Vegan Diet Guy

Many people aspiring for a healthier diet are surprised to learn there are just as many varieties of vegan diets as there are non plant-based diets–and not all of them are health promoting. The biggest differences among vegan diets are what foods are permissible, how they are prepared, and the balance of macronutrients: protein, fat, and carbohydrates.

After trying a raw food diet on and off for the past year, I decided to visit the Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center in Patagonia, AZ, to experience the diet and lifestyle developed by Dr. Gabriel Cousens.

The biggest idea in Cousens’ “Conscious Eating” is that everyone requires a unique diet based on body constitution and ayurvedic dosha, and that all of these needs can be met with an organic plant-based diet consisting of 80 percent raw and living foods.

Cousens has just released a new edition of “There is a Cure for Diabetes”, in which he describes a chronic diabetes degenerative syndrome (CDDS) that begins with glucose spiking (blood sugar rising above 100), to pre-diabetes, to full-blown diabetes. The book also includes 120 additional case studies, in which 61 percent of non-insulin dependent diabetics are off all medication and healed (defined as fasting blood sugar under 100) in just 3 weeks.

A major difference in Cousens’ approach from the cooked Whole Foods Plant-Based diet is that Cousens believes our carbohydrate requirements are practically zero.

“Weight gain is about excess carbohydrates, not excess fat–paradoxically,” Cousens says. “Fat doesn’t come from fat. It comes from carbohydrates,” he says, adding “carbohydrates from green vegetables are not part of the carbohydrate problem.”

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On my previous Oahu visit, I wrote about several vegan friendly restaurants and markets. I’m excited to report I’ve experienced even more great dining spots this time around.

After spending several months on Oahu, even a health-conscious vegan begins to crave more variety than offered by the island’s handful of vegan restaurants. In the winter months, you may find even yourself craving hot soup. That’s the time to head to Nickie Cafe (3297 Campbell Ave).

Although Nickie has been vegan for most of her life, her sister (who runs the cafe together) is not. On the bright side, the menu has foods to please everybody. Nickie’s menu lists a number of vegan items (indicated in blue) but most of them contain mock meats, so I always order the pho with vegetable broth–a generous broth containing cabbage, potatoes, carrots, exotic mushrooms, tofu and rice noodles—served with a heaping plateful of lemon, basil, Vietnamese coriander (“rau ram”–I didn’t even know there were different kinds of coriander before) and mung bean sprouts. All for $8.95!

One of these days–when it isn’t so cold, or when I’m with a friend–I’d definitely order the jackfruit salad, which the ever-accommodative Nickie says she can also make vegan.

Some other restaurants I’ve tried (and will return, except where indicated) on my recent Oahu visit include: Beet Box Cafe, Blue Tree Cafe, Shaloha, Diamond Cove Health Bar, Falafel King, Cafe Maharani, Da Spot, and even Zippy’s!

Beet Box Cafe (66-443 Kamehameha Hwy Haleiwa)-Located in the back of Celestial Natural Foods, this vegetarian restaurant’s food and atmosphere are cozy and inviting. I had the “Healthy Plate of Food” (onions, red peppers, broccoli, zucchini, shitake mushrooms, carrots, walnuts and kale seasoned with garlic, ginger and spices, served with brown rice and brazilian black beans, avocado and sprouts) and my companion had the “Burrito Babe”.

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Here’s a book that explains why some people really can just eat one potato chip, while others like me can’t stop until the whole bag is gone. And a whole lot more, as you might expect in a book as thick as “Conscious Eating” by Dr. Gabriel Cousens.

In my 8 years since giving up meat, I’ve experienced the spectrum of vegetarian diets, from ovo-lacto vegetarian to “junk food vegan”–avoiding animal products but consuming processed foods and “empty calories”–to diets that emphasize whole grains, beans and legumes to those consisting exclusively of organic living (uncooked) fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds.

Until I read “Conscious Eating”, I didn’t understand why so many people have difficulty realizing the full benefits of a plant-based diet for optimal health–which includes physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual aspects of health.

Cousens–a medical doctor, psychiatrist, homeopathic and ayurvedic practioner, among his many other credentials– makes the point that everyone is unique and requires a diet customized for her physiological type. He also demonstrates this can be accomplished by tweaking nutrients (carbohydrates, proteins, and fats) within a predominantly raw plant based diet.

It seems obvious to me now that everyone is different, and specifically, “biochemically individual,” which means you have a genetic need for certain types of foods (and nutrients) and you also respond differently (sometimes in opposite way) than other people to the same foods and nutrients.

And while one type may need more protein, nobody needs to eat meat (what Cousens calls “flesh foods)” to obtain it.

Conscious Eating makes it clear why one diet won’t work well for everyone, in fact, why popular diets (including the non-vegan “Zone Diet”, by Dr. Barry Sears) work for usually only one-third to one-half of the people who follow it.

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Often-cited as a shortcoming of a plant-based diet is deficiency of Vitamin B12, an essential nutrient made by bacteria in the intestines of animals (including humans). For many omnivores, this is reason enough to continue eating animal products.

