Category The China Study

It’s true – it’s possible to have a great holiday without turkey, ham, cream, butter and eggs. It’s not only possible – it’s easy, and better for the environment!

Many of our holiday traditions centre around food – and great food is still part of a plant-based holiday, just in a slightly different format. (Plus, if we are lucky, we still get time with loved ones – which is far more important than a turkey! 🌈)

What does that look like? Here are a few simple tips to help get you started. Start with a few easy adjustments – or go all-in, if you are ready for a bigger change.

Instead of dairy cream, mix cashews and water (about equal parts) in the blender. Add salt, pepper, garlic etc as usual. Use in mashed potatoes, or gravy on everything!

Instead of dairy milk in pies and other desserts, use non-dairy milk (homemade is easy) or use a bought alternative. Top with non-dairy ice cream, if desired.

Looking for a main protein dish? Try making a lentil loaf, or buying a ready-made veggie roast or sausage. There are countless options, so try a few until you find your new favourite. Remember that you probably don’t love absolutely every animal product that exists – but you still like some. So if the first veggie sausage you try isn’t your new instant favourite, just keep going and try something different. Be careful not to write off the category (eg “I tried one plant-based sausage and I didn’t like it, so I’m going back to meat”), just because of a few bumps in the road. You have probably been eating animal based products for decades – so don’t be surprised if you don’t find your new favourite lentil loaf on the first try. Give lentils as much time/space to become a staple in your diet as you previously did to meat, dairy and eggs!

What changes have you already made? What would you like to switch but aren’t sure about? Share your questions and wins in the comments and I’ll answer all of your questions!

After a quieter than expected spring and summer here, due to some scheduling conflicts and vacation time on my end (sorry about that!), things are back up and running – and there are some big ideas being worked on to build up and improve the website over the fall and winter.

You may have noticed that the online store has been growing slowly and steadily. If you haven’t checked it out recently, I encourage you to do so. One of my favourites, from this summer, is the Lomi home composter – we tested ours on some camping trips this summer, and it performed beautifully!

I also had the privilege of attending my first Toronto Pride Parade this summer, visiting with some family and friends, and finding time for some much needed vacation.

Now, we are into fall, and that means it’s back to work! For the website, fall and winter, this year, means an increased focus on all things sustainable, looking at both individual and systemic changes that we need to make, as well as individual changes that lead to systemic changes.

Looking for things that you can change right now, to help build a better tomorrow? Here’s today’s list:

• Eliminate (or very significantly reduce) consumption of animal products
  • Animal products are a very significant contributor to the climate crisis (plus a Whole Foods Plant-Based diet is far healthier!).
  • Want to go all the way and go into winter plant-based? Use up what you currently have in your fridge or freezer, and don’t by anything else. Instead of adding chicken or other meat to your pasta (for example), add a tin of chickpeas or kidneys – it’s more sustainable, healthier and cheaper. Why pay more to wreck the climate?
• Quit flying
  • If you can’t quit all the way now, cut the worst flights first:
    • short and medium haul flights, as well as any flights for a short trip eg flying to a resort for a week in winter, flying out for a conference/meeting etc. Instead, find somewhere local for a holiday, and join the meeting remotely.
    • If you must fly, limit it to only the absolutely essential trips, and limit yourself to one flight/year or less (as your max – less is much better). Can you challenge yourself (and others in your circles) to reduce yourselves to one flight every 5 years? Every 10 years? Something else?
• Advocate for better choices and policies at the institutional level
  • Ironically, some faith groups (and others) are still acting in a manner that seems completely backwards – actively refusing to do what’s needed to address the climate crisis, while ALSO putting huge amounts of time and energy into things like ensuring that they continue to discriminate against LGBTQ+ people, newcomers, women, minorities and others. It’s wrong, and the only thing that will change it is if we all speak up and demand something better.
  • We need to put all of our time and energy into doing what’s right – saving the planet and ending discrimination.

News@UofT: Is a calorie always a calorie? Not when it comes to almonds, U of T researchers find.

Looking for more great reasons to eat nuts? In addition to the lower emissions from a plant-based foods (more details on the website) compared to animal-based foods, here’s some more research, from the University of Toronto, looking specifically at the health benefits of almonds.

Researchers at the University of Toronto have found that a calorie labelled is not the same as a calorie digested and absorbed when the food source is almonds.

The findings, published in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings, should help alleviate concerns that almonds contribute to weight gain, which persist despite the widely recognized benefits of nuts as a plant-based source of protein, vitamins and minerals.

