Why I Quit Plant-Based "Programs"

 

A few years ago I tried the McDougall Maximum Weight Loss Program. It is a starch-centered plant-based diet. I was very overweight and needed to lose 100 lbs. I lost 35 lbs. on it, but it was not only hard work, it was BORING with a capital “B.” Almost every meal was the same old thing. Rice, potatoes or beans with a few vegetables. When I tried the less restrictive form of the program I began to gain weight again. I searched for other ways to lose weight, but nothing seemed to work. In fact I kept gaining and eventually re-gained the 35 lbs. I had lost. I tried the Eat to Live program and liked it, but it too was very restrictive. I’ve also stopped going on message boards hosted by various diet doctors. While I respect the doctors who host them, many of their adherents tend to be fanatical and that comes through as judgmental towards other members of the message board. If you don’t follow the rules you are in for it. Some say you have to eat starch at every meal, while others say to avoid starchy foods. Some say don’t drink fruit smoothies, while others say you can have as many smoothies as you like. Some say not to eat nuts, while others say eat nuts every day. Some allow juice, while others say drinking juice is bad for you. Some say no snacking between meals while others say eat as much as you want including snacks.  It can get confusing and drive you crazy. Finally I said to heck with "rules oriented" weight loss programs.

As I said in a previous post on my blog, I'm not searching for a silver bullet, but for a middle ground. I finally have found it and it’s so simple anyone can do it. I simply follow a plant-based diet with no junk food or fast food and minimal packaged food. There are no food lists to follow, no off-limits plant foods and no “plan” to adhere to. I eat rice and potatoes when I want to, but if I don’t feel like having them I don’t. Same with bread and pasta. If I feel like eating a lot of fruit or having smoothies every morning I do. I don’t like oatmeal, so I don’t eat it. I also don’t like quinoa so I never buy it. I love veggies, so I eat a LOT of them. However I don’t like having a salad with every meal, so I don’t. As far as hard to find things like goji berries, pomegranates or fresh figs--forget about it. 

I have gleaned a lot of information from the diet programs I’ve tried and incorporate some of the information into the way I eat now. However for me anyway, trying to adhere to a strict program doesn’t work

Beanie-Mac

Beanie-Mac

1/2 c. chopped onions
1/2c. chopped bell pepper
1/4 c. water
1 medium can diced tomatoes with jalapenos *
1 medium can tomato sauce
1 can beans (black, pinto or kidney) or a combo of all three (drained)
1/4 -1/2 c. sliced black olives (drained)
2 cups cooked macaroni
shredded veggie cheese or crushed tortilla chips (or both)

Heat oven to 350 degrees

Saute' onions and peppers in water just until tender in a large skillet. Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, beans and olives. Heat through on medium heat. Add macaroni and heat until warm but not mushy. Pour into a casserole dish. Sprinkle on shredded veggie cheese. Bake just until cheese begins to melts. If not using cheese you don't have to bake it unless you want crisper tortilla chips.

*If you can't find diced tomatoes with jalapenos, use regular diced tomatoes and 1 small can of roasted, diced jalapenos.

Meniere's Disease and Diet

I have been having problems with hearing loss and tinnitus for the last 15 years. About four years ago I developed severe vertigo. When I have an attack of vertigo it is much more than simple dizziness. It feels as if the entire world is spinning out of control. It's the most helpless feeling I've ever had. After an attack I have to lie down and am usually so exhausted I sleep for several hours. Initially the vertigo attacks were infrequent (about once a year), but nonetheless incapacitating. I once had a vertigo attack while in a movie theater with my husband. I told my husband we had to leave immediately even though we had only watched a little of the movie. I barely made it out of the theater with the help of my husband and then got sick all over the parking lot. Even though I had three previous attacks of vertigo, this one was so violent I told my husband I thought I had food poisoning from the movie snacks (I had cinnamon donuts and coffee). So we rushed to the hospital. After determining I wasn't dying of a heart attack,  stroke or food poisoning I sat for 2 hours in the ER waiting to see a doctor. She gave me some anti-nausea medicine and sent me home. I made an appointment with my family physician who ordered an MRI which showed nothing wrong. However my vertigo continued and increased in frequency. I thought it might be connected in some way to my hearing loss and tinnitus so I made an appointment with an ear, nose and throat (ENT) doctor. After more tests he determined I had Meniere's Disease.

Although many theories have been postulated as to what causes Meniere's Disease, it's origin is still unknown. The symptoms are tinnitus (roaring or wooshing sound in the affected ear), vertigo and hearing loss. It is diagnosed by a review of the patient's medical history and by ruling out other causes. Also in my case tests showed I had an undiagnosed inner ear weakness from birth which may have been a contributing factor. I also have thyroid disease and it is also thought that there is a connection between autoimmune disease like hypothyroidism and Meniere's Disease.

