Blessing us with hot knowledge on this Meatless Monday, health and wellness warrior Kathy Freston provides another powerful case for the plant-based diet. She offers historical, anthropological, and biological testimony to refute the idea that we evolved to consume mass quantities of meat and animal products. By now, we think you’re out of excuses: Go Meatless with us today!

I often notice the frequently stated notion that eating meat was an essential step in human evolution. While this notion may comfort the meat industry, it’s simply not true, scientifically.

Dr. T. Colin Campbell, professor emeritus at Cornell University and author of The China Study, explains that in fact, we only recently (historically speaking) began eating meat, and that the inclusion of meat in our diet came well after we became who we are today. He explains that “the birth of agriculture only started about 10,000 years ago at a time when it became considerably more convenient to herd animals. This is not nearly as long as the time [that] fashioned our basic biochemical functionality (at least tens of millions of years) and which functionality depends on the nutrient composition of plant-based foods.”

That jibes with what Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine President Dr. Neal Barnard says in his book, The Power of Your Plate, in which he explains that “early humans had diets very much like other great apes, which is to say a largely plant-based diet, drawing on foods we can pick with our hands. Research suggests that meat-eating probably began by scavenging—eating the leftovers that carnivores had left behind. However, our bodies have never adapted to it. To this day, meat-eaters have a higher incidence of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and other problems.”

There is no more authoritative source on anthropological issues than paleontologist Dr. Richard Leakey, who explains what anyone who has taken an introductory physiology course might have discerned intuitively: humans are herbivores. Leakey notes that “[y]ou can’t tear flesh by hand, you can’t tear hide by hand… We wouldn’t have been able to deal with food source that required those large canines.” (Although we have teeth that are called “canines,” they bear little resemblance to the canines of carnivores).

In fact, our hands are perfect for grabbing and picking fruits and vegetables. Similarly, like the intestines of other herbivores, ours are very long (carnivores have short intestines so they can quickly get rid of all that rotting flesh they eat). We don’t have sharp claws to seize and hold down prey. And most of us (hopefully) lack the instinct that would drive us to chase and then kill animals and devour their raw carcasses. Dr. Milton Mills builds on these points and offers dozens more in his essay, “A Comparative Anatomy of Eating.”

The point is this: Thousands of years ago when we were hunter-gatherers, we may have needed a bit of meat in our diets in times of scarcity, but we don’t need it now. Says Dr. William C. Roberts, editor of the American Journal of Cardiology, “Although we think we are, and we act as if we are, human beings are not natural carnivores. When we kill animals to eat them, they end up killing us, because their flesh, which contains cholesterol and saturated fat, was never intended for human beings, who are natural herbivores.”

Sure, most of us are “behavioral omnivores”—that is, we eat meat, so that defines us as omnivorous. But our evolution and physiology are herbivorous, and ample science proves that when we choose to eat meat, it causes problems, from decreased energy and a need for more sleep up to increased risk for obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

Old habits die hard, and it’s convenient for people who like to eat meat to think that there is evidence to support their belief that eating meat is “natural” or the cause of our evolution. For many years I, too, clung to the idea that meat and dairy were good for me; I realize now that I was probably comforted to have justification for my continued attachment to the traditions with which I grew up.

But in fact top nutritional and anthropological scientists from the most reputable institutions imaginable say categorically that humans are natural herbivores, and that we will be healthier today if we stick with our herbivorous roots. It may be inconvenient, but alas, it is the truth.

Originally posted at HuffingtonPost.com

Check out today’s blog to learn about the powerful anti-cancer effects of certain green veggies that might be on your plate this Meatless Monday. Don’t miss Dr. Fuhrman’s delicious recipe at the end of the blog!

Nutrition scientists have shown over and over that people who eat more natural plant foods—vegetables, fruits, legumes—are less likely to be diagnosed with cancer. But are all vegetables equally protective? If we wanted to design an anti-cancer diet, we would want to know which foods have the most powerful anti-cancer effects. Then, we could eat plenty of these foods each day, flooding our bodies with the protective substances contained within them.

