Monday, 22 July 2013

The China Study Cookbook by Leanne Campbell: Review, Recipes & Giveaway

 The China Study Cookbook is a recipe book you can get excited about! It is filled with quick, flavorful meals based on a whole food, plant-based diet.  I have absolutely loved reading this book and trying out many of the recipes. Below you will find several I created and the photos I took. For the Giveaway information see bottom of page. The winner of this fabulous book will be available at the bottom of this post next Monday, July 29th. Thank you to BenBella books for providing this giveaway.

Leanne Campbell is the daughter of T. Colin Campbell who wrote the book The China Study and his newest book Whole.  Watch for my review, post and giveaway next week on the book Whole (Rethinking the Science of Nutrition). Leanne Campbell, PhD, lives in Durham, North Carolina. She has been preparing meals based on a whole-food, plant-based diet for almost 20 years. She has raised two sons—Steven and Nelson, now 18 and 17—on this diet.

One of the really nice features of The China Study Cookbook is that the recipes contain no added fat and little or no added salt.  There is also minimal use of sweetening agents.  Scientific evidence shows that we should try to avoid adding additional fat, salt and sugar to our recipes. FAT:  Keeping fat intake low is important, because fat adds a lot of extra calories making healthy weight maintenance more difficult. Also, high fat intake, especially from animal-based foods, increases your risk of high blood cholesterol, heart disease, some types of cancer, and-when it contributes to excess weight-diabetes and hypertension.  SUGAR: Reducing our intake of sugar helps us to have more room for the foods that are good for us, full of life giving properties, instead of being  life depleting.  SALT: Our bodies only need about a half teaspoon of salt daily.  For everyone, increased salt intake means an increased need for water to clean it out, an increased risk of bloating from water retention, and an increased risk of stomach and esophageal cancer.

In the introduction, Leanne talks about the mountain of empirical research supporting a whole food, plant-based diet.  She states we can obtain images of the arteries in the heart, and then show conclusively, as Drs. Dean Ornish and Caldwell Esselstyn Jr. have done, that a whole food, plant-based diet reverses heart disease. 

The Introduction has several sections that I think you will find interesting:  Leanne's Journey Toward a Plant-Based Diet, Raising Children to Consume a Plant-Based Diet, The Garden Approach (Choosing a Wide Variety of Plant Foods, Harvesting the Garden (Preparing Delicious Meals), Transitioning to a Plant-Based Diet, and Start Your Own Journey.

The recipes start on page 51 and the sections include: Breads & Muffins, Breakfast Dishes, Appetizers & Salads, Soups, Sandwiches, Entrees, Side Dishes and Desserts.
Below are recipes for Nutty Noodles with Vegetables and No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars. Both were fabulous and simple! I also added a picture of the the delicious Vegan Chocolate Cake I made and shared with family from out of town.  They loved it!  I hope you will give these recipes a try and let me know how you liked them. Also, don't forget to enter the giveaway at the bottom of the page. Good luck! 
Nutty Noodles with Vegetables (Page 196)
Makes 4 Servings (25 minutes preparation time, 15 minutes cooking time)
PRINTABLE RECIPE
1 pound whole wheat spaghetti or other pasta, cooked
1/4 cup vegetable broth
1 onion, sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced
2 cups chopped broccoli
1 large carrot, cut into thin strips
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1/4 cup natural peanut butter
1/4 cup light tamari or soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar, unseasoned
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons agave
3 green onions, sliced
1/4 cup crushed peanuts
Sea salt to taste

1)  Cook 1 pound pasta and set aside.
2)  In a large skilled, add 1/4 cup vegetable broth, onions, peppers, broccoli, and carrot.  Cook for 5 minutes until vegetables are slightly cooked.
3)  Stir in pasta, basil, and sesame seeds.  Set aside.
4)  In separate saucepan, add peanut butter, tamari or soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger, garlic, and agave.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth.  Pour over noodles.
5)  Garnish with green onions and peanuts.  Season with salt.

TIPS: Snow peas and cauliflower are both great substitutes for broccoli.  To make beautiful and easy julienne strips of carrot, use a vegetable peeler or julienne peeler.
No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars (Page 265)
Makes 9 Servings (15 minutes preparation, 1 hour chilling)
PRINTABLE RECIPE
1 cup low-fat graham crackers, crushed
1/4 cup crushed walnuts
1/2 cup reduced-fat, unsweetened coconut
1/3 cup natural peanut butter
1/4 cup nondairy milk
1 cup nondairy chocolate chips
5 tablespoons rice or almond milk

1)  Crush graham crackers in food processor.  In separate bowl, add walnuts, coconut, and peanut butter.  Stir in crushed crackers.
2) Slowly add milk and mix.  If mixture does not hold together, continue adding additional milk until all ingredients stick together.  However, don't make it too soft, and, if necessary, use your hands. 
3)  Spread mixture evenly into a 9 x 9 nonstick baking dish.
4)  In a saucepan, melt chocolate chips together with rice or almond milk over medium heat.  Stir until smooth.
5)  Spread chocolate mixture on top of peanut butter mixture.  Refrigerate for 1 hour or until hardened. Cut into squares and enjoy!

