PLANTPURE NATION UPDATE

It has not been an easy week, mainly because we are trying to do so much with limited resources. But I am feeling thankful.

I am thankful for all the people who have joined our PlantPure Nation team. Many of these people are working for below market wages, and at times for no pay at all. Of all that I have done, associating with the people on our team has been one of the most gratifying experiences of my life. And it reminds me again of the value of human connection.

The wonderful people here also remind me of the importance of attitude. It is hard to build something from nothing, because it takes an attitude that does not come naturally to most of us. We often fear failure, but failure is essential to success. Sure, we have not always made the right decisions here at PlantPure, but we all have the attitude that it is OK to make a mistake, as long as we learn from our mistakes and use that knowledge to do better. We don’t sit around obsessing about what can go wrong, we just do it, always doing our best, of course, and if we stumble along the way, we get up and keep going. 

Yes, it was a hard week, but we are making great progress. And I am thankful for the team here at PlantPure. I love them all, and can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings.

— Nelson Campbell

FROM OUR PLANTPURE JUMPSTART DIRECTOR

The Jumpstart program continues to grow and develop at a healthy pace. It is very encouraging to read the emails coming in describing how participants have been impacted doing the Jumpstarts!    

The first official Jumpstart at Lee Memorial Healthcare System started on April 4, with over 40 participants. There are two more Jumpstarts scheduled to be completed by mid-May. These types of Jumpstarts have the potential to significantly impact the future treatment of chronic diseases.

I recently put out an email to all PlantPure supporters about group Jumpstarts and had an overwhelming response. People wanted more information on how to run a group Jumpstart and offered great ideas on how they plan to implement them in their work, church, or independent groups. It is really amazing how this movement is starting to creep into mainstream America.

One recent example is a teacher who several years ago changed over to a plant-based diet due to a personal health crisis and then went on to become the school district’s wellness coordinator. They are now offering a group Jumpstart to the other employees in the district, with their insurance company partially paying for the Jumpstart. Wow! Talk about innovative and far-reaching! You never know who you will impact by reaching out and helping others experience a plant-based diet!

— Laura Dietrich

FROM OUR EDITOR

When I get home from a day of staring at a computer screen, writing, editing, and designing, I like to sit out on my tiny back porch with my dog and look at all my flowers coming up in their containers. It reminds me that there is beauty everywhere, even in the tiny things. I become absorbed watching the carpenter bees drill their precise holes into the beams holding up the metal roof, and I am grateful that I am renting, and replacing those beams won't be my headache. My dog lets me know when the deer have wandered close to the back fence line with a soft whine. I look up and they twitch their soft ears, their big eyes glancing our way warily as they nibble at the tall grass behind the fence.

This 20-minute disconnect at the end of the day is priceless. There is no talking, no emailing, no phone calls, no texts, no on-screen notifications and annoying pings. Just me, my dog, and Mother Nature (who is busy dusting everything and everyone with pollen these days). I think about all kinds of things, from the mundane (what to do about dinner) to the peculiar (How do carpenter bees make such perfectly round holes, anyway?). After a little while, my dog will come rest his head on my knee and nudge my hand; it is dinner time, after all.

It is good to have a separation between work and home, even if you work at home (especially if you work at home). These days you are expected to be plugged in 'round the clock, and that leaves precious little time for true recreation and relaxation, yet we need these things to be truly healthy. Sometimes it seems the more we connect electronically, the more disconnected we feel from our true selves and what really matters. We need to sit with nature and be reminded of our place in our family, in our community, in our universe. Carve out half an hour to make this space for yourself somewhere. Make this a part of your daily ritual.

Be well—in all ways.

— Amy Bissinger

NEW AND IMPROVED

Check out PlantPure's website! We've done some streamlining and reorganizing so you can more easily find exactly what you're looking for, whether it's your local Pod, our latest blog, or the Jumpstart meals in our store.

WORDS FOR LIVING WELL

CHECK THIS OUT

In the last issue, we announced the exciting news that the Palmetto Plant Eaters, a PlantPure group in Bluffton, South Carolina (near Hilton Head Island), is planning South Carolina’s first major vegfest this October—the Lowcountry Vegfest. Take it from us—Hilton Head is fantastic that time of year. Not crowded with tourists, it’s usually still warm enough to sunbathe on the beach and even play in the surf, so consider making plans to be there this year to have fun and support their group! (PlantPure Nation will have a speaker there and possibly a surprise or two as well.)

Although only meeting since November of last year, this group has hit the ground running and has held a number of interesting events, such as bringing author, speaker and musician Dr. Will Tuttle, well-known for his best-selling book World Peace Diet, to a local Unitarian Universalist church. We asked Carla Golden, one of the group leaders, if she had any tips for other groups who are having a little trouble getting off the ground.

Members of the Palmetto Plant Eaters club at Barnes & Noble, discussing Proteinaholic by Dr. Garth Davis.

One thing she recommends is to limit the length of meetings so people don’t feel like it will take up their whole night. The official meeting time could be just an hour, with an optional Q&A, networking, tasting, etc., at the end. People in a hurry don’t have to feel like they’re being rude if they leave right away, while people who want to network for a longer period of time or find out more information still can.

She believes having someone on the team who already has strong leadership skills, or is working on developing them, is also very important. Another key point is not to get discouraged when—not if—a meeting has poor attendance or fails to resonate well with members.

