Author: laurenmclean Page 4 of 5

The documentary “Forks Over Knives” explores the benefits of a whole foods plant-based diet. This means that the consumption of meat, dairy and processed foods are will be eliminated in the diet or at least greatly reduced. The reasoning for this is the results of a combination of studies that are explained throughout the film. The main two researchers who were involved in the making of this film were Dr. Colin Campbell and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn. They, along with many other doctors and scientists, have concluded that the protein in meat is not a necessary part of the human diet. It is harmful to consume these in large amounts as the cholesterols in the meat destroy endothelial cells which help with dilating and constricting the arteries, maintaining blood flow, eliminating inflammation and reducing plaque formation. Through research, it has been found that a whole food plant-based diet can not only halt by reverse the formation of plaque in some cases.

Additionally, meat has been linked to cancer, specifically liver cancer. A study in the late 1970s and 80s in China was published showing that districts that contained people who maintained a plant-based diet full of fruit, veggies and grains had fewer cases of stroke, heart disease, and cancer compared to the districts with people consuming large amounts of processed foods and animal products. In another study conducted in India and replicated/extended by Dr. Campbell, it was found that proteins in meat were linked to liver cancer. Rats who were fed 20% of the protein found in meat had precancerous numbers off the chart. When Dr. Campbell then fed them in three-week intervals alternating between a 20% and a 5% protein dosage, the cancer numbers would drop dramatically with the percentage of protein given and then rise when the percentage rose. This was undeniable evidence of the connection between the protein found in meat leading to liver cancer.

The documentary continues to introduce various people, including the narrator, who had an array of health issues and sought the expertise of physicians who chose to prescribe a plant-based diet. They held the philosophy of healing from the inside rather than taking pills to create change. In each of these cases, the evidence was undeniable. People were off their 3-7 pill regiment, reported greater energy levels, feeling better and weight loss.

It was that the promotion of meat and dairy being a necessity of the human diet as it was a great source of protein and calcium was the dairy industry controlling the conversation for the economic benefits it brought. Plants contain a healthier and just as beneficial form of protein that is often forgotten or disregarded. In the United States, for instance, 40% of Americans are obese, 50% are on drugs to combat the health issues that come along with this and 2.2 trillion dollars is spent annually of health care. 1 out of 3 people have diabetes and the level of children with these issues is rising. At the beginning of the 20th century, each person in the United States consumed 120 pounds of meat annually, 40 pounds of processed sugar and 294 pounds of dairy. In 2007 people consumed 222 pounds of meat, in 1999 people consumed 147 pounds of processed sugar and in 2006 people consumed 605 pounds of dairy. This staggering jump in meat, dairy and processed sugar consumption has caused health issues and environmental issues that are no longer undeniable.

Along with proving the harmful effects of meat the documentary explores the reasons for wanting these foods. It explains the motivational triad: pleasure (food and sex), avoiding pain and energy conservation. Fast foods, and foods along these lines, come with little effort, high satisfaction, but come at the price of being super-rich and calorically dense. The socioeconomic relationship to health issues is pointed out for these reasons.

There was much more discussed in the article, but these were the things that stood out the most. It is a very convincing film, one that I have seen before, but the second time was just as convincing. I know when I eat super greasy, rich, fatty foods for more than a few days in a row I feel physically ill. I always say, “I feel like my veins are full of salt”. Naturally, I have always craved healthier options after a few days of eating not so healthy things, but this film made me understand and think more about the repercussions of having sustained meat, dairy and processed food diet. I am guilty of overindulging in all of the areas, so in the future, I am hoping to make an effort to slowly reduce each of these areas. I have recently become lactose intolerant so that has helped reduce my dairy intake by A LOT. Now I must tackle the processed foods and meat… wish me luck!

With the fad of celery juice cleanses taking the internet by storm and the green juice and smoothies not far behind I thought I would give it a try. I decided that I would have a green smoothie for breakfast for a week and see how I feel. This was about 3 weeks ago. I have had a green smoothie about once a day but not always at breakfast. There were a few days that I did not manage to have one but on the whole I have been doing pretty well. For this week I decided that I would truly dedicate breakfast to the smoothie.

The recipe I have been making is inspired by a smoothie that my sister had over winter break at home in Oregon. We have tried to replicate it as best as we can.

