My former student Elias Peña, shares how he has partnered with his father to take control of their health destinies, some of the struggles along the way and the results they now enjoy!

As I sit and watch my father planting broccoli and spinach into our garden, I cannot help but think about how far we have come as a family. It’s been over four years now since my family and I began this plant-based journey. It all started when I took Professor Hagenburger’s nutrition course at Cosumnes River College. I was skeptical at first about going green, but I had heard and read so much about the many benefits that I eventually caved in and decided to give it a try, not only for myself, but especially for my dad.

My father’s health around 2014 was going downhill. He has been a diabetic for over fifteen years, and his doctor was pressuring him to get on insulin. His A1c level at the time was 11%, which reflected an average blood sugar over 300mg/dL, and put him at risk for heart attack, stroke, blindness, kidney failure and even amputations. It was tough seeing my father struggle. I could not sit idly by and do nothing about this. I decided to gather a few recipes and get busy in the kitchen!

My father was the main cook of the household. We ate whatever he made, which was traditional Mexican/American food. Although I knew that I needed to help my dad improve the nutrient content of the food he was eating, the best I could do at the time was use the microwave to heat up frozen Hot Pockets. So, I started with the cook himself! I told my dad that I loved his food very much, but that we needed to get serious about improving our health. For months, my father resisted any bit of change, he said that he was going to “live his life his way,” and that he just needed to “change portion sizes.” My father is a great person, and he can be very stubborn at times, especially when it comes to food. I figured that if I jumped right in and got us going, we might actually enjoy cooking new recipes together, so I made us a list and we went shopping! The first dish we ever made together was a simple broccoli and tofu stir-fry. It came out really good, to our surprise, as we’d never cooked with tofu before (but enjoyed eating Asian food at restaurants).

As weeks went on, my father and I continued to make small changes together and replaced pantry items with healthy alternatives. We started going to stores with lots of healthful offerings, such as Sprouts and Trader Joes. We spent a considerable amount of time on YouTube looking up videos to help us learn how to prepare “whole plant foods.” It actually became an enjoyable experience once we got the hang of steaming vegetables without steaming up the whole kitchen. Soon, I had a spatula in hand and was tossing eggplant patties around like a natural! While we were having fun in the kitchen, the full shift to eating plant-based whole foods did not come easy.

I found it incredibly challenging to consciously make the choice to eat this way every day, perhaps because I hadn’t yet fully made the decision, as Professor Hagenburger talks about moving from “I can’t have it” to “I don’t want it.” And my father, too, was finding himself slipping into his old habits. We had been eating the same standard American diet for so long, that it was deeply engrained in our lives (rather, our habits). It may seem silly, but driving past my favorite fast food restaurant and not stopping, took a huge emotional toll on my mind, even though I knew that eating there was not going to help me reach my goal. There were days when it was a struggle, and peer pressure to go eat out at a place that I knew had little healthy options caused me much anxiety. There were many moments when I wanted to give up and go back to my old ways, momentarily forgetting how bad eating that food made my body and mind feel. When I went out with friends, when we started talking about where to go eat, my suggestions were often met with raised eyebrows and sarcastic responses. I kept in mind the fact that they didn’t have the same perspective, so instead of crumbling under the fear of what my peers would say, I modified my dishes wherever I went, and helped my father do the same.

Often conversations between my father and me were about how people just didn’t seem understand why we were eating plant-based. Family events were particularly tough because there were many traditional dishes that we chose not to eat, and many family members took offense to this. The bottom line was that there was little acceptance during the early period of our journey. No one wants to feel like the outcast, but I know my father and I did; however, what kept us plant-based was that we were starting to see and feel changes in our health.

Within a few months of going plant-based and eliminating most of the oil, my father and I had lost roughly 30 lbs, and we’ve kept it off!  We both felt a big difference in our energy levels, less brain fog and more mental clarity. We were making trips to the clothes outlets because we were not able to wear our old outfits. We created a garden and started growing our own food. People around us started to become more open when they saw the real change in our family’s life.

