Step Into 2019 With A FREE Safe & Sustainable Weight Loss Programme

MACROVegan  ChitChat with Marlene
Our New Year Gift To You All - Download this £149 Course For Free
Ten years ago I created my first on-line course called Weight Loss Nature's Way. It then became Weight Loss with MACROVegan . The success for clients world-wide has been immense and it makes my heart sing to receive emails from people who have struggled their whole lives with health issues on their never-ending struggle to lose weight and keep it off. My programme is sustainable and enjoyable for everyone.
To celebrate this decade of success I have put a FREE FOR JANUARY CODE on our SHOPIFY store, so you can download this programme and help yourself or others to better health. The course includes 10 cooking class videos with me, educational tutorials, lifestyle tips and much more. Obesity and diabetes are increasing globally so if anyone in your circle of family, friends or colleagues are in need of help, please send this newsletter to them. Simply follow the instructions on the link, add to cart, then click checkout DO NOT CLICK ON PAYPAL. Click on apply and continue to payment method and complete order. You will then receive the course ready to download into your inbox. It's really that simple, you make the choice to start NOW.
Veganism Growing World-Wide
As a long-time vegan my joy of seeing the growth of veganism world-wide is so exciting. I have just finished my next book called Go Veganlaunching in March and our beloved friend Professor T. Colin Campbell has written the foreword.
I have also received fabulous reviews and endorsements for the book from super mentors such as Dr. Neal Barnard from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicinein Washington. In the image above you can see Dr. Barnard with hundreds of doctors outside The White House lobbying for a vegan world. There are so many incredible folks around the globe doing great work to make a vegan world the "new normal". That is my wish and my goal that drives me daily. I am and always will be an eternal optimist. Education is the most powerful tool we have to change the world.
As we reflect on this past year, Bill and I do believe that our work and that of all who use their voice for our animal kingdom, the environment, human health and social justice has begun to make an impact.  We have many exciting projects happening in 2019 and thank you all for sharing and caring. Please make 2019 the year to #govegan and educate others on non-violent vegan advocacy. It is not a hardship being vegan, it is a great joy.
To create a healthy world, we must have healthy humans. Hydrate, exercise, eat plants and thrive. Wishing you all a happy new year, live long and prosper.
In good health

The Bone Broth Fad

If you desire the truth about what is REAL in terms of food and nutrition, please sign up for our newsletters. The bone broth fad is back again so I have addressed below why you should avoid this toxic potion and focus on my magic mineral broth instead.
Soups and broths have been a regular feature in cooking since before historical records. In fact, one of the oldest books in Chinese medicine is Dr. Yi Yins Soup Classic.^[1] In the West we can look to Hippocrates, the Father of Western medicine. He was fond of recommending barley soup to his patients. What we know is that when a person is ill, they may find it easier to drink a restorative soup than eat a full meal. Soups have been used for many reasons.
The bone broth fad, which consists of boiling bones and tissue as a strengthening tonic, is a little strange for a number of reasons:

• A number of nutritional studies show that animal source fats and protein are harmful to health.
• Heavy metals and other toxic compounds ingested by animals–including those raised for food– have a tendency to accumulate in fatty tissue.
• The history of boiling bones and other tissues that are difficult to eat undoubtedly began as a way of gleaning every possible bit of nutrition from the body of animals killed for food–either hunted or farmed–in times of food shortages.

In my experience, whole, nutritious vegetables are all that’s needed for some of the most healing and restorative soups and broths you can make. The broth below is a favorite with my clients. It contains ingredients that are energizing and extremely nutritious. Three ingredients in the broth may be unfamiliar to some readers. They are specific foods that are used in the traditions of China and Japan and have some fascinating qualities. As a long-time teacher and health counsellor of macrobiotics, I use these fantastic ingredients in many of my soups and broths.

Kombu Seaweed

According to Professor Arasaki of the University of Tokyo, sea vegetables contain more minerals than any other food. All the 56 elements essential for human health are present in sea vegetables, including many trace minerals that are often lacking in modern produce due to demineralization of the soil. This may be why the people of Okinawa seldom show signs of mineral depletion and live long lives.^[2]

According to Professor Arasaki of the University of Tokyo, sea vegetables contain more minerals than any other food.

Scientists at McGill University in Canada showed that sodium alginate—one of the chemical compounds found in kombu—removes radioactive elements and heavy metals from the system.

Shiitake Mushrooms

Shiitake mushrooms are well known for their use in traditional medicine. Among the many mushrooms that have been tested for unique chemical properties, they have always stood out. In 1936, Dr. Kisaku Mori established the Institute of Mushroom Research in Tokyo. Until his death in 1977, he worked with scientists from around the world to document the medicinal effects of shiitake.
Mori’s work gained significant attention, particularly in Japanese medicinal circles, and beginning in the 1960s, scientists launched an extensive search to uncover the secret of shiitake mushrooms’ legendary healing powers. Their studies—about one hundred—all focused on shiitake mushrooms’ ability to rapidly lower serum cholesterol, as well as its potent antitumor, antiviral, and antibiotic properties.
Shiitake mushrooms were also found to have antifungal and antioxidant properties,^[3][4] and to reduce toxicity in the liver. ^[5]
I offer all my clients and students a big mug of my fabulous broth at all my classes and workshops. You can join me in the kitchen in this video and make a big pot of this delicious and nutritious drink for yourself and your family. I also keep this broth on hand as a soup stock.

Marlene’s Vegetable Mineral Broth

A vegetable broth made from organically grown vegetables can be an excellent source of essential electrolytes. Ionic minerals are the key to maintaining good health. The broth is a wonderful, filling snack that will also provide you with many healthy nutrients that will help you feel great. The recipe can be varied to suit your taste.

