Life when it's simple

                                             Chickpea Salad

                                             chickpeas

                                             black japonica rice 

                                             arugula

                                             dried apricots

                                             very vinegary vinaigrette

Hi Winnie and Steve,

 

Well, I didn't think I would be writing this letter.  For quite awhile, I used to think about how to get you to eat some meat!   Now, I tend to think more about "Why am I eating meat?"  I don't imagine that I will ever be a true vegetarian like you, but from everything I have been reading I find myself gravitating more and more toward eating plants.  When I used to go to nutrition conferences while in nutrition school, I would come home and tell Gene, "There was every form of advice from the experts, and it ranged from strong meat-eating practices to veganism." And, all of those experts presented facts and scientific data.    

 

At some point, it comes down to what makes sense to you and your personal experience with your body and health.  Now, I was influenced by some speakers. There was a speaker at one conference named T. Colin Campbell who wrote a book titled The China Study, and I have to say his book made me rethink how much animal protein is necessary or wise.  I also thought many of the vegetarians seemed to look healthy and lean -- you and Steve have certainly looked that way into your older years.  Anyway, I have gotten very interested in grains, beans and greens.  There is a great little place called Phipps Ranch which carries so many beans -- and a nice little cache of grains as you can see above.  I love what I can do with them, and to me they have such appeal.  After two years of nutrition school at Bauman College in Santa Cruz which was a great learning for me, I have found my mind settling into a personally developed pattern of what I believe and experience with food.  I think this is very individual.  

 

I don't read nutrition books as often as I used to.  But, I did read the recently published and very popular book by Michael Pollan titled In Defense of Food.  A friend asked me if I liked it, and I told her, "The book cover gives the best nutrition advice I can possibly imagine in only seven words."  She asked, "What is that?"  "On the cover," I told her "is a picture of a head of lettuce, and written across the head of lettuce are these seven words -- 'Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.' "  I can't say it any better than that.  

I think of you guys so often.