Hi all.

[pinto]

I've missed posting here. I read a bit at times but, obviously, haven't posted at all.

I have a food query -

My doc and I have set some dietary guidelines for me. I need to decrease saturated fats, primarily, for a number of reasons. Yet I have to maintain calorie intake. Actually, increase calorie intake.

We met last week and I am 10 pounds under weight. 128# is not good. I need to be 138#.

We've come up with an approach that seems workable. ->

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Basically a Mediterranean diet.

6 meals a day. (No problem, I've always done 4 small meals, as is.)

Use meat and pork as "flavoring" at most, not the basis of a meal.

Fish is all good.

Veggies and fruit are fine.

Rice is preferable to pasta.

The best cheese, large curd cottage.

Find a milk substitute.

Nix the butter.

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So, I'm not asking for med advice, obviously, but some ideas on basic menu items that pack a punch. My doc knows I won't maintain a "diet" 100%, :evilgrin: , yet I'm making some changes.

I've stocked up on lentils, Lima's, pintos, kidneys, black-eyed peas and rice.

> What's a good milk substitute? Soy? Rice? That would be a basic change for me.

> A lot of what I'm eating are beans and rice or some variation of. Could use some recipe ideas.

> Is there a substitute for a yogurt type product? Bing cherries are in, as are peaches. I love them with yogurt.

> How's Pita bread, with honey and nuts, roasted?

Any and all suggestions are welcomed. Thanks.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

1. My first thought is

salads. All kinds of salads, and I just saw this in today's NY Times: http://tinyurl.com/llxptp

This is certainly the season.

There is always Italian tuna, canned, packed in olive oil, and SO much better than the American version. Makes for a great salad Nicoise, or a pan bagnat. in the manner of Calvin Trillin:

Niçoise Tuna Sandwich (Pan Bagnat)

1/4 of white onion, thinly sliced
1/8 of a small red onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional for drizzling

1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar, plus additional to taste

1/4 teaspoon salt, plus additional to taste

black pepper to taste
1 6-ounce can tuna packed in olive oil, including olive oil
lemon juice to taste

2 kaiser rolls, plain
lettuce leaves, combination of Boston, green-leaf, or other green leafy lettuce
8 tomato slices
6-8 hard-boiled eggs slices
4 anchovy fillets, drained
Niçoise olives
scallions, chopped
radishes, sliced

Combine the red and white onion with 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil,1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and several grinds of black pepper in a bowl.

Using your hands, mix and squeeze everything together for 5 minutes. (Don't rush through this part; the onions need time to release their juices and mellow.)

Work in can of tuna in olive oil, including the oil. Season with fresh lemon juice, red-wine vinegar, and salt, then add pepper to taste.

Cut kaiser rolls in half crosswise and spread each bottom half with lettuce leaves. Use a couple of varieties—whatever looks good—for the difference in texture.

On top of each lettuce layer, arrange 4 tomato slices (skip this step if you don't have good—really good—tomatoes on hand).

Then add about half the tuna mixture and 3 to 4 slices of hard-boiled egg.

Crisscross each sandwich with 2 drained anchovy fillets and strew with Niçoise olives (pit them if desired), chopped scallion greens, and sliced radishes.

Then drizzle generously with more olive oil and top with the remaining kaiser halves, pressing gently but firmly.

There's always cold cooked shrimp, with a simple cocktail sauce, or any one of the wonderful Thai dipping sauces you can find in a Thai/Asian grocery store, if you have one nearby.

Check out Chinese vegetable recipes, since there's a whole cuisine there that you'll probably enjoy. The Chinese really didn't go for a whole lot of meat until the last couple of hundred years, so their vegetarian history is quite impressive.

This site looks like a good start, if you're interested: http://chinesefood.about.com/od/vegetarian/p/vegetarian.htm

Just eat the best of whatever you want, and enjoy it all. That's the most important part, isn't it? Enjoying it all?

