The Mad Cowboy

Dear Positive Eaters,

I want to introduce you to a man affectionately known as "The Mad Cowboy." His name is Howard Lyman and he was a fourth generation cattle farmer in Montana. He grew up on a small family farm and turned it into a full fledged "agribusiness" in the 1950's. In 1979 after almost thirty years working and running a factory farm he developed a tumor on his spine. This near death experience inspired him to begin practicing sustainable organic farming practices. Soon after this, he became a vegetarian and eventually a full fledged vegan.

He became an outspoken advocate for government regulation of factory farming. Howard earned his initial notoriety when he began to expose the connection between factory farming practices and their contribution the spread of Mad Cow Disease. He appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show in 1996 and after giving Oprah a run down on some of the egregious practices carried out in factory farms across the United States, Oprah exclaimed that she was never eating a hamburger again. Well, lo and behold it is actually a federal offense to speak out against the meat or dairy industry. Howard and Oprah ended up in court battle that lasted six years. They were both cleared of any criminal offenses.

He truly is one of the most incredible personalities I've ever come across. His passion and humor is touching and positive. He speaks with tremendous credence and compassion. Please take a moment to watch a couple of the videos I've embedded below and get to know Howard!





His book is Mad Cowboy and his website is www.madcowboy.com

Stay Positive,

Matthew

Eating in the Atmosphere

Hello Positive Eaters,

Today I went out to lunch with a good friend of mine, Jennah Dieter* in Newburyport Massachusetts. Newburyport is one of my favorite places on Earth. It is a seaside town in the North Shore of Massachusetts with rich history and tons of positive places to eat and shop. I was actually born in this wonderful little city 27 years ago.

We went to Andaman Thai and got some fresh rolls and two refreshingly delicous salads. We sat up on the upper deck outside in the fresh air. From our perch we could see the Merrimack river pouring out into the Atlantic ocean. This made the meal even more enjoyable. When you enjoy your location and the company your with it actually improves the quality of your meals. When you were a kid you didn't want to go to McDonald's because the Happy Meals were so delicous, you were hoping your parents took you to the Mickey D's with the playground and were reaching for the toy before the burger and fries.

A relaxed and stress free atmosphere has been shown to improve digestion, which can lead to more effective absorption of nutrients. We may not all be able to eat our meals in such a scenic and lovely location as Newburyport, but we can work to make the place we enjoy our mid day meal more relaxing and enjoyable.

• Try moving outside and eating in the fresh air. Bring a blanket and make a picnic for yourself
• Make sure you keep company with co workers you enjoy being around
• Avoid talking about work complaints and issues that raise your blood pressure
• Pick a quiet room away from distractions
• Switch off the computer and television and invite friends and/or serenity to your meal
  
• Make an attempt to really taste your food by chewing and slowing down
• Avoid "power lunches" , "lunch meetings" , or "working through lunch" (tip below)

Try a few of these techniques to bring enjoyment to your lunches and use this as an opportunity to destress and have fun. You just might be rewarded with better health and happiness.

Stay Positive,

Matthew

Tip: When at a meeting that is in sincere jeopardy of creeping into lunchtime and potentially obliterating it altogether. Raise your hand to pose a question, put on a serious face so you appea to be bringing up something important and ask this question "Will be convening after lunch?" Trust me it works everytime.

*Visit my friend Jennah's Website! She runs in awesome Wellness Center in Newburyport

http://www.healthcarecomplete.com/

Extreme Hydration!!!!!

Hello Everyone!

Yesterday I ran a ten mile road race! For those of you who know me and follow this blog, you know running is my favorite activity ever! The mercury was peaking at about 90 degrees so I needed to take some extreme measures.

I start everyday with a mug of warm water and lemon. This helps your body flush out all of the cleaning your digestive system did over night. It is like a daily detox and it is practically free! This of course was a great start but I knew it was going to take a lot more than just 12 ounces of water.

I headed over to the grocery store to pick up some bottled water. This was extremely confusing. Some water was from a spring, some was from an artesian well and one brand even was formed from man made clouds. The more I read the labels the more confused I got. I decided to go with the cloud water. I liked the shape of the bottle.

