Healthy Living Ways to Vibrant Health: Answers from Nutritionist Anne-Marie Roy, P1/2 (In French)

Hallo, vibrant viewers and welcome to another episode of Healthy Living. Every day more and more people are becoming interested in peaceful, healthy vegan and vegetarian diets.Those new to or considering adopting these lifestyles may have questions about the body’s needs in regards to nutrition.

An expert who can address such concerns is vegan dietician-nutritionist Anne-Marie Roy, graduate of Laval University in Québec, Canada and co-author of the best-selling cookbook 『Vegetarians, Not Vegetables！』 which features many delicious vegetarian recipes.

Due to her nutritional expertise Ms. Roy was named official co-spokesperson of the ２００９ Eat Well Expo and Living Green event in Montreal and Québec City, which showcased the latest trends in nutrition, organic food and healthy living.Now let’s join our Supreme Master Television correspondent and Ms. Roy.

SupremeMasterTV(f): Well, we are happy to have you with us because you are really an ambassador, I would say, of vegetarianism. You are involved in almost everything that concerns vegetarianism in Québec, and we are very proud to have you with us today to answer all our questions.

HOST: We first asked Ms. Roy about some of the common misconceptions of those unfamiliar with the vegetarian and vegan diets.

Anne-Marie(f): I could say that one of the important elements that make people reluctant to quit the meat is that they are afraid of lacking some nutrients.

I myself am convinced that there are many women who force themselves to continue to eat meat. I think that women are much more ready to become vegetarians, perhaps because they have a greater sensitivity, I don’t know.

If they knew that they wouldn’t lack any iron, that they wouldn’t lack any nutrients, I think that there would be more of them. I say this all the time, that there is a great deficiency among vegetarians; it is a deficiency in illnesses. Vegetarians, it is proven, if you look at all the research that has been done, vegetarians are healthier than non-vegetarians.

If we look at cancer, vegetarians have a much lower risk of developing cancer whether it is hormone-dependent cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, colon cancer or any form of cancer.

Heart disease is also a lot less common among vegetarians; in general, there is a lot less obesity, fewer kidney problems and fewer intestinal problems.

The health of vegetarians is very good.If we look at epidemiological studies from all over the world, most people in countries where they eat very little meat or no meat are much healthier.

HOST: Halo, vivacious viewers, welcome to today’s episode of Healthy Living. Last week we met vegan dietician-nutritionist Anne-Marie Roy of Canada, a graduate of Laval University in Québec and co-author of the best-selling cookbook “Vegetarians, Not Vegetables!” which features many delicious vegetarian recipes. We have the pleasure of featuring Anne-Marie Roy on our show again and this time she will be providing her insights on how to select the best foods for our body. But first, Ms. Roy shares with us how she chose promoting vegetarianism as her mission in life.

Anne-Marie(f): I have been a vegetarian for almost twenty years. To be precise, in fact, I became a vegetarian at the end of my studies. I think it was a few months after I had finished my studies, I stumbled upon the book “Diet for a New America” and it really hit me. I had just learned in university that to be healthy we had to eat meat, we had to drink milk and then in that book, it was completely the opposite. And it was a revelation for me to see that the animals were really treated in such an appalling manner. With respect to health, things were in fact hidden from us. It was really for me the turning point of my career. It was from that moment on that I said, “Vegetarianism will be my mission. I will inform people about this subject until I die.”

HOST: We asked Ms. Roy how her peers perceive the vegetarian lifestyle.

Anne-Marie(f): I meet some of them when I go for training. I gave a conference on vegetarianism to nutritionists once and there was an awakening of their conscience, yes. They came to see me afterwards and told me, “Oh, I did not know the benefits that vegetarianism had on the environment and all that.”

HOST: Due to her nutritional expertise Ms. Roy was named official co-spokesperson of the 2009 Eat Well Expo and Living Green event in Montreal and Québec City, which showcased the latest trends in nutrition, organic food and healthy living. At the exhibition Anne-Marie Roy presented a lecture which featured 10 practical rules to follow when choosing foods. Let’s hear them now.

Anne-Marie(f): My first rule, number one: Never, never, a big never, believe what is written on top of packaging. Are you okay with this? So there are two things which we can trust: the table of nutritional value, the table of figures, or the list of ingredients. You know that it is written in descending order of quantity on a list of ingredients. Everybody knows this. You know that beta-carotene is very important for health, it protects the skin. It acts so that we have a beautiful orangey skin.

According to you, are dried orange apricots a good choice? Those who say “Yes,” raise your hand. Those who say “No,” raise your hand. We see that there are experts here. The question is how apricots, which are dried, remain orange during the drying process. The trick is because they have been treated with sulfites. Sulfites, what are the consequences of this? Headaches, respiratory problems, hence, we may feel breathless.

Imagine when people buy this to go hiking in the mountains, if they feel breathless it is not really a very good idea. Normally our apricots should always be brown. Those that do not have sulfites are brown. Never buy orange apricots. Okay.

So rule number two is to avoid additives. How are we going to find them? Where can we see if there are additives? Is it on the table of figures or the list of ingredients? The list of ingredients. We avoid all sulfites, artificial coloring agents, monosodium glutamate, nitrites, BHA, BHT, artificial flavors, and all words which you do not understand.

Number three, choose whole grains. Among the three flours we have here: refined flour, wheat flour or whole wheat; how many of these flours are whole wheat? Is it zero, one, or two, or more? Who says zero? Who says there is one? And who says there are two or more?

