Phew. I was going to comment that that must cut into Nancy's music appreciation group online. :ivar
I can well imagine having a French trained chef doing vegan is a bonus! Does she deliver to Canada? Maybe next weekend she could bring some frozen meals with her....
I just finished reading Eat To Live. What an eye opener. I knew the food I eat is not too good for me but know I know it's actually dangerous for me. This is a real wakeup call, especially since I have a wife and son that would like me around for a while.
Being a long-time carnivore and sweet tooth, I need to work up the commitment to do Dr. Fuhrman's six week plan. The good news for me is the foods he reccomends for the first six week plan are ones I really enjoy. Getting used to not having my lunch and dinner centered around meat will be the biggest mindset change.
Get and read this book. The knowledge is powerful.
Next up, The China Study. Thank you for starting this thread. It's amazing what I learn here.
Ok I guess I gotta go shopping tonight. If everyone else is gonna do it I guess it won't kill me (and yes mom if everyone else was jumping off the bridge, I'd give it a shot too).
What I really would like to know though is what kinda snack foods do you guys recommend that travel well, don't need refridgeration, and take little or no effort for me to prepare.
What I really would like to know though is what kinda snack foods do you guys recommend that travel well, don't need refridgeration, and take little or no effort for me to prepare.
JERKY....DRIED FRUIT......JERKY....maybe that is spelled JERQUIE..Found mine at a 7th day Adventist store a few blocks from my house...good spicy stuff...........DRIED FRUIT
Dried fruit and veggies are yummy, as is granola (which also helps protein intake). You can make homemade granola bars, too, for even easier travel.
I travel a lot. I have access to ice most days, but not to refrigeration. I bring granola, fresh fruit in a peel (apples, bananas, oranges), and nuts. Sometimes seeds for variety but I'm not a huge fan generally speaking. I bake chips from wholegrain and livegrain tortillas, and dip in homemade salsa. This only works the first day of travel lol without access to refrigeration. Or bake/buy appropriate crackers, and dip in homemade bruschetta. Both dips will be room temp but it's still worth it to me to have a semi-real meal on the road
You could also prebake for the week and gutload a bunch of muffins or scones with an assortment of greens, veggies, fruits, or whatever it is you want to. They aren't the best travellers, but they hold up decently enough if packed right.
I don't use plastic where I don't have to, but travel is an exception I make. I use plastic containers to help food hold its shape better than baggies do, and they're way lighter to haul than are glass jars!
Lots of vegetarian foods are high in fat! That was a shock for me when I was looking into getting some frozen vegetarian foods. (I know, not good either, processed! )
Most people say the hardest thing to give up is cheese, but for me it's oil.
I always thought olive oil was heart-healthy but now I think of it as nutrition-free, and loaded with calories and saturated fat. :cry
It's clearly better than lard or hydrogenated fats, but it's a question of lesser evils. When I saute vegetables (which I love to do), I use grapeseed oil and as little as possible. It has less saturated fat and the French love to cook with it because it's light.
When I saute vegetables (which I love to do), I use grapeseed oil and as little as possible. It has less saturated fat and the French love to cook with it because it's light.
I like grapeseed oil, too - and try tea oil. It's another light oil that also does well in salads.
I usually steam my veggies, but we stirfry (*COUGH* ahem D) often. My grandmother taught me to just use water to get the most flavor ... try a water saute, if you find it bland you can always add garlic or seasoning and never listen to me again .
Dr. Fuhrman makes so much sense... If the food pyramid was written by the Center for Disease Control instead of the USDA, which has deep conflicts of interest, it would look a lot more like Fuhrman's:
The political scandal that surrounded the most recent food pyramid from the USDA is enough to make you sick before you eat all the junk it allows.
I like grapeseed oil, too - and try tea oil. It's another light oil that also does well in salads. I happen to use it on my skin, too fabulous stuff.
I usually steam my veggies, but we stirfry (*COUGH* ahem D) often. My grandmother taught me to just use water to get the most flavor ... try a water saute, if you find it bland you can always add garlic or seasoning and never listen to me again .
I can't really imagine myself as a vegetarian, much less a vegan. But I can tell you one thing for darn sure, my current way of eating isn't doing me any good at all. So I'm in, or I think I'm in. I need to read, study up, & get the wife on board (which would make life so much easier, and I think she will). Baldy's helping with the book. Thanks for that.
So I'm going to have questions too probably.
