Day 21: Feb 21

8am
I'm going to semi-live blog this day today...saving as I go and then posting at the end...

I went on a major hike for the workout this morning.  Hilly and beautiful.  The sun rose as we headed up the hill and it was just like WOW. Such an awesome start to the day.  Then I chugged lots of water to go get my blood drawn, as all of us "immersionists" are going to be part of a year long study of those who went to this immersion.  Even if you fall off the wagon, and don't do the diet after you leave.  They just want proof that it works if you do it, and that it's worth the money WFM is paying to send team members.

After blood work--breakfast!!! Yummmm.  Breakfast burritos, self made--corn tortilla (no oil!), black beans, homefried potatoes, peppers, onions, scrambled tofu, steamed greens, salsa hot sauce.  No oil in any of it!  Then I had a small bowl of what's called Rip's Big Bowl--which is a bunch of healthy cereals and grains covered in fruit and a milk of our choice--I chose almond.  Can't remember the last time I had my bananas sliced for me.  Deeeelicious.

Just the food, by the way--reason to be here. :)

But now we have an entire day of intensive classes and lectures.  Which is supposed to be pretty amazing and lifechanging.  So, that's it for now! More later...

5:45 pm
Woah. What a day of classes!  Three intensive lectures, taught by some of the greatest experts on plant based nutrition in the whole WORLD. T Colin Campbell who wrote THE CHINA STUDY did a Focus on Nutrition lecture and "Protein Worship." Protein Worship was FASCINATING.  He talked all about how there is this whole idea of protein being something that Westerners think is the most important part of their diet.  And the typical question that plant based folks get is: "How are you getting your protein?" The answer to which that is, BY EATING! As only 5-10% of our calories really need to be protein, and we get tons of proteins from leafy greens and wheat.  Protein DOES make a person grow faster, but that isn't really necessary for most of us--and athletes can get their protein from plants.  It was fantastic. 

Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, who wrote a highly impacting book called PREVENT AND REVERSE HEART DISEASE lectured endothelial cells and how the bad cholesterol sticks to them, invades the endothelial space and then white blood cells come in, become foam cells from eating all the bad cholesterol, and then those foam cells do nasty stuff.  Like break down the plaque lining and cause heart attacks!  I THINK I have that right.  I'm not POSITIVE--i'm gonna review with some peers to make sure.  

Another awesome lecture today was one by Jeff Novick, who basically disected the Western Diet changes over the last 40 years.  He was funny and informative and delivered heavy information in a light and entertaining way. 

Now I'm off to the dining hall for a cooking lesson on nori roll rolling!  That's sushi!  (Vegetable of course.)  Then we're gonna have a big ole dinner followed by an inspirational lecture on ADDICTIONS by Dick Beardsley.  Which is sure to be fantastic.

Not sure I'll have time or energy to write later tonight, so I'll just post this now.  Oh, one more thing: headache.  Caffeine withdrawal. Very. Annoying.  But besides that, I feel GREAT!