Recently, I was hunting for a quick guide to a healthier lifestyle. I landed on this one, The Wellness Wheel, as described by Yale School of Medicine. The Wheel divides human health/wellness into eight dimensions. Each one of the dimensions is worthy of a lifetime of study. Notably, these facets of wellness mirror those promoted by the American College of Lifestyle Medicine.
I grew up in a typical Latter-day Saint family in Orem, Utah. We ate the standard American diet. We always had a garden and fruit trees, but we ate a fair amount of meat, cheese, and other dairy products, and our vegetables were always covered in butter or cream. I was always thin until I got married when I soon began having problems keeping a healthy weight. After having my two children, I struggled to get the weight off, especially after the birth of my second child, and, as the years passed, I gained more and more weight. I also experienced frequent migraines, sugar addiction, and food cravings.
Chief Seattle, chief of the Duwamish, Suquamish, and allied Indian tribes, was a member of the First Nation of North America. In 1854, President Franklin Pierce was pressuring Chief Seattle to sell his people’s land to the US government. After much consideration, Chief Seattle responded to the offer to purchase in what is now called “Chief Seattle’s Letter.” The letter was originally delivered at a gathering as an oral statement from the Chief. It was then translated into another Native American language before arriving in its first English form. Since its original publication in 1887, the wording has been modified several times. There are many different versions of the
At age 12 Carol developed epilepsy. To treat her condition, she was prescribed a cocktail of medications to prevent petit mal seizures. She still experienced seizures and had to be continuously monitored. Over time, she was prescribed different medications to better control her condition. After graduating from college, she married a man from Iowa who was strictly a meat and potatoes guy. Carol ate the Standard American Diet (SAD) though she liked chicken and fish more than meat. When she turned 35, she had difficulties with excessive bleeding during her menstrual cycle. Her OB-GYN doctor found the blood loss left her deficient in iron and accordingly advised her to eat more red meat. Thinking the doctor knew best, she followed his advice.
2020 changed our world in ways we could never imagine. As we enter a new year, you may be thinking about what you want to leave behind for good. I’ve previously written about the many incredible benefits of a plant-based diet. For those looking to shed a few pounds, here’s one particular benefit of such a regimen you should be aware of. According to The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, plant-based diets can help you lose weight and keep it off because they are packed with fiber, which helps fill you up without adding extra calories. Eating 40 grams of fiber a day will keep you full and energized.
The most common types of arthritis are rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA). RA is a long-term autoimmune disorder in which the body attacks itself. If you have RA, your body interprets the soft lining around your joints as a threat, similar to a virus or bacteria, and attacks it. This attack causes fluid to accumulate within your joints. In addition to swelling, this fluid buildup causes pain, stiffness, and inflammation around your joints.
Contrary to popular belief, eating a whole food plant-based diet is not expensive. The myth that eating a plant-based diet is expensive derives from the fact that consuming processed versions of vegan foods, such as vegan brats, vegan burgers, and vegan can be very expensive. However, eating whole foods such as oats, beans, rice, in season vegetables and fruits is extremely affordable and can save you so much money. In fact, according to a recent study in the Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition (Flynn & Scheff, 2015), meat-eaters can save $750
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 Depression. She has lived in Wisconsin her whole life. Her father had a large garden, and Betsy grew up eating fresh vegetables every day. However, Wisconsin being “The Dairy State,” she was raised on lots of cow’s mi
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 group to decide what they would like to discuss each week. Some examples of topics might be how to stay motivated to maintain our plant-based lifestyle or how the pandemic has affected our lives both emotionally and physically. Our group will be a safe and supportive place to come to as well as a place where confidentiality of all members will be honored. The groups will be small—no more than 10 people in total (including your facilitators).
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 Coach program. A golden opportunity presented itself to our talented coaches when I learned that they could apply for full scholarships from the Food For Life Foundation to become certified in plant-based nutrition through the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies (CNS). I received my certificate in 2013 from this program and have been singing its praises for years.
