1 00:00:00,112 --> 00:00:04,847 (uplifting contemporary music) 2 00:00:04,847 --> 00:00:05,680 (calming elevator music) - Hi. 3 00:00:05,680 --> 00:00:07,070 Welcome to Between The Lines, 4 00:00:07,070 --> 00:00:09,192 I'm your host, Lea Woodford, and with me today 5 00:00:09,192 --> 00:00:12,514 is award winning author, Nancy Addison. 6 00:00:12,514 --> 00:00:15,040 Nancy, welcome to the show. 7 00:00:15,040 --> 00:00:17,090 - Thank you so much for having me. 8 00:00:17,090 --> 00:00:18,181 - Oh, it's my pleasure. 9 00:00:18,181 --> 00:00:22,220 So, your book, "How To Be A Healthy Vegetarian", 10 00:00:22,220 --> 00:00:24,900 that's an interesting title, tell me about that. 11 00:00:24,900 --> 00:00:28,270 - Well, I became a vegetarian 33 years ago, 12 00:00:28,270 --> 00:00:31,480 and I raised my children that way, and what I've found 13 00:00:31,480 --> 00:00:34,700 over the years researching nutrition and different things, 14 00:00:34,700 --> 00:00:38,680 is that a lot of people think that they're eating healthy 15 00:00:38,680 --> 00:00:40,880 just because they're cutting out animal foods, 16 00:00:40,880 --> 00:00:45,100 or proteins like meat, or pork, or things like that. 17 00:00:45,100 --> 00:00:48,301 And that's not necessarily the case, because there are 18 00:00:48,301 --> 00:00:52,940 a lot of white, refined foods that have no nutrition in them 19 00:00:52,940 --> 00:00:55,950 maybe they have trans fats in them, and unhealthy sugars 20 00:00:55,950 --> 00:00:59,600 like high fructose corn syrup, and they can be eating 21 00:00:59,600 --> 00:01:01,888 a lot of those that are vegetarian, 22 00:01:01,888 --> 00:01:05,261 but it's not necessarily making them healthy. 23 00:01:05,261 --> 00:01:06,195 And so, 24 00:01:06,195 --> 00:01:07,028 (chuckling) 25 00:01:07,028 --> 00:01:11,384 as people started asking me how to eat a vegetarian diet 26 00:01:11,384 --> 00:01:15,970 to be healthier, I realized that, 27 00:01:15,970 --> 00:01:17,570 just, there was certain guidelines 28 00:01:17,570 --> 00:01:22,570 that if people would follow, that they really could be 29 00:01:22,830 --> 00:01:24,300 a healthy vegetarian. 30 00:01:24,300 --> 00:01:26,170 And I had met so many people who would say, 31 00:01:26,170 --> 00:01:29,750 "Oh, I used to be a vegetarian, but I had to go back 32 00:01:29,750 --> 00:01:31,599 to eating meat because I didn't feel like 33 00:01:31,599 --> 00:01:34,300 I was getting enough protein." 34 00:01:34,300 --> 00:01:37,720 And so, I'm an O blood type, and so is my daughter, 35 00:01:37,720 --> 00:01:41,160 and if you look at blood types, they would say 36 00:01:41,160 --> 00:01:43,870 that I should be a meat-eater. 37 00:01:43,870 --> 00:01:47,740 And what I've found is that I very effectively thrive 38 00:01:47,740 --> 00:01:50,302 on a vegetarian diet, and so does my daughter, 39 00:01:50,302 --> 00:01:53,280 and I had figured out quite a lot of things 40 00:01:53,280 --> 00:01:58,280 about how to prepare food, and different vegetarian 41 00:01:58,550 --> 00:02:01,072 plant foods that actually make them 42 00:02:01,072 --> 00:02:04,253 more digestible and healthier. 43 00:02:05,360 --> 00:02:06,959 So, anyway, I just put that in my book, 44 00:02:06,959 --> 00:02:10,590 and since I'm a Chef, it's a half cookbook, as well, 45 00:02:10,590 --> 00:02:11,760 so it helps-- - I noticed that. 46 00:02:11,760 --> 00:02:14,560 - People implement what they're learning, 47 00:02:14,560 --> 00:02:18,830 and so they can, you know, put it as steps in their life 48 00:02:18,830 --> 00:02:21,739 to being a healthier vegetarian. 