Cold Turkey

As I've wavered in my resolve to avoid things that I know are bad for me, I've definitely discovered that I have next to no willpower when it comes to sweets. Especially chocolate and very especially chocolate ice cream. I've tried to eat them in moderation, but just can't seem to. I have a bite of something sweet and suddenly I'm craving, and indulging in, more. So, back to avoiding refined sugars again. It wasn't that hard before, and I just need to stick with it.

Tonight for dinner we had the Hearty Vegetarian Stew from the Weight Watchers Turn Around cookbook. This is one of our old favorites: it's so easy and delicious. It's #19 here.

From Drop Box

I paired it, sort of randomly, with a curried quinoa from the Moosewood cookbook.
Very easy to make, and quite tasty. The second Jeremy tried it, he said it reminded him of biryani, and I agree!

From Drop Box

Sneaky, sneaky!

Running has been a large part of my life for the last two years, ever since a friend asked me to join a relay race team. I never thought I'd be a runner, but I find so much enjoyment in pushing myself and doing new things. I also find it very relaxing and a great way to relieve stress. One major reason I'm doing this eating overhaul is to improve my running, and I'm finding that it's working! Ever since I started eating this way, I've been getting faster and feeling so much better while running. Of course, that's not the only cause, but it certainly helps!

Today we were at a 5k race, and they had quite a spread at the finish line: carrots, apple slices, 100% fruit juice, yogurt, water... it was great. And then, there was this cookie. I won't name it, but it has the word 'power' in the title and says it's "naturally flavored." Right. Here's the ingredient list:

Rolled oats
Rice flour
Corn syrup
Maltodextrin
Sugar
Water
Dextrose
Fractionated palm kernel oil
Soybean oil
Fructose
High fructose corn syrup
Nonfat milk
Flax seed
Honey
High maltose corn syrup
Brown sugar
Rice bran
Nonfat yogurt powder (cultured nonfat milk)
Natural flavor (what could that possibly be?
Cinnamon
Salt
Calcium carbonate
Soy lecithin
Titanium dioxide (added for color)
Ferric orthophosphate
Niacinamide
Thiamine mononitrate
Riboflavin

What a list for a 1.76 oz. cookie, huh? Especially one that's supposed to be marketed for atheletes! Notice the bolded words? All EIGHT of those are kinds of sugar! That little cookie has 3 teaspoons in it! It'll give you energy for sure, but then you'll crash and burn in an hour. How sneaky of them to pack the cookie with all that sugar! Most people today picked it up, didn't even think to look at it and just wolfed it down. No more of that for me!

Tonight's dinner was Orecchiette with Turkey Sausage and Broccoli Rabe. I couldn't find the exact recipe, which I got from Food Matters, but this is close enough. I added just a few sun-dried tomatoes and put in much more broccoli rabe. On the side, we made some green garbanzo beans that we found at Costco. We just put a little olive oil, sea salt, and garlic, and microwaved it for 2 minutes. Totally easy dinner and very yummy!

One Month Ago Today...

... I got a wild hair after seeing Jamie Oliver's TED talk and Food Revolution and embarked on this journey to revolutionize the way we eat. It feels like so long ago and yet not. We've come a long way together!

What hasn't surprised me at all:
-I've been totally grossed out and distressed by many of the things I've read. Reading about this subject is much like watching Hoarders for me: it makes me all twitchy.
-The food is all delicious.
-Lauren won't eat it.
-It does cost more to eat this way.
-I've found it a little difficult to eat out.

What has been surprising:
-How accessible organic food is, especially with all the local CSAs.
-It doesn't cost THAT much more to eat this way.
-I haven't had to spend much more time in food prep.
-How quickly I began thinking about going full vegetarian.
-Just how delicious the food is.
-How willing Jeremy has been to go along with all of this, especially in regards to eating less meat.
-How interesting and enjoyable I find all of this.
-Just how many resources are out there, both in books and on the web.
-Just how good I feel. My running is going great: I've been running faster with much more ease. I haven't been overly tired at all and just feel great all day. I've lost about three pounds without even trying. Anything I've given up has been totally worth it and I don't crave most things any more. I'm ready to keep going!

I have a lot more reading and learning to do, and I hope you'll join me!

Tonight's dinner was absolutely delicious! I made the Pan-Cooked Grated Vegetables and Crispy Fish from Food Matters by Mark Bittman. Somehow, I had a reading comprehension fail and didn't see that I was supposed to grate the vegetables. Instead, I cut them into bite-sized chunks, using sweet potatoes, red-skin potatoes, purple-topped turnips, scallions, and a few left-over mushrooms. I just added more ginger and curry powder and it turned out great. I think the trick for that might have been adding a few golden raisins for that little tast of sweetness. I served the fish (I used tilapia) over the veggies and had some asparagus on the side. It was amazing! I would definitely eat this again. And again and again.

