Wednesday, February 18, 2009

wellness

hi guys-

first some more answers to questions posted on the blog site...be patient with me; i try to get to them all.

kombu is a sea plant; kombucha is a fermented tea, good for digestion. kombu is used in cooking to help tenderize beans and make them more digestible.

ah, my spoons...i love my spoons....made by jonathon's spoons...check them out at www.woodspoon.com.

so i am just back from new mexico teaching the first of many wellness workshops sponsored by campbell's soup to help kids make healthier choices and see that preparing food for themselves is not hard and can be fun.

we had 3 classes of about 25 kids each at the largest elementary school in albuquerque...the kids were spectacular, funny, engaged and completely into playing with their food! some of the salad dressings they created should be bottled and sold! their creative natures and open willingness to try new veggies they had not tasted, to mix ingredients and to create food that they wanted to eat was so much fun and so fulfilling.

the message that was loud and clear for me on this one was simple. if we engage our kids and involved them in the preparation of food, they will try just about anything. they want to learn; they want to prepare food; they want to play. i know it's more work to have the kids in the kitchen with you. it takes more time, more effort and definitely more clean-up...but i see it like this; if we can't invest time in our children's future, what is worth our time?

everyone is tired, overworked and over-scheduled and parenting is the toughest job there is...but i truly believe that if we are to save this generation of children, we need to help them find their way back to the kitchen; back to the basics of health and teach them how to feed themselves in a way that will sustain their health, their lives and their dreams.

next stop, houston...

peace and love,
c

23 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is so true!

My 3-year-old LOVES to help me cook. So, I give him little easy jobs to do, and he loves that. He will eat anything that he makes! He's even been known to turn down donuts for spinach!!

I truly believe that if we as parents are excited about healthy eating and preparation then our kids will be to!

This is so wonderful what you are doing!

Anonymous said...

I agree too. I have a 3-year daughter who LOVES the kitchen and doesn't miss a second of cooking with her mommy and daddy :P She has always been good about eating whatever we make for her, but when she helps out, she enjoys eating it a TON more.

mtf said...

So, I just bought This Crazy Vegan Life and as I'm looking at the recipes I'm wondering; how do I do this for one person? Cut the recipes, eat lots of leftovers, freeze it, or maybe all the above?

Luke said...

Are you going to start using Erythritol on the TV series?

Mikey said...

Okay. So here's me. Brought up by the same kind of mother as you. Italian. Everything made from scratch. Her mother, my grandmother, the same way.

I guess I'm going to have to get your book for starters because your TV program is so interesting. Oh, and funny too! I'll let you know what I think.

Do you answer emails?

healthydiet said...

todays' program healthy blood on pbs very helpfull. Problem can't find recipies on web site. recently diagnosed with colesteral, decreased kidney function, and hypertention. after watching your program today I know all can be reversed with diet "healthy blood". sincerley julia

Tango said...

Christina -

Can you tell me when your shows will be available on DVD?

Tim

Unknown said...

i've been an intermittent vegan (occasionally go back to cheese and eggs) since college, 1980, also inspired by Diet for a Small Planet. I'm really enjoying This Crazy Vegan Life, as well as your TV show (part of my new digital transmission on PBS). Just wondering -- where did you get the adorable black mary jane shoes/sneakers you wear on the cover of Crazy Vegan Life? I've Googled various vegan shoes web sites but can't find anything similar. Thanks for all your inspiration!

That's my story and I'm sticking to it, at least for now. said...

I love your blog.
Jonathan wooden spoons are awesome. I want one! I used to admire them on Christina Cooks

Unknown said...

Hi Christina

I love the newsletter and all the things you're involved in. Thanks for the insight into your Washington trip with Neil Barnard. That's great stuff.

I feel I need to point out something as being "not entirely honest" in your newsletter. On page 11 you are plugging some olive oil. I'm a follower of Dr. McDougall and have come to really understand the trouble with oils. Remember there are no oils in nature - it's 100% processed food.

Anyway, on page 11 you say, "It can even help to lower cholesterol…all these health benefits shrouded in a flavor so buttery and rich, you are lost in it. What could be better?"

This is not an honest health claim. The actual claim is that "it can help lower cholesterol if it replaces an equal amount of something high in saturated fat like butter." For someone who normally does not use oils and adds olive oil to their diet will see their cho go up. So it's not honest to say that olive oil lowers cho. It can be used to replace something and raise it less, but that's hardly the same thing - is it?

If you need references to back up these claims I have them at my disposal. Neil Barnard by the way is someone who has spoken on this topic at length.

Thanks, please keep fighting the good fight, Scott

Michael said...

Hi Christina
The email address I had for you is no longer in use so I'm getting my message to you via this blog. Thank you for you continued support for our vegan nutrition chart.
Thank you also for telling me about our NHS in the UK proposing that hospital meals should be meat-free. I hadn't seen that before!
Keep up your wonderful work.
Michael (Perrott) greenleafy.org

Anonymous said...

Christina,

Both my husband Anthony and I are Full time students, working, and raising a 3 year old...do you have any suggestions on quick meal preparations, but still healthy?

Wendy said...

Hi Christina-

LOVE your show! Just watched free radicals last night.

I watched your video on you tube and saw a related video of Dr. Michio endorsing a product called
Fermento. Do you think thats a good product? I was suprised he supported a processed product?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIYJWfQO-l8&NR=1

Wendy
http://www.gardenplum.com

Me said...