References

1. Sho H, ‘History and characteristics of Okinawan longevity food’ Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition 10 (2001):159
2. Sho H, ‘History and characteristics of Okinawan longevity food’ Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition 10 (2001):159
3. The plant defensin RsAFP2 induces cell wall stress, septin mislocalization and accumulation of ceramides in Candida albicans Karin Thevissen , Patricia de Mello Tavares, Deming Xu , Jill Blankenship, Davy Vandenbosch, Jolanta Idkowiak‐Baldys, Gilmer Govaert, Anna Bink, Sonia Rozental – 05 March 2012 – https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2958.2012.08017.x
4. Nutrients. 2017 Sep; 9(9): 1014. Published online 2017 Sep 14. doi: 10.3390/nu9091014, PMCID: PMC5622774 PMID: 28906451 Radish (Raphanus sativus) and Diabetes , Saleem Ali Banihani
5. Toxicol Res. 2012 Sep; 28(3): 165–172, doi: 10.5487/TR.2012.28.3.165, PMCID: PMC3834419, PMID: 24278606 – Effects of White Radish (Raphanus sativus) Enzyme Extract on Hepatotoxicity – Sang Wha Lee, Kwang Mo Yang, Jung Ki Kim, Byung

 

Go Vegan – It’s Easy

Our Vegan Advocacy Work
Back in the time of Copernicus, most would have thought it impossible if you said that you were going to convince everyone that the Earth revolved around the Sun, rather than the other way around, but it did eventually happen!  So, the past teaches us to have hope for the future. In our 90 years combined teaching Bill and I have high hope we can all come together and make a better world, a VEGAN WORLDwhere humans and non-humans alike live in harmony. Success can only be achieved through education, understanding and ultimately action.

It’s Not Difficult To Be Vegan
Going vegan is simply a choice you make. Many people live in their head and over think the concept of where to begin. It’s easy, you remove all the animal food and replace with delicious plant-based foods, the choice is yours. You can do it right now.

We Are All One
When we reflect deeply on our relationship with the outer world, our environment, we realise that we are never independent of its influences. Food is the link between the inside and the outside world. Our Human Ecology Diet is abundant in every vitamin and mineral required for good health, vitality and longevity. Our vision with MACROVegan  is to continue to share our passion for a vegan world.

How to Rethink Protein Once and For All 
Protein is a subject that always comes up when discussing veganism. When you think of the biggest animals on the planet, elephants, giraffes, buffalo, these are huge mammals, they don’t eat meat, so where do they get their protein? They eat what grows out of the ground and that is where they get their protein; it’s as simple as that. There are many foods in the plant kingdom that are especially rich in protein. All the legume family, anything that is grown in a pod, lentils, beans, chickpeas, wholegrains are full of protein, and many vegetables are rich in protein too.

Protein Is In Everything: Vegan Athletes Are Renowned For Their Athletic Excellence.
If you are getting enough calories from wholefoods, such as grains, beans, legumes, vegetables, seeds, nuts, fruits, you will obtain your requirement of protein easily and in a healthful way because the protein is in the bean, in the lentil, in the wholegrain. A healthy diet rejects the animal products as well the highly processed and sugary foods that flood the marketplace.

Protein deficiency is not an issue on a vegan diet. That’s not the problem, there are plenty of amino acids, plenty of protein on a plant-based diet. In fact, the health crisis exists because people are eating way too much protein, which in fact injure your arteries and your kidneys as it leaches calcium out of your bones. The solution is eating a diverse diet and not just focusing on two or three foods.

Eating a plant-based vegan diet does not mean living on processed foods, sweets or sugary drinks. You must eat FOOD AS GROWN to receive the adequate protein you need daily. Corn on the cob is one thing, corn chips are different, potatoes are a wholefood, and potato crisps are not. In our decades of health counselling, Bill and I have yet to meet someone with a protein deficiency. Only those starving to death are deficient in protein. If you are going to be adopting a wholefood plant-based diet, there are some things you must do properly.  It’s not just a matter of eating snack foods or processed fake ‘meats’ and burgers, and think you are going to be healthy.

Plants are high energy foods, it’s good to note that an increasing number of athletes are switching to a vegan diet. Recent winners of long distance events like triathlons, marathons, and bicycle events are eating a vegan diet. Even professional footballers like Lionel Messi have made the switch. They know that they suffer fewer injuries and recover their energy better by eating plants.

Exciting Facts About Making Vegan Choices

• Vegetables are easy to grow, any gardener can grow potatoes, carrots, greens etc., and they are inexpensive, rice and beans are also not expensive, (especially when you buy in bulk).
• Animal meat is not required to build muscle or bone. These are mythologies that are based on limited science and the livestock and dairy industry.
• Plants are lower on the food chain, the environmental pollutants that are so prevalent in our food are in low concentrations in your plant-based foods. Animals that are eaten are fed food grown with pesticides, herbicides, chemical fertilizers and drink water exposed to industrial pollution. These contaminants are stored in the fatty tissue of the animal. They can concentrate 1000-fold as they go up the food chain. This concentration of toxic products affects all animals on land or at sea.
• Plants are environmentally friendly. You can grow 17 times more nutritional energy on a piece of land with vegetables than you can with animal food. The difference between growing potatoes and raising beef is 100-fold.
• We are all living on a planet that is food stressed. There is a real risk of food shortages. We need to grow more food and healthy food. There are near to one billion people (our brothers and sisters) starving to death, while nearly one billion people are eating themselves to death. 85% of non-communicable diseases are dietary related.
• Vegetables don’t grow microbes, they don’t grow e-coli, they don’t grow mad cow’s disease, they don’t grow listeria. If a vegetable or grain does have a contaminant on it, then it originated from an animal. Animal faeces are a major agricultural pollutant.
• Vegetables taste amazing. Sweet potatoes, fresh corn on the cob, rice, etc., because they are full of natural sugars and you have taste buds on the tip of your tongue that taste sugar.
• Vegetables store well, you can dry and store potatoes for 10 years. Grains and beans store in a cool place for years.
• Plant based foods are easy to travel with.
• Wholefoods (not processed junk food) are great foods for weight loss. Remember, they have no fat.
• Everything that breathes wants to live, Please GOVEGAN and love all of life

