Such Knowledge, Much Science

 My stomach and my brain have never been so harmoniously happy. Today has been awesome. I have so much energy, my head is clear, and I am soaking in more information and taking more notes than I did in college (sorry mom and dad.) I started off the day with an early morning walk around the residential neighborhoods of Santa Rosa. Beautiful stucco homes are nestled in the lush green hills, whose color is accentuated by the cool gray mist and light rain that has engulfed us for the moment. After the walk, I had some phenomenal breakfast, then attended a circuit training class with my fellow healthy eating specialists from the North Atlantic Region.

DON'T be fooled by my smile! I was seriously angry at the amount of burpees I was just forced to do. No but really, everyone here is incredibly nice and supportive and encourages doing everything to your comfort level (except when it comes to diet.) I voluntarily did the burpees, and will never do them again.

Today was PACKED with information that I'm still mulling over as I write this. We had a cooking demonstration from chef Cathy Fisher. We sampled her veggie burgers, home made ketchup, split pea soup, and burrito bowl and they were all delicious. Her blog is a great resource for recipes and is definitely worth taking a look at: http://www.straightupfood.com/blog/

We then got to hear from psychologist and author of The Pleasure Trap Doug Lisle. I'm going to do my best to explain this concept in the best way possible. Humans have a motivational triad:

1) Pleasure
2) Pain
3) Energy Conservation

We use our feelings as a guidance system for our actions to ultimately increase pleasure, reduce pain, and conserve energy. The pleasure trap can relate to food, alcohol, smoking, and pleasure receptor drugs like cocaine. When we have too much of these things, we get caught in a heightened state of pleasure, causing us to need more and more of that stimulus to combat our dulling pleasure receptors. For example, when we consume too much sugar, fat, and salt, we want more and more of it to produce that same euphoric response. Then, when we consume healthy foods that don't contain sugar, fat, and salt, we don't like them anymore because we have remained in this super normal state for so long. We are eating the pleasure signal, instead of the whole food itself. Once we relearn to appreciate whole foods for what they are, then we can overcome this dilemma. Here is how I overcame this dilemma tonight at dinner:

To learn more about Dr. Lisle and his book, visit this site: http://www.healthpromoting.com/the-pleasure-trap

I'll end this post with some of the most applicable information I have received so far. This comes from Jeff Novick, dietitian and nutritionist. Calorie density is everything you need to understand about a healthy diet. What is calorie density? Think of it as the amount of calories in a food compared to how much that food weighs. We want to severely limit very calorie dense foods because they are high in calories, and don't keep us full. Check out this picture:

These pictures show equal calorie amounts of different foods. It shows that equal calorie foods does not represent satiety, or how full we feel. Calorie dense foods are often the ones that are ultra processed and refined. They have been stripped of their water, fiber, and nutrients, which is what gives us that full feeling, signaling us to stop eating. If we increase the nutrient dense foods in our diets, we can eat MORE of them, while consuming LESS calories because they have more water, fiber, bulk, and weight. Once you can understand this, there is no longer a need to portion, or weigh, or count calories. If you are eating the right foods, you can eat as much as you want, and be able to stop when you're full, assuring your body has it's perfect amount of calories and nutrients.

Jeff was one of the most energetic and entertaining speakers I have ever seen. Learn more about Jeff Novick at http://jeffnovick.com/RD/Home.html

That was a long one! I'll leave you with this picture of the resort after the rain cleared up. Tomorrow I'm looking forward to more cooking, amazing food, inspiring speakers, and....zumba? Probably not on that last one, but I've bought into everything here so far ; )

Starches and Surprises

Yesterday was a long, informative, and eye opening day. We began with a lecture from Dr. McDougall that introduced his new book: The Starch Solution. He explained that many of us are under the impression that starch is the culprit of our diets making us fat. He went on to debunk that myth, with historical and scientific evidence. here are a few of the points he brought up:

1) Everyone must eat to get energy. What do we eat?
               -Protein: our body's way to build muscle. Not our main source of energy
               -Fat: our body's way of storing energy for that day when we run out of food (unlikely)
               -Carbohydrates: This is what our body's burn for energy via glycolysis.

2) Starches, or complex carbs, are also plant food. Through photosynthesis, plants make glucose, or sugar. No animal makes glucose. What about lactose in milk you ask? The cow got that from the grass, a plant. What about honey? The bees got that from pollen, a plant.

3) Starches such as oatmeal, beans, potatoes, rice, and corn are low in fat, low in cholesterol, and tend to be clean foods free of pathogens and chemicals. Historically, starches are how large populations of trim and healthy people have survived.

4) Hordearii. This was the term for gladiators that literally translates to "Barley men." Alexander the Great and Genghis Khan fed their soldiers diets composed of grains, wheat, and rice.

So what does that all really mean? Yes, we should be including fruits and veggies in our diets, but we can't live on nutrient dense foods alone. Fruits are delicious, but the energy they provide is a quick burst, where starches provide a longer lasting sustained energy. The fiber that starches provide help us feel full, and provide us with fiber making us, you know, regular.

I'll admit that I was skeptical at first. I was a believer in limiting carbs, unless of course you are a gladiator, soldier, or endurance athlete. It is only the start of my third day here incorporating plenty of starches, fruits, and veggies, and I feel fantastic (minus the caffeine headaches from the lack of coffee.)

Okay, enough of that for the mean time. Here's the thing, I always thought I ate really healthfully. I'm not a vegan by any means, but mostly plant based with some fish here and there. So when I got my lab results back yesterday, I was really disappointed. 

I have high cholesterol. 

