Check back regularly for the latest on following a plant based diet, staying fit, personal spirituality and living a balanced life. I will be sharing my experiences as well as providing answers to some of the questions sent to me.

I will be posting some of my favorite recipes and hope to somehow find the time to setup some cooking demonstrations. I also will be posting some great resources for those who want to learn more about plant based diets.

I believe that today is an awesome day,

but tomorrow is going to be even better!


Sunday, July 20, 2014

Three Stories

More information from Dr. Esselstyn

The Nutritional Reversal of Cardiovascular Disease “ Fact or Fiction? Three Case Reports Exp Clin Cardiol, Volume 20, Issue 7, 2014 - Page 1904

Case No. 1 – R. M. of New Foundland, Canada is a 74 year old male who had a heart attack at age 42 in 1982 and a mild stroke in 1985. Imaging at that time confirmed a 100% occlusion of the right carotid artery and a 27% blockage of the left carotid artery as well as further coronary artery disease progression necessitating bypass surgery which was performed not withstanding a 100% occluded right carotid artery. Despite optimal medical therapy and modest nutritional changes of decreasing sugar, fat, and eating less meat, the patient’s left carotid artery blockage had progressed by 2008 to 80-90% occlusion by ultra sound. By 2011 he was having daily angina and his physician indicated there was nothing further they could do for him. He felt his time was short. During this time, his daughter had found and read Dr. Esselstyn’s book Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease. She herself had experienced a heart attack at age 37, so they both became fully committed to whole foods, plant-based nutrition. Within one month, his angina completely disappeared and his erectile dysfunction resolved. After 4 months, he had lost 41 pounds to a body weight of 136 pounds which was the same weight at his wedding 53 years earlier. In September of 2013, a repeat duplex ultrasound confirmed left carotid artery disease reversal from 80-90% in 2008 to 50-69%. He states he no longer tires and in retirement he is physically active all day. He states “I am so busy living now, I no longer think about dying”.

Release of new study by Dr. Esselstyn

There was an article published recently in the Journal of Family Medicine regarding the results of a study by Dr. Esselstyn concerning the effect of a plant based diet on patients who had heart disease.  The results are stunning.

Dr. Esselstyn completed a study of 200 patients who had heart disease, with many of them also having other health issues.  Of the 200, there was follow up with 198 of them.  177 of the patients followed the plant based nutritional program set up by Dr. Esselstyn.   21 of them did not.

Of the 177 who followed the program, only one patient had a subsequent major cardiovascular event related to disease progression (rate of .6%).  Of the 21 who did not follow the diet, 13 patients (62%) had a reoccurrence.

This study is raising a lot of discussion in the medical field as more and more health care professionals are being challenged to look at nutrition as an answer to the costly issue of heart disease.  There are still many people with heart disease who do not want to give up meat, dairy and oil, but if we are going to make any progress toward a healthier society that can manage health care costs, we must respect this scientific information.  Doctors and nutritionists are also beginning to understand it is time to ask questions and challenge the nutritional information we have always followed.

Here is a link to Dr. Esselstyn’s full study.

Saturday, July 19, 2014

Julie Marie


I have a new friend and her name is Julie Marie.  I have been talking about her a lot lately and my wife finally asked, “Just who is this Julie Marie that you are always talking about?” 

 Ha!  Jealous!

 Seriously, here is some background information on Julie Marie:  (From www.protectivediet.com)

 

Julie Marie Christensen is certified in Plant Based Nutrition with e Cornell and the T. Colin Campbell Foundation. She is the Creative Director and Recipe Developer of ProtectiveDiet.com, Director and Educator at Protective Diet-Ed, TV Chef on Health Local a public access series, Cooking Instructor, Public Speaker, Presenter, Creator of The 30 Day Whole Food Detox and group workshop, Personal Coach, and Blogger. Her creation and teachings of the Protective Diet has guided many students to reverse disease and reach their ideal body weight. Julie makes adopting a Protective Diet easy, rewarding and sustainable. She specializes in eliminating obesity and food addictions.

Creamy Potato and Kale Soup from Julie Marie

Creamy Potato and Kale Soup Recipe & Cooking Video
Posted By Julie Marie in Cooking Videos,Soup and Stew | 21 Comments

This soup is a winner. It has a satisfyingly rich, creamy but light texture that keeps your company wondering if it’s fattening. After making it you will wish you doubled the batch.
Creamy Potato and Kale Soup - © ProtectiveDiet.com
Ingredients:
Directions:
Soup Base
In a stock pot combine
  1. Vegetable broth
  2. Onion
  3. Carrot
  4. Celery
  5. ½ Parsley
  6. Sea Salt
  7. Pepper
  8. Garlic
  9. Potatoes
  10. Kale
  11. Caraway Seeds
Bring to boil and simmer until ingredients are tender
Creamy Sauce
  1. In a sauce pan bring soy milk to a boil
  2. Incorporate cornstarch with 3/4 cups water
  3. Add liquified cornstarch to boiling soy milk
  4. Whisk thoroughly until thick
  5. Turn off heat
  6. Add Yeast
Once potatoes are tender remove soup base from heat
Add cream sauce and remaining parsley
Stir to incorporate
Best served alone, over brown rice or quinoa, or with Home Made Pita Chips
 


Article printed from Protective Diet: http://protectivediet.com
URL to article: http://protectivediet.com/creamy-potato-and-kale-soup.html

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Catching up

Yes, it has been a long time since I have posted anything.  But it's not because there is nothing new.  I have been very busy with school, reading, trying new recipes and most importantly, playing with my grandchildren these last few months.  But there are more new developments coming out that I really need to share.


In the last couple of months I joined with Dr. Polly Dengel to give a couple of presentations to people who were interested in learning about plant based diets and how going on one affected me.  I told them my story and shared information about cooking.  So many people think that eating a plant based diet is boring and tasteless.  When I give them samples of some of my cooking, they are pretty amazed.  I have received quite a few emails from people who want more information and I keep referring them to my blog, so it's time to get more recipes and information up here.