Have you ever thought about the oil you pour in your pan before you add the vegetables? What about the amount of oil you add to make your favorite salad dressing, or marinara sauce? We are so engrained to use oil liberally in all types of cooking and in cuisines, but we never really think about its nutritional make up.

Essentially, oil is the pure fat of a plant. No carbohydrates or proteins, it is the pure fat squeezed from the plant, leaving all the fiber, most minerals and health promoting phytochemicals behind. Additionally, when we think about the caloric breakdown of our macronutrients :

PROTEIN: 4 cal/gram

CARBOHYDRATES: 4 cal/gram

FAT: 9 cal/gram

it’s easy to see how adding this pure fat into the diet can very quickly add to weight gain. Not only that, oil is a hit to our endothelial cells that are responsible for making nitric oxide that helps our blood vessels expand and contract for smooth blood flow. Tightening those highways can easily lead to high blood pressure, and heart disease. (article)

A plant-based diet is not fat phobic! Boy oh boy! I can promise that it’s not! Fat is clearly a macronutrients we need and getting from plants in their full package is ideal. Nuts, seeds, avocados, olives, are all great sources of plants that have higher rations of fat and I say, bring it on! My point here is to begin thinking about oil and what health benefits that has for you. Clearly it is the most calorically dense food with little return on investment, it offers over twice the calories of its other two macros and in this day of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and stroke all at a history high, even in our children, let’s think about where we are getting our calories and how they are serving us.

Here’s your challenge—> Toss the oil for 30 days. Don’t use it in your sauteing, baking or cooking. Look at your packaged goods and put away (toss??) the ones that have oil in them - they only add to empty calories.

Weigh/measure yourself on day 1 and as many times as you’d like in between day 30. Takes notes on your progress and how you are feeling. By making this one change, I bet you will feel a difference, especially if you are regularly using it.

WHAT KIND OF OIL? ALL OF IT.

• Canola

• Olive

• Sesame

• Vegetable

• Corn

• Avocado

• Peanut

Just give it a try for one month.

So, how the heck do you saute without any oil? Here’s an explanation and a quick lesson of what we call a dry saute:

One last thing about oil. Remember, you are using it to coat the pan. It is becoming a buffer between your pan and the food. Similarly it is also a buffer between your taste buds and your food. You think you are really tasting your food, but really, it’s muted by the layer of oil coating the food.

Interestingly, I was teaching a plant-based Italian cooking class years ago and a young couple (he was from Italy) attended. This was a hands on class and as they were looking for oil to add to the pan to ready their saute, I told them we don’t use oil and taught them how to dry saute. He thought I was nuts. After class we all sat around a large table and everyone talked about their recipes and we all shared in on the meal. When it was Mr. Italy’s turn he said it was one the best meals he ever had as he could actually TASTE the food! I promise you we never talked about that beforehand and I had several other students to attend to, so we never really got deep into this oil thing, and, truth be told, I thought I would have fought a losing battle with him being from Italy, so I let it go. I’m so happy I was wrong.

MORE INFORMATION:: For information on how adding oil to your diet can have damaging health benefits: (video) Why some studies say oil is beneficial

(article) Dr. Esselstyn, "Is Oil Healthy?"

(article) Dr. Esselstyn, "A Way to Prevent CAD"

All of Dr. Esselstyn's articles

🥦 Do you know about our STREAMING PLUS membership? 

Our membership is built like a streaming service - you get a full library of plant-based cooking classes to watch whenever you want. PLUS, you gain access to upcoming interactive virtual cooking classes and a monthly accountability group call.

As a member you get:

• Complete library of all past virtual classes - stream them whenever you’d like!

• Free access to upcoming virtual classes

• Library of easy and quick recipes: 100 and growing

• Access to private Facebook group

• Monthly accountability check-in and support group Zoom call with Caryn

• Quarterly “Ask the Doc” call with Dr. Jim Loomis, our Medical Director

• 20% off all virtual multi-week programming

• A community of support

To learn more, please visit us here.