Follow our MACROVegan dietary guidelines here For A List Of Nutrient Sources
Complex Carbohydrates
Whole Grains, Beans, Vegetables, Fruits
Proteins
Beans, Seeds, Nuts, Whole Grains, Seaweeds
Fat
Seeds, Nuts, Oils, Beans, Tofu, Tempeh, Oats
Calcium
Dark Greens (Kale, Broccoli, Collards, etc.), Legumes, Soybeans, Seaweeds, Almonds, Tahini, Fortified Plant-Based Milks, Dried Fruit, Seeds
Iron
Dark Greens, Seaweeds, Millet, Lentils, Garbanzo Beans, Seeds
Vitamin A
Dark Leafy Greens, Carrots, Squashes, Seaweeds
B Vitamins
Whole Grains, Sea Vegetables, Lentils, Fermented Foods
Vitamin B12
Fortified Foods, Nutritional Yeast etc., B12 supplementation
Vitamin C
Dark Greens (Kale, Parsley, Broccoli, etc.), Local Fruits
Vitamin E
Whole Grains, Olives, Seeds, Leafy Greens
Trace Minerals
Sea Salt, Seaweeds, Organic Produce

Ingredients List for A Healthy Transition to A MACROVegan Diet
 Instead of:                              Use:
 Baked goods                           Dairy-free cookies, muffins etc.,                  
 White bread                            Wholegrain, sourdough bread or sprouted bread
 Cheese                                      Nutritional yeast, roasted tofu products
 Meat                                         Beans, lentils, tofu, tempeh
 Meat stock                              Miso, miso bouillon, dulse or vegetable stock
 Milk                                           Rice, oat or almond milk
 Pasta dishes                            Wholewheat, rice or spelt pasta, udon or soba noodles
 Iodised Salt                             Natural sea salt
 White rice                               Short grain brown rice, quinoa, barley, millet, buckwheat
 Sugar                                         Brown rice syrup, barley malt or maple syrup
 Scrambled eggs                      Tofu, (scrambles well)
Setting Up Your Kitchen!
 There are some essentials you need in the kitchen in order to make vegan cooking easy and delicious.
 The Essentials:

• A sharp knife
• A wok, saucepans and soup pot
• Cutting board
• Steamer basket or bamboo steamer
• Hand Blender
• Strainer
• Wooden spoons
• Mixing bowls

Stock Your Cupboard With:

• A variety of grains
• A variety of beans, dried
• Organic cooked beans in jars
• Dried sea vegetables
• A variety of noodles
• Natural sweeteners: rice syrup, barley malt, etc.,
• Dried fruit
• Seeds and nuts
• All-fruit jams

For Your Refrigerator
A colourful array of vegetables for daily use is key to a healthy vegan diet.

You Will Save Money Being Vegan
There is a huge misconception that it is expensive to eat this way. On the contrary, we hear from so many of our students and clients that they have saved up to 40% on their groceries since becoming vegan. Depending on where you live in the world food choices vary but vegetables, beans and grains are always available.

Making Vegan – The New Normal Is Our Mission
Vegan For:
The Animals
Our Health
World Huger
Wildlife
Peace
The Rainforest
Our Planet
EVERYTHING

You can purchase my latest book Go Vegan world wide on amazon. Thank you for your support.

Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world
Nelson Mandela

In good health

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Seminars and Lectures with Bill and Marlene

October, November and December 2018

For the next months Bill and Marlene will only be dong seminars and lectures by invitation. They are busy with the launch of Bill's new book, Eating As If All Life Matters (now available on Amazon) and in production and photography for Marlene's next book, "Go ?Vegan".

If your group or organization would like to make a bookinf for classes, weekend seminars or keynote speaking at your event please contact them at marlene@macrovegan.org or bill@macrovegan.org.

We hope you are having and wonderful auttumn and winter.

Health, Nutrition & The Carnivore Craze

For over fifty years I have watched dietary fads come and go. Usually, they are simply a way of selling books with wild claims. Sometimes they revolve around a new “superfood” or ingredient with supposed magical ingredients, and sometimes they are simply permission to carry on with a specific bad habit. The Carnivore, Ketogenic, Paleo or Dukan diets are examples of the former.
Some may recognize that the basic principle is similar to the Atkins Diet that was popular in the early 1990’s with only the smallest changes. The basic principle is that carbohydrates are dangerous and animal protein is the solution to the growing girth of people’s waistlines.

The kernel of truth is that you can certainly lose weight quickly on these diets.

Low carbohydrate intake causes blood sugar levels to drop, and the body begins breaking down fat to use as energy. They depend on a physical response called ketosis, which is actually a mild form of ketoacidosis.
Ketoacidosis is a sickness, and it is the leading cause of death of people with diabetes under 24-years of age. It is a toxic condition. It has no positive health benefits aside from rapid weight loss. The main two qualities that make these programs popular are:

1. You can lose weight quickly.
2. You can eat a lot of meat and feel good about it.

When there is an insufficient intake of carbohydrates, the body’s primary fuel, the body turns to fat and protein for energy. This is the same condition that occurs when a person is starving to death. The difference is that in this case, the person can stave off the hunger pangs by eating more food. The people on this diet make themselves sick in order to gain a cosmetic result. The attainment of health is seen as secondary to “looking good.” Weight loss with no regard to health is not only ridiculous; it is also dangerous.
This is similar to a slightly more sophisticated and culturally acceptable form of anorexia. These diets promote the foods that the American Cancer Society, the Heart Association and the World Health Organization tell us are the common causes of death and disability.

PLANT-BASED DIET

The weight of peer-reviewed nutritional studies from around the world shows that eating a plant-based diet is the healthiest way to eat. Simple observation confirms that before the introduction of Western animal protein diets, most people around the world were not bothered by obesity. We have an unhealthy addiction to eating animals. We need to understand that our obsession with animal protein is an outdated concept that becomes more dangerous to ourselves and the environment with each passing year.
The evidence has been building over the past twenty years: Our reliance on meat and dairy foods are a mistake. Most epidemiological studies indicate that excessive consumption of meat and dairy is a primary factor in most degenerative disease. These studies, coupled with the fact that the economic and environmental damage of the modern meat and dairy industry far outweighs its social and nutritional value, do not seem to shake the public belief that animal fats and protein are essential for a healthy diet. That more and more people reject these foods on ethical grounds related to the animal abuse sets the stage for a food fight of epic proportions.
There is certainly adequate information regarding the horrific and unhealthy conditions that factory-farming methods impose on cows, pigs, chicken, and fish, as well as the many other animals that are slaughtered for food each day. Most people would not eat the meat they consume if they had to witness the events that brought it to market.
The fact that we need around 65-billion animals killed every year to survive, seems strange when we look at the physical, anthropological and nutritional facts. We can only come to one conclusion – the argument has nothing to do with nutrition, science, compassion or common sense. No.