So, which foods have the most powerful anti-cancer effects? Cruciferous vegetables.

This family of vegetables includes green vegetables like kale, cabbage, collards, and broccoli, plus some others like cauliflower and turnips (see the full list at the bottom of this post). They are named for their flowers, having four equally spaced petals in the shape of a cross, from the Latin word ‘crucifer’ meaning ‘cross-bearer.’

All vegetables contain protective micronutrients and phytochemicals, but cruciferous vegetables have a unique chemical composition: they have sulfur-containing compounds which are responsible for their pungent or bitter flavors. When cell walls are broken by blending or chopping, a chemical reaction occurs that converts these sulfur-containing compounds to isothiocyanates (ITCs)—compounds with proven anti-cancer activities.

Over 120 ITCs have been identified, and the various ITCs have different mechanisms of action. Because different ITCs can work in different locations in the cell and on different molecules, they can have combined additive effects, working synergistically to remove carcinogens and kill cancer cells. Some ITCs have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, or even immunologic effects. Some ITCs can inhibit angiogenesis, the process by which a tumor establishes a blood supply.

Some ITCs detoxify and/or remove carcinogenic compounds; the combined consumption of broccoli and Brussels sprouts (rich sources of the ITC sulforaphane) increases the excretion of certain dietary carcinogens. (1) Some ITCs inhibit cancer cell growth or induce cancer cell death: cruciferous vegetable juice, containing a variety of ITCs, has been shown to induce apoptosis, or programmed cell death, in breast cancer cells. (2)

Some ITCs can prevent carcinogens from binding to DNA and initiating cancerous changes in the cell. Sulforaphane activates enzymes that protect cells from DNA damage by carcinogens. (3) But if DNA does indeed become damaged, the growth of the damaged cell can be stopped to allow for DNA repair, or the cell can be programmed for cell death. These processes can control this damage. Several ITCs, including sulforaphane, indole-3-carbinol (I3C), and diindolmethane (DIM) stop growth or induce death in cultured cancer cells. (3) Sulforaphane blocks tumor formation and induces programmed cell death in colon cancer cells. (4) Allyl isothiocyanate (AITC), present in several cruciferous vegetables, inhibits proliferation and induces cell death in bladder cancer cells. (5)

Indole-3-carbinol and its metabolite DIM may be especially protective against hormone-sensitive cancers; they help the body transform estrogen and other hormones into forms that are more easily excreted from the body. (6-7)

These observations in cell culture and animal studies have been confirmed by epidemiological studies drawing connections between cruciferous vegetable intake and cancer incidence. Inverse associations between cruciferous vegetable intake and breast, lung, prostate, and colorectal cancers have been reported. Similar associations exist for total vegetable intake, but cruciferous vegetables are far more potent:

•    Cruciferous vegetables are twice as powerful as other plant foods.  In population studies, a 20% increase in plant food intake generally corresponds to a 20% decrease in cancer rates, but a 20% increase in cruciferous vegetable intake corresponds to a 40% decrease in cancer rates. (8)
•    28 servings of vegetables per week decreased prostate cancer risk by 33%, but just 3 servings of cruciferous vegetables per week decreased prostate cancer risk by 41%. (9)
•    1 or more servings of cabbage per week reduces risk of pancreatic cancer by 38%. (10)

How can we maximize the ITC benefit of our cruciferous vegetables?  Methods of preparation and cooking can affect the availability of ITCs to be digested and absorbed.  Chopping, chewing, blending, or juicing allows for production of ITCs. Some ITC benefit may be lost with boiling or steaming, so we get the maximum benefit from eating cruciferous vegetables raw; however, some production of ITC in cooked cruciferous vegetables may occur in the gut once the vegetables have been ingested.