Carb Week!

No, I don't get to eat lot of them, though that would be fun.

Last night, I read the next week's chapter out of The Great American Detox Diet and found that this week is about carbs. I was actually excited about this, as I don't know much about carbs, besides hearing that they're bad for you and then that they're good for you and then bad for you again.

Basically, carbs aren't the enemy as long as you're eating the right ones. Same with fat, actually. It comes down to refined and unrefined carbs. Unrefined carbs are those that have not been processed down, so it's your whole wheat pastas and flours and brown rice. Your body takes longer to process these, giving you a steady stream of energy throughout the day. This is the opposite from refined carbs, like white flour, pasta and rice. Those go into your system and process much more quickly, giving you a quicker high of energy but then also a faster dip. Unrefined carbs also help you feel fuller longer, so you don't feel tempted to snack.

So what did I go out and eat today? Sushi with white rice. You can't win them all.

I will, however, be working to include more complex carbohydrates in my diet. The tally so far: more water, less sugar, less caffeine, more healthy fats and fewer bad ones, and more unrefined carbs. Check, check, check. I think I can handle this.

Observations from the guinea pig: Three of the six pounds I had gained were already gone this morning. I knew it was mostly water but was still disturbed. I'll be interested to see how long it takes the other to go away.

Tonight's dinner was a Chicken Not-Pie from Food Matters. It was decent. I think I'd need to tweak it a bit. I served it over some whole-wheat pasta, so the whole thing was a little bland. It also had a little too much chicken and I had cut my veggies too big. Live and learn. I definitely will try making it again.

Experiment Failed

Given that this is my pre-birthday weekend, I've indulged a little bit in the good ol' Standard American Diet. Fat, sugar, salt, caffeine... you name it, I've had it. I was feeling a little cocky yesterday, thinking that going back to the old ways hadn't really affected my body.

Not so much today. Last night, I put more nails in the coffin by eating bar food (reasonably healthy bar food, but still) and having beers. Three of them, to be exact. I knew I had to be ready for a long run this morning, but I'm invincible, right?

Ugh. No. I woke up this morning, feeling just gross. Mostly in my stomach, but my head was hurting too. Not fun. I met up with my running partner for our 12-mile run at 8, knowing it wasn't going to work. Luckily, she was understanding and we took a great long walk in the morning sunshine. Not what I needed to do for my training schedule for sure, but it was nice. I've always known that what I eat affects my run, but this was a very specific cause and effect response. I'm a little disappointed in myself that I fell so far off the wagon, but there's nowhere to go but up, right? I have to shape up quick; my first half marathon of the season is only 14 days away!

To get back on track, I made three different meals tonight to eat for the week. I made the Veggie Loaf again, and this time I'm going to freeze it. I also made a quick vegetable soup, using a recipe from Food Matters by Mark Bittman. In addition to onions, tomatoes, carrots and celery, I added broccoli and okra. We'll see how it turns out! I also made the Eggplant and Chicken Parmesan recipe from the same book. I didn't use chicken, though, instead adding zucchini from my Full Circle Farms box. It was very easy to make and really delicious! Even better, it made quite a bit so we have some for lunch tomorrow and even after. I'll be able to go back to the health eating again quite easily.

Tomorrow is a new day on The Great American Detox Diet, so we'll see how it goes. Still drinking water, still moderating caffeine, will be dropping sugar back out after this weekend (ugh) and still trying to eat healthy fats. I'll let you know what I learn tomorrow.

Starting the Morning Off Right

Every morning I walk into the kitchen and think, "Dammit! I meant to make some oats last night!" I adore steel-cut oats, but they just take so, so long to cook that I've been wanting to make them in the evenings to have in the morning. Until I get distracted by Lauren or cooking dinner or something shiny and then forget, of course. I've been eating whole wheat toast with a little peanut butter, which is good but no substitute for oats.

Finally, last night I remembered what I wanted to do, so I made another recipe from The Great American Detox Diet: Hearty Morning Oatmeal Porridge. Basically, it's just whole oat groats (pre-steel cutting), simmered for a (really, really) long time in water and a little orange juice with some nutmeg and cinnamon. When it's done, you stir in some maple syrup and top with chopped nuts. I used almonds and walnuts and also added a little flaxseed oil and raisins. It was delicious and kept me full right up until lunch time.

Pre-fixing up. Not very pretty, but delicious!

