Goodbye Animal Based Diet…Hello Plant Based Diet!
http://www.hulu.com/watch/279734/forks-over-knives
I just discovered this documentary that advocates a plant based diet. Very interesting!!
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I really enjoyed this article, it explains the differences between a plant based diet and a vegan diet. My sister said that we are eating a vegan diet, but I disagreed because there are so many vegan things we don’t eat. We are eating a plant based diet! I had never cooked tofu. I had eaten eat only twice that I can remember. So, I decided to try to cook it, and I thought a stir-fry might be the best way to start. I started looking for recipes, most of which I did not have ingredients for or were not allowed on my plan. I finally gave up and just decided to try it without a recipe. I opened it, poured off the water and pressed it with paper towels to dry it. I then cut it into cubes, and added it to my veggies. It was much easier than chicken to cook! And, the hubby even said he would like to have it again. But, what shocked me the most was my picky son. He won’t eat eggs, macaroni and cheese and many other things. But, he will drink his veggie juice and eat his fruits and raw veggies. So, I can’t complain. He still asks for chicken nuggets. So, when he saw the Tofu “chicken” in the stir-fry he decided to try it. He then asked if he could have mine! We were very surprised to see he cleaned his plate, veggies and all! I will definitely be cooking more Tofu.
This is a picture of my copy of Dr. Fuhrman’s book, Eat to Live. The cover states, “Lose 20 lbs. or more in 6 weeks.” I have lost three pounds this week! I have not finished reading the entire book, but I am very encouraged that this is the best thing I could be doing right now. It is so very different from anything I have ever done. But, it makes so much sense. It focuses on nutrition, not calories. I am eating better than I ever have in my entire life! And, my kids are getting foods packed with nutrients. We have been eating Old Fashioned Rolled Oats, instead of Quick Cooking Oats for quite a while now. But, just recently we decided to try Steel Cut Oats. I noticed they were a little more pricey at the grocery store. So, I decided to buy them in bulk, and they were a much better deal! I included a picture of the label with the price. I like to store them in a glass jar with a bpa free plastic lid. It makes it easy to measure out the servings. My kids love oatmeal, but they were not sure about the Steel Cut Oats. They do look a little different, but they are so much better. Once they tried them, they have asked for that kind every time. They love adding their own toppings. Are Steel Cut Oats better than Rolled Oats? They are nutritionally pretty much equal. Rolled Oats have just been rolled flat, so they cook a little quicker. It does take 30 minutes to cook the Steel Cut Oats. But, there are options for those who are limited on time. You can cook your oats at night, store them in a glass container and simply reheat in the morning. Or you can cook several portions at once and reheat as needed through the week. You can also cook them in a crockpot on low, and have them hot and ready when you wake up. We are following Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s Eat to Live program, and he suggest adding walnuts and fruit to your oatmeal. This morning I added vanilla, cinnamon, walnuts, blueberries, bananas (yes bananas – no other diet I have been on has allowed them!) and strawberries. I sweeten the kids and hubby’s with maple syrup, and I use stevia to sweeten mine. I felt like I had a gourmet breakfast. Everything just tastes so good after the juice fast. After watching the documentary, “Fat Sick and Nearly Dead” by Joe Cross, I was inspired to do my own Juice Fast! I wanted to do 60 days just like Joe did in the film. I have been juicing for over a year now, but I still had weight I wanted to lose. And, I wanted to detox after having knee surgery. I also wanted to relieve inflammation in my joints, and find a way to walk without pain. I completed 14 days and lost 14 pounds. On day 15, I began eating salads and cooked veggies. I am now able to walk on treadmill without pain, and my distance is slowly increasing. My knee does not hurt at night in bed, and that allows me to sleep so much better. I do feel that my overall health is improving, and I still highly value juicing. I am going to continue drinking juice daily. I also began researching Dr. Joel Fuhrman, the physician that is shown in the documentary. He is author of “Eat to Live.” I have yet to read the book, but plan to do so in the next couple of weeks. I have watched