SoulVeggie

Book Review: "Off the Reservation" or "Hail to the Vegan President?"

Give or take a few wks., I've been vegan for 14 yrs. last month, and 20 yrs. vegetarian before that.  It started out as a spiritual/physical health "experiment," and evolved to incorporate environmental and animal rights issues.

For many, being vegan is a lifestyle choice, and not just a diet that omits meat, dairy, eggs, and honey (etc.).  For them it is an all-encompassing philosophy of how one live their life, relates to other living entities, and respects our common local and global environment. 

For those of us who've gone down this path, it hasn't always been easy.  In my earlier years, harassment or ridicule was often the case.  So-called nutritional authorities, food corporations, and even our government, seemed to co-conspire to make our lives as vegans a living hell of having to defend ourselves at every turn and go hungry at restaurants.

I can't imagine there isn't a self-professed vegan living who hasn't at one time or another, wondered what it would be like if the President of the United States (or an individual running for that office), was a true vegan.  How many of us were impressed, maybe even thrilled, when vegan Congressman Dennis Kucinich threw his hat into the Presidential race?  How many of us hoped that the values he expressed as a vegan would translate into better and more rational governmental policies?   

Even though he's not President, how many of us take pride in Bill Clinton has been trying hard to maintain a vegan diet?  How many of us didn't ponder on how the media and general population would respond to a philosophical approach and lifestyle so diametrically opposed to the average in this country?

The very talented author Glen Merzer has addressed these issues, and done so with creative flair, acute insight, and small measures of whimsy and wit scattered throughout.  His new novel, "Off the Reservation," could have been full of stereotypes, predictable confrontations, and a godawful lot of preaching.

Instead, he's accomplished a masterful feat of presenting a touching, moving, thought-provoking and intriguing story of the first vegan to win his party's Presidential nomination and the consequences before and after this unusual feat.  Glen wisely avoids the direct issue of diet until well into the story.  I write "wisely," as at first I was puzzled as to "why?"

Upon more reflection, I realized it was, in part I believe, because a person's diet shouldn't be an issue (something any vegan can fully relate to).  His political philosophies and rational reactions to political chaos and the governing of this country ARE the issues that are important.  In this day and age of a 24/7 news cycle and faster-than-light social media, the focus is often on the ephemeral and superficial, which is alluded to throughout the campaign.

It's a smart and subtle approach to the lead character, Evan Gorgoni.  A reader learns more about the man from his speeches, interviews, private introspections, and approach to running for office (originally deciding to not run for Congress again and go back to teaching), then realizing that he had deeper responsibilities and potentialities.  We learn much more about the man by the context of his life than a quick stereotype related to what he does and doesn't eat: 

"Congressman Gorgoni, why haven't you been open with the American people about your dietary inclinations?"

"I never imagined it was relevant.  If I get elected, I thought they'd be playing Hail to the Chief, not Hail to the Chef." (p. 158) 

A smart read, Glen's done his homework on parsing out the true solutions to the REAL problems besetting this country (and indeed, the world in general).  Simple answers to complex issues as posed in one debate denote an almost zen-like ability to break difficult issues into easy to, well, swallow solutions.  Throughout this book Evan remains steadfastly true to his internal integrity, despite intense differences of opinion with some of his closest friends, advisors, and family.

I don't want to be a spoiler to anyone not having read this marvelous novel.  However, it wouldn't spoil any surprises to note that one of the climaxes to this odessy is aptly entitled "The Speech."  Here are a few selected passages from Gorgoni's nomination acceptance speech (given off the cuff without a teleprompter).  It is awesome in scope, depth, and vision.  I urge Glen to release it as a standalone for printed and social media.  I'm only barely scratching the surface of this seriously amazing tome with the following excerpts: 

"...Folks, the time has long since come to declare an end to the age of ideology.  It is, quite frankly, a nuisance.  Let us stop thinking of ourselves as liberals or conservatives, Democrats or Republicans, hawks or doves, Keynesians or supply-siders, cat people or dog people, right-brained or left-brained, and let us remind ourselves that we are all human beings standing on a planet that is spinning on its axis and revolves around the sun.  Spinning and revolving.  Think of that.  It will be hard for many in Washington to understand this, but it is possible to do two things at once..." (p. 115)

 "...President Clinton famously said, 'it's the economy, stupid.'  I say, it's the food, stupid.  We need to eat healthier foods, and stop being the sickest, fattest population ever to walk the face of the earth.  Of course our health costs continue to skyrocket on a diet so extraordinarily rich, so dangerously high in fat, so preposterously high in sugars, and so tragically low in nutrients.  We can't go on eating the same lousy food and imagine that we will be saved by drugs and interventions.  That again is an arrogant fantasy. The elegant solution is always the the simplest one.  Eat healthy food..." (p. 117)