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The researchers found that after digestion, about 20 per cent of calories derived largely from fat in almonds remained unabsorbed, which they observed in stool samples. That translated to about two per cent less energy absorbed from the diet overall among study participants. (Bold mine).

A person eating the same amount of almonds in a daily diet of 2,000 to 3,000 calories would absorb 40 to 60 calories less than would be predicted by Atwater factors, on which many food labels are based. 

News@UofT

The research does not specifically identify other nuts, but it’s certainly plausible/logical to guess that some of the same benefits would apply to other nuts, as well. So, here’s yet another reason to eat lots of nuts! Happy snacking!

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Hint: There are lots of great, sustainable and zero-waste items in the online store! Check the online store section of the website for details!

Great news! Another partner has been added to the online store! Our “Good Food for Good” page is now live and ready for you to browse, click and order!

On a mission to create a positive difference by making it easy for you to add flavors you crave without the added sugar or preservatives, and by donating a meal to a person in need through Buy One, Feed One program.

When love for great taste, meets quest for clean ingredients & giving back to the world.

NO ORDINARY SAUCE
At Good Food for Good, we make our food with organic ingredients and ensure it is free of gluten, soy, corn, refined sugars, dairy, preservatives or any other ingredients you wouldn’t add if you were cooking yourself. That’s not all, every time you buy any of our products, we donate a meal to feed someone in need. We are a Buy One, Feed One venture.

We are a B Corp Certified™ Company. We use business as a force for good in the world. Our accreditation aligns us with other like-minded companies globally.

“The Caveman Diet: We Used To Eat Meat, But Should We Now?” (PBN)

There has been a lot of talk, in recent years/decades, about the idea of eating keto/low carb/like someone who lived in a cave. However, I think we can do better than that.

(Disclaimer: I am not a nutritionist. What I am offering is what I believe is common sense advice, and the opportunity to do some further reading and research for yourself and/or with your health care provider).

With that, comes this idea that eating bacon and eggs, steak and burgers is being true to our ancestors in some way.

So, for a person who likes eating bacon and eggs, the idea that continuing to do so is not only healthy, but being supportive of one’s history and ancestors, might have a certain appeal, even if it’s not actually supported by the evidence.

And, it turn out, the link is likely not that clear, and there are a number of gaps in the logic. For example, among others:

• our bodies have changed over time
• the diet that was eaten way back then clearly did not consist of freezers full of plastic-wrapped, factory farmed steaks and other similar items, bought in bulk at the grocery store
• our lifestyle now is widely different than it was in the past
• we understand far more now than we did, even 50-100 years ago, about the climate and emissions impacts of an animal-based diet and the need to switch to a plant-based diet
• the global population now is very different than it was long ago.

Actually, yes. Cavemen used to eat meat whenever they could get it, but this wasn’t often. In fact, almost never. You try hunting animals that are bigger and/or faster than you with the most rudimentary of tools, and you’ll quickly see how hard it is to snare your supper.

So, we actually ate very little meat and, thanks to recent improvements in DNA analysis of ancient teeth fragments, we know that we survived mainly on foraging for plants, nuts, and berries. Foraging is great because it keeps you in tune with nature: in season, eating locally and physically nimble and fit.

PBN

So, where does that leave us now? To reduce emissions, help ensure that everyone has enough to eat and be healthy, and to live in balance with people and the planet, the best evidence suggests a (heavily or fully) plant-based diet as the best path forward. Looking for more ideas, or resources? My website, along with countless others, have info and resources to help make the switch to plant-based eating easier to do.

Eating consciously, along with minimalism (rethinking consumption) mindfulness (rethinking our urges) environmentalism (rethinking our relationship with nature), is vital as we look to come back from Covid better and more harmonious than before. 

Everything is up for grabs when you consider how unhelpful much of our perceived wisdom is.

So eat like a caveman and cut the meat. You’d never have kept up with that bison anyway. (Italics mine).

PBN

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HINT: There are countless great deals to be found in the online store on all things sustainable! Check out all of the options by clicking on each page in the store! Happy browsing! 🙂

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Veganuary is coming up soon – and so are new coaching sessions to help guide your switch to plant-based eating! Have you heard about Veganuary? Started in the UK, it’s a movement of people committed to starting the year off on a fully plant-based diet – with the option to continue longer, if desired.

If this is the year that you might be thinking of making a switch, you might also be wondering how to do it. You might have questions like?

• Does this mean I have to give up cheese or pizza?
• Will I have to stop eating my favourite foods?
• Is it hard to do? How do I substitute out commonly used items?
• Why should I consider a whole foods, plant-based diet? What are the health and environmental benefits?
• What would I eat if I made the switch?
• Do I have to switch all at once or can I make gradual changes?