The subject of animal-food consumption is ruled largely by emotion and cultural mythologies.

Against the backdrop of the linkage between animal products and the increase in heart disease, stroke, cancer and even diabetes, we have to ask ourselves what kind of urges could bolster the desire eat meat as even a small part of a healthy diet, several urges spring to mind:

• The brave hunter returns to the cave with an antelope strapped on his back, which he offers his family as they cower in the shadows of their cave.
• The independent cowboy hunkers down beside the campfire for a big plate of fried meat and cornbread.
• The wealthy landowner sits down to the groaning table filled with roasted birds, fish and leg of lamb.
• Dad fires up the grill and throws on the burgers and hotdogs, the flags are flying.

Powerful images that operate below the surface of consciousness often define who we think we are. Man the hunter, rugged individualism, dominion over the earth, wealth and shared experience all factor in our attitudes regarding what we eat and how we use all of the resources essential to our existence.
What arguments could the proponents of a meat-rich diet possibly use to justify this habit that is creating illness, brutality and ecological ruin? Well, the answer to that question is simple: a heady mix of bad science and fear of change.

IS MEAT PART OF OUR DESTINY?

One of the most interesting arguments to support the eating of meat is that we are omnivorous; we can eat it all. I would never argue with that. Early humans ate a varied diet that probably included insects, small game, fruit and plants. I am not aware of any logical contradiction to this idea.

The issue here is that we were not “natural carnivores” in the accepted definition of the word.

A carnivore is an animal that has a diet mainly or exclusively of animal meat. This meat can be obtained through either hunting and killing or scavenging the leftovers from what other animals kill. The academic arguments continue regarding the dietary details of our evolution, but certain compelling facts emerge that challenge many cultural mythologies.
The most accurate indications of early diet are found in the mouth and intestinal tract. This is where the history of any animal’s dietary past is reflected most dramatically. Indications of the earliest human remains show that man was never a true carnivore. In fact, meat (other than insects) was probably a rather small part of dietary consumption. The proof of this lies in both human structure and function.
Starting from the most mentioned and most obvious, our so-called canine teeth don’t qualify us as carnivores. They are placed back toward the outer corners of the mouth and they are not long enough, large enough or strong enough to grip, hold and tear flesh. There is no evidence in the fossil record that we have ever had the sharp, developed teeth to tear meat or the jaw joints to hold or grind bones with any effectiveness, let alone the claws that are essential tools for the capture and kill.
The issue of cheeks is one that often brings a laugh when I bring it up in lectures. Carnivores don’t have cheeks; they don’t need them. You don’t keep meat in your mouth; you only have cheeks when you keep food in your mouth to aid digestion and to masticate. Humans have digestive enzymes to digest complex carbohydrates (not needed for carnivores); we do not develop these capacities unless they are essential for our existence.

The same indications are there in the human intestinal tract.

Carnivores have very short intestines with fairly smooth walls. Meat fiber is not beneficial to intestinal health in any animal. When the surface nutrients are released from meat, the intestines need to be flushed, the fiber is toxic. Herbivores and humans have a longer (two to three times as long), more complex digestive tract that holds vegetable fiber longer to achieve maximum efficiency and support the growth of beneficial microorganisms.
All of these features take us back over several hundred thousand years, far before the development of tools or practical use of fire. One of the problems that emerge in interpreting all these indications of our original diet is the fact that one of our most precious gifts is our adaptability.
The first humans left their African home 1.8 to 1.3 million years ago, depending on which of the current migratory theories you apply. As tribes moved into the colder and less fertile lands, it was important to follow herds of animals and to rely more on animal sources of food for survival. Those tribes who remained in the cooler climates retained their relationship to animals as a food source, either in the wild, or eventually, domesticated and used for milk products.
Over thousands of years, this adaptation included the sophistication of tool making, the control and use of fire for cooking and warmth, and eventually agriculture. From twenty to ten-thousand years ago, agriculture slowly developed along with cooking. Anthropologists tell us that during this period, the primary development in human biology was an enlargement in brain size. This growth in the brain is attributed to the fact that cooking made digestion more efficient and allowed more caloric energy for the development of the brain.
If this is true, it would indicate a movement away from our original diet to meet the challenges of migration and environment, and then a return to a more plant-based diet to meet the social and physical needs of an increased population and a more settled cultural life. All of these changes were in service of staying alive, staying healthy and serving the needs of the social group. We still face these issues; they are simply in a different form.

TRADITION AND EVOLUTION

I usually ask clients to describe their diet to me. I have asked people in 22 countries this same question. The two most common answers are, “I eat a really good diet” (everything is relative) and, “I was raised on a traditional diet.” (This invariably means, “I eat meat.” The former is usually the female answer and the latter comes mostly from men.)
Tradition gets used as a reason for a multitude of sins. If it was good enough for grandpa it is good enough for me. Two questions spring to mind – the first question is if our nostalgia for tradition is a reflection of fact and the second is the value of tradition on its own.

When I started to eat a macrobiotic diet in the mid-1960’s my grandfather told me that I was eating more like he did as a child.

His family lived on porridge, bread, vegetables, beans and small game with very little red meat. He thought it was funny I was eating this way, but he loved the food.
The amount of meat in the diets of most people 100 years ago, was very small; it was chemical free and free-range or grazed. I have found this to be true in every country I have visited; if you ask the elders, their diet included less meat unless they were quite wealthy.
There has been a long association between wealth and meat-eating: The wealthiest get the best cuts, and the poor get what’s left. This is still true today. Meat eating and the abundance of food are often associated with success. It has always been the rich who were overweight, but with the shift in the modern diet, the tables are turned. Food abundance and plentiful meat and dairy are now the staples of the fast-food diet.  Obesity is now available to everyone – how democratic. The only problem is that the meat being consumed is still the scrap.
The popular fast food hamburger can contain as little as 15% meat and includes bones, connective tissue, blood vessels, fat, water, nerves, cartilage and plant-based fillers. No one wants to know what’s in a hot dog. So-called traditions of meat eating serve those who sell meat but are not a reflection of reality.  The question still hangs in the air; even if our ancestors ate meat as a primary food why should that affect our diet today?

