SoulVeggie

Is "Fat Free Vegan" a Religion?

There was a recent post on the Fat Free Vegan List where someone felt they were being a "heretic" for posting about the "health" benefits of coconut oil (which is myopic, more on this shortly).  This got me to thinking about how some might perceive those of us believing in a no-added fat vegan diet as being akin to dietary fundamentalists.

In formulating a response to the poster, I decided it was best to make it a blog post, for general consumption and that it wasn't really "on topic" for the List.  I've expanded my response to cover a bit more conceputal turf than just the List:

"Someone posted feeling that they were a heretic for what they posted, wondered if "fat free" is a religion, and wouldn't post any more. 

First of all, this is a Group List.  Mistakes can be made, I've made my own share, we move on, we post again.  However, know that advocating hamburger on a vegetarian list would be as bad as praising oil on a fat free vegan list.  There is a "charter" and we join with the tacit understanding that we agree to the bylaws.

As to the issue of fat free being a religion, it's an intriguing thought to me.  In my mind, being religious requires faith, and generally, faith in the unknown to some degree (unless one has had some sort of transcendent experience that "mandates" a religious perspective and/or viewpoint).  Still, not provable, at least from a quantitative or empirical standpoint.  Some akin "vegan" to a religion and/or philosophy.

IMHO, "Fat Free" requires faith to some degree, but more importantly, it also incorporates 20+ years of solid peer-reviewed scientific research, actually physical measurements of the effect of ingested added fat, and a sound understanding of the mechanism by which said added fat can cause harm to the human body in so many ways.  Furthermore, added oil is nothing but, to quote Rip Esselstyn, processed goop.  That's an inescapable reality.  Oil is a highly processed food-like product, but it is NOT real food.  Go ahead.  Tell me how you can "grow oil" or "harvest oil."

The "fat free vegan approach" is much more "provable" than a religion, imho.  And just as with a religion, you can "try it" and see how it works for you.  For many of us, fat free has been a boon, a revelation, invigorating, a release, and/or quite healthy.  Does one size fit all?  Ask someone wiser than me, I don't know.

Anyway, we may sound like religious zealots, and I can only speak for myself here, but in fighting a world that insists that "added oil is good" we get weary sometimes, and often have to remind ourselves that we've science, tested results, and the reversal of heart disease and diabetes (that no one but Essy, Ornstein, and Barnard have accomplished) to validate our perspective.  If you know someone who can walk on water, they are probably worth paying attention to, at least until you meet someone else who can do the same (or tells you where the low-lying rocks are in the pond).

We get tired of having to defend our views.  Our hard fought understanding that added fat is harmful and that oil is NOT real food is often met with scorn, derision, and disdain.  You can tell someone that one high fat meal decreases circulatory elasticity for several hours (that's a measurement, not theory), and over time, will take it's toll as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, Altzheimer's disease, and other serious degenerative conditions, and they will still whine about needing Daiya "cheese" (very high fat processed oil, mostly) or "extra virgin olive oil."  EVOO=EVIL.  Often, just as with carnivores attacking vegetarians or vegans, they will throw out very similar insults and ill-thought out justifications for why you are wrong.  As though it was important that you be shown to be wrong.

Vegetarians and Vegans being scornful of low-fat vegans.  On the surface, it's silly, but in reality, it's that even Veg'ns are susceptable to the addictive qualities of fat, sugar, and salt.  As such, often the List has been a sanctuary of sorts, a support group and a rare place to share a minority view and recipes with others who are also struggling or who have successfully incorporated this new dietary perspective into their lives.  I mean, if there are 1 million vegans in the US (latest stats), how many are low-fat oriented?  We are a minority in a minority that will, most likely, live longer than the majority.

No-added fat is not a religion, but a reasoned approach to health.  Forgive us if we sometimes lash out at those who suggest otherwise.  In many ways, going vegetarian or vegan is/was actually easier than going no-fat.  I get more flack for no-fat than I have for vegan the past decade, although admittedly, when I went veg decades ago, it was truly radical.