Total: 243
HDL: 85
LDL:142

Typlically, you should aim for a total under 200, with LDL under 100, and HDL under 60. The HDL's are the good ones, removing the cholesterol from your body. The LDL's are the bad guys, distributing that cholesterol from your liver. 

That was really shocking for me. Could genetics play that much of a role, or do I need to crack down even more about what I consume? Will I have to start taking statins at 24? At the end of the week, I'll get tested again. I'm going to see if 8 days of starches, fruits, and veggies have lowered my numbers and if so, I will be incorporating this diet into my daily lifestyle when I leave Santa Rosa. 


Today will be packed with cooking classes, exercise, Dr. Doug Lisle, Jeff Novick, and of course starchy, nutrient dense, and delicious foods.

Sunday Morning: Blood and Breakfast

Good Morning! I started off this beautiful Sunday morning with a relaxing blood draw, blood pressure check, picture, and weigh in. Luckily, we were given an incredible breakfast spread right after. So far I have met team members from Florida, Utah, Colorado, Texas, Maine, Tennessee, and California. Positions range from cashiers, marketing team leaders, global team, seafood buyers, meat team leaders, and several others. The meat team leader I spoke with said he had a passion for beer and bacon, but he knew he was here to make a difference in his life. Ironically, he was eating a tofu scramble at the time, and said it honestly wasn't bad. Everyone here has come to learn something about the way they eat, and how they treat their bodies. It is only day 1 and I feel incredibly comfortable, well fed, and excited for the adventures ahead. I'm heading to the first McDougall lecture at 8:30, then we'll see where the day heads from there. In the mean time, enjoy a picture of my breakfast : ) Did I mention there is no coffee here? That will be one of my biggest challenges of the week. I'll let you know how that's working out in a few hours...

Introductions

We had a mini orientation this evening, and were introduced to Dr. McDougall and his wife Mary. They gave us an overview of the program, and some ideas as to what we would be up to this week. Here are a few important parts that I picked out:

1) It's all about the food. There will always be food available throughout the week. Meals will be served buffet stye, and there will be plenty of snacks available in between meals. One should never feel like they are not getting enough to eat while here. Snacks include a lot of raw veggies, hummus, crackers, fruit, and tea.

2) They don't call it "vegan." The couple both mentioned that they do not refer to this as a vegan program. No, they will not be serving any type of dairy, eggs, or any animal product whatsoever, but plant-based is the preferred term. This is to emphasize that no matter what type of diet you follow after you leave Santa Rosa, you can always be adding more veggies to your plate.

3) Let them eat sugar. And salt. And brownies? Most of the food here will be prepared without salt or sugar, but both will be available on dining tables for us to use as we please. This is to show you that cooking excessively with salt and sugar isn't necessary. If you really want to enhance the taste of your food, sprinkle a little on your meal at the end to be sure that you're not over doing it. And the brownies? For dessert tonight we had some brownies from a black bean base. They were moist, chewy, and everything you want a brownie to be. Oh yeah, and made out of BLACK BEANS! How cool is that?

Unfortunately I was too busy piling my plate with Italian Potato Salad, Lasagna, and fresh veggies galore to take any pictures, but I'll start with the food pics for breakfast tomorrow.

Speaking of tomorrow, we start bright and early with a 6am blood draw and blood pressure check. I've been traveling since 5am, and this has certainly been a whirlwind. I look forward to tomorrow, and getting to know team members who are representing Whole Foods Market across the country.

Goodnight for now, and healthy dreams : )

The view from my room

My McDougall Swag Bag complete with detailed daily schedule

The Beginning

I write this first post 33,000 feet in the air, with my computer shaking on my lap as we hit more turbulence. Above me, blue sky. Below me, a thick white blanket of what looks like the lint I pull from my dryer. In my ears plays the opening of Disney’s Frozen (which I admit, I’m excited to watch on the cubicle television hanging from the middle of the ceiling.) Outside of the fantasy land I put myself in to drastically reduce my flying anxiety, lays the reality. I am en route to San Francisco where when I land, I will then travel an hour north to Santa Rosa. There, I will be checking in with a large group of other Whole Foods Market Team Members who are on their own journey to ultimate physical and mental health.

            I will be attending the Dr. McDougall Total Health Immersion. What does that mean? From today, March 29^th until next Saturday, April 5^th, myself and several other team members from Whole Foods Market across the country will be completely submerged in a vegan lifestyle accompanied by daily lectures, cooking demonstrations, fitness classes, and more. A full medical staff that will be checking our blood values and vitals frequently throughout the week will oversee us. I am hoping to be a sponge and soak up every bit of information about the correlation between our diets, and the increasing prevalence of chronic disease that our nation suffers from.

             

            Right now, I have no idea what to expect. Each attendee has their own health goals they are hoping to accomplish, or at least come one step closer to living a healthier lifestyle. These include weight loss, lowering blood sugar, and lowering cholesterol among others. If you know me, you might be thinking “but she already eats so healthy!” That may be true, but I have a lot to learn about the benefits of a plant -based diet, and how to well educate others when I return.

            My title may be Healthy Eating Specialist, but that doesn’t mean I don’t struggle with my own food related issues and preoccupations.  When is it time to draw the line on the journey for internal body perfection? Is that just as bad as trying to achieve external standards set by women in magazines? My goal is to find out what health means for me. Not for my neighbor, not for that 6 foot tall supermodel, but me. So for the next week, I’ll be taking you through my experiences in my quest for total plant based health. 

So I've made it to the hotel and connected to the wifi to post this! I'm going to unpack, settle in, have dinner with the entire immersion crew, and be introduced to Dr. McDougall himself. More to come!