Human evolution is dominated by two influences: physical adaptation and cultural adaptation.

Physical adaptation is a reflection of our ability to meet the challenges and changes in the environment as reflected in physical form and function. These changes represent the raw desire for survival. Cultural evolution represents a different and unique aspect of human life. If any “tradition” is destructive to individual, social or environmental integrity, it needs to be discarded. Meat eating is just such a habit; there is no benefit in respecting a tradition that poisons the future.
The issues around meat-eating not only span the health and environmental impacts of the food we eat but permeate our collective psyche. Historically, the ethics of eating animals was usually addressed as part of a philosophical or spiritual inquiry, but we seem to place secular morality off to the side.
Increasingly, we are faced with moral decisions that are not defined in ancient texts or fear of punishment from angry gods. These decisions are driven by a desire to evolve the finer attributes of human potential and all of them lead to the world that balances the needs of humankind with the environment that we have grown out of. The quest to live in balance with the laws of nature is fundamental, regardless of how we imagine those laws to have been created. Killing the world to satisfy our taste buds and a stubborn adherence to an imagined tradition, do not serve the higher good.

Magic Mineral Broth For Fat Burning

MAGIC MINERAL BROTH

A vegetable broth made from organically grown vegetables can be an excellent source of essential electrolytes. Ionic minerals are the key to maintaining good health. My broth is incredibly nutritious and a health-boosting food that is very easy to make. There is no – absolutely no – need to use the bones of our animal kingdom for the so-called miracle cure-all that humans hanker after. The three “magic” ingredients in my mineral broth come from plants: Kombu seaweed, dried shiitake mushrooms, and dried daikon.

This organic magic mineral broth is a wonderfully filling snack that will also provide you with many healing nutrients as it alkalinizes your system, making it easier to detoxify lose weight, and feel great.
The recipe can be varied according to taste. I use my magic broth for clients with cancer, diabetes and a host of other illnesses. It’s also fantastic for discharging excess fat and proteins that accumulate around our organs, so it is a wonderful broth for weight loss Please incorporate this amazing broth into your diet. A healthy equilibrium is the key to strength and vitality. You can make this broth along with me right in your kitchen by clicking the video link at the bottom of the page.

RECIPE FOR ALKALIZING VEGETABLE MINERAL BROTH:

Ingredients

2 x 5 inch strips of dried Kombu seaweed
6 dried shiitake mushrooms
1 x 40g pack of dried daikon
6 carrots cut into chunks
2 medium onions cut into chunks
1 leek, both white and green parts, cut into chunks
1 small bunch of celery including the heart, cut into chunks
5 unpeeled cloves garlic, halved
1 small pumpkin or squash with skin on, quartered
5 inch piece of fresh ginger, sliced
4 cups chopped greens such as kale, chard,
½ bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley

Instructions

In a large stock or soup pot, combine all the ingredients. Fill the pot to 2 inches below the rim with water, cover, and bring to a boil. Remove the lid, decrease the heat to a medium/low simmer for a minimum of 2 hours. As the stock simmers, some of the water will evaporate; add more if the vegetables are exposed. Simmer until the full richness of the vegetables can be tasted. Strain the stock and pour into glass storage jars. Refrigerating works well with any broth.
The ingredients above serve a family for days, but you require rather a large stock/soup pot, so adjust the ingredients accordingly for your own needs. Drink 2 to 3 cups daily in between meals (not with food). You can make this broth with me in your kitchen by clicking on my video here
In good health

 

 

Health, Nutrition & The Carnivore Craze

For over fifty years I have watched dietary fads come and go. Usually they are simply a way of selling books with wild claims. Sometimes they revolve around a new “superfood” or ingredient with supposed magical ingredients and sometimes they are simply permission to carry on with a specific bad habit. The Carnivore, Ketogenic, Paleo or Dukan diets are examples of the former.
Some may recognize that the basic principle is similar to the Atkins Diet that was popular in the early 1990’s with only the smallest changes. The basic principle is that carbohydrates are dangerous and animal protein is the solution to the growing girth of the worlds waistlines. The kernel of truth is that you can certainly lose weight quickly on these diets.
Low carbohydrate intake causes blood sugar levels to drop and the body begins breaking down fat to use as energy. They depend on a physical response called ketosis which is actually a mild form of ketoacidosis.
Ketoacidosis is a sickness that is the leading cause of death of people with diabetes who are under 24 years of age. It is a toxic condition. It has no positive health benefits aside from rapid weight loss. The main two qualities that make these programs popular are:

1. You can lose weight quickly.
2. You can eat lots of meat and feel good about it.

When there is insufficient intake of carbohydrate, the bodies primary fuel, the body turns to fat and protein for energy. This is the same condition that occurs when a person is starving to death. The difference is that in this case the person can stave off the hunger pangs by eating more food. The person on these diets make themselves sick in order to gain a cosmetic result, the attainment of health is seen as secondary to “looking good”. Weight loss with no regard to health is not only ridiculous, it is also dangerous.
This is similar to a slightly more sophisticated and culturally acceptable form of anorexia. These diets promote the foods that the American Cancer Society, the Heart Association and the World Health Organization tell us are the common causes of death and disability.
The weight of peer reviewed nutritional studies from around the world show that eating a plant based diet is the healthiest way to eat. Simple observation confirms that before the introduction of Western animal protein diets, most people around the world were not bothered by obesity. We have an unhealthy addiction to eating animals. We need to understand that our obsession with animal protein is an outdated concept that becomes more dangerous to ourselves and the environment with each passing year.
The evidence has been building over the past twenty years that our reliance of meat and dairy foods are a mistake. Most epidemiological studies indicate that excessive consumption of meat and dairy is a primary factor in most degenerative disease. These studies, coupled with the fact that the economic and environmental damage of the modern meat and dairy industry far outweighs its social and nutritional value, do not seem to shake the public belief that animal fats and protein are essential for a healthy diet. That more and more people reject these foods on ethical grounds related to the animal abuse sets the stage for a food fight of epic proportions.
There is certainly adequate information regarding the horrific and unhealthy conditions that factory-farming methods impose on cows, pigs, chicken and fish as well as the many other animals that are slaughtered for food daily. Most people would not eat the meat they consume daily if they had to witness the events that brought it to market. The fact that we need around 65 billion animals killed every year to survive seems strange when we look at the physical, anthropological and nutritional facts. We can only come to one conclusion – the argument has nothing to do with nutrition, science, compassion or common sense. No - the subject of animal food consumption is ruled largely by emotion and cultural mythologies.
Against the backdrop of the linkage between animal products and the increases in heart disease, stroke, cancers and even diabetes we have to ask ourselves what kind of visions or urges could bolster the desire to continue using meat as even a small part of a healthy diet, several spring to mind:

