We invite you to learn how to choose and prepare food that supports your commitment to a compassionate world. This way of eating cares well for the planet, for our fellow animals, and for our health.
Plant-Powered Earth Holders (PPEH) are members of the Earth Holder Sangha who offer support to those who wish to explore, and perhaps move toward, a compassionate, more plant-centered diet. We hope these recipes, nutrition guides, and other resources help you in this important journey.
Compassionate Eating MT now in English/Spanish, French, and German
Thanks to our wonderful, growing Plant-Powered Earth Holder sangha, we now have the Compassionate Eating Mindfulness Training offered by our Brother Gem in English/Spanish, French, and German! Now, we need a wonderful Vietnamese speaking friend to help us with translation of it!
See the September Plant Powered Update here
Enjoy our WHY EAT PLANTS Poster.
The hard-working-but-ever-joyful Plant-Powered Earth Holder team has created this new educational poster. Why Eat Plants touches on a few benefits of mindful, compassionate eating. You can download the poster and print out on 11 x 17 paper! Please help us share this poster and let us know what you think. Please correct the link at the bottom to read earthholder.org/compassionate-eating . Download here Why Eat Plants Poster
Take the Compassionate Consumption Pledge
Dear Friends,
The Plant-Powered Earth Holder Team invites you to take the vows of compassionate eating below. This is a concrete way of supporting your health and the earth. You can see our new brochure Why Eat Plants PPEH Brochure to learn more.
Yes, I will grow my compassion, support my community, care for my health, and protect the earth by taking the Plant-Based Earth Holder Pledge
I pledge:
- To reflect on the new Mindfulness Training about edible foods regularly.
- To look deeply into the source of my food and learn new ways to prepare plant-based food and practice compassion in my diet.
- To shift to a plant-based diet, with the intention to work up to a minimum of 15 days a month as Thay has encouraged us, with an aspiration to move as far in the direction of a plant-based, climate protective, and compassionate diet as possible for me.
Plant Powered Earth Holder Resources
PPEH Fact Sheet: Milk, Dairy, and Meat Substitutes If you are looking for ways to replace animal foods in your diet, then this fact sheet is for you.
The Plant-powered Earth Holder team tries to share some encouraging information each month. Here are a couple sample Updates.
New Video: Enjoy Making (and Eating) Prune Truffles.
Recipe from our own Plant-powered Earth Holder Eve Heidtmann is here! Video is here.
Recipe and Video Kale and Tortilla Chip Salad
Here is a simple, delicious, and nutritious salad from our own Plant-Powered Earth Holder Super Marathoner Aurora Leon
Click here to Enjoy this fantastic Kale Salad! and here is the recipe.
Video: Easy Breakfast Steel Cut Oats
We are so happy to offer this recipe from our own Aurora Leon- physician, plant-powered Earth Holder, distance runner, and all-around amazing athlete! This recipe is simple and will make sure you get your day, and year, off to a good start! Steel Cut Oats to Start your day and New Year!
If you want to, you can put your pot of oats in the fridge after you cook and they will be ready by morning! Here’s the recipe
Enjoy!
August 2021 Article: Eating less meat could save the Colorado River
According to article in the New York Times,
“Water usage data suggests that if Americans avoid meat one day each week, they could save an amount of water equivalent to the entire flow of the Colorado each year, more than enough water to alleviate the region’s shortages…”
Article: Now Your Dog can be Safely Plant-Based too!
One question that came up on a PPEH Webinar was a question about diets for our pets. It turns out that cats are carnivores but dogs can safely eat a plant-based diet. http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-dawn-dogs-vegetarian-20171227-story.html. A dog has nutritional requirements, but not ingredient requirements for a healthy diet.
Fact-Sheet: Check out our newest Plant-based Fact Sheet Cashews-the Key to Creaminess!
All you need to know about the worlds favorite food!
Recipes, Recipes, Recipes!
Our Go-To Source of Recipes is THE JOY OF MINDFUL COOKING This project is an amazing offering of love for community and the planet. You can find many, practioner-tested recipes here.
If you need a jumpstart, here are our fave ‘frequently-eaten’ easy recipes to get you going. PPEH Starter Recipes
If the Holidays pose a challenge, check these wonderful plant-based holiday recipes Plant-powered fall holiday meals
If giving up cheese is your challenge, try our Fact Sheet on plant-based cheeze! CHEEZE PLEEZE!
Recommended plant-based cookbooks and cooking websites
Ask a Plant-Powered Cook – Have questions about plant centered ingredients, recipe modification, shopping sources, cooking new plant foods, and ways to have a plant-based lifestyle in a culture that is focused on eating meat and dairy? Ask Marge or Eve who have been cooking and eating a plant-based diet for decades. They love to help others trying to move in that direction. Earth Holder members may e-mail them for answers to questions at ppeh.cook@gmail.com. Members living in the continental United States can also email to set up a phone call.
Health
- Nutrition video: The Myths of Protein – Learn why our bodies need protein and other nutrients, how much protein is enough, and the best sources in this video from Plant-Powered Earth Holder member Dr. Joaquin Carral.
- Protein in vegetables and grains – Spinach is 50% protein, more than salmon!
- Ask a Plant-Powered Doc – Have questions about plant-based diets and health? Ask Aurora and Joaquin, who are both plant-based physicians. They work in primary care and have helped many of their patients switch to a plant-based diet. With this change they have witnessed great improvements in their patients with diabetes, cholesterol, hypertension and pain, among many other health issues. Earth Holder members may e-mail them at ppeh.doc@gmail.com.
Compassion and Environment
What we eat has a big impact on our planet. Learn more and take action:
- Diet impact calculator – How many animals and Earth resources can you save by eating plants for a day, a week, or more?
- You can also save money and eat economically with a plant based diet.
Invite your sangha to take action too:
REPORT: How to Encourage Local Governments to address Plant-Based Diets in Climate Planning.
MEAT OF THE MATTER: A Municipal Guide to Climate-Friendly Food Purchasing, by Friends of the Earth and the Responsible Purchasing Network. The report outlines the issues and a process for addressing climate impacts in the climate planning process. It notes that, although significant actions are being taken to address climate change, one critically important sector that accounts for about one fourth of global greenhouse gas emissions is not being addressed: food. A wealth of scientific research underscores the urgency of substantially reducing meat and dairy consumption, which accounts for more than half of all food-related GHG emissions. It is clear that the world cannot meet global greenhouse gas reduction targets without curbing consumption of animal products.
Thich Nhat Hanh’s Call for Compassionate Eating
In his famous 2007 Blue Cliff Letter, Thay wrote:
Lay communities should be courageous and give rise to the commitment to be vegetarian, at least 15 days each month. If we can do that, we will feel a sense of well-being. We will have peace, joy, and happiness right from the moment we make this vow and commitment. We only need to be vegetarian, and we can already save the earth. Being vegetarian here also means that we do not consume dairy and egg products, because they are products of the meat industry. If we stop consuming, they will stop producing. Only collective awakening can create enough determination for action.As a spiritual family and a human family, we can all help avert climate change with the practice of mindful eating. Going vegetarian may be the most effective way to stop climate change.Being vegetarian is already enough to save the world.