49 00:02:21,739 --> 00:02:22,572 (soft laugh) 50 00:02:22,572 --> 00:02:26,480 - Now what was your inspiration for writing the book, Nancy? 51 00:02:26,480 --> 00:02:29,860 - I had two children in college, 52 00:02:29,860 --> 00:02:32,430 and they hadn't gained a lot of weight 53 00:02:32,430 --> 00:02:36,900 like their friends had, and they also weren't getting sick 54 00:02:37,960 --> 00:02:41,158 as often, and their friends were trying to eat 55 00:02:41,158 --> 00:02:45,010 vegetarian like them, so that they could lose the weight 56 00:02:45,010 --> 00:02:46,710 and get healthier, because a lot of times, 57 00:02:46,710 --> 00:02:50,060 kids go to college and they'll put on 20 pounds. 58 00:02:50,060 --> 00:02:53,290 And, so I thought I was gonna write a guidebook 59 00:02:53,290 --> 00:02:55,170 for kids in college. 60 00:02:55,170 --> 00:02:56,710 But then when I was in Greece 61 00:02:56,710 --> 00:03:00,556 studying Mediterranean cooking, and I saw this teacher 62 00:03:00,556 --> 00:03:04,540 using unhealthy ingredients, and I thought, you know, 63 00:03:04,540 --> 00:03:06,990 I know more than this teacher whose written 64 00:03:06,990 --> 00:03:07,941 three or four books. 65 00:03:07,941 --> 00:03:11,370 And my roommate, she's like, "Nancy, write about 66 00:03:11,370 --> 00:03:12,203 what you know. 67 00:03:12,203 --> 00:03:15,520 You know how to be a healthy vegetarian, 68 00:03:15,520 --> 00:03:16,353 write about that." 69 00:03:16,353 --> 00:03:18,265 So, that's what I decided to do, 70 00:03:18,265 --> 00:03:19,550 (laughing) 71 00:03:19,550 --> 00:03:22,418 and so, it's really pretty much for anybody 72 00:03:22,418 --> 00:03:24,005 who wants to add more vegetables 73 00:03:24,005 --> 00:03:26,403 or healthy foods to their diet. 74 00:03:28,100 --> 00:03:32,328 - What's the underlying message in this book to our readers? 75 00:03:32,328 --> 00:03:36,490 What is the one take away that you want them to get? 76 00:03:36,490 --> 00:03:38,420 Because let's face it, there is so much 77 00:03:38,420 --> 00:03:42,370 conflicting information out there about nutrition. 78 00:03:42,370 --> 00:03:43,900 - Oh, isn't that the truth. 79 00:03:43,900 --> 00:03:45,410 It's a jungle out there. 80 00:03:45,410 --> 00:03:48,020 We have been bombarded in the last 50 years 81 00:03:48,020 --> 00:03:52,560 with misinformation, false information, and I like to think 82 00:03:52,560 --> 00:03:55,197 this book cuts through all of that, 83 00:03:55,197 --> 00:03:57,424 and really sets the record straight 84 00:03:57,424 --> 00:04:01,750 on how to prepare carbohydrates so they are healthy 85 00:04:01,750 --> 00:04:03,887 for you, and they don't cause indigestion, 86 00:04:03,887 --> 00:04:07,060 or intestinal problems. 87 00:04:07,060 --> 00:04:11,683 And I think really, just adding more quality vegetables 88 00:04:11,683 --> 00:04:16,450 and fruits to your diet in a whole, real form 89 00:04:16,450 --> 00:04:18,595 without all the chemicals and processing 90 00:04:18,595 --> 00:04:21,530 can really make all the difference in the world 91 00:04:21,530 --> 00:04:22,560 in someones health. 