You may be surprised that the most common cause of B12 deficiency is not lack of B12 containing-foods but intestinal disease, and the prevalence of B12 deficiency among vegans is not much different than in the overall population. Some estimate 15% of people or more are deficient in B12, and with deficiency increasing with age, the Institute of Medicine recommends everyone over age 50 supplement with B12.

I discovered I had B12 deficiency prior to becoming vegan when I visited a brain specialist at age 40 with symptoms including fatigue, loss of memory and attention deficit. My general practitioner had diagnosed me with pernicious anemia, but had never ordered tests for B12. All the more reason everyone has to take responsibility for his or her own health!

The brain doctor gave me samples of a popular medication for Alzheimers–which I’m happy to say I didn’t try–after reading about its alarming short and long-term side effects. After my blood tests results showed I was dangerously low in B12 (prolonged deficiency could lead to permanent nerve damage), I had a series of intramuscular B12 injections to restore my B12 to a normal level, and continued to supplement with monthly injections.

The reason oral B12 supplementation would not work is the same reason my B12 levels were low in the first place: I lack “intrinsic factor”, a co-enzyme produced in a normal stomach necessary for the B12 contained in foods (predominantly those that are animal-based) to be absorbed in the lower intestine.

Follow up blood testing after regular B12 supplementation confirmed my B12 remained within normal ranges. I also found my thinking, attention, memory, etc. clearer than it had ever been. B12 is the only nutritional supplement I take, as I rely on whole foods for everything else. For example, 1-2 Brazils Nuts satisfies your daily requirement of selenium, magnesium and zinc.

While there are a few reliable plant-based sources of B12 (i.e. seaweeds and probiotics), most vegans are advised to take a supplement, or eat B12 fortified foods such as Vegetarian Formula Nutritional Yeast.

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If you want things to change for you, you’ve got to change your thinking. Those are the words that started my mission 1.5 years ago to design a life filled with adventure and learning.

2012 was the year I left the familiarity of Tokyo, returning to the U.S. where I had spent little more than 2 weeks a year for the past 21 years. Reverse culture shock was no longer just an expression, but daily reality.

Honolulu Marathon in December was one thing I promised myself to accomplish this year.  The only thing that spurred my regular 3 day/week training runs was the fact I had signed up way back in January. My fourth marathon, I finished 12 seconds slower than last year.

While slightly disappointed at first, I’m more determined than ever to break my personal record next year. To run faster and injury-free, I have begun a concerted effort to alter my running form, to land on the forefoot rather than the heel.

Besides marathon training, 2012 often felt like an unproductive year, with waiting and more waiting that tried my patience. Looking back, I experienced and learned much, and was blessed with some incredible people.

First there was the welcoming environment of the Vegetarian Society of Hawaii, where I met Robin Openshaw (Green Smoothie Girl), Dr. Michael Greger (my idol) and more recently the renowned Dr. John McDougall.

At Honolulu Marathon Clinic and Waikiki Toastmasters clubs, I found more warm people to help an unfamiliar place feel more like home.

Next, back to “the mainland” (as Hawaii residents call the US) for raw chef training at Matthew Kenney Academy (OKC), which completely challenged my belief that food could be nutritious and delicious and beautiful.

Following that was my raw chef internship at Creative Health Institute in Michigan, where I got to know first-hand Dr. Ann Wigmore’s philosophy and benefits of wheatgrass, sprouts and fermented foods. I barely heard of “Dr. Ann” before this year, and didn’t even recognize a connection to my whole foods plant-based diet. In fact, I believed raw and living foodists were a bit whacko!

I can honestly say I have never felt a higher energy vibration–mentally “clear” and physically “clean”–than when drinking several shots of fresh wheatgrass juice each day while at CHI. Stories of healing by guests with chronic illnesses, and fellow interns were also an inspiration. I strongly encourage anyone considering this type of diet detoxification program, because it gives you the means (dietary restriction) and motivation (feeling dramatically better) to switch to a whole-foods plant based diet.

Wheat Grass Juice has many miraculous powers including:

• Lowers blood pressure
• Helps digestion
• Helps constipation and promotes regularity
• Slows graying of hair (yes!!)
• Suppresses appetite
• Reduces fatigue (=full of energy!!)

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For all its reputation as a food mecca, and its hippy image, I was surprised to learn on a recent visit that downtown San Francisco is home to only 10 vegan restaurants.

Three of these 10 are part of the Loving Hut chain, which-despite their use of excessive oil and textured soy protein, and cafeteria atmosphere–are far superior to any non-vegan fast-food, and provide an animal compassionate and practical alternative for those transitioning to a plant-based diet.

For more special occasions, I decided to check out some of San Francisco’s classier vegan restaurants listed on Happy Cow, including:

• Millennium (580 Geary St)
• Gracias Madre (2211 Mission St)
• Cha Ya (762 Valencia St)

Herbivore (983 Valencia St) was–for lack of time–the only vegan restaurant I didn’t visit. I also tried the Source (11 Division St)–a vegetarian restaurant serving cheese from “humanely-raised cows”, according to the proprietor.

