Cycling for a sustainable future with Sustrans

I'd like to introduce you to the amazing work of Sustrans, particularly as I will be raising money for them in June by taking part in the London Nightrider - a 100km bicycle ride around London at night.

Sustrans are a leading UK charity enabling people to travel by foot, bike or public transport for more of their daily journeys by working with policy makers, partner organisations and communities.

They run a range of programs and activities across the UK, including bike loans, health walks, cycle rides, workplace events, cycle training and bike maintenance classes.

As a London cyclist myself (me on the left!), I know many people who would like to cycle to work or school but are put off by the danger and the regular reports of cyclists being killed or seriously injured on the capital's streets.  Whatever can be done to improve safety for cyclists would be a wonderful thing.  I cycle 100km per week to and from work and witness the dangers up close every day.

There are many things which could be done to protect cyclists, and relieve the stress on drivers who sometimes struggle with the number of cyclists on the streets during the rush hour.  Cyclists traffic lights would be one obvious example, allowing cyclists to get away ahead of the traffic without the danger of cars/trucks turning left across us or squeezing us up against park cars etc.

In London, Sustrans runs a project called London Greenways which seeks to create a network of routes for walkers and cyclists and aims to improve access to and through green space across the capital.  Sustrans is working with Transport for London and the London Boroughs to deliver safe, quiet routes through parks, green spaces and lightly trafficked streets.

Sustrans also run a 'Links to schools' project which is funded by the Department for Transport.  Local authorities across England have been working with Sustrans for 8 years to connect schools and communities to the national Cycle Network, providing new safe walking and cycling routes to schools.  They have been successful in reducing the number of cars taking children to and from school, reducing congestion, pollution and accidents while improving children's health.

Sustrans also work with both policy makers and the public on the need for behaviour change to embrace low carbon travel and through their low carbon team, they work to push the issue higher up the political agenda.

They do all this and so much more and there are plenty of ways to get involved and find out what projects are going on in your local area.  I will be posting further information on how you can help me raise money for them by sponsoring me for my London Night Rider, in an upcoming post.

In the meantime, there is plenty more information on their website:   http://www.sustrans.org.uk and they are always grateful for support.

Milk - not what its cracked up to be. 4 Food myths busted!

1. Milk is necessary for good bone health

This is one of the biggest myths of all.  Research undertaken by Yale University in the early 1990s, measuring protein intake and fracture rates in 16 countries found that countries where dairy consumption was highest had the highest levels of bone fracture.  American women are among the biggest consumers of calcium in the world, yet they have one of the highest levels of osteoporosis (Frassetto et al., 2000)  Incredible but true.  The science behind it works like this....

Dairy products are significant acid producers in the body.  To counteract this, the body fights back by drawing calcium from the bones to neutralise the acid.  Evidence that animal protein produces excess acid has been known for around 90 years and that it increases the amount of calcium excreted in urine.

A study of 1000 women over 65 by the University of California showed that after 7 years, the women with the highest ratio of animal to plant protein, had 3.7 times more bone fractures than women with lower ratios.  (T.C.Campbell, 2006, The China Study)
http://www.healthyplanetdiet.com/osteoporosis.html




2. Animal protein is needed for strong muscles

Many people equate protein with meat and think that you can only derive protein from meat and dairy sources.  Some also associate eating meat protein with wealth and success.  If you're rich, you eat meat, if you're poor, you eat bread and potatoes.  It was also assumed that those who consumed less protein had poor physiques.

It is true that protein is a vital component in our bodies.   Proteins are constructed of long chains of amino acids.  Proteins wear out on a regular basis and need to be replaced.  It is true that the "highest quality" protein replacements come from animal sources with milk and eggs the best match.

However, although they appear the best, they are not the healthiest.   It has been found that the slow and steady growth of new proteins from plant sources is healthier for the body and can provide all the amino acids necessary, particularly if you draw on all the plant groups.  As I say to myself on my bike every day.... "Slow and steady wins the race" !

And what does Popeye have to say about it?  well most people believe that his strength comes from the amount of iron in spinach.... And that is partly true.....but I bet you'd be surprised if I told you that spinach also  contains more protein per calorie than beef.  Absolutely true!!!  Yes I know you'd need to eat more of it but remember it also contains no cholesterol..... Win win !!!


