PLANTPURE NATION UPDATE

I am writing from Los Angeles, ready to head home after another whirlwind trip to Las Vegas and then to Los Angeles. I am returning with renewed excitement, even though our Thursday evening in Las Vegas did not turn out as expected.

We held a screening at an amphitheater in partnership with the City of Las Vegas, and had been told to expect a large crowd. We ended up, however, with a much smaller crowd, and then partway through the screening, we had a hardware malfunction that ended the showing.

As we have gone on this journey, we have had more unexpected challenges than I can remember. Our film is a simplification of what happened because there is only so much that can be conveyed in a 90-minute film. We have had highs, but even more lows, some so deep that I wondered if we would ever make it to the end, kind of like our malfunction Thursday night.

But then I have noticed another dynamic at work. Time after time, what looks bleak often turns out to be an opportunity in disguise. This happened repeatedly during the making of the film, especially during the legislative sequence in the last part of the film. And it has continued to happen in our current work.

Thursday night in Las Vegas was a perfect example. First, I should say that our host was one of the most passionate, gracious people we have met on this journey. She poured herself into this event and was disappointed at the end of the evening. But I told her not to be, because she had given it her very best, and because if not for this screening, I would not have had an opportunity that evening to meet someone high up in the city government who is now so motivated by our message and movement that he is going to lead an effort to bring us back to Las Vegas for a very special event, possibly leading to a historic opportunity.

The city has a beautiful auditorium in the city hall. The idea we discussed is pretty simple. We would screen the movie in the auditorium for city officials and other civic and business leaders, and in the follow-up discussion, we would formally propose that we partner with the city to launch a campaign in Las Vegas to promote the message of plant-based nutrition. This may or may not come to fruition, but we look forward to this possibility, and are grateful for the invitation from our wonderful host, now friend, to come to her city last Thursday.

At the end of the film, I make the statement, “The future is bright—all we need to do is see it.” I believe this to the depth of my soul; it’s a great time to be alive. Over and over we have run into walls, only to find new opportunities behind them. And the big challenges of our time are producing many people like the new friends we have won in Las Vegas, who want nothing more than to help make this world a better place. Our numbers are growing, and we will succeed in the end. 

— Nelson Campbell

FROM OUR PLANTPURE POD DIRECTOR

The PlantPure Nation movie has become a summertime smash hit! It is one of the highest-grossing films on a per-screening basis this summer. Here is a list of some upcoming screenings:

Cape Cod, MA — 10/8/15 — Cape Cinema
Milwaukee, WI — 10/8/15 — Marcum Ridge Cinema
Kansas City, MO — 10/8/15 — Tivoli Cinema
London, UK — 10/10/15 — UK Vegfest
Ft. Meyers, FL — 10/12/15 — The Heights Center
State College, PA — 10/13/15 — The State Theater
Flagstaff, AZ — 10/14/15 — Northern Arizona University
Columbia, MD — 10/15/15 — UA Snowden Square

For more theater information and ticket links, visit plantpurenation.com.

PlantPure Pods

PlantPure Pods are growing by leaps and bounds! We have literally been inundated with requests for new Pods. As a result of this phenomenal response, we are in the process of restructuring our Pod program so we can accommodate the large number of Pods we anticipate having. The new system will formally be released on Oct. 7, with a letter explaining the upgrades sent out to all Pod members.  

We currently have 114 Pods, with 79 facilitators who have signed up to help us guide this exciting journey. If you have not yet signed up for a Pod, just go to www.pods.plantpurenation.com, click on Join in the top right corner and follow the instructions.  

We can now state that the PlantPure Pods are international: There are 2 PlantPure Pods in Australia and 6 PlantPure Pods in Canada.

We are looking forward to creating a global PlantPure Nation with you!

— Laura Dietrich

FROM THE EDITOR

Dreamers and doers

People just love dividing other people up into groups: right and left, right and wrong, conservative and liberal, white and black, good and evil, rich and poor, winners and losers, and my all-time favorite, us and them (not quite sure what that last one means, but the folks who use it the most sure are an interesting bunch. And you know who you are! You’re the “them” that divide us up into “us” and “them.”… Hey, wait a second, doesn’t that make “them” both an “us” and a “them”? And the same thing for us, I mean being a “them” too? That’s impossible, isn’t it? I’m confused …). 

Which brings me to another arbitrary division that I left off the opening menu—“dreamers” and “doers.” People in the plant-based world are often derisively written off as “dreamers,” the underlying subtext being, “kooks who want to take away my summer barbecue and who say my grandma’s Christmas turkey is poison, or worse, poison with a generous helping of murder on the side.” (We’ll get to that in a second.)

Another, perhaps less hostile but no less dismissive meaning for plant-based “dreamers” is that they’re all completely divorced from reality, heads firmly stuck in the clouds, believing they can change the world just by holding hands, singing “Kumbaya” and thinking happy thoughts.    

The unavoidable yin to this yang (or is it yang to this yin? I’m confused again …) is “doers.” The subtext here is “hard-headed, clear-eyed realists with both feet on the ground, eyes fixed on an achievable goal, feet taking clear-cut steps leading toward that goal.”