Looking for some help and guidance?* That’s what I am here for – to answer all of your questions, and help you navigate this change. With a bit of guidance, from someone who has made the switch already, this can easily be turned from something that may feel a bit overwhelming, to an exciting – and even cost-saving – new adventure!

New coaching packages for 2021 are currently being put together – so stay tuned and watch the website for details. Interested in learning more? Send me a message and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible! 😊

*NOTE: I provide general guidance and help answer questions about plant-based diets. I am not a certified nutritionist, and any questions regarding your specific health concerns should be directed to your nutritionist or other health care provider. Thank you!

As the pandemic shutdown continues, with some restrictions lifting in various places, several things have shifted, particularly around how we, collectively, source and prepare food. People are baking more – yeast shortages, unheard of before, are now a common occurrence, with flour and other supplies flying off of the shelves. At the same time, increased discussion regarding the possible/likely links related to our current mainstream factory farms/animal food systems (in terms of individual health, zoological diseases and their role in this pandemic, and overall climate health) has increasing numbers of people seeking out more plant-based options.

At the same time, when switching key aspects of how we buy and prepare food, many people struggle with how to make that transition, particularly when also managing other aspects related to living in a pandemic.

Help is on the way! Are you looking for help with plant-based eating? I am now offering coaching sessions – all about how to switch to plant-based eating, whether you want to go 100% plant-based, or start with a few simple changes to how you eat.

Sessions will be customized, depending on what you are looking for, and where you are starting from, and may include, among other things:

– learning simple tricks and ideas about how to switch to more plant-based eating

– finding recipes or resources to help make meal planning, or travelling easier

– sharing and exploring resources related to reasons for switching to plant-based eating

– switching to reduced waste and/or plastic with food purchasing, storage and prep

– other items as requested.

You may choose one-on-one, or invite a few friend to form a group, or book a larger group session. I will do my best to customize sessions to where you are at – whether you are looking for quick and easy or more complex food projects.

NOTE: I am not a certified nutritionist. You are responsible for your own health decisions. I am here to help provide ideas, work with you and to share my experience on the journey towards plant-based eating.

Questions? Want more information? Curious about rates? (I aim to keep my rates as affordable as possible for everyone!) Go to the website and contact me for details. I look forward to hearing from you! 🙂

We have to wake up: factory farms are breeding grounds for pandemics: Covid-19’s history is not yet fully known, but the links between animal and human health could not be clearer Guardian

NOTE: During this pandemic, and always, immediate safety, health and other concerns come before discussion on other related issues. Discussion on policies during the pandemic, their implications and choices we make collectively for the future do not, in any way, minimize the impacts of the present crisis.

While this pandemic continues, and most of the world remains locked down, it feels imperative to me to try to look at root causes, as a way to reduce the chances that this happens again. This does not minimize the work that countless people are doing to find a treatment etc. However, I think we can all agree that working to prevent the next pandemic is at least as important as addressing the current crisis. To be clear, information on this current pandemic is rapidly changing. I am focusing on a combination of what we know about this pandemic in the present, as well as what seems to be clear about trends, related to animals, food systems and climate change, in broader terms.

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Following up from a few days ago, there is more evidence that factory farming – and the general systems through which most of the world gets animal products (including meat, dairy and eggs) is an overwhelming contributor to the disease spread which leads to pandemics and the type of crisis that we are in right now.

Pathogens do not respect species boundaries, either. Influenza and coronaviruses move fluidly between human and animal populations, just as they move fluidly between nations. When it comes to pandemics, there is not animal health and human health – not any more than there is Korean health and French health. Social distancing works only when everyone practises it, and “everyone” includes animals. (Bold mine)

Guardian

So, the evidence is clear, The question is only related to how we respond to the clear risk to our own health (personally, communally and for the climate), that this evidence presents to us.

To reduce risk of pandemics for ourselves, our gaze needs to turn to the health of animals. In the case of wild animal populations, such as the bats that scientists have theorised as a probable origination point for Covid-19, the best solution seems to be to limit and regulate human interaction.

In the case of farmed animals, though, the lack of public understanding has allowed unscrupulous corporations to move policy in exactly the wrong direction. Across the globe, corporations have succeeded in creating policies that use public resources to promote industrial farming. One study suggests that the public is providing $1m per minute in global farm subsidies, overwhelmingly used to prop up and expand the current broken model. The same $1m a minute that promotes factory farming also increases pandemic risk. (Bold mine).

