Spring 2018 speaking events

March 17, 2018 by admin Leave a comment

Where have I been? Most of my energy these days goes to Nutrinic and some writing for publications, including Today’s Dietitian. Did you see my article on counseling vegan clients?

Also, I recently spoke at the excellent International Congress on Vegetarian Nutrition (here’s a nice summary, I’m quoted) at Loma Linda University, my 4th time attending. When an event is only every 5 years that makes you feel old! I was invited to speak for the first time, which was an incredible honor. It also reminded me to share my upcoming talks.

Most of these are part of larger events therefore have a cost associated (sorry!). If you can’t make any, please pass them on to potentially interested parties. The power of sharing events with your friends and colleagues cannot be understated. Nor can my appreciation for helping out.

14 April | Los Angeles, CA

The Los Angeles District (LAD) of the California Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics presents, One Size Does Not Fit All: Promoting Diverse Perspectives in Dietetics. I’ll be presenting, “The Case for Plant-Based.” The sports talk before me focuses on protein, presumably animal protein, so I’m guessing this might be a bit of a debate? I’m looking forward to it! It’s at Children’s Hospital on Sunset Blvd, meaning I can walk there from my apartment, which is the best.

26 April | Rochester, NY

I’m honored to give a talk on sports nutrition as part of the Lifestyle as Medicine Lecture Series at the Rochester Academy of Medicine. In or near Rochester? I’d love if you could make this. More information and registration here.

27 April | Syracuse, NY

Not sure what exactly this will entail, beyond a sports nutrition talk, but I’m teaming up with Joel from Strong Hearts Cafe, the force behind the Strong Hearts Vegan Power running team. Mid-90’s bands from Syracuse were a huge influence on my adoption of veganism, and I haven’t been back in two decades, so I’m really looking forward to this. Most likely free or very low-cost.

~~07 May | Tarzana, CA~~ (this is postponed, stay tuned for the new day and time)

My friend and colleague Dr. Health Shenkman opened her own practice and is putting on Heart U – Classes to Empower YOU for Optimal Cardiac Wellness. You may remember Heather from our Strong Hearts episode. I’m speaking on how to overcome the barriers you may face when switching to a plant-based diet. Each session is $30, or all 8 for $150. Space is extremely limited, so if this interests you please sign up soon. Also check out her new book.

19-21 May | Raleigh, NC

The 5th annual Plant-based Prevention Of Disease national conference returns to Raleigh and it’s going to be the best conference yet. As you probably know I’m a board member and put a lot of work into making this conference evidence-based and affordable. It’s truly a one-of-a-kind event. If you haven’t been, join us this year! There’s even walkable campus housing so no need for a rental car. We save you money every step of the way! I’m giving the opening address on why, now more than ever, we need to focus on plant foods in healthcare.

15 Sept | Modesto, CA

This isn’t finalized yet, but if you are an early planner, I’m working with the Sutter Health Memorial Medical Center to give the main presentation at this year’s Harvest of Hope. I’ll be tying in local farming with nutrition and the benefits of eating plant foods, and without powerpoint! This will put my story telling to the test, which is an exciting challenge. At least I have time to prepare. Will share details when I have them.

Are you part of an organization that puts on events or needs speakers? Let them know I’m available. That’s the most common way I get invited, so please don’t underestimate the power of your suggestion.

Since I post here so infrequently, these are the best ways to stay in touch: newsletter | twitter | instagram.

Thanks for reading!

Announcing Nutrinic: A Plant-based Nutrition Center in Pasadena, CA

December 7, 2016 by admin 6 Comments

It has been awhile since I have posted, but today I have big news: I’ve opened a nutrition center in Pasadena, CA called Nutrinic!

Nutrinic is a place for you to send your friends and family who could benefit from eating healthier or who want to learn how to incorporate more plant-based meals. And we have video-based consulting for those not in Southern California.

Read more about us in this press release.

Over the years, my small practice focused primarily on helping vegans and aspiring vegans to develop healthy eating habits. I will continue this work through Nutrinic, however our focus is on plant-based diets as therapeutic treatment and prevention of the major cardiovascular diseases, which together are the number one killer in America.
Our approach is different because we go beyond education by focusing on skill acquisition and habit building to sustain long-term change. Our goal is not successful diets, but new lifestyles.

Our services:

A one-time nutrition check-in to review your current diet and learn how you can make improvements.
The Fundamentals: a more intensive look at your eating patterns with a focus on addressing shortcomings and learning new skills and habits. Includes before and after lipid panels.
Want to go all-in, revamp your relationship with food, and learn the skills for continued health from shopping to cooking to habit formation? Our 21-day program is coming soon.

I have been a Registered Dietitian for 13 years and involved in the plant-based/vegan world for two decades and now is a time like no other. The evidence for the efficacy of plant-based diets in the prevention of disease is growing daily, as is the availability of vegan options in grocery stores and restaurants. It’s an exciting time!

This next chapter is big and I’m elated for what the future holds for plant-based nutrition. Thank you for being a part of this with me! Also please note that some changes are going to come to my website(s), please stay tuned.

Ps. We are having a small office warming party this Saturday at 5pm, if you’re local and would like to come, please let me know and I’ll happily send you the details.

Pps. You can support my work directly, here.

It is difficult to eat well in our world- unless you’ve learned otherwise

March 24, 2015 by admin Leave a comment

I’m generally a very optimistic person, but I’m also realistic and shy away from misleading people into thinking something is going to be easier than it is. Why? Because making long-term, sustainable health behavior change takes, well, a lot of change. And work. Preparing people for this work helps them overcome the barriers that will no doubt arise. Too often I see/hear those who have spent years thinking about eating well, good nutrition, veganism, exercise, etc as saying these things are easy to do. You just need to want it! Just be disciplined! They forget what it was like to not know what they know now. Think about that for a minute- what was it like before you had the knowledge you have now? Are you even able to?

When I broke my dominant arm last year I had to write with my other hand. It’s incredibly hard. Why? Because I’ve had a lifetime of developing the habits and muscles memory to use a specific hand. Switching over just doesn’t make sense to my brain. What is this we are trying to do?? That’s an extreme example though clear in how we learn our behaviors over a lifetime to a point where we don’t think about them. We interpret this as being ‘easy.’

Our world today is not just full of unhealthy food, but cheap, heavily advertised food served in large portions. When we look at individuals’ diet/nutrition from this perspective- the influential environment- it’s no wonder we are in a health crisis with rampant chronic disease.

The American Academy of Pediatrics estimates that a young person in the US sees 3000 advertisements a day.

Three thousand! If those advertisements weren’t influential it wouldn’t be a billion dollar industry. It’s as if our environment has been engineered to make eating healthy as difficult as possible.

I’ve been thinking about this because this Wednesday night is my 3rd lecture of four at the Digital Gym (put on with Cycling Camp San Diego who are also hosting the epic Dirty Devil this Saturday!). I’ll be talking about this topic- why is it so hard to eat healthy? What are the factors working against us? It’s an important lecture if you’ve had trouble turning knowledge into action. You are not alone! The fourth lecture, on Wednesday April 1st, will cover the ‘how to’ of eating plant-based and healthy. You can sign up for both here for a discount!

Both lectures start at 6pm at Digital Gym, 2921 El Cajon Boulevard, 92104 (map).