Recipe (yields enough for 2 people):

1/2 banana

1 cup frozen pineapple

a small chunk of ginger (to taste)

big handful of frozen spinach

big handful of frozen kale

1/4 cup of unsweetened vanilla coconut milk

about 1/2 cup of water (enough to blend)

I decided I would try to find out if there is any true effects that this can have or if it is just the idea of it being green that makes it seem healthy. Through some research the potential benefits of consuming the green smoothies are:

• Increase daily fruit and veggie intake 
• Can cause weight loss 
• Adding water to smoothie can help increase water intake 
• Improve digestion 
• Chlorophyll
  • “prevent anemia, assist with dental problems, reduce symptoms of sinusitis and even help treat insomnia. Other than this, chlorophyll improves the immune system” 
• Prevents against free radical damage 
• Folic acid helps w/ depression 
• Helps skin 
  • “Green smoothies are high in vitamin E and vitamin C, as well as fiber and antioxidants.”

There has been some controversy over green smoothies, but it depends on who you talk too. On the whole most people say they are good. The things to note are try to keep the high sugar fruits included to a minimum, switch up what greens are included every once in a while and don’t over do it.

Overall I actually really enjoy this smoothie and have started to crave it in the morning and throughout the day as well. Greens have always been the thing that I have the hardest time trying  to consume enough of. I love green beans (like really love them), asparagus and several other non-green vegetables, but I have a hard time getting in the leafy greens. My main want is to increase this and having them in a smoothie hides a large amount of fruits and veggies that I would not consume all in one day. It makes it easier to get my daily vitamins and nutrients without feeling like all I am eating is fruits and veggies, because let’s be real, they are not the best part of most meals. I have felt that it gives me more energy in the morning than my normal breakfast, but it has not changed my world so much that I will drink a green smoothie for breakfast for the rest of my life. It is useful for consuming more greens but it is not an earth shattering experience.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/8-ways-green-smoothies-fo_b_12892426

Beginning of the Week:

This week I have started my four week program through the Fiton app. This is an app that creates a fitness plan that is tailored to your wants and needs. The app begins by asking your name, gender, height and weight. It continues by asking what your fitness goals are by prompting you with a list that ranges from “increase activity level” to “prenatal and postnatal fitness”. It continues by asking how many times a week you will excersice, how long you want your workouts to be, what types of workouts you enjoy (there is a list to choose from) and how long you want the challenge to go for ( 4, 8 or 12 weeks). I signed up for a four week program with workouts for 30 minutes three times a week. I am going to try this for the first week and may adjust as I start the process.

My initial reaction to the app is really positive. It is an easy to maneuver app that takes the stress of finding workouts out of the picture. It feels like an attainable goal that can be switched as need be as well. All of the workouts seem to be able to be done at home with little to no equipment which is an attractive part of the app as sometimes it’s the getting to the gym that is the issue. My final initial reaction is that it is all free! There is an option for a Pro version, but it seems that the free version is all that I will need at the moment.

End of the Week:

So far the things that have stood out as draw backs are a few prompts to follow Fiton on Instagram, having to rate the workout out at the end every workout, the meal plan aspect costing money and the selected workout time not being stuck too. Rating the workout is the least of my worries as it in theory will help make the experience better, but it is a bit of a nuisance. The meal plan was something that I got really excited about. It let me select all of the different specifications of my diet, then curated a meal plan with recipes. Unfortunately, when you click on the individual meal recipes it says that it requires upgrading to pro to access them. This comes at a small fee of $1.67 / month which is a good deal, but not a place I want to be spending money at the moment. All the recipes looked really yummy, with ideas from breakfast to dessert. Finally the timing of each workout. I selected the 30-40 minute workout period and most of my workouts are between 15 and 30 minutes in the first week. This system may curate a better outcome if my fitness goal would have been different, like “build muscle” rather than “be more active”, but I could not be certain. Overall this week I did one 26 minute “Full body Sweat and Sculpt”, one 15 minute “Get Stretchy” yoga class and an 18 minute “Arms and Thighs” class. Each class had a video teaching you the entire time, told you a rough estimate of calories burned and required very few pieces of equipment.

One thing that I liked about it was it was very encouraging. From the instructors on the videos constantly vocalizing encouragement to the different quotes that pop up when you open the app. It fostered a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment as I was bettering my self. Also there is a nightly 5 minute stretch and relax class, other classes that can be taken at any time and scheduled classes each day that anyone can join that creates a community within the app. These can added in addition to the program curated for you. This could be a way to get more of a workout if that feels needed. These are all in categories of their own such as yoga, at the office, before bed and toning.

On this page it also provides an area to join the 2020 challenge, gives lists of video classes that are organized by targeting a certain area such as arms or legs, a list of classes organized based on low, medium or high intensity, and finally bios of each of the trainers.

So far I am really enjoying the app. It takes the stress of making the workouts and allows me to workout at home which is a big plus in my book.