Holistic Holiday Vegan Cruise Top Ten Things I Learned

Holistic Holiday Vegan Cruise. Wow, the top ten, that is going to be tough! I didn’t know how much I didn’t know, before I want on the cruise. So much to learn. I am so honoured to have learned from some of the top scientists and experts in the plant based world. This in itself was worth the cost of admission!

If you don’t know what I’m talking about, I’m talking about the Holistic Holiday Vegan Cruise that my husband and I took in February 2018. I had been searching for some type of all inclusive vacation that was vegan friendly and then I found the Holistic Holiday Vegan Cruise. I decided right then and there that we would go in the next couple of years and we did. If you want to hear more about our experience on the cruise, please read the full blog Vegan Cruise Holistic Holiday at Sea. Any trouble finding it just put the info in the the search feature on my blog.

Ok, so what did I learn…….

Holistic Holiday Vegan Cruise Top Ten Things I Learned

Ok, so what did I learn….good question. There were so many learning opportunities, way more than you can absorb and actually attend. Many speakers were at the same time, so I was always having to make tough choices.

I took notes for most of the speakers and sometimes pictures of slides as the talks were fast and packed with information. I didn’t fully understand the pieces that involved a lot of science, I never really paid attention to science when I was growing up. My husband on the other hand, loves science, so he understood what they were talking about and could tell me if it lined up with common scientific theories etc.

Ok here are 10 of the things I decided to pay attention to and to incorporate them more in my life…a step or several small steps further towards the direction of health. As I get a bit older each year, I realize how important health is and it really is the little things that add up to a healthy lifestyle. When I say healthy lifestyle, I mean mind, body and spirit. In harmony with who you are, your values and beliefs. While taking care of your body and nourishing your mind and spirit.

Ok here goes….

Chew your food more than you do now. It was recommended to chew each bite 50 to 150 times (150 chews is a pro chewer for sure). You are basically stimulating your saliva early producing amylase, which breaks down carbohydrates. According to Author of the Kind Diet , Jessica Porter says some of the benefits of chewing include:

Chewing begets mindfulness
Improved digestion
More energy
Weight loss – overall eat less food
Mental and emotional satisfaction
More nutrients are available from our food
Helps to alkalize your system

Jessica is super funny and informative, she has practiced the macrobiotic diet since 1991

What I learned from Dr. Klapper in his talk on Salt, Oil and Sugar

Do not eat fat and sugar (carbs) at the same time
Carbs don’t turn into fat. Carbs make you store the fat that you ate with them (like pasta and cheese) – the body burns off the carbs first and stores the fat
Whole fats are good, just don’t eat them with carbs
Get your fats from whole foods (avocado, nuts, seeds) vs. oil
Use an oil sprayer, to limit the amount of oil you spray on salads and in cooking
Nutrition is the most important medicine
Disease is reversible
Cause is known
The whole meat food stream is toxic
Lawsuits are going to get the attention of the medical profession

What I learned from Dr. Barnard – Power foods for the Brain

Supports PCRM and the 21 Day Vegan Kickstart http://www.pcrm.org/kickstartHome

Coconut oil is not good for you
Do not use cast iron or aluminium pans for cooking. We do not want any extra copper, iron or aluminium in our bodies. For an example, I no longer wrap up veggies or any food in tinfoil. I use parchment paper, or a glass lid, stainless steel pots and pans.
Some genes give orders, like blue eyes. Some make suggestions…ie you could get…if you….its how we express our genes. We can change gene expression. By changing our lifestyle/choices, we can change outcomes. Our genes are not our destiny.
Use fat sparingly and when you do use it, use unsaturated fats, the fat stays the same (liquid) whether, in or out of the fridge
Vitamin B12 and Vitamin D are the only vitamins most people will need if they eat a well balanced whole foods diet
Vitamin E helps get rid of free radicals – get Vitamin E from food, not pills (Vitamin E is found in raw almonds, seeds, greens such as spinach, chard, kale, pinenuts, avocado & many other whole foods)
Take a brisk walk 3 times a week for 40 minutes – get out and do something
Stay social, do puzzles, play scrabble, get a good sleep, go to sleep by 10
His talk on the Cheese Addiction convinced my husband to go 100% vegan, one talk, wow!

Dr Deanna Minich of the Rainbow Diet shared the following:

Inflammation (which is the basis of all disease) is the new smoking
Food can harm or heal, eat the rainbow, each colour has a purpose in healing and health
DNA is not your destiny – its the sum of your choices
Vegan blood kills cancer cells
75% of overeating is emotional

Dr. Colin Campbell of the China Study suggested:

We need 5-10% protein in our diets, that’s it, most people eat too much protein
As we increase protein in our diet we increase our risk of disease (he showed us the science)
Plant based protein is ideal
7-8% of our diet ideally is plant based fats – like avocado, seeds, nuts

Warren Kramer an expert in Macrobiotic Diet and Diagnosis

Health and vitality – what do you want to do in your life, does your health and vitality give you the freedom to choose
Key factors in our health, what you eat, how you eat, quantity and quality of food, proper cooking techniques, exercise is food and should make us balanced, sleeping undisturbed, our home environment is our recharge station, our work – does it fulfil you? view of life, relationships and support.
Diagnosis is seeing the direction of each factor of health – steps and adjustments towards health
Health appears as brightness that radiates out – everything on the inside shows on the outside

Dr. Debra Kimless, M.D.

Dr Kimless gave us some of the most up to date information in the use of medical cannabis in the treatment of cancer and pain management. She is a pioneer in her field and is the medical director for ForwardGro, specializing in the endocannabinoid system. Dr. Kimless is considered an expert in medical use cannabis.

She works pro bono with patients and guides them in the successful use of cannabis as medicine. She uses a tincture of the plant and is seeing amazing results in her patients. All her patients must commit to a whole foods, plant based diet – no processed foods – before she will work with them.

Dr. Michael Greger, author of How Not to Die and www.nutritionFacts.org provided us with lots of research based information supporting how our food can become our medicine on many of the leading diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure…to name a few of the biggies.

For additional and updated research on nutrition and health Check out http://nutrutionfacts.org

Conclusion

I have so much to learn, I love everything that I am learning about the plant-based movement, and yes it is a big movement…a tidal wave of veganism is coming our way. Watch it grow!

I gave you way more than 10 things I learned, no extra charge!

The plant-based world is rapidly changing, the world is evolving, we are moving into a new era. I am so proud to be a vegan and to be part of a movement towards mind, body and spirit health through living an environmentally sound, cruelty free, healthy lifestyle. Its the way of the future. A way you can make a difference in your life and quite frankly the world. It is a game changer.