Are
you Vegetarian? Pescatarian? Lacto-Ovo-Vegetarian? Vegan? I’m not! (Say What?) But
this got my attention too… And I am thankful that I took this very simple (but
very IMPORTANT) point home with me.
I would call myself “Paleo Inspired” more
than anything else.
Just recently, I attended a lecture
presented by internationally acclaimed nutrition researcher, speaker and author
Brenda Davis. Brenda is a registered dietitian (for more than 30 years) and co-author
of nine bestseller nutrition books. The Canadian
born and vegan, says: “It’s simple; a protective, nutritionally sound diet can
help minimize the risk of disease.” According to Brenda, 70 percent of people in
the West will die of lifestyle-induced disease that is preventable through wise
nutritional choices.
The public lecture welcomed anyone
interested in health and nutrition - I was more fascinated as to what being Vegetarian/Vegan/Plant
Based/etc actually meant. Filled with intrigue and wonderment, I decided to go, so off I went!
Tickets bought, I arrive on time and sign in. I enter the room with pen in hand, eager to embrace and ready for enlightenment… I look around at the mass of people, feel excited, and then suddenly… I’m standing NAKED! Not “nudie rudie” naked - HELLLL No! I felt EXPOSED… like I was an intruder. I realized something… a big something: I. ATE. ANIMALS. (Well, not excessively, plus I was selective about what I ate) AND I was sitting in a ballroom-sized theatre with hundreds of people that stood passionately against an organic, free-range, juicy little chicken salad – well that’s what I thought to myself. Call it ignorance if you may, but I felt like I had broken an invisible law! So I kept my head down and scuttled off to the back row. Dayam!
Tickets bought, I arrive on time and sign in. I enter the room with pen in hand, eager to embrace and ready for enlightenment… I look around at the mass of people, feel excited, and then suddenly… I’m standing NAKED! Not “nudie rudie” naked - HELLLL No! I felt EXPOSED… like I was an intruder. I realized something… a big something: I. ATE. ANIMALS. (Well, not excessively, plus I was selective about what I ate) AND I was sitting in a ballroom-sized theatre with hundreds of people that stood passionately against an organic, free-range, juicy little chicken salad – well that’s what I thought to myself. Call it ignorance if you may, but I felt like I had broken an invisible law! So I kept my head down and scuttled off to the back row. Dayam!
Vegetarians
and Vegans: A Comparison (I needed one)
When referring to Vegetarianism, it is
significant to recognise that the title “Vegetarian” is a broad term and
includes many different variations. As Brenda also mentioned, there are Pesco
and Pollo-vegetarians, Lacto-Ovo-Vegetarians, Lacto as well as Ovo-Vegetarians,
Flexitarians and Pure Vegetarians (there may be more). Generally speaking, “Vegetarianism”
is a diet comprising of plants and may or may-not include, eggs and dairy products.
Any body part of an animal is completely avoided, and the term Animal includes chicken, fish and
seafood.
Vegans are…
Vegans are?
So this is the part where I often get
CONFUSED!
What was I going on about? Oh, that’s it!
Wait - Which WHO eats what? Where do Vegans come from? Well maybe the “birds
and the bees” make an entrance here, but they definately WILL NOT feature on
THIS menu! Next question please! (I crack myself up!)
Vegans ARE, in essence, more vegetarian than Vegetarians! They are Pure Vegetarians (no meat, chicken,
fish, seafood, milk, other dairy products and eggs) AND, they go even further as
to eliminate animal products from their entire lifestyle! No leather goods, no products
tested on animals, etc.
To me, that is the ULTRA-SUPREME of
Vegetarianism!
(I’m utterly relieved we’re all clear on this now!)
A General
Consensus…
Bi-passing my earlier superficial stint of wasted
mind power (chicken salad anyone?), what was amazing to learn, was that
EVERYONE - ALL of us - were conscious about our health, no matter which dietary
lifestyle we preferred. Each of us had the SAME definitive goal! We seeked
answers to familiar questions… How to reduce disease, how to live happy and
healthy for as long as possible, were our diets lacking in something, and what
did we need to source within the food-world to address any deficiencies? In a
room full of varied food philosophies, our nutritional concerns were mutual.
I felt the glow… A “Light Bulb Moment”! I was back in the
system and on the same page as everyone else! Yay, I belonged! My chin rose slightly…
What
I learnt from one Lecture on the Plant Based Diet:
A plant-based diet is not just about avoiding
meat and other animal parts - it is so much more than that, and on a very
serious level. A lifestyle sustained by plants usually sits side-by-side with a
range of passionate principals. One is animal cruelty. Another is the negative
impact that the animal industry is having on the world’s biodiversity,
including but not limited to; habitat destruction, climate change, pollution,
and make-do home, food and water solutions for the animals being bred to
satisfy our ever-increasing consumption demands.
Going Vegetarian is very much an ethical
choice for most, however it is CRUCIAL to remember, that this decision MUST ALSO fulfil its
DIETARY PURPOSE - which is to effectively and efficiently sustain a human
being. And this goes for ALL dietary
lifestyles! Nutrient requirements for optimum health must be addressed and
satisfied on a daily basis… And this was Brenda’s message – wonderfully delivered
during her presentation, plain and simple.
Here are the highlights of Brenda’s
presentation:
1.
I really enjoyed Brenda’s
presentation. I nearly turned during
the lecture. (Nope... No… couldn’t do it - I love those little oysters waaay too
much!)