"...Our government has been in the business for generations now of subsidizin precisely the farmers who grow our unhealthiest food with the highest demands for water and energy.  That costs needs to stop now..." (p. 119)

"...I say to you with deep conviction in my soul, let us do away, totally, irreversibly, and permanently, with leaf blowers.  What a foul, execrable piece of machinery tht is.  To state what should be obvious to all, no human being should make his living wearing an internal combustion engine strapped onto his back.  It simply makes no sense to burn fossil fuels for the purpose of blowing leaves from one yard to the next..." (p. 121)

"...It's an age-old battle.  Greed versus decency.  Ignorance versus reason.  Intolerance versus inclusion.  Fear versus love.  I have chosen my side.  You have Election Day to choose yours..." (p. 131) 

"The Speech" is full of amazing raw, clarifying, and indisputable truths that are so often obfuscated or ignored by mainstream and social media.  Rational, connecting, and important perspectives on important issues generally not shown on TV.

It's obvious that Glen has put a tremendous amount of soul searching and effort into this thought-provoking and unique novel.  Even as he's been behind the scenes, so to speak, in co-authoring the landmark books "The Mad Cowboy" and "No More Bull!" with Howard Lyman, as well as "Food Over Medicine" with Dr. Pam Popper, "Unprocessed," with Chef AJ, and more books than I can list here, he's obviously been absorbing a lot of ideas and knowledge, and in this wonderful novel, steps up to the plate and hits a solid home run.

I will most likely read this book a second time, which doesn't happen to often these days.  The amount of subtleties, deep concepts, the underlying messages, and ideas presented are well worth re-visiting.  Again, "The Speech" alone, is worth the price of admission.

Oh, and I'd be remiss in not mentioning that the meals eaten by Evan and his family mentioned in the novel are presented as actual recipes by Glen's wife in a second section of the book.  How clever!  Another example of the creativity, thoughtfulness, and desire to help us all learn, think, and eat better for ourselves and our planet.

Kudos, Glen!  I recommend this novel highly.  It is not so much a "vegan" novel as it is a true inspiring "call to arms" and a rallying cry for rational approaches to solving society's (and indeed, our planet's) most serious problems.  A thoughtful thought experiment that explores the question of what if a truly rational politician ran for the highest office in the land.

And the amusing digs at a few prominent media commenters are also great sport (Chris Matthews beware).  Glen's sense of humor shows throughout this speculative journey.  Buy a copy and enjoy the ride!

BTW: "Off the Reservation" would make a great movie (hint to any smart producer out there....).

----------------

The website:

www.offthereservationnovel.com

Book available in print & e-book at:

http://bit.ly/OffTheReservationNovel 

The author on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/GlenMerzerAuthor

Short video of author speaking about being veg:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mD1NoGqL-q0

Victoria Moran Interview: Happy Cow, Jill Nussinow, & Me

Victoria Moran ("Main Street Vegan") interviewed Eric Brent (Happy Cow), myself (Heart Healthy Pizza), and Jill Nussinow (aka, "The Veggie Queen" and author of the cookbooks "CHAMPs" & "The New Fast Food") just over a week ago.  I thoroughly enjoyed hearing Eric and Jill, and my session with Victoria covered much more than my book (my relationship with Howard Lyman, aka, "The Mad Cowboy," diet, nutrition, yadda).  The audio of the interview is now available at the link below as a streaming file or a downloadable mp3.  Enjoy!  I hope to do it again with Ms. Moran... she's quite articulate, interesting, and knowledgable.  There are many excellent interviews in her archive, which I highly recommend.

The Interview entitled "Food, Glorious Food" here!

 

Pizza Cookbook Review & FREE Giveaway

"VeganRunnerEats" reviews "Heart Healthy Pizza," offers FREE book giveaway.  Some great photos, I'll post the recipes later this week (in the process of moving domiciles). Check it out: http://wp.me/p3LYmB-FV  Here's one of her photos:

Interviews: The NotMilkMan & Natural Disaster Preparedness

Robert Cohen is a vegan original. Brilliant, hardcare animal rights, & one of the 1st to publish and speak out loud about the dangers of drinking cow milk.  His daily "notmilk" column inspired me to go vegan (pus cells), start the largest vegan Yahoo Group (The Mad Cowboy Newsletter), start one of the 1st vegan blogs (this one), and write the first vegan pizza cookbook.  How wonderful that he gets two sessions with Dr. Don. Here's the link to the audio stream as well as a downloadable mp3. Robert has to be heard.

Also, a few weeks ago, I did a radio broadcast with Dr. Don on "Natural Disaster Preparedness," also touching on the vegan perspective of same.  We talked little about my book and, imho, there's a lot of useful information and tips for people.  At the time of the broadcast, I was snowed in!  Here's a link to the audio stream and downloadable mp3.

