This book contains the opinions and ideas of its author. It is intended to pro- vide general information on the subjects it addresses . It is not in any way a substitute for the advice of the reader’s own physician(s) or other medical pro- fessionals for individual conditions, symptoms, or concerns. Readers should seek further advice from a competent physician and/or other qualified health care professionals for personal medical, health, dietary, exercise or other assis- tance or advice. The author specifically disclaims all responsibility for injury, damage or loss that the reader may incur as a direct or indirect consequence of following any directions or suggestions given in this book by the author, or by participating in any programs or events described in the book, recommended or offered by the author. Life Off the Label. Copyright ©2016 by Colleen Kachmann. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please support author’s rights. Do not participate in, or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials. Purchase only authorized editions. Self-published by Colleen Kachmann. Printed in the United States of America by Walsworth Print Group, 306 N. Kansas Ave. Marlene, MO 64658. Edited by Lori Parker of Lori Parker Editor Writer Poet, Chicago, IL. Book design, graphic images and e-book by Heather Shively, Bodacious Girl Studio, Fort Wayne, IN. ISBN 978-0-9977024-0-8 (print) ISBN 978-0-9977024-1-5 (e-book) The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request. Life Off the Label may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational or business use. Email [email protected] for pricing and delivery. First edition: September 2016 FOR MY FAMILY. IF WE CAN’T BE NORMAL, LET’S BE HEALTHY . Welcome Readers . Life Off the Label: A Handbook for Creating Your Own Brand of Health and Happiness includes far more than the book you are holding in your hand. You’ll discover that the value of the resources now available to you far exceeds the cover price. This printed copy offers extra- wide margins for your notes, ideas and questions. The Normal vs Healthy sections at the end of each chapter include extra space for further reflection. If you don’t wish to write in this book, or have borrowed it from a friend or the library, print fresh copies from the website. The recipes, info-graphs and other content labeled with the printer icon throughout the book, an audio mp4 file for each chapter and much more can be downloaded at colleenkachmann.com/members. Use the password: LOL2017BonusMaterial The bonus resources are designed to provide you with everything you’ll need as you begin your journey. They serve as an immediate return on your investment. You are supported and in good company! Thank you for joining the mission to make it normal to be healthy. Let’s get started! V CONTENTS Preface: The Back Story vi Chapter 1: Awareness and Freedom 2 Chapter 2: The Reality of Food Addiction 18 Chapter 3: Food Imposters and Free-Fat Calories 30 Chapter 4: A Culture of Chemicals 54 Chapter 5: Dangerous AgVentures 78 Chapter 6: Prescriptions for Pain 108 Chapter 7: The Great Debate: Organic Food 138 Chapter 8: The Dairy Dilemma 156 Chapter 9: The Allegory of Asthma and Allergies 174 Chapter 10: The Gut-Brain Connection 192 Chapter 11: Western Diet Feeds Western Medicine 208 Chapter 12: Seeds of Health 224 Chapter 13: Kid Food Kills 240 Chapter 14: Afford the Best on a Budget of Less 262 Chapter 14B: Invest the Rest 290 Chapter 15: Create Your Own Brand of Health and Happiness 310 Index 324 Endnotes 332 Acknowledgements 356 VI PREFACE THE BACK STORY L IFE OFF THE L ABE L VII “The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide that you are not going to stay where you are.” J. P. Morgan (1837-1913) American financier, ended the stock market panic of 1907 MUCH TO MY OWN SURPRISE . On February 2, 2009, I decided to become a vegan. Carrying a harmless looking copy of The Kind Diet, I naively boarded a plane for a weekend getaway. The author, actress Alicia Silverstone, had appeared on Oprah! to talk about her book. Despite having no desire to follow in her vegan footsteps, I was intrigued. She looked amazing. Plus, I needed something entertaining to read on the plane. The first “ah-ha” moment happened before I finished the first chapter. The Kind Diet is not a set of rules that lead to an emaciated figure and a smug sense of superiority—though I confess that was what I was looking for. Instead, it illuminates the path to freedom. I had been a prisoner of my own mind for far too long. The book opened my eyes to the fact that I had been hurting myself. I could let go of my food issues whenever I was ready to let go of my fears. The ham sandwich I’d packed to eat on the plane went uneaten. I devoured the book instead. I can remember skipping meals at the tender age of eight for fear of getting fat. I had knobby-knees and was affectionately referred to as “Colleen, the string bean,” so my concerns were unfounded. My young adult life was essentially P REFACE VIII a never-ending diet. I assumed I would outgrow the food issues that con- sumed my energy and time. Unfortunately, they followed me into motherhood and midlife. For twenty-five years, I was a meticulous calorie-counter. Every calorie consumed was balanced by exercise. Each day, the number on the scale deter- mined my level of confidence and course of action. I’d swallow anything that promised to reduce my appetite or speed up my metabolism. If a binge got the best of me, I’d stick my finger down my throat. I did my best to keep the crazy hidden from those around me. But food was the enemy. My body was the battleground. After a lifetime of daily struggles against cravings and appetite, I was open to the idea that I could no longer fight for peace and expect to win. Silverstone described freedom. The more I read, the more I realized that my own ignorance was holding me prisoner to self-defeating habits and beliefs. I was able to envi- sion myself living an informed and conscious life. The Kind Diet reveals that good food is kind to the body (and the mind). I had been operating with a lot of false assumptions as to what good food actually is. The book explains the benefits of eating living foods filled with micronutrients, i.e. antioxidants, enzymes, vitamins and minerals. I realized that I was overfed and severely under nourished. It made perfect sense. I was inspired to reject meat and dairy. The horrible conditions and hidden realities to which animals are subjected are shocking. The antibiotics and hormones given to livestock are making us sick. By the time the plane landed at my destination, I was a card-carrying vegan looking for my first meal. I committed to a 40-day trial. Downtime that weekend was spent shopping on-line. The vegan staples and hard-to-find ingredients would be waiting back home. I even ordered a t-shirt, key chain and bumper sticker. Game on. Vegan challenge accepted. My motivation was not entirely pure. I had no frame of reference for what life would be like if (when) I was free to enjoy my food. We are taught from day one that life is supposed to be hard. Nothing worth doing is easy, right? In retrospect, the clear boundaries of the vegan diet provided me with a sense of control over my impulses. I had to test it before I could trust it. Regardless, I had unwittingly stumbled onto the path of real healing. My all-or-nothing approach left no room for transitions or compromise. I just started wearing my vegan t-shirts and dealt with the details as they appeared. Withdrawal symptoms were a welcome sign that I was doing something right. L IFE OFF THE L ABE L IX And as my body detoxed, cravings for problematic foods disappeared. The more I ate foods that did not come in a package, the less labels there were to feed my obsession. I forgot to worry about calories, portion sizes and protein/ fat ratios. This was the mental freedom I had longed for. My focus shifted to learning new recipes, experimenting with flavors and textures, and enjoying the fruits of my labor. Food became my friend. As I continued to research the vegan philosophies, my eyes were further opened to the poisons in the American food supply. Many are listed on the labels I’ve read my whole life (though many are not). I became more and more disillusioned. My 40-day trial seamlessly transitioned into a lifestyle and I knew I would never go back. At first, my plant-based diet was a huge inconvenience to family and friends. Veggie broth must be used in place of chicken stock to make soup. Salads need to be more than just pale green lettuce and a handful of shredded car- rots. When I refuse to join the conga line to the dessert table, it becomes clear that cheesecake is a choice, not an obligation. That is a party foul that makes people edgy. Especially if those people are your family and grandma made the cheesecake. I’m not saying my diet is better than yours.