When we look at a grain there are always four parts. We have the bran, the starch, the germ, and protein amino acid. When a cereal is refined three of these parts are taken away, the three most important parts. So they remove the bran, the germ, and the protein amino acid; hence they remove 75 percent of the nutritional value. That’s not all. They add chlorine, so that the flour becomes white. After adding chlorine, they call it wheat flour. If it is not written “whole” it’s white flour. Therefore, wheat flour is not whole wheat. And here, when we see unbleached flour, it means the three elements were removed, and chlorine was not added. Unbleached flours and wheat flours are white flours; they are refined, poor flours.

HOST: When we return, Ms. Anne-Marie Roy will provide the rest of her tips on how to select healthy food products. Please stay tuned to Supreme Master Television.

Welcome back to Healthy Living here on Supreme Master Television. Today’s program features Anne-Marie Roy, a well-regarded vegan dietician-nutritionist from Québec, Canada.

At the 2009 Eat Well Expo and Living Green event in Montreal, Ms. Roy gave a lecture with 10 simple rules for selecting wholesome foods. We have heard three thus far; let us now hear the rest!

Anne-Marie(f): Rule number four, we avoid bad fats. Fat quality, where do we see this? On the table of figures or on the list of ingredients? The list of ingredients. The table of figures does not really give us an indication on the fat quality, or very little. What we don’t really want to find in our product is trans-fats. How do we know if there are trans-fats? It is labeled “shortening” or hydrogenated oil.

HOST: The fifth rule is to avoid refined sugars.

Anne-Marie(f): Now, we are going to explain what sugar is. Where can we see the quality of sugars? On the table of figures or the list of ingredients? The list of ingredients. White sugar, what is it? It is produced from cane. And there, they treat it with lime. They purify it with carbonic nitrite and sulfuric nitrite. They bleach it with sodium sulfate. They clear it with bone char; this is the bones of cows heated at 1,200 degrees Celsius. They dry it out with some isopropyl alcohol, which is rubbing alcohol. They also dry it out with sodium acetate and finally, they re-whiten it again. That's what white sugar is.

Sucralose, Splenda, what is it? It is white sugar mixed with atoms of chlorine. They call this chlorinated sugar. It is even more transformed than white sugar. And fructose certainly does not come from fruits, but comes from syrup of corn, which has been genetically modified. The by-products of corn are usually genetically modified, therefore, when you see fructose it is GMO (genetically modified organism).In addition, what is particular about fructose is that it is difficult to control our appetite when eating it. Then in the long term, this leads us to problems with being overweight.What we do not want on a list of ingredients: sugar, sucralose, fructose, corn syrup, soft brown sugar, which is white sugar re-colored with molasses, or anything that has the “ose” ending. What we want is good quality sugars, maple syrup, concentrated fruit juice, fruit purees, and things like that.

HOST: Watching salt intake is the sixth rule.

Anne-Marie(f): Excessive sodium, where would you see this? The table of figures. Normally, daily recommendations state that less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium should be taken. And also, less than 2,300 calories should be eaten on average every day. Do you see a connection between the two? One by one. So we can stick to an easy rule: “When we look at food, it has to have sodium, equal or less than the number of calories.”

HOST: The seventh rule concerns fats.

Anne-Marie(f): Where can we see the amount of fat on a label? Is it on the table of figures or on the list of ingredients? The table of figures.

Then the rule is: the calories of from our food during the day should not should not exceed more than 25 percent in fat. Thus, not more than 25 percent of our calories should be fat.

HOST: The eighth rule is to avoid excess calorie intake.

Anne-Marie(f): So, where are we going to see the excess calories on packaging, the figures or the ingredients? The figures. Harvest Crunch (brand cereal) contains more calories than the Gruau (brand porridge). If we take 100 grams of porridge, there are 63 calories in 100 grams of porridge. In Harvest Crunch, there are 475 (calories); that means seven times more. For the same bowl, you have seven times more calories.

So the rule: studies show that if we eat to satisfy our appetite, we will never get fat if we fill our stomachs with foods which have fewer calories than their weight. Fewer calories than their weight. We are going to do a small test. Here, we have 87 grams, 80 calories. That means that this food helps to maintain, or to lose weight. In this category here, we have vegetables, fruits that are all lower than 100 calories for 100 grams.

HOST: Anne-Marie’s rule number nine is to not purchase genetically modified foods.

Anne-Marie(f): Where do we find GMO (genetically modified organisms)in our supermarkets? Soy products if they are not organic. The soya is genetically modified when you see “soy lecithin,” “soy flour,” or “soy oil.” If it is not organic, it is GMO. Corn, not fresh corn on the cob, but all the by-products of corn are genetically modified. When you see corn starch, corn flour, corn crisps, they are genetically modified. The fructose, we said earlier, it is made from genetically modified corn. So, our corn flakes are made with genetically modified corn flour. And there is canola oil which is also genetically modified. Do not forget. When it is organic, it is not GMO.

HOST: The final rule is to choose organic foods.

Anne-Marie(f): Plants produce dozens and even hundreds of substances to protect itself from insects, competitive plants, weeds, mushrooms, fungi, and viruses. So, it has a kind of system of protection. And look how well it is made. When we eat what the plant produces to protect itself, that protects us. So this is one of the very good reasons why we have to eat organic and it is the last rule about eating: always eat as much organic as possible.

HOST: We would like to convey our appreciation to Anne-Marie Roy for her promotion of the vegan and vegetarian diets and for her welcome advice on choosing healthful foods. May her message of how to eat compassionately spread across Canada and beyond.

Thank you for joining us on today’s episode of Healthy Living. Next up is Science and Spirituality, after Noteworthy News. May your life be blessed with peace, love and light from Heaven!

For more information on Anne-Marie Roy, please visit www.annemarieroy.com