We do what we think best, ideally.  But remember... asking 'why' on a fat free List is different than posting "health" information about fat or recipes with fat on a "fat free" List.

We see enough of those bogus health claims as it is.  They might be healthy on some myopic micro-managed selective subset of biological interactions, but, imho, avoiding heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and Altzheimer's trumps them all.  Being firm and resolved to embrace a no-added fat vegan diet should not be confused with religion or groundless faith.  It is the acknowledgement of the research, science, and demonstrated results, that we choose to take advantage of and incorporate into our lives.

Our decision, not yours.  We're fine with it.

Regards, Mark"

Addendum:  Comments Off is a default (thank you Typepad) and I didn't notice it.  It's been enabled.

Essay: "On Fear and Going Vegan"

It’s sometimes amazing to me that so many people live so much of their lives being guided by fear instead of taking chances on the future.  The many fears that hold people back are legion.  Fear of committing to a new lifestyle --- going vegan, fear that you won’t be able to get over missing meat, dairy, and eggs.  Fear of cooking new recipes (or even cooking without recipes).  Fear of what people will think.  Fear of malnutrition.  Fear that in trying something new, you’ll miss something old.  Fear of being wrong or believing one is being criticized out an insecurity with one’s self or one’s own internal decisions.

I believe that most behavior held back by fear is from a misguided belief that one knows what’s going to happen,  and that often, the irrational fear of a particular action comes from actually believing one can ultimately know what the results will be.  When I first went veg, my father told me I was going to “die.” (sooner, not later).  For me, it was a, “why not find out?  will this work?  how will it affect my consciousness?”

“I won’t like it.  It won’t work.  I’ll be unhappy.  It can’t work.”  These are the faux justifications the fear-based philosophy promotes and by which the internal insecurity is fostered. We see the same in other areas of human existence:  fear of the new boss and that you’ll lose your job, fear that the business is going bankrupt when, it fact, it continues for over a year.  Fear of taking a chance that someone else is right.  Fear of changing careers.  Fear of giving one’s self to another, and getting nothing in return.  Fear of changing “the routine.”  Fear of "trust."

The true irony is that you can’t know the future.  To anticipate a negative result in many cases is self-defeating and feeds those same fears that rationalize this doubt.  To vegetarians afraid of giving up their precious dairy or bovine secretions, I say, “try going vegan, what have you got to lose?”  Instead of whining how much you'll miss cheese, note how many of us do not.  To the vegan who thinks oil (whether from a bottle or congealed as faux cheese) is a "real food" and you can’t live without it, I would say “try a low fat vegan diet for four months... what have you go to lose?  In this case, increased chances for heart disease, Type II Diabetes, and Altzheimer’s Disease.”  A four month test that might be successful versus higher chances for an early death?  If it doesn't work, at least you tried.

If you don’t try and find out, if you don’t take a simple new turn and give it a shot, if you don’t trust that you can change your mind later, if you don’t take a step towards a healthier future, you will never know what you missed.  This is not just regarding diet, but in all aspects of one’s life. 

In April 1984, debt-free for the first time out of college, I invested all the money I had into a Macintosh and associated peripherals.  I dreamed of what I could do with this unique machine.  The first thing I did with it in the store was use MacPaint to do a drawing of an Earth.  Years later, as a result of that leap-of-faith, I was using Macintoshes as the Visualizations Coordinator on two NASA Earth Satellite Missions.  I published graphics in many magazines, did a cover for TIME.  Could any of this have been anticipated spending $2500 for a 128k (yes, "kilobytes") RAM 512x384 grayscale monitor in boxy R2D2-like plastic?

If I’d been fear-based, if I hadn’t taken a chance, if I hadn’t been willing to find out what my soul was inviting me to do, it never would have happened.

The universe presents opportunities all the time, in many and often subtle ways.  Unfortunately, they generally have a short shelf life.  If one doesn’t act fast, the vast potential from trusting in the positive possibilities that could be made manifest begins to dissipate, distort, and eventually, disappear.  The dynamics change, and won't be the same again.