Finally, glom the rest of Dr. Don's archives.  He's interviewed some of the best, ever, regarding living a truly healthy life. Campbell, Esselstyn, Barnard, McDougall, Klapper, cookbook authors galore, and more.

Review & Free Giveaway: "The China Study Cookbook"

As one of the handful of cookbook authors who've published a cookbook of plant-based recipes with no added oil and minimal to optional salt and sugar, it is always wonderful to have the opportunity to review another author's work in this growing "genre."  I've been no-added oil for seven years this month (from interviewing Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn).  There is ample and growing evidence that added oil is highly detrimental to human health and definitive proof that one's taste buds can be re-calibrated, the addiction conquered, by avoiding oil altogether.  Still, it surprises me how many people in the veg community really get upset by these facts and often express vitriolic skepticism reminiscent of the reactions of those who still eat meat when confronted with evidence of the several reasons to avoid meat.

In his amazing book (my review), "Whole: Rethinking the Science of Nutrition," Dr. T. Colin Campbell (co-author of "The China Study" about his discoveries managing history's largest study on diet and researcher with over 350 mostly peer reviewed scientific articles published) manages to distill his recommendations for the best diet into just 66 words:

"Consume plant-based foods in forms as close to their natural state as possible ("whole" foods).  Eat a variety of vegetables, fruits, raw nuts and seeds, beans and legumes, and whole grains.  Avoid heavily processed foods and animal products.  Stay away from added salt, oil, and sugar.  Aim to get 80 percent of your calories from carbohydrates, 10 percent from fat, and 10 percent from protein."  (p. 07)

He calls it the "Whole Foods Plant-Based" diet (WFPB).  Dr. Campbell is part of a growing chorus and scientific consensus, spearheaded in part (but not exclusively), by Drs. Caldwell Esselstyn (reversing heart disease), Neal Barnard (reversing diabetes), and John McDougall, about the incredible protective and curative effects of a WFPB diet.

So, imagine how delighted I was to receive a copy of his daughter's new book, "The China Study Cookbook" (by LeAnne Campbell, Phd.).  Without mincing words, I have to acknowledge up front, that it's a marvelous effort.  Many of the beauties of this cookbook are subtle, but having been through the fires of writing a WFPB-based cookbook myself, I'm able to recognize the incredible thought, creativity, and mindfulness that Leanne has put into her book.  It is worthy of the statement on the front cover, the "Official Companion to The China Study."

Chock full of over 120 recipes, "The China Study Cookbook" is more than a cookbook.  Although that might sound cliche, it truly isn't.  The book is beautifully organized and well-structured, providing a lot of detailed information about diet and disease, nutrition, stocking your pantry, storage and preparation of food, tips on using no oil and less sugar and salt, substitutions, raising children to consume a WFPB diet, transitioning to a WFPB diet, and even recommended "Chef's Tools"...  all of this BEFORE you get to the recipes!! 

The recipes are listed by category in the Table of Contents, which is excellent, and the Index is based on ingredients.  This has all been very well thought out.  For my own self-published book, I spent at least a month working on a Recipes Index and an Ingredients Index.  Why?  Just as Leanne undoubtedly knew, they save time and effort in searching for what you want to cook and how to do it.  Also worth noting: the recipe categories are: Breads & Muffins, Breakfast Dishes, Appetizers & Salads, Soups, Sandwiches, Entrees, Side Dishes, and Desserts.  

Leanne engaged her whole family to assist with this project.  That she's a busy mother AND a very busy professional (as her father proudly notes in the "Foreward") shows in the construction of the recipes as well as she's, ahem, taken the time to note the estimate "Preparation Time" for each recipe.  There are also "icons" under the title of each recipe that represent one of 8 categories of whole plants: Fruits, Grains, Leaves, Roots, Legumes, Flowers, Nuts, and Mushrooms.  A most useful approach.

So, by now you might be thinking "get to the main issue, Mark, how are the recipes?" 

I found them to be creative, designed with obvious care, and extremely well written such that a novice in the plant-based kitchen will have no trouble making very very tasty dishes.  That these are so delicious is a real testimony to Leanne's ability.  Many of the WFPB recipes with no-oil, etc., in some of the other cookbooks I've read are, well, sometimes bland, derivative of others, and don't show the attention to detail and care that these do.  Accustomed to seeing lesser efforts (not always, but too often), I was pleasantly surprised by how excellent and diverse her recipes are.

BOTTOM LINE: as a vegan for 12 years (vegetarian for 20 years before that), no-oil for 7 years, from being a cookbook author AND proud owner of some 500+ cookbooks (at last count, that's probably an underestimate), I do NOT hesitate to recommend this book.  

