My Meatless Life

      About six months ago, my husband and I made a radical decision.  We decided to give a whole-food plant-based diet a try.  Forksoverknives.com defines a whole-food, plant-based diet as:

     

    "The program is based on whole or minimally processed plants, primarily fruits, vegetables, whole grains, tubers, and legumes. It excludes or minimizes animal-based foods such as meat (including poultry and fish), dairy, and eggs, as well as refined foods like bleached flour, refined sugar, and oil."

     We made this decision after watching the documentary Forks Over Knives which informed us of the various health benefits of a plant-based diet.  With both of us overweight and family histories that included diabetes, heart attacks, strokes, and cancer we decided that we needed to take action now to avoid these problems in the future.  So we decided to try it for a week and see how it went.  Now six months later we are still following the diet and plan to be in it for the long haul.

     When I tell people about my diet one of the questions I often get is, "How much does it cost?"  This is a difficult question, because like many eating plans that depends on your choices.  I do not have the exact numbers, but I estimate that at the beginning of this journey I was spending $100-$150 a week on groceries.  As I continued and learned more recipes, I managed to get that down to $50-$100 a week for two people.  There are recipes that include expensive ingredients found only at Earthfare or Whole Foods.  However brown rice and beans are full of protein and fiber.  Throw a few veggies and spices in and you have a delicious meal for a fraction of the price.

This is what most people think of when they hear "plant-based" Diet.
There are so many more choices.

     So how does the food taste?  Many people think that following a plant-based diet means eating salad all the time.  While you can do that if you like, I found many delicious meals from chili and sloppy joes to cookies and cakes.  It took a lot of trial and error to find recipes we like, but with a little research you can find delicious recipes to satisfy even picky eaters.  You can not keep any meal plan going if you do not find food you like.  

    Do I miss my old diet?  Sometimes.  My husband occasionally misses chicken.  For me the hardest thing to give up was dairy.  I didn't realize how much I liked cheese and ice cream until I stopped eating them.  However there are substitutes that while not exactly the same, still help with those cravings.  I found a delicious burger recipe to replace meat.  For cheese I can use cashews or nutritional yeast.  (Warning:  For those suffering from gout, nutritional yeast in high in purines and can lead to an attack)   As for ice cream I make smoothies or blend frozen bananas, berries, almond milk and vanilla in the blender for a fake soft serve.

     Has a plant-based diet improved my health?  Some of this remains to be seen.  It is supposed to help prevent heart trouble, stroke, diabetes, and perhaps some cancers.  I will not know for years to come if this worked.  What I have noticed is my weight.  Lately I have not exercised as much as I should.  This time of year is my busiest plus we have had a major change in our schedules recently.  Normally when I didn't get to the gym as much the weight would start creeping back.  Now without restricting calories or working out I am still maintaining the weight I've lost and even lost a couple of more pounds.  I have never been able to keep the weight off with so little effort.

      Giving up meat and dairy was one of the best decisions I made.  I realize it is not for everyone, but it works for me.  I am getting trimmer without feeling deprived or hungry.  Now to make myself some beans and rice for lunch.

What is your favorite plant-based meal?

What's For Dinner? July 22

    Many people think that eating healthy means giving up all tasty foods.  In my "What's for Dinner" series I hope to show that eating healthy can be delicious too.  

 

   Today's dinner is "Meatball" Soup from Quick and Easy Low-Cal Vegan Comfort Food, tossed salad with added blackberries and roasted chickpeas, home made bread from The Cheapskate Cook, and lemon infused water.  To make it even healthier, I took out the oil.  For the soup I fried the vegetables in water instead of oil.  The roasted chickpeas taste just as good if I skip the oil and cut the salt in half.  Even the bread is oil free.  When baking unsweetened applesauce works just as well as oil with a fraction of the calories.  Even with all the changes, I had a delicious dinner.

How do you make your dinners healthier?

It's All in Your Head

   Does this scenario sound familiar?  You have been good all week, avoiding carbs and counting calories.  Then you go to a party and they serve chocolate cake (your favorite).  "One slice won't hurt," you tell yourself.  The next day you had a busy day and forgot to calculate you calories.  "Oh well I'll do it tomorrow."  Before you know it your diet is ruined and you are wallowing in self loathing.
    If you are like me, you have been on dozens of diets over the years.  (I was on Slimfast in junior high.)  With all of them I lost some weight for a month or two and then gained it all back with interest.  I don't think I could stick with any of them for more than a few months.  The most important lesson I learned from all these attempts is DIETS DON'T WORK.
    So how do we loose weight if diets don't work?  We change our lifestyle, so that the way we eat is not a diet, it is just what we eat and it is healthy.  These past two years I have dramatically changed the way I eat and made exercise a big part of my life.  However, I could not have kept it up if I had not first changed the way I think.

Our memories of food, good or bad can affect what we want to eat.

