April 22, 2012

Holy black rice

I made a couple new-ish dishes over the past couple of days that just blew my mind, and I can say that they'll become frequent meals in my house. Here's a picture of the first thing I made, baked (at 350) sweet potato, parsley root (eaten with ketchup), turnip and golden beets. I had to stop eating half way through to take a picture, that's how good it was. There's stuff like oregano, basil, parsley and garlic powder on everything but the sweet potatoes, which have cinnamon and turmeric. All of it was drizzled with olive oil.


Here's the second thing I made, Italian straciatelli soup, which has a veggie broth, pastina/pearled couscous (your pick), spinach and egg.


And this amazing black forbidden rice and herb-sprinkled pinto bean dish, which blew my mind. I didn't cook the rice with anything, but I put spices, herbs and sea salt on the beans. I cooked the rice separately and followed the package directions, while I baked the beans in a tiny bit of olive oil at 350 for ten minutes. You can buy the black forbidden rice at vitacost.com or at Whole Foods.


And then Shawn decided to experiment today with what we had left from our last shopping trip, which happened to be red, yellow and orange bell peppers, brown rice, red onion, carrot and portabella mushroom. He turned all that into a lovely stir fry with grapeseed oil and sesame seed oil. I was in shock at how good it was. I'm beginning to think that when you become a vegetarian you can pretty much throw anything together and it will taste good. Last time he experimented with brown and wild rice mixed up with a little grapeseed oil and then added Gardein veggie beef tips that we found in the frozen food aisle, and we were drooling. Shawn kept repeating, "But it tastes like real meat!"


When I haven't been experimenting with different recipes I've been chugging chocolate coconut milk like it's nothing. I swear I can't tell the difference between chocolate coconut milk and that Trumoo chocolate milk. And if it's not chocolate coconut milk (from the soy milk aisle) then it's frozen coconut popsicles, or organic coconut milk that I found at the end of the fruit juice aisle, mixed into my smoothies. I've also rekindled my love for baked chickpeas. Did you know they have a whole healthy food section at Meijer? There's one that's all gluten-free, two sections in the frozen food area that includes healthy pizza and vegan mac & cheese, and another area for harder to find items like rice flour and organic cereal.

April 18, 2012

Clean 15 Dirty Dozen

Okay, I lied. I said I was going to post a list of what foods have what benefits, but I wanted to post this first. Here's something you should look over from time to time - the "Clean 15 and the Dirty Dozen," a list of which foods are sprayed with pesticides the most, and which are a little better.

Mull that over for a while, and then you can move on to this nice chart of seasonal produce. At some point I will go into more detail of the benefits of eating seasonally (other than the fact that it is cheaper), but for now just now that eating what's in season can help your body adjust to whatever is going on in your life better. For example, eating winter squash during the winter and watermelon in the summer. If you have time, look up macrobiotics on wikipedia.


And one more fun picture, to get you motivated.


Gwyneth also runs a website and features tasty recipes. In case you didn't know, she eats healthy.

April 13, 2012

The definition of healthy

Lately I've been thinking about how we define "healthy" as a culture. It seems we think we're healthy if we do not have a serious disease (like cancer) and feel generally "ok" day to day. Even if we have allergies, acid reflux, high blood pressure, etc, we are still healthy, we just deal with it, maybe pop a pill. We only realize we're unhealthy when something very serious happens (hospitalization, feeling like crap on a daily basis for more than a month, disease). We believe everything our doctors say and don't ask a lot of questions. (I realized that last one for myself when I got an infection a while ago and my doctor never told me how I got it, that I could get it again easily, and let me walk out with some pills.)

In ancient Eastern cultures, especially China, health was considered an overall state - mental, physical, and emotional. What you ate was most important, and when I think about it, of course is was - you eat at least three times a day and food is what sustains you, what makes you healthy. When you eat crap, you're going to feel like crap. The only problem is learning what that crap is. I'm on that journey right now, and I learn something new every day. That has led me to feel better about the decisions I'm making, and even after only a few months I am having less of the issues that have plagued me most of my life, like acid reflux and irritable bowel. I know if I were to go in 100% I would feel amazing, but I'm still learning what 100% is.

Here's a picture of what I bought at the grocery store tonight (my way of proving my commitment and learning progress) and my husband enjoying veggie lasagna and a healthy pop alternative called Ogave, made with agave nectar. I've been MIA for a few days so I figured this post better be long and meaningful. I dare you to spot something unhealthy in these pictures! (Alright, there's regular mayo, bbq sauce and ranch dressing I forgot to throw out.)


