371: Recap of the Peaceful Planet Foundation's 5th Annual Peace and Wellness Retreat

Maya Acosta  00:00

So the keynote speaker this year was Dr. Michael Klaper. As many of you have heard in the past, he talks about food as medicine, emphasizing that the food that we consume profoundly impacts our health. So shifting from animal based diet to a whole food plant based diet can prevent and reverse many chronic diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, and even auto immune conditions. This is the healthy lifestyle solutions podcast, and I'm your host, Maya Acosta. If you're willing to go with me, together, we can discover how simple lifestyle choices can help improve our quality of life and increase our longevity in a good way. Let's get started. And welcome back to another episode. My friends. This is your host Maya Acosta along with my husband, Dr. Rizwan Bukhari, and this is another segment of doctor in the house. Okay, my friends, we are back in Dallas, we have had such a busy weekend. And yet, we're going to take the time to recap what it was like going to the peaceful planet Foundation's fifth annual peace and wellness retreat. So we're going to recap the weekend, Riz had his experience, I had my experience. So we're going to share what that was like for both of us. And then we have several announcements to share with you. So make sure that you stick around for the whole episode. So this gets started on my end. And then I would love for you risk to share all the other things that you saw when you were not in the auditorium like I was. So first I want to say that I had the incredible privilege of emceeing the peaceful planet Foundation's annual retreat. And this was nothing short of transformative, it was a gathering of like minded individuals all brought together to explore the potential of a whole food plant based diet, along with peace and overall wellness. So I was in the auditorium introducing the, you know, first the keynote speaker, and then all the other speakers that were in the auditorium. And then we had breakout sessions and other things were happening in the other rooms. Do you want to tell us about that? Yeah. So while you had the, you know, you're emceeing the main event, so to speak with the with all the speakers. They had breakout sessions where there was things like

Dr. Riz Bukhari  02:27

a couple of yoga classes, some cooking classes, there was a class on fermentation of foods, given by the doctor who actually had a booth there on some fermented foods. And then they had the, you know, that was in the breakout sessions. And then in the main hall, they had kind of the food area and also some some vendor booths. Mm hmm. So let me just sort of paint a picture of what it was like. So the keynote speaker this year was Dr. Michael clapper. And everyone attended that lecture. There may have been over 126 people that attended this event, but we all started in the auditorium. And let me just sort of highlight a little bit of what Dr. Klapper spoke about. So Dr. Klapper spoke about the healing power of plant based nutrition. And as many of you have heard in the past, he talks about food as medicine, emphasizing that the food that we consume profoundly impacts our health. So shifting from animal based diet to a whole food plant based diet can prevent and reverse many chronic diseases including heart disease, diabetes, and even auto immune conditions. And a final note that Dr. Klapper makes is on empowering healthcare professionals and individuals to recognize the potential of plant based nutrition in promoting health and well being. And he advocates for a shift in medical practice towards addressing the root causes of DCs, which often lie in dietary choices, ultimately, paving the way for a healthier and more peaceful world. So I remember the first time I heard him say, that was the first time I saw him give a lecture, which was on the holistic holiday at sea cruise. I think we went to it back in 2019. And at that time, I heard him say it's the food people. And it struck me and I've remembered ever since and I've heard him say it multiple times. So I kind of think it's his byline. Yes, absolutely. And I specifically like this lecture. It was different from other ones that I've heard. It really stood out and like I said, towards the end of his lecture, he was very passionate about just almost like the there's a little bit of frustration that you know, this message has been around for so many years. And yet, we haven't seen a significant shift in our culture the way that we wish. So anyway, we really enjoyed Dr. Michael clapper as the keynote speaker and then that was fun.

