What the Experts Are Saying

Statements have been condensed.

DR. MACHO SHIT HEAD: You are pre-menopausal.  Put this progesterone cream on your wrists and the back of your neck once a month.

I do this for a day or two, as it totally icks me out.

ORGANIC HERBALIST: That's bullshit.  A woman's body begins to change in her 20s.

NEW GYNECOLOGIST WHO WE REALLY LIKE: Well I don't think you're pre-menopausal.  And I would have handled the approach to your issues differently than Dr. Macho Shit Head.  But yes, your body is going through some sort of "change."

Somehow, I have become a woman who now has to get a pap smear every six months, and a mammography once a year.  But my body is definitely going through some very positive changes as well.  These are the changes which I control.

And I agree with DR. PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGIST who says that it is a proven fact that working out and a good diet actually slows the aging process. 

Now, about four weeks ago, I won the incredible gift of a one month membership to Engine 2 Extra.  It is truly a wealth of great resources: videos, recipes, chat rooms.  The part which I found most helpful are the Shopping Lists.  Knowing what to stock your kitchen with is so important in maintaining a plant based diet.

A week or two ago I received a message from an E2 coach.  She had read in a few of my posts that I occasionally put an yerba mate shot in my smoothies.  She didn't know what it was.  She had never heard of heard of it.  So I was like:

(Statement has been condensed) Really.  Aren't you in the health and wellness field.  It's South American green tea.  And it's truly amazing.  Definitely something I want to ingest before working out or a race.

A few days later, the same E2 coach IMed me.  She asked me which plan I was using.  I didn't know what she was talking about.  And I wasn't trying to be a smart ass about it.  I was perfectly honest when I said eat less, move more, eat plenty of fruits and vegetables.  The Marion Nestle plan.  Apparently the coach wanted to know which E2 plan I was using to live plant based.

And said that she had noticed that I like to blend homemade smoothies.  I sensed a complement coming on.  I mentioned that I used mostly leafy greens and fruits.  I sometimes add nuts, chia seeds, hemp powder and that I especially like Nativas' line of products.

She said we don't recommend drinking smoothies since digestion begins in the mouth.  I started to think. Damn it.  Why didn't Stanley Abualy teach me that in 10th grade biology?!  Wait a second.  He did teach me that in 10th grade biology.

For the life of me, I couldn't remember asking this coach for her recommendation.  And look, I have never used nor will I ever ingest a morsel of Jenny Craig's food.  I don't need that crap and know I could do much better on my own.  I have proven that.  But at least I do my research.

Jenny Craig "Cuisine"
Classico Chicken Parmesan

Ingredients

COOKED ENRICHED WHOLE GRAIN BOWTIE PASTA (DURUM WHOLE GRAIN WHEAT SEMOLINA, NIACIN, FERROUS SULPHATE, RIBOFLAVIN, THIAMINE MONONITRATE), WATER, BROCCOLI, COOKED CHICKEN BREAST TENDERLOINS, TOMATO PUREE (TOMATOES, SALT, CITRIC ACID), TOMATOES (TOMATOES, TOMATO PUREE, SALT), BREAD CRUMBS (ENRICHED BLEACHED WHEAT FLOUR [WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID], DEXTROSE, SALT, YEAST), ONION, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF PARMESAN CHEESE (CULTURED MILK, ENZYMES, SALT), SOYBEAN OIL, BATTER (YELLOW CORN FLOUR, ENRICHED BLEACHED WHEAT FLOUR [NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID], SALT, LEAVENING [SODIUM ACID PYROPHOSPHATE, SODIUM BICARBONATE], GUAR GUM, NONFAT MILK, SPICES, EGG), TOMATO PASTE, SEASONING (HYDROLYZED CORN GLUTEN, HYDROLYZED WHEAT GLUTEN, YEAST EXTRACT, SOYBEAN OIL), SESAME SEEDS, MODIFIED CORN STARCH, GARLIC POWDER, PARMESAN CHEESE FLAVOR (GRANULAR AND PARMESAN CHEESES [MILK, CHEESE CULTURES, SALT, ENZYMES], WATER, SALT, LACTIC ACID, CITRIC ACID), ONION POWDER, SALT, SPICES, DRiED GARLIC, DRiED SOY SAUCE (SOY SAUCE [WHEAT, SOYBEANS, SALT], MALTODEXTRIN, SALT), SODIUM PHOSPHATES, AQUARESIN PAPRIKA (NATURAL EXTRACTIVES OF PAPRIKA WITH SOY LECITHIN, DATEM, HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN OIL, ASCORBIC ACID, CANOLA OIL, NATURAL FLAVORS, TOCOPHEROLS], SOY LECITHIN, NONFAT MILK.