Plants & Peace

A New Way of Seeing our Health

I mentioned in my last newsletter that I would take a new direction with my upcoming newsletters, at least for the next few months. I have been a plant-based advocate for many years, and many people know me as such, but in fact my interests go way beyond nutrition. I would like to start pursuing some of these other interests in this newsletter, starting with an idea for a more expanded view of health.

Most of you have heard about the Blue Zones project spearheaded by Dan Buettner. He traveled the world and discovered five areas where people seem to live the longest lives, then studied those communities to figure out the keys to their longevity. From this work emerged what we now think of as “the pillars of health,” including moving naturally throughout the day, eating a mostly plant-based diet, having a clear sense of purpose, managing stress, prioritizing strong social connections, and living within an environment that incentivizes healthy choices.

I appreciate and agree with Dan’s conclusions, although I think I would prefer a different way of explaining this. I see two main pillars of health. One is the food we eat; the second is our inner peace. By “peace,” I mean an idea that goes more deeply than simply the absence of stress. Deep inner peace comes from living according to our true nature, which enables us to feel safe, connected, and fulfilled. We are designed for this way of living, which includes all the elements noted in the Blue Zones project. When we live that way, we experience deep inner peace, and I believe this is every bit as important as the food we choose to eat.

Unfortunately, the conditions Dan observed in those five communities do not exist in many places—they are far more the exception than the rule. The challenge is to bring those conditions into existence. We can do some of this on our own, but others are not so easy, and ultimately require larger economic, political, environmental, and cultural changes beyond our individual control. This is why I look forward to taking my writing in this new direction, because it will give me an opportunity to discuss so many interesting topics, all connected to the way we live, and whether those ways of living are leading us to, or away from, deep inner peace.

I suspect this will be of interest to many of you, because we all struggle to find this kind of peace in our lives. Kim and I have certainly struggled in this way. Over the past 15 years, it seems we have confronted many challenges, never quite getting to where we had hoped to be. While this has felt deeply frustrating along the way, perhaps it was for the best. Maybe our lives were destined to go the way they’ve gone, eventually leading to this place where we have a deeper understanding of the meaning and value of deep inner peace, and the factors necessary for this peace. Maybe we should title this new series of articles, “Our Path to Peace.”

I am awed by the healing power of plants, but I also recognize there is more to the story. If our only focus is on eating plants, we are doing at least one important thing right, but we may not always avoid bad outcomes if we neglect this other equally important pillar of health. And by bad outcomes, I mean not only physical outcomes, but emotional and mental ones as well. What is health really? Can it be measured simply by our cholesterol, glucose, and blood pressure levels? Or is it something more than this? I think it’s more than this—far more than this.

I look forward to sharing these thoughts about the peace side of the equation in future newsletters.

In peace,

Nelson

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A Buddha Bowl, by Kim Campbell

One of the biggest shifts in the food world right now is the rise of one bowl meals, often called Buddha Bowls, Power Bowls, or Hippie Bowls. For many of us, this still feels a little unconventional. Americans are used to keeping foods neatly separated (I grew up with a sibling who refused to let peas touch potatoes), so the idea of everything sharing one bowl can feel like breaking a rule.

But bowl-style meals are all about letting go of those rules. Instead of separating flavors, bowls invite ingredients to mingle, with grains, vegetables, proteins, and sauces all coming together in one nourishing, satisfying meal.

Think of bowl meals as a simple mix-and-match formula.

Here is the link for your Buddha Bowl recipe: https://plantpurecommunities.org/recipes/buddha-bowl-2/

Peaceful plates,

Kim