Dear Christina Pirello
I don't know how to contact you so I am hoping you read this. I tried to email but I don't think it worked :( . I'm not that good at computers...lol.
. I have a few questions

1. do you have a picture of the Vegan food pyramid that you recommend? cause i notice a lot of them are different.

2. I LOVE your book This crazy vegan life, do you have it in Spanish?

3. Do you have a film/video/dvd that can be shown in a large public place to educate people on all the stuff you talked about in This crazy vegan life book? I thought you can definitely change the world a lot if you had a film that was distributed to every school in and then shown at a large meeting with teachers then parents then students.

The school that I work for is laying people off because of budget cut and so I wondered if there is anything you can suggest to help save money so they don't have to fire so many people? Changing the menu to vegan? how much would schools save etc.....?

Thank you
you are amazing :)

Me said...

Dear Christina
I can't stop thinking of that film idea to help spread the word even quicker and farther. I know you’re so busy but this is more of a reason to do this.

It would have you and all the wonderful information that will change the world. I imagine that it can have moving illustrations to show how the bad and good foods affect our bodies, world and etc...

The film would be distributed ASAP all over the world in all the schools. A huge meeting would be called in each school so your ideas and those to save the world can be presented along with the film. Everyone would watch and learn and be very surprised at all the info and no matter what it will change their lives!


I work at a school in the kitchen and I hate watching those kids consume that food. : (
If those kids knew what was in there wouldn't most of them make better choices? If everyone knew wouldn't they change the menu?


2: My boyfriend is becoming a vegetarian and he is trying not eat meat and he loved those veggie burgers but then he heard something bad about soy lowering testosterone and this and that? I don't know how true that is but I wish I knew cause I would rather him eat soy than a poor animal.


I tried to get some veggies and got one full of bugs and I am not sure if that is normal but it grossed me out and I cut off all the bottom part of the giant leafy vegetable and ate the top part hoping I don't get sick.

I tell everyone about your book and have made it my goal to make them get your book because I don't feel like reading to people all the time cause they can find out everything easier if they just get your book (THIS CRAZY VEGAN LIFE).

I have to tell you I am not much of a book worm other than stuff I read on the internet or that giant GED book I read twice : )(great book) but when I picked up your book I never put it down. I am on the last pages almost done reading it : ) .

Oh also can you make a detailed food pyramid poster that you approve of I would love to get one.

Seriously I hope that this film Idea helps because I know it would change the world and change it faster. I think the film should be done in addition to what you are currently doing to spread the world etc…

With I few pages I read to my boyfriend he stopped eating meat. :)

Thank you

Me said...

Dear Christina I am trying that diet in your book and I really want to drink the home remedies but I am finding it impossible to find umeboshi plums in any form. I Live in Litchfield Park, Arizona and don't have a car so driving all over the place is annoying to my rides and now they refuse to take me to keep looking for it : ( and the kombu. Can i make the carrot daikon drink without the umeboshi plum? i have everything except for the plum also I have kikkomans 37% less sodium soy sauce does that make a difference?

thank you

Unknown said...

Dear Christina,
I'm really excited that your site was updated to include all this wonderful new stuff! A few months back when I looked it wasn't as informative as it is now.
We recently started recieving your show on Create where I live, and at first I have to stay I was pretty hesitant to watch a vegitarian cooking show. Then I got addicted and started being educated on all the things I should be eating.
I've had so many problems with dairy in the past ten years, and was so panic about trying soy, but jumped in with both feet. The first time I had soy yogert my husband said I looked like I was in food bliss.
For 8 weeks now I've not only been feeling better, but my digestion is so much more happier than it once was! I started writing a magazine from home about Spiritual topics and I thought "oh man I'm going to be so hugely stressed out!" How wrong I am, with all this soy in my diet now I'm so calm cool and relaxed the way I should be!
Thank you so much for educating me and continuing to educate me and thousands of Americans who don't really know how to feed ourselves. It takes just a little know how to make a huge difference.

Namaste!

Unknown said...

P.S. Yay for the link for the spoons you use! I've been wondering!

Cyn said...

Hi, Christina,
I have an idea for your next recipe book. How about a selection of lunchbox recipes? They should be packable, delicious cold, and something that can be prepared the night before. I love the menu plans in "This Crazy Vegan Life" but most of the lunch options aren't packable (too runny, not good cold, too messy to eat). I'm working it out on my own, but it would be great to have a recipe book targeted to those of us who have to eat away from home during the week. Besides being good for lunchboxes, these types of foods would also be great for picnics, pot-lucks, and hikes.
Thanks,
Cyn

Cyn said...

PS: Yes, there are vegan lunchbox recipe books out there, but what I want to find is lunchbox-friendly recipes that fit in the parameters of the macrobiotic diet found in your other books.
:)

Jenn said...

Wow, your commenters are almost as entertaining as you...

Long time fan; first time writer. Just read Crazy Vegan Life and I loved it. Please thank your publisher for making it available on the Amazon Kindle.

The daikon carrot soup is great. I love umeboshi and never would have thought to put it in soup, but it totally works. Great recipes!

Unknown said...

If you go to www.roex.com you will see that they say that Soy is the WORST thing you can put into your body.

Unknown said...

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