I'm happy to report that the
Unprocessed Plan is still going really well and mid-way through my sixth week eating this way, I am not feeling deprived, yearning for french fries (or potatoes in general), chocolate, frozen entrées, or any of my previous staples.
This is not to say that I have entirely forsaken my once-beloved chemicals. I am transitioning.
Here are some healthy swaps I've recently made:Peanut butter: I actually got that stuff you have to stir. Crazy! I am still adjusting to the taste, which I suppose is one way of keeping me from sticking a spoon in this glop and eating from the jar. Shameful chemical and sugar addicted confession: when I make a sandwich with it, I sprinkle a packet of Equal on it. (I will wean, I will wean!)Non-stick spray: I ran out and did not buy a replacement. Despite my lifelong fear of calories, I have switched to using one to two teaspoons of olive oil for my stir fries. I'm okay with it because olive oil is really good for you: these are good calories. The only thing that's kinda lame is, I can't quite bring myself to fry an egg in olive oil, so even though I have a virtually brand new non-stick frying pan, there's always a tussle with the pan to get the egg out onto the plate in one piece. What the heck, I'm gonna break the yolk and dip my toast in it anyway.Future swaps in the works: Minced garlic: oh, it's so super convenient and easy just to grab a spoonful of this stuff rather than chopping up garlic and pressing it. I do the same with puréed ginger. Mmmm, I love the puréed ginger! But I'm thinking... I could probably do without those extra preservatives.Ice cream / frozen yogurt: I really don't know if this is bad. I mean, I gots to have some sort of indulgence, ya know? When it comes to grocery shopping, I've been using the Paul Plakas rule of thumb: if you can't pronounce the ingredients, chances are it's not good for you. Also, the fewer ingredients the better. I have been avoiding looking at the ingredients on my beloved ice cream too closely. I get the low fat stuff but half the time low fat just means more sugar. So, I'm gonna have to get real on that one at some point.Jasmine rice: so fragrant, so delicioush, and oh so glutenous. It is virginal white, guys. I know I need to switch to brown rice and I will, eventually. When I have rice (once or twice a week), I only use a quarter cup uncooked, so it's taking awhile to get through the bag. Maybe I should buy some brown rice and start mixing them? Maybe.The aforementioned Equal: I also sprinkle some (down to half a packet) on my berries when I have them with cottage cheese in the morning for breakfast.The last to go:Diet Dr. Pepper / Diet Coke: a.k.a. cancer in a can. I'm sure this stuff is killing me. But I love it. I love it! And what do you do when you're orally fixated and you need to feel like you're eating or ingesting something but you're sick of water? Sigh. Some day. I'm in transition.
Food recommendation of the week:Sensible Foods crunch dried snacks - my favourite is Cherry Berry. The packaging boasts that it's "all natural, fat free, gluten free, no added sugar, no added preservatives"... and the list of ingredients would seem to support that. It's perfect for when you crave something sugary. One package is something like 80 calories. I sprinkle half a pack on top of ice cream and it is deeee-vine.Any recommendations from the peanuttiest gallery out there?
Food recommendation of the week:
Posts
Oh my gosh I feel so lucky.
ReplyDeleteI've NEVER liked PB with sugar in it. Grew up on the kind you have to stir!
Pretty much I already eat all natural, whole foods. Brown rice, multigrain breads...even as a baby I wouldn't eat that nasty processed baby food...mom had to mash everything up for me by hand. Heh.
So, what I have to work on is just taking OUT the stuff that doesn't do me any good: Over indulgence of chocolate, butter and cheese...and just leave in the rest.
Good on you for having a plan to transition!!!
Hi Linds,
ReplyDeleteYou might like a guy named Michael Pollan. He wrote a fabulous book called In Defence of Food: An Eater's Manifesto. He sums up the contents of his book in 7 words:
Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.
It's become my internal mantra.
Check out more info about the book here: http://www.michaelpollan.com/indefense.php
i love reading your updates. did i tell you i'm in a nutrition course now? (it's one of the pre-reqs for the midwifery program i'm trying to get into) your blog topics are similar to what i'm studying and discussing with my classmates everyday. (you think i'll get extra credit?)