It will be quite useful to anyone wanting to explore a WFPB diet, and especially for busy professionals and Moms everywhere who want to make the healthiest meals possible for their families.  This book and versatile recipes will be of great help to anyone wanting move towards on a new path of true health, without the degenerate diseases Modern Science unfortunately believes are inevitable.

As her father (and others) have proven they are not inevitable, LeAnne and her family have proven how to implement his recommendations with style, taste, enjoyment, and ease.

This is truly a unique and important contribution to the growing Whole Foods Plant-Based Diet movement, and I sincerely hope that she finds the time to produce another cookbook.  Finally, I've a hopeful hunch there's a lot more yet to be seen from all the Campbells!  What a family!!

CONTEST RESULTS! Congratulations to Jim Olichwier for winning the luck of the draw and a copy of the China Study Cookbook!

SPECIAL CONTEST: Dr. Campbell's publisher, BenBella Books, is sponsoring a FREE giveaway of this book to the winner (selected at random) of the following contest.  To enter, leave a comment below describing why you are interested in an WFPB diet and what prompted your interested in it as well as this book.  Be sure to include your e-mail address (won't be shown).  Deadline for comments:  Tuesday, February 25th, 11:59 pm est.

Below are two recipes from "The China Study Cookbook" that help showcase Dr. Campbell's considerable "chops!"  All are ©2013 by LeAnne Campbell.

 

SCRUMPTIOUS BAKED VEGETABLES WITH FRESH SPINACH

Preparation Time:  25 minutes   Baking Time:  20 minutes

Makes 6-8 Servings

 

FOR THE BAKED VEGETABLES:

1 medium onion, sliced

1 green bell pepper, seeded and julienned

1 sweet potato, cut into bit-sized pieces

1 head broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces

1/2 pound mushrooms

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

1 medium zucchini, sliced

Garlic powder

Onion powder

Sea salt and black pepper

8 cups fresh spinach

2 cups cooked brown rice

 

FOR THE SAUCE:

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup almond slivers

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice  [I used lemon juice]

1 teaspoon thyme, dried

1 teaspoon basil, dried

1 teaspoon rosemary, dried

1 clove garlic, minced

1) Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  Prepare all vegetables except the spinach and place in a large baking pan lined with parchment paper.  Sprinkle with garlic powder, onion powder, salt and black pepper.  Bake vegetables for 20 minutes.

2) While vegetables are cooking, whisk together all sauce ingredients in a medium-sized bowl.

3) Place spinach in a large serving bowl.  Combine cooked vegetables and sauce.  Serve warm over spinach and brown rice.

[MSS NOTES:  a versatile recipe that can easily be modified to fit with the veggies in your 'frig.  I like the sauce used, as well as the idea of putting the roasted veggies over spinach (which will wilt the spinach quite nicely).  This recipe shows a generic approach to cooking veggies without oil and, imho, is a very important one.  A variation of her method was my "go to" during some of the busiest periods of my recent life, and now that I've got the sauce recipe, yeeha!]

 

APPLE GINGERBREAD UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Preparation Time:  20 minutes    Baking Time:  35 to 40 minutes

Makes 8 Servings

1/2 cup water, divided

3 medium MacIntosh (or other tart) apples, peeled, cored, and sliced

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1.2 cup unsweetened applesauce

2/3 cup molasses

2 egg replacers (2 tablespoons ground flaxseed meal with 6 tablespoons water)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2) Put apples in medium saucepan with 1/4 cup water.  Cover and cook 3-4 minutes over medium heat, until soft.  Add maple syrup and stir to combine.

3) In a small mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, and salt.  Set aside.

4) In a separate bowl, mix applesauce, molasses, egg replacers, vanilla, and 1/4 cup water.  Add to dry ingredients and mix well.

5) Spread cooked apple-maple syrup mixture evenly on the bottom of a 9x9 nonstick baking dish.  Pour batter over apples.

6) Bake uncovered for about 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the gingerbread comes out clean.

7) While cake is still warm, place a serving plate over cake pan and carefully turn the cake over so it comes out onto the plate.  Serve warm.

[MSS NOTES:  if you're missing a few of the spices, add a little bit more of the ones you do have.  Great recipe that proves you don't need fat and a lot of sugar to make a fine and delectable dessert.]

Review of "Whole" (Campbell) & FREE Giveaway of Same

Books that significantly change your life don't come around all that too often.  A handful of the ones that come to mind for me are "The Mad Cowboy," by Howard Lyman, "Diet for a Small Planet," (Francis Moore Lappe), "Diet for a New America," (John Robbins) "Vegan Planet," (Robin Robertson), "Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease," (Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn), and "The China Study" (Dr. T. Colin Campbell). 