Annie's salad dressing, sugar-free sauce, veggie chips, fruits, tomato bread, green tea, 70% dark chocolate, sweet potatoes, avocado, garlic, onion, eggplant, zucchini, lemons, peppers and oranges.

Beets, swiss chard, almond milk, Kefir, aloe vera juice, pickles, preservative-free jam, carrots, watercress, spinach, brocolli, cauliflower, turnip, coconut milk, chickpea soup, kale, cucumber, celery, kimchi

Romaine, blood orange juice, artichokes, tofu, purple carrots

Organic portabella mushrooms, veggies burgers, filtered water, organic lemonade, Greek yogurt with no added sugar (as a temporary addition), cage-free organic eggs

I admit, I need to organize my fridge better. What do you do with really long leafy greens?

Anyway, back to the definition of healthy. I bought a book a while ago that has a picture of something healthy and a description of why it's healthy on the side. I have been trying to memorize all the little details, but so far all I can remember is that carrots and other orange things = good eyesight. Then I have a picture on my computer of a list of healthy things and what they do. Here's that one...

So, they didn't have room to list all the benefits of these foods, like how ginger cures joint pain and coconut oil tastes beyond amazing with cooked brocolli, but this is a good list to memorize. I can tell you chia seeds may mean "mega moisture" but they also do wonders for keeping your bowel regular. I mix a tablespoon into my tea and wow.

So, if each food does a few beneficial things, like improve eyesight or get your blood flowing, and you add a lot of those things up in a day, in a week, and eat tons of healthy food (and little to no bad, processed, refined food) then you are increasing your health, even curing yourself. If you know you're unhealthy and someone tells you "this food here does this beneficial thing," why wouldn't you eat it like there's no tomorrow? Why rely on a pill to do food's job? (Mom - this is what you do when I tell you to eat chia seeds. Have you been eating your lingonberry jam?) And if you have this information, if you know, for example, that papayas are a digestive aid, or that sweet potatoes can help prevent cancer, and you don't take advantage of that information to the best of your ability, then it is your loss.

The problem I see is that we are unhealthy and just deal with it until the problem cannot be ignored, then we go to the doctor and request a miracle pill, a solution in a bottle, instead of preventing the problem in the first place or treating it the natural way - with food. This is not even to mention lack of exercise and lack of emotional well being (another problem we ignore). Tomorrow I'll be posting a list of which foods do what.

April 11, 2012

Adoption Day

Did you know that last year in Michigan 118,000 cats and dogs were euthanized because they didn't have a home? It would take every home in America to own 67 cats in order for them to stop being euthanized (temporarily). I know not everyone cares. I know. But I care, and I want to do my best to educate people about the situation of animals in America, whether it be livestock or homeless pets. I want to try my hardest to make people care, to take action.

Everyone I meet has that attitude "Yeah, pets get put down. You can't save them all. That's just what happens." But I look at it a different way. Last summer I took about 17 cats from a single neighborhood (and there's still more) to the shelter I volunteer at to be fixed. If half of them were female, that would mean I prevented at least 8 of them from having a litter of kittens (say anywhere from three to six kittens), or two litters, or three litters, and their kittens, and their kittens. I'm not good at math, but that could be around 29 kittens I prevented, in one summer, from being born, and those kittens could have turned around and gave birth to over a hundred more kittens. So, whatever, about 129 kittens were spared from entering the shelter and possibly being euthanized. Again, in one summer. You could do that too.

Here's today's adoptees, from the Ionia County Humane Society in Michigan. I really like this shelter, because on Petfinder.com they will actually list which animals are "urgent." In case you couldn't figure it out, urgent = going to be put down very soon, as space is limited.

This is Frisket, a female dilute tortie on the urgent list.


This is Eleanor, a regular tortie female, also on the urgent list.


This is their other kitty on the urgent list, Leona.


Also, I myself have a cat ready for adoption. She came from a bad situation, and really needs a new home. Please leave a comment if you are interested.

As for dogs, if you are in West Michigan you might have heard about the hoarding/puppy mill case in Allegan in which hundreds of mistreated dogs were taken from a home. On the news they said the shelter was looking for help with fostering some of these dogs. Here is their link: http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/MI299.html

I cannot begin to tell you how great it is to own a pet. It is a great responsibility, but so wonderful to have someone to come home to that doesn't do anything but love you unconditionally. I know people don't like this comparison, but having a cat or dog really is like having a baby. Preparing for them, the excitement, the responsibility, the love. My cats truly are my babies. I can't imagine life without them. If you have not had a cat or dog, you're missing out on one of life's greatest bonding experiences.