TIP:  These make a great holiday treat and should be used sparingly.
Vegan Chocolate Cake (Page 268)
GIVEAWAY INSTRUCTIONS:
(You can do all 3 of the items below to be entered into the drawing three times.  Make sure to create a new comment for each item you do.)
DEADLINE:  Giveaway will end Monday, July 29 at midnight, eastern standard time.  The winner will be drawn using a random number generator and will be announced at the bottom of this post shortly after. Good luck!!
TO ENTER: 
#1)  Leave a comment in section below this post.
#2)  Subscribe to The China Study Community Page




#3) Share this post on Pinterest.  You can share one of the pictures and mention the giveaway. 

_________________________________________________________________________


  THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED 

Congratulations Holly!
(Please contact me so I know where to send your copy of The China Study Cookbook) 

Thank you to everyone that added a comment. I wish I could send each one of you a book. Please watch for my next giveaway - WHOLE and try again to win:)  

The information source for the whole food, plant-based diet movement

- See more at: http://www.thechinastudy.com/#sthash.YALUApf6.dpuf

The China Study Community

The information source for the whole food, plant-based diet movement

- See more at: http://www.thechinastudy.com/#sthash.YALUApf6.dpuf

Wednesday, 17 July 2013

Learning about Aging from Patients and their Children

Last month I wrote about how 13 years after the death of Emily Lublin, a patient with whom I'd had a very warm and constructive relationship, I had contact with her daughter, Langley Danowitz. (I'm using names with Langley's permission.) Emily was more than two decades older than I. I believe she benefited from my attention as a psychiatrist, but I know that I benefited from the insights she offered about aging with spirit and energy.

When Langley and I spoke on the phone she spoke so interestingly about her experience in her 60s (and now, at 70), that I invited her to share her thoughts with others in the blogosphere. A few days ago she sent me this further posting. It's been well documented that physical activity has multiple benefits for the over 65 crowd. Langley brings the research findings down to earth with this personal story:

Fitness and How It Helped Me


To be honest, I am actually 70, as of January. This seems odd, as I feel pretty much the same as when I was 50 and 60, give or take a little stiffness when I get up. I am reminded of the Tin Woodsman’s plea for an oilcan. I hope one day to be able to just spray myself in bed and voila - all the kinks are gone. Is anyone working on this?

Aside from my oilcan hope, I know there is no miraculous fitness method. I started going to the gym late in life – I was 59 and had seen a picture of myself. (My exercise routine for years had been to read the NY Times while doing 15 minutes of leg lifts.) Once I stopped crying, I signed up with a personal trainer for a trial session. I wore my favorite exercise outfit – black ballet tights and a large tie-dyed tee-shirt. My husband photographed me as I descended to the gym in the basement of our building. The trainer was encouraging – she called me “Honey” as in “Honey, just 50 more”, “Honey, what did you eat yesterday?” and “Honey, keep going”. I hated and loved her. She got me started on the Fitness Path and I have never looked back (except when someone’s trying to pass me).

In the 10 years since I discovered fitness, I have tried a variety of exercise, from boxing to Zumba. I started with a personal trainer once a week – now I exercise EVERY DAY. Being a Party Animal, I have found happiness in the socialness of groups. Picture a class – 40 women of varying shapes and 2 guys who either are lost or got dragged in by their girlfriends. It’s like a weight loss meeting – the men are rare and ignored. Before you think I’m a martyr - I should admit that I LIKE exercise. I do it because it’s fun for me and I get to wear cute outfits. Moving my body to commands from an amazing physical specimen just warms my heart – call me strange big time. Many of my newest friends are trainers – I keep showing up for their classes and I guess they appreciate it.

I hope I am inspiring you to give exercise a chance. After all, that is why I’m writing this. If you are just starting, here are Langley’s Five Most Important Tips:

1. Be not afraid to try it.

2. Ask your doctor if you need any restrictions.

3. Join a local gym for a month.

4. Make an appointment with a personal trainer.

5. Try several different classes at your gym to see what you like.

Exercise has totally changed my life – I think clearer, I feel better and I am easier to get along with. Give it a shot and let me know how YOU like it.  All best, Langley
Here's a photo of Langley with her trainer:

In my psychiatry residency, when we overly intellectual twenty somethings asked our training director what we should read to become wise psychiatrists, he said "Listen to your patients...they will be your best teachers!" And when I was dealing with a not very communicative "elderly" man (probably 10-15 years younger than I am now) who became depressed after losing his job at a beer factory, my supervisor advised me to "have him tell you all about what it's like to work in a beer factory all your adult life..." Throughout my entire clinical career I tried to follow their precepts. In retrospect it seems clear that the domains in which I learned most about  life, human nature, and myself, have been family and clinical practice.

But there's always something new to learn. Emily "taught me" about aging before she died 13 years ago. Now her daughter Langley is continuing "conversation" I had with her mother.

What a privilege it is to be allowed to enter human lives as a health professional!