TOP 2017 HEALTH MYTHS DEBUNKED

Below is a great 14 minute video from the folks at Plant Based News. Here are a few of my favorite quotes from it;

“Distorting the truth to the public has become a science, become an art form. You can hire professional organizations to plant doubt in the public’s mind and through the media.” – Dr. Michael Klaper

Regarding milk consumption, Dr. Neal Barnard says, “One of the rules that nature laid down for every mammalian species is that you have to get weened at some point.”

“We’re literally on the cusp of what could be a seismic revolution in health and this seismic revolution is never going to come about through the invention of another pill or a drug or a procedure.” – Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn

“I’m getting a little bit tired of my colleagues using their laziness as an excuse for not moving forward with something. Because if you take the time to look into this… you’ll find an enormous amount of data to support the use of diet for almost every chronic degenerative condition.” - Pamela Popper, PhD

SOME LINKS TO PONDER

Here are some cool sites and articles I came across lately;

I signed up for Veganuary and set my start date to January 1st.

I just discovered The Green Plate which has a vegetarian starter guide, community, meal planner.

Here are 11 reasons why 2017 WAS THE TIPPING POINT for veganism and 12 TIPS FOR NEW VEGANS.

A vegan fast-casual chain you've never heard of is expanding nationwide — and that should scare legacy brands. I hope they come to Minnesota.

Finally, I'll share the best medicine doctors don’t tell you about. 

MY PROBLEM(S)

I'm sure I have lots of problems. One of them is that once I get into something, I try to gather as much data as possible through books, documentaries, email newsletters, websites, apps, etc. As you can imagine in this information age, this can be overwhelming. One of my goals for 2018 is to go deeper into a few good sources, rather than trying to scratch the surface of every resource possible. This includes developing a better method for absorbing information, especially from books. Ideally, I'd buy all the books I read and simply highlight all the info that I find helpful. However, that'd get expensive, so I try to utilize the library as much as possible. But that means taking notes - which can be great for helping me to retain the info, however, it slows down the  process. And, again, this can be hard for someone who wants to learn as much as possible. 

Typically, the websites I follow also send out weekly email newsletters. This is great, but typically I follow so many that I end up not reading any - or just skimming the data. I've been trying to do a better job of this lately too. At the start of every year I like to spend time purging social media that I no longer find useful. This can mean anything from unfollowing "friends", deleting apps, unsubscribing from emails, to clearing out my favorites/bookmarks.

One newsletter that I still read each week is from Brad Stulburg and Steve Magness at Peak Performance. I haven't read their book yet, but it's on my list of "must reads". Their writings are directly linked to nutrition and a healthy lifestyle, but they are about getting the most out of yourself, which is another thing I'm interested in. One of their recent newsletters, under the section Coaching Corner: Choose Reflections not Goals, they talk about their approach to reviewing the notes that took throughout the year.

My objective is simple, filter all of [my notes] down into ideas or concepts that I need to look into further or could potentially apply in the future... the task is to continually narrow all of the thoughts that sparked interest throughout the year into usable and actionable sound bites that lead to functional change in behaviors or, at the least, further exploration. I filter the notes by asking a simple question: Does this cover material I fundamentally need to know when coaching/writing, or is it something I could use elsewhere in my life? If it’s fundamental to coaching, for example, then I take the idea and put it into my “cheat sheet guide to coaching.”  If it’s something that I can use elsewhere, then I sort it into an evernote file based on a number of topics (e.g., Training, Psychology, Writing, Motivation, etc.). After going through all of my notes, I write down the key takeaways from the year. This is supposed to be a concise list that I can glance back at, reminding me of what I learned in the previous year and what seemed important to take forward. In this way, my reflections turn into actionable behaviors.

I'm definitely going to try an incorporate something like this in 2018.