2.
Nutrient Dense Foods – Anyone
can say that they are following a particular diet, however it is the TYPE of
foods that you choose WITHIN a diet that can influence whether you will live to 50
or 100.
All the rage at the moment is to go “Sugar Free”. You can be sugar free by avoiding refined sugars altogether and opting for low fructose, low GI foods… OR, you can replace sugar with aspartame and hope you’re immune to carcinogens. Either way, both methods are effectively reducing sugar intake. They key point here, is that you need to acknowledge the most effective and efficient way to achieve your health aspirations, without compromising other bodily functions, and without causing inflammation elsewhere.
All the rage at the moment is to go “Sugar Free”. You can be sugar free by avoiding refined sugars altogether and opting for low fructose, low GI foods… OR, you can replace sugar with aspartame and hope you’re immune to carcinogens. Either way, both methods are effectively reducing sugar intake. They key point here, is that you need to acknowledge the most effective and efficient way to achieve your health aspirations, without compromising other bodily functions, and without causing inflammation elsewhere.
Did you know that a packet
of chips and Coke is 100% Vegan? And highly inflammatory?
Wise health choices are based around nutrient dense foods and knowing how to best consume them for maximum benefit. “Nutrient Density” is often referred to as the level of nutrients contained per calorie. Sugar, for example, has ZERO nutrients per calorie - hence the term “empty calories”.
Physician and Nutritionist Dr. Joel Fuhrman developed an index of micronutrient scores called the Aggregate Nutrient Density Index (ANDI) which ranks well known and easily obtainable foods on the basis of how many nutrients they deliver to the body, for each calorie consumed. Dr. Fuhrman suggests focusing on foods that have an Aggregate Nutrient Density score of 100 or greater.
Wise health choices are based around nutrient dense foods and knowing how to best consume them for maximum benefit. “Nutrient Density” is often referred to as the level of nutrients contained per calorie. Sugar, for example, has ZERO nutrients per calorie - hence the term “empty calories”.
Physician and Nutritionist Dr. Joel Fuhrman developed an index of micronutrient scores called the Aggregate Nutrient Density Index (ANDI) which ranks well known and easily obtainable foods on the basis of how many nutrients they deliver to the body, for each calorie consumed. Dr. Fuhrman suggests focusing on foods that have an Aggregate Nutrient Density score of 100 or greater.
The top ten HIGH nutrient
dense foods (according to Dr. Fuhrman’s ANDI, and in order from most nutrient
dense to least nutrient dense) are:
-
Kale
-
Collard Greens
-
Mustard Greens
-
Watercress
-
Swiss Chard
-
Bok Choy
-
Spinach
-
Arugula
-
Romaine
-
Brussel Sprouts
3.
Choose unprocessed foods and
opt for organic, non-GMO, free range and grass-fed whenever you can.
4.
Buy local – this mean
AUSTRALIAN GROWN FOOD.
5.
Select a quota of nutrient
dense foods that will satisfy the daily requirements of vitamins, minerals,
protein, healthy fats and carbohydrates.
6.
MAXIMISE the health benefits of
nutrient dense foods by improving the body’s ability to process and absorb the goodness
contained in these foods!
How? By using the following methods:
How? By using the following methods:
-
Fermenting
-
Sprouting
-
Activating
-
Adding healthy fats to a meal
(some vitamins and minerals are fat soluble!)
What
to do next?
1.
PLAN
|
WHAT: Opt for nutrient dense foods.
WHERE: Source your food from local
markets; Google search organic grocers and butchers in your area.
WHEN: Buy fruit and veg when they are in
season. Those “organic prices” won’t seem so heavy on the pocket.
|
2.
LEARN
|
HOW TO MAXIMISE NUTRITION:
Familiarise yourself with useful food
preparation methods that work to increase nutrient absorption (fermenting,
sprouting, activation, etc).
|
3.
TIMING
|
ALLOCATE TIME:
You’ll need about an hour to choose
recipes and organize a shopping list.
Choose a day of the week that you can get
to those farmers markets.
Choose a day of the week to prepare the
food for:
-
maximum medicinal potential.
-
for getting those recipes
alive and cooking
-
and even for safe storage.
Maybe put aside a Saturday morning or Sunday
afternoon each week?
|
4.
ACT
|
Lights, Cameral, ACTION!
Transform your knowledge and intent into
action and reap the benefits! Cook at least 2 batches of any recipe you can
freeze and whip it out when you need a quick meal… You’ll thank me later!
|
THE VERY SIMPLE (but very important) POINT:
Whether you are vegetarian, pescatarian,
vegan, omnivore, Paleo or something else… when it comes to diet and nutrition,
opting for quality over quantity, and real over synthetic, really does win
trumps every time. Failing to acknowledge clean and nutrient-dense food in ANY
chosen lifestyle, diminishes your chance at optimal health, and blatantly
insults the purpose and meaning of your preferred way of life. If you are going
to be vegetarian, be the best example of a vegetarian you can be! If you are
Paleo inclined, represent the meaning of Paleo and choose foods within that
genre which provide maximum sustenance! If you like to pick the best bits from
every different dietary lifestyle out there, then good for you! As long as
nutrition is your NUMBER ONE PRIORITY - You owe that (at the very least) to
yourself.
Happy Eating Everybody!
Much love to you all,
Candice.
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Me Whole Heartedly Help You!
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