3. A vegetarian diet makes you fat

Well of course it will if you compensate for not eating meat by consuming tonnes of cheese and tomato pizza or chocolate eclairs.  However, if you focus your diet on predominantly whole foods, complex carbohydrates and avoid refined foods and sugar, you will not put on weight.  Not only that but your cholesterol levels will drop if your main form of protein is plant based as vegetables contains no cholesterol.

In addition, most vegetables are high in fibre and have a low GI (Glycemic Index), which means they take longer to convert to glucose, providing a more sustained supply of energy and a feeling of fullness.  You wont get the energy crashes you get from eating refined sugars and processed foods which offer the body little nutritious value and behave rather like fireworks - an instantaneous 'wow' factor and a taste explosion but very short lived.

So rather than making you fat, making good vegetarian choices, predominantly focused on beans, pulses, nuts, seeds, vegetables and complex carbohydrates such as wholemeal pasta, whole grain rice, bulgar wheat and other grains can aid your efforts to lose weight.  Not only that but they will also help to protect you from long term illness such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

If you'd like a good real life example, look no further than the former President of the United States, Bill Clinton, who has lost 24 pounds since going vegan following quadruple heart bypass surgery in 2004.  The surgery was not enough in itself to improve his heart health so he ditched the barbecued pork and quarterpounders for a strict vegan diet and has never looked back.

Clinton reportedly said that although his arteries had been cleaned out with bypass surgery and a stent,  he was still eating a nutrient poor 'animal based" diet, and was continuing to clog up his arteries.  He credited the China Study by Dr Campbell for inspiring him on his nutritional journey.  He goes on to say that "82% of the people who have gone on a plant based diet have gone on to heal themselves; we have 25 years of evidence".
You can read more about this here




4. Vegetarians are depressed and deprived.....

In fact they're the most optimistic bunch.  New research shows carotenoids can produce a feeling of happiness.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2263987/People-eat-plenty-fruit-veg-optimistic-future.html

Research undertaken by Dartmouth University last year also looked at the eating habits of 80,000 Britains and those who consumed 8 or more portions of fruit and vegetables a day were less likely to exhibit nervousness, anxiety, depression, and other mental disorders.  They were also more likely to be happy and satisfied with their lives.  Plus, the more produce people consumed, the happier they were.

Plant protein = zero cholesterol & a cycle challenge

In addition to my 2 new years resolutions - to go veggie and to not buy anything new for a year - I've also decided to do a couple of cycle rides for charity.  So far, I've signed up for the London Night Rider - a 100km loop around London at night in June.  Starting at midnight from Alexandra Palace, the route winds around many of the major sites in the centre of town which are all lit up at night so it should be pretty spectacular.

I cycle to work every day - which is almost exactly 10km each way - which takes around 30 mins.  So, although I'm pretty fit, its not quite up to the 5 - 6 hrs which it will take me to do the Night Rider.  So I decided to start some preparation this weekend by going for a longer ride this morning.  Sunday mornings are a nice time to ride as the traffic is quiet and there aren't too many pedestrians around to jump out in front of you - which they do in rush hour!!  As much as anything else, I wanted to test my saddle fitness - in other words, see how my 'buns' would take to being on the saddle for a prolonged period.

So I rode into West London, stopped for a quick cuppa in Marylebone High Street at my favourite haunt - the Natural Kitchen - and then went from there across Oxford street, down Regent Street, through Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square and then down the Mall towards Buckingham Palace.  From there, I cycled around Green Park, back down Piccadilly, through Mayfair, down Oxford Street and back home from there.  30km in all - just took 90 minutes and no saddle soreness, which gives me a bit of confidence that doing 3 times that distance shouldn't be a problem.

Well I'm really enjoying my new vegetarian diet, and am having a great time being more creative in the kitchen and having more variety - from bulgar wheat and wholegrain rice to soya bean curd, beans and seeds, which are all good protein sources.  I've listed some info about proteins in plant based food below as I'm being asked quite frequently "how do you get enough protein?"


Protein rich plant foods

It is recommended that we should have around 40 - 50g of protein a day from all sources...... that's between 0.8 and 1 gram of protein per day for every kilogram of body weight.   By eating a reasonably varied diet, vegetarians and vegans easily consume enough protein, and unlike animal protein, plant based protein sources contain healthy fibre and complex carbohydrates and NO CHOLESTEROL!

