People all over the world, and not only millennials, are opting in for healthier food. Throughout the world, we are collectively waking up and making better choices for our health and well-being. Additionally, there is greater awareness of our human e responsibilities in the raising, care and handling of animals for consumption. My mom used to say, “Slow and steady wins the race.” It seems to me we’ve now jumped into turbo mode with respect to our awareness. Every choice a consumer makes impacts not only animals but the whole planet. Become informed, educated and aligned with the growing trend toward plant-based living. Be alert to the ingredients you are consuming if you make these new choices… and lucky for us in South Florida, there is a humongous plant-based festival in Miami, November 7-11, 2018.
The co-founders of Seed Food and Wine Festival are partners in life and business. One year after Alison Burgos and Michelle Gaber met, Burgos was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease.
She was confined to a wheelchair from 2011 to 2012, then underwent knee replacement surgery, followed by six months of physical rehabilitation – all in order to be able to walk again. Gaber already lived a plantbased lifestyle, but the experience made both women delve further into a more conscious, healthy way of life. Burgos began consuming more fruits and vegetables, until adopting the plant-based diet she eats today. The changes she made allowed her to wean herself from medication, lose more weight than she ever had, feel more energetic and bring her inflammation levels down to remission level. Realizing the drastic and positive results of Alison’s lifestyle changes, Gaber and Burgos saw the opportunity to teach others how to eat their way to better health, and created this festival.
This year marks the fifth year of the event. Ranked third in the “Top 10 Best Wine Festivals” by USA Today, SEED is a one-of-a-kind regional event that celebrates delicious plant-based foods, fine wine, craft beer and spirits, lifestyle products and companies. The exceptional lineup of talent includes celebrities, chefs, athletes, authors, and influencers whose focus is plant-based food, holistic wellness, and raising awareness about conscious and sustainable living. More than ten affiliated events throughout Miami-Dade County will include upscale dinners, fitness events, seminars and the return of the nation’s first plant-based “Burger Battle.” To learn more go to www. seedfoodandwine.com.
Just for the sake of clarity:
A plant-based diet is a diet based on foods derived from plants, including vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, legumes and fruits, but with few or no animal products.
A vegetarian diet consists of primarily plant foods, including grains, nuts, seeds, beans, legumes, fruits and vegetables, but some vegetarians also include some dairy and egg products.
A vegan diet consists of only plant foods, excluding all animal by-products. The diet is made up of grains, nuts, seeds, legumes, fruits, and vegetables.
A flexitarian diet is a semi-vegetarian diet that is plant-based with the occasional inclusion of meat.
UC Berkeley Professor and food writer Michael Pollan has a simple credo, and redefined what it means to eat smart today: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” Pollan emphasizes the importance of knowing how one’s food was raised, eating locally and organic by “shopping the seasons” at the farmers market, and avoiding the growing number of “Frankenfoods” on the market – high in mysterious additives. “Don’t eat anything with ingredients your grandmother wouldn’t recognize!” he warns. “His advice may sound like a joke,” writes Vera Churilov in Mind Body Green, “but when it comes to food chemi cals, trans fats, and genetically modified foods, it could help prevent long-term health implications.”
The Food Revolution Network offers encouraging statistics on a growing food revolution . “International delivery service Just Eat named veganism as a top consumer trend in 2018 – due to a 94 percent increase in healthy food ordered.” Additionally, we learn, “There’s been a 600 percent increase in people identifying as vegans in the U.S in the last three years.”
In the feature documentary, “From The Ground Up,” ultra-athlete Rich Roll shows how top athletes are powering their stellar performances with plants.
Get on board, readers! Now is the time to make healthier choices, invest in learning and educating yourself, your family and friends to live healthy, eat healthy and make good choices.
Yes, I know, it’s October, and Halloween candy will line the shelves tempting us to indulge in a sweet treat. So go ahead, have a bite or two, and then enjoy a sweet, juicy organic apple, and as moms used to say, keep the doctor away by making your health and well-being foremost on your to-do list this month.
Be well – Be happy – Be blessed!
Liz