I LOVE LA Day 3...

Our last full day in LA.  Have you heard of the stairs in Santa Monica?  When I think of the stairs, the image of Matthew McConaughey ascending the stairs in People Magazine often comes to mind.  Yes, his shirt was off.

Anyways - I have heard about the stairs for years, and always wanted to try them.  I finally had my chance.  But this chance came on the morning after our party - and the call came early.  Real early.  I decided I must accept the challenge several Chad's friends put before us.  We jumped out of bed and rushed to the car to sit in traffic from West Hollywood to Santa Monica for the next 45 minutes. (Ok - just one complaint about LA)

I love to exercise, I think I am in fairly good shape, so what is the big deal about these stairs?  Well, for starters, there are 162 of them.  They are narrow, rickety, scary, steep, and crowded.  And, I was with a drill sergeant who was telling me I had to do 7 sets, with pushups and situps at the top and bottom.  And, he dictated how I went up the stairs - skipping stairs, running stairs, then running, skipping stairs.  At set three, I thought I would loss my incredibly good dinner all over the stairs.  At set 5, I was so dizzy I was clinging to the rotten handrail.  But by set 6, I was in a daze, completely numb, delirious, and determined to finish set 7.  Which I did.  But it was a far cry from pretty.

On to breakfast at Urth Caffe (again).  Then we stumbled back to our hotel.  After a shower, and in my hotel robe, I decided that there really was no reason to leave to hotel again that day.  This was a once in a lifetime suite I was staying in, in one of the coolest hotels ever.  Why leave?  Oh, and I had that great book - Finding Ultra.

Lunch we ordered from Joans on Third.  This was mine and Chad's favorite lunch place when we lived in LA. And, home to the best cupcake I have EVER had.  And, trust me I have been searching for a better one.  Joans had several gluten free, vegan sides I enjoyed.

 I had been planning my gluten cheat for a year - this cupcake was so good (in my memory) that it was worth my one intentional cheat.  A good friend recommended I wait until the end of the trip.  So, I saved it.

Afternoon - relaxing on our balcony, reading a book, watching the scene on Sunset Boulevard, with my husband - what could be better?  For me, not much.

We discussed leaving the hotel, but I just couldn't do it.  We went down to the restaurant, sat outside and enjoyed a glass of champagne with heirloom tomatoes and basil.  Lingered, people watched, and wished that we were as "hip" as those around us. 

I requested that we order dinner in our room and enjoy it on the balcony.  We had left over champagne and wine from our party, so we were all set.  Real Food Daily had several gluten free / vegan entrees that I wanted to try, so I was eager to order from them again.  I choose the GF/ VG pizza.  Chad ordered a hamburger and fries from room service. Both of us were in heaven.

And, then there was the cupcake.  Yes, GLUTEN AND DAIRY.  Yes, I did it. I am very sad to say it was not as good as in my memory.  And, yes, I paid the price.....

 Good bye Chateau Marmont.  Thanks for the incredible breakfast send off on our last day:  (Seriously, look at the berries...)

I LOVE LA Day 2...

So, where was I?  Day two afternoon - we switched rooms from a regular room to a suite, because we were hosting a cocktail party that evening in our room.  Accordingly, we "needed" this larger space with an enormous balcony overlooking LA.  This switch rendered us homeless for a few hours so we spent our time by the pool.

Beet Quinoa Salad

The menu indicated very few options for vegan / gluten free meals.  So, I apprehensively called room service by the pool.  I explained my dietary requirements and look what they brought me:

























That evening before our cocktail party, I was nervous that the appetizer trays we ordered would not have much to fill me up.  (I was wrong).  But I ordered from another favorite, Real Food Daily and had dinner delivered to our room.   Gluten free, vegan enchiladas.  Ohhh, sooo good.

And, then came the party trays:

Yep, I had a full belly to enjoy my champagne.

The cocktail party was a huge success.  Chad mingled with clients and friends, I was able to catch up with grad school friends.  We ended the night at Bar Marmont.