If you are facing a holiday gathering with anticipation, I hope you’ll take a moment and read this quick article Chew in the Lou graciously did with me on how to not only survive, but thrive through your event.

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1.   If you could only bring one dish/item to Thanksgiving dinner, what would it be? 

My kale tahini salad. I have been making this thing for years and I specifically make it for the kale haters (of which I used to be)! I'd prep it all, but then make it in front of people so they knew how to correctly prepare kale. I win people over all the time with this one.  I'd add some of my smokey coconut "bacon" & walnuts too for texture. 

2.  What does a plant-based Thanksgiving look like?  

Just a lot of sides and severely lacking in protein. HAHAHAHA! Noooo! I'm Kidding!!  It's colorful and beautiful and you want to eat all of it. If we eat with our eyes first and we gravitate toward color, you'll want to dive right in! No bunny food for me - I like big bold flavors, I love comfort food and I will not put up with a lot of stupid processed vegan food crap.

 3.  What advice would you pass along to others hosting avegan or vegetarian for Thanksgiving? 

Unless all others around your table also eat like the host, I'd say this is not the time to experiment with your latest crazy concoction. Bring your tried and true [recipes] to the table and make sure everyone can recognize the ingredients on your dish. Shoot, even the most hard-core carnivore can identify corn, tomatoes, potatoes, beans, rice, etc. K.I.S.S. 

 4.What does Thanksgiving mean to you?  

Don't we all love gathering around the table together and sharing a meal? Isn't that why so many of us all go out to eat with family and friends as often as we are able? When we go out to eat, we order different items, but we are all sitting around the table together - this is how Thanksgiving is to me, we are all cozied up in someone's home, gathered around a big table eating, perhaps different things, but enjoying [being] together. 

5. What are must-haves or unique dishes that you have on your Thanksgiving table?

Not uncommon, I grew up with green bean casserole on the table and I salivate just thinking about it. It's on the table every year!

I'm also a huge sucker for stuffing and I just play around with it until it's right. This year I'm adding a "sausage" that my husband loves. Give me a crock of that and call it a night! This year I have created my own turkey loaf with mushroom gravy, which I don't expect others to try, but it's out there if we have any takers. 

“The holidays are tricky for all the obvious reasons, but when someone is changing their diet for ANY reason, it can really cause a lot of anxieties, for everyone,” added Dugan. “Shoot, I'm 13 years into this plant-based diet and I still feel it sometimes! The key is to talk with the host and ask what to bring to the table. Bring enough for you and more to share, you just never know who may take a bite and be pleasantly surprised!“

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Caryn Dugan just celebrated her ten year anniversary as STL Veg Girl.  She started her journey on a plant-based diet after a diagnosis with cancer and losing her father to cancer as well.  Her initial mission was to understand the plant-based world. This mission then evolved to sharing what she had learned with others. In the span of the last ten years, she has collaborated with local restaurants to provide plant-based options, developed online classes to teach others about plant-based living, and teaches at local cooking schools in St. Louis like Dierbergs, and Kitchen Conservatory.  Her training and dedication to plant-based living led to her opening the nation’s first center for plant-based and nutrient education with the hope to create a community for individuals seeking support during their transition to a plant-based diet.   They celebrated their two year anniversary in 2021. 

The plant-based diet, or simply the desire to add more plants to our plates is here to stay. There is so much evidence supporting the health benefits of this way of eating, not to mention, every time you turn around someone else has reversed their type II diabetes, lowered their cholesterol, stopped taking many of the meds they've been on for years, etc.

We all have to start somewhere (good heavens there is a lot of information out there now!) and we must all go through our "firsts". This means our first holiday! Take a breath. You've got this.

You may be in one of two camps:

1. You are the plant-based person, full of anxiety and unsure what will unfold around the Thanksgiving table and the entire holiday season, for that matter.

2. You have a plant-based person coming to dinner and what the heck will you feed them?!

There is anxiety in both camps, but one thing we have in common is that we all want to make the other feel welcomed and not shine a spotlight on any new differences.