I was most intrigued when receiving a copy of "Whole: Rethinking the Science of Nutrition" by Dr. T. Colin Campbell and Howard Jacobson.  I mean, can they possibly top "China Study" in impact, new nutritional realities, dietary insight, and health perspectives?

I read the book twice, in part in preparation for my interview the co-author (yet to be transcribed and published due to technical problems), and primarily as it's a stunning read.  Comparing "China Study" to "Whole" would be folly.  They are two entirely different masterpieces.  The 1st, a very detailed technical scientific report, if you will, from the Director of history's largest study on diet.  It's how, why, and what it means.  The indisputable (in my mind at least) conclusion that animal casein facilitates and enables cancer and heart disease (among other health problems), is mind-blowing. 

"Whole" however, is more philosophical in tone, a more accessible read (thanks to the co-author), and in many ways, a summation of what Dr. Campbell has learned from the experiences of the China Study, his entire career, the media tour, the medical industrial establishment, and is a finely tuned critique of the problems that keep people from embracing the demonstrable restorative and preventative value of a whole foods plant-based diet (WFPB).  It chronicles this stellar scientist's journey from the highest government and academic levels of health-related research, his early "daze" of reductionism, to now embracing a "wholistic" view of nutrition and what that means for society.  

Dr. Campbell's paradigm isn't new:  mystics, philosophers, new age practitioners, and quantum physicists, as but a few examples, have all embraced the concepts of everything being interconnected and synergistic in processes where the "whole" is greater than the sum of the parts.

What IS new, however, is Dr. Campbell's superbly trained mind and powerful insight carefully, and with a surgeon's precision, dissecting all the mistaken perspectives/values/money spent in research, corporations, the health care industry, government, and mass media, until the conclusion he presents is inescapable.  He points out tirelessly, how the collective reductionist paradigm is not solving our health problems, but in fact, make things worse.

One of the most stunning revelations in this book is the (soon to be infamous) study by a colleague of his on the amount of Vitamin C in a single apple.

"...the specific chemical we refer to as vitamin C accounts for much less than 1 percent of the vitamin C-like activity in the apple --- a minuscule amount.  The other 99-plus percent of this activity ["an astounding 236 times as potent as the same amount of the isolated chemical!"] is due to other vitamin C-like chemicals in the apple, the possible ability of vitamin C to be much more effective in context of the whole apple than it is when consumed in an isolated form, or both."  (p. 153)

With 4.5 billion years of evolution, our bodies have developed the means to extract exactly what it needs from plants,in both quality and quantity, and synergistically build on that input to nutrients and vitality superior to the original input.  An absolutely fascinating discovery and it has a wide range of implications in regards to nutrition and human diet/health.  

WFPB: the summarized prudent dietary strategy, as exemplified in Dr. Campbell's summation (see below) is to, in my words, consume as diverse and many multi-colored vegetable, fruit and plant-based foods as you can, and let your body figure out what to use, and dispose of.

Dr. Campbell's marvelously succinct description of what his and other's research is that the best diet you can effect follows:

"Consume plant-based foods in forms as close to their natural state as possible ("whole" foods).  Eat a variety of vegetables, fruits, raw nuts and seeds, beans and legumes, and whole grains.  Avoid heavily processed foods and animal products.  Stay away from added salt, oil, and sugar.  Aim to get 80 percent of your calories from carbohydrates, 10 percent from fat, and 10 percent from protein."  (p. 07)

Everyone should memorize the above words, as they are subtle in text, but profound in terms of your health. 

Furthermore, Dr. Campbell, as does Dr. Neal Barnard in "Power Foods for the Brain," comes down hard on the issue of supplements.  Not how the body works.  They are ill-considered, make no sense from a wholistic paradigm's perspective, and can easily cause more harm than good.  Ironic that a few weeks ago the Feds came out with a major study saying that supplements have no serious benefit (other than B12, maybe Vitamin D on occasion).  It's a reductionist view that we can add "X" to get "Y." 

I could go on for "pages and pages" about this superb effort. The old story of blind men studying an elephant was so incredibly apt for what he wanted to explain.  Modern scientific research (and funding) is akin to these individuals attempting to comprehend what an elephant is by, for example, studying the ears, or just the trunk.  Marvelous way to explain what's going on and why this approach is conceptually myopic. 

"I can't think of a better metaphor to highlight the big problem with scientific research today.  Except that instead of six blind men, modern science tasks 60,000 researchers to examine the elephant, each through a different lens... [the] researchers don't talk to one another or acknowledge that the overall goal of the exploration is to perceive and appreciate the whole elephant."  (p. 851, 853) 

Suffice it to say, it you want to understand WHY we are in the health mess we're in, the implications, the waste of time and money focusing on genetics, and the incredible curative and preventative value of a WFPB diet, this book is mandatory reading.  This book is a magnum opus: the culmination of over 50 years of the highest level of scientific research (both government and academia) and the brilliance of a man who's internal integrity forced him to question his previous assumptions and follow the truth as it unfolded.  People, he's published over 350 mostly peer-reviewed studies.