Oh, How I LOVE LA...

Seriously, I love LA.  Just like the bumper sticker says.  Yes, it is crowded, pretentious, expensive, and apparently has bad air.  BUT it has the most perfect weather of any place I have visited. It has mountains, the ocean, shopping, hiking, biking, spas, amazing hotels, history, beauty, (I think great air), high energy, fantastic architecture, and health consciousness.  It is truly a melting pot - so many unique individuals all in one place.  Did I mention the food? - healthy, delicious, plentiful, beautiful, FRESH, unique, and always gluten free / vegan options.

Yes, I just returned from a trip to LA.   And, I already miss it.

I am really missing it right now, so I will torture myself and document all the fabulous food I enjoyed:

First up - how to travel with food restrictions.  Plan ahead.  I made gluten free oatmeal with frozen fruit and put it in a little container.  In a second container I sliced up a sweet potato and added stone ground mustard.  Gross to some, but I LOVE mustard.  Then, just in case, I packed LaraBars.  They have the least ingredients of any of the bars, no added sugar, no soy protein isolate, etc.  But they are high in fat, as they are mainly nuts.  Always good to have though in emergencies. Here is what I put in my carry on bag:

Guacamole

 

 

Chad and I drove straight from the airport to Planet Raw in Santa Monica.  I was very hesitant to bring Chad here.  This is a truly all RAW restaurant, no turkey sandwich for Chad.   He was up for trying it and found a Mediterranean falafel and hummus wrap.  He cleaned his plate.  I had for the first time, kelp noodles in a green curry sauce.  Delicious.   We started with the flax chips and guacamole.  Unreal.  Then I ended it with one of their chocolate mint shakes.  Decadent.  Truly a unique meal.

Chad's Mediterranean Dish

Kelp Noodles with Green Curry

ALL GONE.

 We drove from Santa Monica to West Hollywood, stopping at a few shops in Brentwood.  I picked up my book for the trip -

 Great book.  Rich Roll is truly an inspiration.  Going from fat and 40 to doing Ultra Triathlons all on a PLANT BASED DIET!!!  Yippie.  Those people who say we dont get enough protein - check Rich out.

We checked into my most favorite hotel EVER - Chateau Marmont and sat out by the pool for the rest of the afternoon.

 The architectural detail in this hotel is  everywhere.  Can you see how cool these tiles are?  These were in the entry way of our room.

That night we went to Izakaya by Katsuya on 3rd Avenue.  Yes, I can eat at sushi restaurants!  What I love about LA, is that you say you are vegan and gluten free and they know what you are talking about. And, they know what you can and can not have on the menu.  Beautiful.  There was not a lot of selection for me, but enough.  And, the difference in sushi in LA versus sushi in Atlanta is the freshness.  There is simply no comparing an avocado roll in LA to one in Atlanta, no matter the restaurant.  I had a seaweed salad, edamame, avocado roll and another veggie roll.  So delicious.

The next morning, I awoke to room service with coffee, soy milk these berries!  Again, the food in LA is just better. No where in Atlanta can I get berries this amazing.

 These berries fueled our hour long hike up Runyon Canyon.  Another favorite place of mine.  It is so uplifting to see how many people are out exercising, even at 7am.  It was packed with people and dogs, of course.  Great people watching.

We then went to another favorite - Urth Caffe in West Hollywood.  Best soy latte ever.  And, delicious oatmeal.  Which fueled our shopping trip and back home again to the hotel.  Again, look at that FRUIT!

Alright - Day Two afternoon and evening and Day Three will be in the next post.

Cholesterol Part Two

I have never given my cholesterol level much thought.  I do get it checked each year, but I never paid much attention to the number, I knew I ate healthy, therefore the number should be low.  Heart disease is just not on the top of my "worry" list.