Maya Acosta  05:00

followed by Danielle Vann. And the title of her lecture was called The Seven Pillars of self care a deep dive into true well being. Now what I most enjoyed about Danielle's message, and by the way, she is a podcaster. So she has a very successful podcast called get your life together girl podcast. And really, she goes on to talk about in detail what emotional, physical, mental, social, spiritual, practical, and professional self care looks like. But what really stood out to me is the idea of misconception of what self care is. And so she, she talked about how is, you know, merely indulging in superficial treatments or retail therapy. So many times when people say that they're practicing self care, they're, you know, getting a massage, getting a facial, getting their nails done. And she says, No, that is not what self care is. And she goes on to describe the various areas that we need to really care for. self care is about promoting overall health, preventing disease, coping with emotions, and maintaining well being in various life domains. And then throughout the lecture, Danielle emphasized the importance of intentionality and self reflection. She encourages individuals to ask themselves key questions like, What do I want? What do I need? How do I want to feel? And how am I going to get there? And believe me, I was taking lots of notes. Did you sit in on that one? No, that was when that was during one of the breakout sessions. So I was actually in a yoga session, which was given by Elise Jones, who is Dr. Michael, clappers, wife. So tell us what what was it like to be in Elise's class? No, it was very nice. I enjoyed it was about not quite an hour long. It was at a pretty basic level, because you know, we had people from all walks of life there. But I really enjoyed it. And I do enjoy yoga, although I personally prefer yoga in the evenings. And this was in the morning, because it tends to relax me and kind of get me ready for finishing up the day. So I was quite relaxed. After that I could have I could have taken a nap. All right. And then my friend Melissa Furman spoke. And by the way, she just recently published her cookbook. Did you sit in on her lecture? Yes, I did. Okay, anything that stood out for you? Well, I just thought Melissa was an excellent speaker. And it was a very thoughtful presentation, well organized, and it was some very, very good points that she brought up. And I think that because she's a life coach for a wellness coach. And in those respects, she's very organized and well thought about those things so I can see how she can really help her clients. Yeah, absolutely. And what I appreciate about her she was recently on an Instagram Live with me talking about specifically giving us some insight as to what she was going to talk about at this retreat. In her informative lecture Melissa Furman, a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach discuss key strategies for Healthy Weight Management at any age. Melissa emphasizes the importance of a mindset shift, focusing on key food concepts, and overcoming obstacles for sustainable success. She provides practical advice on incorporating fiber, calorie density, nutrient density and behavior change into one's diet. And she also shares a client success story. And I remember the name was Martha, she said she was going to use a name that was not, you know, for confident dental reasons. She didn't reveal the name of that client. But this individual achieved significant health improvements through these principles. And so that one I really enjoyed hearing Melissa speak, you know, you and I were invited last year when she organized the Tulsa Veg Fest. You were one of the speakers and I had a booth there, sort of telling people about my podcast. So she gave us that platform. So I was really excited that I was able for the retreat to introduce her as a speaker. So yeah, we've gotten to know Melissa very well in the last year and a half. And I think she's a wonderful person and well informed and I think she'd make an excellent life and wellness coach. Yes. And so the day went on like that friends, where I introduced several other doctors and speakers, with about 10 minutes in between. I stayed pretty busy. I filmed each of the lectures, so I'm hoping to be able to share that with you soon. And we spoke about everything from like Dr. Clapper talked about the food is the answer. It's always been about the food. Melissa talked about creating change and facing obstacles. We had one doctor talk about overall women's health. Another individual in North Adonis talked about the connection but

Maya Acosta  10:00

between oral health and the gut, and really just overall wellness as well. There was a gastroenterologist who talked about gut health. And I was joking with him that I finally exceeded two or three years ago that, yes, the gut is the most important organ in the body.