92 00:04:22,560 --> 00:04:24,675 And I think most people just don't eat enough 93 00:04:24,675 --> 00:04:29,675 fresh, whole vegetables, and I explain why that's important 94 00:04:30,171 --> 00:04:33,324 and how that can really benefit your health. 95 00:04:33,324 --> 00:04:35,550 - Now, you've had some health challenges. 96 00:04:35,550 --> 00:04:38,100 Can you tell me about how this diet has? 97 00:04:38,100 --> 00:04:39,960 Can we talk about your health issues? 98 00:04:39,960 --> 00:04:41,045 - Oh, absolutely. 99 00:04:41,045 --> 00:04:45,110 It started when I was two, and I received an overdose 100 00:04:45,110 --> 00:04:49,180 of penicillin from my pediatrician, and I almost died. 101 00:04:49,180 --> 00:04:52,940 And after multiple blood transfusions, bone marrow tests, 102 00:04:52,940 --> 00:04:55,368 and things, I obviously survived. 103 00:04:55,368 --> 00:04:56,550 (chuckling) 104 00:04:56,550 --> 00:04:59,323 But I had acute anemia, and so during my childhood, 105 00:04:59,323 --> 00:05:02,180 I craved anything that would give me energy. 106 00:05:02,180 --> 00:05:03,930 And so, I became a sugar addict, 107 00:05:03,930 --> 00:05:06,031 and by the time I was in high school, 108 00:05:06,031 --> 00:05:10,520 I was pre diabetic, and I had been told by my eye doctor 109 00:05:10,520 --> 00:05:14,730 that I had macular degeneration, and I was gonna go blind. 110 00:05:14,730 --> 00:05:15,563 - Wow. 111 00:05:15,563 --> 00:05:19,206 - And so, as I got into my 20's, 112 00:05:19,206 --> 00:05:23,431 my health kept deteriorating, I put on weight, 113 00:05:23,431 --> 00:05:27,065 I had acid reflux very badly, I got terrible headaches, 114 00:05:27,065 --> 00:05:30,080 I had carpal tunnel so bad, I had to wear braces 115 00:05:30,080 --> 00:05:31,560 on both of my wrists. 116 00:05:31,560 --> 00:05:32,414 - Wow. 117 00:05:32,414 --> 00:05:34,845 - And then I got diagnosed with scoliosis. 118 00:05:34,845 --> 00:05:37,419 And-- - One thing after another. 119 00:05:37,419 --> 00:05:38,498 Oh, my! (laughing) 120 00:05:38,498 --> 00:05:43,498 - It was culminating, and I got married, I had two children. 121 00:05:43,750 --> 00:05:47,010 I was watching the people in my family die of heart disease 122 00:05:47,010 --> 00:05:51,430 and cancer, and we were doing everything we were told to do 123 00:05:51,430 --> 00:05:55,200 that our doctors were prescribing, we were going regularly. 124 00:05:55,200 --> 00:05:58,330 And then, when my father got diagnosed, and died of cancer 125 00:05:58,330 --> 00:06:02,440 when my son was one, that was my light bulb moment, 126 00:06:02,440 --> 00:06:04,040 and I realized he wasn't 127 00:06:04,040 --> 00:06:07,000 gonna see his grandchildren grow up. 128 00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:10,560 And it was just a turning point in my life, 129 00:06:10,560 --> 00:06:13,745 and at that point, my own personal doctor died of cancer. 130 00:06:13,745 --> 00:06:15,440 - Wow. 131 00:06:15,440 --> 00:06:18,920 - And, so I hired a new doctor, I just decided 132 00:06:18,920 --> 00:06:21,990 I was going to raise my kids as healthy as I could. 133 00:06:21,990 --> 00:06:25,390 I was gonna research nutrition, I was going to use food 134 00:06:25,390 --> 00:06:26,418 as my medicine. 135 00:06:26,418 --> 00:06:28,356 I had studied at Le Cordon Bleu in London 136 00:06:28,356 --> 00:06:30,600 when I was in college. 