My first. We have a 10 month old baby. Obviously he needs mom's milk plus other foods. The good thing is that he eats absolutely everything we throw at him (which has only been fruits, veggies, grains like brown rice and quinoa and whole wheat bread, & small amounts of meat). Where does he fall in with all of this? How would his diet compare to ours? What are the pitfalls for him and how can I make sure that I am giving him everything he needs?
Also my supermarket selection is drastically reduced from what it was in the US. First off, if we want to find anything at any reasonable price, we have to shop at the military commissary which is total crap. They have the "staples" but they don't have fancy grapeseed oil or sundried tomatoes or whatever. And if they do carry something, it's difficult to actually find it in stock on a given day. So for the fancy stuff I have to shop at the supermarket on the economy which costs lots more money (it's more expensive PLUS the pound is worth over $2 now so everything is more than twice the price). I guess there's not really a question in there. More of a gripe and a worry. I'm worried that it'll be too hard / expensive and we'll end up just throwing our hands up and going out for kebabs and chips.
Y'all don't want to hear me, you just want to dance.
Also my supermarket selection is drastically reduced from what it was in the US. First off, if we want to find anything at any reasonable price, we have to shop at the military commissary which is total crap. They have the "staples" but they don't have fancy grapeseed oil or sundried tomatoes or whatever. And if they do carry something, it's difficult to actually find it in stock on a given day. So for the fancy stuff I have to shop at the supermarket on the economy which costs lots more money (it's more expensive PLUS the pound is worth over $2 now so everything is more than twice the price). I guess there's not really a question in there. More of a gripe and a worry. I'm worried that it'll be too hard / expensive and we'll end up just throwing our hands up and going out for kebabs and chips.
My first. We have a 10 month old baby. Obviously he needs mom's milk plus other foods. The good thing is that he eats absolutely everything we throw at him (which has only been fruits, veggies, grains like brown rice and quinoa and whole wheat bread, & small amounts of meat). Where does he fall in with all of this? How would his diet compare to ours? What are the pitfalls for him and how can I make sure that I am giving him everything he needs?
Not too much controversy about one of the longest-lived populations in the world: the Okinawans. After WWII, American nutritionists noticed that their children were underweight and introduced milk, cheese, SPAM, etc., to improve their health. And in so doing introduced obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and shorter lives.
For some reason we fear for the health of slender young childen like these who eat no dairy or meat:
Then we fear the fat they carry over from infancy.
(They are celebrating Liz being pregnant with a girl via the pink hair.)
Cow's milk is designed by nature to get calves big fast and so it's filled with lots of growth hormones. Not even nature lets calves drink cow's milk for long. Much of the protein in milk is Casein, which has been implicated as a carcinogen in humans. It's also found in human mother's milk, but in a much lower percentage (it's 80:20 Casein to Whey in cows and 40:60 in humans).
The high growth is implicated in early puberty, which in turn is implicated in prostate and breast cancers. It's also implicated in obesity, diabetes and cancer.
There is every evidence that the Fuhrman food pyramid, the one Okinawans were on before we introduced foods to bulk them up, is perfect for kids (along with human breast milk).
My first. We have a 10 month old baby. Where does he fall in with all of this? How would his diet compare to ours? What are the pitfalls for him and how can I make sure that I am giving him everything he needs?
First off, if we want to find anything at any reasonable price, we have to shop at the military commissary which is total crap.
Right now he is getting everything he needs from breastmilk alone, the other stuff is extra that said, it can be tricky to evolve from the Standard Western Diet and we never want to take chances with a child the way we'd take chances with our own health. There are a few books on the market that discuss raising a veg*n child ... not all of them agree with one another, but you'll at least have a foundation to build from after you've read through one or two. Generally speaking, WRT any aspect of parenting you have to listen to your gut and trust it ... if something FEELS right, it's probably okay. If something feels OFF, it likely is. They always forget to cover that in these books
My eldest started on solids around 10 months, my youngest didn't show an interest until nearly 15 months - we just let them guide their own respective introductions into solids, and let them pretty much just grab from our plates. My kids selfwean so we we always had breastmilk as our fallback, even through the toddler years. Not everyone wants to or sees the benefit of nursing beyond a year ... in which case you'd need to definitely beware of nutritional pitfalls that would likely be discussed in aforementioned books. Lots of reading to do
I spent some time overseas, and I remember how miserable it was trying to find anything remotely 'exotic' at the commissary. And the economy out there was not only expensive but also iffy. That's definitely a hurdle, but even if you make minor changes now you'll see a difference and be doing yourself better - you won't be in the UK forever, no? We had friends and family in the States send us nonperishables that weren't available on post, and then just went a few years without very much good fresh fruit .
