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In the US, the holidays begin before Halloween and lasts for the next couple of months!  Although it can be really fun to celebrate with friends and family, sometimes all the indulgence can be a bit much!  Join me for a 1-month LouZone course to get 2018 off to a great start!

The Blue Zones are 5 distinct areas in the world (Nicoya peninsula, Costa Rica, Loma Linda, CA, Icaria, Greece, Sardinia, Italy, Okinawa, Japan) 
Where people live 8-10 years longer than people in the surrounding areas
There are 10 times more centenarians
People live with almost no chronic/degenerative diseases in to old age

In the “Lou Zone”:
 *We will meet 4 times for a weekly "lectures" and discussion (dinner included) and have access to closed FB community group where we can share recipes/tips/experiences/information
*I will provide all the recipes and ideas for a Whole Foods Plant Based Diet (WFPB)  These dishes will be simple, healthy, delicious and not involve hours of prepping and cooking! 
*We will all make sure we move/exercise/walk/hike/work out every day for a month
*We will have FUN doing it with a group of great men and women and get to taste lots of new, healthy, and yummy foods (might be nice after all the candy/ham/turkey/pie)
*make time for de-compressing each day


Location: My kitchen at 17960 Mountain Charlie Road in Los Gatos
Date: January 9, 16, 30, and February 6th
Time: 6:30-8ish
Early Bird Fee (before Christmas): $200 (including dinner) or 2 people for $350(if you bring a first time guest)
Max 15 people

No refunds or rollovers to other classes

Join me on May 16th at 6:30 pm to hear Lena Birch speak about how a WFPB diet changed her life.Lena  lives in Pacifica and is 75 years young.  She is a retired nurse Practitioner and midwife.  She also continues to practice as a licensed massage therapist.  Lena is very active with hiking, walking, gardening, spending time with her grand children, and loves doing yoga and chi gong. 
Lena began her plant-based journey 8 years ago after having a blood-test showing that her cholesterol was 315.  Within 8 weeks of beginning a strict Whole Foods Plant Based Diet, her cholesterol dropped to 198.  She was HOOKED.
I am so lucky and excited to have Lena as a guest-speaker to tell her story and answer any questions you may have in regards to WFBP diets.  We will enjoy a great dinner together after the lecture as usual!

Location: My kitchen at 17960 Mountain Charlie Road
Date: May 16th
Time: 6:30 pm - 8ish
Fee: $35 for 1, $60 for 2 if your friend is new to the LouZone (includes dinner)
MAX 15 participants

*no refunds or roll-overs to other events

Location: My kitchen at 17960 Mountain Charlie Road in Los Gatos
Date: March 21st
Time: 6:30-8ish
Fee: $35/person or $60 for you and a interested guest or $80 for you and two guests
Sign up below:

*no refunds or rollovers 

We are full for this session!  Check back for information on another class in the spring!


Not familiar with the Blue Zones yet?

The Blue Zones are 5 distinct areas in the world (Nicoya peninsula, Costa Rica, Loma Linda, CA, Icaria, Greece, Sardinia, Italy, Okinawa, Japan) where people live 8-10 years longer than people in the surrounding areas
There are 10 times more centenarians
People live with almost no chronic/degenerative diseases in to old age

What do they have in common?

A mostly vegetarian diet with no processed foods
They MOVE their bodies A LOT
Value their community and family, and make time for them.
(notice I said nothing about wine and coffee, that is very much enjoyed by some of the people in the BZ, thank goodness) 

Although it sounds really nice to travel to these places, it might not be feasible for all of us, so I would like to create a BLUE ZONE, right here:
The bLOU ZONE. 

*We will meet 4 times for a weekly lectures and discussion (dinner included) and have access to closed FB community group where we can share recipes/tips/experiences/information
*I will provide all the recipes and ideas for a Whole Foods Plant Based Diet (WFPB)
*We will all make sure we move/exercise/walk/hike/work out every day for a month
*We will have FUN doing it together and get to taste lots of new, healthy, and yummy foods (might be nice after all the ham/turkey/pie)

 After my " Busting the Protein Myth" event last week, I found this interesting article by Joel Kahn, M.D. America’s Heart Attack Prevention Doc and author of The Whole Heart Solution. Professor of Cardiology. Owner of a plant based bistro in Detroit.