April 10, 2012

The truth about eggs


Here's the deal: eggs are high in cholesterol (200 milligrams per chicken egg, to be exact) but, they also contain vitamin B12, which is hard to get when you stop eating meat. Of course, you could just take a B12 supplement, but I don't think it's the end of the world if you indulge in an egg once a day as your only animal product, especially since it's a great breakfast starter that helps keep you full in the morning. Boil an egg the night before and you're good to go. Ah, and they also have the highest biological availability than other animal products, meaning easier and better nutrient absorption into your body.

However, be aware that the eggs you buy might contain antibiotics and/or growth hormones if the mother hen was fed these things, and no matter what the labeling says, that mother hen may not have been treated well or actually had access to roaming freely outdoors. The package must say Certified Humane Raised and Handled (not simply cage-free), in that exact order, and also Certified Organic (not just "organic") to be sure. I don't know if you're as pissed as I am that simply "cage-free" and "organic eggs" might be a lie on some products, but food companies get away with A LOT. There are very, very few laws in place and enforced today, and even so, food companies can often buy their way out of certain situations. It seems like every day we're hearing about some new food industry horror story, like pink slime and BPA in canned food.

April 9, 2012

Interview yourself

Something I found to get myself (and you) really thinking about my (your) life. It isn't just nutrition or exercise that is important, it is overall wellbeing. These questions may sound easy, but they're probably goals/dreams/passions that you haven't evaluated in a long time. Just copy the questions and answer them on a piece of paper or blank word document, or even reply to me in the comments section, although you can just keep your answers to yourself if you like.

Why do you want to live?
To take care of my cats (I'm secretly hoping for another one). To learn more stuff. To be entertained. To make the environment better, and help animals. To create. I want to travel and write and spend more time in nature and with animals and the things I love. I want to help those I care about.

What do you love?
Anime, manga, tv shows, movies, animals, my cats, food, nature, travel, books, writing, art, drawing, painting, ceramics, baths, the night sky, rain, thunder storms, autumn, holidays, laying in bed, going online, working on my blogs, helping people with baby names, talking to strangers, Vegas, Italy, buying stuff, interior decorating

What is your ideal environment?
I want to be someplace warm, almost tropical/rainforest-y, or Mediterranean, where there is so much green around me I can’t help but be happy. Not too far from lots of people, not too far from solitude. Ideally, I’d like to be around lots of people that love me unconditionally, no drama. I want to be surrounded by animals, but not necessarily those I have to take care of 24/7, like when I was a kid and could go outside and catch frogs, birds, and rabbits. But I want lots of rescued cats. I want to have a really big house, like a mansion with eight bedrooms, so everyone can come stay with me. I would also want a house that is warm, natural, luxurious and filled with the things I love.

What do you want to accomplish in the next few years?
I want to go to Italy, buy a new house, publish a book and poetry, start a seasonal wellness retreat, rescue more cats, watch more anime, repurpose some furniture, become a writing coach and maybe a nutritionist or wellness coach, build my home decorating portfolio, paint (and then sell my paintings), cover up my old tattoo, learn how to cut hair, save/earn lots of money, do lots of yoga, make my garden much bigger, start a youtube channel for this blog, and possibly start a green juice/smoothie delivery business.

What do you want your loved ones to know about you?
I am truly happy on the path that I'm on. As you can see, there's lots I want to do, and I don't want to be trapped doing something I don't love. I am going to find a way to be independent and make money doing what I love.

April 8, 2012

Alicia Silverstone's book The Kind Diet


I just got Alicia Silverstone's health book The Kind Diet in the mail, and decided to update you guys with important facts as I go along. So far it is a great book, exactly what I wanted. The following is from the first two chapters.

"Frightened animals prduce lots of cortisol and adrenaline right before slaughter, and we can become stressed from eating their meat."

Heart disease is the #1 killer of women in America and meat is mainly to blame.

Here's what happens: meat has saturated fat - this elevates blood cholesterol - which creates plaque buildup - which leads to clogged arteries - which leads to high blood pressure - which can lead to a stroke or heart attack.

"A low-fat plant-based diet would lower an individual's risk of heart attack by 85 percent."