One of my other problems is getting into too many things at once. Here's a list of a few things on my mind lately;

1) Expanding my cooking knowledge. As mentioned above this includes way too many websites, books and apps, which is a topic of it's own blog post. Most recently, I just finished up and online cooking course called Rouxbe (i.e. Ruby). It's a 60-day course that outlines both the "why" and the "how" when it comes to a WFPB approach to eating. If you already eat like this and enjoy cooking, then you probably won't get a lot out of the course. However, if this is new to you and you'd like to learn some cooking skills, it's well worth the $200.

2) Sharing my knowledge. I think part of the reason that we're in a healthcare crisis is that people simply don't realize the impact the foods we eat can have on our health. One of my biggest goals for 2018 is to take all this knowledge I'm acquiring and turn it into a community education class. Ideally, it'd be 2 classes, the first is the "why" and a second is the "how". So basically a discussion class, followed by a cooking class.

3) Trying to listen to every episode of The Rich Roll Podcast. I can't recommend this podcast highly enough. It's not just about nutrition. It's about being your most authentic self. I never listened to podcast until last winter. I was doing a lot of running in the cold, dark mornings and I spent a lot of time with Rich in my earbuds. I've since replaced listening to the radio during my commute with podcasts. I figure why listen to something that I have no control over (music, conversations, commercials, etc.), when I could listen to the topics I want? I think radio stations should be very worried. Anyway, if you go to the Apple store, you'll get access to Rich's last 50 episodes. But, if you download Rich's app, you'll have access to all of his 300+ episodes.

4) I'm trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up that will allow me to be the best version of myself. This includes figuring out what's important to me, rather than what society thinks is important for me. Things I'm trying include watching less sports - especially football, not "having" to drink IPAs, meditating more (check out the headspace app), not eating animal products, etc.

5) Thinking about my health coaching course, which starts in mid-January, and trying to figure out a business model that will help make my efforts a success.

Okay, that seems like a lot to chew on, so I'll leave it there for now.

A FEW ARTICLES

Here are a few articles I came across recently. As someone who has 2 rescue dogs, I found this story really touching.

We shouldn't have to defend a vegan or WFPB diet to our doctors, but if you do, this article includes 5 key benefits and 5 concerns to discuss with your doctor 

An article from the official journal of the College of Family Physicians of Canada stating "The general public and popular media are becoming increasingly aware of the health benefits of a plant-based diet. As physicians, we should not lag behind them. We should acknowledge the health benefits of a plant-based diet, but we should go further, too, and actually recommend its use to our patients."

FILM: VEGAN 2017

My second post on this blog was a brief description of 10 Food Documentaries. Of course, I encourage you to watch any one of them. However, they are full-length, 90+ minute movies. If you want a short (47 minute) introduction into a Whole-Food Plant-Based (WFPB) lifestyle, please watch the video below that I found over at Plant Based News.

Note: they use the term Vegan, but I prefer WFPB because 1) you can still eat an unhealthy vegan diet and 2) I think there are negative connotations associated with the word vegan. Just saying the word immediately puts people on the defensive.

This film does a great job covering the health, environmental and ethical impact of eating meat in a short, concise manner. There are lots of great quotes, but here are a few of my favorite;

"The U.S. government is responsible for the fast food crisis, the health crisis, the environmental crisis by subsidizing this horrible food, by subsidizing animal agriculture." - Jane Velez-Mitchell, journalist, activist

"Our tax dollars are being used to subsidize food that kills us." - T. Colin Campbell, PhD

"It's recognized by the American Insurance Industry that there are only 2 dietary plans that can reverse heart disease. There's no meat in those programs. They're plant-based programs." - Joel Kahn, M.D.

"If that's all a plant-based diet can do, reverse the #1 or #2 killer, of men and women, shouldn't that kind of be the default diet until proven otherwise? And the fact that it can also prevent, arrest and reverse other leading killers like type-2 diabetes and high blood pressure, it'd seem to make the case for plant-based simply overwhelming." - Michael Greger, M.D. 