ReplyDeletexoxot
Some things I've done in the past (because I'm not dieting now, I admit it---sick for one month and then boyfriend's birthday and then valentines day? forget it!):
ReplyDeleteDrinking lots of water with some pure cranberry juice (not cocktail) and sliced lemon.
Hardboiled eggs, baby carrots with hummus, and almonds as snacks.
lunches of one chicken breast with some kind of veggie on the side.
I don't really remember what I did for dinner, maybe I passed out from hunger at this point.
Oh yeah! lots of brown rice. It can be really yummy and sticky too and I cooked mine with this porcini mushroom bullion instead of water.
I grew up eating the peanut butter you have to stir and I still can't stand it--I get stuff from Whole Foods that's organic but it still has (organic) sugar in it. Sugar's the Devil, whatevs, I don't eat that much peanut butter.
I took quite a few tips from a book called "The Fat Flush Diet". Didn't go the whole way with it, but there's some good recipes in there and good tips about stuff to add to your diet rather than stuff you need to take away.
Damn, I don't know how you can eat that nasty "natural" peanutbutter. I like mine with all the fat. I find most peanut butter to be lacking in chocolate chips, so I add them. Don't hate me. I just looked at my body in a dressing room mirror the other night and saw exactly where the peanutbutter and chocolate chips are going. :-(
ReplyDeleteBrown rice is tasteless and takes freakin' forever to cook. If anyone finds a good brand, let me know. If I have to do brown rice, I just get instant. I find that the best compromise is wild long grain rice.
I like to put fresh cut fruit in a little bowl of vanilla yogurt. I don't do low fat, just regular yoplait vanilla. Although yoplait whips are AWESOME. I like chocolate raspberry. Unfortunately, I am lactose intolerant, so I have to go easy on dairy.
As for eggs, I put just a little dab of margarine on my non-stick pan to keep the eggs from sticking and get rid of the "eggy" smell. When scrambling, I do only 1 yoke and 2 to 3 whites. It basically tastes the same to me.
Brian taught me a great trick for making really light, fluffy scrambled eggs. Just add a tablespoon of milk & a tablespoon of water. I like to add a tiny drop of vanilla extract too.
KEEP ON ROCKIN!
I love olive oil, the extra virginy the better. But, if I still ate eggs, I'd fry them up in some Earth Balance, which is what I use instead of butter. Butter was the last animal product I consumed, some time last July, and I don't even miss it. Get yourself some organic Earth Balance made with olive oil and other good fats.
ReplyDeleteRe: ice cream, try some Purely Decadent frozen dessert made with soy milk. My current favorite is the Pomegranate Chip - oh my god!
I think the idea of mixing in some brown rice with the jasmine is fine. Or what about whole grain pasta?
I can't extol enough the benefits of a vegan diet for weight maintenance. I mean, are there any overweight vegans? I may have a high metabolism, I'm not sure, but I never gain any weight at all, unless it's water around "that time" of the month. I gain and lose that same five pounds every month.
As Dylan said up above, natural hole foods are the way to go, as close to the earth as possible, so they say. And as far as chopping garlic, I don't know about you, but I don't mind biting into huge chunks of it - I never mince when I cook - so it's easy for me to coarsely chop a clove or two when needed. Fresh garlic lowers your cholesterol, by the way.
Sounds like you're doing really well though, seriously! :)
Erp, "whole", not "hole"!
ReplyDeleteForgot to mention... I eat the Smart Balance peanut butter. It not only contains flax oil, which is a source of those good Omega-3 fatty acids we all need, but it has molasses as a sweetener, and that's a good source of iron.
Kudos to you for not being all skeered about salmonella - I heard PB sales have dropped drastically!
Actually, I was vegan for a long time and was still overweight...cuz geez, you know potato chips and chocolate soy milk and cookies and....well, there are lots of options for overeating unhealthy stuff. And I got really really tired, not enough protien since I don't like beans all that much.
ReplyDeleteI feel better when I'm non wheat, non dairy but eat eggs and meat.
The key for me is those seven words, which I really like and might just go get that book! Eat Food. Not too much. Mostly plants.
I like that.
Hey, also, I think the less processed foods and foods with added sugar or refined we eat, the better other stuff tastes. I find plain oatmeal, plain brown rice etc...to be very flavorful!
