Free Shipping $99+ eligible products

Plant-Strong and Healthy Living

Plant-Strong and Healthy Living
Posted in: Uncategorized

Plant-Strong and Healthy Living

Today’s dose of inspiration is sourced from a Ted Talk by Rip Esselstyn, a plant-strong advocate that triggered a change in the eating habits of his fellow firefighting crew at the Austin Engine 2 station in Austin, Texas.
 
Esselstyn supports plant-based diets for their impact on combatting chronic diseases and dramatically heal health. You can watch the Ted Talk here:



Esselstyn describes the future health of Americans as poor. According to the CDC (Centre for Disease Control and Prevention) the percentage of adults aged 20 years and over who are obese is 35.1 per cent (2012). 50 per cent of Americans are expected to be diabetic or pre-diabetic by 2020. Esselstyn challenged his team to undertake a 28-day challenge of eating a plant-based diet, after discovering the poor state of health of one of his colleagues. Of course giving up meat did proved challenging, as all the men had grown up eating animal products. Including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds, the diet was to morph these individuals from medical time bombs to healthy super heroes. And you know what? It worked. Here’s why:

· The team made health a habit. In the supportive environment of their workplace, love, compassion, respect and admiration resonated with each individual, as they nurtured one another during this difficult transitional period.

· They developed routines. Wholesome plant-based meals were shared for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The team alternated who bought meals and who cooked and cleaned.

· Esselstyn educated them. He discovered that there was a huge a disconnect between what they thought was healthy and what wasn’t. He pointed out that we are the only mammal on the planet that drinks another mammal’s milk, highlighting the unnatural behaviour humans have become accustomed to.

· They surrounded themselves with wholesome plant-based meals. If you’re looking for some ideas, try spelt blueberry pancakes, quinoa and fruit salad, oatmeal waffles with apple sauce, plant-strong pizzas, lentil oat loaf, sweet potato lasagna and dark chocolate and oatmeal cookies.
 
According to Esselstyn, only 6 per cent of calories ingested by Americans come from a plant-based diet. Wall Street Journal’s Market Watch reported on the rise of media outlets listed as flexitarians in 2012, alluding to meatless and vegetarian meals. Esselstyn shares that 99 per cent of food on the planet comes from plants and that a plant-strong diet is not about deprivation but about the environment. Plant based health benefits include:

- Reducing risk of cancer
- Reducing risk of heart disease
- Fighting diabetes
- Curb obesity
- Live longer
- Reduce carbon footprint
- Minimize water usage
 
 
A whole food, plant-based diet provides you with all the protein you need, as well as iron, calcium and other vitamins and minerals.

If you’re wondering where your protein is going to come from while adopting this diet, some great sources include legumes (beans, lentils, peas), nut and nut butters (walnuts, almonds, pistachios, pecans, macadamia, Brazil nuts), seeds and seed butters (chia, hemp, sesame, pumpkin, sunflower), whole grains (quinoa, brown rice, oats) and vegetables (peas, spinach and broccoli can contain up to 6g of protein per cup).

Zebra Organics and Sky Island Organics offer a selection of organic trail mixes.
 
5 years ago