Dr. Riz Bukhari  10:17

Because of the gut microbiome and everything it does, that's right. I was really impressed with some of these topics and the lectures that I did invite the people that I introduced to come on my podcast, and further talk with all of you and share information with you so that you can have this information and feel empowered as well. So I loved being an MC, it was a lot of work. And so tell us about lunch, because I did ask you to kind of plan ahead, you grab lunch for us, and I was able to kind of get away for a little bit and take a breather, and spend a little time outdoors while we had lunch. Yeah, it was a nice lunch. And I think what I was important to me is I kind of got to know the company that provided lunch. And it's a company called Sweet greens. I sat and talked with the managers who came out sweet greens apparently, is a large national chain of restaurants. And it started in Washington, DC, in around 2009 by three students who just graduated from the Washington area, I don't remember which school, and then they have gradually spread. And what surprised me really, in the conversation that there's actually several sweet greens in the Dallas area, which I had not did not know about. And you know, it's not unusual that I don't know about restaurants, but it's unusual that I didn't know about a restaurant that provides such good plant based offerings. And so what I found out is that they came into the Texas area in 2019. And now they have I think he said seven restaurants in the Houston area five in the Austin area five in the Dallas area. And they have about two and 50. Across the country. And and the food is mostly plant based. It's kind of almost like a Buddha bowl, you know, you can really create wonderful, tasty bowls with very various combinations. Yes, the way that the bowls were presented reminded me a flower child, the the meals that you would find a flower child only, they did not have heavy oil. Yeah, I was gonna say yeah, only healthier because it wasn't, there wasn't really any significant amount of oil in these, I don't think okay, so I'm wondering if the foundation specifically asked sweet greens to pre create meals without oil, or to use a minimal amount of oil. But I was very happy with the food, my understanding is that this is just their normal food. And they made it in their restaurant, and they brought it over, the only thing that they did do is just make sure that all of their servings were whole food, plant based and vegan, make sure you follow our social media I filmed when I got a chance, the entire group of people that were waiting to grab their meals, I mean, there was a long line. So I was filming that very different from the previous years, when the foundation puts on these retreats, they usually have a catered. So it's almost like a buffet line kind of approach where you serve yourself this time, it was faster because all the meals were pre packaged. So there were two lines, you just grab one of the two choices and went and had lunch wherever you wanted to have lunch. And it was in the past what I like about attending retreats and conferences, and all of that is mingling with the people photographing and videoing all the interactions and things that are happening. But I didn't have that opportunity this time. Because I was really busy. So lunchtime was the one time that I was able to actually sit down, have lunch with Riz and some other fellow attendees. And then turns out that one of the people that we had lunch with, we follow each other on social media. And I remember thinking, wow, her face looks familiar. She goes by plant powered mommy. And she's in the Houston area as well. So it's like amazing that you can make friends and connections through social media virtually. And then it's great when you can actually meet each other in person. All right. And then towards the very end, every year, Dr. Vandana and Dr. Munish ask all of us, the presenters and the volunteers to come up to the stage to thank us for our time for volunteering ourselves to make this event happen. And then we get a wonderful photograph. And then they offer these closing statements. So Dr. Challa express our heartfelt gratitude for everyone who attended. Again, the presenters, the volunteers, everyone who contributed to the retreat. And then Dr. mooneyes focus on the importance of adopting a plant centered diet not just for human health, but for the environment and our compassion towards animals and the earth. He reminded us of the harmony between a diet that nurtures us as individuals, and one that is gentle to our planet.

Maya Acosta  15:00

There was an emphasis on mindfulness and conscious choices for all of us to consider an everyday living. And they concluded with a brief mindfulness exercise led by Dr. Moniz Charla, where he shared positive intentions for the well being of all beings. And it was a beautiful moment of unity and reflection. Yeah, I thought it was a very nice kind of closing ceremony with touching remarks from both of them. And also, I was really impressed by the number of volunteers that they have, there had to have been, at least I would say, 30 plus people up there at the end for the pictures. And that included the volunteers and the speakers, and the organizers, such as other board members and things like that. But you know, and I've even been closer to 40 people. So I'm really impressed with the number of people from the community who come together and join them to help make this possible. Yeah, I also agree with that. And I think that's why I've been going for a few years to Houston, when certain events happen, because they have significant number of pod leaders that come together. And they've now created this umbrella called plan peer Houston, where several of the pod leaders all come together and support one another. And something that we don't have in Dallas, where there's this, not only do they have more physicians and dietitians and nutritionists that are plant based, but they also have leaders that are supporting one another. And we don't know any other doctor in Dallas that we don't know, a primary doctor that's plant based.