I have eaten a predominately vegan diet over the last twenty years.  There have been periods when I have eaten fish and dairy but most of the time I considered myself vegan.  Over the past year, I have re-defined the way that I eat as a whole food, plant based diet, instead of vegan.  The distinction is mainly processed foods.  A "vegan" diet can be unhealthy if you eat a lot of processed foods with added sugar and fat.  For example, diet coke and most french fries are considered vegan.  Not that I ever over did it on french fries, but I did use to eat a lot more processed food than I eat now.  I also used to "cheat" more than I would like to admit.  I rarely would ask if baked goods or desserts had dairy in them. I would just eat them, and figure at least I am not eating meat.

I have really focused on eating whole foods and very few things from a "box".  With the discovery of my gluten intolerance, my "cheating" has been eliminated.  All those desserts and baked goods have gluten in them.  I can not "cheat" with gluten.  Now looking back, when I thought I was eating healthy, I could have done a lot better.   I no longer skip meals and subside on vegan bars or other processed food.

The amount of food I eat  has increased, I eat a ton of veggies and fruit everyday.  I do not worry about "carbs" but instead focus eating all kinds of potatoes, squash, rice, beans etc.  I tend to limit most baked goods, and pastas, even if they are gluten free, vegan.  I also do not eat oil, unless I am in a restaurant.

So what has this year's renewed focus on eating well resulted in??  I decided to actually take note of my cholesterol levels.

February 2010 Cholesterol      165
                         Triglycerides    53

February 2011 Cholesterol      153
                         Triglycerides    42

March  2012    Cholesterol     130
                         Triglycerides    43

Yes, my levels have always been great.  But WOW, that is a significant drop in my cholesterol, by simply paying attention and truly eliminating ALL dairy,  most all oil and processed food.  

The best part is - I eat as much as I want, I am not starving or always thinking about food, I do not have the insane cravings I used to have and I have more energy.  And, I have a peace of mind that I  doing all I can do to prevent disease!

Cholesterol and Heart Health

You can be skinny, exercise regularly and still have a heart attack.  In fact 35% of heart attacks occur in people whose total cholesterol is between 150 and 200.  American Heart Association and most Doctors will tell you this is an an acceptable range.  But what does the research tell us?   The goal should be a total cholesterol below 150.  But I am not a Doctor, so I encourage you to do your own research. I have provided links below. 

I was thrilled to see Michelle Pfeiffer on CNN this week, bringing attention to this important subject.  She has always been skinny, exercised, and thought she was eating healthy - lots of lean protein, veggies.  BUT - she had high cholesterol.  She did her own research, was inspired by President Clinton in the CNN: The Last Heart Attack and decided to give a low fat, vegan diet a try.  Guess what?  Her cholesterol lowered and she is now hooked on a  plant based diet. 

I encourage you to:

• watch Michelle Pfeiffer's interview, 
• watch CNN: The Last Heart Attack,
• read Heart Attack Risk Chart, 
• look at Dr. Esselstyn's website and read his book!
• Dr. Ornish

It can be extremely discouraging to lose weight, exercise regularly, think that you are eating well, yet still be at risk of a heart attack.    What you eat is the most important factor to good health.  Switching to a whole food, plant based diet can be challenging at first, but then you realize how great  you feel, and how fabulous the food is!

OMG - Engine 2

Have you heard of Rip Esselstyn?  Or Engine 2?  Well if you have not, check out his website:
http://engine2diet.com/

Rip is a huge plant based advocate.  He deems it "plant strong", which once you see him and read about him, you will know he is indeed strong.  His book is inspiring, easy to read and is a well laid out explanation as to why you should follow a plant strong diet and how to do it.  Great recipes are the cherry on top.
I have seen Rip speak and he is even more inspiring in person.  I also admire is athleticism, it brings to light that you can be a world class athlete on a plant strong diet.
To say I am a big fan is an understatement.  So, today when I saw Engine 2's tweet featuring a story about Allyson's plant strong family, I was more than thrilled.  I submitted a piece about how I am trying to raise two plant strong girls.  Please check out my story featured on the Engine 2 blog:

http://engine2diet.com/the-daily-beet/family-friday-allysons-family/

And, READ his BOOK!!