Throw away those fear shackles, get off the fence and take a no-risk chance. Life is too short as it is to waste on being afraid of the future and new more fulfilling experiences.   Go vegan.  Go low-fat vegan and find out that you can get rid of your fears, re-calibrate your taste buds, loose addictions to old ways, addictions, and patterns, and truly be healthier and happier.

A simple no-risk investment in the future... of you.

On a Vegan Relationship

Although I’ve dated non-veg’n women, I’ve found that dating someone who is vegan can be a mixed blessing.  Initially, when deciding to try dating only vegetarian or vegan women, I fell into a common pitfall:  you can get so excited by having this much in common, that often, before true compatibilities beyond what you eat (and why) have been established, such as emotional energies, it’s really easy to quickly go to a physical relationship prematurely.  Sometimes that can still work, often it obscures aspects of each other that weren’t known earlier that eventually lead to a dissolution of the relationship.  The best relationships, for me, have involved a lot of interaction on different levels for a reasonable length of time before the dance gets deeper.

Another problem comes even under optimal circumstances when one knows pretty much all one thinks he needs to know about a person to be comfortable with the prospect of longer-term possibilities.  If, indeed, there are 1 million vegans in the United States (a rough estimate), how many are, well, female, single, in my age range, appealing to me (and I them), and accessible? (trust me, long-distance relationships in their early phases, truly suck and are incredibly demanding emotionally).  Not even going near the no-added fat issue!  What I’m referring to is that when faced with the prospect of “breaking up” or “downgrading” the relationship, it can be even more maddening wondering, how will I ever find someone so compatible (and preferably vegan) again?

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not against dating non-veg’n women, but the preference is definitely for someone who is more or less on the same page regarding health and diet, animal issues being somewhat less important to me in this case, environmental significant, but not critical.  Since I generally end up doing most of the cooking, just about all the non-veg’n women I’ve dated went veg.

But how much does the prospect that it’s going to be very hard to find someone as close to what I want from a companion in life again affect small decisions, or opinions that arise in the course of a relationship?  How much does this fear lessen judgement or perhaps promote overlooking some aspects of a significant other that one would normally be concerned about?  When doubts creep in, and/or there's a communication breakdown, these concerns can re-surface.

I don’t have an answer to all this, and it certainly is situation dependent.  The closest I can come to any kind of resolution is trying to embrace faith, faith that, should the relationship end, that the same fortuitousness, the same blessed energies that led us to discovering each other will see to it that the chance or opportunity occurs again, and won’t give up trying. 

Loving a vegan woman is absolutely fantastic, and I believe that the energy mix, at least from my own experiences, is much more refined, deep, fulfilling, and wonderful in shared experiences than, in general, with a non-vegan woman.  Add in similar "normal" interests, a sparkling intellect, beautiful smile, joi de vivre, expansive heart, and shining personality, and it doesn’t get much better than that.

So, with all this in mind, I sincerely hope I won’t have to deal with the above issues ever again.  It really does come down to faith, though.  Faith in and for the relationship, and faith that if it isn’t to be, life does go on, and other potential significant others are out there.  Beliving otherwise, imho, leads nowhere good.

Life persists.

Rant: On "Comfort Foods" & Related Issues

IMHO, by characterizing foods as "comfort foods" we draw upon emotions rather than intellect.  Many of the food products (or, as Pollan would put it, "food-like substances") we were given as children have been shown to be rather unhealthy.  They have become "unhealthy" attachments and, in many cases, taste addictions.  The topic came up in a list I belong to (fatfree vegan).  My response got too long, hence this post.

Plastic white Wonder Bread, Cocoa Puffs, Campbell's Soups, Pizza, McDonald's Fries, Gummy Bears, and the list goes on and on.  I remember when doctors would SMOKE in their offices (one in particular, advising me that my being a vegetarian was risky to my health).  It's not a coincidence that food companies spend most of their advertising dollars targeting children ("hook 'em when the're young, you get them for life").  Then there's the "bond" to these unhealthy foods that comes from the fact that it's those we trust when we are young, (our parents and relatives) who give us that stuff.