Maya Acosta  16:36

And so we don't really have that here, which is what draws me a lot to Houston is that sense of community and unity and support that they have. And I feel like I can learn so much from the organization and from the doctors in terms of how to work as a team. Because like you said, like the tremendous amount of volunteers that help out all the time. And the doctors. They also have a lifestyle medicine practice. So they do these kinds of things on a smaller scale in their clinic. Yep. I think they have events almost every weekend from what I see on their social media. Yeah, bandana gave us an announcement and exciting announcement about next year's retreat. So it will be scheduled for April 13 2024. Now the retreat usually takes place in the month of October this year, their 2024. They're moving into April 13. That's because Dr. Neal Barnard is going to be the keynote speaker. And it's bound to be another transformational and enlightening event. Not only is so exciting that Dr. Neal Barnard will be the keynote speaker next year, you Dr. Riz, have been invited to also provide a lecture at that retreat. Yes, I'm excited about that opportunity, and honored that I'll be able to join them and give a lecture next year. And I think I'm going to give a talk on range longevity because it's a strong interest of mine. And I think It delves nicely with the whole plant based nutrition and lifestyle. I know you've been very interested in longevity, you've been doing a lot of reading, you got very interested in fasting. I mean, this topic is something that you've been really exploring as a matter of fact, do you have an article that will be coming out in the next quarter or so? I just submitted the article a few weeks ago, and I think it's going to be released in their next issue which comes out at the end of this year. Oh, right. And we know for sure your lecture is going to be on longevity next year, because the doctors already said that on social media. They already approved my topic. Yes. So it will be on that topic. So I'm really excited to see you speaking about another topic. Most of the time you speak on cardiovascular disease, really your specialty and how that relates to nutrition, and even lifestyle medicine. Now you're, you're working more on the preventative and it sounds like with longevity. Well, spoiler alert, guess what the key components of longevity are very similar to what we already preach. Ah, all right. Can't wait to hear more. Okay. All right now, so that's really what the day was like as we were wrapping up Kent Marsh, one of the members of the foundation he recommended we go explore the Buffalo Bayou Park area. And so we did so we took our campervan over there and enjoyed a nice brisk walk exploring the park. I mean this I did a little research because you know I like to be in nature and I love to encourage people to get out. And I thought I tell all of you about the park in case you've never been or in case you decide to one day take a drive over to Houston. You got to check out this park. I thought it was just an amazing development. I'm very impressed with what they've done and developing a park along both sides of the bayou from

