Can vegetables taste good?
I am finding out the answer is: Yes!
Recently, with the Spring air and cheaper produce prices, we have been buying more veggies. Two weeks now, when we are at the grocery store in the produce section, I have paused to look around and ask, "What other veggies can I buy?" Wow, what a question!
We chose baby carrots, green cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, green peppers, yellow peppers, red peppers, orange peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, onion, lettuce, etc. I also chose a healthy veggie dip/dressing. The cauliflower and broccoli will be used for broccoli and cheese soup later this week. The lettuce will be combined with other veggies in a delicious salad. And the onion will be used for sauteing and other cooking. But most of the fresh veggies were chosen for munching on raw, fresh veggies.
We got home and unloaded groceries. I then began slicing and cleaning veggies to be placed into Ziploc bags. So handy to grab and go or snack on throughout the day. They are cleaned, portioned and ready to eat. Fresh and delicious!
I also prepare fruit bags. This week I prepped grapes and apples. The grapes were taken off the stems and washed, them put in bags. The apples were washed and sliced, then put in bags along with a lemon slice (to keep the slices fresh and not brown). Surprisingly, my kids loved the idea of eating these food from a bag rather than having a whole apple or a bunch of grapes. So, YAY! again.
The produce tastes fresh, clean, and vibrant, with a natural combination of sweet and sour. I am surprised, but I am actually liking it all. The mix of colors and flavors, look good and taste gourmet. Plus the health is high and the calories are low. The produce is satisfying and doesn't cause a sour or stuffed stomach feeling. Amazingly, I love it.
The test will be, can I eat this way for a long period of time without getting tired of the flavors? Can our budget continue to afford these items? What will change as the seasons change? Etc.
I'll keep you posted. But for right now, this seems to be a Great!
Showing posts with label Dieting Woes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dieting Woes. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Salads
Do you find salads boring?
Perhaps it is because I grew up in the Small Town Midwest, but for my growing up years I HATED salads. Every gathering needed food and each lunch or supper needed salad. The problem was, it was never salad. It was a bowl of lettuce and bottles of dressing on the side. Yep, usually iceberg lettuce and rich ranch dressing. (Or blue cheese, 1000 Island, French, Catalina, etc.) That is not a SALAD.
For me a real salad includes:
Oh, and since I am venting about how wrong salads can be, I should also add: I do not include potato salad, egg salad, noodle salad, etc. with my veggie salad. So for all those Salad Bar places that include: lettuce, cherry tomatoes, carrot sticks, potato salad, pasta salad, fake bacon bits, fat filled crouton crumbles, sliced peaches, watery cottage cheese and 5 fat filled dressings. These salad bars are not satisfactory. They are filled with "Yuck!"
I much prefer salad bars filled with lots of fresh colorful veggies that are cut properly, so you can actually mix a nice salad and have nutritious flavor in every bite.
Anybody agree?
Perhaps it is because I grew up in the Small Town Midwest, but for my growing up years I HATED salads. Every gathering needed food and each lunch or supper needed salad. The problem was, it was never salad. It was a bowl of lettuce and bottles of dressing on the side. Yep, usually iceberg lettuce and rich ranch dressing. (Or blue cheese, 1000 Island, French, Catalina, etc.) That is not a SALAD.
For me a real salad includes:
- Fresh Green Lettuce
- Chopped Tomatoes
- Diced Green Pepper
- Grated Carrots
- Grated Cabbage
- Chopped Green Cucumber
- Black Olives
- Perhaps Red Peppers, Orange Peppers, Yellow Peppers, etc.
- Maybe diced hard boiled eggs or diced ham and turkey
- Shredded Cheese
- Etc.
Oh, and since I am venting about how wrong salads can be, I should also add: I do not include potato salad, egg salad, noodle salad, etc. with my veggie salad. So for all those Salad Bar places that include: lettuce, cherry tomatoes, carrot sticks, potato salad, pasta salad, fake bacon bits, fat filled crouton crumbles, sliced peaches, watery cottage cheese and 5 fat filled dressings. These salad bars are not satisfactory. They are filled with "Yuck!"