137 00:06:30,600 --> 00:06:33,544 I knew a lot about healthy, about cooking, 138 00:06:33,544 --> 00:06:36,140 but I didn't know about healthy cooking. 139 00:06:36,140 --> 00:06:39,261 So I hired a new doctor, I told her I was gonna use food 140 00:06:39,261 --> 00:06:42,370 as my medicine, and that I just wanted her 141 00:06:42,370 --> 00:06:45,162 to take my blood once a year and tell me where I was. 142 00:06:45,162 --> 00:06:46,090 - Right. - 'Cause I didn't know 143 00:06:46,090 --> 00:06:51,090 what I was doing, and over that next, literally one year, 144 00:06:51,340 --> 00:06:54,270 I got rid of my pre-diabetes, my anemia, 145 00:06:54,270 --> 00:06:57,704 my weight just came off without even trying. 146 00:06:57,704 --> 00:07:01,110 And all of these other things, like the carpal tunnel, 147 00:07:01,110 --> 00:07:04,810 the acid reflux, the headaches, they just went away. 148 00:07:04,810 --> 00:07:09,690 And I realized that I was on a really good path here, 149 00:07:09,690 --> 00:07:12,031 and that they foods that I was eating, 150 00:07:12,031 --> 00:07:14,654 and I had switched to a vegetarian diet-- 151 00:07:14,654 --> 00:07:18,167 - Now, before, can you tell our viewing audience 152 00:07:18,167 --> 00:07:21,950 what the difference between vegetarian and vegan is? 153 00:07:21,950 --> 00:07:24,323 - Right, and that's a common question. 154 00:07:24,323 --> 00:07:29,080 A vegetarian will eat eggs, and butter, and dairy, 155 00:07:29,080 --> 00:07:30,322 things like that. - Thank goodness. 156 00:07:30,322 --> 00:07:31,211 (laughing) 157 00:07:31,211 --> 00:07:33,030 I don't think I could give up my cheese! 158 00:07:33,030 --> 00:07:37,960 - And, I have to admit, I do eat some eggs and butter, 159 00:07:37,960 --> 00:07:41,520 but I believe in getting ones that are high quality, 160 00:07:41,520 --> 00:07:43,470 and from animals that are raised 161 00:07:43,470 --> 00:07:46,800 in healthy, humane environments. 162 00:07:46,800 --> 00:07:49,730 And one of the reasons I had become vegetarian is 163 00:07:49,730 --> 00:07:53,550 I had read a very extensive article in Life Magazine 164 00:07:53,550 --> 00:07:55,700 that was describing and talking about 165 00:07:55,700 --> 00:07:58,877 the new farming practices, so the big, corporate farms 166 00:07:58,877 --> 00:08:02,150 that were raising animals without fresh air, 167 00:08:02,150 --> 00:08:05,640 without sunshine, without ability to move. 168 00:08:05,640 --> 00:08:08,450 And they were pumping them full of hormones 169 00:08:08,450 --> 00:08:10,061 to make them bigger, fatter, faster. 170 00:08:10,061 --> 00:08:10,894 - Yeah. 171 00:08:10,894 --> 00:08:12,700 - And then, they were having to give them 172 00:08:12,700 --> 00:08:15,920 huge amounts of antibiotics just to keep them alive 173 00:08:15,920 --> 00:08:19,207 until they killed them, because the inhumane way 174 00:08:19,207 --> 00:08:23,150 they were raising them, they couldn't survive normally. 175 00:08:23,150 --> 00:08:27,340 And I'm an animal lover, and I read that article, 176 00:08:27,340 --> 00:08:31,040 and it had graphic pictures in it of the inhumane ways 177 00:08:31,040 --> 00:08:32,390 they were treating these animals, 178 00:08:32,390 --> 00:08:36,010 and I just told my husband, I said, "I can't participate 179 00:08:36,010 --> 00:08:38,600 in this anymore, and we're gonna be 180 00:08:38,600 --> 00:08:40,580 a vegetarian family now." 181 00:08:40,580 --> 00:08:42,521 And he was like, "Oh, okay." 182 00:08:42,521 --> 00:08:43,420 (laughing) 183 00:08:43,420 --> 00:08:46,560 - So, what kind of proteins do you recommend, 184 00:08:46,560 --> 00:08:50,266 since we're not gonna have meats and fish, 185 00:08:50,266 --> 00:08:54,280 what kind of healthy proteins would you recommend? 