It takes determination, will, and mental discipline, to remind ourselves that emotional attachments to unhealthy food are one of the reasons we have around 24 million diabetics in this country (6 million of those unaware of such), and lose near half a million (not counting those deaths from other cardiovascular-related problems) a year to heart attacks.  Our public and governmental institutions have failed completely, for the most part, in helping people understand what is healthy and what isn't.  Considering the amount of money spent on advertising bad food products it's not surprising how screwed up the conventional views of good nutrition are ("Over 10 billion dollars is spent on fast food advertising to children annually in numerous fashions.").

I see many vegetarians and vegans gleefully substitute high fat faux cheeses and meats, lots of sugar, excessive sodium, and/or added oil to recipes to duplicate "comfort foods."  Large amounts of sugar and refined flour as "they deserve a treat" on Valentine's Day.  "Deserve?"  Hardly.  They misleadingly believe that because they are vegan, they have removed the risk of having cardiovascular issues or diabetes.  Far from it.  It might be reduced some, but they can still get fat and saturated fat from non-animal sources that, from the body's risks standpoint, is essentially the same as from animal sources.  Added oil fuels development of plaque that causes strokes (that's not a cholesterol issue) and inflames your blood vessels.  One fatty meal decreases your blood vessels elasticity for several hours (that's a measured fact).  Using more sugar in a meal than recommended per day by the American Heart Association is not a "treat."  It's potential long-term suicide.  Over time, it's probably gonna kill ya.  A la McDougall, Esselstyn, Barnard, and Campbell:  "Moderation kills."

This is why when celebrated vegan chefs like Tal repeatedly say, "Fat is Flavor," I believe he isn't really helping the human animals and is basically a nutritional moron.  PCRM recently praised his cookbook, "Conscious Cooking" while dissing Julia Childs, mentioning heart disease, yadda, whereas in fact, some of his recipes are significantly higher in added fat then hers!

"Daiya Cheese," which so many vegans worship, has more fat per serving than WHOLE MILK mozzarella.  It's essentially a nutritiously vapid food-like substance that's mostly oil.  "But it melts!" proclaim the fat-addicted vegans.  "It saves [non-human] animals!" yell the animal rights activists.

Big whoop.  Remember that when they put the stents in.  Which reminds me:  how ironic that many articles about President Clinton's recent surgery mentioned that his last one (quadruple bypass) was successful.  Successful?  That means he didn't die from complications.  If it were successful, he wouldn't need the stents.  You see, modern medicine CANNOT cure heart disease, only extend one's life a bit.  Yet, two people, independently, 20 years of peer-reviewed research, have REVERSED IT through a no-added fat diet (one was vegetarian, one was vegan).  Both men recommend NO added oil, not even in moderation.  Here's 15 documented and referenced reasons to avoid added oil to help elucidate the problems.

How can anyone intelligently argue against this?  Added oil/fat, salt, and sugar is killing us in huge numbers.  It's not just a meat or dairy issue.  To argue against no added fat and limiting sugar and salt in your diet is like arguing against evolution, gravity, and the Earth revolving around the Sun.  We're talking facts here people, not theory, conjecture, or educated guesses.

My "take no prisoners" approach stems from Dr. Esselsytn telling me in that interview I did with him three years ago this week.  He didn't want to just reduce the numbers (a la Mediterranean Diet as he pointed out in someone else's interview), he wanted to crush it (different phraseology).  By thinking of such fatty, salty, and or sugary foods as "comforting," it's too easy for many people to justify consumption of same, and continued addiction.  Making a fatty vegan mac'n'cheese for your kids is not loving, it's potentially killing.  Creating future fat addicts.