ReplyDeleteI once went 6 months with no sugar except fresh fruit, no honey, no maple sugar...NO sugar except fresh fruit and found juice to be unpalatably sweet.
Still could eat chocolate though. :o)
Dylan, interesting feedback on the vegan route. I was thinking about it on my walk home today, actually. Since changing my diet, I have cut down even further on meat (although I do eat a lot of eggs), so I suppose it wouldn't be that much of an adjustment to give it up altogether. I guess I just don't feel like it's something I need to do. I like meat. Not in excess, but, I like it.
ReplyDeleteTrace, hey, thanks for the recommendation (speaking for everyone else reading this thread too). I love the symmetry of the seven word mantra; the economic use of words seems to complement the concept of choosing foods with fewer ingredients.
Trish, I didn't realize you were hoping to train as a midwife. That's awesome. My little sister is doing her undergrad in Montreal and planning to become a midwife when she finishes. That's really cool that the content of this blog has some sort of cross-over interest/appeal for you. Thanks for the support.
Joy, wow, righteous living! Er, that one time. And again soon, perchance. I've been thinking about buying some almonds to have as mid-morning and/or mid-afternoon snacks. Especially if I keep amping up the cardio - I know I'm going to need a few extra calories to keep the metabolism going. I have another friend who mentioned that book to me; I will check it out. Thanks.
Theresa, hey doll, thanks for coming out! Right, and, uh, thanks for the help re: peanut butter. Maybe if I get dark chocolate chips it's okay?
I was thinking the same thing about the taste and length of time to cook brown rice. I suppose long grain may indeed be a compromise. I've been making couscous more often lately. It's so easy.
I'm way ahead on the egg business. I have a jam-packed omelette with a pile of veggies and some tofu for dinner at last once a week. I usually use one egg (or two if I'm really hungry) and around a third of a cup of egg whites. Adding vanilla though - that's totally novel! Interesting; maybe I'll give it a shot.
I wish I could bring myself to enjoy yogurt, but it's never taken.
Eustice, hmmm, Earth Balance. I've never heard of it. I will definitely be on the look out next time I do some shopping at Whole Foods.
Re: Purely Decadent - is there an advantage (nutritionally speaking) to eating frozen soy-based dessert as opposed to ice cream or frozen yogurt? Or is it just super-delicioush and your personal fave? Just curious. I've never tried it. Pomegranate Chip - sounds awesome. I usually just stick with vanilla and add berries and/or banana (plus Sensible Foods crunchy snack, if I have some - I love the added texture of crunchiness)
Re: garlic, yeah, the Miaouw just chops rather than crushes. I don't mind biting into a chunk, but I always like the bit of juice that comes out of the press when I mince it. But I will definitely switch to fresh next week. I'm almost out of the jarred stuff anyway.
Thanks for the encouragement!
PS I forgot about the salmonella PB thing. It's not the headline news in Canada that it is in the US; but now I'm paranoid about where the stuff I bought on the weekend was manufactured!
Dylan, wow, 6 months with no sugar. Nice. I am definitely getting by with less at this point, which feels like progress.
Oh, and that 6 months was several years ago...haven't been able to do it since, but I'm always hoping I will. I got by on 4-5 hours of sleep then too!
ReplyDeleteThe one thing I can be grateful to my mother for is raising me on real peanut butter. I love it and always have. In fact, I'm a freak that would rather pass on the processed, sugary stuff.
ReplyDeleteI've grown to love brown rice as well. I didn't at first but a couple of years ago when I was making a smaller me, I switched to whole grain everything, went crazy on the fiber content and oddly after making the switch it ended up tasting better. All nutty and flavorful and stuff. I don't miss white rice at all. Never switched back because of this, even when I started eating butter and dairy and wheat and buckets of sugar. All of which are my downfall.
ha ha, i had to laugh reading Theresa's comment about adding chocolate chips to peanut butter. that was my craving when i was pregnant. i would sit at the table and spoon up peanut butter, load the pb with ch. chips and it made me very happy. unlike her i'm a big fan of short grain brown rice, i make a tahini/miso sauce (w/lemon and ginger and enough water to thin it) and it's delish especially with steamed veggies and tofu.
ReplyDeletei too use Earth Balance and love Soy Delicious/Purely Decadent (way better than ice cream) but don't eat it often because it still can put on the pounds. I'm not a vegan and use butter to bake.
