Meet our Herbie of the Week: Jeanne!Jeanne has struggled with weight since her first pregnancy. She had temporary success with various diets, but could not keep the weight off long-term. She was at the point of considering bariatric surgery, and then s…

Meet our Herbie of the Week: Gary!

Gary is a very active member in the
Meal Mentor community who is constantly inspiring other members and keeping smiles on their faces with his great sense of humor. (Gary will also be my co-pilot in the Meal Mentor Co-Pilot Podcast this Friday. Listen Here.)

He suffered from fatty liver disease, gallstones, and fatigue and was later diagnosed with MS. He credits a plant-based diet for regaining his health and has now lost 90 pounds!

There’s so much more to Gary’s story, so I’ll let him take it away!

I’m a conceptual artist living in Los Angeles but I grew up in Chicago where the air seemed to be flavored like Italian Beef and Sausage. I would put away three Al Pastor Burritos with Cheese, Avocado, and Sour Cream a week from my favorite restaurant. In my twenties I was big and worked as a bouncer, albeit a gentle one.

I would occasionally suffer horrible bouts of stomach pain that lasted eight, nine hours at times. I always assumed that this was heartburn. I tried over-the-counter medicine, but nothing worked. I was sure this was from something I was eating, but I could never pinpoint what. This continued after I moved to LA in 1998. The cliché I had always heard of Los Angeles was that it’s a health food mecca but I never found this to be true; I’ve never seen as many doughnut places as I’ve seen in Los Angeles but I digress.

At my highest I weighed about 260 pounds, had fatty liver disease (even though I was a non-drinker at the time) while still suffering those horrible stomach aches. I suffered a swollen optic nerve in 2004 that remained undiagnosed after numerous MRIs, CT scans, and a Spinal Tap (trust me, a real Spinal Tap is not fun like the movie). Anyhow, one evening, I woke up in the worst pain in my life, I drove myself to the hospital, I was out of my mind in pain. The hospital staff believed I was an addict trying to get morphine, finally I convinced them to do a test and they found huge gallstones in my gallbladder (which is where one usually finds them but I’m sure you all know that). I had just had a daughter and feared not being around for her, not being able to play with her, I was sluggish, always tired. I had recently had an Aunt that had passed away from stomach cancer and there’s a history of heart disease in my family. I was scared. I agreed to do the surgery but would have to wait a month. I asked the doctor if there was anything I could do to stave off attacks until then and he said to try to not eat so much fat.

I cut out dairy and red meat first and miraculously it not only alleviated my stomach aches but I started losing a lot of weight. I started walking during my lunch breaks, and more and more came off. Things seemed to snowball. I learned about this mysterious substance called “fiber” that most Americans haven’t heard of and ate more fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains. I did have the surgery but there was no turning back. My fatty liver disease was gone. I knew nothing about nutrition but I knew that what I was doing was having an effect.

I heard about
Forks Over Knives while scouring the Internet trying to learn more about nutrition. My concept of veganism up to that point was based on mock-meat products and not the simplicity of the whole food plant-based approach. I rented the movie (Forks Over Knives) but I must confess that I saw only the first twenty minutes because I was immediately convinced (I did read The China Study cover to cover though, so I should get some brownie points there). I identified as a vegan from that second. I was very influenced by Lindsay’s books and nutritionfacts.org which provided me with the day-to-day how and the why. My weight got down to about 170 lbs. which was the higher end of normal for my height. I discovered that a lot of people I knew immediately turned into nutritionists and were suddenly concerned with my health as my BMI dropped into the normal range. When I told my mom I was a vegan she said, “that’s OK, we can just cook Chicken when you visit,” but when I explained to her what it meant she said “we’ll just cook like we did during the war” (my parents grew up under Mussolini’s Italy on a diet of beans, pasta, and veggies). The transformation was dramatic, I don’t think people were prepared for the new me. People used to call my “Gare Bear,” my basketball nickname was “The Silky Burrito” (smooth moves from such a big guy).