• The brave hunter returns to the cave with an antelope strapped on his back, which he offers his family as they cower in the shadows of their cave.
• The independent cowboy hunkers down beside the campfire for a big plate of fried meat and cornbread.
• The wealthy landowner sits down to the groaning table filled with roasted birds, fishes and legs of lamb.
• Dad fires up the grill and throws on the burgers and hotdogs, the flags are flying.

Powerful images that operate below the surface of consciousness often define who we think we are. Man the hunter, rugged individualism, dominion over the earth, wealth and shared experience all factor in our attitudes regarding what we eat and how we use all of the resources essential to our existence. What arguments could the proponents of a meat rich diet possibly use to justify this habit that is creating illness, brutality and ecological ruin? Well the answers to that question is simple, a heady mix of bad science and a fear of change.
Is Meat Part Of Our Destiny?
One of the most interesting arguments supporting the eating of meat is that we are omnivorous; we can eat it all. I would never argue with that. Early humans ate a varied diet that probably included insects, small game, fruits and plants. I am not aware of any logical contradiction to this idea.
The issue here is that we were not “natural carnivores” in the accepted definition of the word. A carnivore is an animal that has a diet mainly or exclusively of animal meat. This meat can be obtained through either hunting and killing or scavenging the left overs from what other animals kill.The academic arguments continue regarding the dietary details of our evolution but certain compelling facts emerge that challenge many cultural mythologies.
The most accurate indications of early diet are to be found in the mouth and intestinal tract. This is where the history of any animal’s dietary past is reflected most dramatically. Indications of the earliest human remains show that man was never a true carnivore. In fact, meat (other than insects) was probably a rather small part of dietary consumption. The proofs of this lie in both human structure and function.
Starting from the most mentioned and most obvious, our so-called canine teeth don’t qualify us as carnivores, they are placed back toward the outer corners of the mouth and they are not long enough, large enough or strong enough to grip, hold and tear flesh. There is no evidence in the fossil record that we have ever had the sharp developed teeth to tear meat or the jaw joints to hold or grind bones with any effectiveness let alone the claws that are essential tools for the capture and kill.
The issue of cheeks is one that often brings a laugh when I bring it up in lectures. Carnivores don’t have cheeks; they don’t need them. You don’t keep meat in your mouth; you only have cheeks when you keep food in your mouth to aid digestion and to masticate. Humans have digestive enzymes to digest complex carbohydrates (not needed for carnivores); we do not develop these capacities unless they are essential for our existence.
The same indications are there in the human intestinal tract. Carnivores have very short intestines with fairly smooth walls. Meat fiber is not beneficial to intestinal health in any animal. When the surface nutrients are released from meat the intestines need to be flushed, the fiber is toxic. Herbivores and humans have a longer (two to three times as long) more complex digestive tract that holds vegetable fiber longer to achieve maximum efficiency and support the growth of beneficial microorganisms. All of these features take us back over several hundred thousand years, far before the development of tools or practical use of fire. One of the problems that emerge in interpreting all these indications of our original diet is the fact that one of our most precious gifts is our adaptability.
The first humans left their African home 1.8 to 1.3 million years ago, depending on which of the current migratory theories you apply. As tribes moved into the colder and less fertile lands it was important to follow herds of animals and to rely more on animal sources of food for survival. Those tribes who remained in the cooler climates retained their relationship to animals as a food source either in the wild or eventually domesticated and used for milk products.
Over thousands of years this adaptation included the sophistication of tool making, the control and use of fire for cooking and warmth and eventually agriculture. From 20,000 to 10,000 years ago agriculture slowly developed and with it cooking. Anthropologists tell us that during this period the primary development in human biology was an enlargement in brain size. This growth in the brain is attributed to the fact that cooking made digestion more efficient and allowed more caloric energy for development of the brain.
If this is true it would indicate a movement away from our original diet to meet the challenges of migration and environment and then a return to a more plant based diet to meet the social and physical needs of an increased population and a more settled cultural life. All of these changes were in service of staying alive, staying healthy and serving the needs of the social group. We still face these issues they are simply in a different form.
Tradition and Evolution
I usually ask clients to describe their diet to me. I have asked people in 22 countries this same question. The two most common answers are “I eat a really good diet” (everything is relative) and “I was raised on a traditional diet” (this invariably means, “I eat meat”. The former is usually the female answer and the latter comes mostly from men.
Tradition gets used as a reason for a multitude of sins. If it was good enough for grandpa it is good enough for me. Two questions spring to mind – the first question is if our nostalgia for tradition is a reflection of fact and the second is the value of tradition on its own.
When I started to eat a macrobiotic diet in the mid 1960’s my grandfather told me that I was eating more like he did as a child. His family lived on porridge, bread, vegetables, beans and small game with very little red meat. He thought it was funny I was eating this way but he loved the food. The amount of meat in the diets of most people 100 years ago was very small; it was chemical free and free range or grazed. I have found this to be true in every country I have visited; if you ask the elders, their diet included less meat unless they were quite wealthy.
There has been a long association between wealth and meat eating, the wealthiest get the best cuts, and the poor get what’s left. This is still true today; meat eating and the abundance of food are often associated with success. It has always been the rich who were overweight with the shift in the modern diet the tables are turned. Food abundance and plentiful meat and dairy are now the staples of the fast food diet.  Obesity is now available for everyone – how democratic. The only problem is that the meat being consumed is still the scrap.
The popular fast food hamburger can contain as little as 15% meat and includes bones, connective tissue, blood vessels, fat, water, nerves, cartilage and plant based fillers. No one wants to know what’s in a hot dog. So-called traditions of meat eating serve those who sell meat but are not a reflection of reality.  The question still hangs in the air; even if our ancestors ate meat as a primary food why should that affect our diet today?
Human evolution is dominated by two influences, physical adaptation and cultural adaptation. Physical adaptation is a reflection of our ability to meet the challenges and changes in the environment as reflected in physical form and function. These changes represent the raw desire for survival. Cultural evolution represents a different and unique aspect of human life. If any “tradition” is destructive to individual, social or environmental integrity it needs to be discarded. Meat eating is just such a habit; there is no benefit in respecting a tradition that poisons the future.
The issues around meat-eating not only span the health and environmental impacts of the food we eat but permeate our collective psyche. Historically, the ethics of eating animals was usually addressed as part of a philosophical or spiritual inquiry but we seem to place secular morality off to the side. Increasingly we are faced with moral decisions that are not defined in ancient texts or fear of punishment from angry gods. These decisions are driven by a desire to evolve the finer attributes of human potential and all of them lead to the world that balances the needs of humankind with the environment that we have grown out of. The quest to live in balance with the laws of nature is fundamental, regardless of how we imagine those laws to have been created. Killing the world to satisfy our taste buds and a stubborn adherence to an imagined tradition do not serve the higher good.
You will find all the information on our Human Ecology Diet here. Please go vegan and join us in service for a healthy world for humans and nonhumans alike.
In good health
Bill
 
