Over the holidays John was really interested in eating more healthy. David and his family were here and David was telling his Dad about the vita mix. John was real impressed so he purchased one for Christmas. It has been real nice in the fact that we can put our vegetables and fruits together to make some real fun concoctions that are healthy and tasty at the same time. I seem to have a hard time eating a lot of raw vegetables so this makes it nice.
We also watched Forks over Knives which is a documentary about the animal fat and protein in the standard American diet. It was very interesting. John has also purchased the book by Dr. Esselstyn " Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease" Since already having a heart attack and history of family problems thought this book would help to learn better ways of eating. It basically is a plant based diet. No animal fat or protein. It has taken a while for me to even consider this type of eating but have found that it hasn't been so bad. Of course I am not perfect at it and probably won't be, but have found that I don't have to count my calories and I don't have to worry about how much to eat, you just eat and when you are full you stop. I have found that my sugar cravings have gone away and I feel satisfied for a longer period of time. This is just the beginning for me of a long journey to change a whole lifestyle of many years.
I think one of the key things for me is to have foods made ahead that I can have ready to eat when I am hungry, so I don't revert back to a choice of calorie dense foods. Also to get the junk out of the house that will tempt me. the good thing right now is that our kids want to be healthy also so they are on board with it. Lindsay and Makayla still have their sweet tooth cravings and occasionally will make a naughty treat but for the most part we have support. If any of you have a great recipe that you are willing to share that doesn't have animal protein or fat please let me know . I think that will be the hardest part of the journey, to come up with healthy foods that taste delicious.
Happy Easter 2014
10 years ago
yay for you guys! That's great news! We love our Vitamix. Best investment ever! David is so adamant that we get our green drink ever morning. He even makes them for us. There is a really good book that we got for Christmas called Original Fast Foods. It's got some really great recipes in there that taste really good. Can't wait to hear more about it! Love you!
ReplyDeleteLiz, funny that you mention the original fast foods book,because I have had that book for 4 years and did nothing with it. Real smart huh? I did try a recipe that used egg plant (enchilada I think), I really didn't care for it. I didn't have a jalapeno so for the white sauce so I used green chili instead. I don't know why they call it white sauce? when you mix cilantro in it it turns green. Was rather bland and sweet. I will try others also. I have been making a lot of soups, vegetable, and minestrone have gone over well. I also have been making my whole wheat bread without oil, I cannot even tell a difference. This definitely is a learning process. I never thought I would be a vegan. Not because I don't love meat.
DeleteThere's an oriental salad in there that is super yummy. Instead of whole wheat pasta, we wrap it in a whole wheat tortilla. Also, I have a Thai soup that I like to make. It's on my Pinterest Board titled Healthified. It's a sweet potato soup. I don't know if that goes along with everything you are trying to cut out, but you could check the recipe and see. Also, we have been loving Quinoa! We get it in bulk at Winco. We have tried recipes that have failed too. Not all taste good. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm so happy to hear you guys are doing this!! It's hard when you get started, but I noticed a difference in how I felt and in how clear things began to be. Not sure the science behind it all but it really made a difference for me. I'm so glad you're both on board. My philosophy is, eat healthy most of the time and then really enjoy the little bit of whatever I want to eat. For me, I enjoy our date nights and eating whatever on the weekend because I know I'm doing well during the week. I definitely have sugar cravings but yummy treats are now the exception, not the rule. I really do feel much better. My favorite drink is a banana, apple, orange, 2 handfuls of spinach, handful of broccoli, and whatever else might be around like carrots or nuts of some kind. If you want it a little sweeter because there's too much veggie flavor add some blueberries. They do wonders for making it taste better. I fill it up to the top (and even pack it down) and then add water to about an inch or 2 from the top. I also like to add avocados if we have them. They do a great job of making the drink smooth without all the air and I like the flavor. I love how the drinks taste so earthy and fresh and I can really get my hard-to-eat vegetables that way. You guys are so awesome, I'm so happy for you. Keep up the good work!!!! We’re all adding years of camping, trips, holidays, learning, and relaxing to our lives!
ReplyDeleteQuinoa is really good! I make mine with vegetables mixed in it. It is yummy! You can buy it at Costco also.
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