I love that your sister is going into a midwifery program, the world needs more midwives!!
xoxot
Dylan, you know, I was just saying to my Miaouw this morning that even though I really feel like writing this blog and changing my approach/attitude towards what I put in my body is helping me get a handle on my food issues in new and more meaningful ways, I recognize that I am not forever changed, that I could easily fall back into those familiar habits if I don't make a point of staying focused and mindful. So I guess what I'm saying is, I understand how you can quit sugar for six months, feel the positive effects, and yet struggle to get back to that lifestyle.
ReplyDeletetaar, it's good your mom at least got the peanut butter thing right! I will definitely give the brown rice a go.
Trish, okay, I'm definitely going to look for Earth Balance. The tahini/miso sounds awesome. What goes in it?
Hey LQ--
ReplyDeleteOne you stir that peanut butter, put it in the fridge. It will stay stirred.
But you knew that, yes? It's actually kinda good when you get used to it. No, seriously, it is. ; )
I cook and egg and about a 1/4 cup of grated cheese in a dash of super special awesome olive oil each morning, scrambled, and that is pretty damn good. I use Frantoia olive oil, expensive, but it tastes so good.. le pant.
That's all. You have a good head on your shoulders, Miss.
xo Kleo
Hey LQ,
ReplyDeleteTrish mentioned miso/tahini ... It's an awesome combination. I like it spread thin on nice warm crusty bread, with avocado slices. Yum. You just mix miso and tahini until it's the consistency and balance you like. You can add water, lemon, ginger, garlic -- almost anything -- to jazz it up more. It makes a good spread, or you can thin it out and make a salad dressing or dip for veggies.
Tahini is great stuff. I'm the king of hummus, so I always have it in the house. I practically live on hummus. Good for you, cheap, and takes only a few minutes to make in a blender. (1 can chick peas, 1/3 cup Tahini, juice of 1 fresh lemon, a garlic clove, 2-3 tsp cumin, a pich of salt, water as needed, to thin -- blend until smooth. This will last a week or more in the fridge.) I spread a few tablespoons on a plate, dust it with paprika, and use a couple of warm pitas to sop it up. A small salad and a plate of olives on the side ... heaven.
I'm enjoying your blog. Thanks for this.
Jazz gave the ingredients to the tahini/miso sauce - mix it all up to taste (for instance, i don't always add garlic) with fresh ginger i usually grate and then squeeze the juice in and throw out the fibers (in most foods i'll use all the ginger, but for this, it's just a consistency thing). if you keep it thick (less water), it's a great spread on whole grain breads (better than Marmite!), and if you thin it out with water (it takes a bit of stirring to incorporate it), it's a great dressing for steamed veggies and brown rice. i also will add some Sambal Oelek if i'm feeling like spicing things up a bit.
ReplyDeleteNutritional advantage to not eating dairy desserts, i.e. ice cream? Well, let's see, no cholesterol. A lot less fat. A lot less calories. I eat Purely Decadent frozen desserts, or as I call them ice cream, because I'm vegan and they are too, and they taste super good. I don't think anyone eats a frozen dessert because they're healthy. ;)
ReplyDeleteDylan, hi! You're the first person I've heard of who was overweight while vegan. And I have to say there are a lot of protein alternatives to beans. I hardly ever eat beans in their bean form, but I do like tofu (obviously derived from beans). I also love tempeh, and nuts. I eat a lot of grains and nuts, mostly, for protein.
I also eat my fair share of 365 brand organic potato chips with sea salt, but I still don't gain weight. And I've never tried chocolate soy milk - it sounds awful! I eat everything in moderation, which I think is key. Some of this, some of that, mostly organic, no animal products. But, what works for one person obviously does not work for everyone.
I may have a genetic predisposition to being thin. I have never been overweight, but as I say, I have also never met any overweight vegans, though I believe you when you say you were. It's all very interesting, nutrition.
