Eating plants is pretty sexy right now. If the attendance of the recent Plant powered with a purpose, a full-day vegan workshop, is any indication, you know what I am talking about.
The inaugural workshop – put on by a few local businesses – was held in a community hall in southwest Calgary. The room was packed. It was wonderful to see so many people living the vegan life or were vegan curious.
There was a feeling of old home week as many of the people seemed to know someone else in the room. I heard a lot of sharing of tips and tricks. A lady sitting on one side of me was excited to hear more about how eating a vegan diet can improve health. While on the other side of me was a woman who had been vegan for four or five years. Good mix of people because that’s what you need to spread the word about the benefits of not eating meat and dairy.
Of course the best part was actually eating the food. We were well fed. I especially enjoyed the cracker taste test. I’ve been thinking lately that I need to get back into making my crackers in the dehydrator. After sampling the delicious crackers, I am feeling inspired. I can’t wait to take more workshops and learn about the veg community in Calgary.
Plant-based nutrition certificate course – you should take it too
As you know I am taking a basic plant-based online certificate course through eCornell University. It consists of three two-week courses taken over two weeks. At the end of the course, I will have a better understanding of how a plant-based diet is optimal for health, and more tools to help others.
There are no papers and the quizzes are designed so everyone passes. You can take the quiz as many times as you like. You don’t need a background in nutrition. The material is easy to understand and accessible. The website says the course is for those in the medical, nutritional, and other health professionals or anyone seeking to improve their personal health.
The course was created by T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies and based on Campbell’s lectures, experience and research. (If you don’t know who he is, Google The China Study.)
So far, the material has been pretty interesting. I’m familiar with many of the concepts and topics because I have been eating veg for more than half my life. I love hearing from the experts and learning about the recent research. Also I am very interested in food security and the environment. Most recently I wrote an article about the opportunity for Canada to help China get off its reliance on coal.
I am looking forward to the rest of the course so I can share with you what I have learned. I feel very inspired. To find out more visit: Plant-based nutrition certificate.