[Eating vegan] "is much easier than I thought it'd be." - Craig Robinson, actor

"The mainstream media will never tell our story, because the advertisers are the meat, dairy and pharmaceutical industries. Those industries stand to lose big if American and the world goes plant-based." - Jane Velez-Mitchell

"You can't really be an environmentalist and not be vegan." - Simone Reyes

FOOD MATTERS: A PLANT-BASED APPROACH

FOOD MATTERS: A PLANT-BASED APPROACH by Chad Austin

Let me start by saying I’m not a doctor or a nutritionist. I’m just a health coach wannabe with an avid interest in health and wellness. With that said, this is an opinion piece, similar to my last article for RunMinnesota (Food Matters: A Whole-Food Approach) where I explained the benefits of replacing processed foods in our diets with whole foods. In this article, I want to focus on the second half of a lifestyle that is gaining tremendous momentum, Plant-Based. Notice I didn’t say “diet” as they tend to be restrictive and rarely work long-term. Instead, think of a Whole-Food Plant-Based (WFPB) approach to eating as a lifestyle, like running. It’s a lifestyle that doesn’t involve deprivation, detoxing or counting calories, but is centered on whole, unrefined, or minimally refined plants. It’s also based on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes (think beans and lentils). By focusing on these foods, it crowds out or minimizes meat, dairy products, and eggs, as well as highly refined foods like bleached flour, refined sugar, and oil.

Part of the reason why this lifestyle is gaining momentum is due to the health benefits associated with it, which are almost too numerous to mention. A whole-food, plant-based diet has been shown to (1):

·       Lower cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar

·       Reverse or prevent heart disease

·       Prevent and reverse obesity

·       Lower risk of cancer and diabetes

·       Slow the progression of certain types of cancer

·       Improve symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis

These chronic illnesses are becoming so common that people think they’re just part of the normal aging process. I’m here to tell you that this doesn’t have to be the case. In reality, these chronic illnesses can be directly linked to the Western diet. A WFPB approach to the foods we eat can improve the overall quality of life – even after these illnesses arise.

Not only does a WFPB lifestyle positively impact or health, but also the health of the planet. Over 56 billion (yes, billion with a “b”) land animals are killed every year for food (2). The environmental impact (namely rain forest deforestation, ocean acidification, water usage, climate change) and the amount of animal cruelty associated with killing that many animals is staggering. And that number doesn’t even include the billions of marine animals killed each year. With the world population expected to increase from 7.4 billion to 9.7 billion by 2050 (3), it’s easy to see that the path we’re on is not sustainable.

Generally, I’m not a fan of placing a label on our eating habits because it typically causes confusion, leads to arguments, and pushes people apart – rather than bringing them together in an effort to solve our current healthcare and environmental crises. However, I really like the term “plant-based” because you can broaden the definition to suit where you’re at on a spectrum. In the strictest sense it means unprocessed foods that don’t come from animals. But rarely are people going to switch to a full-on WFPB lifestyle overnight. As you begin to experiment with WFPB you might start with Meatless Mondays where you exclude meet one day a week. Another approach is discussed in Mark Bittman’s book Vegan Before 6:00. As you can probably guess, it refers to only eating animal products for dinner. As a result, two-thirds of your meals will be plant-based. These are great ways to introduce more plants into your diet and, chances are, once you see the benefits you’ll want to continue down the WFPB spectrum.

Let me take a few minutes to dispel the biggest myth that surrounds a WFPB lifestyle; protein. The first thing people notice about my food choices is that they don’t include meat. Typically, this leads to the question, “But where do you get your protein?” I don’t know if meat eaters are really curious about my protein intake or not, but it does show the power of the messages we are constantly bombarded with – messages paid for by the meat and dairy industries, and supported by the U.S. government. There are lots of possible responses to this question, but here are a few that I use, depending on my audience.

Medical: There’s actually a term for protein deficiency. Do you know what it is? No, because no one ever has to talk about being protein deficient. The next time you’re at your doctor’s office, ask them how many people they’ve ever treated for a protein deficiency. My guess is zero. By the way, the medical term is Kwashiorkor.

Snarky: Where do you get your fiber? Do you know that fiber is only found in plants like beans, fruits, vegetables and grains? Fiber isn’t broken down in the body. Instead, it pushes food through the digestive tract, absorbs water and helps clean the bowels. Those are all good things when it comes to health. Oh yeah, less than 3% of Americans get the minimum recommended amount of daily fiber (4).