1. If you are the plant-based newbie, listen up, the responsibility is mostly on you to take charge and calm the room. It's simple. Call the host, let them know you're trying something new, and you'd like to stick to it even during the holidays. That said, ask what you can bring to the dinner or party. A common reply is, "whatever you feel comfortable eating". My #1 suggestion is to bring something simple, and full of ingredients others can identify. Shoot, even the most carnivorous person at the table can pick out corn, beans and tomatoes. Make this simple for you and for them. Bring enough for you to eat as a meal and enough to share with your fellow guests. At the table, feed yourself and leave the rest on the table for others to try, don't be pushy. This will be a great opportunity for you to introduce a delicious and simple recipe.

2. If you are the host and and, Yikes!, you have a vegan at the table! Take a beat, you'll be ok. Because this plant-based stuff is so, do I dare say, popular, now, there are plenty of resources and recipes out there. But, I get it, if it's not your thing, and you're busy enough planning and prepping a gathering, the last thing you want is to research someone else's diet choices. Similar to before, this more so lies on the plant-based person to find inclusion, so please give them a ring. Going out on a limb and offering to make a dish would be quite generous, but also asking them to bring something to share with everyone is very appropriate. Let them know you are looking forward to seeing them and trying "their food".

This year's suggestion for both the plant-based newbie and any host with a vegan at the table is this Three Sister's Stew. Everyone around the table will love it. These Cornbread Muffins with Fruit and Nuts are SO EASY to make and will go great with the stew!

Once you are around the table and people start asking questions about your plant-based diet, anxiety may begin to rise again. Many times people who decide to give this a go feel they need to be a full-fledged plant-based scholar to field all the questions that arise. Here are some easy answers to the most common questions:

What about protein?

Because a well-rounded, whole food, plant-based diet includes all the macronutrients we need everyday to live and thrive, protein is not an issue. Everything that comes up out of the ground (plants!) have varying ratios of carbohydrates, fats and proteins. Even iceberg lettuce will have a little bit of protein, for instance! For foods with higher protein values, try tempeh, beans, lentils, quinoa, and almonds.

And, calcium? Where will you get that if not from dairy?

Calcium is a mineral found in the ground and this is where cows get their calcium. If calcium comes from the earth, I'll eat the plants that get it from the dirt, not the animals who ingest it. Some of the foods with the highest concentration of calcium include, figs, dark leafy greens and soybeans!

Meat has so much iron, what will you do to get that in?

Great question! I find iron in lentils, chickpeas, beans, tofu, cashew nuts, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, kale, dried apricots and figs, raisins, quinoa.

Why are you doing this??

Now, your answer will vary on your motivation behind changing your diet, however, one really great response  that most can agree on is, "I like the way this makes me feel and I'm looking forward to the positive health outcomes I have been reading so much about." You might add, "I have notified my doctor and we'll be monitoring my progress together."

Here is a spot we did on Studio STL on this subject!

If someone wants a quick overview of a plant-based diet here are some resources:

Nutrition Studies

Forks Over Knives

The Game Changers (great for men and athletes!)

What the Health

Code Blue (focuses on MS)

Plantrician Project (resources for healthcare providers)

If you'd like to make a telehealth appointment with a plant-based practicing physician, please contact Jim Loomis, MD.

Want a cooking class? You'll love these!

🥦 If you need on-going support, this membership is something you might really enjoy!

Three Sisters Stew

Fruit and Nut Cornbread Muffins

Need a veg burger that does not get mushy, will not crumble apart and stands up to your grill? Follow the tips in this article and you’ll nail that plant-based burger every time!

READ ARTICLE.

HERE IS THE RECIPE. 🍔

I love this woman and so will you! Long time media personality, Jill Devine and I finally crossed paths in 2019 as I was opening the Center for Plant-based Living and now we can't stop getting in each other's business.

Her podcast, Two Kids and a Career, may seem like it wouldn't line up with my kid-free, kale driven business, but as we are emerging from COVID, I think you'll see a lot of parallels with similar gripes and also celebrations, in this chaotic world. Man, do we get into it!!