I much prefer salad bars filled with lots of fresh colorful veggies that are cut properly, so you can actually mix a nice salad and have nutritious flavor in every bite.
Anybody agree?
Friday, March 5, 2010
Diabetes
Well, with the possibility that I have diabetes and the fact that I don't have health insurance, I have been searching for alternate techniques of treatment. I did a number of online searches about diabetes and have discovered a few key things.
My trouble currently is: I have been trying to lose weight and become healthy for months actually years. So I am very concerned that I will not be able to make changes to my life to reverse this disease for the very same reasons I have been unable to lose weight in the past. But, maybe I am just being fearful. I guess time will tell.
- Diabetes is very much dependent upon lifestyle choices.
- With healthy eating, regular exercise, and other healthy living habits, diabetes can be controlled and even reversed.
- Cinnamon is a natural item that acts in the body like insulin.
- Cayenne Fruit/Pepper can also help Diabetes (though I need to be careful with it since I also have GERD.)
- I will still need to be tested and have regular Dr. appointments.
- But I am learning as much as I can about what I can do to reverse this condition.
My trouble currently is: I have been trying to lose weight and become healthy for months actually years. So I am very concerned that I will not be able to make changes to my life to reverse this disease for the very same reasons I have been unable to lose weight in the past. But, maybe I am just being fearful. I guess time will tell.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Addictions
We know there are real addictions that exist throughout the world. People can rally around the addiction to alcohol and recognize how it effects the addict and his/her family members. People openly say cigarettes and tobacco are addictive and hazardous to health. And the world recognizes that second hand smoke is unhealthy too, which means everyone in a breathing radius of a smoking person is being effected by the addiction. What about other addictions? Is there such a thing as a food addiction? I believe there is. I believe a person can become emotionally dependant on the comfort of food.
So the problem becomes, how to break the addiction in order to live a healthy life? A person addicted to alcohol needs to stop drinking alcoholic beverages. He/she still drinks water, milk, juice, etc. Just not alcohol.
A person addicted to tobacco needs to stop smoking or chewing tobacco. He/she may chew gum or wear a medicated patch to help replace the addiction. But the main concept holds true, he/she must stop doing the addictive behavior.
So what does a food addict stop? We must continue eating in order to live. Right? The answer, I'm told, is to find healthy substitutes. So really a person must give up junk food and only eat healthy food for the rest of his/her life. And just like other addictions, it is easier said than done.
Here is my issue, not only does the addict need to stop the cravings and bad habits, not only does he/she need to find the cause of the addiction and resolve what led to the addiction in the first place, the addict must also deal with other people and their opinions and behaviors towards the addiction.
Society and the people around us understand how a recovering alcoholic must stay away from alcoholic beverages and bend over backwards to help on that journey. A host who normally chooses to drink responsibly will go to the trouble of removing all alcohol from the premises prior to inviting a recovering alcoholic over to visit. Thank you! That is called being kind, courteous and compassionate.
Smoking has been recognized by the government as being so unhealthy it is banned from public places. Thank you! A recovering smoker can walk freely into public places without being terrorized by temptation.
Yet, when faced with a junk food addiction, what do people do? They criticize. They tempt. They offer no alternatives or understanding. Food is everywhere (churches, stores, restaurants, friends house, theater, sports events, etc.) Now if it were fruit and veggie platters, I wouldn't mind one bit. YAY! I love food. And if someone wants to provide Subway sandwiches without the dressings, etc. YAY! You have my blessing to do that. Unfortunately, most of the food placed before me is bad for me. And I'll add, it is bad for everyone else too.
Who says there must be a dessert table at every potluck? Who decides that all the food at the main table will be caked with grease and cheese? Why do people think if you put iceberg lettuce in a bowl and have a thick mayonnaise sauce next to it, you can call it a salad? And does that salad amount to all the health offered at the event? Ugh!
I submit to you that a junk food addict, and most of the people could fall into this category, needs to give up all junk food forever and be supported by those around him/her to not be tempted.
I recognize this is hard for a few reasons:
1. most people don't really know what health food is. So let me make it easy, if it is a raw fruit or vegetable with bright and vibrant color, you are safe. If you want added flavor, put the sauce on the side. Please do not add butter or cheese or salt, etc.
