Welcome to our PBNM Blog
We hope you’ll visit our blog often for information on a wide range of health and nutritional topics. To access the individual blog posts, please click on either the Image or the title above or below it. Please note that the “…” and the end of the segment merely indicates that the post has additional content and those dots are not clickable.
Positives from the Pandemic
Food for Thought Positives from the Pandemic The COVID 19 pandemic has been hard on so many of us. Frightening health outcomes, isolation, lockdowns, and measurable politico-socio-economic chaos make the headlines everywhere. Here is one feel good story that is a direct result of the pandemic. Let me introduce Miss Elizabeth Costello. We call her Aunt Betsy. At 83 years old, she has seen a lot and come a long way. This is her health story. Betsy was born in 1937, just after the Great [...]
Garden Grill
Garden Grill I’ve never had much of a green thumb. More like a brown one. Although it’s my mission to inspire others to eat more plants, I’m much more comfortable in the kitchen than the garden. This year a friend planted a small garden for my husband and me. Perhaps now I’ll grow a green thumb. We’ve been able to harvest kale and are anxiously waiting for the brussels sprouts, tomatoes and zucchini to come in. We are also back to grilling more often. For some reason [...]
Announcing PBNM Virtual Support Group
Announcing PBNM Virtual Support Group Sherry Shrallow and Michelle Thall are teaming up to offer a weekly virtual support group through ZOOM for anyone who thinks he or she might benefit from talking with others on a regular basis on various topics as we navigate our way through these very different and challenging times. We know that social connection is key in making these times bearable. We will start each get-together with a brief check-in and then allow for conversation between members. It is up to the [...]
CNS Certification of Cooking Coaches
CNS Certification of Cooking Coaches Here at PBNM we are passionate about spreading the word about the health benefits of a whole food plant-based lifestyle. One way we have done so is through our hands-on cooking classes. As a result of the Covid-19 virus we have had to temporarily suspend in person programs and have transitioned to social media platforms to present classes during these challenging times. Education about the science behind a whole food plant-based lifestyle has always been an important component of our PBNM Coking [...]
Thinking Beyond the Traditional
Thinking Beyond the Traditional ...to celebrate food AND health! Did you know that July is National Picnic Month? National Hot Dog Month? National Pickle Month? National Ice Cream Month and National Blueberry Month? These summertime favorites might bring visions of high fat/salt/sugar indulgences, but for those who want health along with such treats, it sometimes requires bringing a whole food plant-based twist to have our health and our delicious picnics too. Let me give an example. Love the taste of traditional hot dogs but don’t want the [...]
Water
Food for Thought Water It is summer in the northern hemisphere. The temperatures are hotter than usual, especially with climate change. So now, more than ever, we need to focus on drinking enough water. Water, H2O, is an essential nutrient. That means we cannot produce enough from our body processes to sustain ourselves. Furthermore, we can’t get enough just from eating solid food. We must drink enough water to meet our body's needs. An easy way to know how much water you need daily is [...]
Startling Levels of Glyphosate in Chickpeas/Hummus
Startling Levels of Glyphosate in Chickpeas/Hummus Chickpeas and other legumes are a staple in a healthy whole food plant-based diet. Learning that the Environmental Working Group (EWG)[1] found the cancer-causing chemical glyphosate in samples of hummus and chickpeas is terribly disheartening.[2] Their sample included all kinds of dry and canned beans, dry lentils, and garbanzo flour. This herbicide was sold for decades by Monsanto; now Bayer markets it under the brand name Roundup. The EWG tested 37 conventional chickpea and chickpea-based samples and found that nearly 90% [...]
Spare the Ribs
Spare the Ribs We are now full swing into grill season in the United States. What a long, strange Spring it’s been. Most of us know that meaty, fatty barbeque is not healthy. In recent months, meat has been harder to come by, and with the closures of meat processing plants, it has been becoming more expensive. Even though the closed meat plants may be coming back online, in our current climate, it’s the perfect time to try a different kind of barbeque. The doctors at the [...]
Food and Mood in Times of Crisis
Food and Mood in Times of Crisis We all may be experiencing the pandemic in different ways. Some may feel more fear, either of the virus or about their financial future, while others may feel grateful to have better quality time with family and more time at home. There are many aspects of life we can’t control but focusing on what we can control will have a positive impact on our sense of well-being as we navigate uncertain times. You may have heard of (or even be [...]
