An older man, with whom I competed for farm inventions awards, gave me some excellent advice.  He said “always start at the status quo”.

When it comes to what we consume, starting at the status quo is a great place to begin.

The present status quo is that our food consumption is well reflected in the supermarket aisles.  A reasonable amount of vegetables, followed by large shelves of meat, fish, milk and milk products, along with rows and rows of manufactured food, packages, frozen and canned.

The present status quo is that we take pills; pills for high blood pressure, pills to lower our cholesterol,  pills to make our blood thin, pills for hay fever, pills to contain our fertility, pills to get an erection, pills to keep us calm, pills for our arthritis, pills for almost everything.

The present status quo is for us to live a sedentary life, with little to worry about in regard to where our next meal will come from, how we are going to survive the next winter, or even how the universe works.

All these status quos are not ours of right, nor have they been around for very long; so what a good place to move away from.

Our ancestors ate seeds, leaves, fruit,  a few bugs and very occasionally a piece of meat.  They lived healthy and fulfilled lives, evidenced by our very presence here today – successful breeding is the realm of the healthy.  They had no idea of what a pill was, let alone saw a use for one.  They did worry about sources of food, availability of warmth and shelter and of course many died early from accidents, child birth, inadequate hygiene and starvation.

We are privileged, for anyone reading this, starvation is not an option, hygiene is a given, child birth is better managed and accidents are better treated.  But due to unscrupulous marketing and obfuscation of science our present society is dying in unprecedented numbers from diet induced chronic diseases, in ignorance of the danger we are in both for our own health and the health of the world.  We ignore the fact that if everyone in the world ate meat and milk, at New Zealand's consumption levels, nine out of every ten of us would have to be disposed of.

Moving from the status quo means returning to a plant based diet, substantially reducing our environmental impact, reducing our medical costs and increasing our active life expectancy.

There is no doubt that gluttony, induce by who knows what, is a major cause of obesity.

I have strived for years to overcome this condition and now have the remedy.  Adopting a whole food plant based diet is so wonderfully simple, without curtailing my excesses.

Any over-eating of plant based whole foods only causes me to expend more energy and loose more weight.  I still enjoy eating copiously and so long as I do not lapse into eating animal protein and processed food, my weight loss continues and my health flourishes.

In the first 18 months of living a vegan lifestyle, Barbie and I each lost 18% of our original body weight.  Our weight loss has now stabilised but maintaining a continual gradual decline.

Our energy levels are hugely increased, we are stronger, fitter, healthier and we know that we are much more likely to avoid many of the diseases afflicting so many of our fellow 70 year olds.

We appeal to all who want to lose weight and become healthier to simply take up a whole food plant based diet.

For years I suffered from indigestion.  For far too many years I lived on Quickeze and other medications with no improvement.  Ultimately I was persuaded to have an operation to my oesophagus which cured the problem but created one or two new ones.  

I now know that a change of diet would have overcome all my problems with no side effects what so ever.  I also know that the hernia and haemorrhoid operations would have been unnecessary, I knew what the cause of all of these ailments was or if only my specialist had told me.

This short video tells it all.  

First published in Seaport Scene


Make full use of seasonings, if there is a choice between not eating enough and using salt and other seasonings as an appetite stimulant, choose seasonings; much of the bad wrap for salt comes from its association with bad food.

Environmentally speaking, vegetable food miles from anywhere are not as costly, nor as environmentally damaging,  as locally grown meat.  Given that a whole-food, plant-based diet defends us from so many threatening diseases, the origin of the food is not so important. 

Stick to a whole-food, plant-based diet for health and wellbeing, for weight loss and strength.  Remember that all animals source their energy and growth from plants, either directly or through eating animals that have derived their energy and growth from plants.  Humans are one of the former group; we developed not from successful hunters but from successful gatherers and cooks of seeds and plants.

You are mad if you carry on eating meat, fish, dairy, eggs, processed foods or oils.  They are proven to be prime causes of the ailments you are concerned about, including obesity, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, dementia; to name a few.  They are killing us.

You are bad if you carry on eating meat, fish, dairy or eggs.  They and their production generate more greenhouse gases than all the cars and trucks in the world combined; they use and polute more potable water than any other activity on earth.  They are killing the earth.

Read this explanation and please view the video at the end of the publication.

Milk products are one of the most significant causes of constipation.

Would you believe it?  This “harmless” tasty product, which is sold as an “essential” food is the cause of so much distress.  I have known of the direct link between milk protein and cancer, of the direct link between milk fat/protein and obesity and heart disease, but this revelation in regard to constipation is a well-kept secret that we should all expose.

Watch this short video to reveal the truth.

It is interesting to note that Jason Bennett has successfully persuaded me that any less than three bowel movements a day is constipation!

I am one week into to thelifeplan, a one year course conducted by Jason Bennett and his team.  

Having discovered Jason and his interesting knowledge some months ago, I recently attended one of his seminars.

At the seminar Jason persuaded some of us to stop drinking coffee and spend the money saved on subscribing to his thelifeplan.   Already I have learned some excellent points, improved my health and await my daily emails with keen anticipation.  

Despite being a vegan for two and a half years I know that subscribing to thelifeplan will significantly enhance my way of life from the advice received and confidence gained. It is wonderful to know that we have a plant-based, whole-food guru here in NZ, who is spreading his knowledge with professionalism, skill and fervour.

I recommend everyone to visit www.jasonshonbennett.com, if ever possible attend one of Jason’s seminars and seriously consider having a close look at thelifeplan.

First published in Seaport Scene

The Internet is awash with recipes; good vegan ones are easily found or adapted from non-vegan recipes. Don't be afraid to modify them to suit your taste, or your part of the world.  Save those that appeal and work for you; repeat them a few times to become comfortable with the new cooking regime.

I try to avoid faux meat dishes, but this patty recipe is as popular as any meat patty and so much healthier.

Potato and Veggie Burgers

Mash

• 2 cups cooked or canned black beans
  

Add the following and mix thoroughly

• 1 carrot, grated
  
• 1 onion, diced
  
• 3 potatoes, grated
  
• 4 spring onions, chopped
  
• 1 cup corn kernels 
  
• 2 portabella mushrooms, finely chopped 
  
• Garlic
  
• 1 tsp aromatic mix
  
• ½ cup rye flour
  

Shape the mixture into patties.

Cook on a non-stick surface for about 3 minutes on each side, or in a hot oven for about 6 minutes each side.

Serve as in a hamburger, or as a part of a plated meal.   

It is a tragically false belief that ill health starts in later life.  All later-life illnesses start during youth, taking years to bed themselves down, in preparation for the big time later on. Arteries start blocking, cancer cells establish, autoimmune diseases settle in, all to become exposed in the fullness of time time.

When people declare that their cancer was found “just in time”, that is balderdash.  It was found just in time for it to be treated.  It would have been lurking there for many years prior to the discovery.  At any time over these years the cancer or cardiovascular problems, arthritis etc, can be halted and often reversed by change of diet.  

The best cure is prevention and this can happen if a young child is started off enjoying only plant based whole food.  Any alternative food is a potential nurturer of future ill-health. 

The battle of wills is between you and the huge marketing strength of food manufactures who push so hard to persuade us that the diet we are on is the only one to pursue.

The sad reality is that those who provide our food have little interest in our health, just as those who tend our health have little interest in the food we eat.  But we are not on our own; it is estimated that one million Americans a year are turning to diets that no longer include meat and milk. 

Parents who take their children with them, on a plant based whole food journey, provided a double benefit, the children are healthier and the parents are no longer a burden in old age.

 
After writing the above, this link was sent to me, providing interesting support for my comments.