Since I read some comments saying the vegan diet can put on pounds, and soy "ice cream" can be a culprit, I had to consult my pint of Purely Decadent Pomegranate chip in the freezer - 200 calories per 1/2 cup serving, 70 of which are from fat. Is that a lot? Maybe if you ate a couple of pints a day every day it would be harmful, but I can't imagine if you bought a pint a month, or less, and ate maybe just that much that it would be a significant source of weight gain.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like not only moderation, but portion control are important for weight management, but what do I know. ;)
Patti here. I'm a big fan of vanilla yogurt atop banana slices sprinkled with Grape Nuts® for breakfast. YUM! Sweet enough and crunchy too. Can't beat it with a stick.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, you do get used to the natural peanut butter. I keep mine in the fridge too. The other kind doesn't appeal to me anymore - it looks like some weird Jetsons food paste.
Supposedly 5 fresh almonds will curb your appetite in 20 minutes.
Also: The March issue of Popular Science has a big article on fat as a virus. For real. And also from a chemical in plastics. And also how sugar substitutes may actually deregulate our natural ability to signal appetite. It was very interesting to read the direction science is going in regards to understanding fat in the world we live in.
hiya kleo, yes, pb in the fridge... I did know that. The concern there is the ripped up bread. But I am growing accustomed to the runny, oily mess that is natural peanut butter. My olive oil (I keep wanting to type olive oyl) is a cheap generic label at the moment, but I'm thinking next time around, go quality or go home. Thanks for the tips 'n' props. xoxo
ReplyDeleteHey Jazz, thanks for the foodie tips! I am an occasional partaker of hummus. I usually like it best if the flavour is cut or enchanced with something else, like roasted red pepper or similar. I'm definitely going to look for the tahini/miso ingredients though. Sounds trés tasty. I'm glad you're enjoying the blog. Your comments are always helpful and encouraging (as are everyone's!) Cheers.
Trish, seriously, this is a great tip. I'm psyched to give it a shot. Thanks. I'll let you know if/how it works out for me.
hi Eustice, yeah, I would say that 35% fat content is... not good. The stuff I eat is roughly half the calories, with 1 gram of fat per 1/2 cup serving. You're right about moderation in all things being the key to healthy living. I'm not very good at moderation, but I am working at it.
I bought some tempeh last week and tried making a stir-fry with it. I wasn't crazy about it. How do you usually cook with it? Any tips would be appreciated (by any of you!)
patti, hey, that's very interesting re: the Popular Science article. I will definitely have a look for that.
I wish I could acquire a taste for yogurt. I do enjoy cottage cheese with fresh fruit mixed in as a breakfast. Never tried it with Grape Nuts. (Possibly never will?)
Oh, yeah, hey just to clarify about the vegan thing:
ReplyDeleteI didn't become overweight on a vegan diet, I just didn't LOSE any weight on it.
Tropical source chocolate bars
chips
nuts (yum!)
peanut butter and jam
Well, the moderation thing is key for sure. I didn't eat any animal products but ate a lot of what I didn't need. And probably not healthy portion sizes either. So ultimately, calories were more than what I burned, hence, no lost weight.
I think what is important to note here is that while it's important what we eat for sure, if you have an addiction to food, you can make food sabotage your health no matter what your diet is.
That was 20 years or so ago too, and I've come a long way with my choices and perspective.
Now, what's hardest is eating healthy in place that doesn't have a lot of healthy options available, and with a family that doesn't want to eat the way I want to.
But I'm gettin' there! (see comment in the weigh in week 6 post!)
oops, week 7 I mean.
ReplyDeleteHey, hey, hey, I just found a web site listing Canadian food products that may contain the salmonella tainted peanut products from Georgia and thought I'd share:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/corpaffr/recarapp/2009/20090203be.shtml
Dylan, for sure, trying to stick with a healthy diet is a lot tougher when you are sharing meals with someone who doesn't want or need the same constraints as you do. Having the Miaouw here this weekend has been pretty good so far. He's on board and supports me all the way. The tough part is squelching the desire to indulge in excess, when we've enjoyed ourselves way too much that way in the past. But so far, so great. I even dragged him down to the exercise room last night and he did some time on the bike while I ran.
ReplyDeleteEustice, thanks for the link. I just went and looked at it and really, it just made me hungry. Did you see the stuff on the list???
Peanut butter crunch bar
Chocolate decadence bar
Caramel Peanut Bar
Vanilla Toffee Fudge Bar
Milk Chocolate Peanut Caramel Patties
Mmmmm... I mean! EEEEWWWWW!!! Sugar and fat! I hate that stuff! I mean it!!!