A Kale Hummus Sandwich and a List of Resources

Hi there! What a wonderful Saturday. It was beautiful outside. Elena and I cooked all afternoon and now we are winding down. We all starting watching Planeat on Thursday but Elena had to go to bed before it was over. I think we will watch the last part tonight so she can see it. This movie is similar to Forks Over Knives however Planeat highlights the environmental impact of food where FOK highlights the health impact of food. They blend a bit and actually speak to a few of the same doctors about their research. I highly suggest both! Everyone should watch these films and a few others I will come back to later.

A Kale Hummus Sandwich?

In Planeat, Dr. Esselstyn's wife is so excited while making lunch. She walks through step by step as she makes kale hummus sandwiches and they looked delicious. Jason and I decided we would try to make them this weekend. She used super thin bread which she toasted. She added a thick layer of  homemade hummus and then topped the sandwich with kale that had been sauteing in lemon juice. Our sandwich was on the same thin toasted bread and also had a thick layer of homemade hummus. I added green onions and mushrooms to the lemony kale and we also made sweet potato fries. It was a success!

Our version of the Kale Hummus Sandwich!

Sweet Potato Close Up

I have had a few requests to list a few of the books and movies that the Thierbachs have used on this journey. I was planning on revisiting them all before listing and I am not sure that is necessary. Here are just a few with a brief description and link.

Books

Twinkie, Deconstructed by Steve Ettlinger
The first on my list was the first book that really made me question what I was eating. This books goes through all those mysterious ingredients on the packages of processed foods. Very interesting and scary.

Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal  by Eric Schlosser
I used to LOVE fast food. I didn't want to read this but I wanted to know what I didn't know. This was my first exposure to factory farming and the meat industry.

In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan
I  read all of Michael Pollan's books however this is my favorite. The main theme of the book is actually on the cover "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants".  Michael Pollan is not a vegetarian however is suggesting this diet. Excellent.

Movies

Earthling directed and written by Shaun Monson
This movie explores the different ways in which humans use animals. It is a bit brutal to watch and is NOT appropriate for kids. I believe in telling my child the truth but this is too much truth for a younger child. The film goes into food (obviously) but also scientific research, pets, animal testing, etc. Yes, it is painful to watch however the animals are living it. Suck it up and learn what is going on.

Forks Over Knives written and directed by Lee Fulkerson
Show this movie to the people you care about. This movie shows compelling scientific evidence that eating a plant based diet has significant positive influence on your health.  The movie highlights two studies in particular that show a correlation between cancer and higher meat intake using incredible amounts of data from China and that show eating a plant based diet after heart attacks, obesity ,etc can reverse the damage respectively.

There are so many more to mention. I will save a few for next time. If you have read/watched these, what did you think? Would you recommend them or are they liberal hippy crap? Have they made you think? Changed your view?


Peace,
Christy