LISTEN

Last year we featured Caryn Dugan’s Big Bold Chili recipe, a vegan chili with two kinds of beans, good-for-you vegetables, tomatoes, herbs, mushrooms and bulgur as one of the comfort foods chefs loved in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. We went back to Dugan at the Center for Plant-Based Living in Kirkwood to see what kind of vegan or vegetarian soup she might have. Her twist on a hearty vegetable soup introduces the Asian flavors of ginger and miso in a soup that’s low in calories and high in nutrient density.

VISIT ARTICLE.

Anne-Marie Moreno, director and producer of Living St. Louis Featured how STL Veg Girl came about, how that morphed into the Center for Plant-based Living and how things are going in the middle of the COVID pandemic.

After a battle with cancer, Caryn Dugan set out to improve her health and change her diet, and became STL Veg Girl.

Our client and friend, Caryn Dugan, is one of the most optimistic and tenacious individuals we’ve ever met. Caryn is all about being the first to bring plant-based to a larger community. In 2008, she was motivated to start STL Veg Girl after losing her father to cancer and receiving her own cancer diagnosis shortly after. She has taught the first Forks Over Knives “Community” program to sold out audiences and created St. Louis’ first Plant-based Nutrition Summit, featuring world-renowned experts. But Caryn’s biggest first began a year ago when she created the nation’s first plant-based nutrition, culinary and lifestyle education center – The Center for Plant-Based Living (CPBL).

Here is the rest of this article.

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We thought it was only fitting to commemorate the first anniversary of the shop by holding a plant-based immersion! As I started STL Veg Girl back in 2011, I have kepy my mantra of “A Plant on Every Plate” - it’s a slow, tip-toe into this plant-based lifestyle, where I have offered the tools and education, you are the driver and go at your own pace. That’s my jam; I don’t force and I don’t argue about it. I simply do this to be the person I was looking for way back in 2008 when I lost my dad to cancer and then I, too, was diagnosed with the disease.

I opened the Center for Plant-based Living in August of 2019, on the anniversary of my dad’s passing. On August 15 we are getting back to the root of things and offering a single day PLANT-BASED 101 IMMERSION and you have a say in the matter. Because there is so much information out there, we want to present the topics that you are most curious about. Typically, I find those to be:

• weight loss

• type 2 diabetes

• gut health / immune enhancement

However, Jim and I want to hear from you, please do so by July 3. We will decide then on our agenda.

The immersion will be a several hour, live streaming and interactive webinar. Purchase of the recording will be available after. Price of webinar and recording is coming soon. You can email me here to let me know what you’d like presented.

Thanks so much and I hope you’ll join us on August 15!

-caryn

We are about 3 weeks into this COVID-19 quarantine and watching all my fellow small business owners stop, pivot and KEEP GOING during this time has really be something! Restaurant owners are making their own deliveries, boutiques are creating incredible on-line presences, farms have started delivering to individual households, and learning has gone all digital! This last one is our niche and for this analog girl, learning how to digitize on a dime has been.. interesting.

Even before we opened the brick+mortar location, I knew we’d have to digitize to scale the operation, but I certainly did not think it would be 7 months into it.

This is a tough time for nearly everyone, we must be even MORE creative to keep our businesses afloat and we must also display compassion and continue to give back to our communities. I really miss our Give Back Sessions we started - it was a monthly event where a local celeb, chef or someone really cool would come in and present and the proceeds went to the charity of their choosing.

My response to all of this madness is to take a deep dive into the digital world and offer FREE COOKING classes 2X a week. Over a glass of wine one night this idea presented itself. On glass #2, it scaled. The cooking classes evolved into the Plant-based Quarantine Cooking Show - a live “show” streamed on Facebook Live and Zoom at 2:00pm CDT on Sundays and Wednesdays. All recipes are 7 ingredients or less and each show is 30 (ish) minutes long. I pack each episode with tips/tricks and ways you can sub out ingredients if you don’t quite have everything on hand.