186 00:08:54,280 --> 00:08:58,320 - Oh, that's actually really easy, and it's the beans, 187 00:08:58,320 --> 00:08:59,863 it's the seeds, it's the nuts, 188 00:08:59,863 --> 00:09:04,863 the things that really actually will grow a plant. 189 00:09:06,120 --> 00:09:08,780 And I talk about how to prepare those properly 190 00:09:08,780 --> 00:09:11,980 so they don't cause gas, or indigestion. 191 00:09:11,980 --> 00:09:14,400 Most of these things that will grow a plant 192 00:09:14,400 --> 00:09:17,510 have phytic acid in it, which is an enzyme inhibitor 193 00:09:17,510 --> 00:09:20,502 which prevents you from actually digesting it. 194 00:09:20,502 --> 00:09:21,449 - Oh, my. 195 00:09:21,449 --> 00:09:25,160 - And it will prevent you from absorbing nutrition, as well. 196 00:09:25,160 --> 00:09:28,790 And so, with my recipes, I talk about 197 00:09:28,790 --> 00:09:31,430 how to take out the phytic acid, 198 00:09:31,430 --> 00:09:34,117 how to prepare them properly, so that you can absorb 199 00:09:34,117 --> 00:09:36,080 the proteins effectively. 200 00:09:36,080 --> 00:09:40,200 But also, leafy greens have a lot of protein in them. 201 00:09:40,200 --> 00:09:43,490 45% of spinach is protein! 202 00:09:43,490 --> 00:09:46,660 And what we need is the complex amino acids, 203 00:09:46,660 --> 00:09:50,220 not really the protein, and so your body uses 204 00:09:50,220 --> 00:09:53,485 those complex amino acids in order to create the proteins 205 00:09:53,485 --> 00:09:55,060 that your body uses. 206 00:09:55,060 --> 00:09:58,748 And so, it's actually a much healthier way 207 00:09:58,748 --> 00:10:01,950 of getting protein, and it's more absorbable, 208 00:10:01,950 --> 00:10:03,330 and easier on the body. 209 00:10:03,330 --> 00:10:04,689 And so, it's 210 00:10:04,689 --> 00:10:06,370 (laughing) 211 00:10:06,370 --> 00:10:08,650 it's really easier than people think. 212 00:10:08,650 --> 00:10:13,650 And I probably eat vegan, which is no animal protein, 213 00:10:14,850 --> 00:10:17,630 so no eggs, nothing from an animal, 214 00:10:17,630 --> 00:10:22,030 so they'll even cut out honey, because bees create the honey 215 00:10:22,030 --> 00:10:23,634 and they don't want to take advantage 216 00:10:23,634 --> 00:10:26,050 of any kind of creature. 217 00:10:26,050 --> 00:10:29,313 So, that's kind of the difference, and in my book, 218 00:10:29,313 --> 00:10:34,313 I give people the ways to, instead of using dairy, 219 00:10:34,660 --> 00:10:36,740 how to make a vegan version. 220 00:10:36,740 --> 00:10:40,995 So I have, you know, baby step everybody over, 221 00:10:40,995 --> 00:10:44,211 how extreme or less extreme do you want to be, 222 00:10:44,211 --> 00:10:47,206 or strict do you want to be? 223 00:10:47,206 --> 00:10:48,115 Not necessarily extreme. 224 00:10:48,115 --> 00:10:49,730 - That's one of the things that I enjoyed about the book 225 00:10:49,730 --> 00:10:53,040 is you give people options, and I think people like that, 226 00:10:53,040 --> 00:10:54,525 I know I do. (laughing) 227 00:10:54,525 --> 00:10:57,900 What piece of advice would you give somebody 228 00:10:57,900 --> 00:11:01,350 that is just entering the vegetarian, they've just made 229 00:11:01,350 --> 00:11:03,963 the decision to become a vegetarian? 