In partnership with the Northwest Tennessee Local Food Network, PBU hosted a free virtual Meet-Up via zoom on Wednesday, May 11, 2022 to explore the concept of “Food is Medicine.”
The Ignorant (French) Vegan
Written by Nico Aglaure, theignorantvegan.com
Food makes up what is arguably the most defining characteristic of a certain culture. It brings people together, aids in telling a story, and is present, more often than not, in creating memories. However, when it comes to food, there are always rules. No matter what they might be, you generally follow all of the “do’s” and “don’t’s” of cooking based on the culture. However, despite knowing these rules, I willingly chose not to follow some of the biggest rules in French culture and it actually turned my life around completely.
I grew up in the mountains my entire life and was raised in a predominantly French culture which means that comfort food was served almost regularly. With my father coming from the North of France and my mother coming from the United States, I had my fair share of heavy meals with all the meats, cheeses and creams you can imagine. And I promise you, I’ve had them all. From classic French dishes like Boeuf Bourguinion to quintessentially American meals like Chili, I ate everything in front of me and when I was done, I made sure to go back for more. But deep down, I knew I needed to change this way of eating. Only issue is I was beginning to feel that would mean going against some of the biggest “do’s” and “don’ts” of French cuisine and turning my back on some of my favorite foods. When I was a little boy, I really fit the definition of what you’d imagine a young active and healthy boy to look like. I played sports, ran outside, and was at a healthy weight for my age. But that progressively changed over the years. I started to eat more and create all sorts of unhealthy food habits. I could finish a bag of shredded cheese or multiple quesadillas on my own in one sitting as an “after school snack” or eat 3/4 of a box of cereal and milk with ease. Not a worry in the world about all the weight that was piling on. I continued throughout my elementary, junior high and high school years to eat very poorly. And by junior high , I was told by my doctor that I had high cholesterol for a kid my age. And yet, even with that information, I continued to eat very poorly despite my parents best efforts to feed me healthy food. Now, my mother, thankfully, is very much into healthy eating, so her cooking mixed with some sports that I played in high school, kept my weight from reaching very dangerous levels. But my weight wasn’t changing and I was at a very unhealthy level. I knew that all the animal products I was eating weren’t doing me any good, but I continued down that dangerous path. All throughout this time, I wanted to change my lifestyle. I wanted to see myself and feel comfortable in my skin. This resulted in resorting to dieting starting in my early teens. Let me tell you, I tried every possible diet there is to try and I never seemed to be able to get the weight off. In fact, oddly enough, my sister was vegan for a couple months after my senior year and would tell the whole family about how great she was feeling but it was hard to get behind because in my case, I couldn’t see myself committing to a predominantly plant based lifestyle. I loved cheese too much. I didn’t want to give that up. In reality, I didn’t know that it was actually slowly causing issues in my body and was a major factor in my weight gain.
My life really changed about a year ago in January of 2021 while working at one of my old jobs. I was working at a ski resort where I had a lot of time to myself while running different machines. Rather than listen to music, I decided to start listening to audiobooks I had downloaded years before. Why I was suddenly interested in the books I had downloaded from my “vegan phase” that were based on plant based eating? I will never know, but I was. And I spent hours listening to book after book on a Whole Foods Plant Based lifestyle. I was hearing stories of people who turned their lives around thought these lifestyle changes, or who stopped and even reversed their heart disease. People who took smaller doses of insulin or who were suddenly sleeping better, feeling less anxious, and all around happier. At that time I had really no idea where I wanted to go with my education, I was rather depressed, and was reaching my all time highest weight so hearing these stories couldn’t have come at a better time. I found what I was missing. As if it were a revelation, I realized I really needed to change what I was choosing to put in my body and start taking care of myself. It was in this moment that I disregarded, almost entirely, all the “do’s” and ” don’ts” of my French culture. Switching almost overnight from a classic western diet to a plant based life, I almost immediately saw results. Just in the first week, I had so much more energy, I was more active, and felt as though my body had cleaned itself. Another couple days went by and I was starting to lose weight. I became more creative with my cooking, trying all sorts of new combinations and recipes. I was feeling happier. I started to understand what I wanted and where I needed to go in my education. So, I had to keep going with this life changing lifestyle.