Logical: Where do the strongest animals on the planet (think gorillas, elephants, and hippos) get their protein? They’re herbivores and only eat plants. By the way, cows aren’t standing around producing protein, or calcium for that matter. Animals get their protein from the foods they eat. For cows, pigs, and chickens that means plants. I’m just cutting out the middle man, er, animal, and going directly to the source.

Truthful: I eat a balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, beans, lentils, nuts, and seeds. And I never give my protein needs a second thought – until someone asks.

Scientific: In 1988 the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics updated its position on plant-based proteins stating “Plant protein can meet protein requirements when a variety of plant foods is consumed and energy needs are met. Research indicates that an assortment of plant foods eaten over the course of a day can provide all essential amino acids. (5)”

This last statement is interesting because it differs from another food myth; most plant sources lack one or more of the essential amino acids and therefore are not considered complete or high quality proteins. Technically, this statement is correct, if you look at plants individually. But, as mentioned above, if you eat a variety of plants and meet all you caloric needs, you will also meet your protein needs. I can’t help but think that most of these food myths are perpetuated by the meat and dairy industries themselves. It wouldn’t be the first time agricultural interests influenced the nutritional information we receive. As Rip Esselstyn says in his book My Beef with Meat, “The sad truth is that the information we get about health often has more to do with politics and money than with science and fact.”

How can this be? Our government must have our best interests in mind, especially when it comes to health, right? Not necessarily. To understand, one only needs to look at the responsibilities of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). This government agency has the duel-purpose of protecting American agricultural interests and advising us about our food choices. That’s a huge conflict of interests, especially when you consider that until they were sued by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), more than half of the USDA’s board of directors was made up of members from the meat and dairy industries.

I know, I know, this is a running magazine. What does this have to do with running? Well, I’m 48 years old and every year I hear about at least one runner, within 10 years on either side of me, dying, unknowingly from heart disease. That’s way too young! According to Alan Gertler, M.D., "Half of the men who die suddenly of coronary heart disease have no previous symptoms. The first manifestation of a heart problem oftentimes is sudden death (6)." Those that do survive often undergo heart bypass surgery or have stents inserted into blocked passageways, followed by a lifetime of drug treatment. Unfortunately, the truth is that running doesn’t make us immune to heart disease. We can’t out exercise a bad diet.

I get it. Beliefs around food often rival that of religion and politics – and, for runners, training philosophies. But given the current state of health in the U.S., it’s obviously that the food choices we’re making aren’t working. We can no longer rely on the government to tell us how to eat. It’s time we take matters into our own hands and work to change this situation ourselves. It’s time we become more mindful of our food choices and take responsibility for what we eat. It’s time to become more empowered and recognize that we have control over these choices and that they have a profound impact on our health and the environmental. It’s time, as Gandhi said, “To be the change you want to see in the world.”

With Gandhi’s words ringing in my ears, I’m taking it upon myself to help people that are plant curious, by creating a community that supports one another along this journey. Again, I’m not a doctor or a nutritionist, and I definitely don’t have all the answers. However, I am willing to share what I do know and provide support for anyone that’s interested - whether that’s 2 people or 2,000. If you’d like to get involved, feel free to leave a comment here or please feel free to email me directly at chadaustin@charter.net and I’ll support you any way I can. If you prefer to do some research on your own, simply google WFPB or check out the Nutrition Studies WFPB diet guide and the Forks over Knives WFPB diet to get started.

References accessed December 6, 2017:

(1)  What is aWhole-Food, Plant-Based Diet?

(2)  The Kill Counter.

(3)  World Population Projected to Reach 9.7 Billion by 2050. 

(4)  Where Do You Get Your Fiber?.

(5)  My Beef with Meat: The Healthiest Argument for Eating a Plant-Strong Diet, Rip Esselstyn

(6)  MaskedHeart Problems in Men Could Lead to Sudden Death. 

