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!)
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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
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