    Whether we realize it or not, our thoughts about food and our memories of food are powerful.  My sister, for example, would not eat spaghetti sauce for years after she had a stomach bug.  In the same way, the sights and smells of food with good associations can cause cravings.   We can resist these cravings for a time (willpower), but few if any of us can resist them forever.  However, if we change our gut reaction to the food, we may be able to reduce cravings and make it easier to resist temptation.  Now I have little trouble resisting the chocolate cake even if others around me are eating it.
    How did I do it?  I did not follow a specific program.  I don't know if one like this exists.  I did not even make a conscious decision to do this.  Rather as I journeyed to a greater understanding of what it was to live a healthy life, I observed the change within myself.
    First, I had to have the proper motivation.  For myself, I found that when I wanted to loose weight to look good, I would get discouraged the slow progress and give up.  However, when my focus shifted to health, the slowness of my progress mattered less and I was less likely to get discouraged.
    Second, I made a commitment to learn as much as I could about getting healthy.  I watched every video I could find on Netflix and YouTube.  Then I watched them again.  I still watch them periodically for two reasons.  1) It keeps the information fresh in my thoughts.  2) When a lot of information is conveyed, it is difficult to remember all of it with one or sometimes even two viewings.
    Third, I reminded myself of what I learned in the face of temptation.  In the case of the chocolate cake, my first reaction on viewing it would be to remember other chocolate cakes I ate in the past.  I would think about how sweet and chocolaty  and I would want to eat it.  To combat this I reminded myself of a video I saw on You Tube Sugar the Bitter Truth in which Dr. Robert Lustig makes the scientific argument that sugar is poison.  I can also remember a scene from America the Beautiful 2 (Netflix) where Dr. Howard Shapiro showed how much sugar and butter it took to make an average slice of carrot cake.  Keeping this in mind made it much easier to say no to the cake.  I also found that the more I did this the easier it became to resist tempting food.
    This process is ongoing and I am far from perfect.  However, I am finally on the right track and slow or fast I am going to reach my goals.

What food tempts you most?

Tiger's Tale: Budgeting for your pet

    There was something wrong with Tiger.  The first time I saw him jump up from a nap looking terrified and making the most pitiful noise, I didn't know what was happening.  He stopped before I had time to react and hid under the futon.  Maybe he had a nightmare I thought, and made a mental note to keep an eye on him.  Later when he seemed like he was having trouble walking, I realized that something wasn't right.

"What?"

      As I took him to the vet, terrified that I wouldn't be able to pay for treatment, I realized that in my financial planning I had neglected to save for a sick cat.  Hundred of dollars and several vet visits later I realized I should have.

      Pets, like people can get sick at any time.  The older the animal (Tiger is 13 now), the more likely he or she is to get sick.  As I think back, I should have known to save up.  When Tiger was a Kitten, he had some messy stomach trouble for a little while.  The vet never did figure out what caused it, but was more than willing to give him some medicine.  Lucky for me the medicine worked.  Our family dog from high school and college got diabetes at age 5.  It is not a matter of if your pet will get sick or hurt, but when.  

    Pets can be beloved members of the family.  And I was more than willing to do what I could to take care of Tiger, but planning for the unexpected will be a part of my job as a pet owner from now on.
    It has been over a year since I rushed Tiger to the vet, and I'm happy to say he is doing much better.  He was diagnosed with kidney failure, but thanks to a good vet and some prescription cat food he is back to his old self.

Tell me about your beloved pet.

Count Down to Shiny Pants

   My progress so far- When I joined a gym two years ago, I did something I was avoiding for years.  I stepped on a scale.  The word that best describes that moment is 'horrifying'.  I knew I was overweight, even obese, but I had no idea how far I had let myself go.  Now two years later, I am 54 pounds lighter and counting.  I still have a long way to go.  It took me 32 years to reach my heaviest weight, it will take me a while to take it off.

   So what does this have to do with shiny pants?  I am glad you asked.  In a previous post, I wrote about my purple dress that I hope to wear again one day.  I am still far from that goal, but I find that to reach my large goals I must set a series of smaller goals.  One of these goals is my shiny pants.
   My shiny pants are a pair of jean in my drawer that I have not been able to wear for a few years.  They are my favorite jeans, because if they catch the light they shine.  It is not a tacky shine, but  a subtle shine; just enough to be interesting.  They are very cute and two years ago, I could scarcely pull them up, let alone zip them closed.  Today I can almost wear them.  A few more pounds and I should be able to wear them in public again.  My goal is to debut them on my birthday in a few weeks.  Wish me luck.

            What is the one item in your closet you wish you could wear again?