FOOD MATTERS: A WHOLE-FOOD APPROACH

I want to start this blog off by sharing a couple of articles I wrote recently for the Minnesota Distance Running Association (MDRA). 

FOOD MATTERS: A WHOLE-FOOD APPROACH – by Chad Austin

Oh no, not another nutrition article. Before you turn the page, let me mention that this article isn’t about pre-race meals, in-race nutrition, or post-race recovery. You can find plenty of those types of articles in other editions of RunMinnesota or with a simple search online. Instead, I want to focus on an aspect of nutrition that I believe will have a more positive impact on your race results than just the immediate hours surrounding your event – and a more positive impact on your health. I’m talking about our day-to-day nutrition. What we choose to put in on bodies, day after day, has tremendous long-term impacts on our fitness and our health. Yet, from what I’ve seen, few people stop and ask themselves some important questions. Why do I eat the way I do? How did I develop these eating habits? Are they really right for my health and fitness?

Even though runners tend to be fitter than the average American, I know nutrition is on our minds. I hear my running partners talk about their muffin tops (and I’m not referring to food) and complain about not being able to lose 10 pounds. Then in the next breath they’ll talk about eating ice cream every night and going to McDonald’s after our long run. This leads me to believe that people underestimate the impact the food they eat has on their body. If you don’t think there’s a strong correlation let me share two documentaries that highlight the correlation in opposite directions. First, most people are familiar with Supersize Me, where Morgan Sperlock decides to eat three meals a day at McDonald’s for 30 days. I won’t spoil it for you, but needless to say, the impact on Morgan’s health was not good. Second, in Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead, Joe Cross starts out overweight and on multiple medications. He’s able to shed the weight and the meds by going on a diet of fruit and vegetable juices. Of course, these are both extreme examples, but they do show that what we eat has implications on our health.

Although it may take longer to shows its effects on our bodies, the Standard American Diet (whose acronym, not surprisingly, is SAD) is no different. I’m not talking about the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s MyPlate or Food Pyramid recommendations, I’m referring to what we’re actually eating; foods high in calories and low in nutrients, saturated fat, sodium, and sugars. In short, we’re eating too many processed foods, which are crowding out fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fiber. The result: four of the top-7 leading causes of deaths in the U.S. are linked to diet; Heart Disease, Cancer, Stroke and Diabetes. And it’s predicted that today’s kids in the U.S. are the first generation ever to have a shorter life expectancy than their parents. Think about that. In the history of the world, no generation has ever lived less than their parents, yet that’s the path we’re currently on.

Let me be clear, it’s not my intent to try to convert you to a certain camp, whether it’s High Fat/Low Carb, Low Fat/High Carb, Mediterranean, Vegan, Paleo, etc. These labels tend to push people apart and cause more confusion, which is something we already have enough of when it comes to nutrition. And quite frankly, confusion is exactly what the food industry wants because the more confused we are as consumers, the more likely we are to just throw our hands up in the air in frustration and continue doing what we’re doing. And clearly what we know and what we’re doing aren’t working, given that in 2012 nearly 1.4 million deaths were attributed to the four diet-related diseases mentioned earlier.

Over 2400 years ago Hippocrates said, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” This comes from the father of medicine, who we’ve named the Hippocratic Oath after. More recently, author Michael Pollan added his advice; “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” And by “food” they both mean real food, not sugar-coated breakfast cereals, fast food, TV dinners, or anything else created in a lab. Interestingly, there’s no doubt that the various diets mentioned above have a wide-range of beliefs when it comes to food choices. However, there’s one thing they all agree on; processed foods are not doing us any favors when it comes to a healthy diet.

That sounds great, but how do we start to reduce processed foods. The first step is to simply become more conscious of our food decisions and be on the lookout for processed foods. Given that they currently make up 54% of the SAD, it shouldn’t be too hard to pinpoint them. Once we’re aware of all the processed foods we’re eating, it becomes easier to take responsibility and make better choices. As a result, we become more empowered and recognize that we have control over our food choices. I know, on paper, reducing processed foods sounds simple, but it’s not easy. Scientists have designed these foods to be addictive and cause cravings. In addition, they’re extremely convenient, which appeals to our time-crunched schedules. See the SIDEBAR for some tips that have helped me.