Although I’m biased, having staged in its kitchen for a month, I have to conclude that Millennium is the hands-down best of the bunch. Read the rest of this entry →

It’s no secret, the 65 year-old Dr. John McDougall said, that food is the reason he’s now a better windsurfer than he was 35 years ago, when he attended medical school and did his residency in Hawaii.

The purpose of McDougall’s lecture for the Vegetarian Society of Hawaii last week was to enlist vegans in a common goal: “to build a future we can all live with–and stop battling among ourselves”. This is the topic of his new book, The Starch Solution.

I have believed it was confusing for everyone,” McDougall noted, citing different terms for vegan diets such as “Plant Strong”, “Plant Power,” “Engine 2″, etc. “These are minor differences,” he noted, “compared to the big companies that are profiting by destroying human health and millions of animals in the process.”

In his empassioned presentation, McDougall spoke of the long history of the plant-based diet, which–despite claims to the contrary by Loren Cordain, author of The Paleo Diet–is nothing new. The controversy began with low carb supporter Robert Atkins challenged high carb Nathan Pritikin, McDougall explained. He then refuted the Paleo diet claims with scientific evidence that our ancestors were subsisting on predominantly plants (potatoes and grains like rice, corn, wheat, buckwheat, and quinoa).

Scientific documentation of what people have eaten over the past thirteen thousand years convincingly supports that starch, not animals, is the traditional diet of people.

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In my experience as a student of Matthew Kenney Academy and a “kitchen angel” at Living Light Institute, I found there are many reasons people pursue a raw culinary education:

• A majority of students entering raw culinary programs have been eating a standard diet, and want to learn appetizing ways to prepare healthier foods for themselves and their family.
• Some others are vegans with a desire to learn professional techniques for a whole foods plant-based diet, aspiring to a career that makes the world a better place.
• A few are traditionally-trained and experienced chefs who want to expand their repertoire, and ride the growing trend of raw foods.

One common theme: committing to a full-time raw culinary class is a life-changing event, with most students considering leaving a traditional career path (how else are you able to take required 4-5 weeks off?) and learning about preparing raw food while immersing yourself in the diet (though some diverge to their usual diet while outside class).

The process of throwing away old eating habits and being away from normal surroundings is a bonding experience, and many students become the closest of friends before returning to their part of the country or around the globe, while others await signals for the next step in their journey.

What distinguishes raw food preparation is that the ingredients must be truly fresh–preferably naturally/organically grown and local–and prepared in small batches, so they are experienced at the peak of freshness. Fresh vegetables, such as tomatoes, will frequently vary in taste and texture and require modification of seasoning and liquid content, etc.

Since raw food is not cooked down (a maximum temperature of 115 degrees may be used), the flavor, “mouth feel”, and appearance rely on appropriate cutting techniques. For example, spicy/pungent ingredients such as garlic or ginger need to be sliced paper-thin.

While I recommend professional culinary programs highly, if you are weighing the idea of a vegan diet or a raw vegan diet, you may prefer to start by trying recipes from books written by the respective chef / school owners:

Matthew Kenney’s latest is an ideal starting point. Read the rest of this entry →

Satoshi has been doing an incredible job increasing awareness of veganism in Japan by translating this blog into Japanese.  An omnivore himself, he was curious about plant-based diets because of his frequent travels to India on business, where vegetarianism is common for spiritual reasons.  Satoshi’s growing interest in vegan food led him to visit a Tokyo raw vegan restaurant and file this review:

I invited a lot of friends to accompany me to a vegetarian restaurant for dinner, but none of them accepted, except Emily, my English conversation teacher. It was the first time I had tried a raw food, vegan, or even a vegetarian restaurant.

Emily has been in Japan for about half a year, and hasn’t eaten meat since high school. With a sister who is vegetarian–Emily was interested in experiencing Japanese-style raw vegan dishes.

Rainbow Raw Food Cafe and Bar in Hammatsu-cho is a very small and cozy restaurant with six tables and twelve chairs. You can choose from the Raw Food Dinner Course of six dishes (￥2,500), Combination Plate (￥1,800), or something from the a la carte menu. We each ordered the Dinner Course, and I had organic beer and Emily had a smoothie to drink. Read the rest of this entry →

Previously, I wrote about my experience trying to recreate a vegan version of a now-shuttered Tokyo bakery’s “lemon cake with wow”. As promised, I’ve continued my quest for a vegan lemon cake recipe that matches the best of non-vegan lemon cakes.

I tried both of the lemon cake recipes from Fairfoods (a bakery and caterer located in Devon, England), beginning with their gluten-free recipe. Since I had never used xantham gum, I followed the instructions closely (even weighing the ingredients–instead of using measuring cups–as professional bakers do) and also determined that the British “2 dssp” (dessert spoons) of ground flaxseeds translates to 4 teaspoons in American.

The gluten-free cake batter was so thick and viscous, I thought I had made a mistake, but Clare of Fairfoods assured me that thick and sticky batter is normal for xanthan gum, as long as it is not lumpy. “Always sieve the flours, xanthan and raising agents together,” she told me, ”and give the batter a really good whisk so it is even. Just whisk as much as it needs and no more. ”

Sure enough, after baking, the cake’s consistency was spongy and moist.   Read the rest of this entry →