Cruciferous vegetables are not only the most powerful anti-cancer foods in existence, they are also the most nutrient-dense of all vegetables. Although the National Cancer Institute recommends 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables per day for cancer prevention, they have not yet established specific recommendations for cruciferous vegetables. I recommend 6 fresh fruits and 8 total servings of vegetables per day, including 2 servings of cruciferous vegetables, one raw and one cooked. Consuming a large variety of these ITC-rich cruciferous vegetables within an overall nutrient-dense diet can provide us with a profound level of protection against cancer.

List of cruciferous vegetables:
•    Arugula
•    Bok choy
•    Broccoli
•    Broccoli rabe
•    Broccolini
•    Brussels sprouts
•    Cabbage
•    Cauliflower
•    Collards
•    Horseradish
•    Kale
•    Kohlrabi
•    Mache
•    Mustard greens
•    Radish
•    Red cabbage
•    Rutabaga
•    Turnips
•    Turnip greens
•    Watercress

Recipe: Braised Bok Choy
Serves: 2
Ingredients:
•    8 baby bok choy or 3 regular bok choy
•    1 teaspoon Bragg Liquid Aminos or low sodium soy sauce
•    2 cups coarsely chopped shiitake mushrooms
•    2 large cloves garlic, chopped (optional)
•    1 tablespoon unhulled sesame seeds, lightly toasted*
*Lightly toast sesame seeds in a pan over medium heat for 3 minutes, shaking pan frequently.

Instructions:
1.    Cover bottom of large skillet with 1/2 inch water. Add bok choy (cut baby bok choy in half lengthwise or cut regular bok choy into chunks).
2.    Drizzle with liquid aminos. Cover and cook on high heat until bok choy is tender, about 6 minutes.
3.    Remove bok choy; add mushrooms and garlic to the liquid in the pan.
4.    Simmer liquid until reduced to a glaze. Pour over bok choy. Top with toasted sesame seeds.

For an extensive collection of green vegetable recipes like these, visit Dr. Fuhrman’s website and check out his most recent book, Eat for Health.

References:

1. Walters DG, Young PJ, Agus C, Knize MG, Boobis AR, Gooderham NJ, et al. Cruciferous vegetable consumption alters the metabolism of the dietary carcinogen 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo [4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP) in humans. Carcinogenesis 2004;25:1659–69.

2. Brandi G et al. Mechanisms of action and antiproliferative properties of Brassica oleracea juice in human breast cancer cell lines. J Nutr 2005;135(6):1503-9

3. Higdon JV et al. Cruciferous Vegetables and Human Cancer Risk: Epidemiologic
Evidence and Mechanistic Basis. Pharmacol Res. 2007 March ; 55(3): 224–236

4. Gamet-Payrastre I et al. Sulforaphane, a naturally occurring isothiocyanate induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in HT29 human colon cancer cells. Cancer Res 2000;60:1426-1433

5. Bhattacharya A et al. Inhibition of Bladder Cancer Development by Allyl Isothiocyanate.
Carcinogenesis. 2009 Dec 2. [Epub ahead of print]

6. Yuan F et al. Anti-estrogenic activities of indole-3-carbinol in cervical cells: implication for prevention of cervical cancer. Anticancer Res. 1999 May-Jun;19(3A):1673-80.

7. Dalessandri KM, Firestone GL, Fitch MD, Bradlow HL, Bjeldanes LF. Pilot study: effect of 3,3?-diindolylmethane supplements on urinary hormone metabolites in postmenopausal women with a history of early-stage breast cancer. Nutr Cancer 2004;50:161–7.

8. Michaud DS et al. Frut and vegetable intake and incidence of bladder cancer in a male prospective cohort. J Natl Cancer Inst 1999; 91(7):605-13

9. Cohen JH et al. Fruit and vegetable intake and prostate cancer risk. J Natl Cancer Inst 2000;92(1):61-68

10. Larsson SC, Hakansson N, Naslund I, Bergkvist L, Wolk A. Fruit and vegetable consumption in relation to pancreatic cancer: a prospective study. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2006;15:301–305.