Now nearly a whole year has passed. I am down +40 pounds, I feel cleaner, lighter, healthier and above all, happier. With that, because my family was really able to see the massive difference this change made in my life, along with results that others have seen through plant based eating, my deep, French culture rooted, family is now mostly plant based sticking to a 90/10 lifestyle. Never did I imagine that that would happen. Cheese is one of the most important parts of French culture and all of my family has stopped consuming it. Along with this, as a byproduct of my complete lifestyle change, I have also found direction in my life and I am now studying hard to go to medical school as well as studying nutrition. My goal now is to start helping people who are in the same state of mind or situation, and who are experiencing the same problems as I was not even a year ago. I thought about my start and how tough it was for me to FINALLY get to where I am today. Trial after trial of all sorts of diets, exercises, and eating styles, has led me to this point. It is because I went through all of this and felt like I really suffered with my weight and self image that I want to be a resource for people who were completely ignorant in plant based/vegan eating as I was and still am. I don’t know everything. I am still learning. But what I do know, I want to share with others. I want to continue to learn alongside this growing community of plant based eaters. I want a transition from an unhealthy lifestyle to a plant based lifestyle to be easier for others than it was for me and in the least intimidating way possible.
Because of this lifestyle change and pure drive that I have now to spread the message of plant-based eating and all the incredible benefits, I have set up 2 resources that I hope will be of benefit for anyone wanting to make the lifestyle change or for those who just want some more information:
1) Podcast: I really feel like having audiobooks and podcasts that I could listen to, really helped me to make the change. It made it easier to hear the experiences of other people and how their lives have changed for the better as a result of a healthier lifestyle. From friends and people in the vegan/plant-based community to doctors and dietitians, I am creating a space where everyone can come and learn from one another. A refuge for people who are ignorant in the plant-based lifestyle as I was and still am. So look out for my podcast coming out called: The Ignorant Vegan. If you are wanting to share your story or you have a favorite recipe, email me at theignorantvegan@gmail.com!
2) Website: One of the hardest transitions for people switching to a plant-based lifestyle is the actual process of cooking with all these plants. What foods and dishes are they supposed to make now? I have created a website that won’t be a blog, but rather its sole purpose will be to make cooking and food prep much less intimidating. I have all sorts of recipes for all the recipes that I make. Updated weekly! I am very grateful that I am able to see the world, so some of the dishes are inspired or recreated from dishes I have had around the world so, I am certain there will be a recipe on there that you are sure to love. theignorantvegan.com
No matter when we start, or where we are at in our journey to plant-based eating, we are a strong community that grows more and more each day and I hope that someone can be inspired by my experience as I was by others’ experiences. I have never been happier and felt better than how I feel now and it was entirely from the lifestyle change that I made. A change that everyone, even a once cheese-obsessed guy like myself, can make.
Preventing and Reversing Type-2 Diabetes with a Plant-Based Diet
Type 2 diabetes has become rampant in the United Stated. 1 in 10 adults now has diabetes and 1 in 3 has pre-diabetes. For most people, type 2 diabetes is a life sentence involving daily fingersticks and injections, medications, and diet limitations. But in order to prevent and reverse diabetes, it is important that we understand the underlying cause. So, what causes type 2 diabetes to develop in the first place?
Creamy Taco Soup
Happy 2021! We’re back with another recipe for you, this time for a creamy taco soup! Thanks to Gabby Maglioli for putting this together for us! Enjoy!
Creamy Taco Soup
1/3 cup water (for oil free option), or 2 tbsps of olive oil
1 medium yellow onion diced
2/3 cup orange pepper diced
1 cup mushrooms
1/4 cup quinoa
1 15oz can of black beans
1 15oz can of whole kernel corn
1 tsp paprika
2 tsps chilli powder
2 tsps garlic powder
1 1/4 tsp onion powder
1 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsps nutritional yeast (to taste)
1/4 tsp black pepper (or to taste)
1/4 tsp salt (or to taste)
1 cup your favourite salsa
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 1/3 cups of unsweetened, plain oat milk (or any non-dairy unsweetened milk)
2/3 cup of water (or more milk for a creamier option)
2 cups of chopped curly kale
For higher protein, creamier option, add 2/3 cup of silken tofu in a blender with 1 tbsp of nutritional yeast, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 tsp onion powder, and 1/3 cup of water. Blend it up and add to the soup. Cook down on low-medium heat for an extra 10 minutes.
In a pot on medium heat, add your water or oil. Sauté the diced vegetables for a 3-5 minutes or until the onions have softened. Add the beans, corn and quinoa, along with the spices, salsa, lemon juice and vinegar. After its well combined, add the milk and water, and bring it to a boil. When it starts to boil, cover the pot with a lid and bring the temperature down to low. Check and stir every few minutes for about 10-15 minutes, or until the quinoa has finished cooking. Add the kale, and if desired, the tofu cream. You can serve it as is, or top it with guac, vegan sour cream, or corn chips... I served mine with with sweet potato toast.