Re-training your taste buds to not crave excess salt, sugar, and fat, is doable (around 14 wks.), but, imho, like an alcoholic, it's usually an "all or nothing" situation for most of us.  Fortunately, many of the so-called "comfort" foods can be duplicated, to varying degree, without the fat, sugar, salt, and unpronounceable chemicals.  Perhaps, though, the best strategy, is to create new and healthier comfort foods.  We can then  break with the unhealthy past and establish new rituals based upon new knowledge.

For those interested, Jonathan Foer goes into the issue a lot in his book, "Eating Animals."  His work surprised me in depth of thought and overall approach.  The issue of family rituals and eating was one of the book's arcs that he was wrestling with in his eventual decision that eating factory farmed meat was wrong.  There would be new family rituals regarding food, they would be healthy, and they would not involve meat.  In effect, "healthy" comfort foods would be emphasized, and his child would have a better chance of living longer and healthier as a result.

Optimally, the healthiest comfort food is no-added oil, minimal sugar, minimal salt, and vegan.  The evidence is in, and if one can eliminate the emotional attachments and taste addictions, one can drastically increase opportunities for a longer and healthier life. 

For me, that's a comforting thought, and, the real treat.

Eat More Rainbows (a re-post)

[From 2006]: "Your new year's resolution should be to eat one more rainbow each day than you did last year. Legend suggests that a pot of gold can be found at the end of each rainbow. That treasure can be cashed in to preserve your good health and ward off future disease...  The violet, indigo and blues of the plant kingdom include phenols and dithiolthiolnines contained in eggplant, cruciferous vegetables, grapes, plums, and grains. Eat onions and shallots, leeks, scallions and garlic for cancer-fighting alliums. Those green leafy vegetables contain flavonoids, and inositol is found in beans. Green fruits and veggies contain phenols, and plant sterols, protease inhibitors and saponins..."

[Every so often, Robert takes time off from being controversial (!) and writes a classic in his daily column.  This one's a true joy; both scientific and poetic.  The full column is below and here.  Best wishes to everyone for a Happy Veg'n New Year!  Mark]

What to say? What to do?

He was leather-skinned, taunt, and yet energetic.  Agewise, a mid 60's Vietnam Vet I met in line at a grocery store who gruffly pointed out to the lady in front of me that this was a "15 or less" items checkout line and that she was way over the limit.  She moved.  We struck up a conversation of sorts.  He'd had a bad day.  Someone had broken into his home, where there were three people on disability (him, wife, son), and stolen $400 and all his medications.

He'd recently had a heart valve "installed" and back surgery.  A tough bird.  Optimistic that you only get one chance at life, and you do the best you can.  Loved his much younger wife.  He despised what was going on in Iraq and Afghanistan.

My purchase:  wheat gluten flour, broccoli, short grain rice, dijon mustard, bagels (no deli within 30 miles of here), raw cashews, fresh shittake mushrooms, ginseng tea, some seltzer.  I glanced at his purchase-to-be while he was talking about his health:  a gallon of whole milk, a six pack of some high fructose-based soda, and a large loaf of "white Wonder Bread."

Gawd... I so much wanted to say something.  I so much wanted to convey all that I know and believe about reversing heart disease from Ornish and Esselstyn's low fat vegan research, but I believed there was no opening.  I wanted to cite the numbers I now know from memory regarding fat, sugar, and salt, veganism, and cardiovascular disease.  I wanted to mention Rip.  I wanted to direct him to Susan's fat free vegan blog and website.

I'd been through this before.  It's not something you just bring up with people, they are often offended, and when I have been able to do so, there's only a tiny time window of opportunity, it was usually a verbal piggyback on my mentioning my diet & heart disease from someone's question that would draw another into the conversation, giving me my opportunity.

But I blew it.  I could have asked him to sit with me in the cafe, or talk a minute in the parking lot, and politely explain to him what I knew about a low-fat vegan diet and heart disease, given him some web addresses, and urged him to check it all out.  I COULD HAVE TRIED.  I could have risked offending him, to help him, but I didn't.  I didn't know what to say, what to do, and this haunts me in this morning's early hours.  A fine old soul, a fiery beacon of optimism in the face of so much tragedy.  I should have done something.