From Drop Box

Tonight's dinner was awesome. I made the Spinach and Sweet Potato Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing from Food Matters by Mark Bittman. I mean, c'mon, everything is better with bacon, right? It was heavenly, and was certainly enough to eat for dinner. I highly recommend it! Now, what was it I said about maybe going vegetarian?

Once again, my photography talents make the food look much less appealing than it was, but you get the idea!

From Drop Box

I picked up two new cookbooks tonight at the library that I'm excited about. One is an old familiar: Mooosewood Restaurant New Classics. I also got Skinny Bitch in the Kitch which is actually a vegan cookbook. I never would have guessed from the title, but there you go. You can't judge a book by its cover, right? I'll let you know when I try some of the recipes out!

Sneaky HFCS!

Day 6 of no refined sugar and I'm still going strong! I managed to make it through the baby shower last night and the bridal shower today without breaking into tears over not being able to have cheesecake or a scone. Actually, it was really quite easy. Tonight was really the first time that I wanted just a little taste of something sweet, so I just defrosted a few raspberries and ate those. I'm really looking forward to being able to do some U-picks this summer and freeze lots and lots of berries. Thank goodness for our extra freezer!

I did have a little bit of HFCS tonight, and it was in the sneakiest of place: the breadcrumbs I used on the chicken! Since I've started reading labels, I've found it all over the place: "maple" syrup, yogurt, granola bars, ketchup, spaghetti sauce, peanut butter, tomato soup... pretty much anything that's sweet these days and some things that aren't! It's amazing that it's going into our food and into our mouths without us being aware. Most people don't even know why it's not good for them, much less take the time to read labels and try to eradicate it from their diet. I've been telling as many people as I can about it, so hopefully they'll tell more people and so on.

(I have many more preachy thoughts, but I also have a throbbing headache, so I'm going to wobble off my soapbox and get into bed.)

Tonight's dinner was an easy Chicken Picatta (from Weight Watchers, esentially just chicken dredged in eggs blended with dijon mustard and then rolled in breadcrumbs, cooked in sherry and lemon juice) and Italian-Style Crispy Cauliflower. The cauliflower recipe is from The Great American Detox Diet and it was delicious! The flavors all worked really well together and it was easy to cook. Another winner from that book!

Don't Pour Some Sugar On Me

Not a moment too soon, just post-Easter, is my week of limiting sugar from The Great American Detox Diet. After how crappy and tired I felt last night after consuming my body weight in attractive pastel candies, I couldn't be more thrilled about this.

In reading the chapter to get ready for the big day, I learned quite a bit about sugar that I didn't know. I mean, I always knew that my body felt sluggish after a large amount of sugar, but learning about the whole process of your body making insulin and then not being able to keep the balance was really interesting. It makes me sad that so many people in the U.S. are keeping themselves on this scary cycle of sugar highs and lows that are just wrecking their bodies. No wonder Type 2 diabetes is on the rise, especially in the younger population! That adult disease isn't just for the over-30 crowd anymore!

I also finally learned why High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is bad for you. I mean, I've always heard that it's bad but didn't know why. Turns out it gets stored directly as fat when it goes into your body, unlike regular sugars that are used as energy first. Also, HFCS doesn't trigger the "I'm full" feeling that we all should have, so it's actually tricking us into eating more of those nasty things. Shun!

I was amazed by how many other names for sugar appear on food labels. No wonder we eat it all the time without knowing! I even noticed that florida crystals aren't even on this list, and I'm sure others are missing. Plus, the artificial sweeteners: aspartame, xylitol, saccahrin...we're awash in empty calories!

So I woke up, all strident and ready to go! I'd already kicked most of the sugary stuff out of the cabinets and was feeling all empowered. Until I realized that I really hadn't thought through breakfast. I usually eat instant oats, but those have artifical sweeteners. The Honey Nut Cheerios are sugary as well. I didn't have time to make steel cut oats. So, after I stood there for a couple of minutes, I decided to make an English muffin with some natural peanut butter. I was thinking the combination of the protein and carbs would get me through the day, and while there is some sugar in the English muffin, I do like them and anyway need to finish the package. Down they went. I even made my morning tea latte without the vanilla syrup and could definitely get used to that in the future.

I took my lunch with me (leftover halibut and pasta with veggies) but Carol the lunch lady had my favorite salad today: Strawberry Spinach. Damn the siren call of that salad! I ended up ordering it, but realized that the dressing probably had sugar in it. There really wasn't any good alternative, so I lessened the impact of the sugar by just dipping my fork into the dressing before each forkful. That worked well and I felt cool.