Review: Forks Over Knives

    In our efforts to save money,  my husband and I discovered that Netflix is much cheaper than cable.  Therefore I have enjoyed surfing the site and finding new and interesting thing to watch.  Some time ago I found several documentaries about health that I deserve sharing.  In this first review, I will discuss 'Forks Over Knives'.
    Released in 2011, 'Forks Over Knives' focuses on the research of two doctors; Dr. Colin Campbell and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn.  These two doctors independently came to the same conclusion regarding health.  The best way to avoid or even treat deadly diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and even cancer is through a whole foods plant based diet.
    Dr. Campbell came to this conclusion through his research.  While working in the Philippines in the late 1960's, he noticed that there was a high rate of liver cancer among the children of affluent families but not poor families.  (Liver cancer is typically found in adults.)  Genetically they were the same, but the affluent families ate a lot of meat which the poor families could not afford.  He hypothesized that there could be a connection.  Then he found an article from a little known Indian medical journal about a study done on mice.  Researchers took two groups of mice.  They fed one group a diet of 20% animal protein and the second group a diet of 5% animal protein.  The group with 20% animal protein began developing tumors while the group with 5% animal protein did not.  Dr. Campbell was intrigued by this and replicated the experiment with the same results.  He also discovered that by switching the diet from 20% protein back to 5% protein he could halt the growth of the tumors.  When he tried the experiment with plant based protein he did not get the same result.  Later, in the 1980's Dr. Campbell along with Dr. Junshi Chen started the famous China Study, a comprehensive study of why some populations in China have a higher rate of cancer deaths than others.  After many years of work, they discovered that the areas which ate more meat developed more cancer.  He concluded from all this research that a whole foods plant based diet could prevent or perhaps even halt cancer.
    Dr. Esselstyn began his medical career as a surgeon specializing in breast cancer.  He eventually became head of the Breast Cancer Task Force at the Cleveland Clinic.  He became frustrated that while they treated the disease, they did little to prevent people from getting it in the first place.  He started researching breast cancer around the world and found some startling facts.  He found that in 1958 the number of prostate cancer deaths in the entire nation of Japan was 18 but 14,000 in the US.  And in Norway in 1939, the number of  deaths from heart attacks plummeted when the Nazis came and confiscated the live stock.  But when they left in 1945, and the Norwegians returned to a diet with more animal protein heart attacks rose again.  Dr Esselstyn wanted to study his theory.  Unable to do the study on breast cancer victims, he decided to focus on patients with heart disease.  He requested and was given 24 patients with coronary artery disease, however the patients he was given were even sicker than he imagined.  One woman was told by her doctor to basically go home and wait for death.  Many had failed their bypass operations.  Dr. Esselstyn had his patients eat a whole foods plant based diet.   Of the patients that stayed with the program, none had any further progression of heart disease and most showed evidence of reversal.
   This is a small sample of the information in this documentary.  After viewing it, my husband and I decided to give a whole foods plant based diet a try.  I will write more on that in the future.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
        Do you think you would try a whole foods plant based (vegan) diet a try?

Why I Stopped Couponing

     For those of us who live in the South East, today begins a very important week: Super Double Coupon Week at Harris Teeter stores.  If you are unfamiliar with Harris Teeter's coupon policy, Harris Teeter grocery stores will double coupons up to $.98 but on Super Double Coupon week they will double coupons up to $2.  This usually results in a frenzy to get the best deals before they are gone.  I know, I've been there.  You can get some items for very little money or sometimes even free.  For example if an item costs $4 and you have a $1.50 off coupon, you can purchase that item for $1.  If the item happens to be on sale that week it is even better.  Imagine the same $4 item is on sale for $3 that week.  After you double your coupon, you will get it for free.  I don't know about you, but I'm a big fan of free.  So why with all these savings available, am I not scouring sales papers in an effort to get free groceries?
     In my efforts to be more frugal, I started couponing about a year and a half ago.  And continued for several months.  In that time I came to several conclusions.
                    1. Couponing saves a lot of money
      Couponing is not for everyone, but many people find that it's a great way to feed their families for a reasonable price.  In fact, I recommend trying it for a while and seeing if it is for you.  The true savings is not in the coupon itself (often only a few cents off the price), but in pairing that coupon with sales and specials (such as double or triple coupon deals).  You could search the local advertisements yourself, or you could find one of numerous sites that match them for you.  For those in the South East I recommend Southern Savers, but there are other sites for different regions.  These sites often have excellent tutorials on how to get started.
                    2.  Most of the food coupons are for processed food and cleaning products
      If you didn't already know, I am on a quest to loose weight and keep it off (30 lbs so far).  I put a lot of research into the best way to accomplish this and one thing I've learned is to avoid processed foods whenever possible.  Most contain high fructose corn syrup and/or large amounts of salt.  They also often contain harmful chemicals.  I have decided to eat few if any of these foods and therefore many of my coupons are rendered obsolete.  As for cleaning products, they can indeed be useful, but I am trying to reduce the amount of chemicals in my home.  Most cleaning products are full of harmful chemicals.  Plus you can save nearly as much money by making your own.
                  3. Couponing takes time
     There are several methods of couponing.  Some cut out all the coupons and file them in a coupon filer or a binder.  Other's file the coupon flyers, use their favorite website to match the coupons for them and then cut out only the ones they plan on using.  I have tried both methods and they both take a significant amount of time.  Whether or not you can spend the time on this is up to your own schedule and priorities.

     Couponing is a great tool for saving money.  But for myself, the scarcity of coupons for healthy products, added with the significant amount of time involved led me to stop.  I may eventually go back, but for right now, I find other ways to save.  But that doesn't mean I won't check out coupons.com on occasion.  It is Super Double Coupon week after all.

Do you use coupons?