This post ended up being longer than I thought, since my original intention was to just include a couple of links to some recent news reports about the latest dietary recommendations. However, there is such a wealth of information that I wanted to share, that I just could not leave anything out! I urge all of you to read the entire newsletter and check out the links – this is valuable information that affects not only your health, but the environment as well.

As many of you know, I have been a vegan for almost four years. Initially I became a vegan because I believed it was a healthier way to eat, but over time I have broadened my reasons for being vegan to include other issues, such as animal cruelty and environmental impacts. While I am a firm believer in the vegan lifestyle, I have never tried to force my views on anyone. However, if anyone asked me questions about why I am a vegan, where do I get my protein, or what’s with those green smoothies, I was more than happy to answer such questions.

When people asked for general nutrition advice, I usually avoided suggesting things like cutting dairy and meat out of your diet, and always said, “Just eat more fruits and veggies.” It’s hard to go wrong with such advice.

However, we seem to be at a point in time when the scientific evidence is becoming pretty clear on the power of what is known as a “plant-based diet”, and as a result I am becoming more at ease at recommending a vegan approach to eating.

For example, just yesterday, the Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services released the “Report of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010“. These are critical guidelines, since they can influence such things as the food pyramid, school lunches, and make or break companies in the food industry. The report notes that vegetarian diets are associated with a lower body mass index, lower blood pressure, and improved health outcomes. If you don’t feel like reading the entire report linked to above, here is a nice summary of the report from ABC News. This link also includes a video of Robin Roberts interviewing Richard Besser, ABC News Medical Editor and former Director of the CDC. Great stuff – I highly recommend you at least take three minutes to watch the video.

And less than a month ago, a report sponsored by the UN titled “Assessing the Environmental Impacts of Consumption and Production” recommended a shift away from animal-based protein diets to more vegetable-based foods to ease pressure on the environment. If you don’t feel like reading that full 100 plus page report, here is a link to a brief news story about the report.

And if the above two reports are not enough to convince you of the merits of a plant-based diet, Bob Harper, one of the trainers on The Biggest Loser, announced this week that he has gone vegan, cutting all animal products out of his diet, and shared that the switch to a cruelty-free diet has improved his health.

If you are interested in learning more about this style of eating, there are lots of great resources to assist you. I will just mention two right now. The first is a web site, the 21-day Vegan Kickstart, which offers tips, recipes, emails, and lots of other support materials. The next 21 day program begins on September 6, and is completely free!

The second resource is a book, “The Engine 2 Diet” by Rip Esselstyn. This book is phenomenal, and offers a 28 day program, with recipes, on how to successfully adopt a plant-based diet. And to make this even better, Rip is coming to the Bryn Mawr Film Institute on July 26 to participate in the first local screening of the documentary “Forks Over Knives“!

This event is sponsored by Whole Foods, and prior to the film there will be blood pressure screenings by Bryn Mawr Hospital, and Body Fat measurements by Fitness Together. Rip, along with Dr. Joel Fuhrman, are the two partners in Whole Foods national “Health Starts Here” program. It’s no surprise that both Rip and Dr. Fuhrman recommend a plant-based diet.

And finally, the link many of you may have been waiting for – a listing of the 9 worst things to order when eating out at a restaurant. Hopefully when you see this list, you will reconsider some of your dining habits!

If you’ve gotten this far, thank you for taking the time to read the newsletter. I hope you found the information useful, and if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask!

To your health and happiness

Last week’s blog about local Farmer’s Markets seemed to strike a chord with many of you, so my guess is that there is a strong interest in eating healthier foods as the weather gets warmer.

In keeping with that theme, I decided to pick one fruit and one vegetable as “Best in Show” (great movie by the way!). It’s a tough choice, since every fruit and vegetable offers a variety of benefits, and no one fruit or vegetable has all the benefits. The best choice is to eat a wide variety of fruits and veggies so that you are getting maximum nutritional benefit.

However, if I had to pick, here are my choices:

For the top vegetable, it would have to be kale. This is based on what I have read from two independent sources. One source is Dr. Joel Fuhrman, who is working with Whole Foods to create healthy eating choices, and the author of Eat to Live. Dr. Fuhrman has developed ANDI (Aggregate Density Nutrient Index) scores to assign to each food, which measures the ratio of nutrients to calories. Nutrients include not only the amount of vitamins and minerals, but phytochemicals as well. And at the top of the list, with an ANDI score of 1000 is kale (and collards). At the bottom of the list is soda, with an ANDI score of 1. You can get the full list of ANDI scores by clicking here.

The second source is from the book “Becoming Vegan”, which had this to say about kale: “…rated against 19 other vegetables, kale had the greatest antioxidant activity. It is also rich in lutien, a phytochemical that protects the eye from macular degeneration; one of the best sources of flavonols; and a great source of calcium“.

As for the number 1 fruit, I’ll go with blueberries. With an ANDI score of 130 points, it is the second highest rated fruit (behind strawberries). And when the US Department of Agriculture’s Center for Aging at Tufts University studied more than 40 fruits and vegetables using their own scale – ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity), blueberries came out on top, even above all of the vegetables! Blueberries offer multiple benefits such as: neutralizing free radicals that damage DNA, protecting against urinary tract infections; possibly helping to reduce the effects of aging; and improving problems with tired eyes.

Many times I use both of these as ingredients in my morning green smoothie (I always have blueberries, and I alternate between romaine lettuce, spinach, or kale as my green vegetable), and for me it is a great way to start the day.

So while you are out at your local farmer’s market, be sure to keep your eyes out for some kale and blueberries; you could say they are at the top of the food chain!

To your health, happiness, and a Flyers victory!