breakthrough for me. potentially good for all.
I had planned to start switching to a more vegetarian diet, if not totally vegan, this summer. To date, it hasn't happened and I've been feeling crappier and crappier, both due to poor diet and guilt. Old habits die hard.
Last night I tried to tune into the sole teevee program I regularly attempt to watch: forget the title but it's PBS surgeon with fear of blood turned GP in tiny seaside village. Brit comedy.
Anyway, it wasn't on. Instead, it's the fund raising season. So I went back to whatever it was I was doing, with the 60s music in the background. Then headed to bed, but instead of turning off the teevee, left it on.
When a new program launched its debut: Dr. Joel Fuhrman on nutrition. He's fabulous, has a whole new food pyramid and has demonstrated time and again the ability to heal all kinds of ailments by nutrition alone. No starvation diets -- you eat as much as you want of certain food groups and reduce others. In the process, you lose constant hunger (what he calls "toxic hunger"
caused by typical American processed diet.
So this morning was rainy and foggy and I'm glad. It gave me a chance to clean out my fridge again and get started on my new food. I already had enough ingredients in my fridge and garden to get started. That gave me time to think about the couple of sample recipes on his website -- they are mostly too complex with so many ingredients it would cost a fortune all at once. But I realized I don't need to go whole hog. Just work with what I've got, and re-think my food shopping list for today.
So instead of thinking "breakfast is the most important meal" and overeating like I've been doing the past week (and feeling shittier daily), I started with a couple handfuls of cherries. Then had half a little musk melon from my garden. Plus my usual heavily diluted oj.
I felt so much better this morning I was going to go do some yoga, but instead I started on my next task. While cleaning the fridge, I saw I have quinoa, so I made a batch of quinoa, and while it was cooking, stole a carrot from Dahli and grated it finely, added half a minced onion, added steamed and mushed summer squash, added minced greens from my garden including micro mix (with mustard greens, kale and other stuff), sorrel (perennial gives a lovely lemony zing), and greek oregano. Also some pepper and some veggie broth powder. Mashed it all together, sauteed the patties in canola oil and voila!
Quinoa cakes for lunch! I already feel so much better physically. Too much to do; too little time!
Anyway, for anybody determined to improve their health, from weight to allergies to cancer prevention, to diabetes (he has even had patients with Type 1 diabetes cut their insulin by more than half and improve their sugar swings and overall health), here is the web site: drfurhman.com.
His food pyramid and food plate have:
40-60 % calories from veggies except white potatoes (half raw/half cooked) at the bottom, then
10-40% calories fruits, beans and legumes, then
10-40% calories seeds, nuts, avocados, then
<=20% calories whole grains, potatoes
poultry, eggs, fish, fat free dairy, oils are at next on the pyramid, with beef, cheese, sweets and processed foods at the top. On his food plate, they are combined <10% of the diet. The goal for beef, cheese etc. is 2 servings per week.
Gotta run. Too much to do. Too little time.
= new reply since forum marked as read
She's been vegetarian her entire life (19 years), and I've been vegetarian for about 25 years., though not necessarily always a healthy vegetarian.
Making use of what we are growing and what we can get most economically, and locally, we've had green smoothies nearly every day and have eaten not only vegan, but strictly whole foods. Nothing processed. (She's been uber strict; I admit, I've cheated periodically...lol.)
A book I read back in the 80's is what set me on the healthier path after a gallbladder attack: Fit for Life.
We put the basics I learned way back then to use, including eating fruit only on an empty stomach and not with other food groups, and not drinking much while eating. Digestion is a huge aspect of our health, and not only do the processed foods interfere with that but other bad habits do as well. Giving our bodies time to digest and eliminate is really important.
I could eat brown rice and cabbage w/miso nearly every day. I may do just that when she goes back to school (she prefers more variety; I'm fine with repetition). I can't say I feel great yet, mainly due to extreme stress, but undoubtedly this diet has helped me cope with the stress better, and I'm losing weight, which is great.
Good on you, magical thyme. Glad you feel better!!! 