Nuts: Peanuts and peanut butter are a great source of protein with 8g of protein in 2 tbsps of peanut butter.  Ive listed below the protein in 1 oz of the following nuts:

Almonds  - 6g
Brazil nuts  - 4g
Cashew nuts - 5g
Hazelnuts - 4g
Macadamia nuts - 2g
Peanuts - 7g
Pecans - 3g
Pistachios - 6g
Walnuts - 4g

As a source of protein, their not top of the list as they also contain quite high levels of fat but mixed into a healthy diet alongside other protein forms, theyre great.  And of course, they contain other marvellous benefits such as vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and soluble fibre.  For more information on nuts, see my post of 26th October

Beans: Black, kidney, pinto beans, lentils, peas and chickpeas all contain around 8g protein per half a cup

Grains: wheat, rye, quinoa, oats and barley are grains with a reasonable supply of protein. Quinoa is the grain with the highest amount of protein with around 9g of protein per 1 cup.

Soya based products are a complete source of protein and evidence has shown that eating moderate amounts (1 or 2 servings per day) can reduce the risk of prostate cancer and lower LDL cholesterol.  However, some recommendations suggest limiting intake to 3 or 4 times a week due to the indications that isoflavones in soy can bind to estrogen receptors and effect thyroid hormone.

Just half a cup of tofu contains 20g protein.  Half a cup of edamame (young soya beans), contains 9g protein.


Oats: 100 grams of oats cooked with water contains 16g of protein.

Vegetables

1 cup raw spinach contains 1 g of protein, and 1 cup cooked spinach contains 6g of protein

half a cup asparagus contains 2 g,

1 cup broccoli has 3 g,

1 cup cauliflower has 2 g,

One average potato with skin has 3.8 g 

1 cup of celery has 1.5 g.

The great thing about eating plant based protein is that it comes with a bunch of other benefits including being low in fat and high in dietary fibre - both  which can reduce the risks of cardiovascular disease and digestive problems.

NY Res 2 - Why vegetarianism?

As mentioned in my previous post, my second New Years resolution is to move to a largely plant based diet - or in other words, become a vegetarian.  However, this is not because I am overcome with guilt at eating lovely cute fluffy animals (although if I think about it too much....)  I went through that when I was a teenager and was vegetarian for around 3 years until I woke up after a heavy night on the town and had a craving for roast chicken.

No this has come about following a desire to understand more about the effects of diet and nutrition on 'western' diseases, diabetes in particular.  I hesitate to call diabetes a disease as it is in fact largely controllable and preventable through diet and lifestyle.  I bought a book over Christmas called 'The Reverse Diabetes Diet' by Dr Neal Barnard, and by a strange coincidence, my brother bought me a book for my birthday in mid December called 'The China Study', by Dr Colin Campbell, following all my recent blogging about intermittent fasting and nutrition.

Both of these books advocate a plant based diet based on compelling and authoritative evidence which suggests that animal protein and fat are largely responsible for the majority of western illnesses including cardiovascular disease, cancers and diabetes.  Both books are a fascinating but scary read but the evidence is clear.

In the China Study, Dr Colin Campbell, Professor Emeritus at Cornell University in USA, details the connection between nutrition and heart disease, diabetes and cancer.  It is recognised as the most comprehensive nutritional study ever conducted on the relationship between diet and the risk of developing disease.

The study looked at dietary and lifestyle factors associated with disease mortality in China, which compared the health consequences of diets rich in animal-based foods to diets rich in plant-based foods among people who are genetically similar.  The authors write that "as blood cholesterol levels in rural China rose in certain counties the incidence of 'Western' diseases also increased.


The authors write that "several studies have now shown, in both experimental animals and in humans, that consuming animal-based protein increases blood cholesterol levels. Saturated fat and dietary cholesterol also raise blood cholesterol, although these nutrients are not as effective at doing this as is animal protein. 

In contrast, plant-based foods contain no cholesterol and, in various other ways, help to decrease the amount of cholesterol made by the body. They write that "these disease associations with blood cholesterol were remarkable, because blood cholesterol and animal-based food consumption both were so low by American standards. In rural China, animal protein intake (for the same individual) averages only 7.1 grams per day whereas Americans average 70 grams per day".

There is a China Study Community website which shares the findings of the research plus news stories, event information, recipes, reviews, and more from the leading influencers in the plant-based community.

I'm really excited at becoming vegetarian again, not least because since starting the IF lifestyle, I have been enjoying vegetables much more as they are low in calories and fat but full of vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre, and they fill me up!  I've also been eating more and more plant based proteins such as pulses and beans but particularly oats (porridge, oatcakes etc) and seeds. 