Well, I say what’s wrong with both? I don’t see them as being mutually exclusive in the least. First of all, what’s the problem with holding hands, singing “Kumbaya” and thinking happy thoughts? Sounds kinda nice to me. (I can almost hear the crackle of a campfire in the background.) Furthermore, you can have your head in the clouds and your feet firmly planted on the ground, taking clear-cut steps toward an achievable goal. That’s what PPN is all about—melding dreamers and doers into one clearheaded, unstoppable force.

As for taking away someone’s summer barbecue and busting grandma for murder, no one wants to do that. No one. Eating plant based is a personal choice—NOT part of a political agenda. So rest easy, barbecuers and murder accomplices (just kidding on that last one … really). The feds will not be kicking down your doors, confiscating your carving knives and charcoal briquettes. Just breathe slowly and deeply—from the diaphragm—until the wave of panic passes. See? I’ll bet you’re feeling better already.   

Kumbaya, baby—kumbaya …

— Lee Fulkerson

FEATURED PLANTPURE RECIPE

From Kim Campbell

No-Bake Chocolate Pumpkin Pie

An easy, no-bake pie with the perfect amount of pumpkin pie spices will remind you of the holidays.

Serves: 8
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 0 minutes                                         

Ingredients  

1 cup vegan semisweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

One 15-ounce can pumpkin puree

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 date-nut crust

Fruit nuts, or chocolate shavings, for garnish

Instructions

Melt the chocolate in either a double boiler on the stove or in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave.

Place the melted chocolate, cocoa, pumpkin puree, maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt into a food processor and blend until smooth.

Pour into the date-nut pie crust and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. This pie gets firmer the longer it sits.

Garnish the top with fruit, nuts, or chocolate shavings.

Date-nut Crust

Made from dates and walnuts, this is the perfect pie crust for a raw or refrigerated pie. I love to use this recipe and fill the crust with my chocolate-avocado pudding.

Yields: 1 pie crust
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 0 minutes              

Ingredients  

1 cup pitted Medjool dates

1 1/2 cups walnuts

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

Blend all the ingredients into a food processor at high speed until you have a sticky consistency.
Press the mixture into a pie pan and chill until ready to fill.

FROM FRIENDS OF THE NATION

Contributed Article

By James L. Marcum, M.D.

James L. Marcum, M.D., FACC, is a practicing cardiologist with the Chattanooga Heart Institute. He is the founder and speaker/director of Heartwise Ministries. His television program, Heart of Health Live, is seen on 11 networks worldwide, and the radio program, Heartwise, is heard on over 300 affiliates. He has developed plant-based nutritional programs for reversing cardiovascular disease.

Believe it or Not?

The New York Times has reported that doctors are facing a dilemma in regards to prescribing statins. Statins are medications lowering cholesterol, thus decreasing the risk of cardiovascular disease. Coronary artery disease accounts for 1 in 7 deaths in the United States.

Currently about 1 in 4 adults are prescribed a statin. This medication blocks an enzyme needed to produce the bad cholesterol, LDL. Unfortunately 25% of those who take statins have side effects, including liver function abnormalities, muscle aches, memory issues, and sleep problems.

In late August 2015, two new medications, Praluent and Repatha, have been released that supposedly do not have these side effects. They lower cholesterol without as many side effects but cost around $14,000 a year. The dilemma is this: Should physicians commit those who have side effects on statins, no small number, to these new, expensive and relatively untried medications?

To make matters more complicated, Richard Horton, editor of the prestigious scientific journal The Lancet, wrote in June 2015, “Much of the scientific literature, perhaps half, may simply be untrue.” He goes on to state that “with small sample sizes, tiny effects, invalid exploratory analysis and flagrant conflicts of interest, together with an obsession for pursuing fashionable trends of dubious importance, science has taken a turn toward darkness.”

This is from a scientist who is on the front lines of evaluating scientific research. Unfortunately he is not alone in his skepticism regarding scientific studies. Dr. Marcia Angell, former editor in chief of The New England Journal of Medicine in 2009, states, “It is no longer possible to believe much of the clinical research that is published, or to rely on the judgment of trusted physicians or authoritative guidelines.

Which raises the question of what should a patient, physician, healer, or the general public believe? Is a randomized double-blinded placebo trial enough? I personally wrestle with this question daily as people ask about medications, treatment, and supplements.

I start with James 1:5 and ask for wisdom from the Great Physician. Then, I ask whether this treatment makes sense. I go to other trusted sources and look at whatever evidence-based sources are available, paying attention to funding and professional bias. Then I observe the test of time. Truth is a stubborn thing. It does not go away.

Applying these standards, what to believe becomes obvious. Simply let the evidence speak!

START COOKING WHOLE-FOOD, PLANT-BASED RECIPES!

As the film’s official companion book, The PlantPure Nation Cookbook brings this powerful, science-based approach to nutrition from the big screen to your kitchen with some of the same mouthwatering recipes that kick-started the film, promoting the health benefits of a whole-food, plant-based diet.