In one of the studies listed in the book, women who ate the most meat were more likely to develop breast cancer. In a different study, a sugar molecule called NeuG5c, which shows up in many cancerous human tumors, is not produced by the human body, it comes from red meat. And another fact: "dioxin is the most toxic chemical known to science and is recognized as a human carcinogen. It is estimated that 93 percent of our exposure to dioxin comes through eating animal products - beef, lamb, pork, chicken, dairy, eggs, and especially FISH."

"When either red or white meats hit a grill, they create cancer-causing compounds called heterocyclic amines. FYI: grilled chicken has more than 17 times the number of these compounds than grilled steak."

When you eat meat your blood becomes acidic and your bones have to lend their minerals in order to balance out that acidity, especially when it is combined with sodium, caffeine, tobacco and inactivity. This can lead to osteoporosis.

Because of the conditions animals are kept in before getting to the slaughterhouse, they are given antibiotics. "Farmed salmon have more antibiotics administered by weight than any other form of livestock." What's the problem with free antibiotics? You good bacteria in your gut is killed off, leaving your immune system weaker, and the bacteria you want gone just gets stronger. Meat also carries pathogens, some from the animals' bowels, some from unsanitary conditions. Sometimes, as in the case of "pink slime," they use heavy duty chemicals like chlorine and bleach to make it "safe."

You are also eating what the animal ate, the food it was given to make it grow big and strong - in this case livestock feed instead of grass. Livestock feed contains bones, blood, viscera, and even the remains of euthanized cats and dogs (and the chemicals used to euthanize them).

Lastly (although I'm sure there's more) they are injected with growth hormones to make them grow fast, grow meaty, and stay constantly pregnant and lactating.

So, in summary, you are eating meat that came from unhappy, scared, tortured animals in crowded, filthy conditions, injected with growth hormones (in addition to their stress/fear hormone before slaughter) and antibiotics, that carry pathogens and are treated with chemicals, and is known to have carcinogens. Do you really want to eat that? Do you really want to feed your kids that?

Hope you enjoyed my fun facts from the first two chapters. I know I did. Stay tuned for fun facts from the rest of chapter two.

Leave me a comment if you're vegetarian yet. =)

April 7, 2012

Fiber 1 Cereal

**update** Please take the following with a grain of salt, as aspartame is actually really bad for you, and there are healthier cereals available, so do your research.

Now, as I've said, I'm not a nutritionist, and I can barely read a nutrition label, so I'm not 100% sure that Fiber One cereal is good for you (because I know a lot of other cereals that claim to be healthy are not, and I know Fiber One puts aspartame in their cereal). However, it really does give you a good amount of fiber, 14g per 1/2 cup, to be exact. So I believe it's one of the best options out there for cereal, other than bran. The good part is that you can use it in a wide range of recipes, even making breaded eggplant or chicken with it. I've been eating it since high school and it has helped with my irritable bowel disease, which could actually be inflammatory bowel disease.

** I encourage you to read your cereal labels and look specifically for the ingredient called aspartame, or sugar. If you've found one without either, you've probably struck gold.

At first I didn't really like Hungry Girl, where I heard about Fiber One breaded chicken, but I signed up for the email newsletter anyway, and I actually have learned a lot. I heard about tofu shirataki noodles from her, and learned that popcorn has more antioxidants than some fruits and veggies. More recently, she wrote about a major study that had just been completed on red meat eaters, finding that even a single serving of red meat per day could increase the risk of death by 15%. Here's the study, in case you want to know more: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/2012-releases/red-meat-cardiovascular-cancer-mortality.html

April 6, 2012

But where will I get my protein?

Ah, protein. People have been misleading us to believe we can only get it from meat. The truth is, protein appears in chickpeas, nuts, beans, tofu, etc. But it isn't the most important thing in the world, something that we need to be overly concerned with.

Protein, calcium and iron come from: beans, green veggies like brocolli, whole grains, nut butter, soy and ricemilk (the more color and variety the better)
Basically, if you're eating a variety of legumes, nuts, whole grains, veggies and fruit, you don't have to worry about anything other than B12, and there are lots of products that can give you B12, but...

As for B12, take a multivitamin or B12 supplement

Watch this Youtube video about protein... I LOVE that he mentioned how we all originated from Africa, as I've been researching that for a story I'm writing (not that it's about that, it's just something I needed to know). And Mom, he mentions how Italians live longer even by eating a lot of pasta.