While what a person eats does not cause Meniere's, symptoms may be alleviated or lessened by reducing the amount of sodium in the diet. Caffeine should also be eliminated. My doctor also told me to drink cranberry juice as a diuretic since excess fluid may cause the symptoms to worsen.

Doctor Joel Fuhrman's Eat to Live program is an ideal way to eat for people with Meniere's Disease as well as other medical problems because unlike highly starchy diets which can cause water retention and bloating, the Eat to Live program with all it's fruits and non-starchy vegetables helps release water from the body. Dr. Fuhrman also encourages a low-salt diet of about 1000 to 1500 mg. of sodium a day. He also discourages drinking coffee.

Although I will have to live with hearing loss and vertigo for the rest of my life, I feel the Eat to Live plan by Dr. Joel Fuhrman will help me to cope with my symptoms.

Texan Vegan

 

 

Think you can’t go vegan in The Lone Star State? Think again. While it may seem doubtful in a state that has some of the largest cattle ranches in the world and prides themselves for their BBQ, Tex-Mex food and chicken fried steak, the number of vegans in Texas is growing. In fact Austin, TX is a veritable veg-head center. 

Although I am not a Texan by birth (my parents were temporarily out of state when I was born), I consider myself a Texan because of my heritage. Virtually everyone else in my family was born in Texas and I lived there while I was growing up. I remember many happy family reunions in San Antonio and other places in Texas and I go back as often as I can.

The following video tells the story of the major of Marshall, Texas who began eating a whole foods plant-based diet after being diagnosed with prostate cancer and his remarkable recovery. He shared his story with the people in his town and now many of them are also turning to a plant-based lifestyle.

http://gethealthymarshall.com/

http://www.ksla.com/story/25967181/texas-town-goes-vegan-promotes-healthier-eating


Here is a link to a great blog called "Lone Star Plate" by a Texas vegan.

http://www.lonestarplate.com

There are some great recipes, including many Texas inspired dishes on the Engine2 website, hosted by former Texas firefighter, Rip Esselstyn.

http://engine2diet.com/

As you can see, going vegan in Texas or anywhere else is possible if you just make up your mind to do it.

















 

Supplements: Are They Neccessary?

If you are eating a nutritious diet, why do you need supplements? Although humans have made great strides in treating heart disease, cancer and other diseases, we still don't live in a perfect world. There are many good reasons for eating a low fat plant-based diet. It provides many nutrients without the added fats that are not heart healthy. And yet it lacks one essential nutrient--Vitamin B-12 which is essential to health. Vitamin B-12 is important for cardiovascular health and helps prevent dementia. Even omnivores who consume meat can be deficient in vitamin B-12, especially as they grow older. This is one supplement that vegans cannot do without as it is only found in usable form in animal foods or dietary supplements. It is a mistake to give up meat and then not supplement with Vitamin B-12.

Another essential nutrient is Vitamin D. It is important for brain health and other bodily functions. It is made on the skin when it is exposed to sunlight. An exposure of 15 minutes a day minimum is required to get enough Vitamin D. In this day and age many people do not get that much sun exposure on a daily basis, especially in northern latitudes. Vitamin D is added to dairy milk and some non-dairy milk. If you don't drink any type of milk, you need to take Vitamin D supplement.

 

 



In the last few years the importance of DHA for brain health has been in the news. Pregnant women are encouraged to take DHA supplements to help in the development of their baby's brain.You can get it from eating fatty fish at least three times a week or taking a DHA supplement (either fish oil or a vegan source).



In a perfect world our rivers and oceans would be clean, animals would not be raised in filthy conditions, our air would not be polluted and we would always know where our food  comes from. However we do not live in a perfect world. That is why we need to try harder to eat healthy, which not only includes eating nutritious food, but also supplementing our diet.

A Month of Bean Dishes

For persons who eat a plant-based diet, beans are an essential nutrient, providing proteins which help build and repair cells. While other foods may contain protein, you get more bang for your buck with beans. They are low fat and inexpensive, which helps your waistline and your wallet. Many people don't think they can eat beans every day because they cause gas and bloating, however I have found that the more you eat them on a regular basis, the more your body adjusts and the gas and bloating is minimized and many times disappears altogether. At least it did for me.

Beans are versatile and you can use them in soups, ethnic dishes or all by themselves. Even before I began eating a plant-based diet my family enjoyed a weekly bean night. I lived in the South most of my life and grew up eating black-eyed peas with turnip greens and cornbread. I also love Mexican food and beans are an integral part of most Mexican or Tex-Mex meals. Tofu and tempeh are made from soybeans and are used in many Asian dishes. They contain more fat than regular beans, but also are high in protein.

Below are 30 days of bean meals you can have for breakfast, lunch or supper. The first six are simply boiled beans you can have with greens and cornbread and after that are ideas for other bean dishes. I usually cook a big batch of pinto beans at the beginning of the week and then use the leftovers for bean burritos, refried beans, etc. You can use either dry beans or canned beans for most of these bean meals. You can google many of the recipes.

