Stop Eating Eggs!

 

Freelee the Banana Girl on YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTfvdypnAgg

Low Carb Diets & Cononary Blood Flow - Dr Michael Greger

 

Blood flow within the hearts of those eating low carb diets was compared to those eating plant-based diets.

 

RECIPE: Mango & Mixed Berry Smoothie

I was recently looking through my favourited tweets and came across this smoothie recipe from UFC fighter Mac Danzig. Now, I don't have the first clue about UFC but came across Mac (as I do with a lot of folk) on the Rich Roll podcast, and he seems a real good dude. Check him out, he's cool and so is this recipe inspired by him.

Ingredients

3 bananas
10 dates
4 cups frozen mango
2 cups frozen mixed berries (or any berry of choice)
1 litre water

Optional: Add 4 cups of chopped kale or spinach

1. Add ingredients to the blender and fire away!

RECIPE: Millet & Chickpea Salad

Millet, grown in Asia and Africa for thousands of years was one of the first cereals to be cultivated by mankind. A highly nutritious grain that is high in protein, containing all eight amino acids and one of only a few alkaline-forming grains, helping counteract over-acidity in the stomach and joints. Also, it's anti-fungal and anti-mucus properties aid to prevent ailments such as candida and premenstrual discomfort. 

Chickpeas aid the absorption of nutrients and are good for digestive health. They also support the functions of nerves and muscles in the body as well as helping to stabilise blood sugar.

Carrots help you see in the dark!

Serves 2 (or 1 if you're super hungry)

Ingredients

1 cup uncooked millet
1 400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 cup corn kernels, thawed
Handful of cherry tomatoes, quartered
2 medium carrots, grated
1 tsp. agave nector
Juice of half a lemon
1 tbsp. chopped chilli (or to preference)

1. Cook millet according to instructions on packet. Meanwhile, prepare all the other ingredients.

2. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Done!

Foods I Buy On A Plant-Based Diet #1

A couple of weeks ago I made a video to show a few of the food items I buy but it was taking an age to load onto youtube so I thought I'd just do a blog post to start with (videos may follow in the future).

Here's a list and prices of some items I purchased today at the market in Wakefield, Holland & Barrentt, and Sainsbury's.

Wakefield Market

Box of fair trade bananas (18kg): £12
2 bunches of spinach: £1
Box of clementines (2.3kg): £2.50
Unknown fruit (can't remember what they said it was!) :50p

Total = £16

Holland & Barrett

Pitted dried dates (1kg): £4.49
Californian seedless raisins (500g): £2.69
Whole tahini (340g): £2.99
Millet Grain (500g): £1.45
(It was buy one get one half price on all goods, I did buy some other stuff as well so I paid less than the prices stated)

Total (without offer) = £11.62

Sainsbury's

Mixed Pulses (240g drained weight): £1.10
Green Lentils: £1.10
Aduki beans: 70p
Mixed beans: £1.10
(These were on offer - 4 cans for £2)
Frozen chopped spinach (1kg): £1.50
Frozen mixed berries (400g): £1.30

Total = £4.80

Grand total = £32.42

Coconut Oil: Panacea or Artery Clogger? By Rich Roll

This post was orginally blogged by Rich Roll, Febuary 2013 so is not my writings. Check out the post link here: Coconut Oil: Panacea or Artery Clogger? As always I highly recommend all Rich's podcasts and book Finding Ultra. I'm sure you'll find this post informative.

Earlier today, I tweeted the above video from Dr. Michael Greger’s NutritionFacts.org website in which he poses the question: “Does Coconut Oil Clog Arteries?”. Based upon peer reviewed research, Dr. Greger went on to address the saturated fat content of this oil and the health hazards posed.

Then I got slammed with e-mails and tweets. ”So no good on coconut oil?” ”I thought you liked it!” ”Isn’t it a cure-all superfood?” ”The paleo people tell me there’s no issue!” “Now, I’m confused…” and on and on.

So I thought I would expound a bit on where I stand. Disclaimer: this is my personal perspective. Nothing more, nothing less.

First, let me just say (admit?) that I do use coconut oil – sparingly. Yes, it is a saturated fat. But — as I explained in my book Finding Ultra — a significant degree of the saturated fat component of coconut oil is composted of lauric acid, which is (comparatively) quickly and easily metabolized as a very good energy source (and has also shown to be immunity boosting). This means you are likely to burn it for fuel rather than pack it on the waist, provided you are sufficiently active and it isn’t digested along with something high in sugar to supersede & hijack your metabolism first. So yes, paleo folks, I do agree that sugar is a culprit here.