He has the cojone to lay out his life's efforts and show how he was wrong, and what he's come to understand from the realities in his subsequent research and deliberate integration into what it all truly means.  A totally thoughtful, intelligent, and unassailable analysis of the "disease-caring" industry and why it must change.  He is, indeed, "re-thinking" nutrition with the scientific caliber of few alive today.  His perspectives demand attention.

I'm just so impressed.  It's a wonderful read, and I recommend it highly for anyone who wants a "whole" view of the problems of health in our society, and particularly, for any health professional who REALLY wants to help people help themselves, as well as the individual who wants to foster good health, knowing that a WFPB diet will get them there. 

And yes, this book has had a major impact on how I view the world, health, diet, and society.  Somehow, for me, he's done it twice with his first two books, and I dearly hope there's more to come.  IMHO, there needs to be two statues in front of the National Institute of Health: one of Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn (whom Dr. Campbell notes did one of the most incredible research studies ever accomplished, reversing heart disease), and Dr. Campbell himself.

These are two scientists that should be put out in front of the building to inspire future researchers and remind us (and everyone entering and exiting that prestigious institution), that true revolutions in thinking and saving human lives are not always loud or corporate-funded, but they can be quietly persistent, and "whole."  The work of both of these individuals has the potential of saving, literally, millions of lives from long-term degenerative diseases that need not exist.

With "Whole," Dr. Campbell provides a deeply penetrating, experienced, and encompassing "thought umbrella" to understand how to avoid the mis-information raining down on use from media, government, corporate, and academic sources, and instead, shine with the time-tested knowledge of how a whole foods plant-based diet can cure, prevent, and promote a truly healthy life.  I cannot recommend this book any more highly than I just have (especiall to all medical students or anyone involved with health and nutrition).  With regards to Dr. Campbell's two books, IMHO, lightning has, indeed, struck twice.

"• What you eat every day is a far more determinant of your health than your DNA or most of the nasty chemicals lurking in your environment

• The foods you consume can heal you faster and more profoundly than the most expensive prescription drugs, and more dramatically than the most extreme surgical interventions, with only positive side effects.

• It's never too late to start eating well."  (p06) 

My sincere thanks to BenBella (publishers of "Whole" and many other fine books) for sending me a copy for review, as well as offering to sponsor the giveaway of a FREE copy of "Whole" for the lucky winner.

RULES:  leave a comment on this blog (w/ e-mail address) telling us the most important event, book, person, whatever, that enabled your epiphany to give up animal protein and embrace a plant-based diet.  Doesn't have to be long, spelling won't count!  Deadline for entries is Tuesday, February 11th, 11:59pm est.  The winner will be selected at random.  I'll send the winner an e-mail requesting a physical mailing address on the 12th.

Go for it!

[Extra Credit:  check out Dr. Don Wagner's excellent interview with Dr. Campbell about "Whole" from last month.  Available (free) as a streaming/downloadable audio here.]

AND WE HAVE A WINNER!  Here's what she wrote to earn her free hardback copy.

"Hello, my name is Monica Cameli and I am 56 years old and when I was 7 years old, my mother remarried and we went to visit my new step dads brother on a farm. My sister and I went with our new cousins who were the same age as us to the 'slaughter house'. I had no idea what we were walking in to. Every time I tell this story, I can see it, smell it, and hear the animals crying for their lives! That experience is what started me on my vegan journey. It's taken many years to figure out how to eat right, though. Thankfully, I've heard Dr. Esselstyn speak twice and have read many good books within the last few years to help me along in this journey.."

Next week: a review and free giveaway of "The China Study Cookbook!"

Special! 200 Recipes: "No More Bull" (H. Lyman) & HHPizza Together!

While going through some boxes in my office, I found a box full of "No More Bull!" books by Howard Layman, aka, "The Mad Cowboy" (see description below). I helped edit this book, as well as select and manage the recipe section.

What a time interacting with some of the top vegan chefs ever! I've decided to share my find.

With Howard's permission, I'm offering a copy of "No More Bull!" and MY book (the 1st vegan pizza cook book) "Heart Healthy Pizza: Over 100 Plant-Based Recipes for the Healthiest Pizza in the World" for a special discount. I'm willing to autograph either or both. 

You get around 220 vegan recipes. 