1. Pinto beans
2. Navy beans
3. Kidney beans
4. Butter beans
5. Black-eyed peas
6. Fava beans
7. Louisiana red beans and rice
8. Green bean casserole
9. Refried beans
10. Garbanzo bean stew
11. Minestrone soup with white beans
12. Refried bean burritos
13. Lima bean casserole
14. Lentil soup
15 Stir "fry" veggies with tofu
16. Bean chili (use as many different types of beans as you like)
17. Rice and bean enchiladas
18. Chickpea hummus with pita bread
19. Scrambled tofu
20. Bean burgers (use any type of beans)
21. Tempeh Rueben sandwiches
22. Chili bean casserole (canned chili beans and low-fat taco chips)
23. Bean and rice stuffed bell peppers
24. Vegetarian baked beans
25. Hoppin' John (made with black-eyed peas, tomatoes and rice)
26. Bean tacos
27. Baked tofu with mushroom gravy
28. Kale with onions and tempeh
29. Three Bean soup
30. Southwestern sautéed beans, corn, peppers and onions
31. Bean dip with pita, fat-free crackers or taco chips

My Thoughts on The Paleo Diet

I have read a lot about people's experiences with The Paleo Diet, but I have never really shared my own views about it, other than to say that I have tried it. So I thought I would elaborate on my experience.

First off, I just want to say that I have tried another low carb diet--The Atkins Diet and my experience with that was AWFUL! Just to share a little TMI, I got the worst case of constipation of my life and almost had to go to the hospital emergency room. Fortunately the laxatives I was taking finally kicked in and after spending a day in the bathroom, I swore off Atkins forever.

However, my experience with The Paleo Diet by Dr. Loren Cordain was completely different and not at all unpleasant. I felt great and even lost some weight. I was particularly happy that The Paleo Diet included a variety of vegetables, nuts and seeds, plus a few fruits. So why did I abandon it and go back to eating a plant-based diet? For one thing, my conscious got the better of me, and for another thing I just didn't think it was sustainable either for me or the planet.

The Paleo Diet for those who are unfamiliar with it, is about trying to eat like our ancient ancestors did during the Paleolithic Era (stone age). Through archaeological and anthropological studies, Dr. Cordain has concluded that humans ate a diet of lean wild game meat and/or fish/shellfish, birds/eggs, plants and of course no processed food or dairy products. The problem with his conclusions is that if humans eat a diet of lean meat without enough carbohydrates and/or fat,  they will have symptoms of protein toxicity. This was dubbed "rabbit starvation" by historians to describe why some early explorers died when all they had to eat were rabbits. So in order to get around this, most people who follow a paleo-style diet eat more fat than even Dr. Cordain recommends. If they don't do that, then they have to eat a LOT of carbs. Then it wouldn't be a "low-carb" diet. Also, Dr. Cordain recommends eating wild game meat rather than grain-fed meat. Unless you are a hunter with a large freezer to store the wild game you kill, it is difficult to eat this way. There are some companies that sell "exotic meat" online, but such meat comes from game ranches where animals are fenced in and yet still hunted or where deer are raised much like cattle. So they wouldn't really be "wild" would they? I went to one of those websites and the prices of the "wild" game were ridiculously high. The same holds true of grass-fed beef. While not as expensive as buying game meat, it is still too expensive for most people to eat on a daily basis.

While I love animals, I am not exactly an animal rights activist. People had to eat meat for thousands of years before farming and I certainly don't consider them murderers. However in this day and age, I think there are perfectly sensible ways to avoid eating meat and many reasons to do so.

For instance, according to a U.N. report several years ago, raising animals for human consumption is not a sustainable way to feed the ever increasing world population. More and more forests will have to be cleared in order to have enough land to raise cattle. This has destroyed a lot of wild animal habitats, resulting in many animals being put on endangered species lists. Most of the grain and soybeans in the world is grown to feed cattle, hogs and poultry. By eliminating the need to feed animals, such grains can be used solely for human consumption. In addition the huge manure lagoons that accompany livestock production have been polluting our rivers and streams and killing fish as well as contaminating drinking water.

I also believe modern factory farming is cruel and completely unnecessary. Why should animals suffer for months or years before becoming our dinner?  While I believe humans are omnivores, that doesn't mean there are not ways around it so that we can not only feed ourselves far into the future, but protect the animals with which we share this planet.

Humans are a successful species because we have learned to adapt to the challenges of surviving on earth. In order to continue to survive, we need to continue to adapt to the changing times. In the past we exploited the environment and animals (as well as each other), but hopefully we've learned that we need to work with the environment and find ways to survive without depleting all our natural resources or destroying the planet and our fellow inhabitants.

So I suppose you can say I am an environmental or ecological vegan. That is why I have chosen not to eat animals, even though millions of my ancestors did. They used the knowledge they had at the time to survive. Modern humans have much more knowledge at their disposal than those who lived in the Paleolithic Era. We can eat healthy and still protect our world.