A recent groundbreaking study from the British Medical Journal tracked almost 3,000 frontline health care workers (doctors and nurses) that had high exposure to COVID. After adjusted for confounding factors like a preexisting healthy lifestyle and/or underlying health conditions, the study found that those who contracted COVID that followed Plant Based diets had a 73% lower risk of having a moderate to severe course of infection than the general population. But those on a high-protein, low carb (keto, paleo) diet had a 48% higher risk of a moderate to severe course of COVID infection than the general population.
So even though they controlled their weight with a keto/paleo type of diet, these healthcare workers had almost a 50% weaker immune response than those who were not on any special diet at all.
This is because a high-meat diet is relatively low in nutrient density (we discuss this in my class), whereas a Plant-Based diet is rich in antioxidants and phytonutrients which strengthen the immune system.
And as a bonus, a hyper-nourishing, high fiber Whole Food Plant Based Diet is the easiest way to attain permanent weight loss (no will-power required when you’re never hungry!) while strengthening your immune system AT THE SAME TIME!
If you’d like to learn more about the benefits of Plant Based nutrition in combating chronic disease and attaining permanent weight loss, click HERE. LIVE and Live Streamed Classes begin September 28th at St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church in West Little Rock WFPB take-home meals available for purchase after class. We’d love to see you there!
Get 10% off Live Streamed classes with coupon code HEALWITHPLANTS
Kim H, Rebholz CM, Hegde S, et al Plant-based diets, pescatarian diets and COVID-19 severity: a population-based case–control study in six countries BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health 2021;bmjnph-2021-000272. doi: 10.1136/bmjnph-2021-000272
Stephanie Spencer RN, BSN Certified, Plant Based Nutrition T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies
Hope you’re all enjoying this beautiful weather we’ve been having lately. Our next Zoom meeting is tomorrow, Thursday the 22nd at 7 pm – Earth Day! I’m going to be sharing a presentation on the Environmental Aspects of our modern agricultural system. It’s pretty thought-provoking. It will be at 7 pm.
Some interesting environmental documentaries (available on Netflix) related to this topic are: Cowspiracy, Kiss the Ground, and Seaspiracy. You may notice some seeming contradictions between some of these documentaries and we can discuss those at the meeting as well.
We had a great discussion last month. A couple take-aways:
Ellen L. highly recommends Robusto Olive in Pleasant Ridge Shopping Center for their great selection of delicious balsamic vinegars (much better than run-of-the mill grocery store balsamic). Her favorites are gravenstein apple, garlic cilantro, and pomegranate! She sprinkles it on top of her salad (however much you want!!! ), adds Dijon or stone ground mustard, and squeezes the juice from some of the mandarin orange and tosses. I imagine you could also just whisk the dressing up in a bowl first and then toss in your salad.
Also check out my LR WFPB No Oil Shopper Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2765436196838958. NO OIL hummus has been spotted at Whole Foods! The brand is Cedar’s-oil AND tahini free, so great for diabetes and heart disease reversal and they say it tastes delicious! (I haven’t tried it yet, but my friend that told me about it has a discerning palate, says it’s much better than the old Engine 2 brand.) This is a complete game changer for the “hummus dependent diets” of folks who don’t like to make their own! I’ve also got “No Oil Finds” at local Farmer’s Markets.
Here is the Zoom link:
Stephanie Spencer is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Plant Based for Health Society of Central AR
Time: Apr 22, 2021 07:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
Based on the consensus that our first book club discussion of The Pleasure Trap-Mastering the Hidden Force that Undermines Health & Happiness was well worth our time and that one hour was not enough, we are going to dedicate another session to the same book on May 5. If you haven’t read this book by Drs. Douglas Lisle and Alan Goldhamer yet, grab a copy and plan on joining us. It is relatively short (208 pages) so you still have time.
Some of the things we touched upon in the first session were:
· What exactly the pleasure trap is
· The difference between pleasure and happiness
· How dopamine, endorphins, and serotonin come into play
· The relationship between animal husbandry and the vast array of diseases, including COVID, that plague humans today
· Subtraction rather than addition for improved health
· Out personal favorite quotes from the book
· Most important take-away concepts
At the first session we talked more about what the pleasure trap is, but not much about how to break free of it. At the session on May 5, we will talk about:
· The myths of moderate consumption and change
· Specific strategies to create a new path of least resistance
· How the ego trap can trip us up (See End Notes on p. 215)
· The causes and effects of sleep deprivation
· Water-only fasting as a natural adaptation for healing
If you want to get a head start on future book club discussions (date TBA), start reading Fiber Fueled by Will Bulsiewicz M.D.
I’m happy to announce we’ve determined the date for our Book Club meeting based on the doodle poll results. It will be Wednesday, March 3, at 7:00 p.m and we’ll be discussing “The Pleasure Trap” by Dr. Doug Lisle and Dr. Alan Goldhammer.. I’ve got to say I’m really glad that Dr. Seale proposed this book. I had never read it before and I have had quite a few epiphanies about the problems of treating various disease “symptoms” in the medical model versus treating the underlying cause, as well as understanding the forces behind the (frequently maladaptive) decisions we make in regards to food. I highly recommend this book for anyone ready to gain a deeper understanding as to why we have such a hard time making the right choices especially in the area of nutrition.
I’ll send out a Zoom link a couple of days before the date. Anyone who has read the book is welcome to join! [If you’re not already on Stephanie’s email list, send her an email requesting to be added: naturalstateplantbased@gmail.com ]
Hope you’re all hanging in there on this wild ride that is the year 2020!