"NO MORE BULL! The Mad Cowboy Targets America's Worst Enemy: Our Diet" by Howard Lyman with Glen Merzer & Joanna Samorow-Merzer 

"Howard Lyman, who told the story of his transition from cattle rancher to vegetarian in Mad Cowboy, exposes the flimsy lies sustaining the meat industry in this new volume.  With an update on the Mad Cow threat, an eye-opening discussion of the link between Alzheimer's and meat consumption, and a raucous dissection of the folly of high-protein diets, "No More Bull!" makes the case for a plant-based diet as clearly and powerfully as it's ever been made. 

Features over 100 vegan recipes from Howard's friends, cookbook authors, award-winning chefs, and easy-to-follow tips for those transitioning to a vegan or plant-based diet. 

Includes recipes from Robin Robertson, Nava Atlas, Chef Ron Pickarski, Chef Ken Bergeron, Bryanna Clark Grogan, Dr. Neal Barnard (President, PCRM), Brenda Davis, Chef Beverly Lynn Bennett, Patricia Bertron, Dr. T. Colin Campbell ("The China Study"), Albert Chase, Robert Cohen (the NotMilkMan), Joseph Connelly (VegNews), Sally Errey, JoAnn Farb, Dr. Alan Goldhamer ("The Pleasure Trap"), Dr. Michael Greger (Nutrtionfacts.org), Francis Moore Lappe ("Diet for a Small Planet"), Dr. John and Mary McDougall, Vesanto Messina, Marie Oser, Tanya Petrovna (founder, "Native Foods"), Jennifer Raymond, Jo Stepaniak ("The UnCheese Cookbook," Larry Wheat (Owner of the "Millenium Restaurant"), and many more! 

Pass this unique deal around.  You can learn more at:

http://www.hearthealthypizza.com/NMBHHP.html

 

The "Go Vegan Radio" Interview!

My 1st National Radio Interview w/Bob Linden on "Go Vegan Radio" is now available for streaming or an MP3 download:

http://www.goveganradio.com/2013/12/11/8-december-2013/

It was a great experience, although the 5 minutes on, 4 minutes of commercials (cut out in these audios, 'cept for a plug or two by Bob), 5 minutes back on, 4 minutes of commercials, etc., threw me initially.  I was honored that the previous speaker, Dr. Gary Francione, well-known academic and animal rights activist, mentioned that he just bought my book and was excited to receive it!  So cool.  Gary ends his bit mentioning my book around 42:11 and Bob segues into my interview.

Many thanks to Bob for the opportunity, and to Gary for really making my day!

P.S. - you can get an autographed sent to you at a special Holidaze Discount here.

Audio: Orson Welles Meets "Vegan World"

Dr. Don Wagner and I did an "Orson Welles War of the Worlds" in a radio interview last week, with the concept of "what if the world went vegan last night?" 

It was quite the improv experience. 1st few minutes, my book, the rest, a "thought experiment" in real-time on what the implications would be for the planet and global society.  Apparently, some listeners actually thought it had happened and went looking online social media for reference to the event!

It's about 45 minutes streamed or as an MP3 audio download:

Don and I had talked about the possibility the night before, and I said, "sure, you lead, I'll follow."  We were basing the idea upon a recent blog anniversary essay I wrote, "While You Were Sleeping..." 

A wild ride ensued.  We covered, among other things, farm animals, Global  Climate Change, water, companion animals and cancer, the entertainment industry, the health profession, the military-industrial complex, and more. Don has interviewed so many "biggies" the past several years (Barnard, Esselstyn, Tuttle, Goldhamer, Greger, etc.) and was quite knowledgeable and obviously "on fire" during the discussion.

In many ways the interactions encapsulated some distilled essences of many of those interviews and what he's learned in his efforts to "change the way we eat, and in effect, change the world." We riffed on a war between two worlds: plant-based and current.

My thanks to Dr. Don for a wonderful bit of time thinking about the future, and the fun we had.  It was a tightrope walk, and I'm honored to have been on the rope with him.  We all DO need to ponder about and plan for the future inevitability of most of the planet being whole foods plant-based.  It's gonna happen.

Check out his archives for so many marvelous and informative interviews (over 600 he's done, don't know how many are in the archives) with authors, nutritionists, scientists, and movers'n'shakers swimming upstream society's river of ignorance.  You won't be disappointed.

While you were sleeping...

BTW:  you might have missed this, but the entire world adopted a "plant-based" diet last night.  This has freaked-out global markets and promoted high-level fiscal concern for most countries as economies across the world are now drastically collapsing; billions of people are suddenly without work, and small farmers don't have the capacity to deal with the demand for whole, unprocessed, non-GMO'd, real food.  Issues of what to do with, literally, billions of tortured factory farmed animals is suddenly a major concern on many levels.