Carla also had this to say:

“I aim to have a topic each month that will appeal both to newcomers and those who are already on the plant-based path. My favorite part of the meeting is the Q&A at the end, where newbies can ask questions and those already plant-based can share their experience and tips. This takes pressure off me needing to know all the answers, and it helps all meeting attendees feel engaged and helpful. We also meet once every two months separately to discuss a plant-based book we have read. There are also occasional potlucks, group lunches and dinners at local restaurants, guest speakers, festivals, vegan leafleting, and movie nights that supplement our monthly core meetings.

“I use the PPN-provided group page calendar and email feature to disseminate information (events, notes, meeting agendas) as well as a Facebook page and Facebook events. The best piece of advice I can give to a new group and new group leader is keep consistent, keep showing up, and keep sharing even when you feel that no one is listening. It takes a while of repeat exposure and opportunity for groups to grow and for your wider community to see that you are a permanent and reliable feature. We are effecting major change and oftentimes this is slow. But with persistent and steady work over time, your group reputation will solidify and more people will show interest. Some meetings and events are a bust. Don’t take it personally. Get busy moving on the next fantastic plant-based project.”

—Jo Gustafson

CONNECT WITH US

We would love everyone to follow all of our social media channels, and tag us/use the hashtag #plantpure as much as possible. Share our social media posts on your own social media and let's spread the message! Also, we'd love to see what your Pod is up to—feel free to post pictures of your Pod's activities to our Facebook page.

Instagram: @plantpurenation
Facebook: PlantPure Nation
Twitter: @plantpurenation
Pinterest: PlantPure Nation @plantpurenation
Snapchat: plantpurenation
YouTube: PlantPure Nation
LinkedIn: PlantPure Nation

EVENTS

Spring is finally here, and with it vegfests are sprouting everywhere! Three cities will be hosting their first­vegfests on April 9—San Jose, Nashville, and Las Vegas. Below are a few of the many great veggie events coming up in the next couple weeks (please visit PlantPurePods.com often to see all the great events organized by our member organizations!):

April 9, 10 a.m.–3 p.m.: San Jose’s first Veggie Fest will be held at Martial Cottle Park in south San José, California. Over 30 community vendors plus entertainment, fitness and cooking demonstrations. The PlantPure Nation group "Silicon Valley Healthy Bytes” will be there. Free admission. www.eventbrite.com/e/first-ever-veggie-fest-tickets-24117608416?aff=eac2

April 9, 10 a.m.–6:30 p.m.: The inaugural Nashville Vegfest will be held at the Commodore Ballroom, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee. Many vendors, speakers and a screening of PlantPure Nation at 4:30 pm. Screening will be followed by a Q&A session afterward with Ronnie Tsunami, chief operating officer of PlantPure Nation. nashvillevegfest.com

April 9, 11 a.m.–4 p.m.: Vegas VegFest at the Clark County Government Center Amphitheater, Las Vegas, Nevada. Another free inaugural event featuring amazing plant-based food, family­-friendly entertainment, cooking demos. www.vegasvegfest.com

April 9–10, 10 a.m.–6 p.m.: The Vegetarians of Washington's Vegfest 2016 at Seattle Center’s Exhibition Hall, Seattle, Washington. This large vegfest has free food samples, cooking demos, free health screenings, physician speakers. vegofwa.org/vegfest/vegfest-home

April 14, 5–6:30 p.m.: The Greater Cincinnati PlantPure Group is hosting a special free talk on Nutrition and Cancer by neuro­-oncologist Dr. Rekha Chaudhary (featured in the film PlantPure Nation) at the Center for Spiritual Living of Greater Cincinnati. She will talk in detail about her experience with a whole-food, plant­-based diet and cancer. Reserve seats on Facebook (search under nutrition and cancer) or send an email to GreaterCincinnatiPPN@gmail.com.

April 17, 4 p.m.: Spring Wellness Jump Start, Tower Theatre, Bend, Oregon. VegNet Bend, a PlantPure Nation member, invites you to jump into wellness and good health with PlantPure Nation screening, health care professional panel, and food samples. www.vegnetbend.org

April 23, 8 a.m.–6 p.m.: Red & Green VegFest Albuquerque Convention Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico. Many speakers, tastings, exercise. Advance tickets $15 adults, $7.50 seniors and students. redandgreenvegfestabq.wordpress.com

April 24: Michigan Vegest, Novi, Michigan. Advance tickets $12, $15 at door. vegmichigan.org/activities/vegfest

FEATURED PLANTPURE RECIPE
From Kim Campbell

Jackfruit Tacos
Jackfruit tacos have a delicious meaty texture full of Mexican flavors. Jackfruit absorbs the flavors and has the texture of meat, which makes this a great whole-food transitional food. You can find green jackfruit at most Asian markets.

Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 30 mins
Yields: 2–4 servings

Ingredients
Two 17-ounce cans green jackfruit, drained and rinsed
2–3 teaspoons Mrs. Dash Fiesta Lime Seasoning
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 avocado sliced
2 cups mixed greens
1 cup salsa
4–6 corn tortillas

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Thinly slice the jackfruit into small strips. Place the jackfruit, Mrs. Dash Fiesta Lime Seasoning, and sea salt into a large gallon baggie. Shake and mix ingredients thoroughly. Place the jackfruit onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 20–30 minutes until jackfruit is tender and slightly crispy around the edges. Place the jackfruit, greens, salsa, and avocado on a corn tortilla and serve warm.

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.