At the onset of this article, I “promised” you’d see a more positive impact on your race results by focusing on your day-to-day eating habits. I firmly believe that by reducing processed foods you’ll start to shed those unwanted pounds and reduce that muffin top. I don’t know if any scientific studies have ever been done regarding weight loss and its impact on race times, but one theory I’ve heard is that you run 2 seconds per mile faster for every pound lost. While that might not sound like a lot, if you do the math on losing 10 pounds you’ll see that it equates to running one minute faster for 5K, shaving 4:30 off your half marathon, and nearly 9 minutes off your marathon. You’d have to put in some serious training to see those kinds of results otherwise.

If you don’t think these results are likely, I encourage you to just try focusing on whole foods for as little as 2-3 weeks. I think that’s all you need to start seeing results. As part of my prep for writing this article I signed up for a 5 week community education course on whole foods. With an increased focus on eliminating processed foods, I was able to lose 7 pounds during the class. Before I get hate mail regarding weight loss not being the key to being healthy, let me say I approached this community education class, and this article, as a way of increasing health by reducing processed foods. Weight loss was simply a by-product of the process.

Finally, I’ll close by saying that I realize that we’re all in different places along the food-choice spectrum and that no one can make us change. Like anything else, change has to come from within, when the time is right. If you’re not ready for change yet, I hope this article will at least plant the seed that will someday germinate. For those of you ready to become more mindful of your eating habits, especially as they pertain to processed foods, don’t be surprised that better health will soon follow. Along the way you may even shed some pounds and run faster.

SIDEBAR

Drink a Salad

For me, the easiest change to make was to replace my morning cereal with a smoothie. They’re a great way to consume leafy greens without even thinking about them. Plus, smoothies are an easy way to include all those superfoods we’ve heard so much about; chia seeds, flaxseed, goji berries, spirulina, tumeric, cacao and more.

Focus on the Possibilities

Think about all the things you can have, instead of what you can’t have. One trick that helps me is to tell myself that I already know what an Oreo taste like, so why should I eat another one? That helps me reach for new fruits and vegetables, and to try new recipes.

Learn More

Watch Forks Over Knives, perhaps the best known food documentary ever made. Dr. Oz said everyone needs to see it and Roger Ebert called it “a film that can save your life”. If you’re into podcasts, check out The Rich Roll Podcast. His focus is on becoming the best version of yourself and a lot of his discussions revolve around food choices, endurance training, and peak performance.

Progress over Perfection

Understand that, like running, food is a lifestyle and it’s about the journey, not the destination. Therefore, never let perfection get in the way of progress. If you miss a meal or a day, it’s not a total loss, just resume again tomorrow.

Simplify

The good news is that there are tons of websites, apps, and cookbooks to help in your journey. The bad news is that sometimes the amount of information can also be overwhelming. My suggestion is to pick 2 or 3 resources and focus on exploring them thoroughly, rather than subscribing to 15 different sources without ever using any of them.

10 FOOD DOCUMENTARIES

Review of 10 Food Documentaries

I truly believe that education is the key to change and, unfortunately, we need to educate ourselves when it comes to eating healthy. Here’s a quick review of 10 food documentaries that have helped with my education.

Food Matters

This documentary takes a deep-dive into the sub-par food we eat, from (lack of) nutrients in the ground, and in the food, all the way up to the medicines we take, claiming we have “a pill for every ill”. We think we're eating food, but we’re really just filling our stomachs. Most of the stuff we're putting in our bodies is dramatically removed from the stuff that grows in the ground or is hunted. In fact, the stuff on shelves is filled with so many artificial flavors and additives, and lacking nutrients, that it's contributing to an epidemic of Western malnutrition and chronic diseases. Food Matters exposes this health dilemma—along with pharmaceutical companies' interests—and tells us it's not a trip to the doctor that will solve our health problems. Rather, it's the foods on our plates; we just have to be conscious of our eating habits and make better choices.