Guardian

What other systems are allowed to remain so pervasive in every day life, with consequences that are so profound, yet so unspoken? So, here’s today’s challenge. Let’s come out of this pandemic with at least one silver lining. Let’s make sure that we change our systems so that we have reduced our risk for the future. What does that look like practically?

Here are some next steps to consider. Pick, choose, adjust for your individual circumstances. 🙂

1) Stop eating animal products. Use up what you currently have in your fridge/freezer, and commit to not buying more after that.

2) Commit to only eating animal products from very small farms (eg a few backyard chickens etc), where the disease risks can (presumably) be managed, and we are not interfering with nature/wildlife (eg hunting etc). For overall climate emissions, a total consumption reduction is in order (especially for meat), but this is one way to still use eggs, for example, without the disease risks that come from larger operations.

These two are the fastest pathways to change, and are best for both disease prevention and climate health. Systems change, from a policy perspective, is very difficult, especially when large players are making money on the status quo.

Especially during this shutdown, stocking up on dried legumes and rice etc is not only easier and more sustainable, it’s also more cost effective. A large bag of brown rice and a few bags of dried lentils and chickpeas goes a long ways. 🙂

3) In addition to the above, a secondary level of change work is related to advocacy and policy change. After significantly reducing/eliminating the market for animal products from factory farms etc, creating strong policies to ensure better practices for the future is much easier, although it still often takes a long time.

Let me know what changes you are making in response to this challenge. I’d love to hear from you. 🙂

Hope everyone is staying safe!

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Donations, whether large or small, are gratefully received to help maintain this website. PayPal details are available on the website. Thank you!

NOTE: During this pandemic, and always, immediate safety, health and other concerns come before discussion on other related issues. Discussion on policies during the pandemic, their implications and choices we make collectively for the future do not, in any way, minimize the impacts of the present crisis.

While this pandemic continues, and most of the world remains locked down, it feels imperative to me to try to look at root causes, as a way to reduce the chances that this happens again. This does not minimize the work that countless people are doing to find a treatment etc. However, I think we can all agree that working to prevent the next pandemic is at least as important as addressing the current crisis. To be clear, information on this current pandemic is rapidly changing. I am focusing on a combination of what we know about this pandemic in the present, as well as what seems to be clear about trends, related to animals, food systems and climate change, in broader terms.

Here is a bit of what I’ve been reading:

Coronavirus: Outbreak puts wildlife markets in the spotlight. Aljazeera.com

Surely the link between abusing animals and the world’s health is now clear Guardian

How did coronavirus start and where did it come from? Was it really Wuhan’s animal market? Guardian

The boast that “when the facts change, I change my mind” is a proud one. “When the facts change, I reinforce my prejudices” is truer. If you want proof, look at the coronavirus that has changed everything and consider the undisputed fact that it spread because of humanity’s abuse of animals.

Imagine a world where facts changed minds. The United Nations, governments and everyone with influence would now be saying we should abandon meat or at a minimum cut down on consumption. Perhaps my reading is not as wide as it should be, but I have heard nothing of the sort argued. Making the case would be child’s play and would not be confined to emphasising that Covid-19 probably jumped species in Wuhan’s grotesque wet markets. The Sars epidemic of 2002-04 began in Guangdong, probably in bats, and then spread to civet cats, sold in markets and eaten in restaurants. The H7N9 strain of bird flu began in China, once again, and moved to humans from diseased poultry.

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Diseases have always jumped species, but the Covid-19 pandemic may be a sign of an ominous acceleration. A paper this month in the Proceedings of the Royal Society suggests the rate of new infections could be rising as humans cram into every corner of the planet. The loss of habitat and the exploitation of wildlife through hunting and trade increased the risk of infectious “spillover”, it said. Ferocious punishments for the use of “exotic” animals for food and medicines are required. Once again, though, that is too easy a slogan for people in the west to chant and feel virtuous as they chant it. We should be examining our own diets.

Guardian – Bold mine

Without adding to much length here, and turning this into a dissertation (or a rant :)), it is abundantly clear that our relationship to animals and food needs to change, to protect individual and communal health, as well as the environment. Actions and results are inter-related in countless ways – individual and communal health, climate change impacts from heavy consumption of animal products, impacts on climate and health from factory farming and markets, impacts from the entire process from beginning to end.

To be clear, that does not mean that there is an inherent problem with someone raising a few chickens in the backyard. I am talking about systems here – most people in the world get most of their meat etc from factory farms and/or from live markets. If we removed that from our global food systems, we would be looking at a very different world. So, given where we are at, what will it take to create change? Does a change to our food systems seem like a worthwhile trade off to reduce the chances of a future pandemic?