From the short time I interacted with this epitomy of grace under fire, I learned a lot.  I'm now resolved that I'll do better next time.  Maybe we have to make our opportunities and take that chance, and that we won't be seen as proselytizing, but instead as being compassionate.  People need to be made aware of the truth about their health, and then decide what's best for them.  It's not fiction, fantasy, nor theory:  vegan or not, added fat, sugar, and salt increases your odds of developing any number of biological disorders, particularly heart disease.  Moderation kills.

...and so does silence, so does silence.

Running the Dietary Race

Dad's going to become a cyborg today.  A battery-powered device will be merged with his body to keep his heart rate from dropping too low (he's been having fainting spells).  They refer to this surgery as a "procedure."  How Orwellian... It accompanies the satins for cholesterol, his being borderline diabetic, and having high blood pressure.  The "experts" believe diet is not a key factor.  Yet, a low-fat low-salt diet is recommended for those suffering from bradycardia.

This frustrates me to no end.  Because of the prevailing reductionistic mindset, believing everything can be broken up into bit'n'pieces and studied/treated individually instead of as a "whole system," the "experts" are doing nothing more then extending life a bit and treating symptoms --- totally ignoring the actual causes.  Yet, Esselstyn and Ornish have proven you can reverse heart disease through a low-fat vegan diet, without drugs and machines.  In denial, the aforementioned pros explain: people don't have the discipline and we don't make the same megabucks.

There's personal irony. This Mother's Day (to the day) is the anniversary of my Mom dying of breast cancer.  I was 14 years old.  It led directly to my quest to find out what might have caused her death and studying diet, health, nutrition, what's in our food, and eventually coming to the conclusion that going veg'n was one answer to avoiding these disorders.

The other answer was realizing that added fat, sugar, and salt, whether you are vegetarian or vegan, still contributes to developing many life-defying diseases.  Aghast, I read daily recipe posts from vegans using such nutritional abominations as "1 cup of Earth Balance (fat fat fat)," or "2 cups of Veganaise (soy and fat)," or "1 cup of sugar (btw: those "wonderful" vegan marshmellows are basically corn syrup and sugar), " or "1 cup <insert product name> of faux cheese (soy and fat)," or "1/4 cup of reduced sodium tamari (2,800 mg sodium, well over a day's worth... yet how many veg'ns liberally soak their food with it, whether in a marinade, a dressing, or a stir-fry?)"

In my younger years, I could eat a box of light bulbs, down a case of beer with 2 large pizzas, make love all night, then run a marathon the next day.  In my later years, that diet would make me ill and unable to run the marathon...  But, to actually run life's BIG marathon successfuly means that we can't dietarily "sprint full tilt bozo" the first third, then expect the last two-thirds to be illness-free and that our bodies haven't been damaged by earlier abuses.  That's a reality most won't accept.  Being vegan isn't enough to protect you.

As McDougall has noted:  "Moderation kills." ...and sustains your taste cravings.  As such, we MUST to learn to fuel life's race properly with our diet, eating whole foods (oil, sugar, syrup, and sodium, are NOT whole foods), and avoid feeding taste addictions that, in the final analysis, can lead to what's happened to Dad:  he didn't pace himself, and now he needs technology to do it for him.

"Planting Faith"

My earliest memory of encountering the mysterious way life originates from apparently lifeless seed was when I was 4 years old.  Having since worked on an Organic Farm after working for NASA on two satellite missions, I still find myself amazed at nature and the process of growing plants.  At that Farm we specialized in "micro-greens," sprouted greens and vegetables for the high-end chefs in the Washintgon DC/VA/MD area.  It was an incredible experience to watch them arise in the greenhouse.