Forgive me for getting an Outkast song going through your head (my Clean Team is composed of super hip (they’ll love that!) music lovers so I’m getting quite an education) but your very own “so fresh and so clean” New Year begins with not only a catchy little beat but three very important R’s.

These R’s will be the tools for absolutely amazing vitality as well as an immune boost. They are: Remove, Restore and Rejuvenate, and here’s the super simple breakdown.

1. Remove toxins by avoiding processed/packaged food with additives and artificial sweeteners, beauty care products with ingredients you can’t pronounce, finding food and non-food items that are organic like fruits and vegetables, clothing, bedding, makeup, and pet supplies, buy or make your own eco-friendly cleaning products, and also look at removing common allergens from your diet such as dairy, bread, pasta, sugar, white rice/sugar and red meat.

2. Restore healthy bacteria in the gut (by using natural and often really delicious plant and herbal antimicrobials like garlic, lemon, olive oil, oregano oil, thyme and cayenne pepper) to help your body out as it tirelessly works to move all those toxins that we accumulate just by living, working and playing in this world of ours.

3. Rejuvenate by making time to rest both your body and your mind, with things like meditation, yoga, gentle walking or stretching, being outside whenever possible even if it’s just to watch some clouds float by or the snow fall through trees, taking a bath, reading, some form of creative activity, sharing space with loved ones, or simply being still for a few minutes every so often throughout your day. . .

A final tip that addresses all three of the above R’s is this:

Love those greens! Fresh green juices are one of the best ways to fill your body with incredible nutrition, easy to digest energy, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and a pleasant sensation of fullness that will help with maintaing the right weight for your own body. Greens (and especially in fresh juiced form) even help to generate feelings of comfort and being loved. Love from yourself for taking such good care of your wonderful body, but also, that feeling of being satiated and nourished creates a state of happiness and clarity in your brain (and also to your overall moods) both of which are so important in these long cold winter months. Seasonal Affective Disorder runs rampant and threatens to drive us all under the covers with a pound of chocolate, and unless it’s some sugar-free raw chocolate, you might be pleasantly surprised when silky, sexy, slightly sweet green juices become your “comfort food” of choice and the scales begin to tip in a lighter direction as a welcome side effect.

If you don’t happen to have a neighborhood juice bar don’t worry, because you can make delicious green juices without even having a juicer. With any high speed blender, you can make a thick “soup” and then using a simple nut milk bag (about $7) or even with a DIY cheesecloth one, you can strain out the pulp and be left with a glass full of yummy green nutrition to power you up through what promises to be an amazing New Year!

These simple things are the sexiest (and easiest) tools ever for reaching optimal health and vitality. You’ll have more energy and more time to fully experience the things you love and to begin actively participating in your incredibly vibrant life.

Warmth and love. . .

Dr. Alejandro Junger

Mike Lieberman

It seems like a lifetime ago now, but last this past spring and summer were my first seasons of urban vegetable gardening. I didn’t have a huge, lush, perfectly tended garden to work with. What I did have was a fire escape—and my own determination!

See, I live in New York City. Around here, the concrete outweighs the green. I had to get creative with the limited space outdoor space in my apartment, so I decided to turn my fire escape into my own little garden.

Just Start Growing

The biggest hurdle for me—as it must be for any home gardener—was getting started. What if I fail? Do I know what I’m doing? I can’t possibly do this. Luckily, I was able to forget all that self-deprecating nonsense. What did people do hundreds of years ago? They didn’t get fancy certificates declaring that they could garden. They just got it done, and I was going to do the same.

What To Grow In

I did a bit of research on what I could grow in and built my own versions of a self-watering container. They were perfect: inexpensive to make (less than $5), and composed of recycled materials.