The show has started to get some traction: people are cooking along with me, there’s been a bit of press here and here and I’ve also collaborated with Frida’s to offer Ingredient Kits locally if someone doesn’t want the trouble of going to the grocery store - which is a huge PITA now.

You’ll find the #PBQcookingshow on social media and after this quarantine lifts, the “q” will have a new meaning and this little show will take a growth spurt. I’m excited to work hard on this.

I go to the shop once a week to water the plants and get the mail. The calendar is usually full of classes, events and announcements. I’m actually amazed at how busy this modified schedule is keeping me.

At it again! The Center for Plant-based Living collaborates with Frida’s who is offering Plant-based Quarantine Cooking Show Ingredient Kits.

The Ingredient Kit for the Chickpea Salad Sammie Show

Rick and Natasha vooked along at home during the show. Love it!!

Wall of fame. xo

Please excuse the messy hair and the red eyes. It’s been a helluva day.

All of us small (and large) businesses are hurting from this, but with the amount of immune compromised people who come into my shop to learn how to help themselves, I cannot take the risk of them becoming infected. Our 80% alcohol cleaning solution and new serving guidelines can only do so much. Fear of this virus has no business in my business.

We’ll see you on the other side of that bell curve.

Please be well.

caryn

“People want to know the why,” explains Dugan. “Unless you know why you’re doing something, there’s not a big motivator. … Come in and learn. That’s why I offer the programs.”

That about sums it up! Thank you to Emily Wasserman for writing such poetic words about our shop and thank you to Judd Demaline for capturing us so beautifully. And- of course to a long time friend and publisher, Cat Neville for the kind and inspiring words in your Letter from the Publisher. xo

We hope you enjoy the read.

UPDATE:

We DID sell out and in fact, had a standing room only! Thank you to Robby and Cyrus for flying in from Los Angeles and Costa Rica. The proceeds from this event will go to The Plantrician Project!

Love you guys!!! xoxoox!!

___

Every month we will invite a local celeb, chef or just really cool person in to share their plant-based recipes, cook up a little something or just chat with us on how they like to add more plants to their plates. We also invite them to share with us what they are up to in their personal / professional lives.

When you register to join us, all the proceeds from the Give Back Sessions goes directly to the charity of the guest host’s choosing.

Give Back Sessions February Guests are the MASTERS behind Mastering Diabetes:

Dr. Cyrus Khambatta and Robby Barbaro!

During our Mastering Diabetes event you will:

• Understand ALL types of diabetes, the causes of each, and how to manage it with foods.

• Understand how to increase insulin sensitivity.

• Take full control of your diabetes health.

• Taste a sample of a recipe from Cyrus and Robby’s book, Mastering Diabetes.

Cyrus Khambatta, PhD and Robby Barbaro, MPH, are the team behind Mastering Diabetes, an online coaching platform for people living with all forms of diabetes that focuses on low-fat plant-based whole-food nutrition. Khambatta has a degree in mechanical engineering from Stanford University as well as a PhD in nutritional biochemistry from UC Berkeley and has been living with type 1 diabetes since 2002. He is the co-author of many peer-reviewed scientific publications. Barbaro has a master's degree in public health from American Public University, spent six years helping build Forks Over Knives, and has been living with type 1 diabetes since 2000. They are experts in the science of insulin resistance and co-authors of the book Mastering Diabetes.

We anticipate a quick sell out of this program.

Mastering Diabetes and STLVegGirl on Fox

ST. LOUIS - Mastering Diabetes is an online coaching platform for people living with all forms of diabetes that focuses on low-fat plant-based whole-food nutrition.

Caryn Dugan owner of Center for Plant-based Living along with Dr. Cyrus Khambatta and Robby Barbaro joined Fox 2 to discuss the Center for Plant-based Living "Give Back Sessions".

Watch the TV segment here.

Robby Barbaro, Caryn Dugan and Cyrus Khambatta at Fox 2 Studios in St. Louis

Cyrus and Robby explaining the green/yellow/red light foods in their book, Mastering Diabetes.