In all actuality, we should make an attempt to drink somewhere between 32 and 64 ounces a day. The amount people need is somewhat varied based on your sweat rate. Also the more caffeine you consume will require you to up your water intake. Caffeine stimulates your adrenal glands which stimulates the bladder and you end up making more trips to the loo than normal. Although I love reader participation, please don't tell me your sweat rate or let me know how many Red Bulls you drink a day. Both facts have the ability to deeply disturb me. Just try and hit 64 and you should be good. Since we can only process 8 ounces a water an hour go easy now :).

Since, I was going to be sweating like a politician in a sauna, taking a lie detector test, with his wife and constituents watching, I decided to go for 72 ounces. I took it easy and sipped from my cloud water all afternoon and prepared to hit the streets at 6:30pm. I want to thank all of the awesome road race spectators and volunteers who gave me water along the way. You guys rock! I had no issues with hydration and felt strong despite the ten miles and the heat. Below is a picture of me out on the course courtesy of the man, myth and legend Tom Derderian.


Stay Positive,

Matthew

Health Care Reform

Hello Positive Eaters,

Tonight I tuned into President Barack Obama's address regarding health care resolution 626. This issue is as hotly debated and politically charged as they come. What is important are these facts:

• 42 million Americans do not have health insurance
• 96 million Americans are inadequately insured
• The average American family spends $1500 a month on health insurance
• The United States spends more money on health care than any other nation
• The leading health problems in this country are obesity, cancer, heart disease and diabetes*
  

While people in Washington rush around and try to make or break political careers by posturing on this extremely important issue, Positive Eating wants to offer its own brand of health care reform. I call it the Positive Eating Health Care Resolution. Americans are terrified by health care because they are reminded every day that it is in crisis. This makes people want to get as far away from health care as possible. No one wants to be part of a crisis. Imagine I walk up to you and say "hey, want some health care" you would be like "no way...haven't you heard it is in a crisis."

To me health care sounds pretty awesome. I am down for caring about my health. We can all start caring about our health today. Why wait for people in Washington to figure out how to care for your health. I am going to eat a ton of fruit and veggies, some whole grains, healthy protein and my vegan ice cream and just to go the extra mile I just might floss and brush my teeth as well. Let's commit to our own brand of health care every day. If you need a good place to start I encourage you to enact the Postive Eating Health Care Resolution immediately.

Positive Eating Health Care Resolution

1. Drink a glass of water every morning
2. Brush and floss your teeth
3. Dance around your living room for 15 minutes
4. Eat some fruit
   
5. Eat some vegetables
   
6. Smile and use the name of one person you don't know
   
7. Try a whole grain (rice, quinoa, cereals, whole grain bread)
8. Breath for one minute (seriously try it, this is free and way underrated)
9. Experiment with some different proteins (beans, lean meat, nuts and seeds, etc.)
10. Try healthy recipes that seem fun (come back here for suggestions if you like)

I am empowering you to put this resolution into action right now. I am not the "sovereign of health", I am just an eloquent cheerleader with and internet connection so it's in your hand folks. If you want to see what the actual president has to say check the video below.



Stay Positive,

Matthew

*all which are to some degree preventable by adopting a positive health lifestyle :)

My First Positive Eating Video!!!!

Hey Guys!

Check out my first Positive Eating video. I plan to do one of these every month just to switch it up a bit! I am so excited. I am still figuring this multimedia thing out. I had to put this on YouTube and then embed it here. So I guess I am on YouTube now as well. Crazy!





Stay Positive,

Matthew

Summer Recipes from Sumner!

Hi Everyone,

I was lucky enough to get an email from my good friend Sumner Fletcher today. She is a great runner, an extraordinary yoga teacher and a positive force no matter where she goes. We both follow each others blogs and this week she was nice enough to send me over a couple recipes she enjoyed with her family over this Fourth of July Weekend. These recipes are perfect to bring or serve at a summer picnic and loaded with a colorful array of incredible vegetables and exciting spices.

The first one features Sweet Potatoes (a personal favorite)

Grilled Sweet Potato & Spicy Vinaigrette

• 2 1/2 Pounds Sweet Potatoes (peeled)
• 1/4 Cup Olive Oil
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 4 Ears of Corn (husked or use canned corn)
• 1 Red Bell Pepper
• 2 Scallions (chopped)
• 1 Cup fresh Cilantro (chopped)
• 1/2 Cup rice wine vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon chipotle chili with adobo sauce
• 1 Tablespoon minced Shallot
• 1 minced Garlic clove
• 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Directions:

In a large pot cover potatoes with salted cold water by 1 inch and simmer, covered, until just tender, about 15 to 30 minutes, depending on size of potatoes. In a colander drain potatoes and cool to warm. Cut the potatoes crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices.