April 5, 2012

21-Day Vegan Kickstart

I don't intend to become fully vegan (just vegetarian) but I am already loving this 21-Day Vegan Kickstart, and it's only day 3! They got me hooked on two different levels: one, Alicia Silverstone was the first "spokesperson," so to say, and there's more celebrities/health nuts lined up; two, I already love the recipes - baked chickpeas, fettucine with asparagus.

I browsed the website and found some gems to share with you. Maggie Q, famous actress that I love watching, said she eats kale every day and loves to add rice, lentils and beans to keep her full. She also mentioned something I've been dying to try - dairy free ice cream, made with things like cashews, coconut and green tea. And, I didn't know this, but she also worked on a documentary called Earthlings, which is about the daily practices of animals-for-profit industries. That seems interesting, and I can't wait to watch it.

Rory Freedman, author of Skinny Bitch, says "Never feel like or say you are “giving up” your favorite foods. Those words have a negative connotation, like you are sacrificing something. You’re not giving up anything. You are simply empowering yourself to make educated, controlled choices about what you will and won’t put into your body, your temple."

Also on the website, Olympic skater Meagan Duhamel says, "Don’t be afraid to change! It’s not as difficult as it sounds. Transitioning to a healthy plant-based diet is easy and impacts every other aspect of your life. I made the change instantaneously and now feel strong, vibrant, and healthy. You can choose to stop at McDonald’s for a burger and milkshake or opt for a spinach salad filled with fresh vegetables and a fruit smoothie. Choose wisely." She also suggests soaking up as much info as possible about being vegan or vegetarian or nutrition in general.

Kris Carr is also part of this, and if you know me, you know I love her. She is the reason I even became interested in getting healthy. She strongly suggests removing meat and dairy, juicing daily, and drastically cutting the amount of sugar you eat.

It's funny because a lot of people tell me sugar and meat and whatnot aren't THAT bad for you. However, when I was at my mom's house this weekend, just as dinner was being finished up, my dad had such a strong craving for meat and salt that he started going through every cupboard in the kitchen like he was starving, looking for meat and chips. Over the weekend he went through two or three bags of chips and who knows how much meat, always wanting more. So, yeah, I firmly believe that meat, sugar and salt are highly addictive. My husband even went through withdrawal symptoms when he quit drinking pop.

Here's one last comment from Dr. Dean Ornish: "Eat plant-based foods. It will make you feel better. It also does less violence, helps reduce global warming, and frees more land to grow food for those who most need it. It’s the healthiest way to eat—both for you and for Earth."

April 4, 2012

Increasing portion size without calories

Adding veggies to pasta, macaroni and cheese, lasagna, frozen meals or rice can be a good way to eat more without adding a lot of calories. Get creative. I like to add carrots and spinach to my pasta, brocolli to anything with alfredo sauce, and other veggies over [any kind of] rice or [wild] rice to soup. Switching the kind of noodle you eat can make a difference as well. I like tofu shirtaki noodles (you wouldn't believe the difference in calories) and jerusalem artichoke spaghetti.


Another idea is to have a bowl of soup (preferably miso soup) or a bowl of salad before every meal so that you will not be as hungry. A lot of people do this with bread, especially at restaurants, but it's not very healthy.

My last idea is to load up your sandwich [on a whole wheat/whole grain bun] or burger with as much lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle or whatever you like without said sandwich or burger towering over.

Also thought I would suggest you try to hunt down these healthy products:
Vita brownies
Amy's organics
evol burritos
Dr. Praeger's burgers
veggie chips

all of which are truly amazing and taste great!

April 3, 2012

Eating right on the go

These days they make tons of healthy snacks for busy people. I like to get up at the last minute before work, which means I don't have time to make breakfast. My snacks have to be able to sit in my purse until lunch time. Take a look at this picture of some of my munchies. The only things not in this picture are veggie chips and pistachios.


You can see there are pumpkin seeds, gluten free snickerdoodle cookies, pineapple-macadamia-coconut cookies, apple chips, sardines, raspberry fig bars, gluten and wheat-free trail mix bars, dark chocolate with sea salt, gluten-free non-GMO casein and dairy-free trans fat-free peanut butter chocolate granola bars, and a can of nuts with cranberries. Half of it is from TJMaxx or Marshalls, half is from vitacost.com.

My husband and I share these things for work, but I also make him a sandwich and smoothie. The ingredients of the smoothie or green juice vary day by day. Yesterday I made a papaya, ricemilk, flaxseed and beet smoothie along with a green juice of cucumber, beet, purple carrot and nectarine. Both turned out to be hot pink. I put it in a glass jar.