For some reason we fear for the health of slender young childen like these who eat no dairy or meat:
[snip]
Then we fear the fat they carry over from infancy.
(
What a photogenic family!
My toddler is vegan and off the charts in terms of height and weight - the joke is that I'm making cream, rather than milk . My older child began the same way and slimmed down considerably once he weaned. He is now among the smallest of his peers but is solid at 50lbs. And aside from chicken pox, he was never ill until he began eating cheese at the age of five. Suddenly he had a range of reactions, most frustrating being a constant runny nose and secondary eneuresis. After two months off of cow's milk products, he was fine again . Now he is at the age where I'm fine with him making his own choices about diet ... he had an initial binge of ice cream and chocolate milk, but is now realizing how cow's milk impacts his physical health. He now only indulges on occasion, if he decides the end result is worth it (birthdays, etc.).
My inlaws worry about him being smaller; but as Baldy suggest, I agree that the perception is skewed and biased out of (our) favor. He'll catch up and if not, that's okay also. He'll be healthy and that is all that matters
Right now he is getting everything he needs from breastmilk alone, the other stuff is extra
That ship sailed months ago. He's been eating solids since 6 months and now is an absolutely voracious eater.
that said, it can be tricky to evolve from the Standard Western Diet and we never want to take chances with a child the way we'd take chances with our own health.
Actually it shouldn't be too difficult at this point. Other than the small bits of meat he gets (mostly chicken, a tiny bit of a burger the other night, and some salmon the other day) he eats only fruits and veg and some dairy in the form of yogurt and some cheese the other day. So I can put a stop to the dairy without a problem. We're at a point where he isn't so hooked dairy or meat that we couldn't put a stop to them easily. He only asks for 3 things (we've been doing baby sign language with him): milk, bananas, and kiwis. The rest he just takes as he gets.
There are a few books on the market that discuss raising a veg*n child ... not all of them agree with one another, but you'll at least have a foundation to build from after you've read through one or two. Generally speaking, WRT any aspect of parenting you have to listen to your gut and trust it ... if something FEELS right, it's probably okay. If something feels OFF, it likely is. They always forget to cover that in these books
I'll start with the china study and go from there. But a quick question, why do you use the asterisk in "veg*n"? Sorry I'm a n00b at all this.
My eldest started on solids around 10 months, my youngest didn't show an interest until nearly 15 months - we just let them guide their own respective introductions into solids, and let them pretty much just grab from our plates. My kids selfwean so we we always had breastmilk as our fallback, even through the toddler years. Not everyone wants to or sees the benefit of nursing beyond a year ... in which case you'd need to definitely beware of nutritional pitfalls that would likely be discussed in aforementioned books. Lots of reading to do
Like I said, he's been chowing down on solids for nearly 4 months now. His bottles (breast milk, mommy works I stay home) are down from a high of 9 a day (nearly 8 oz each) right before we started solids to 4 bottles that are usually less than 4 oz though occasionally he has a night where he takes 7 or 8 oz. We're planning on letting him self-wean. He'll be supplementing his diet with breast milk as long as mommy can stand to pump and as long as he can stand to have milk from a cup. We're weaning from the bottle starting just today.
I spent a few years in Korea, and I remember how miserable it was trying to find anything remotely 'exotic' at the commissary. And the economy out there was not only expensive but also iffy. That's definitely a hurdle, but even if you make minor changes now you'll see a difference and be doing yourself better - you won't be in the UK forever, no? We had friends and family in the States send us nonperishables that weren't available on post, and then just went a few years without very much good fresh fruit .
Good to know there is someone out there that has gone through this. I'm sure it was much worse in Korea with the Army (I'm assuming since you said "Post") than it is in the UK with the Air Force. Sometimes the best you can is good enough, that's good to remember. So thanks for that.
Y'all don't want to hear me, you just want to dance.
Yesterday was an all Vegan day. I think it will take a little time to get that to be consistent, but at least it is a good start. I need to start finding recipes and substitutions for what I normally use, luckily my library has a few books that look helpful.
BaldyRegistered Users, Super ModeratorsPosts: 2,853moderator
edited July 17, 2007
This is the child nutrition book that at least one of my daughters-in-law loves:
I've been pretty skeptical about some claims Dr. Fuhrman makes, like the reduced incidence of headaches, allergies and asthma. Blood lipids, yes, you can measure them for yourself. Cancer, heart disease, and diabetes, yes, you can look at any number of published studies. Allergies and asthma? Really?
I have to say that in the year I've been eating this way, I haven't had a headache, but I rarely had them anyway. However, I did get hay fever and asthma each spring and this spring I was spared. Maybe it was a low-pollen year, who knows. I'll pay close attention in upcoming years.