Forks Over Knives

Forks Over Knives is perhaps the best known food documentary ever made. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times called this documentary “a film that can save your life,” and Dr. Oz said everyone needs to see it. The movie makes no bones about linking America's meat- and dairy-based diet to the rampant metabolic health crisis. Their solution is simple; a whole foods, plant-based diet that’s devoid of processed foods and oils. While this movement seems to be gaining more followers, when the film was released in 2011, it’s ideas where shocking. The film takes an aggressive stance against both the meat and dairy industries. Not only does the film claim a plant-based diet free of processed foods is necessary for optimal health, but they go so far as to say that most degenerative diseases can be controlled or reversed by ditching animal-based and processed foods.

Food Inc

This movie dives into how our food is made, including everything from the meat industry to large-scale production of veggies and grains. It details how the food and agricultural industries have cheapened and quickened food production over the last 50 years, which happens to be great for business. The film also reveals the laws that are in place to protect the food industry so they can place profits above everything else, including your health.

Hungry For Change

As the title implies, this movie is about change. If you're tired of feeling tired and ready to make a shift toward clean eating, Hungry For Change is the documentary that will show you how to make it happen. The film explores how processed foods aren't designed to provide nutritional benefits; they're designed to make us addicted to them. They also show that we can’t trust the diet industry either. If you're not convinced that giving up processed foods will make that big of a difference when it comes to your health or weight, this film will change your mind.

Vegucated

Sometimes it helps to see how people similar to us can be impacted by what they eat. The next 3 films do just that. First, Vegucated follows three omnivores as they attempt a six-week vegan challenge to eliminate meat and dairy from their diet. Along the way the filmmakers expose the harmful practices of the livestock industry and showcase the long-term health benefits of eating vegan foods. In addition to tracking the weight loss of the omnivores, we hear how a plant-based diet also improved how they felt. If you’re vegan-curious, the film does a great job of explaining what "going vegan" really means and the difficulties and benefits of making this big lifestyle shift.

Super Size Me

Who hasn’t heard of Super Size Me? It’s one of the first food documentaries (2004) and is still a classic. If you’re not aware of the story line, Morgan Spurlock decides to eat at McDonald’s three times a day for 30 days. One of his rules is that anytime the cashier asks if he’d like to supersize his meal, he has to agree – hence the title. Spoiler alert: his physical and mental health decline as the month progresses. Even his doctors are shocked by the effects of his fast food diet in such a short time-frame. Yes, eating any fast food for 90 straight meals is extreme, however, even the adage “all things in moderation” seems like terrible advice when it comes to fast food.

Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead

On the other end of the supersize spectrum, is Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead during which Joe Cross embarks on a 30 day juice cleanse. The fact that he’s 100 pounds overweight and suffers from a debilitating autoimmune disease is the impetus for his journey. Rather than just sitting at home while he makes this movie, Cross puts his juicer in his trunk and travels across the country sharing his story with the overweight people he meets along the way. As a result, the film includes a number of inspiring stories of individuals who were inspired to redesign their diet and exercise habits and earned a new lease on life. If you enjoy this movie, be sure to check out Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead 2.

Fed Up

This film takes a hard look at the government’s role in our current healthcare dilemma. For example, did you know that Congress counts pizza as a vegetable? It’s true: In 2011, Congress passed a bill that said two tablespoons of tomato paste was a vegetable, thereby qualifying pizza as a school-lunch-approved meal. The film explains how something like this can happen. Hint: the agra- and sugar-industry lobbyists are extremely powerful and they prevent any meaningful legislation that protects our health from passing. Remember when the weight loss industry pointed the finger at fat? The food industry was more than happy to develop fat-free products. In the process of removing the fat, they simply added more sugar. This Katie Couric-backed documentary looks at our staggering rates of obesity and puts much of the science-backed blame on the sugar industry.

