Remedy Food Project, Plant-based Conference summary

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I am excited to report that my daughter and I spent this past weekend immersed in learning about the merits of a whole foods plant-based lifestyle at the Remedy Food Project Conference at Skamania Lodge, just outside of Portland Oregon.

There were 17 speakers, packed into 3.5 days of presentations on health through diet and lifestyle. Included were three meals a day of over the top delicious SOS free foods (salt, oil and sugar). Who knew that food prepared this way could be so delicious?! We ate huge, filling meals three times a day without too much exercise and didn’t gain a pound. That is because of the type of food! It was further proof that you never have to feel hungry or deprived on a whole food plant-based diet! You may be thinking, oh no, now all of the recipes I post will be salt, oil and sugar free! Well, not exactly, but this weekend certainly inspired me to be vigilante when looking for ways to modify in order to avoid these unhealthy, “pleasure trap foods” as Dr. Lisle would say!

We learned facts about the positive benefits of avoiding animal products and heard emotional stories of the ways in which plant strong eaters are changing their lives and the future of animals and the planet. Each presenter came to the whole food plant-based discussion with their own set of expertise and knowledge from their individual field of work.

There were cardiologists, family doctors, a Physcologist, a dietician, chefs, athletes, and even meal planning experts. I would like to introduce you to many of them here. I am providing you with links to their take home advice, information, videos and some articles written by them. These experts are great resources for you on your plant-based journey. I would highly recommend you follow them.

This post will highlight some of the doctors and dietician who presented. Below is a summary of their messages.

The highlighted speakers of the weekend were:

1.~ Dr. Kim Williams, Cardiologist Dr. Williams is the former President of the American College of Cardiology, and current head of Cardiology at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. He is a plant-based Cardiologist who promotes all of his patients switch to this lifestyle. He is currently working to change the food in hospitals to offer plant based alternatives in order to stop undermining the success being made with patients. His goal is to convince every American who cares about their future, to change their lifestyle.

2. ~ Dr. John McDougall, physician and author of numerous books promoting a low-fat, high starch, whole food vegan diet for preventing degenerative diseases. His latest book is “The Healthiest Diet on the Planet“.

“Dr. McDougall started recommending a starch-based diet 40 years ago after observing how Asian immigrants’ health drastically started to decline when they traded their rice-heavy diets for more Americanized foods (read: a lot more meat and vegetable oils). He started digging deeper and formed his hypothesis: Cultures where starch was the main player at every meal had better health.

When he started treating his patients with a vegan, high-starch diet, he saw their health improved greatly and he published a scientific paper with the results. Then, he set forth an eating plan for the masses and the McDougall diet was born.” – www.Wellandgood.com

Dr. McDougall and his wife Mary lost their home and all of their belongings including their cat in the Santa Rosa, California fire two years ago. They have since moved to Portland, (which was the reason the conference was held nearby). Dr. McDougall doesn’t travel much anymore so Remedy chose to go to him.

His presentation, focused on climate change and the absolute need for humans to switch their diet from animal based to plant based in order to save planet Earth. My teenage daughter found his presentation the most compelling of all 15 she watched. Dr. McDougall drove home the severity of the situation and the fact that our generation is leaving the planet in a much worse off state for our children and grandchildren. The positive take away was the fact that we can all have an effect on climate change, right now, three times a day by what we put on our forks!

3. ~Dr. Milton Mills, Intensive Care Medical doctor in Washington DC area. Among many other advisory board positions, Dr. Mills has been featured in many documentaries including but not limited to; “What the Health“, “The Game Changers“, “Vegucated“, “Processed People“, “The Invisible Vegan“.

Check out Dr. Mill’s 4 minute video below. It is a quick explanation of why we should not consume animal products but instead, a whole food plant-based diet. What a kind and lively man. We had the pleasure of sitting with him at dinner one evening.

4. ~ Dr. Alan Goldhammer, Osteopathic Physician and Chiropractor, is co-author with Dr. Doug Lisle of the book The Pleasure Trap. I just started this fascinating book that explains why we humans continually do detrimental things to our bodies even while knowing it is hurting us. “The Pleasure Trap focuses on telling people what they actually need to know instead of what they want to hear,” states Dr. Lisle. “Our objective is to create an awareness of the real price of modern living that no one ever talks about and empower readers with the tools they need to redirect their health, and in turn, rediscover the happiness and well-being that is their birthright.”