 

The Healing Ginger Compress

As most of you will know, ginger has many healing capabilities and is one of my favourite home remedies.  The purpose of a hot Ginger Compress is to dissolve stagnation, mucus and tension, melt blockages and stimulate circulation and energy flow. This is a wonderful treatment for injuries to the body, especially the back and I use it on clients with scoliosis. It is particularly good for moving stagnated chi (energy) in the kidneys and the lungs, especially if you eat dairy foods, the main cause of lung congestion. Ginger compresses also help heal skin complaints.

Marlene Administering A Ginger Compress

The heat activity of the compress stimulates the blood and tissue circulation in the area being treated which then facilitates the excretion of the dispersed toxins. It is a super remedy for assisting with bloating. I recommend three times weekly on consecutive days for a period of 21 days. It is also effective in dissolving hardened accumulations of fats, proteins or minerals. Examples are kidney stones, gallbladder stones, cysts and benign tumours such as uterine fibroids. 

Ginger For Healing

Many types of acute or chronic pain can be relieved such as rheumatism, arthritis, backaches, cramps, kidney stone attacks, toothaches, stiff neck, frozen shoulder and similar problems. It is very effective for those suffering from asthma but will be effective ONLY when dietary recommendations are followed. A ginger compress can speed up the improvement from a variety of inflammatory conditions, like bronchitis, prostate infection, bladder inflammation, intestinal inflammations (but never appendicitis). It is effective in relieving congestive conditions like asthma. When tissues have been damaged, the compress can speed up the regeneration of the damaged area and is also a wonderful treatment for dissolving muscle tensions.

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, grate enough gingerroot into a cotton cloth or handkerchief, to equal the size of a golf ball. Secure with an elastic band. When the water comes to a boil, switch off. Place the ball into the pot and allow it to soak in the water without boiling for about 5 minutes. Place two face towels into the ginger water, wring out one of the face cloths and fan it slightly to allow the hot steam to dissipate. This depends on each individual, some clients can tolerate very hot cloths, others not so, always ask when the cloth is placed, how does this feel. When you apply the cloth to the desired area on the body, cover with a hand towel to hold in the heat. Change the facecloth every 1 - 2 minutes as it starts to cool off. Alternating the cloths quickly is important so that the skin does not cool off between applications. Continue the applications for about 15 to 20 minutes until the skin has turned pink.

The tissues of the walls of the intestine if you are using it there to relieve digestive problems, is thinner than the skin on the back so be careful to use the cloths at a temperature that will not burn you. However, the cloths do need to be hot to stimulate blood flow. The tissues begin to receive clean, revitalised blood (if we have also changed our way of eating, and it must be emphasised the ginger compress is a waste of time if we do not). The intestines become revitalised, leading to regeneration of the tissues and restoration of their proper, harmonious function.

During Treatment

As a result of doing this treatment, mucus deposits are gradually dissolved and toxins flushed into the bloodstream. The body may show signs of detoxification or may show no overt signs of cleansing other than increased urination and bowel movement and some fatigue. Relax after the treatment and drink some filtered water.  The compress should be done three times a week. There will be ample ginger in the water for three applications. Simply bring the water to just below boiling and switch off.

For psoriasis or other skin, complaints place the hot towels from the sternum to the navel to cover the whole intestinal tract.  This is where the healing will take place for problems with the skin. However, you must change to a wholefood plant-based vegan diet and lifestyle for full benefits and renewed health. 

Never apply a ginger compress when a high fever is present or as mentioned above with appendicitis. As the compresses are very contractive (yang) they are hot applications, therefore, should not be used in a dense area of the body such as the brain. The body is a self-healing organism and always strives for homoeostasis. So, eat well, hydrate and exercise for good energy and vitality. Your body will love you for it. 

In good health

Dieting Is Out - Healthy Eating Is In With Weight Loss Nature's Way

Being overweight can affect many aspects of your life.

Aside from a loss of fitness, physical inconvenience, and impact on your self-image, it can undermine your health and lead to far more serious problems. It is an issue that requires an effective and sustainable long-term solution.
Promising short-term success is very lucrative for the weight loss industry with all their products and gimmicks, but unsustainable weight loss is a disaster if you’ve had to deal with the emotional ups and downs of losing and gaining weight, over and over again.
You are likely carrying deep feelings of frustration and failure, the last thing you want is bitterness and discouragement to dominate future decisions you might have to better your life, health, and well-being. So the most important thing to learn is why the weight won’t stay off.

Losing weight and keeping it off is the key.

