
• Fresh & Easy Noodle Bowl - Sweet Chili flavor w/added corn, mushrooms, onions & chopped spinach
• Tangerine

Fat Free Vegan Basics

I've been selling my clothes, shoes and bags on ebay for over 3 months now and I get the awesome opportunity to correspond with my buyers about things we're interested in. One of my buyers' user id on ebay contained the term 'tofu' so I wrote her and asked if she was vegan - turns out she's not but she does eat a lot of tofu (to be honest, I NEVER ate tofu until I became vegan more recently).

My buyer also asked how I knew what to eat to be vegan so I replied with a quick and dirty version of what I'm doing plus the resources I used to get where I am today. I am NOT an expert by any means but I am someone who was put in the position of saving my own life because I don't have health insurance and I don't want to get into the heart surgery game (once you have it you'll always have to have it). Here's an excerpt from the email that I hope will help you and others looking for the simple version of what this is and how to get started:

"Regarding the eating - it's pretty simple, sort of. Here's what I can't eat:

• Added oil of any kind (natural fat in soy products, fruits and vegies are ok)
• Anything with a face or mother
• Dairy and all dairy products (includes 'whey' that is in a lot of processed foods)
• Avocados (too much natural fat)
• Nuts and nut products (too much natural fat)
• Coconut (too much natural fat)

I basically read EVERY label before buying - even brands that have fat free products could add some fat (even healthy fat) in their other products. It's a lot easier to find fat free items than vegan unless you buy from the internet. Here's a link to my blog http://savingtheresa.blogspot.com/ - you'll notice a link to 'fat free recipes' on the upper right hand side of the page. These are recipes I've created to keep track of my kitchen experiments. I really love flavor and therefore you'll find a lot of flavorful recipes that can easily be modified to be less spicy.

Regarding my limitations - if you're not having heart or artery problems, you could eat avocados and nuts, no problem. This gives you a lot more to work with since there are nut cheeses available that aren't bad at all (my brother is a vegan/vegetarian so I tasted his products back in 2008).

A great resource for what I'm doing and why is Dr. Campbell Esselstyn's book: http://www.heartattackproof.com/ I bought mine on Barnes & Noble's website. My brother and I also revere the work of Colin Campbell's 'The China Study': http://www.thechinastudy.com/ as well as John MacDougall who provides a lot of recipes that he and his wife developed to support their non-dairy vegetarianism: http://www.drmcdougall.com/

This is all promoting diet/nutrition as an alternative to medications which cause other problems in the body with long term use. The belief is that so many of the mental disorders (ex.., bipolarism, alzheimer's, depression, panic/anxiety) and diet related illnesses (ex., diabetes, hypertension, heart and artery disease) can be eradicated simply by eating a plant-based diet. Of course, stress relief (ex., meditation) as well as daily exercise go a long way to support sustained well-being."

Peace and Love,

Theresa