Dinner was easy (see below) and my book group without knowing my sugarfreeness assembled a delcious dinner that had little to no sugar involved. I did have a pint of beer, which does contain sugars, but overall I avoided refined sugars for the most part today. I think the main thing is changing my mindset that stress = sugar or that sugar = treat. That's going to be the harder work.

Incidentally, I learned that 1 teaspoon of sugar is about 4.2 grams. That's quite a lot when you start looking at the labels! By the end of breakfast, for example, I'd already had a teaspoon and a half, and that was eating something that was reasonably healthy. Just imagine what a Pop Tart would have been!

Tonight for dinner I made a delicious Veggie Loaf with mashed sweet potatoes and a green salad on the side. I was very pleasantly surpised with the Veggie Loaf, which comes from Alex Jamieson's book. It was pretty labor-intensive but enjoyable to make and the flavor was great. Even Jeremy the meat-eater said it was great. Lauren the picky toddler of course refused to eat it, but it's a process, right? The mashed sweet potatoes (with just a bit of flaxseed oil, maple syrup, and chili powder) were divine! I think I could get to liking this.

Oh, and I'm still drinking water. I think I need a bigger bottle at work, as the trips to refill are pretty distracting. At least it's a healthy distraction!

The Breakdown and the Breakthrough

Before I get all ranty and rave-y, I need to share what I made for dinner tonight. It's the Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili from The Great American Detox Diet and it was delicious! The sweet potato adds just the right counterbalance to the cumin and the lime adds just that little bit of freshness it needed. I served it over brown rice, so it was really filling and I ate less. Between needing a smaller portion size, it also makes a ton so I have food for tomorrow. My meat-loving husband said this vegetarian recipe was a keeper and I found it pretty easy to make. The most time-consuming thing was cooking the rice, but all told it was done in about 50 minutes, even with my toddler "helping." Yay for trying new things!

Now to the ranty and rave-y:

Today was an interesting day. I'm still on Spring Break, so I have the luxury of a little extra time to do some learning about all of this and then some planning and shopping. I decided that today was going to be a learning day, and it really brought me to some interesting places emotionally.

High: I bought a bunch of Easter candy. I love candy, and Easter candy in particular. The pastels get me.
Low: Blue #5? Artificial flavors? What the heck? I thought I was going to do better than this.
High: This is a learning process and I can't change overnight. However, I can take half the candy back tomorrow and enjoy the other half. Everything in moderation, even Blue #5.

High: I found Food Rules by Michael Pollan and Food Matters by Mark Bittman at the bookstore today, so no waiting on the library holds list.
Low: Crap. I have more to read.

High: I felt virtuous sitting in the Barnes and Noble coffee shop, learning about healthful things.
Low: Crap. I have a lot to learn. Phytochemicals, antioxidants, and MSG, oh my! I'm making light of it now, but I got a little wound up about this. I'm someone that likes to lay everything on the table, learn as much as I can, and then synthesize it down into something I can read and understand. There's just a lot to learn.

High: Food Rules is really clearly written and totally pragmatic, which I appreciate. He's taken all the science and whittled it down into these "rules." If you want to read the science (which I do), you can read In Defense of Food or The Omnivore's Dilemma, both by him. I learned a ton and read about half the book in just 30 minutes. That's even with writing in the margins.
Low: Crap! What have I been doing all these years? Why have I been putting this junk in my body and feeding it to my kid, whom I love more than life itself? I'm a bad person!!! (This is where I got a little teary at the bistro table. Breakdown time, as much as I could in public.)

High: What's done is done, right? I can't go back, but I can go forward. I'm learning a ton and will put it into practice.
Low: Ain't nothing wrong with that feeling. This was my breakthrough.

It was time to pick Lauren up from daycare, so I went on my merry way. She and I stopped by the grocery store and there were a few highs and lows there too.

High: Lauren loves to shop and she's a good little helper.
Low: It takes forever to do anything with a toddler and add to that that I was having to figure out the organic vs. non-organic thing and how to get the best prices. If I'm going to do this, some streamlining is in order.

High: Lauren knows what a tomato is on sight and said, "Yay, broccoli!" when I was getting her out of the car to go in the store. I didn't even tell her to say that.
Low: None. That just feels good.

High: I felt virtuous when I watched all the nasty nasties roll down the conveyor belt of the patron in front of me. Not that I was judging what she was eating, but it made me feel good in comparison.
Low: I might just be a bad person for that. I'm not sure. I didn't say anything out loud, though.

Tomorrow I'm going shopping. On the blog side, I'm going to share some of the things I'm learning out of Food Rules. In the meantime, I'm also going to update my Goals and Checklists page (see under the banner) because I'm rethinking my approach to this.

Are you still drinking your water? Boy howdy, am I ever! It feels... floaty, but good.