Dr. Goldhammer and his staff, including Doug Lisle Ph.D., run the True North Health Center in Santa Rosa California. Their programs help patients recover from numerous diseases including cancer, heart disease, obesity and diabetes through nutritional medicine, including medically supervised water only fasting. They have helped over 20,000 patients heal over the past 30 years through water only fasting, then the re-introduction of a plant-based diet.

5. Dr. Danielle Belardo, “The Veggie MD”, Cardiologist and Podcast Hostess, spoke about women’s heart health. She stated that there are 17.3 million heart attacks globally per year and that heart disease accounts for 1/5 female deaths.

She went on to explain that women’s heart attack symptoms can be different than mens and are rarely discussed. These symptoms can include: angina, chest pain that gets worse, pain in the neck, jaw or throat, upper abdomen or back, nausea, vomiting and fatigue.

Heart disease risk factors in women include: high blood pressure, smoking, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity and the consumption of alcohol, among others. Young children are now at risk due to the Standard American Diet (SAD) and lifestyle. 65% of children ages 12-14 show signs of atherosclerosis.

To avoid heart disease, Dr. Belardo recommends: eliminating or highly reducing; refined grains, trans fats, saturated fat, sodium, red meats and processed meats. She suggests more: vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grains, protein from vegetable sources (such as legumes) and vegetable fiber.

6. ~ Brenda Davis, RD. One of my favorite presentations was by Brenda Davis, Registered Dietician and author of 11 books. Brenda presented on “Unleashing the Power of Plant-based Diets”. She is a former Kelowna resident who is a knowledgeable power house and fabulous presenter!

She offers 7 steps to a healthy diet:

1. Make whole foods the center of the diet and each day, consume: 10 servings of vegetables and fruits, 3 servings of legumes, 3 servings of whole grains (mostly intact), 1-2 servings of nuts and seeds and very generous servings of herbs and spices.
   
2. Be selective with your carbohydrate choices. Choose complex carbohydrates from fruits and vegetables, and whole grains. Stay away from refined carbohydrates such as white pastas, cookies and sugars. Try to limit your sugar to 6 teaspoons a day. Be mindful that packaged foods contain a lot of added sugars.
   
3. Pick plant protein sources instead of meat. Legumes, such as lentils and beans, are a great choice and are associated with reduced mortality.
   
4. Stay away from oil. There is no nutritional value in oil, whereas there are vitamins, fiber and omega-3s when consuming whole nuts and seeds such as walnuts, chia and flax seeds. Also, cut back on saturated fats from coconut oil and tropical oils. All other saturated fats are found in animal products.
   
5. Maximize the phytochemicals in foods by eating a variety of colored foods. The darker the color, the higher the phytochemicals. Try each day to eat the following colors of fruits and vegetables: 3 green, 2 orange/yellow, 2 red/pink, 1 purple/blue and 1 white/beige. Also be sure to eat many raw foods and add sprouts to your diet.
   
6. Do your best to avoid contaminants in foods: These include pesticides, agrochemicals, heavy metals, PCBs, DDTs, dioxins, antibiotics, food additives, sodium, coloring, and added ingredients that you don’t recognize. Stay away from fried foods and cooked meats as they contain heterocyclic amines, PAHs and acrylamide. Avoid blackening food or cooking at a high temperature.
   Try to eat organic whenever possible. Check out the Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen list to show which foods are most important to buy organic.
   
7. Meet your needs for all nutrients without overeating. Be selective with the foods you choose. Whole plant foods can satisfy your cravings and hunger. Eat until you are 80% full. The most calorically dense foods are animal products and oil. Avoid these foods. It will take approximately 3 weeks to rewire your taste buds to stop craving those foods. Eat whole foods and drink water not sugar. Increase your physical activity daily to 60 minutes a day if possible.
   
   Big take aways from Brenda’s presentation:
   
   * “Everytime you eat or drink, you are either feeding disease or fighting it.” Heather Morgan
   
   * “In health there is freedom. Health is the first of all liberties.” Henri Frederic Amiel
   
   * “There is nothing better you can do for the environment than eat plant-based.” Brenda Davis

You can view her entire presentation below.

I hope that this post will help you in your journey to become plant-based. One step at a time… Please know that although some people are able to go change their diets cold turkey, others, such as myself, take years to commit fully. There was once a day when I said, “But I don’t think I could go vegan. It’s just too difficult.” Now I can truly say it’s NOT difficult and I love myself more each day for choosing to live this lifestyle!

If you have any questions or need any help, please reach out to me. I would be honored to assist you in any way I can. Have a fabulous day!