Last weekend was the Portland Vegfest at the Oregon Convention Center and it was wonderful! I learned so much and am anxious to share about it. I apologize for the detour from food & recipes this time and promise to return to it on my next post (I made something tonight I am anxious to tell you about). But I am too psyched and need to write about Vegfest!!
This was our second Vegfest. Last year we attended it as newbies and were in awe of everything. We got there when it opened and stayed till the very end. There were tons of “transition” foods for everyone to taste, restaurants promoting their food, and incredible speakers, chefs & classes. This year it was similar – we still stayed all day, but we were different. We focused more on getting away from the transition foods (usually processed) and learning about eating even healthier than ever.
Last year 4,800 people attended and this year there were 6,700!!! Most of the people there were our age. Not the typical tattooed, spiky hair, pierced everywhere, skinny vegan you typically would expect (although they were there too J). There were even silver-haired elderly people with walkers!!! The word is getting out there and people are ready to get healthy. I once heard Dr. Colin Campbell, the author of The China Study, say that when he first tried to get the message out about a whole-foods, plant-based diet that he spoke to garden clubs, PTAs, anyone that would listen. Now he is the keynote speaker at conferences for medical professionals. Things they are a-changing.
The most exciting speaker was Dr. Neal Barnard (www.nealbarnard.org) . He is the founder and president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine – a group of physicians & lay people that promote preventative medicine (www.pcrm.org) . I love that. Preventative medicine. Responsible Medicine. Music to my ears! I loved his opening quote, “When you see the golden arches you are on the way to the pearly gates.” Dr. Barnard PACKED the giant conference room. Every seat was taken; people were lined up along the sides and back walls.
The biggest message I got from Dr. Barnard is that I need to eliminate processed oils, such as olive oil. I have known that for quite some time, but it is very hard to give up. I am a numbers person, not a science person, but I will try to explain one other thing I learned. We have mitochondria in our muscle cells that burn up calories. Fatty meals turn down the mitochondria after-meal calorie burn. This is an excellent explanation as to why I am still overweight. I stir-fry with oil, make pesto with oil, eat too many peanuts, and eat processed foods with oil.
Another speaker talked about the relationship between dairy and osteoporosis. In the US we consume a tremendous amount of dairy products, yet we have one of the highest rates of osteoporosis. Other countries eat very little or no dairy, yet they don’t suffer from this. Here’s the science I will try to explain and hope not to mess up: Our bodies are alkaline, yet dairy is acidic. When we consume dairy, our bodies work hard to get rid of the acid and they leach calcium from our bones. So it is counterproductive. The more dairy you consume, the more you lose calcium. Better calcium-rich foods to eat are kale, figs (they are yummy!), almonds, black & white beans, and soy foods. I could talk a whole lot more about the issues with dairy (such as why it is so hard to give it up), but I will save that for another day.
We were highly entertained by the comedic Chef AJ. Her recipes are only made with whole foods and a lot are raw. She made three different recipes and WOW they were tasty. I bought her recipe book and am already planning what I want to make. The part that impressed me is that most don’t need cooking and are quite fast. Now THIS is the way to make fast food!
I want to end this post by talking about the people at Vegfest. The people that attend are so ready to get healthy. Everyone was friendly and supportive of each other. We all win eating this way: I win, the animals win, the planet wins. I have learned this is more than just “all about me”. I readily admit I have a long way to go, but I am on the journey and it is one I am proud of.
Yay for Vegfest! So glad you guys had a great time.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know that info about olive oil. In fact, I thought olive oil was good for you. But maybe they just mean that it's better than butter but still not "good" for you. Is there an alternative to oil?
I also didn't know that dairy increased osteoporosis. I feel like I was always taught to drink your milk to AVOID osteoporosis. It's frustrating that we are taught one thing growing up (in school) and then later have to find out on our own that it was inaccurate.