If these seem like too much trouble, you could make a hanging planter using recycled soda bottles. These work well for herbs and lettuces.

What Kind of Potting Soil To Use

The next task was to decide on a potting soil that I was going to use. The one thing that I knew is that I wanted to use organic methods and no chemicals and pesticides. I started to do some research as to what I should use. Some said a coconut coir based soil, and some said a peat moss based soil. I figured that I’d experiment with both to see which one works better. So I bought some coconut coir based soil from my local ecology center. I also made my own potting soil from peat moss, vermiculite, limestone and compost that I made in my kitchen.

I haven’t yet done a complete analysis, but I haven’t noticed much of a difference in how things have been growing in the different soils. So, urban gardeners, I’d suggest using whichever is easier for you. Once you decide, you’ll face the next question:

Where To Buy Your Plants

My personal preference on this is to go local. Go to your farmers market or nursery and talk to the gardeners. I bought my plants from Silver Heights Farm at the Union Square Farmers Market. I was able to build a decent relationship with the gardener. She proved to be very helpful and personable in answering any questions that I had. This included:

What Should I Grow?

This is the million dollar question. If you are growing in an urban environment, it’s likely that you don’t have much space and want to get the most out of your veggie garden. What works for one won’t necessarily work for another, but I do have some personal veggie anecdotes to share.

· The vegetable that I had the most success with were lettuces and greens. I was able to harvest my lettuce and create my first salad about a mere month after planting them! It’s strange to say, but the feeling of being able to trace my food from fire escape to plate was overwhelming—in a very wonderful way—at first.

· Personal opinion? I’d stay away from red peppers. Nothing against them, but for me they don’t have a high enough yield. I’ve been able to harvest some, but the space could be better utilized. If you have a lot of space, then plant peppers like crazy.

· Cauliflower is another plant that I didn’t have much success with. I have thoughts on why it didn’t grow, but the fact that it didn’t turned me off. I’d rather stick with plants that are going to yield a high crop.

· Another lesson that I learned is that “cherry tomato” means a small tomatoes: not a small plant! When I started off, I bought a cherry tomato plant and thought it would work nicely on my fire escape. Now, a few months later, the plant is taller than me!

Maintaining Your Gardens

One of the virtues of self watering containers is that they are easy to maintain. I didn’t have to water them on a daily basis, and it’s easy to tell when they are filled. There’s also no need to pull weeds; compared to traditional gardening, the maintenance is much simpler.

Now that December, and soon winter, is upon us, the fire escape garden needs a bit more attention. There are definitely some plants and herbs that won’t make it through the cold season (such as basil, which died once the first sign of cold weather came). A heartier plant like kale is thriving in the cold weather so far.

Since I am working on a fire escape, I obviously can’t have a full blown greenhouse. I had to build mini greenhouses for the hanging soda bottle planters and small plastic greenhouses for the containers. They require a bit more attention, but help to prolong the life of the plants.

Those of us who live in urban landscapes tend to assume that gardening is a luxury for people outside of the city, or for friends with fancy country homes. But I hope that this post proves to you that this isn’t so. I’m doing all of my vegetable harvesting on my tiny fire escape in Manhattan, and with no prior experience. It’s been both fun and terribly rewarding.

So now it’s time for you to stop reading, and start growing! I wish you luck.

Mike Lieberman resides in NYC. He provides simple solutions for living in a complex world. He shows others how they can do the same on his own blogs and writes for others around the web. You can find them at CanarsieBK.com.

Shawna Lee Coronado

Home gardening: it’s the best way to ensure that you and your family members are receiving the freshest, truly organic, locally grown vegetables. By growing our own foods, we teach children and family members how to connect with nature and live with less chemical exposure.

Take it from a lady who lives in Chicagoland, though: few parts of the gardening cycle are more important than closing one’s garden for the winter. Preparing your garden for next season by closing it up properly will ensure a more attractive community, healthier, well-protected plants, and a less laborious start to your spring garden.

