Christina's blog

From Christina: I saw this article online and was thrilled to see the statistics. Now all we have to work on jst a little more is the compassion that goes with bailing on eating meat. Being kind to each other is everything as it allows us to live in love. Read on:

How Impossible, Beyond & Nestlé’s plant-based burgers disrupt the meat industry

It’s been a long time since I was in a kitchen full time. Most of my days now are spent testing recipes, writing articles, planning and teaching cooking classes, serving on a number of non-profit boards, traversing the globe teaching and hosting groups.

I consult with restaurants on healthy vegan menu items. On those occasions…in the kitchen, I miss the action of ‘the line.’ I miss the heat, the stress, the camaraderie of the kitchen crew, the ‘family meal’ before service, the gorgeous plates, the decompress after an 18-hour day…all of it. Back in the day, I loved all of it.

Soup making has always been a kind of ritual in my world. I can remember the aromas coming from the bubbling pots on my mom's stove. She had a way of combining the most humble ingredients to make the most delicious soups and stews. See, she understood that the key to really good soup is determined by the quality and freshness of what goes into the pot; never any limp, old veggies for her. I learned well.

It’s that time of year. A time to gather our loved ones around us, enjoy, share and celebrate…everything. A long, cold winter stretches before us. The holidays distract us from the truth of winter, harsh weather (for most of us…), long nights and short days. We feast and party, party and feast.

And we don’t think of health and wellness very much until around January 2 when we face the New Year.

My reason to get out of bed every day is to make a difference.

My mother raised us with the mantra: “If you’re not serving someone or something somehow today, don’t bother going out of the house.” She embedded the idea of making a difference in my DNA.

I confess that it took being diagnosed with terminal cancer for me to discover my mission. Once I had regained my wellness with food, I knew that I had found the purpose of my life: to help guide others to wellness and robust vitality by helping them understand the impact of food on their health.

(From Christina: I read this in The Guardian and my mind was a little more than blown. This article is long but you will relish every word. And as the author states at the very end (spoiler alert…this is the end of the piece), “…the war on vegans is the act of a doomed majority fighting to defend its harmful way of life. Vegans might well be vociferous and annoying, holier-than-thou, self-satisfied and evangelical. But as their numbers grow beyond the margins, perhaps the worst thing they could be is right.”)

My husband was reading the New York Times and sent me an opinion piece by a cardiologist from Tufts University and a former Secretary of Agriculture.

The piece hit the nail squarely on the head and rather than put my spin on it, here is the piece, in its entirety. It will make you sit up and pay attention. It will help us to ask all the right questions. It will force us to push our leaders toward actually serving the common good. Read on.

Our Food Is Killing Too Many of Us

Improving American nutrition would make the biggest impact on our health care.

The “war on cancer” drags on with no end in sight with 1.7 million Americans diagnosed with cancer last year alone.

I don’t know about you, but with stats looking a lot like they did in 1971 when this “war” was declared, I’d say we are losing the battle.

But there’s hope and it lies in prevention.

Leading experts say that up to 90% of various cancers are caused by environmental factors and lifestyle behaviors.

After a six-year hiatus, I’m coming back home to national public television. Taking the time to travel, teach and write a new cookbook, I think it’s time to come back with a fresh take on my very cool message of wellness and healthy eating. Heaven knows we need to be strong and empowered now more than ever before.

It’s a simple thought that came to me while I sat in a lecture at a conference. The lecturer was a mentor of mine, Bill Tara, a brilliant man who’s forgotten more about the natural order of the planet than most of us will ever know.

He was talking about how easily we could slow climate change through living sustainably.

He said the words as I thought them: “The world won’t change unless we change. We have to stop killing animals.”

So what does that mean?

It means what it says.