Fast forward a year and two months…  My dad set up an appointment with his doctor. His weight went from 298lbs to 220lbs, his A1C levels had dropped from 11% to 7%, and he was advised to get off two diabetic medications that he had been taking for years! His doctor was stunned. More importantly, my father was happy!  To be able to see all of his stress early in the year melt away, made it all worth the struggle.

My advice to anyone who is considering going plant-based is to get started! You can’t steer a parked car, so make an achievable goal for yourself and stick to it. Don’t waste any time getting discouraged when you fall off the path, just learn from the situation! As long as you are willing to make a change in your life, you will see results! Remember, the hardest part is often making the decision. Then, it just becomes “how” to get this done, and the possibilities just might start flooding in. Ok, I should get back to helping my dad with the garden!

Ruben’s Simple Veggie “un-fried” Stir-Fry

Ingredients

1 cup of vegetable broth
14-16 oz package of firm tofu (packed in water)
4 medium carrots, scrubbed*
8 oz container of mushrooms, cleaned
1 medium red onion*
2 large zucchini
1 large head of broccoli
1 yellow bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
2 tablespoons of minced garlic*
2 tablespoons of teriyaki glaze-(optional)
2 tablespoons of soy sauce-(optional)
Black pepper, to taste

Procedure

Press/mince the garlic and set aside while chopping veggies into bite-sized* pieces. Drain water from tofu package, then wrap block in a clean kitchen towel and gently squeeze excess water from the tofu, before dicing into ¼ inch cubes. Heat a large sauce pan over medium high. Add vegetable broth, tofu, carrots, mushrooms and onions to pan and let simmer for 10 minutes. Then, add remaining vegetables and sauce (if using), stir briefly, then simmer for an additional 10-15 minutes, just until vegetables are tender crisp. Add black pepper to taste.

The Nutrition Professor’s Prep Smart and Cook Smart Tips:

*No need to peel your carrots or zucchini!

*Either dice the onion or cut into slices (based on personal preference)

*After cutting off the broccoli florets, don’t even think about throwing away the large broccoli stalk! You can peel the stem, if the skin is tough, and then dice it up to include in the stir fry (cauliflower stems and leaves are also excellent in stir-fries).

*To maximize the health benefits of the garlic, be sure to press or mince your fresh garlic and let it sit for 5-10 minutes before heating

*Sprinkle the finished dish with sesame seeds and scallions, for an extra boost of flavor, texture and nutrients!

A few words from the Nutrition Professor… While it may seem odd that a Mexican-American father and son duo is sharing an Asian stir-fry recipe, this was the very first recipe they made together when they started changing their diet. Not only was it easy, nutritious and delicious, it reminded them of eating out, but without the heavy, greasy food coma that typically followed. This is certainly not the last that we will hear from Elias and his dad, Ruben Peña, as they are busy in the kitchen creating new versions of their old Mexican-American favorites! So many possibilities that become visible when we make the decision to eat the food that loves us back, as we open our minds to different ingredients, flavor combinations and cooking techniques. Stay tuned for more of their recipes and exciting health updates!

Timaree Hagenburger, a plant-based registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN), certified exercise physiologist with a master’s degree in public health, has over 20 years of experience as a nutrition professor. She is a sought after speaker, media personality and author, who works with private clients, and in corporate wellness, has contributed to several cookbooks and published her own cookbook, The Foodie Bar Way: One Meal, Lots of Options, Everyone’s Happy (www.foodiebars.com)! Timaree is also the founder of an incredible online membership community, The Foodie Bar Way of Life, that makes loving the food (and living a life) that loves us back… simple, satisfying, sustainable AND FUN! You can contact her about working with her through 1:1 dietitian nutrition coaching, for hands-on cooking instruction and to inquire about arranging a speaking engagement.