It's not clear what the cognitive tipping point was in helping people understand that the best medicine for most of what ails them is preventative and restorative from whole, unprocessed, real food.  Certainly Drs. Caldwell Esselstyn, John McDougall, Neal Barnard, Michael Greger, Fuhrman, and T. Colin Campbell, among others, may be culpable in their dedicated, scientifically documented, and tirelessly consistent efforts to point out that a plant-based diet can effectively prevent, let alone reverse, many types of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and hyper-tension in humanoids.  They been ridiculed for years, and maybe now they'll get the praise they deserve for swimming up the so-called nutritional knowledge stream for so many years.

However, the sudden collective recognition and ability to separate emotional attachment to food from logical recognition of nutritional value and source implications of what we consume, has staggered the industrial-food complex.  They cannot make money on whole plant-based foods, without adding, to varying degrees, oil, sugar, and salt... these food-like products proven to be tremendously detrimental to human long-term health.  Their corporate holdings are now collapsing as fast as an artery with an ill-fit heart valve stent.

The impact of so many people consuming primarily healthy whole foods, eschewing processed food-like products, and embracing a wholistic plant-based dietary lifestyle has been devastating to the financial and political status quo.  Millions of people in restaurants, support businesses, and fast food venues are being laid off, while said businesses must close their doors from lack of customer interest and purchase.  They were not ready for what obviously had to happen, they were not prepared.  There was no long-term strategy based upon the many nutritional realities that have emerged over the past decade. The Health Care Industry is possibly beyond repair.

Civilization, as we conceive of it, has been irrevocably transformed, and the resulting implications cross across literally all human devices, endeavors, and support systems.  What we eat is fundamental to our existence, and the food corporations have been messing with the concept in irresponsible manners long enough, solely concerned for short-term profits and not long-term health.  Their bluff has been called, they cannot force us to buy their products.

Even so, we be in deep nitrogenous do-do, people.  And we must get past our collective political, mental, and emotional biases to deal with this serious New Reality.  Politicians grandstanding on TeeVee eating cheese, drinking milk, and gnawing on steaks isn't going to change this inevitability nor sway us from the understanding and final awareness that meat, dairy, and highly processed food, are killing us by the millions.

It's not going to be easy, such a mega-paradigm shift is going to generate a lot of collateral damage in the manifestation process.  But given the stakes at hand, the entire human race and the ability of our planet to support carbon-based lifeforms, it's abundantly clear that we have no choice.

We have to transcend.  We have to accept transformation of our consciousness from one predicated by lower-based taste addictions to one embracing our knowledge of a healthier way to live, to thrive, and to love.

We... just... have... no... choice...

Namaste, Mark

[This is my personal "Happy Anniversary" post... as one of the very first vegan bloggers, today "marks" my 8 year anniversary.  I started my blog to (1) promote a plant-based diet, (2) communicate well-referenced and related scientific studies/evidence supporting such, (3) to force myself to write regularly (which led, eventually, to my book), and (4) to torque people and organizations when I deemed it necessary.  Of course, too, it became a wonderful vehicle for ranting on occasion, but also, as I've learned, a vehicle for personal transformation of sorts.  I do apologize, somewhat, to those I've pissed off in the process of growing up.

The post above is an "Einstein Thought Experiment" of sorts, and, I believe, suggests all kinds of interesting implications.  As noted in a recent interview, I LIKE TO THINK.  We all need to think more about the ramifications of our belief structures.  I obviously don't have all the answers, which also upsets me at times, as we are collectively headed for a major global conflaguration involving lifestyle, the environment, the animals, and the ability of our planet to support carbon-based lifeforms.  It's going to happen, of this there is no doubt.  

Are we going to be prepared?  That's the really tough question.  It's the question that Congress should be answering, i.e., our water, air, soil, health, and food, in the future, instead of spending an absolutely assinine and absurd amount of time passing over 40 bills to de-fund something, Obamacare, that they cannot do.

Anyway, as a personal indulgence for a day or two, here's a couple of links to some of my favorite posts the past 8 years, along with a link to a special short-term discount for purchasing an autographed copy of my book.

I hope to be around in another 8 years to see what's happened, how I've hopefully grown, and that maybe this civilization can start acting as though they've been blessed by their very existence instead of abusing same.  You are what you eat and don't excrete, to put it bluntly.  The human body has had 4.5 billion years of testing to learn how to optimize good matter input into long-term health.  That conclusion has become inescapable, and imho, is of vital importance to our species if we're going to be around here in any significant numbers several years from now.  We MUST embrace these changes in thinking.  We literally "have no choice."

I love you all.... Mark

 About the Hex Globe

"The Milk Cellar at Chez Ignorante" 

"My Sojourn to Burger King"

"Heart goes BAM!"

"My Vegan Tipping Point"

"Identify This Vegetable and Win Something"

"The Experimental G-BOMBS V-12 Pizza Prototype"

A Special "Heart Healthy Pizza" Cookbook Anniversary Discount