There are so many cutting-edge studies and data linking weight management to hormonal balance.
I began learning everything I could about how hormones work, what role they play in the body, what triggers them, what the symptoms of imbalance are, and most importantly, what steps could be taken to return to a health, high energy, fat-burning state.
There are many hormones at work inside your body. All of them are produced and directed by your endocrine system. The problem is, you can’t directly command your endocrine system what to do.
However, I found a way to put you in the driving seat of this process. A way for you to take control and choose whether fat is stored or burned away forever.
The way hormones work can be best imagined as a huge interconnected web where stimulus, such as stress or sugar, can cause one hormone to increase, which signals your endocrine system to increase or decrease other hormones to counter balance the increase of the other.
Weight related hormones are released according to your habits and behaviours in life. This means almost everything in your life can play an influence. One critical influence is the foods you eat. Another big influence is stress.
Regularly eating unhealthy junk food can create chronic hormonal turbulence, which causes a severe hormonal imbalance. When your system is imbalanced symptoms such as fatigue, mood changes, low libido and weight gain (to name a few) begin happening. The good news is that rebalancing your system is easier than you think.
In my programme I explain the roles of various hormones and how balancing these hormones can help you become fitter, healthier, and happier.
Preparatory Guides
Kick start your healthy eating regime and new life-style with everything you need to know, do and prepare before you start.

• 1 HD Getting Started Video
• 1 Getting Started PDF Workbook

Food, Cooking & Recipes
Watch, pause, rewind and watch again (and read!) your way to your new, healthier diet with these HD cookery classes and recipes cards. With ingredients, cooking methods and step-by-step instructions you will be dishing up delicious meals in no time.

• 10 HD Cooking Class Videos
• 11 Recipe PDFs (Over 90 recipes)

The Program
Ten user friendly power packed educational tutorials guiding you towards renewed health.

• 10 Tutorials PDFs (over 225 pages)

The Workout
This fantastic 10 minute workout will boost your digestive system and aid in fat burning. You will be releasing toxins, increasing flexibility and tightening and toning muscles.

• HD 10-Minute Daily Workout Video

PLUS

• 10 Bonus Lifestyle Tip PDFs!

Watch the first two cooking class videos FREE on our MACROVegan TV Channel  or go directly to download and get started immediately. I am here to guide, empower and inspire you.
In good health

The MACROVegan Revolution

Welcome to the world of radical empowerment. This is the time for breaking through outmoded paradigms with no exceptions and no compromise. It’s time to spill the beans, strengthen your skill set and learn some new cooking skills.
In the last decade, the increase and growth in new product development has come from the vegan sector who have seen a big increase in people adopting a wholefood, plant-based vegan diet. In the last 12 months, there has been a 60% increase in online searches for vegan and wholefoods plant-based diets. How exciting!
As this sector starts growing rapidly, the meat and dairy industry respond by putting out even more nonsensical “studies” (vested interest). The link between diet and the development of disease is simply common sense: if we continue to injure the body, it will continue to become inflamed; inflammation is the body’s response to healing; remove the injury, remove the inflammation. Meat and dairy cause injury to the body that leads to inflammation, which takes you down the path to a whole host of illnesses.

DEADLY COST OF MEAT-BASED DIET:

Seventy billion farm animals raised for food produce huge amounts of the greenhouse gases causing global warming. More than one-third of the planet’s arable land is occupied by livestock feed crop cultivation. Seventy percent of Brazil’s deforested land is used as pasture, with feed crop cultivation occupying much of the remainder. And in Botswana, the livestock industry consumes 23 percent of all water used. A meat-based diet relies on corn and soy for rapid growth of cattle to satisfy the world’s love for meat. Humans have no need to consume animal foods for health.
There is no profit in letting people know they can avoid early disability and death by simply eating greens, more vegetables, beans, grains, fruit, and nuts. Green living ideally includes a plant-based diet, which is organic, local, and seasonal. Be as green as you can for your own well-being and for the planet. Understanding the laws and the limits of nature is key.
The planet is over populated. It’s a well-known fact that this is grossly unsustainable. It took 50,000 years to reach a human population of one billion in 1830. We soared above six billion people in the year 2000, and passed seven billion in 2012. Wealthy nations eat increasing amounts of meat, while one billion people starve.
Agribusinesses ignore the nutrient cycle, and rather than rebuilding soil, saturate it with petrochemicals. Soil is over-tilled, overgrazed, made toxic and infertile, and turned into desert. One-third of all farmable land is degraded. Humans MUST look to their diet and understand that changing to a plant-based vegan diet is crucial. Planet Earth needs to produce as much food to feed us in the next 50 years as it took to feed us for the last 10,000 years.
On a per-calorie basis, on average, animal-based foods require over ten times as much land, water and energy as do plant-based foods. T.Colin Campbell
So, what does the word “diet” mean? In a nutshell, diet means “A permanent eating lifestyle.” To many, the word “diet” means a four-letter word that often leads to deprivation, frustration and ultimately, “failure.” By adopting a wholefood plant-based vegan diet, you will be spoiled for choice from the delicious tasting dishes that you can rustle up in literally 20 minutes.  All of us have the power to end the suffering of our animal kingdom, save a fortune on health care, bring a much needed bonanza for our environment and at the same time create superior health. It's a win-win situation for everyone and everything. All of this, and more is possible by simply adopting a wholefood plant-based vegan diet. You can start right now by making this quick and easy noodle dish.

NOODLES WITH MISO-TAHINI SAUCE

Udon and lo mein noodles go especially well with this popular sauce, and soba noodles taste good with it, too. This version of my recipe is simply garnished with spring onions and some thinly sliced roasted red peppers, but for a different taste try topping the noodles and sauce with some roasted pumpkin or sunflower seeds.

Ingredients:

1 pack uncooked noodles

Sauce:

4 level tablespoons sweet white miso
3-4 tablespoons tahini
½ cup cold water
2 tablespoons brown rice vinegar
1 tablespoon mirin
1 tablespoon fresh ginger root grated and then squeezed for its juice
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
Pinch of dried tarragon, basil or thyme

To Garnish:

Lemon zest
Black sesame seeds
Finely chopped spring onion
Roasted red pepper, thinly sliced (store bought – organic jar)

Instructions:

Boil the noodles in 2.5 litres of water according to the cooking instructions.
Mix the miso and tahini in a small saucepan. Add the water a little at a time and mix well to make a smooth sauce. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a gentle simmer. If it’s too thick, add a bit more water; if it’s too thin, simmer briefly to thicken the sauce.
To serve, put the noodles into individual serving bowls, spoon the sauce over the top, and dress with the garnish.
In good health