But, even now, I can clearly remember the youthful fascination that gawking at four carrot seeds in a corked small vial of water sprouting long white tails spawned within me.  Years later, as an adult,with immense glee I once turned a wet bar into a "sprouting bar," taking great delight in sprouting beans, grains, vegetables, and grasses.  I was continually amazed at the sudden burst of life and micro-nutrient density that seeming spontaneously occur.  Also noted, with irony, was that there is NO scientific test that would enable one to determine in advance, which seed, which bean, which dry object would manifest life.  I just LOVE pointing that out to scientists.  Reduces the general hubris they tend to accumulate over time.

See, you just don't know.  You can't know.  You have no choice but to believe that given the right conditions, your efforts will facilitate the coaxing of life from the seemingly dead.  Life arises from the soil via the seeds, strives towards the sun (phototaxis), and with faith and care, will grow strong, nutritious, and be viable to then contribute to our own lives and physical enrichment/survival.  What a noble sacrifice!

In managing an extensive vegetable (and to lesser degree of management, flower) garden, I often find  reminders of these same philosophical concepts.  We can do it correctly and proper "by the book:"  the soil, the water, the species, the weeding.... and still, life may or may not emerge, and may or may not continue to "fruition."  The weather may not accommodate, invasive weeds prove their superiority, insects may decide to take their turn, and small mammals may think it's a buffet table set out for their enjoyment and feast.  I don't know how farmers stay sane with the inexactitude of what they do season after season after season.

Anyway, today, after carefully sprouting parsnip seeds between two paper towels for weeks (see photo above, click on to see larger version in another window), and they finally sprouted a few days ago (had read that germination was iffy with this vegetable), I spent hours preparing a bed for them to rest in and grow.  Will take over a 120+ days before they can be harvested.   I also put three types of carrot seed in a 75 foot plot (having done the digging yesterday, adding mushroom compost today).   The carrot seeds were not sprouted in advance, so there's no way to predict whether all that physical effort and time will produce a bounty of carrots to enjoy in a few months.  A roll of the dice.  A "crap shoot" of sorts.

Did I spend the afternoon planting seeds?  Well, maybe... from one level of awareness... but perhaps, in a more descriptive, all-inclusive and metaphysical way, what we really do when we choose to work with the plant kingdom is better described as engaging in and "planting faith."  "Faith" that the plants will come to life, and that perhaps we are putting a little hope energy into the ground at the same time.

Way cool.

"Suicide Watch" (or: "The Price of Being Vegan")

I called a wise and well-known vegan friend late last night, one whom I've learned a lot from over the years...  I was emotionally upset over hearing that my father had another "heart-related event" last night (shortly after finishing Rip Esselstyn's new book).  Two years ago January, Dad had his first, coincidentally enough while I was in the middle of reading Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn's "Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease" in preparation for an interview in mid-February.  Two years ago the next week, I began following Essy's "no added fat" vegan diet recommendations, lost some 15+ lbs., as well as my desire for added fat/oil in my diet.  Dad read the book and was influenced, but he's slipped somewhat from that time.  Since then I've written about Essy's/Ornish's research and related matters often on this blog (and, aside from the many positive e-mails, taken a lot of heat).

I whined to my friend that my father just wasn't paying enough attention, and as a former test pilot, one would think he had enough discipline to do so.  My friend noted that I've done all that I can:  setting an example, providing information about diet and health, and trying to encourage him to go low-fat vegan.  He also said essentially that I was on "Suicide Watch" of sorts.  I took this phrase as providing perspective and not being "ghoulish" or mean.  Simply that the best thing I could do was to pay attention, listen, provide support, and not lecture.  Just watch, wait, and hope...

This all got me thinking about what really is the hardest part of being a "low-fat" vegan.  It isn't the lack of meat or dairy.  It isn't the lack of fat or oil.  It's not the occasional ridicule.  It is the watching someone you love, with a potentially fatal biological condition that could most likely be reversed through proper diet, not follow that diet.  I am surprised by the depth of frustration within me over this situation.  I KNOW there's nothing more I can do, and it's like watching someone walking towards the edge of the Grand Canyon and he's not hearing you yell, "Hey!  Turn around and walk the other way!"  Some of my closest friends are very overweight, and it's clear that their chances of experiencing high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, and other obesity-related disorders are increasing every month.  Still, they eat meat, cheese, and added oils.