several videos in which he discusses juicing and eating a meatless diet. We have decided to also eliminate meat from our diet. We were not really big meat eaters, so this is not a major change for us. But, we are trying to eat more veggies. I have begun couponing, and it’s amazing the amount of processed foods that have crept in over the past year. I am once again commited to not allowing that to happen and to not let my family consume those dead foods. My husband is on day three of his juice fast. I can’t wait to see how long he is able to fast. I am so thankful for his support and encouragement! I am also thankful for my mom and sister who did the juice fast with me. I would not have made it 14 days without them! And, I encourage everyone to begin Juicing!!! It has been over a year since we made over our eating habits. I found out that I was a little smaller, but not the drastic change I was hoping for. So, I made another change….I joined Weight Watchers. I am actually a lifetime member of Weight Watchers, from my high school years. They have changed their program a few times, and I have tried going back over the years. But, the programs were never quite like the “old” program. However, this new Points Plus is closer to that program. It’s very flexible and easy to adapt to our eating habits. I love that raw fruits are zero points! And, most vegetables are zero points. I have found that I reach for an orange or apple over a bowl of cereal. So, I am definitely making healthier choices. I know that a bowl of cereal is not necessarily an unhealthy choice, but it is 7 points versus 0 for a fruit! And, I like the results! I had lost 7.2 pounds at the first weigh in. Of course this is not due to diet alone! For my birthday, my wonderful husband bought me a treadmill. Yes, I asked for a treadmill, and was very thankful to get one. I have found that the best workout program for me is one that is right here in my own home. My treadmill is right next to my bed. And, I have found I actually look forward to spending time on it. It’s MY TIME…I get to close the door, watch a show that I enjoy (on Hulu) and just walk. I started out with ten minutes. But, I am up to an hour now. And, I can’t wait to get up to two hours! I can eat 1100 calories and still not lose weight. I have learned that I HAVE to exercise! When I first started walking, my knees gave me so much trouble I was not sure if I could do it. But, within a week my knee pain was gone and has not returned! That’s enough about me….let’s talk about the changes I have seen in my family this year. This is the best part! My kids have great appetites, and they eat fresh fruit and veggies! My son asks for our fresh veggie juice! My daughter, doesn’t ask for it but she will drink it. My husband has stopped drinking sodas! We both drink herb teas and water. He also has fruit juices, with the kids. And, we do not eat out very often at all! We have cut out all artificial sweeteners. I use only pure stevia extract, and my kids love it (they call it sugar!) Hubby still uses honey and agave. He says he doesn’t like the taste of stevia, but I keep encouraging him to use a little in his tea to get him used to it. Overall, it’s a been a great year, and I can’t wait to see what the next one brings! We have been buying local blackberries from Flat Top Mountain Farm, and they are soooo good! I have been working on my blackberry cobbler recipe, and my husband Russ tells me that I have perfected it. Tonight we decided to try something new, and made a Four Fruit Cobbler. I used the yummy blackberries, some organic raspberries, the blueberries from our garden and fresh Georgia peaches. This cobbler could not be easier to make, and it goes great with homemade Honey Vanilla icecream!
Fruit Cobbler Add fresh fruit to the bottom of your casserole dish, enough to cover the bottom. If you prefer a sweeter cobbler, you can drizzle honey or sprinkle Stevia over your fruit. Mix the topping, with 1 cup of Unbleached Flour, 1/2 stick of butter, 1 Tablespoon of Baking Powder and enough cream to make it a smooth batter. Pour over the fruit and top with little bits of butter. I also sprinkled a little stevia over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.
Lacy turned five years old on Friday, so I got to try a new recipe for cupcakes for her. I used the book “Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World.” I chose the Simple Vanilla and Agave Nectar Cupcakes and the Thick Chocolate Fudgey Frosting. Both are sweetened with Agave Nectar. If I make this recipe again, I will omit the almond extract from the cupcakes. The flavor was a little too strong. |
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