230 00:11:05,100 --> 00:11:07,430 - I would say the most important thing 231 00:11:07,430 --> 00:11:11,563 about being a vegetarian is to buy quality food. 232 00:11:11,563 --> 00:11:14,440 Try to go to your local farmer's market, 233 00:11:14,440 --> 00:11:17,240 and buy from an organic farmer 234 00:11:17,240 --> 00:11:20,760 that is using environmentally sound practices. 235 00:11:20,760 --> 00:11:24,730 And buy fresh food that's vine ripened, and tree ripened, 236 00:11:24,730 --> 00:11:28,340 and try to avoid eating processed foods, 237 00:11:28,340 --> 00:11:30,670 or foods that are packaged, 'cause a lot of times, 238 00:11:30,670 --> 00:11:33,180 you don't really know what's in there. 239 00:11:33,180 --> 00:11:36,130 The FDA allows certain ingredients in foods 240 00:11:36,130 --> 00:11:38,350 under a certain amount that they don't even have to list 241 00:11:38,350 --> 00:11:39,880 on the ingredient label. 242 00:11:39,880 --> 00:11:40,713 - That's terrifying. 243 00:11:40,713 --> 00:11:41,546 (laughing) - It is! 244 00:11:42,490 --> 00:11:46,603 And I just, I teach people mostly, know what your food is. 245 00:11:47,490 --> 00:11:49,620 I think that's important, and I think quality 246 00:11:49,620 --> 00:11:50,990 is really important. 247 00:11:50,990 --> 00:11:53,683 So, eat whole, real, fresh food. 248 00:11:54,900 --> 00:11:58,859 And I really think your health will benefit in so many ways 249 00:11:58,859 --> 00:12:00,380 when you do that. - Well, you're beautiful! 250 00:12:00,380 --> 00:12:03,560 Obviously, there's some antiaging benefits, as well. 251 00:12:03,560 --> 00:12:05,960 - I'm 64-- - Wow! 252 00:12:05,960 --> 00:12:07,354 - And I have been doing this 33 years, 253 00:12:07,354 --> 00:12:12,354 and in fact, my doctor retired, I'm trying to remember, 254 00:12:12,400 --> 00:12:14,760 it was 18-20 years ago, and I never bothered 255 00:12:14,760 --> 00:12:18,507 to get another doctor, because I never get sick, 256 00:12:18,507 --> 00:12:19,571 and-- 257 00:12:19,571 --> 00:12:20,900 (laughing) 258 00:12:20,900 --> 00:12:21,733 - That's amazing! 259 00:12:21,733 --> 00:12:22,848 - I use food as my medicine. 260 00:12:22,848 --> 00:12:26,850 So that is something that I really believe the body 261 00:12:26,850 --> 00:12:29,840 will do amazing things if you give it the right tools. 262 00:12:29,840 --> 00:12:31,550 - That is amazing, thank you so much 263 00:12:31,550 --> 00:12:33,157 for being on the show, Nancy. 264 00:12:33,157 --> 00:12:35,009 Can you tell our viewing audience 265 00:12:35,009 --> 00:12:37,096 how they can get your book? 266 00:12:37,096 --> 00:12:38,941 - Well, you can go to my website, 267 00:12:38,941 --> 00:12:43,023 organichealthylife.com, or you can go to Amazon, 268 00:12:43,023 --> 00:12:46,442 and I have six books, and they're all on Amazon, 269 00:12:46,442 --> 00:12:51,018 and Barnes and Noble, and a few other places. 270 00:12:51,018 --> 00:12:52,800 I would love that. 271 00:12:52,800 --> 00:12:55,322 - Thank you so much, Nancy, for being on the show. 272 00:12:55,322 --> 00:12:58,840 This has been Lea Woodford with Between The Lines. 273 00:12:58,840 --> 00:12:59,963 Thanks for watching.