Although I can’t say I use it in coffee as a vegan version of Dave Asprey’s paleo-popular “Bulletproof” coffee (he advises something like a 1/2 stick of grass-fed butter in your morning blend – wait, really? yes, really), I do include coconut oil (again, sparingly) in some of my (vegetable based) Vitamix blends. It’s anti-inflammatory when compared to the saturated fats found in animal foods. It’s the optimal oil to cook with — if you are going to cook with oil — due to the fact that it holds up (does not oxidize) better than other oils at high temperatures (translation – less free radicals). It’s anti-infection and some studies suggest it aids with the absorption of certain vitamins and other nutrients like beta-carotene and some amino acids.

That said, I use it — again, and wait for it — quite sparingly. Then again, I’m probably training more than you are.

Then why sparingly?

Well people, it’s still a saturated fat, one of the few found in the plant kingdom sure, but still a saturated fat — and one that lacks any of those Omega-3′s we’re always trying to get. In my (supported) opinion – hotly debated by the paleo / low carb folks – there is indeed more than a link between dietary saturated fat intake and deleterious health effects, including atherosclerosis. Now the paleo people will likely tell you it’s fine to enjoy your bacon, butter and other foods high in saturated fat like coconut oil. Provided you strictly adhere to their regimen, they will tell you there is no link between such saturated fats and heightened (bad) cholesterol levels or the hardening of the arteries. Then as support, they will refer you to certain isolated indigenous populations like the Inuit, who eat a relatively high degree of saturated fat yet somehow remain healthy. Finally, they will tell you that because coconut oil is comprised (in part) of medium chain triglycerides (MCT’s), this renders it heart-safe, (all points Jeff Novick tackles in the below linked article). Why is paleo so popular right now? One reason just might be that people love to have their bad habits co-signed.

I cannot rubberstamp this perspective. Nor can most of the doctors & nutritional experts I most respect. People like Dr. Greger, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, Dr. Dean Ornish, Dr. John McDougall and others all of whom advocate (as Greger does in this video) that the link between dietary saturated fats and such ill effects is more than legit. For certain, you can find medical research debate ongoing here. But I think to completely dismiss this saturated fat / heart disease connection as some kind of quackery, or “a complete joke” — as some in the paleo / low-carb camp would have you believe — is at best misleading and at worst irresponsible. 
 
Particularly when we are in a health care crisis where obesity rates are absurdly high and climbing. According to the CDC, right now 935,000 Americans suffer a heart attack annually, 600,000 of which are fatal. Coronary disease costs $108.9 billion a year in health care costs and lost productivity. Simply put, that is insane.

Certainly, sugar and processed foods are a huge contributory cause. I don’t dispute that. But you cannot reasonably submit that a diet high in saturated fat — in many ways the defining characteristic of the standard American diet — is not also to blame.

In addition, coconut oil as a food is incredibly calorie dense (4 tbsps exceeds the American Heart Association’s RDA for staurated fat), yet poor in nutrient density – a critical variable in calculating the net benefits or detriments of the foods we eat. My friend Jeff Novick, RD goes so far as to say it’s nutritional deficiencies render it the ultimate junk food. Read the hyperlinked piece – it’s a compelling take on this issue.
Remember – we begin working on heart disease when we are very young. Those arteries don’t clog overnight – it’s years in the making and many of us are walking around like ticking time bombs, totally unaware until it has progressed to critical levels.
Healthy, active, fit & trim? Eat a very clean diet already? Cholesterol & blood tests all good? Then fine — some coconut oil in your diet may not be problematic for you and may be a source of some health benefits (beyond the weight & cholesterol debate) such as those I illustrated above. No doubt it’s good for your skin. But opt to lather rather than eat (too much).

The point is that coconut oil is not some kind of miracle cure panacea or a green light to go overboard.

if you are overweight, a candidate for heart disease or in poor health, think twice and consider foregoing the coconut oil. Actually, forget oil altogether.

I hope this helps clarify my personal opinion on this issue.

Peace + Plants,

Rich

Gary Yourofsky: The Best Speech You Will Ever Hear!

 

Gary Yourofsky is an American animal rights activist, and someone who clearly wears his heart on his sleeve when it comes to fighting for the rights of the animals and the planet. Yourofsky is currently banned from entering the UK and Canada, catergorised and an 'international terrorist'! I can see why he may 'ruffle some feathers', and may offend some people, but the fact of the matter is, he's telling the truth.

Please watch the speech above. Gary crams an incredible amount of information into 70 minutes, his delivery is clear, concise and ultimately, empowering.