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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 7, 2015)
Books Book Review: ‘Why Vegan is the New Black’ By Kam Williams Why Vegan Is the New Black: More Than 100 Deli- cious Meat and Dairy-Free Meal Ideas Your Whole Family Will Love by Deborrah Cooper Deborrah Cooper Publishing Paperback, $24.99 224 pages, Illustrated ISBN: 978-0-9909713-8-2 “An estimated 82% of black women and 69% of black men are considered overweight or obese, with 45% and 40%, respectively, suffering from hypertension. Heart disease is the #1 killer of African- Americans, with cancer, stroke and diabetes also among the top five reasons for early death. My goal was to help change the perception that healthy foods look weird and taste bad.” –Deborrah Cooper E ven though Deborrah Coop- er had been a nutritionist and fitness trainer for over a decade, she never considered becoming a vegan until her body began breaking down. As assorted stresses of life started taking a toll, she found herself battling headaches, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, high blood sugar and sever stomach pains. And with each visit to a physi- cian’s office, she was prescribed pill after pill to treat this or that symptom. Deborrah decided to become actively involved in her recovery by making some imme- diate lifestyle changes. She had a hunch that a combina- tion of diet and weight loss would do the trick, so she proceeded to exercise more while turning to vegetarianism. As she explains, in making the shift to a plant-based diet, she got rid of “anything that would not fit my new eating plan… bakery items, butter, eggs, cheese, crackers, packaged con- venience foods, fish, poultry, bacon, canned chili and soups, canned milks, lunch meat, etcetera.” Fortunately, the changes “worked wonders… reducing risks of coronary heart disease and stroke by half in just eight weeks.” As an African-American, Debor- rah subsequently felt a sense of duty to share the secret of her suc- cess with the black community, given its particular susceptibility to a host of diseases which are pre- ventable simply by paying strict attention to what one ingests. However, she also knows that there is a general “perception that health foods are expensive, bland and flavorless.” So, in order to reverse that image, Deborrah has published Why Vegan Is the New Black, a combination how-to primer and illustrated cookbook featuring 100+ mouthwatering recipes for main dishes (Black Bean Lasagna), appetizers (Potato and Mushroom Soup), sauces (Tahini Salad Dressing) and sweets (Oatmeal Shortbread Cookies). An inspirational, informative and creative guide for anyone hop- ing to wean themselves off meat and/or prescription drugs CELEBRATE AMERICA’S GREATEST CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER 29TH ANNUAL Martin Luther KING, JR. BREAKFAST Keynote speaker: Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., is the current CEO & President of the National Newspaper Publishers Association and reknown civil rights leader. While a freshman at college he served on the advance team for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. As one of the Wilmington Ten, Chavis spent nearly a decade in prison before his sentence was overturned in 1980. Tickets available: MLKBreakfast@theskanner.com sponsors: Page 16 The Portland and Seattle Skanner January 7, 2015 Monday January 19 , 2015 8:30-10:30 a.m. Oregon Convention Center 777 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Portland, OR 97232
