by Lani Muelrath | Aug 19, 2011 | All Posts, All Setup, Plant-Based Nutrition
If you have been hovering anywhere near the plant-based diet and plant-based nutrition world, then the name Esselstyn is no news to you. And if you’re looking for one perfect primer to switching up to a whole foods plant-strong diet, then Rip Esselstyn’s...
by Lani Muelrath | Aug 6, 2011 | All Posts, All Setup, Plant-Based Nutrition, Video
This short rap was just too adorable for me not to share with you right away. Calcium, protein, zinc, vitmin B12 -it’s all in there. Thanks to Jonathan Mann and Ivory King for this charming little song that’s got a powerful message debunking vegan myths...
by Lani Muelrath | Aug 3, 2011 | All Posts, All Setup, Plant-Based Nutrition
I promised in Part 1 of the “Plant-based Nutrition Certification via Cornell University” report to address the juiciest question of them all: Q. “Lani, what was the single biggest thing you learned from the Plant-based Nutrition course? Honestly?...
by Lani Muelrath | Aug 2, 2011 | All Posts, All Setup, Plant-Based Nutrition
Do you need to supplement vitamin b12 on a plant-based diet that includes no animal products? The short answer? Yes. But does that make a diet without animal products somehow flawed? Not when you understand where the b12 comes from. Where does vitamin b12 come from,...
by Lani Muelrath | Jul 19, 2011 | All Posts, All Setup, Plant-Based Nutrition, Recipes, Video
Should you drink smoothies when trying to lose weight? Go to To smoothie or not to smoothie? The skinny on blending your fruits and greens for more food for thought. As if on cue from my “greens, go in and get moving” expose, this charming and deelish...
by Lani Muelrath | Jul 13, 2011 | All Posts, All Setup, Plant-Based Nutrition
Holy happenin’ HBO! Two of my favorites are going to be in the same place at the same time. And we get to be there, too. This Friday, July 15th, the hot point humorist Bill Maher of HBO’s Real Time With Bill Maher will have the distinct honor of hosting T....
by Lani Muelrath | Jun 10, 2011 | Plant-Based Nutrition, Recipes, Travel
Do you find yourself using ‘travel’ as an excuse to check out of eating healthy food? Does getting out of town mean usually getting out of sync with your health and body-shaping dreams? If so, then I’ve got news for you. It is perfectly possible to...
by Lani Muelrath | Jun 6, 2011 | Plant-Based Nutrition
Fellow foodies… From the minute I announced the fact that I was closing in on completing the course requirements for Certification in Plant-Based Nutrition via Cornell University, my email box and facebook messaging have been sizzling with questions about the...
by Lani Muelrath | May 25, 2011 | All Posts, Plant-Based Nutrition
When Sabrina Nelson was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease called “relapsing polychondritis”, things only got worse for her by taking powerful steroids and other drugs. Then one day she read Dr. John McDougall’s work. She learned the...
by Lani Muelrath | May 24, 2011 | Plant-Based Nutrition
This just in from Karen, who has graciously agreed to let me publish her message to me along with my reply. I always admire women who just put it out there and this shot you straight to the top of my most admired list, Karen! [fancy_box] Sweet! You’re back....
by Lani Muelrath | May 18, 2011 | Plant-Based Nutrition
That’s right. My new best friend weighs over 200 lbs. And I’m feeding her all the time. Actually, that’s only 10.5 lbs higher than my highest weight. Just thought of that. Anyhoo! Let me know if you need a new refrigerator coach, cuz I’ve got...
by Lani Muelrath | May 12, 2011 | Move Your Body, Plant-Based Nutrition, Weight Loss
I wish you could have seen Brandi’s face when she stood up in fromt of the crowd of hundreds, cradled the microphone, and sang her heart out with a gentle, lilting voice that brought tears to everyone’s eyes. You see, Brandi had walked in the door of the...
by Lani Muelrath | May 8, 2011 | All Posts, Plant-Based Nutrition
Leave it to the innovative, tenacious, and visionary Dr. John McDougall of the Santa Rosa, California McDougall Health and Medical Center to get this groundbreaking piece of legislation moving up the legal ladder. SB 380 just passed by California Senate Committee,...
by Lani Muelrath | May 4, 2011 | All Posts, Plant-Based Nutrition
You hear the reports on increasing incidences of disease – and death by disease – and it can’t help but register fear in our hearts. Yet you, my dear, smart reader, already know that you can make a big difference in your health simply by what you put...
by Lani Muelrath | Mar 1, 2011 | All Posts, Plant-Based Nutrition, Weight Loss
Sugar. Chocolate. Meat and cheese. We KNOW these edibles can be fattening and loaded with calories. And when some of them are mixed together, they can be deadly to healthy diets. Yet somehow in the face of stress, we are driven – against our better judgement...
by Lani Muelrath | Feb 13, 2011 | Plant-Based Nutrition, Transformations
Sure, we all want to look good. Yet when you’ve experienced debilitating, life-changing pain that hijacks your attention, finding relief from that pain becomes paramount. This is what happened to Phyllis. At the relatively young age of 46, she was becoming...