I was feeling great, had more energy, was able to meet the mental and physical demands of parenting, and then the other shoe dropped. One day I was giving a slide lecture of my artwork at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and I developed an incredibly horrible headache around the eye that previously had the swollen optic nerve. My neck grew numb and over the course of a month my entire body was tingling. I had trouble balancing when I walked and collapsed a few times walking the same route I had been doing for years. I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and was told that, based on the lesions on my MRIs, I had actually had it for about ten to twelve years. When I told my neurologist about the swollen optic nerve he said that had been my first attack. I was put on steroids but in the meantime had lost all my energy.

Although my MS symptoms subsided, I exercised far less, started eating a crappier (can I say that?) higher fat version of vegan, became depressed, started drinking more and more, and got myself back up to 200 lbs. My growing weight upset me, something I rarely hear word of in the WFPB community is that when you claim to be eating a Whole Food Plant Based Diet you sort of become an ambassador of this mode of eating and I wasn’t keeping my end of the bargain by consuming so much fat (chips, oil). I don’t try to argue with people about the way I eat, I just try to do my best and hope that my best is a good example to those who are interested. But I knew I wasn’t giving my best on a lot of fronts, and what’s worse, the fat was not good for my MS. The fatigue from the disease was unbearable.

Over the course of a year I made a couple of half-hearted attempts to right my ways and recommit but it wasn’t until a chain of unfortunate events that things began to turn around. I started biking, but in the span of one week my bicycle was stolen, my stationary bike broke, and my car got towed. I was demoralized. Exercise is so important to MS sufferers for future mobility and cognitive health (to prevent brain shrinkage) and it seemed that the moment I got serious everything got taken away. I felt like I was at a do or die moment.

Amazingly a friend started a Gofundme campaign for me to replace my bikes and pay for the towed car. The campaign was successful, and I was able to quickly replace everything. The bike was important to me symbolically; many online articles about MS show a stock photograph of an empty wheelchair, a scary image. I thought of the bike as my anti-wheelchair, the thing that would help my future mobility. I knew my friends had my back, it was a great feeling. I turned on a dime and two months later am at the fittest point in my life. On any given day I may ride to and from work, ride 60 miles on an elliptical device under the desk of my cubicle at work and do 200 push-ups throughout the day. This makes me more conscious about what I put in my mouth: beans, veggies, potatoes, fruits, and whole grains.

I thank Lindsay for the inspiration and acceptance of non-perfection (and the
recipes, of course).

Thank you so much Gary for sharing your plant-based journey with us!

UPDATE (May 2016)

I’m still going strong, I feel like I’ve hit my target weight and as anyone who has gotten there will tell you, maintenance mode is hard, these are the times where bad habits creep back in. I’m trying to limit my eating to a 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. window, endless late night snacks have done me in in the past. It’s fascinating that this (a twelve hour eating window) is considered a form of “intermittent fasting” (though by far the easiest) by The New York Times which maybe says something about American eating habits when a completely natural eating cycle is considered a “fast.” I continue to exercise for my MS: I do 250 diamond push ups five days a week, cycle between 40-60 miles five days a week between the road and machines (I supplement my street riding with an under desk elliptical and an indoor bicycle for those infrequent Los Angeles rains), and am taking up Pilates. I haven’t had an MS flare-up in three years, I attribute it to eating with a Whole Food Plant-Based approach (not a diet, I never feel hungry), these are the foods my body craves, these are the foods that satisfy me, these are the foods that make me feel good.

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Herbie of the Week: Colin Colin juggles his three children, running a photography business and working regularly as a substitute teacher. He spent years dieting, losing, and then regaining the weight he’d lost. He learned about a plant-based diet after…

I am always being asked about how to stay plant-based while traveling.

It can definitely be done, and plant-based options are becoming easier to find. I have an entire section on travel in the Happy Herbivore Guide to Plant-Based Living.

I’ve also written a post about traveling across Asia.