Our next Zoom “Plant Based for Health” meeting will be November 12th at 7 pm. Don’t worry, I’ll send another reminder email the day before. Please check out our “Plant Based for Health Society of Central Arkansas” Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/341011650451851.
We’ll be discussing the eternal “what do you do at the holidays” dilemma and I want to invite all of you to post your favorite Plant Based Thanksgiving dishes with recipes on the Facebook page in advance.
We’ll also hear a Plant Based Transformation story from a heart attack survivor and if we have time, I’ll discuss the “order of importance” when converting to a Plant Based Diet.
It’s been a long time since the Plant-Strong Club has gotten together and we figured it’s time to finally do something about that!
Kellie Coleman and Stephanie Spencer are forming a new group with a focus on support and social interaction. We are going to host a Zoom chat on Thursday, October 1st at 6 pm. See below for details.
We are sending out an invite to everyone on the old Plant-Strong Mailing list, but feel free to invite anyone you know that may be interested! This group is open to anyone and everyone, regardless of what diet they are currently following, who is interested in learning about the health benefits of a Whole Food Plant-Based lifestyle. We want to make these sessions very interactive so we can all share our struggles and successes together. We’ll be sharing some new directions we hope to take this fall, discuss some new Plant-Based learning opportunities, and hear from you as well!
If you haven’t already, you will need to download the Zoom app onto your computer, phone, or device. Then you will click the link below to join. We’ll be on the chat about 10 minutes beforehand so we can try to troubleshoot any technical glitches anyone may have.
Take care everyone and we look forward to seeing y’all soon!
Due to recommendations to limit gatherings, we are postponing our March 16 CHIP monthly meeting. Dr. David Anderson is available to speak at our April 20 meeting. Mark your calendars because you won’t want to miss this one. Dr. Anderson specializes in sleep medicine and will answer questions after his interesting presentation.
Since our monthly meeting includes more than CHIP and the Diabetes Undone group will be joining as well as many other interested parties, our name has been changed to Health Connection. Our regular meetings are the third Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m. at the Seventh-day Adventist Church at 8700 Rodney Parham Rd.
We hope you all will be safe as you adjust to the changing landscape. It is more important than ever to keep up your healthy lifestyle to maintain a strong immune system. Although we cannot meet at the present, please feel free to contact us by email or phone.
Blessings,
Lisa Beck, Health Connection Leader
Mark and Debbie Burghart, Health Ministries Leaders
Dr. David Anderson is a sleep medicine specialist in Conway, AR. He graduated from UAMS Medical Center and is board certified in Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine. He completed his residency and internship in San Antonio, TX and a fellowship at Minnesota Regional Sleep Disorders Center. He spent 15 months in New Zealand working as a psychiatrist, then back to Arkansas where he has been practicing sleep medicine for the past 9 years.
Dr. Anderson and his wife, Annette, follow a plant-based diet and as physicians are working toward board certification in Lifestyle Medicine. There will be a Q and A after his talk, so here’s your chance to get your sleep questions answered by a professional. We will have our usual low SOS (salt, oil, sugar) WFPB meal.
Join us for a great time of fellowship, delicious WFPB food, and education. The church is located at 8700 N. Rodney Parham Road, Little Rock, AR 72205-1601.
We are already planning our next medical school appearances for 2020: JANUARY – MARCH Florida Jan. 12-16 — Balance for Life Retreat, Deerfield Beach Feb. 16 — SW Florida VegFest, Bonita Springs Feb. 17 — Florida Gulf Coast Univ, Ft. Myers Feb. 18 — Florida Southern Univ, Lakeland Feb. 22 — Miami VegFest Mar. 8 — Ocala VegFest APRIL Arkansas – cancelled 3-13-20 April 1 — University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock April 2-3 — Harding University, Searcy April TBD — University of Arkansas Medical School, Nursing School, Associated Clinics, Little Rock Northeast (exact dates TBD) University of Massachusetts, Amherst Netter School of Medicine, Hamden, CT Baltimore/Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Rutgers/New Jersey College of Medicine Texas April 23 — UTMB Galveston April 23 — Houston public talk April 24 — Baylor College of Medicine April 25 — Nutrition in medicine summit in Dallas April 26 — Public talk in Dallas April 27 — UT Southwestern Medical School — Dallas OCTOBER Pennsylvania October 4-10 — Multiple medical schools and clinics in Lehigh Valley and Philadelphia region.
Congratulations, Alexis, on your efforts to bring this about, and congratulations to all the students and medical professionals who will have the opportunity to hear Dr. Klaper speak!
To learn more about Dr. Michael Klaper and the mission of PLANTPURE COMMUNITIES, click HERE.
This event is available to us via live-streaming. Follow the links to purchase your tickets. We are currently looking for a venue to allow us to gather and participate via the internet.
Michael Greger, M.D. FACLM will bring his medical expertise and largest research findings to share and answer the question: What does science show is the best way to lose weight?
Dr. Greger has scoured the world’s scholarly literature and developed this new presentation based on the latest in cutting-edge research and his new book: How Not to Diet.
He will touch on the 17 ingredients of the optimal weight loss diet, and cover some of the 21 ‘tricks and tweaks’ for fast-tracking weight loss. These include specific foods that can double as fat blockers and fat burners, starch blockers and appetite suppressants.
Dr. Michael Greger is also well-known as an internationally-renowned nutrition expert and founder of Nutritionfacts.org. Prior to How Not to Diet (2019), he authored the mega-bestselling How Not to Die book (2015) and the popular How Not to Die cookbook (2017).
You do not want to miss Dr. Greger’s newest presentation!