Care and Feeding of the Gut Microbiome (Part 3 of 3)
Food for Thought Care and Feeding of the Gut Microbiome (Part 3 of 3) This month we close this 3 part series on the care and feeding of the gut microbiota. Last month we looked at what to consume in moderation to strengthen your microbiome. This month we look at what to include to keep all of your gut micro-buddies well fed and well cared for. Studies have shown that microbial diversity is key to how well they function together. Therefore, the suggestions below are [...]
PBNM Solidarity Statement
PBNM Solidarity Statement I am going to step away from our usual focus on the importance of nutrition in health for a moment. Fear not, we will return to our regularly scheduled programming…. Right now, our national house is on fire. Nationwide. Our house is burning. The flames of racism, white supremacy, and associated privilege have been carefully tended and fanned in The USA for more than 400 years. African Americans have borne the worst of the inferno for all those years just because [...]
Moderation for Gut Microbiome Health – Part 2
Food for Thought Moderation for Gut Microbiome Health - Part 2 There is a lot of buzz about the gut microbiome and its importance in human health. With the impact of the coronavirus, understanding the connection between gut microbes and immunity is more critical than ever. Last month we looked at what foods and chemicals to avoid to strengthen the gut flora. This month, we will look at what to consume only in moderation to support the 100 trillion microbes living in the human digestive [...]
Never a Better Time to Boost Your Immune System
Never a Better Time to Boost Your Immune System At the writing of this article, more than 277,000 cases of Covid-19 have been reported here in the United States and the number is rising rapidly each day. Most of us are staying home to save lives and to “flatten the curve.” At this time many in the collective are feeling the effects, feeling the fear, feeling disempowered; even powerless. We are looking to the government, the news stations, social media, and supplements, but how many of us [...]
Care and Feeding of the Gut Microbiome – Part 1
Food for Thought Care and Feeding of the Gut Microbiome - Part 1 Like many students of human health, I have been watching the discoveries related to the human gut microbiome. By way of definition, the gut microbiome (also called gut microbiota and gut/intestinal flora) consists of all the microbes (viruses, protozoa, bacteria, fungi, etc.) that live in our digestive system. Researchers are only just beginning to find the surprising connections among the gut microbiome, brain, mood, health, disease, and performance. For example, recent discoveries [...]
The Plant–Based Easter Egg Makeover
The Plant-Based Easter Egg Makeover Whether decorating eggs or deviling them, it is estimated that 180 million are purchased for Easter every year. Why has this become a tradition around the world? Easter is a religious holiday, but customs like Easter eggs may be linked to Pagan practices. An ancient symbol of new life, the egg has been associated with springtime Pagan festivals. Decorating eggs for Easter goes back as far as the 13th century. One theory for this custom is that eggs were once a forbidden [...]
Grocery Shopping in Times of Panic
Not much left of the canned pasta and sauce department. Grocery Shopping in Times of Panic In times of near-apocalyptic crisis, it is natural to go into survival mode. For example, fearing the end of the world, people will go to the store in a panic and buy as much food and other household necessities as possible. In these times of COVID19’s swell, surge and spread, people are running true to expectations. We anxiously enter the grocery store. It is overcrowded with people. We check [...]
You Are Resilient
You are Resilient By Sherry Shrallow PBNM Board Member, Clinical Social Worker I can’t emphasize enough the importance of creating a daily routine to help us through these challenging times. Here are some suggestions that Dale and I have put in place now that we are socially distancing from others. Get outside and walk (or run) one hour in the morning and one hour in the late afternoon. Exercise combats depression and anxiety. Practice yoga, meditation and qigong in the early morning to set your intention for [...]
Being Mindful About Feeding the Brain
Food for Thought Being Mindful About Feeding the Brain A while back, I worked at a beautiful senior living facility. It had an excellent reputation as one of the best in the county. Sons and daughters would bring their elderly parents there to live because it was clean and bright, and the surroundings very inviting. The place had wonderful caregivers. They offered graduated levels of assistance for the residents so that if they needed more or less care, it was available. In the time I [...]