I hope it goes well for you....................

[grasswire]

2. are you near a Trader Joe's?

TJ's fat free cottage cheese is really delicious. And their fat free greek yogurts are wonderful. You could probably get that at other natural foods stores, too. And there are plenty of soy yogurts.

Nuts are okay for you? I have a handful of almonds and a glass of non-fat milk every morning for breakfast. And don't forget the powers of blueberries, pomegranate juice, broccoli, tomatoes. Oh, and olive oil.

[ginnyinWI]

3. my first thought is whole grains and lots of them.

They are healthy but can provide too many calories for some people--but not you. Try things with bulgur, kasha, quinoa, oats and oat bran, as well as some good whole wheat breads, pita breads, and tortillas.

Best soy milk for me is Silk brand. I've come to prefer it to cow's milk on my cereal. You can get lower and higher fat versions, with or without added sugars.

Salmon is a high calorie fish with super-good-for-you fat in it. And you can have peanut butter and other oils to round out your meals.

[pinto]

4. Thanks all. Good ideas.

I've a TJ's and a Natural Foods store close by, as well as an older established co-op.

Looks like shopping habits are a piece of it, as well. :thumbsup:

[japple]

5. Almond milk is delicious. It has a very mild taste and is

similar in texture to cow's milk. I don't like the taste of cow's milk, but I love Almond Breeze, either natural flavor or vanilla. I tried soy milk and yougurt and they tasted great, but gave me ferocious lower intestinal gas--it was lethal.

[hippywife]

6. Be careful with selecting some of your substitutions.

The unheralded majority of soy products are made from GMO soy beans. Nearly all of it. That's why we've cut way down on soy products.

[Warpy]

8. Reputable health food companies test for GMO beans

and my beloved Boca Burgers were pulled several years ago because testing found GMO beans in them. They're back without the Frankenfood.

I steer clear of a lot of stuff in the supermarket, though, due to that reason.

[Warpy]

7. The milk substitute is easy

Just get a carton of rice, soy, or almond every week until you find the one you really like. I use powdered soy milk in baking and it works very well. I've also made my own "milk" from cashews or other nuts. There is also soy yogurt out there and it's not bad. However, if you're allowed large curd cottage cheese, I question why you're not allowed low fat yogurt. Soy Parmesan won't fool a gourmand, but the taste is close enough that it'll work on spaghetti.

As for packing on the pounds, visit the body builder section of the health food store. There are various powders there that promise to bulk you up and will, if you drink the smoothies between meals. They're all high in protein and low to moderate in unsaturated fat, just read the labels to avoid the higher fat ones. You can toss all sorts of seasonal fruits into the smoothies. Throw in some unsaturated oil for an extra calorie punch, but no more than a tablespoonful or it starts to taste weird.

Beans and rice can be given a lot of sparkle with salsas. They can also be mixed with veggies, breadcrumbs and an egg white and turned into loaves that can then be sliced for sandwiches or burgers for those pitas.

I still use butter but I use it so slowly I keep it in the freezer.

The pita bread idea sounds like a good one, but pita bread isn't superior to ordinary bread. The recipe is the same, only the shaping and baking are different.

It sounds like you're going on the diet I've naturally gravitated to.

[livetohike]

9. Hi pinto

:hi: Head over to the Vegetarian Forum too. There is a recipe thread at the top of the forum for some good ideas on meals.

I use Rice Dream for cereal and drink soy milk at other times. There is a soy substitute for yogurt and it's pretty good.

[kestrel91316]

10. Dried beans, whole grains, and olive oil got me 10 lb overweight, lol.

[mopinko]

11. two words

dark chocolate. ok, 2 more- with nuts.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

12. Since I just placed another lovely order

with them - and FREE SHIPPING, no less - I urge you to check out www.nutsonline.com.

Lots of goodies there that you could munch on, even in those times when you don't especially have much of an appetite................