On September 14th , 2020, I began my personal 14 day challenge. For me , there was no better time than the present to ramp up my WFPB game. I was coming up on my three month evaluation with my PCP and scheduled follow up blood work (exactly 2 weeks from the 14th), to determine if my new health habits have effected my numbers.
I have been “primarily” plant based for the past 10 years, meaning, I ate chicken once a month (I can explane later), cooked “oil free”, did not consume any other animal protein including dairy, and refrained, as best I could, from processed snacks. Family history and previous lab work confirmed familial hypercholesterolemia. Exhausted and confused after following and studying experts in the field of nutrition and medicine, I decided to take a nutrition class from the Centers for Nutritional Studies at Cornell University. The class was enlightening, but I still needed guidance and direction. In April 2020, I received an email invite to a “Jump Start” to “Flatten the Curve”, sponsored by Plant Pure Communities. This is a 10 day program that connects interested people, on various levels of the WFPB journey, with instructors, chefs, and doctors, to guide you through 10 days of WFPB experience.
I continue to understand the journey: learning, deciphering and discovering the profound effects of a whole food plant based lifestyle. It is so NATURAL, so EASY and so LOGICAL. It is heard to understand how patients so trustingly and effortlessly respond to a prescription for synthetic chemicals as treatment for their chronic disease and become confused, suspicious and inconvenienced when the most natural form of healing (WFPB eating) is introduced. “By far , the most powerful shaping force at work before you is the patient’s diet…all other treatments are symptomatic (treating ONLY the symptoms) and ultimately INEFFECTIVE (at resolving or reversing the disease processes).per Dr. Michael Klapper, Moving Medicine Forward.
So with the advise of my PCP and a local dietician, I altered my diet a bit, adding more legumes and a table spoon of Flaxmeal to my diet daily. I began following Dr. Gregor’s daily dozen (check out Dr. Gregor’s Daily Dozen free phone app. It is an easy check off list that serves as a helpful reminder to eat a variety of the healthiest foods every day), I continued to eat a WFPB diet excluding meat and dairy and have also excluded all processed oils in my diet to the best of my knowledge, (Oil is an ingredient in many foods, including alternative, plant based milks and creamers. Read the lables). I began walking 30 min daily and added squats, crunches, push-ups and planks to my routine (starting very,very slowly).
Fast forward to September 28: the results are in and I am ecstatic! I want to shout from the roof top that it IS possible to control your health , reverse your numbers and possibly reverse your risk factors eating a whole food plant based diet. Back on May 10th, I posted “Share your STORY, Share your GOALS” on PBnJ Facebook page. The purpose of the post was to share with my PBnJ face book friends, why I started exploring the WFPB lifestyle. I wanted to address a history of familial hypercholesterolemia and heart disease using a whole food plant based diet as a prescription for good health. I enlisted the expertise of my PCP, (Dr.Schulze) and a local dietician (Shelby Killion) to help me better understand the nutritional aspects of my condition. We discussed possible natural treatment including flaxseed meal daily (1 tbs), increasing my legume consumption (no exact amount given), as well as, continuing meditation (defined for me as continuing my prayer life), and increasing my daily activity (since all I did was walk my dog 1/2 mile daily). The “My Fitness Pal” app also helped me get the recommended proportions of protein, fat and carbohydrates.
.
PBnJ of Corpus Christi 