When Meal Mentor member Siri told me about her recent trip to India I asked if she would share her experience as a blog post. (Siri is also my co-pilot in Today’s episode of the Meal Mentor Co-Pilot Podcast. Listen Here.)

I’ll let Siri take it away!

First off, I want to share that I was born and brought up in the southern part of India. My parents and extended family members live there. I have been vegetarian since birth. I turned to a WFPB lifestyle just 2 years ago with a
Meal Mentor subscription in 2014.

I have been (and still am a little bit) overweight and started my fat loss journey in 2010. Making changes to diet has been the most important in my lifestyle and made all the difference.

Going out, being social, and planning trips are some things we cannot avoid. I had to find a way to make it work. Earlier, I was clueless and I have to admit – did not want it badly enough to “make it work.” I found excuses and used food as a reward. I used to have a mentality of “I am on vacay, who cares? – let me treat myself to ice cream and more food!”

I traveled back home to India three times since I made changes to my diet. Every time, I gave in to treats. But, I quickly realized my weakness is food. I have to learn to control sooner or later. Otherwise, it just proves to me that I am not serious, and my goal without a game plan & action will just remain a goal.

I was determined that my next trip would be different. I decided that this time, I was going to just be willing to recognize and accept the result of my choices.

One month before I planned my trip, I got myself to practice and simulate conditions I may face during my vacation and try to handle it. Lindsay’s
meal plans already help learn to create balanced meals and to get creative. So mentally, I knew to include veggies, chickpeas, and use whatever spices I could get ahold of. Some things that I was already aware of were:

1. The places where I was going to travel (In this case – cities in India)

2. Kind of people who would surround me.

3. Kind of places I would visit to eat or drink.

4. Where I could purchase ingredients for WFPB meals.

5. My mother would make my meals without oil / dairy and pack my meals for outdoors.

Knowing these, helped me create a game plan. I planned in advance ‘where’ I would eat ‘what’.

One thing I would highlight is, India is probably the most vegetarian friendly country and if planned well, it will be a cake walk. Sure, most Indians consume dairy, some do not eat root vegetables (Jain food). But, most foods can be prepared without oil or butter or dairy. It is natural to find good and filling vegan food – very easily, virtually everywhere in India.

The only difficulty will be to request for no oil or dairy!

I want to jump right in and share what I did and give some tips. It is important to know that I only visited South India. North India will be more or less similar, overall.

Some must-have experiences in food, that are not found outside of India:

1. Eat a meal in a
banana leaf.

2. Indians use
curry leaf as a garnish. Not a single recipe goes by without addition of this medicinal plant. This plant is native to India.

3. Try
Asafoetida spice. Again, we use this medicinal herb in most dishes. It is bitter, but bitterness disappears during cooking. It has a faint scent too!

4. Definitely try street food with vendors who sell
Chickpeas & other beans as snacks. (More on that below.)

5. Avocado is called ”
Butterfruit“. They are huge in size. They make a smoothie out of these. If your calories permit, do-not-miss.

6.
Gulkhand: This is a jelly made with pink rose petals. Very unique jam from India. You can order it online in Amazon.

7. Try Indian vegetables and be pleasantly surprised by how differently they taste. For example – tomatoes are sour, not sweet, colors and sizes vary. Try gourds that grow in India like Ridge gourd, snake gourd, and bitter gourd.

8. Neem tree leaves. Not found outside of India. Bitter in taste – but very, very good.

9. Tamarind. Native to south Asian countries. Indians use this to super sour up their meals.

10. Last, but not the least –
Betel leaves. This is usually had as a mouth freshener. Side note: Paan or stuffed Betel leaves with sweet sauces & spicy fillings is a roll up, to be eaten after dinner. But do be careful when you order one and carefully see what has been stuffed inside. Warning: extra strong spices can cause stomach upset and you may faint.

Breakfasts

Easily, the most vegan friendly and fresh meal you will get in abundance within minutes. Typical south Indian breakfasts is made up of rice and lentils with vegetables.

