I got tired of all the media stories saying you
can’t eat well on a budget. I remember one story in particular with a woman who
was morbidly obese. The reporter caught her loading her shopping cart with
Twinkies and as he shoved the microphone in front of her face she said, “You
just can’t eat well on food stamps.”
I thought, "I’ve been doing this for the
better part of 32 years. It’s time to take the best of both careers - financial
services and investigative/consumer reporting, crunch the numbers and write
this book."
What do you feel are the key messages in your book?
1) You don’t
have to shop at a health food store to eat a well-balanced vegan diet. You can
find 99% of all the ingredients of recipes in my book at big box stores, if
that’s the only place you can shop.
2) By putting an estimated price on every
recipe, and providing lots of tips on how to look for bargains, I stress what
you can save at the store. But I also emphasize how much money can be saved by
avoiding disease. If you average the cost of a $100,000 bypass surgery over a
lifetime of $5 burgers...those burgers are more like $1000 a piece, depending
how many are eaten.
What's
been the response to your message that eating well/eating vegan doesn't have to
cost a fortune?
Excellent. I’ve been a speaker at VegFests all over the US and
almost fainted when I heard both Dr. Neal Barnard and Dr. Michael Gregor
mention my books in their talks. As Dr. Barnard told me, the perceived expense
of eating vegan is the last holdout or excuse that people give for not going
vegan.
Totally! I often mention your books in my classes and talks too. So, thanks for providing such a good reference!! What else do you do that we should be talking about? What other revolutionary things are you up to?
One of the things I do that I guess no one else out there has done, is I
take pictures of food prices and boil them down to the lowest common
denominator...the unit or per ounce price. And then I start comparing. I’ll
show that a 4 ounce serving of beans is 7 times cheaper than the cheapest form of
30% fat hamburger meat. Or that beef tenderloin is 37 times more expensive than
an equal serving of beans. I’m trying to reach people with their wallets.
I love it! What are some of your favorite tips for eating well on a budget?
Shop the circumference of the store. The more processed, boxed and expensive
products are in the center. Look for bargains on top and bottom shelves.
Manufacturers pay for that eye level product placement. Buy in bulk, especially
beans. Store them in jars with rubber gaskets that keep the beans fresh and bug
proof.
So, here's a subject changer, but I have to ask you about your running since I personally find it and you so inspiring! How long have you been running?
32 years also. Though I took many
years off when my 3 daughters were young. The fancy running strollers that
exist now didn’t back then. So I walked, backpacked with my girls on my back,
and biked. We had a huge common ground area and I often went there with my
girls running down the hills.
What do you love most about running?
I love to run on the beach
with my iPod. When the seagulls, ospreys and pelicans soar overhead, it is easy
to feel like you are one of them.
What do you like the least?
If I have to cut
back on my training when I’m traveling heavily, it’s a struggle to get back on
track when I return.
What are your biggest accomplishments with running?
When I started
racing again in 2005, I really was just glad to finish a 5K. Finish without
injury was always the goal. Then I joked that I started winning or placing in
my age group just by showing up. But 49 5K races later when I have continued to
place in my age group, I’m thinking maybe that a vegan diet does give me the
edge. I did my first marathon in 2010 and was the 5th oldest female to finish
the Palm Beaches Marathon.
And then recently, I discovered I obviously have
more fast twitch muscles than slow twitch. I am currently 3rd in State (FL) in
the 200, 400 and 1500 meters. 4th in the 100 meters. Finishing in the top 4 at
the Senior Games qualifies me to compete in the National Senior Games in Cleveland
this July. My 100 meter times are :06 slower than NCAA girls’ personal records
listed in the University of Southern California 2012 Track and Field Media
Guide.
My daughter was a pole vaulter on the team, so that’s how I got the
guide. I write a monthly column for “The Running Journal” and the publisher
recently encouraged me to get tested to see if I really do have more fast
twitch than slow twitch muscles. He says it is unusual for anyone with my
sprint times to have ever finished a marathon.
Wow, that is fantastic. OK, so this is one I’m personally curious about – can you give us any
tips on how to overcome obstacles in running? Such as strains and knee issues?
I’d love to be even half the runner you are!
You’re too kind. I’ve actually
gotten faster in the past few years. Part of it was training with the high
school cross country coach. She saw me clock an 8 minute mile and asked if I
would like to volunteer coach as her assistant, which I did pre-book. I ran
with the girls every day in a park with soft trails. That helped build my speed
as well as keep me injury free. Any time you can run on natural surfaces, it
helps to stave off joint and muscle injuries. Concrete and asphalt are fairly
new inventions evolutionarily speaking.
Oooh, very good to know! I'll try that. Any other tips?
Also, get a gait analysis at a good
running shoe store. That should include running on a treadmill and getting
recorded on video from behind. If there is any collapsing of the ankle when you
run, the video will show that. When fitted with the correct shoes, or
orthotics, the video should show the correction. Knee pain is common if you
don’t have correct fitting shoes and/or orthotics. The relief can often be
instant. Also work on building the muscles that surround and support the knee.
Start with a slow program. As a certified personal trainer (AFAA) and running
coach (RRCA), I work with clients structuring a program based around past
injuries, and current needs and goals. If you’re just starting, I always
recommend a walk/run method and build a base from that. Doing too much too fast
and not listening to your body can derail you. You have to start slowly.
I want you to be my running coach when I'm in Florida next winter, Ellen!! Is there anything else you’d like to share with us today?
As the
last slide in my presentation that I use at VegFests says, “Genes don’t
determine destiny.” My mom, aunt and both sisters had breast cancer. And much
more. Figuring out how to dodge our family’s medical history has been the
investigative reporting job of my life.
Amen, sister!! Genes do NOT determine destiny. Couldn't agree more. And thank you so much for sharing with us today. You're a rock star! Friends, thanks for joining Ellen and me today - I hope you're inspired to get the most out of life with a plant-strong diet and just-right-for-you exercise plan. Be sure to join Ellen on her website, her Facebook page, and her Twitter page! : )