Here are a few tips to help you close up your garden:

Fall is a fantastic time to divide perennials. Utilizing an easy technique such as cutting the plant in half while it is still in the ground will help you wrap up this chore quickly (see video). Be sure to replace any holes with fresh soil, compost, or rotted manure.

Plan your spring bulb garden now as bulbs need to be planted before the first heavy frost in the fall in order to appear next spring. Prepare your soil by working compost or other organic material into your soil. Avoid putting rotted manure on bulb beds, as it significantly heats up the beds and sometimes rots the bulbs. Plant bulbs according to directions, being sure to use organic fertilizer during the planting.

Tender bulbs such as caladium, gladiolus, canna, and dahlia should be lifted before the first frost in cold climates (as soon as the foliage has browned). Store them in a cool, dry place for the winter which maintains a temperature near 60 degrees. In mild climates, leave the bulbs in the ground, but mulch thickly.

Mulch well before the ground freezes hard for any exposed areas of garden. You’ll save water and money by practicing water conservation techniques; by mulching properly, you will have to water less in the spring. If you mulch after the hard freeze, you can sometimes warm up the soil, exposing the existing plants to harsh temperatures. It’s better to mulch before it frosts, so the plants have time to acclimate to the new protection.

Drain garden hoses and rain water barrels, reattaching all gutter connections to drain winter moisture away from the home’s foundation. Storing the rain barrel upside down will prevent additional water from leaking into the barrel, which might cause cracking during harsh freezes.

Empty container gardens and rinse all pots in a vinegar and water solution, scrubbing crustiness with steel wool. If the crust refuses to come off, soak the pot in a bleach solution that is one part bleach to nine parts water for an hour, then rinse again. This will kill fungus and allow you to reuse the pots next year. Air dry the pots, then store them in a dry space. Move all houseplants indoors when outdoor temperatures become lower than fifty degrees for nighttime lows.

Stop deadheading and collect seed from dried flower heads left in the garden. A favorite way to collect the seed is to wait until a flower begins to dry on the stem in the flower bed, put a paper bag over the top of the stem. Cut the stem just below the paper bag, tie with string or rubber-band, and hang upside down in a cool dry place for winter. In the spring, the seeds will all be at the bottom of the bag awaiting planting.

Most perennials can be left standing with no protection beyond additional mulching. In fact, cutting down perennial plants and taking away the garden brush will leave your plants open for more potential winter damage. It is far more conservation-oriented to leave the perennials standing “as is” until next season. The brush provides protection and the plants will drop additional seeds encouraging more plants to grow in early spring – surprise – baby plants will arrive and can be dug up to be given to your friends in the community. Cover special plants, such as roses, which cannot tolerate cold winter winds.

While perennial gardens should generally be left alone, vegetable gardens need a heavy cleaning and are perfect material for the compost bin. Although the composting process slows down in the winter, it is important to continue composting.

In fact, fall is a fantastic time to add leaves and garden brush to your compost bin as well as vegetable garden rubbish. To assist the process, chop and shred the materials to make them smaller before adding to the pile; you can do this with a mulching lawnmower. Many gardeners also plant a “green” cover crop at this time to help return important nutrients back to the soil without the use of chemicals.

Providing your family with a sustainable garden can be the start to a healthier, more thoughtful way of life. Living a green lifestyle begins with fresh air, nature, and plenty of family time. Gardening with attentiveness to water savings, conservation, and non-chemical use can help the overall health of your family and perhaps inspire your community to emulate good habits.

Make a difference this fall, and close-up your garden in a positive way!

Shawna Lee Coronado is an author, newspaper columnist, health, and greening expert focused on teaching and living a green lifestyle. Visit Shawna’s prime website for more information on her books and other media – www.thecasualgardener.com. Be sure to visit her health and greening blog – www.gardeningnude.com for lots more conservation, greening and health tips.