And yet, Drs. Esselstyn and Ornish have clearly shown/proven that a no-added fat diet can reverse heart disease and prevent the formation of plaque which causes 90% of strokes that can kill without warning.  It's not theory, it's fact.  I've even put together a list of "15 reasons to avoid added vegetable oils" in your diet (which I sent to Dad).

...and still people don't change, adapt, evolve.  Yes, Dad and Mom are eating more fruit and vegetables, but they can't handle giving up the oil (a non-food), the cheese, and the meat.  It's just something I have to accept... and one of my brothers, I found out a few weeks ago, is being advised to use statins for high cholesterol... taking the first step on a slippery slope... another candidate for the "Suicide Watch."

How amazingly ironic that people often ask me the stupid "What about protein?" question, or the "Why give up milk?" query, or the "What do you eat?" curiosity, yet the real serious, insightful, and penultimate question would be: "How do you handle watching your friends and family suffer and possibly die from diseases that they needn't from if they just ate right?"

"Suicide Watch..." it's not fun.  You want to scream.  You want to yell.  You want to point out in no uncertain terms that what they are going through, the pain, and the introduction of modern medicine's "miracle drugs" with those often "pesky" fatal or complex side affects are NOT necessary or normal.  The solution has been identified and proven.  All ya gotta do is get with the program.

This is not a matter of "belief," but instead, the knowledge that the proof and the science are solid.  The physical measurements of what happens to your circulatory system from just ONE fatty meal (constriction of the endothelium and inflammation of your blood vessels) isn't subject to debate.  For me, arguing for added oil or fat in your diet is likened to insisting gravity doesn't exist or that the Sun revolves around the Earth.  There are facts, there are theories.  Fact:  added fat/oil, dairy, and meat in your diet will, regardless of exercise, increase your risks for a host of disease, predominant amongst them being heart disease and strokes.  Stop with the added fat (plus meat and dairy) and you will lower your cholesterol as well as your risk of heart disease/stroke.  No guesswork involved.

So, how unfortunate it is that those of us who understand this, and follow a diet incorporating this awareness, in decreasing our own odds of developing and succumbing to these diseases, are at the same time increasing the odds that in our later life, we will be on the same "Suicide Watch" for those we love who haven't understood or figured it out.  Watching, waiting, hoping, offering advice and help when solicited, and wishing it weren't so, knowing it doesn't have to be.

... tick tock tick tock tick tock...  praying they pay attention before it's too late, and that the next alarm bell isn't the final knell.

15 REASONS TO AVOID VEGETABLE OILS

Because of some of the comments and e-mail I receive about a no-added fat vegan diet, I decided to list and document, in no particular order, 15 reasons to avoid vegetable oils and go very low fat vegan.  I hope they are useful and I dedicate this List to Dr. Esselstyn who, two years ago in an interview with him, changed my life forever. The post is very long so I've just provided the List here and below you can read the expanded version with links, cites, etc.

1. THEY ARE NOT FOOD
2. PREMATURE AGING
3. CLOTTING FACTORS
4. ALTZHEIMER'S DISEASE
5. PLAQUE FORMATION RUSSIAN ROULETTE
6. BLOOD VESSEL ELASTICITY/PRESSURE
7. HEART ATTACK PROOF YOURSELF
8. THE MEDITERRANEAN STUDY MYTH
9. DIABETES
10. IMPOTENCY
11. BREAST CANCER
12. COLON & PROSTATE CANCER
13. OBESITY
14. CRAVINGS FOR FAT
15. DR. T. COLIN CAMPBELL

[Full expanded and cited list below; here's a PDF: Download 15_Reasons_To_Avoid_Oil.pdf (44.8K)]