Even if individuals change, the dominant culture makes demands for society to change appear ridiculously utopian. Imagine a politician campaigning for stiff restrictions on meat consumption. Critics would accuse him or her of punishing the poor – for people who barely think of the poor always invoke them when their pleasures are threatened. They would be damned for wanting to ban the good old Sunday lunch and the joy a Big Mac brings. Our grandchildren may look back and find our abuse of animals incomprehensible. For the moment, arguments to stop abuse provoke incomprehension.

Guardian (Bold mine)

So far, in Canada at least, one unusual outcome of this pandemic has been a rush on yeast and other baking supplies, with a related increase in people baking bread and other things, far beyond what the average was before the pandemic. In fact, many grocery stores are completely out of yeast. Perhaps eating more rice and legumes and nudging more towards plant-based eating, with a matching change/decrease to our factory farms and other large-scale animal-related food systems, is another change that will come out of this. 🙂

Hope everyone is staying safe. 🙂

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… And why that matters for the health of people, and the planet. 🙂

FOK website

NOTE: I am not a certified nutritionist. This is general information only, to the best of my knowledge.

At various times, such as in presentations or conversations, the question of dairy, carbs or other specific food items comes up, particularly as plant-based eating is often part of the discussion at hand.

One of the ones that has been raised is that of dairy – a result of the heavy industry marketing-influences on the earlier versions of the Canada Food Guide. Many people still hold the belief that dairy is essential for health, and that whole-foods plant-based (WFPB) eating is leading them astray.

In a similar manner, sometimes the question of carbs comes up in discussions, as being contradictory to common fad diets, such as keto, paleo etc. To the best of my knowledge, there can be value (from a digestive health perspective, for example, and also from a spiritual perspective), to the practice of fasting (intermittent or other), while done carefully and with proper guidance.

However, the idea of eating a heavily animal-based protein diet (regardless of what it is called eg keto or paleo etc), seems problematic to me – both for individual health and for the health of the planet. There is strong science backing up both the health and environmental benefits of a WFPB diet, and likewise, strong evidence of the damage, to people and planet, caused by a heavily animal-based diet.

I do not know all of the background of how the low-carb trend took off, but there is a quick summary here, which is a shorter version of some of what is in the updated China Study book. Here are a few quotes:

The human body, which does not have the ability to make food from the sun, also happens to use carbohydrates as its main energy source. For example, our brain and red blood cells depend specifically on glucose (a carbohydrate) for normal functioning and energy.

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By telling people to avoid or significantly limit carbs in general, the low-carb movement has erased the crucial distinction between unprocessed and processed foods—creating an entirely new paradigm that goes against everything we know about nutrition and health.

Long-Term vs. Short-Term
If you eliminate carbohydrates from your diet and put your body into a state of ketosis, whereby it’s forced to burn fat to make ketones for energy, it can lead to short-term weight loss. But keeping your body in a state of ketosis is neither sustainable nor healthful, and it does not fulfill the long-term promise of effective weight loss. Indeed, observational population studies show that high-protein, high-fat diets are associated not only with more health problems but also obesity. (Bold mine)

When looking at long-term and sustained weight loss without mandated exercise or calorie restriction, the most effective eating pattern has been shown to be a whole-food, plant-based diet (low in fat and high in unprocessed carbohydrates).

FOK website

Going further into details regarding the rise of the Atkins and other similar low-carb, high (animal) protein “diets”, the writer says:

The chair of Harvard’s Department of Nutrition said that the Atkins diet was “nonsense” and “dangerous.” The prestigious Medical Letter on Drugs and Therapeutics called the diet “unbalanced, unsound, and unsafe.” But no amount of criticism stopped the diet’s popularity and the newfound fear of carbs it perpetuated. (Bold mine.)

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That may be why cardiologist Dr. Kim Williams vigorously promoted a plant-based vegan diet during his tenure as president of the American College of Cardiology, and once famously said, “There are two kinds of cardiologists, those who are vegan and those who have not read the evidence.” (Bold mine).

FOK

In light of the health and environmental impacts of heavy consumption of animal-based foods/proteins, both individually and communally, it’s time to find ways to add more low emissions, whole/plant-based foods into how we eat. Let’s find ways to celebrate amazing rice bowls with veggies and tofu, homemade granola with plant-based milk and all of the other endless options that are available to us in the plant-based world – not as a sacrifice, but as one small, joyful step towards ensuring that we all have enough healthy food to eat, and a thriving planet, that we all share, to live on. 🙂