VeggieFest Chicago 2010

Who: VN Publisher Joseph Connelly, VN Associate Publisher Colleen Holland, VN Trade Show Manager Lyndsay Orwig

What: Largest free vegetarian food festival in the US
Where: Naperville, Ill.
When: August 7–8, 2010
Why: Beware Boston. Move over Toronto. There's a new festival on the block.

The Scoop: A century after Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle immortalized the stockyards of Chicago, in an affluent suburb 30 miles to the west and in the shadow of McDonald’s Hamburger University, a small vegetarian festival began in 2005, attended by a few thousand believers. Science of Spirituality, a non-profit multi-faith organization that adheres to a vegetarian diet, started VeggieFest Chicago as a way of promoting its meat-free lifestyle to the community, one tenet of the international organization’s mission. Fast-forward five years. If you are unsure that the veg lifestyle has caught fire, or doubt that the beginning of critical mass for vegetarianism is upon us, you weren’t in Naperville, Ill., this past weekend.

Dozens of inspirational quotations lined the grounds at VeggieFest

VeggieFest is a free, two-day, outdoor festival that hits all the right notes. There's the rhythmic music that plays all day; the ample food court with delicious, moderately priced multi-ethic cuisine; the nearly 100 educators and exhibitors ranging from Mercy for Animals and Conscious Planet Media to Clif Bar, Sequel Naturals, and The Book Publishing Company; children's activities all day long; and the lectures and cooking demos which this year included Sarah Taylor, author of Vegan in 30 Days (* see below to win a signed copy) as well as two keynotes from Sant Rajinder Singh, founder of the Science of Spirituality.

Everyone loved VegNews!

Under mostly hot and sunny skies more than 20,000 people from as far Seattle to Boston, Quebec to Florida, strolled through the always crowded fairgrounds, soaking up food and info as fast as it could be served. VegNews even imported the crackerjack sales team of Randy and Bev Orwig (Lyndsay's parents) from St. Louis to assist us on Saturday, when we sold a record number of subscriptions in a single day.

Author Sarah Taylor flanked by Randy and Bev Orwig, subscription-selling superstars

VeggieFest Chicago is reaching a new audience through a successful combination of open outreach, enjoyable entertainment, a welcoming attitude, and a wonderfully supportive vibe. Hundreds of volunteers pitched in for months before the event, and then for two very long days, to pull off a festival that needs to be on every vegetarian's map.

Proud vegan attendee Nicole Hughes with event organizer Jay Mooney

* Press Pass Bonus: Leave a comment telling us about your favorite veg festival. We'll pick one winner this Friday, August 13 and send you a signed copy of Vegan in 30 Days.

The Nutritarian Diet

Who: VN Publisher Joseph Connelly

What: Dr. Fuhrman Health Getaway 2010
Where: Rancho Bernado Inn, San Diego, Calif.
When: July 11–17, 2010
Why: Conference recap

The Scoop: I just coined the phrase "open-minded skeptic." I went into the 4th annual Joel Fuhrman seven-day conference with the Jekyll-and-Hyde task of listening and learning free of judgment, while simultaneously checking my critic at the door. Read for yourself if I succeeded with these Press Pass posts from last week.

At the heart of Dr. Fuhrman's work is his nutritarian diet, described as "a person who strives for more micronutrients per calorie in their diet-style." During one lecture Fuhrman also mentioned that the plan "is really a longevity program; 95 to 105 should be the average age" one lives to while remaining active. Exercise is a large component of the lifestyle as well. Most would find the diet quite limiting, as it excludes all salt, sugar, and refined oils. In the name of participatory journalism, I played along, and with the abundance of fresh fruits, salads, and savory foods prepared for us three times a day, it was easy to follow the program. By the end of the week, I felt great, and my notorious sweet tooth was in check.

Color my world: The nutritarian smorgasbord

Much like the macrobiotic diet, the nutritarian diet can be—but is not exclusively—vegetarian. Both allow small amounts of meat, but neither recommend dairy products. In a previous post I explained Fuhrman's ANDI Scoring System for foods (a rating of nutrient density), and one look at his chart shows animal products far down the list. The rationale goes something like this: the big three of oil, salt, and sugar are addictive (and therefore need to be eliminated completely); flesh foods are not (are therefore don't). While I'd challenge this science (for example, maybe bacon itself isn't addictive, but would anyone eat it if it was not fried in oil and salted?), I don't really have to. The issue shouldn't be whether salt is addictive and salmon not, but rather what's best when viewed through a wide-angle lens.

Attendees of the Dr. Furhman Health Getaway 2010 were well fed

If you are ill and would like to reverse your diabetes, heart disease, or lupus, a nutritarian diet could be for you. Fuhrman has many success stories, though to be fair I've heard the same from folks who follow a strict macrobiotic diet as well. Strict is the key word here, because those of us who are not seriously sick and need to live and work in a non-nutritarian world will not only be challenged to follow the regime, but with introspection will question parts of it. Does the fish contain mercury or other toxins? What about the oceans? Doesn't The China Study say that any amount of animal protein increases your risk of cancer? Does it say the same about a piece of birthday cake?

Dr. Joel Fuhrman's Health Getaway was a worthy, enjoyable, and educational experience. Fuhrman is all about science, and his passion for health is unflagging. If you are facing a life-threatening disease, I'd recommend checking out the nutritarian diet and/or the health getaway. If your concerns expand beyond your personal longevity and encompass veganism, environmentalism, or learning to balance the occasional decadent treat within an otherwise healthy diet and lifestyle, you may find being a strict nutritarian a bit of a challenge.

Yours truly with Dr. Fuhrman and Vegan in 30 Days author Sarah Taylor

Check out the VegNews Facebook photo album of the 2010 Health Getaway here.