by Lani Muelrath | Jan 14, 2011 | All Posts, Plant-Based Nutrition, Weight Loss
Why do most weight loss diets fail? I’m betting you already have an answer right at the tip of your tongue. As a matter of fact, if you happen to have a long and colorful diet history as I do, then I’m certain of it. Let me guess. Your answer to the...
by Lani Muelrath | Jan 5, 2011 | All Posts, Plant-Based Nutrition
Look, let’s face it. We’ve been marketed a bill of goods with the Diary Council’s milk and dairy campaigns. Remember these? “Milk – it does a body good” celebrity white-mustache campaign (still alive and kicking?) the...
by Lani Muelrath | Dec 7, 2010 | Plant-Based Nutrition, Video
Are you consumed by carbophobia and afraid that bread is fattening? Do you love sandwiches but feel you have to swear them off so that you can lose weight? Relax! I have for you: 2 examples of excellent quality bread that support your body-shaping goals plus...
by Lani Muelrath | Nov 29, 2010 | Plant-Based Nutrition, Recipes
Note: this call has now been completed. But you can still get the book! Watch my video review below Join Me On This Very Special Teleclass Event With Award Winning Author And Chef Colleen Patrick-Goudreau: ‘Color Me Vegan’: An Inside Look Colleen is...
by Lani Muelrath | Nov 23, 2010 | Plant-Based Nutrition, Recipes, Video
Finding it tough to get your veggies in? You know it’s at the top of the list of tips for staying trim and energetic, right? Talk about tricks for switching off your fat genes! Though you know it’s important to keep you vegetable count high, many people...
by Lani Muelrath | Nov 17, 2010 | Plant-Based Nutrition, Weight Loss
[fb-like] Rip Esselstyn takes the Engine 2 Diet plant strong diet 28-day challenge to this small dairy town in Pennsylvania. Check out the report from a local TV station. 100 = number of participants 9 lbs = average weight loss 15% = average drop in LDL...
by Lani Muelrath | Nov 13, 2010 | All Posts, Plant-Based Nutrition
It’s no secret that smack dab at the heart of my stay-trim-and-energized strategy is to pile the veggies on my plant-strong plate. I am always flabbergasted when a woman tells me that she struggles with getting in 2 or 3 servings of plant foods a day. I am...
by Lani Muelrath | Nov 4, 2010 | Plant-Based Nutrition
In my fitness coaching programs, sooner or later the conversation always gets around to breakfast. What is it, when is it, how important is it? As a matter of fact, because of the value of breakfast, aka a ‘gusto brekkie’, I always either structure it...
by Lani Muelrath | Oct 9, 2010 | Plant-Based Nutrition, Travel
My favorite videographer captured September’s outdoor extravaganza in Yosemite Valley. Greg has it all in there: climbing the cables, Yoda at the top, in the meadow at Yosemite Valley, moonrise from Glacier Point. Don’t worry, the bungee jumper...
by Lani Muelrath | Oct 5, 2010 | All Posts, Plant-Based Nutrition
Small plate trick? Fuhgiddaboudit. I need a BIG plate when it comes to staying slim. The headline you just read is not an error. I mean big plate, big time ;-). I never took to the “small plate” trick. I’d just go back for seconds. Sound counter intuitive? I can...
by Lani Muelrath | Sep 28, 2010 | Plant-Based Nutrition, Travel
True to my promise to report in on how I fueled the heady and grueling ascent to the top of Half Dome n Yosemite last week (see How A Busy Woman Trains To Climb Yosemite’s Half Dome) I’m here to report that we did the whole darn thing on our usual, easy...
by Lani Muelrath | Sep 24, 2010 | All Posts, Plant-Based Nutrition
Long the victims of intense marketing campaigns by the Four Food Lobbies, we’ve been sold a gallon of milk and a bill of goods by the dairy industry one time to many. Warning! This revealing presentation by Dr. John McDougall, M.D., will tilt the milk cart on...
by Lani Muelrath | Sep 14, 2010 | All Posts, Plant-Based Nutrition
What do you get when you pile a whole tangle of world class nutrition experts, researchers, and physicians on one big platter, like a big heap o’ brown rice? Lively debate (they don’t agree on everything). Spirited discussion (everyone kept their sense of...
by Lani Muelrath | Sep 12, 2010 | Plant-Based Nutrition
Another AMAZING day here at the Advanced Study Weekend in Santa Rosa. Since yesterday’s check in, I already have about 5 more stories to tell. And it’s so late I really should just turn out the light and catch some zzzs but there’s such a full agenda...
by Lani Muelrath | Apr 17, 2010 | All Posts, Plant-Based Nutrition, Travel
My friend Hope had to dash home to the States for awhile and asked if we might like to stay at her home in San Miguel de Allende, high in the Mexico dessert, for a bit. Uh, yeah. So here we are. The house is beautiful, brilliantly decorated, and very private. And as...