Some of my favorite meals that I had are:

Idli (steamed rice cake) with Sambar (lentil soup with veggies) and Coconut chutney. Ask for no butter (Ghee).

Masala Dosa (A rice based crepe stuffed with mild spicy mashed potato. Ask for no butter)

and Ven Pongal (rice and lentils steamed with peppercorns)

For lunches and dinner – so many choices!

Indian Roti (tortilla made with whole wheat flour) is quite popular. usually eaten with vegetable curry and dal (lentils), rice with vegetable curry, chutneys, dry powders made of roasted seeds & chillies and soups!

Some meals are stand alone – made with vegetables and rice together with spices as a 1-pot meal. This is called Pulao or Biryani or Bath. (Make sure to ask to be made without oil and ghee that are added before serving)

These are the foods I actually ate and took pictures of. Cups of cut fruits, roasted and unroasted varieties of beans and chickpeas (usually sold mixed with potato, onions, spices, and lemon juice).

Special shout out to sandwiches (ask with no butter; usually have no cheese, but ask for no cheese, just in case). These are very easy to access, especially near fruit vendors and juice shops. Also available in restaurants everywhere. They toast bread, and layer with boiled potato, beets, cucumber and optionally carrots, bell peppers. They apply mint paste on one side of the bread, tamarind paste on the other side. Sprinkled with
Chaat Masala. It is lip-smackingly good. You can eat on the spot of take it for to-go.

Cheap food and snacks!

One thing that might surprise you in India is how easy and cheap it is to eat fruits directly cut fresh for like 20 cents! On certain days, I literally lived on the tasty bowls and bowls of fruits and chickpea snacks from street vendors. I do not think I ate that many fruits ever! Not just because it is cheap, there was nothing else the vendor could add except a few spices and garnishes. I was totally hooked!

Apart from authentic Indian foods, you will find McDonalds, Subways, Papa Johns pizza, Pizza hut, Dominos, Starbucks, Hard Rock Cafe and other American fast food restaurants.
I do not want to recommend them. But, I want to highlight that they all have wide vegetarian options (and some Indianized versions for burgers, pizzas, etc.) for those who do not eat meat. Some of them also have a vegetarian station on a different side too – they physically separate the utensils and serving area.

The following have been in India since last 20 years, but worth mentioning :

1. Soy milk is available in all supermarkets / grocery stores. Both plain and a chocolate version.

2. Nut butters, cut veggies, and spices are easy to access for cheap.

3. No vegan ice creams or desserts. Very hard to find them. It is easier to eat fruits instead. Try new fruits like coconut meat, fruits of
sugar palm (you find this only in South Asia countries) or cookies (called as biscuits in India)!

Definitely buy water bottles which are sealed.

Almost all Indian meals are centered around vegetables. There will be a lot of food to sample and eat that is fresh and vegan. It is easy to commute (Thanks to Uber, Ola apps) and use apps like Zomato to find good places to eat. But, most vegan, oil free food will be right around a corner, waiting for you!

When you visit India, check out out so many foods that are more than curries and samosas. Strangely, most US restaurants get foreign Authentic food somewhat wrong. Indian food is not spicy with red gravies. Chinese food is likely not as oily and sweet. There is no such a thing as a Burrito in Mexico. There is no Pad Thai in Thailand.

(Behind me is the famous Mysore Palace of a Maharaja. This is the second most visited tourist attraction after the Taj Mahal in India.)

I would like to take this opportunity to appreciate my mother and mother-in-law, who played important roles in this trip. Every time I visit India, my mom (she was a teacher and now a meditation teacher) always arranges for a yoga teacher to teach me new poses and makes all meals according to my choices. My mother-in-law always cooks homemade food for me when I visit her and arranges field trips to agricultural lands (she was a teacher too and now an agriculturist teaching new farming practices). Overall, my family helped a lot to help me avoid outside food as much as possible.

I highly recommend you to visit India and an advance Welcome to you all!

Thank you so much Siri for sharing your plant-based traveling experience with us!

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