Seeds have become a little addiction for me - now having Holland and Barrett's fabulous Omega Sprinkle on my porridge every morning, as a snack and on greek yoghurt in the evening.  The Food Doctor also has a great range of seeds and nuts  http://www.thefooddoctor.com/Our-Range-CHSTORE/

I also absolutely love all things soya bean - including tofu in its various forms and edamame - young soya beans most often found in Japanese restaurants but now readily available in supermarkets next to the frozen peas!!  To learn more about incredible health benefits of these humble little beans, take a look at my post of 10th Sept last year.... http://walklighter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/breaking-my-fast.html

NY resolution - nothing new for a year!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!

It's that time again - party, get drunk, make a fool of yourself, spread your mascara all over your face as you get emotional about the year gone by and share your hopes about the one ahead with your family and friends.

Well, yes......but once you've done that, its the big decision of the year - which New Years resolution this year?...... lose a stone, walk up the escalators instead of stand, generally be a nicer person, grow a beard (well the last one's not for me...... at least not yet).

Well, this year, I've decided on two big ones - go vegetarian and buy nothing new for a year.   The decision to go vegetarian is based on health grounds and Ill go into more detail about that in my next post.  In addition to these two I will continue on my Intermittent Fasting journey and will continue to post about that through the year.

So my second resolution - to buy nothing new for a year?...... I've been coming to this conclusion for quite some time but it's always at this time of year it comes back to me as something which I should try following (albeit in a small way) in the

footsteps of some inspirational people, most notably No Impact Man.  Colin Beavan, a guy from New York,  embarked on an experiment in 2007 to try to live for a year without having any net effect on the environment.  You can read more about him here... No impact man


This time of year is, despite best intentions, inevitably dominated by consumerism and I'm just as guilty as anyone as I buy presents for those I love.   But do we really need new stuff?   Well 'need' is relative of course....there are those who would say they 'need' an iPhone 5 or a kindle..... But there are very few things we really do need in life..... Water, Food, shelter, clothing, medication, some basic comforts..... But the rest is simply what we've become accustomed to enjoy.

I'm old enough to remember life before the iPhone, life before the mobile phone, life before the Internet and even life before the personal home computer...., and you know what?    It was great - we were creative, used our imaginations, had fun and talked to each other.

I'm not advocating going back to a pre-internet life as I appreciate things have moved on and I enjoy the benefits the internet can offer.  I also believe that personal mobility and flexibility are the future and the internet and personal communication devices can help with that.  BUT..... What I'm trying to say is that if we try, we can manage without upgrading our phones, TVs and computers quite so often.  We can buy fewer clothes, and slow down on updating our wardrobes, changing our home decor and kitchen appliances!

There is surely enough 'stuff' already out there for us all to live happily without buying newly manufactured products for some time.  New products require raw materials which have to come from somewhere - unfortunately, we are stripping the earth's natural resources at a rate which is completely unsustainable.

As I wrote in my post of 26th September, it currently takes the planet 1.5 years to regenerate the natural resources used by the global population in 1 year. Current UN scenarios estimate that by 2050, if population growth and consumption trends don't change, we will need 3 planets to support us...... 

With that in mind, I have decided that my New Years resolution is not to buy anything new for a whole year.  So what about consumables?  Well there are those which I would consider essential such as food, basic toiletries and medications.  Non essential consumables would include stationery, Make up, etc...... I'm sure I will encounter other examples as I go along but I'll post these along with whatever solution I come up with as they appear.

I'll also be looking for more natural alternatives to some products such as using grape seed oil as a hot-oil treatment to replace hair conditioner....

So items I will not be buying include:
Clothes
Shoes
Household items
Kitchen items
Electrical goods
Stationery
Books
CDs
DVDs

This doesn't mean I cant buy any of these items but if I do they must be second hand - so bought from antique or charity shops or sourced through free-cycle schemes.

I see this as just a part of a larger picture.   In addition to this, of course I already cycle everywhere as my partner and I sold our car a couple of years ago and now use our legs, bikes and public transport as our means of getting around.

Also, as already mentioned above, we are going vegetarian this year, so will be eliminating all meat and fish from our diet.   This will also reduce our packaging waste as we buy vegetables loose from the local market.   I hope eventually to be able to eliminate all non recyclable packaging from my life too..... more on this in a future post.

Good luck with all your New Years resolutions and if you're doing anything similar, I'd love to hear about it.