Food Insecurity and COVID
As some of you know, PBU teamed up with our parent organization, Dry Creek Charity, this summer for a COVID Food Relief Project. With the help of over 200 volunteers (THANK YOU!) we assembled 1,200 food relief boxes, each with enough shelf-stable, healthy foods (i.e. lentils, beans, rice, oats, flour, dried tomatoes, dried onions, spices) to feed a family of 4 for approximately 2 weeks. Boxes were distributed through Catholic Community Services- to their Joyce Hansen Food Pantry in Ogden and their refugee clients, and through the Islamic Society of Greater Salt Lake. We are incredibly proud of what we were able to accomplish thanks to the generosity of so many of you. However, hunger rates continue to increase and there is more work to be done.
Staying Healthy during the Coronavirus Pandemic
There is no question the COVID-19 virus with an average size of 0.125 microns (1000 times smaller than a grain of sand), has put a stranglehold on society like nothing else we have seen since the flu pandemic of 1918. Fully understanding the realities of the dangers of this virus, if you are anything like me, you have grown weary of being inundated with emails, news updats, and announcements from various organizations wishing us safety, all with a barrage of advice regarding the COVID-19 virus."
Plant Based Diets and Mental Health
Many of us have heard that adopting a whole foods plant-based diet can prevent, treat, and even reverse a number of chronic medical conditions including cardiovascular disease, type II Diabetes Mellitus, and some forms of cancer. We know from the work of Drs. Dean and Ayesha Sherzai that a plant-based diet can also reverse early cognitive decline and prevent Alzheimer’s. There is emerging and compelling evidence that depression and anxiety are chronic diseases of the brain that have many of the same underlying etiologies and can be treated with diet, similarly to chronic diseases of any other organ system.
Plant-based Puttanesca from Planted Life!
Hi, Donna from @aplantedlifestyle here, sharing a recipe this week which is a great dish to cook if you’re stuck working/quarantined/looking-after-kids/netflixing at home. It takes some time to cook but very little of that time is hands-on, so you can get on with whatever you are doing and let the amazing flavors in this rich, hearty pasta sauce melt together for a meal that elicits some serious swooning.
Creamy Tomato Soup from Planted Life!
We are so excited to partner with A Planted Lifestyle to start sharing delicious plant-based recipes with you each week. We're starting out with a deliciously creamy tomato soup that's super simple to make. You can pull it together with almost no chopping and the chickpeas add bulk (and protein) to keep you feeling satisfied. For a printable version of the recipe visit www.aplantedlifestyle.com
Baby Steps Over Giant Leaps Into a Plant-Based Diet
When I was studying for the National Board Exam for Health & Wellness Coaching, I had the great joy and pleasure of pouring over manuals, studies, and textbooks rooted in evidence-based principles of lasting behavior change. If you are an ‘all-in’ kind of person, great, but for those of you who are not (arguably the majority of us), I want to share some thoughts to help you understand how to change your diet and lifestyle by taking baby steps rather than giant leaps.”
Pregnancy and a Plant-based Diet
Many people know that a plant based diet is ideal for conditions like cardiovascular disease, weight loss, and diabetes, but is a plant based diet safe for pregnancy? The answer is a resounding yes! In fact, studies have shown that the a plant based diet is ideal for pregnancy and birth. This means that we should be consuming primarily fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, nuts, and seeds while avoiding meat, dairy, eggs, oils, processed foods, and refined carbohydrates. Though this may seem a far cry from the average advice we hear, there is a great deal of science to back up this claim. Data also show that diets high in meat and dairy, particularly the Keto diet, cause birth defects and interferes with fetal development.
Whole Plant Foods vs. Processed Plant Foods
Plant-based diets have been shown to decrease the risks of many of our chronic diseases including cancer, diabetes, obesity, and heart disease. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and throughout the world. In fact, a plant-based diet is the only diet that has shown a reversal of heart disease.
Nutrition as a Holistic Science
The modern science of nutrition and health has no more respected researcher, writer, and teacher than T. Colin Campbell. As the author of over 300 research papers, he has had major impacts on the way we view health. Following his role as lead scientist of the China-Cornell-Oxford Project in the 1980s, he and his son Thomas published the China Study in 2005, which alerted serious thinkers and future researchers to the dangers and risks of Western dietary patterns. Dr. Campbell combined with Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn in the Forks Over Knives documentary, setting the stage for several important documentaries to follow.