2. most people don't want to be confronted with the fact that they are unhealthy and could be considered a junk food addict too. Okay, I sympathize. And yet, wouldn't it be heavenly to be able to go to a church potluck and only have healthy foods on the table? Wheat pasta with homemade spaghetti sauce. Fresh homemade soup with real meat and fresh veggies. Sandwiches with no salt lean meat and fresh cut veggies topped with a light vinaigrette. Yum! Honestly, when people bring fresh fruits and veggies to a potluck, those items are the first to be eaten. It tastes good and it is a no-guilt food. Mothers will crowd around a veggie tray trying to find something their child will eat, because we know it is healthy. Why not make everything healthy?
3. most people enjoy junk food and want the freedom to eat as they please. Okay, I get it. No one wants to be told that what they choose is wrong. But please do not subject me to your justification. I don't want to be told that I am wrong to give up junk food, when we all know it is the right choice. I don't want to be told "oh, it won't hurt to have one piece of cake. it is a birthday party." Well, some people drink and smoke at parties, do we tell the other addicts to cheat too. If so, I am so sorry for them, cause it is wrong.
And eating out, ugh! I would welcome going to a fast food restaurant and seeing truly healthy items on the menu. I would welcome Subway to have a drive through line or a family playground inside. If McD's can have a playground, why not Subway? I would love if the food offered at Panera Bread was more family friendly and more accessible.
If only our churches, families and friends could realize how much food is an addiction and make efforts to help us all. Our country is struggling with issues that we caused ourselves. Now we, as a people, must fix the problems and help each other through the consequences.
So the problem becomes, how to break the addiction in order to live a healthy life? A person addicted to alcohol needs to stop drinking alcoholic beverages. He/she still drinks water, milk, juice, etc. Just not alcohol.
A person addicted to tobacco needs to stop smoking or chewing tobacco. He/she may chew gum or wear a medicated patch to help replace the addiction. But the main concept holds true, he/she must stop doing the addictive behavior.
So what does a food addict stop? We must continue eating in order to live. Right? The answer, I'm told, is to find healthy substitutes. So really a person must give up junk food and only eat healthy food for the rest of his/her life. And just like other addictions, it is easier said than done.
Here is my issue, not only does the addict need to stop the cravings and bad habits, not only does he/she need to find the cause of the addiction and resolve what led to the addiction in the first place, the addict must also deal with other people and their opinions and behaviors towards the addiction.
Society and the people around us understand how a recovering alcoholic must stay away from alcoholic beverages and bend over backwards to help on that journey. A host who normally chooses to drink responsibly will go to the trouble of removing all alcohol from the premises prior to inviting a recovering alcoholic over to visit. Thank you! That is called being kind, courteous and compassionate.
Smoking has been recognized by the government as being so unhealthy it is banned from public places. Thank you! A recovering smoker can walk freely into public places without being terrorized by temptation.
Yet, when faced with a junk food addiction, what do people do? They criticize. They tempt. They offer no alternatives or understanding. Food is everywhere (churches, stores, restaurants, friends house, theater, sports events, etc.) Now if it were fruit and veggie platters, I wouldn't mind one bit. YAY! I love food. And if someone wants to provide Subway sandwiches without the dressings, etc. YAY! You have my blessing to do that. Unfortunately, most of the food placed before me is bad for me. And I'll add, it is bad for everyone else too.
Who says there must be a dessert table at every potluck? Who decides that all the food at the main table will be caked with grease and cheese? Why do people think if you put iceberg lettuce in a bowl and have a thick mayonnaise sauce next to it, you can call it a salad? And does that salad amount to all the health offered at the event? Ugh!
I submit to you that a junk food addict, and most of the people could fall into this category, needs to give up all junk food forever and be supported by those around him/her to not be tempted.
I recognize this is hard for a few reasons:
1. most people don't really know what health food is. So let me make it easy, if it is a raw fruit or vegetable with bright and vibrant color, you are safe. If you want added flavor, put the sauce on the side. Please do not add butter or cheese or salt, etc.