Here is Dr. Oz's recipe for a breakfast muffin in a mug. Try it once when you have time, then you will know if you like it, and then you can prepare it right before leaving home.

You  will need:
1 egg, 1 packet of stevia (which you really should have on hand), 1/4 cup ground flax, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp coconut oil (which smells and tastes heavenly), 2 tsp cinnamon

Stir all these ingredients in a mug and then microwave for 50 to 55 seconds. How easy is that?

I also really like this picture I found online, which is about healthy breakfast choices.

April 2, 2012

How does becoming vegetarian help the planet?

To start, I'd like to say that cutting meat out of your diet might sound like something you can't possibly do. America today feels dependent on meat, soda, candy bars, fast food, sugar, packaged and processed food and dairy. However, as you're reading this, you probably have some major health concern - overweight, tired, high blood pressure, always getting the flu, diabetes, pain. So let me ask you, why not just try living without those things? Why not take that chance, that letting go of meat, milk, the convenience of fast food, the overload of sugar and pop, that maybe letting go of those things could make you feel better? It's worth a try, right? And if it doesn't work, go back to the way things were.

My mother didn't seem happy at first to let go of these foods that she loved, didn't seem enthusiastic about having to cook more, but once she let go, it was only a matter of weeks before she felt great. And that's saying something for someone who had cancer twice (first uterine, then non-Hogdkin's lymphoma). But she stopped eating meat, started drinking tea and making healthier choices, and now feels great. Her immune system is stronger, her white blood cell count is no longer insanely dangerous, and she can do more without feeling as exhausted as she used to. And it's only been a few months.

So making healthier choices, especially letting go of meat, helps both you and the planet. Have you ever heard of a carbon footprint? It is the amount of greenhouse gas emissions caused by an organization, event, person or product. Specifically, it is the amount of carbon dioxide and methane gas let out into the environment. It can be caused by transportation, clearing land, the production and consumption of food, and building pretty much anything. 18% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions are due to livestock, based on a 2006 report from the U.N. Food and Agriculture Association. The majority of this comes from the fertilizer, transportation and pesticides used on the grain to feed livestock. With grass-fed beef this is a smaller impact.

The amount of cattle being raised to become food outnumbers the amount of people in America. Just a small portion of the grain being used to feed these cows could be redirected to countries with little food supply and there would no longer be a crisis of starvation in third world countries. The size of the amount of rainforests cut down to make room for cattle equals the state of California.

And another thing to consider is how the animals are treated before becoming dinner. Were they allowed to roam freely? Probably not. Were they injected with antibiotics because of filthy conditions? Probably. Were they injected with hormones to keep them pregnant and lactating constantly. Yeah, that too. And just so you know, if a cow panics before being slaughtered, those fear hormones are released into the meat you eat later, messing with your own hormones.

April 1, 2012

Forks Over Knives

I just got done watching Forks Over Knives, a documentary film about meat and dairy being more harmful than Americans think. I'll be forcing my family members to watch it shortly. I think it's a real eye-opener for those of us who believe we can only get protein from meat, that milk is necessary for strong bones, that neither meat or dairy can cause us any harm. The food industry has been corrupted and is paying tons of money to mislead us into thinking such things, for fear that we would stop spending so much on these foods. In fact, most nutrition and disease studies are not done independently, they are paid for. This film goes along with what I've been saying, that becoming vegetarian (although I eat cage-free eggs) many illnesses can be prevented and even reversed. It's worth a try, right? But it goes without saying that some exercise is necessary.

Anyway, one of the things I enjoyed most about this film was the part where they address "the starving children of third world countries." I put that in quotations because since I was a child, I've always heard people say things like "don't waste your food because there's a million starving children in Africa." Now I just find it ridiculous that people pretend to be concerned (a fact, proven by how much food is wasted every day in households and restaurants) but no one cares that rainforests have been cut down to provide land for cattle and that the amount of grains fed to cows alone could end the food crisis in third world countries. There are more cattle than there are people. Not that the government would ever let that happen, they make too much money off of livestock.

The truth is, once we stop breast feeding, we no longer need milk. Meat truly does contribute to diseases. Countries that do not eat meat or do not eat more than the size of a deck of playing cards per day live longer and have much lower rates of cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity, if any. It is a fact that Mediterranean and Asian countries - Italy, Monaco, Japan, China, live up to a decade longer than Americans in part because of their diet. (Other factors include wealth, more exercise, better healthcare and relaxing, less polluted environments.)

Veggies truly are king. The food pyramid needs to be revised.