Dr. Riz Bukhari  20:00

For many miles, and it's you can tell the public loves that there were just so many people out there playing soccer, playing volleyball, picnicking, and just hanging out or people walking, cycling, skating. There's a restaurant there. There's a lot of art. So I mean, I was very impressed with the whole thing. I know you and I, we walked about, I'd say we walked a little over three miles in a small circle. That's right. So Buffalo Bayou is is significant waterway in Houston, Texas, stretching approximately 52 miles through the city. And it's been a natural feature of the area for centuries. But in recent years, it's been transformed into a thriving urban park and green space. The Buffalo Bayou Park, which runs through the heart of Houston offers a variety of activities and attractions for visitors. So next time we're in Houston, we're going to explore even more. So these are some of the things that you can do there. There's hiking and biking trails, so you can run a bicycle there, take your own, whatever works for you. It's very scenic, whether you're walking, running, cycling, allowing the visitors to enjoy the lush greenery and river views. picnicking, which risks just describe lots of couples, but families, the volleyball happening there, and then art installations that you can see throughout the park. That was a lot of fun with the sculptures, kayaking and canoeing, you can do that as well. There's a dog park, which we did not explore we did not have papi on this trip. But that'll be on our list for next time. There's the wall drive bat colony, which we did not stick around to explore. But at sunset, spectators can witness 1000s of Mexican free tailed bats emerge from the walk drive bridge. That would be interesting. I know I've experienced that in in Austin, but never in Houston. And then the Dunlavy which I want to say when we drove through there. The restaurant has a different name, but it's an iconic restaurant with beautiful Bayou views offering a dining experience. Okay, they have gardens, including the McGovern Centennial gardens which showcase a variety of plants and flowers. Just going down the list just makes me so happy. So it's become a central recreational and cultural hub in Houston providing residents and visitors with a serene escape from the urban hustle and bustle from that Bayou Park area. If you go around the main area, you can walk five to six miles if you want. Or you can even walk directly into downtown Houston from the main park area where we were at. That's what we did after the retreat. I really like the idea that after we have a long day long, intense day, like retreats and other events that we have held as well. I like us just taking a stroll in nature because I feel revived. I feel re energized being around the plants and the trees. I enjoyed it because like when we travel we like to explore. And so I thought we were kind of exploring, and we had a great discovery because this is something I've never seen before. Yep. All right, tell our listeners a little bit just quickly about the harvest hosts that we experienced this time around. As we were telling you in the previous episode, we travel in our van when possible, and we stay at locations that are listed under harvest hosts. And this time we stayed in a very unique area as well very artsy, what was the name of the place? I think it was called buffalo by you brew company, I think and it was it was there close to the bayou and kind of a urban renewal arts district area. And it's just it is a brewery, and pub and restaurant. And they're kind enough to open their large parking lot to guest our viewers. Yeah. And you would probably say because I do have a sister that lives just north of Houston. So you would probably say why do you want to stay in a parking lot? Why are you not staying in a hotel? What's wrong with you guys? Why are you doing this to yourself? But this is actually what we like doing. We'd like boondocking when possible, and that's what we were doing. And that brewery really has a large restaurant so we saw lots of families coming and going and at the end of the day with a pot we were the only people in the parking lot but it was what in what I consider a fairly safe area. And the reason you picked this location is because yeah, it was only like a mile and a half from the United Way of Greater Houston which is where the retreat was. Yeah, that's where it was housed. So it was very convenient as opposed to staying at my sister's house which would have been at quite a drive in the morning. I mean, we had to be there at 745 in the morning. So it was convenient to stay there. Everything is in our van. When you stay in a hotel you have to pack in a