Prepare grill. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil and cumin. Brush both sides of the potato slices with the oil mixture. Brush the ears of corn with the remaining oil mixture. Grill the potato slices for 1 minute per side and transfer to a large bowl. If necessary, the grilled potato slices can be halved or quartered into bite-size pieces at this point. Grill the corn for 3 to 4 minutes rotating once a minute and transfer to a plate. When the corn is cool enough to handle, remove the kernels with a sharp knife. Add the corn to the potato slices. Add the red bell pepper, scallions and 1/4 cup cilantro leaves. Do not stir to combine.

In a food processor or blender combine the seasoned rice wine vinegar, chipotle chili, shallot, garlic, lemon juice and remaining cilantro leaves and puree until smooth.

Pour half of the dressing over the vegetables and gently toss to combine. Add the remaining dressing and carefully stir again. Cover and let stand for at least 30 minutes to allow flavors to combine.



Here is the next one! This will be a hit at any summer cookout!


Fresh Mushroom and Three Beans Salad

• 10 ounces fresh white mushrooms, quartered (about 3 cups)
• 1 jar (about 7 ounces) roasted red peppers, drained, cut in strips (about 3/4 cup)
• 1 can (about 15 ounces) 50% less sodium cannellini (white kidney) beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can (about 15 ounces) 50% less sodium red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can (about 15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 ribs celery, sliced (1 cup)
• 1/2 cup coarsely shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
• 3/4 cup homemade or prepared Italian salad dressing, no salt added
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

In a large bowl combine mushrooms, peppers, and three kinds of beans, celery and 1/4 cup of the cheese. Add dressing and parsley; toss to coat well. Stir in parsley. Serve topped with remaining cheese.


Make sure you check out my friend Sumner's Blog out by visiting the link provided.

Keep enjoy your summer and I will see you next Wednesday!

Stay Positive,

Matthew

The Trans Fat Ban

Just say NO to Trans Fat?

Hi Everyone,

In 2006, the mayor of New York banned trans fat from city restaurants. This is pretty remarkable! There are over 16,000 restaurants in Manhattan, making the restaurant industry the largest business sector in New York. If only they thought to ban greed from the finance industry! Can you imagine what a shiny happy place New York would be?

New York's move to ban trans fat is producing a dramatic domino effect. Minneapolis and Philadelphia have now passed similar legislation and in 2007 California passed a law that will make it our first trans fat free state. Lawsuits filed against both Kraft and McDonald's are causing the fast food industry and even packaged junk food companies to move away or totally eliminate trans fat from their offerings.

Trans Fat is also known as hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils. I could let you guys know about how fats and oils take on a chemical cis shape in nature and when they are processed in this way take on the trans shape and how this process gives oils and fats a longer shelf life. I avoided taking organic chemistry in school and will spare you the lesson now.

Fats and oils become hydrogenated by bubbling hydrogen gas through them at high temperatures. Hence the word "hydrogenated". This is all well and good, but I don't want hydrogen gas in my food and especially not in my fats and oils. I remember sucking helium gas when I was kid from a balloon and thinking it was cool how I would talk funny, but then I got lightheaded and passed out. Ingesting gas is not really my thing.

Trans fat will not make you talk funny..they are associated with headaches, joint pain, arthritis, asthma, skin problems and menstrual problems. They are also a source of chronic disease. This blog is not really about the big nasties of eating. I would rather you try them out for yourself and make your own decisions. Trans fats can be found in the following foods.

• packaged cookies and baked goods
• food that just came out of a fryolator
• margarine
  
• microwave popcorn
• frozen pizza and waffles
• butter that comes in a tub

If you start to talk funny or pass out from eating these let me know.

You could also give fats and oils that still exist in their cis form, the way nature intended, a try. Here are a few of my favorites.

• Olive oil (great for everything!)
  