Cowspiracy

Simply put, you can’t call yourself an environmentalist and eat meat. Cowspiracy examines animal agriculture and explains how it is the leading cause of deforestation, water consumption and pollution, is responsible for more greenhouse gases than the transportation industry, and is a primary driver of rain forest destruction, species extinction, habitat loss, topsoil erosion, ocean “dead zones,” and virtually every other environmental ill. He sits down with people from leading environmental organizations (Greenpeace, Sierra Club, Rain forest Action Network, Oceana, etc.) only to discover what appears to be an intentional refusal to discuss the issue of animal agriculture. “Cowspiracy may be the most important film made to inspire saving the planet.” – Louie Psihoyos, Oscar-winning director of The Cove. If Cowspiracy made you think, be sure to check out What the Health from the same creators. This time they find collusion and corruption in the government and big business and its impact on the healthcare industry. Also, check out What the Health which was made by the same people.

Plant Pure Nation

If you watched Forks Over Knives, you’re familiar with Dr. T. Colin Campbell. This documentary takes over where FOK left off, as Dr. Campbell’s son, Nelson, attempts to introduce a bill to the Kentucky Legislature. The bill calls for a pilot program designed to use a plant-based diet in a state with one of the highest childhood obesity rates in the nation. Surprise, the bill gets turned down. Not to be deterred, he takes his program to his hometown and encourages people to participate in a 10-day “Jumpstart” program. Included in the film are the biometric test results for participants of the program. You’ll be surprised at what happens in just 10 days on a plant-based diet.

Conclusion

Every time I watch a food documentary I think “Why don’t we know this information?” The answer to that question deserves its own blog post. However, I do think it’s important that we take matters into our own hands and educate ourselves. These documentaries are a great place to start.

QUICK RE-INTRODUCTION

Hi there, I thought I'd start by introducing myself - or re-introducing myself since I created my first blog probably 10 years ago. As you can imagine, a lot has changed since then - probably with you too. And probably with the popularity of blogging and it's ability to generate an audience. When I first started blogging there were only a handful of blogs that matched my interests. However, the number quickly exploded as everyone wanted to share their story and we rode the blogging wave together for a number of years before things began to die down due to new social media platforms becoming more popular - besides, you can only write about running so much before you run out of things to say.

I'm sure you're thinking, "Why the new blog?" Good question. Like I said, a lot has changed in the last 10 years. Yes, I'm still running, but much less competitively. I still love to run, but find the urge to race waning. The main thing that's changed  over the years is a much greater interest in things like health, wellness, nutrition, and mindfulness. I've become so interested in them that starting in 2018 I'll be working on earning a health coach certification through the Institute of Integrated Nutrition (IIN).

I have a few goals for this certification. First, at the very least I'd like to use it to create a community education class to help educate people on the benefits of a whole-food plant-based diet. I think it's pretty obvious that our current healthcare system isn't working. We're the wealthiest nation on the planet, yet we have the sickest people. What we eat has a huge impact on our health, yet we continue to eat our way to dis-ease. Second, I'd like to create a health coaching practice that allows me to work one-on-one with patients. The IIN's program take a holistic approach to healthcare, so it'll be more than just focused on diet. Ideally, this would be my "side hustle" and allow me to earn some money on the side. My final goal would be for my coaching practice to be so successful that it leads to a complete career shift that will allow me to get out of my cube and corporate America.

Goal #1 is feasible. I've already started compiling notes that I plan on using for a community education class. I'm not so sure about goals #2 or #3. Part of me can't help but be skeptical and think the program could be a scam. However, like I said, our current healthcare system is a mess and I believe the country/world needs more health coaches. While your doctor can tell you to eat better and exercise more, they don't have the time or education to help educate you on how to do those things. So I'm willing to go with my heart, follow my passion, and invest in myself. Worse case scenario, I spend four grand on a year's worth of classes that I find really interesting.

Part of the training includes the business side of being a health coach, like how to set up a website, do health screenings, market your services, etc. However, this doesn't happen until about halfway through the program. So, my plan is to use this blog as a repository to store content that could possibly be used as part of my business. Maybe in the process I'll generate a client or two - if anyone still reads blogs in 2017.