Maya Acosta  25:00

Pack and move things. I love being in our van. We make our coffee there we have our breakfast there. I made a smoothie this morning. So it's very convenient for us. It's like living in a tiny house traveling tiny house. It's a traveling tiny house and it forces you to live with the least amount of anything that you can have because you can't pack too much. So I enjoy it. And then the following night, we stayed at my sister's house about 50 miles north of Houston and we just stayed outside her house. Yeah, it was just convenient to kind of get a head start going north back to Dallas. So we just drove out of out of the city. Okay, so that concludes our recap of the peaceful planet Foundation's retreat. We want to say congratulations to Dr. Moonies and Dr. Vandana Charla, for all that you have been able to accomplish. Both of you are true inspirations for both of us myself and risks in terms of like what we aspire to be able to do here in Dallas someday. Your humility, and your passion for your work and how you helping not only patients, but the planet. It really is apparent to us. And it is very touching for us to feel like we're part of your community. And this is why we do these drives to support your mission and your vision and and everyone associated with peaceful planet foundation and plan pier Houston. You are all amazing people to us. And thank you for welcoming us every time we visit. It's you. We love you guys. So thank you so much for everything that you did. I had a great time. And friends, there are a couple of other things we want to tell you as we're wrapping up this episode. First, on the lighter side, we want to tell you this coming weekend we've been talking about going to cap rock again, Dr. Is Yep, so we are headed to Caprock Canyon State Park. And I just love that place we went earlier in the spring. And I was amazed that this place actually existed in Texas. I've grown up in Texas and been here several decades and didn't even know it. And I think it's just beautiful and scenic. And I'm looking forward to going back. It had been raining last time we were there so we didn't get to enjoy it and get out on the trails as much. So I'm looking forward to another visit. Yeah, perfect weather. The weekend in Houston was wonderful. It wasn't even hot. So we know we're going to have good weather and Caprock we have our glasses to watch the partial eclipse from our location. It'll be interesting to see what is happening traffic wise around us as people are trying to go to a better location. Like for example, San Antonio, were supposed to have like the Ring of Fire view. Yeah, we're gonna see just a partial eclipse but that'll be okay. Yeah, I don't mind. I just I'm looking forward to being outdoors. All right, friends. Also, I want to remind you this month on the podcast, I'm highlighting and really emphasizing Breast Cancer Awareness Month. And what I've done ahead of time, because this is a very important topic for me, just in general to support women. And since I am involved with the women's member interest group for American College of lifestyle medicine, I like bringing people on to share their recovery story, or to talk about women's health. So I have lots of great episodes this month. As you know, I always release my interviews on Wednesdays. So I have Allison Tierney this Wednesday, you're gonna want to hear that episode because oh my goodness. She is an oncology dietician who was teaching people about breast cancer only to discover that she had the gene and develop not only breast cancer but she is at risk for other cancers as well. I think you're gonna find that fascinating conversation and then I have Kelly Nardone the following week and she's also a breast cancer thriver. And I have Dr. And canard who is going to talk about what a well woman's exam should look like. And so this is all about lifestyle medicine friends, so I hope that you you will tune in every Wednesday of this month will quickly this week, October 10. I have another Instagram Live with another health coach and her name is Karuna Cara. I'm hosting her webinar October 23. And I wanted her to first come on Instagram Live and tell you guys a little bit about what you can expect and then join us on October 23. Go to Eventbrite. I'll have all the links available in the show notes so that you can sign up for this free webinar. And speaking of webinars, Dr. is So on October 18. We're going to participate in a webinar for plant powered connections.

Maya Acosta  29:39

Yeah, you and I kind of are part of this group that naturally formed of other pod leaders. We all have strengths in different areas in terms of how we support our community. And so you and I are going to be talking about how to bring people into the community and how to collaborate with other people to support them.

Maya Acosta  30:00

community. And so join us. This is a free webinar October 18. I'll add it in the link in the show notes as well. If you're interested in being a leader in supporting others, in terms of going plant based, or you're looking for a strong group, and you want to get involved with that group, join us because there's a group of about seven of us who are going to teach you how we did it, and how you can get started. And then October 21, we're headed to Chef Julia Dunaway. She is in Fort Worth. She is trained in Blue Zone living and is going to hold an entire day retreat and risks will give a lecture as part of the retreat the following day, October 22. We do our last walk of the year with walk with a dog. And that's because Riz and I will be traveling a lot in November and December. And so again, go to Eventbrite because I list everything there, just check out our Eventbrite link. And then like I said, October 23, we have a webinar with Corona. And then on top of all the busyness that we have going on, we are going to Denver, Colorado at the end of the month for for the American College of lifestyle medicine annual conference. Yes, this is when all of us who are fascinated with lifestyle medicine come together and mingle, attend workshops, listen to lectures, go to meetups to meet one another. So if you're in the field of lifestyle medicine, which you don't have to be a physician, I mean, you can be in the field of healthcare. It you can be a dietician a coach, a lay person, like myself a podcaster, please come up to us and say hello. Sometimes we just never know who listens. And until people come up to us and say, Hey, I listened to your podcast. So thank you once again to the peaceful planet foundation for this incredible retreat. I know it takes so much work to create these events, but you're making a difference in this world with all that you do. And friends thank you as always for listening and supporting the work that we do and have a great rest of the week. Goodbye. You've been listening to the healthy lifestyle solutions podcast with your host Maya Acosta. If you've enjoyed this content, please share with one friend who can benefit. You can also leave us a five star review at rate this podcast.com forward slash H L S. This helps us to spread our message. As always, thank you for being a listener.