• butter (in the stick form)
• sesame oil
• peanut oil
• coconut oil (great for desserts)
• sunflower oil
• ghee (clarified butter)
• grapeseed oil

Thanks for checking out this blog post! If you would like the organic chemistry lesson regarding trans fats or more information about the ban on trans fats check out the websites below.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans_fat
http://scienceblogs.com/moleculeoftheday/2006/09/trans_fats_kinky_fat.php
http://www.bantransfats.com/whatnottoeat.html

Stay Positive,

Matthew

Summer - The season of mayonnaise

Summer is a great season for eating! Farm stands are starting to offer some early season produce and some locations allow you to pick your own berries! People enjoy eating outside and lots of the food is served chilled to offset the rising temperatures.

Most barbecues feature something cooked on a grill and chilled dishes featuring vegetables covered in mayonnaise. This is a quandary to me. Fresh snappy vegetables are everywhere! Their sweet and succulent delights almost call out to us to savor their colorful splendor. So we take them home, chop them up and dump vinegar and egg whites all over them. You will see this phenomenon at at least one barbecue this summer. With your grilled piece of game you will be offered coleslaw (cabbage and mayonnaise), pasta salad (pasta, little pieces of carrots, onions, celery and mayonnaise) and potato salad (potatoes with mayonnaise) and if they really want to keep in the spirit of the season they will serve egg salad as well(which are eggs covered with an emulsion of themselves alson known as mayonnaise).

Now, there is no need to outlaw mayonnaise, what would a tuna fish sandwich be without it, I am just saying let's cool it just this one time. Let's team up and throw a barbecue this year where the hellman's stays in the fridge. I can picture the colorful array spread out across your picnic table now. Fresh salad greens with freshly picked strawberries and blueberries topped with poppyseed dressing. Fruit salad served in the hollowed out shell of a watermelon. Carrot sticks and celery for the kiddies to munch on (let them dip the celery in some peanut butter they will love it). Maybe some chicken served with a pineapple glaze and grilled pieces of pineapple to go with it. You won't even think about mayo until you find it in the back of your refrigerator, open it up to smell it and then ask yourself for the thousandth time "how long does mayonnaise last".

Stay Positive,

Matthew

Vegan Strawberry Ice Cream!

Hi Positive Eaters,

If there is a food heaven, Ice Cream most likely inhabits its highest realm. What food makes every part of our being smile more than Ice Cream? Last summer, when talking with a vegan friend of mine, I mentioned that I could probably handle being a vegan...but I would never give up Ice Cream, no matter what. I was then introduced to vegan ice cream, a creamy dessert that does not contain a single ingredient deriving from an animal. To my amazement, this frozen ambrosia that uses coconut milk as a base was absolutely amazing! Creamy, sweet and satisfying (and easy to make)!

Whether you are vegan or eat meat on a stick for dinner every night this is worth a try.

Vegan Strawberry Ice Cream

• 2 cans of Coconut Milk
• 1 1/2 cups Chopped Strawberries
• 1/2 cup of Agave Nectar
• 1/4 cup Strawberry Jam (preferably unsweetened)

Pour coconut milk into an ice cream maker and begin mixing. Slowly add agave nectar and then strawberry jam. Make sure to run a spatula along side of frozen bowl to prevent sticking. Just before mixture becomes thick add strawberries. When the mixture takes on ice cream consistency remove and place in a freezer friendly storage container. This treat is best enjoyed right after making but can be stored in a freezer and enjoyed later!

This recipe is featured in this month's ChiRunning Newsletter!

Thanks for coming back to my blog. Tune in next week for more Positive Tips!

Stay Positive,

Matthew

If someone eats positively and no one hears the chewing did it really happen?

Hello,

While attending to various internet tasks today, I came across a dusty corner out there in my little patch of cyberspace. I blew away the cobwebs and came across my beloved blog Positive Eating! Why was it hidden from my view for so many months? So many positive meals and positive moments passed and we did not get to share them together.

Here we are together again. Positive Eating, a blog for those who wish to make living a positive and healthy lifestyle a fun, humorous and mindful journey. An opportunity for those of you who know me and those of you who don't to form a community based on the idea that we nourish also selves every day with food and experiences. I will be posting to this blog every Wednesday. Check back for recipes, stories and humor. 

If you are out there let me know so I can say hello. 

Stay Positive,

Matthew