by Lani Muelrath | Feb 27, 2010 | All Posts, Plant-Based Nutrition, Recipes, Weight Loss
If you are one of those people who thinks that preparing veggies for a solid, yummers meal is too much trouble, then you haven’t seen this video. This Veggie Sandwich Wrap is not only easy (you can use canned beans!), versatile (mix and match the veggies you...
by Lani Muelrath | Feb 19, 2010 | All Posts, Plant-Based Nutrition
Yes, as you can imagine or may have discovered, eating “out” can be challenging when you want to eat healthy. It seems most restaurant menus are designed to thwart our body shaping and health goals! Fat, butter, cheese and meat are everywhere and packed...
by Lani Muelrath | Feb 15, 2010 | All Posts, Plant-Based Nutrition, Recipes
“Love your body” lasagna? To qualify as a true “love your body lasagna”, it would need to: be delicious be chock full of phyto – nutrition (that means color, plants, fiber, and all their friends) be low on fat In essence, it would have to...
by Lani Muelrath | Feb 7, 2010 | All Posts, Plant-Based Nutrition, Recipes
One of my last dietary high-fat holdouts was mayonnaise. I’d switched to Veganaise years ago, so at least had moved away from eggs in the recipe, but the fat content was no less than good ‘ol Best Foods. Once I’d made the decision to opt out of...
by Lani Muelrath | Feb 2, 2010 | Move Your Body, Plant-Based Nutrition, Weight Loss
Who can complain when you’re lucky enough to live 15 minutes from the XC ski terrain? Plus, it’s a perfect excuse for working up a winter appetite. Not a problem when there are plenty of filling yet trimming foods ready back at home. See What’s in...
by Lani Muelrath | Feb 1, 2010 | All Posts, Plant-Based Nutrition, Weight Loss
Beans, legumes, pulses….whatever you call them, cultivating the habit of beans in your daily diet is a must in your skinny tool kit. Why? Beans are: packed with protein crazy with quality carbohydrate finite in fat full of fiber very versatile downright...
by Lani Muelrath | Jan 28, 2010 | All Posts, Plant-Based Nutrition
“Is that bread in your cart?” “Uh, yeah.” And yes, I have been approached on more than one occasion in the market with this question. Multiple occasions, as a matter of fact. And different versions of the theme: what’s in my shopping...
by Lani Muelrath | Jan 17, 2010 | All Posts, Plant-Based Nutrition, Weight Loss
I can count the diet books I’d recommend on one hand. Or less. But there’s a new diet book out that has elbowed its way to the top 5. Rip Esselstyn’s Engine 2 Diet. The Engine 2 story Yes, Engine, as in fire engine. Rip Esselstyn is a fireman in...
by Lani Muelrath | Nov 15, 2009 | All Posts, Plant-Based Nutrition, Weight Loss
My friend Kathie hates veggies. Vegetables. Pretty much anything green. The less color, the better, seemingly. Iceberg lettuce, tomatoes are OK. But not on a sandwich. Heaven forbid. She’ll yank them out of a subway sammy so fast it will give you lunchtime...
by Lani Muelrath | Oct 10, 2009 | Plant-Based Nutrition, Recipes, Weight Loss
Right on the heels of the advice to eat low on the food chain if you want to get lower on your body fat stores as well, today’s lunch serves as a case in point as to how easy it is to eat satisfying meals. Meals that feed your body, your soul, and not your fat...
by Lani Muelrath | Aug 22, 2009 | All Posts, Plant-Based Nutrition, Recipes
I’ve been patchy in my green drink consumption. Distracted by all the fresh veggies and fruits of summer, my occasional glass of glop (OK, that’s what a green drink often ends up looking like!) had gone AWOL. In my own defense, my antique Vitamix threw its...
by Lani Muelrath | Mar 17, 2009 | All Posts, All Setup, Fasting
What’s this? My play by play through the day of a mini-fast a la Eat Stop Eat. That means 24 hours max, dinner-to-dinner, a couple of times a week for me. I’ve been in this habit for the past 6 months, and have had numerous requests about how a day like...
by Lani Muelrath | Feb 9, 2009 | All Posts, Plant-Based Nutrition
Is the protein pedestal on tilt? When it comes to protein as a necessary macronutrient for health, growth, and repair, protein is essential, right up there with carbohydrate and fat. But what about all the hoopla (propaganda?) about high amounts of protein being...
by Lani Muelrath | Dec 30, 2008 | All Posts, Fasting
It’s been about 4 months since integrating the principles of Intermittent Mini Fasts (IMF) into my fitness plan. With such a flood of inquiries regarding “how’s it going?” via emails, forum postings, and conversations, I thought it would be a...
by Lani Muelrath | Dec 26, 2008 | All Posts, All Setup, Fasting
I NEVER thought I’d say this, but….I have become a big fan of the intermittent mini fast! WHAAT, you say? Settle down! And I’ll tell you all about it. IMF is the NEW acronym I’ve invented for what I call intermittent mini fasts. Here’s how it...