​It is the one year anniversary of the announcement by the International Agency for Research on cancer(IARC), an agency of the World Health Organization known for expertise in analyzing scientific data for health risks, that meat acts as a carcinogen (http://www.iarc.fr/en/media-centre/pr/2015/pdfs/pr240_E.pdf). The analysis placed processed red meat at a risk similar to the notorious pesticide RoundUp at best and comparable to diesel fumes and tobacco at worst. These were very strong words that shocked many and made headlines worldwide (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/10/26/hot-dogs-bacon-and-other-processed-meats-cause-cancer-world-health-organization-declares/). In case you missed it, the IARC, comprised of 22 scientists from 10 countries, reviewed over 800 studies and found that:
1. Processed meats like bacon, ham, salami, sausage and beef jerky are class I carcinogens, they highest risk assigned and cause cancer with sufficient data to make a firm conclusion. The relationship was strongest with colorectal cancer (CRC) and stomach cancer.
2. The risk increases incrementally with the amount of these meats that are eaten. Each 50-gram portion of processed meat eaten daily increases the risk of colorectal cancer by 18 percent.
3. Fresh red meats like steak and roasts, but including pork and lamb, were considered as probable causes of cancer to humans (Class 2a) with links to colorectal, pancreatic and prostate cancer.
The report of the IARC followed similar prior reports like that of the World Cancer Research Fund (http://wcrf-uk.org/uk/preventing-cancer/ways-reduce-cancer-risk/red-and-processed-meat-and-cancer-prevention) that drew similar conclusions.
Now new research has applied this announcement to indicate how the recommendations of the IARC along with other lifestyle measures can reduce the risk of CRC (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27752849). Six dietary and lifestyle recommendations (body weight, physical activity, energy density, plant foods, red and processed meat, and alcohol) were examined in terms of their association with CRC incidence over 7.6 years of follow-up in 66,920 adults aged 50-76 years at baseline (2000-2002) with no history of CRC.
The analysis indicated that participants meeting 1-3 recommendations enjoyed a 34-45 % lower CRC incidence, and those meeting 4-6 of the targets experienced a 58 % lower incidence of CRC. The lowest CRC risk for women related to body fatness and red and processed meat and for men it was avoiding alcohol intake and red and processed meat.
The tragic nature of CRC in the US is enormous. In 2014 about 140,000 were diagnosed in the US with CRC and nearly 50,000 died of this disease (http://www.cancer.org/research/cancerfactsstatistics/colorectal-cancer-facts-figures). African American men and women experience the highest rates of CRC, as much as 50% higher than whites. 
Similar to the current debate about the crucial role of substituting animal saturated fats with healthy options other than processed foods rich in sugar (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joel-kahn-md/saturated-fat-remains-the_b_12094842.html), a strategy of replacing a breakfast of sausage and bacon with a plant based bean burrito or a lentil patty would be anticipated to produce a dramatic reduction in the risk of CRC (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26077375). On the 1 year anniversary of the IARC, choose plants over animal products. At least one major hospital system has announced a total ban on processed red meats to be implemented in 2017. Others must follow suit.

Happy Holidays!
The holidays can be a super fun time of year when we get together and celebrate with friends and family!  Off course, there is nothing wrong with indulging every once in a while, but if we are eating and drinking like it’s Thanksgiving several times a week…… that’s probably not going to serve us so well :-)  Especially  in the US, where the holidays tend to start on Halloween and last until January, it can lead to some seriously BAD habits, poor health, and weigh-gain!

On November 15th I am going to talk about how our brains establish HABITS, and how we can “break” or replace habits that don’t serve us well. We will learn about why willpower alone is not enough if you want to lose weight, stop drinking soda, starting an exercise routine, or spend less time on the internet.

For dinner, we will all prepare and share some delicious plant-based side-side dishes and Hor d’Oeuvres that you can serve at home, or bring to a holiday party if you want to make sure there is something healthy you can have so you won’t eat too many cookies or pie. 

Location: My kitchen at 17960 Mountain Charlie Road in Los Gatos
Date: November 15th, 2016
Time: 6:30-8ish
Fee: $35 (including dinner) or 2 people for $60 (if you bring a first time guest)
Sign up: http://www.loukobin.com/nutrition-and-classes


My last 2 events filled up so please make sure you register soon to secure a spot (15 people max)

*No refunds or roll-overs to other events

The holidays are upon us!!!! If you missed "Busting the Protein Myth", there is still one more event coming up in 2016. On November 15th we will learn about the POWER OF HABITS and how to create HEALTHY habits in place of habits that don't serve our wellbeing.  Habits, good or bad, can be very powerful, and having the understanding of why we do things that are detrimental to our health, can help us figure out how to break undesirable patterns. 

In this class we will also make and enjoy a few healthy and delicious side dishes that you can bring to holiday parties so you are not stuck eating things you know are not good for you!

Hi there!!

I hope you can join me on October 18th to learn how to prepare a plant-protein packed dinner perfect for fall!

If you are looking for a gourmet cooking class or love spending hours preparing dinner every evening, then this class is probably not for you.  If you are interested in eating to optimize your health, learning about nutrition, and like delicious food, but you have a busy schedule, THIS CLASS IS FOR YOU!

I am sure you have all heard about low-carb diets, ketogenic diets, the Atkins diet and the Southbeach diet.  People do seem to lose weight (at least initially or temporarily) while on these diets, but what impact does eating so much fat and animal protein have on your body? 

Is animal protein really superior to plant-protein?

How much protein do we need?

Is it harmful to eat too much protein?

These questions in addition to myths and facts pertaining to PROTEIN will be discussed as we prepare and enjoy a healthy dinner together!

Please join me for a fun evening of learning about PROTEIN and enjoying a simple plant-based dinner after the lecture/demo!  I will show you how to pack some plant based protein in to a meal that can be cooking while you are working or playing!  Sign up now as this class is limited to 15 participants.

CLASS IS SOLD OUT: Please check back for class coming up in November!!