PLANTPURE NATION UPDATE

As I write this, I am up in the clouds once again (oftentimes this is true figuratively, but I really am on a plane right now). I am on my way back from the Food as Medicine conference in Atlanta, Georgia. What a great conference, and what a great job by its organizer, Benji Kurtz!

I have one more trip this week, this time to Texas, before a much-needed break for the remainder of the year. Prior to this year, I never imagined I would have travelled so much in such a short period of time. But despite the stress of airports, cramped planes, and strange hotel rooms, I look back over the past few months as some of the most impactful of my life. I have met so many inspiring people, all of whom have reinforced for me an important idea.

First, let me acknowledge something important. We owe so much to the small circle of people who have helped “birth” the message of plant-based nutrition into our society. But having said this, we are now at a turning point. If we want to move from conference rooms to main streets in towns and cities everywhere, we need to broaden this leadership circle. 

Everywhere I travel, I see leadership. Indeed, anytime people take responsibility for their health, they demonstrate leadership, even more so as they begin influencing those around them. My dream is that we create a movement that empowers millions of people to lead.

I think we too often want to follow others rather than lead. I hope we can move away from this “cult of leadership” model to a new paradigm of empowered individuals, connecting with one another to lead change in our own communities.

When I made PlantPure Nation, I never wanted to foster a leadership cult. But as I travel, I can sense the potential for this. So let me say here that there is nothing about any one of us that puts us above others. The magnitude of our contribution to this movement does not matter. What matters is the very act of contributing, and we are all equal in our ability to act.

I look forward to the time when this movement takes on a life of its own, independent of any one person or small group of people, because it is driven by millions of people living empowered lives. 

Let’s work together to build an army of leaders, an army so vast that nothing can stop us.  

— Nelson Campbell

FROM OUR PLANTPURE POD DIRECTOR

The PlantPure Pod Program is really starting to flourish! We are excited to announce that we have added a Pod in a fifth country—Geneva, Switzerland. We have 139 groups established all around the globe. There are independent groups established in most of the cities where the movie was screened. Additionally, many other groups have formed in other cities after hearing the PlantPure message and want to help spread the word. Many groups are just starting to have their inaugural kickoff events and would love your participation.  

We have a wide variety of group leaders, ranging from cardiologists, plant-based chefs, authors, and more! While the group leaders’ backgrounds vary, they are all motivated to help to spread the PlantPure message, and they realize that getting people to unite together in Pods is the most effective way to do that. So far there have been discussion groups, documentary viewings, potlucks, and more. So if you have not already visited the PlantPurePods site, we encourage you to do so and find a group in your area!

— Laura Dietrich

FROM THE EDITOR

This time of year seems always to be a time that reminds us of change. We see the obvious signs of the changing of the seasons, the leaves falling from the trees and the temperatures dropping, and for some of us, snowflakes have already made an (unwelcome?) appearance.

In the eight short months I’ve been with PlantPure Nation, I’ve witnessed a lot of change and growth in our organization as well. Quite a few new people have joined us, and we’re all getting very good at changing hats as needed, sometimes on an hourly basis. I started out developing our CRM (customer relationship management tool), spending hours typing up the information from the signup sheets that went round each film screening. Then I moved to writing the internal documentation we would need to build the organization, and now I’ll be editing both this newsletter and the leadership newsletter for our groups. It’s a responsibility shift I’m thrilled about, as it gives me the chance to get back to my roots as an editor and writer, and I can’t wait to share with you all the many exciting developments we’re working on here.

Stay warm and stay well.

— Amy Bissinger

FEATURED PLANTPURE RECIPE

From Kim Campbell

Buddha Bowl

This is a simple recipe, just quinoa tossed with veggies and chickpeas—perfect for lunch or dinner. The sauce can make or break a Buddha bowl, and this sauce is amazing!

Serves: 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients  

1 cup quinoa

2 cups water

1 cup broccoli, cut into florets

1 1/2 cups chopped dinosaur kale

3 green onions, sliced

1/2 carrot, shredded

1 avocado, pitted and diced

1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

1 cup canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup sweet tahini dressing (see recipe below)

Instructions  

Rinse the quinoa, which can have a bitter taste if not rinsed thoroughly. Add the quinoa and the water to a pot, bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until all the liquid is absorbed.

Lightly steam broccoli and kale in a small amount of water until the colors are bright green. Add the green onions, carrot, avocado, bell pepper, tomatoes, and chickpeas to a large mixing bowl along with the steamed kale and broccoli. Toss to combine.

Assemble Buddha bowl by placing warm quinoa in a bowl and tossing with veggies and chickpeas. Drizzle tahini dressing over the top and serve.

Kim's hint: A Buddha bowl is a versatile dish. So, if you like, change the veggies, add baked tofu, or use any grain you prefer.

*****************************************************************

Sweet Tahini Dressing

This mild tahini dressing has a hint of maple syrup and balsamic vinegar. 

Serves 4–6
Prep time: 10 minutes
 

Ingredients  

1/4 cup tahini

1/4 cup water

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoons lemon juice

2 garlic clove, minced

3 tablespoons parsley, chopped

1teaspoon white miso paste

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Instructions  

Place all the ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.

FROM FRIENDS OF THE NATION

Contributed Article

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 his radio program, Heartwise, is heard on over 300 affiliates. He has developed plant-based nutritional programs for reversing cardiovascular disease.

Mike Stobbe of the Associated Press reported that last year’s flu vaccine didn’t protect well against the dominant strain of flu. In fact, it proved to be only 9% effective in the most vulnerable population—people over 65 years of age.

Flu is spread from person to person, so avoiding the sick, washing our hands, and keeping our immune systems strong is more important than ever. In fact, our lives may depend on it!

Think About It
Just think for a moment about how diseases spread. Many pathogens like viruses and bacteria are spread from human to human. But sometimes animals spread disease: bats and Ebola, rabbits and tularemia, pigs and trichinosis, chickens and salmonella, mosquitos and malaria, avian flu, mad cow disease, and rabies, to name a few. Then there’s contaminated feces that spread diseases like campylobacter. In all, there are more than 30 diseases spread by animals and nearly 50 more that are spread by bugs. Treatment often involves giving someone an antibiotic, or just living through the illness. But avoiding the problem might be an easier and more effective solution.

Avoidance is one of the best methods of preventing disease, and quarantine is a useful measure to prevent its spread. This method of disease control has been present through the ages.

Chronic Versus Infectious
Now, let’s look around the world at the spread of chronic diseases, such as diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease. Would staying away from the causative vector be a good idea? Could we quarantine people from the causative agent?

I suggest that if we avoid chronic exposure, the risks diminish—just as staying away from sick people diminishes our flu exposure. Avoid cigarettes and the risk of developing lung cancer diminishes. Avoid fats and you’ll lower the risk of cardiovascular disease. Avoid processed foods and lower your risk of hypertension. Limit the exposure to high-fructose corn syrup and processed sugar and lower your risk of “catching” diabetes. Do we need vaccines for chronic diseases, or do we just need common sense?

As many countries are lowering their rates of infectious disease, the rates of chronic disease are on the rise. Chronic disease is harmful to the economy—not only because of the cost involved in treatment, but also because of lost productivity.

We probably cannot quarantine a country from high-fructose corn syrup, cigarettes, or fats, but it is a thought. We don’t think twice about avoiding infectious diseases and the vectors that cause the problem. Let’s use some common sense and avoid the vectors that are now taking more lives than the flu! Our Great Physician wants us to be healthy. He will help us use common sense.

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.