2. most people don't want to be confronted with the fact that they are unhealthy and could be considered a junk food addict too. Okay, I sympathize. And yet, wouldn't it be heavenly to be able to go to a church potluck and only have healthy foods on the table? Wheat pasta with homemade spaghetti sauce. Fresh homemade soup with real meat and fresh veggies. Sandwiches with no salt lean meat and fresh cut veggies topped with a light vinaigrette. Yum! Honestly, when people bring fresh fruits and veggies to a potluck, those items are the first to be eaten. It tastes good and it is a no-guilt food. Mothers will crowd around a veggie tray trying to find something their child will eat, because we know it is healthy. Why not make everything healthy?
3. most people enjoy junk food and want the freedom to eat as they please. Okay, I get it. No one wants to be told that what they choose is wrong. But please do not subject me to your justification. I don't want to be told that I am wrong to give up junk food, when we all know it is the right choice. I don't want to be told "oh, it won't hurt to have one piece of cake. it is a birthday party." Well, some people drink and smoke at parties, do we tell the other addicts to cheat too. If so, I am so sorry for them, cause it is wrong.
And eating out, ugh! I would welcome going to a fast food restaurant and seeing truly healthy items on the menu. I would welcome Subway to have a drive through line or a family playground inside. If McD's can have a playground, why not Subway? I would love if the food offered at Panera Bread was more family friendly and more accessible.
If only our churches, families and friends could realize how much food is an addiction and make efforts to help us all. Our country is struggling with issues that we caused ourselves. Now we, as a people, must fix the problems and help each other through the consequences.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Journey Twists and Turns
Well, I haven't posted in a while, sorry to say. My journey has taken another turn in the road. My family has decided to switch to a gluten free lifestyle. I had no idea how many food products contain gluten.
If you are not aware of what gluten is: it is a part of most grains. Wheat, Oats, some Barley, etc. Therefore it is in flour. Most every kind of flour. So any product containing flour has gluten. Or it is made with a gluten free flour like rice flour or corn flour and it just doesn't taste quite the same.
A loaf of white bread in my local grocery store is $1.19. A Loaf of gluten free white bread which is half the size of the regular loaf costs $6.00. So at the same time as going gluten free we are also switching to low carb.
Plus, as I struggle with all the dieting options I have realized there are certain things all diets agree with:
Therefore, while switching to a gluten free lifestyle, I am also focusing on following these other rules, too.
How is your journey going?
If you are not aware of what gluten is: it is a part of most grains. Wheat, Oats, some Barley, etc. Therefore it is in flour. Most every kind of flour. So any product containing flour has gluten. Or it is made with a gluten free flour like rice flour or corn flour and it just doesn't taste quite the same.
A loaf of white bread in my local grocery store is $1.19. A Loaf of gluten free white bread which is half the size of the regular loaf costs $6.00. So at the same time as going gluten free we are also switching to low carb.
Plus, as I struggle with all the dieting options I have realized there are certain things all diets agree with:
- drink lots of water
- eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables
- raw produce is better than canned or frozen
- monitor how many carbs and how many proteins are consumed each day
- have a food log/journal
- eat a variety of colors of produce (i.e. green lettuce, orange carrots, red tomatoes, etc.)
- get some form of exercise
- get regular and restful sleep
- be cautious of portion size
- don't eat lots of oils, salts, and sugars
- etc.
Therefore, while switching to a gluten free lifestyle, I am also focusing on following these other rules, too.
How is your journey going?
Monday, September 21, 2009
Options
There are many different options for weight loss and trying to become healthy. Each option has positives and negatives. Each option has people voting for it and people voting against it. How is a person supposed to decide between the options?
Various Weight Loss Options
Various Weight Loss Options
- Jenny Craig
- Weight Watchers
- South Beach Diet
- Slim Fast shakes
- Herbal Life
- Hollywood Diet plans
- Hollywood Stars tips to success
- Biggest Loser books, DVDs, etc.
- Weight loss cook books
- Weight Loss shakes or "candy"bars
- etc.
- Apple Cider Vinegar drink
- Colon Cleansing
- Parasite Cleansing
- Fasting regularly
- Raw Food plans
- Low Carbohydrate Menu
- High Protein Menu
- Low sugar
- No artificial
- No gluten
- No animal products
- Vegetarian
- etc.
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