..... Did you know the two most common blood tests done on people who show signs of Dementia are -- syphilis and Vitamin B12.
....Skippy
.
Interesting. I do think we have an epidemic of Alzheimer's, which is devastating. It's basically vascular disease but in the brain. It's pretty clear that you don't get it from vegetables but very likely do from eating the foods that cause plaque buildup in the arteries--meat, dairy, refined foods.
We can prevent B12 deficiencies with a simple pill, but if we get Alzheimer's no pill will save us and the bummer is we won't even be able to remember how yummy the cheeseburgers, fries and shakes were that helped get us the disease.
We can prevent B12 deficiencies with a simple pill, but if we get Alzheimer's no pill will save us and the bummer is we won't even be able to remember how yummy the cheeseburgers, fries and shakes were that helped get us the disease.
Do you take a B12 supplement now? Any others or just that? Do you need a higher does with a higher rate of activity?
Very Cool Thread
As one of Baldy's rugrats, I'll throw in a few of my thoughts on this whole thing.
I'm currently not vegan, and didn't have any weight to lose when I first started reading these books and listening to my Dad rave about veggies. In fact, now with being pregnant, I'm trying to put on pounds.
But, changing my diet has been a very good thing for me. Here's what we do at our house:
No meat. Occasionally when we're at friend's house, they'll serve meat because they've forgotten we don't eat it. We smile and eat some. We don't have a problem with fish, but just don't eat it very frequently.
Almost no refined flours, processed foods, or added sugars.
Examples: We drink unsweetened soymilk that's just whole organic soybeans, filtered and water. The "vanilla" or "plain" flavors have added evaporated cane juice which means you get less protein/fiber/beany goodness per calorie. It also gets you craving sweet stuff. We don't eat "meat substitutes", vegetarian frozen dinners, etc. for the same reasons. Whole plant foods are best, the less processing the better. We don't usually buy fruit juices at the store, because you lose all the goodness of the peel and pulp (fiber, color, etc). Instead, we throw whole fruits in the VitaMix. Kiwi fuzz, apple skin, pineapple core, strawberry tops, they all get ground up into smooth goodness.
Not too much dairy. My husband prefers butter over margarine, so he'll put that on things occasionally. We sometimes use whole eggs when baking (waffles, for example), but other times just egg whites, or flaxmeal + water as a substitute. No cow's milk, but some cheese or ice cream on occasion. Only really really good cheese and ice cream though, so a little bit satisfies. No more sprinkling cheese on every burrito, pasta dish, etc. just because.
For us and cravings, the best thing to do is to change your perspective. Fruits are naturally sweet, and I promise you'll appreciate them more if you don't eat chocolate covered sugar bombs for breakfast, soda with lunch (diet or regular), and a candy bar for a snack. We just go down on a bowl of fresh strawberries, or thawed 3-berry blend from Costco as a late-night treat. We don't get artifically-sweetened stuff because it just trains our palletes to expect everything to be sweet. It gets you out of touch with the purpose of our sweet-craving: to detect and appreciate a perfectly ripe piece of fruit.
Once you've got your taste buds out of the fat and sugar-induced stupor, you might still have some cravings for the occasional scoop of ice cream, piece of chocolate, or what-have-you. Eat some slowly, savor it, and enjoy it as a treat. Not the norm.
So, the reason why I say I'm not vegan is because I do incorporate some cheese, egg, fish, etc. into my diet. However, at our house, changing our emphasis (90%+ of our calories) to whole plant foods has made a world of difference. Better sleep at night, more energy, slimmer waistline for my husband, more creative cooking, more appreciation for food and flavor, and best of all: we can eat all we want all day long. We're never hungry. We never feel deprived. Portion control is important when you're munching on pastries and cheesy chicken bake, but you'll never gain weight eating greens and berries.
Comments
But, I'll tell you what, it sure helps to have a Chef as wife - Nancy makes the most amazing Vegan dishes. Truly :eat :eat :eat
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I can well imagine having a French trained chef doing vegan is a bonus!
... I'm still peeling potatoes.
patti hinton photography
Being a long-time carnivore and sweet tooth, I need to work up the commitment to do Dr. Fuhrman's six week plan. The good news for me is the foods he reccomends for the first six week plan are ones I really enjoy. Getting used to not having my lunch and dinner centered around meat will be the biggest mindset change.
Get and read this book. The knowledge is powerful.
Next up, The China Study. Thank you for starting this thread. It's amazing what I learn here.
My photos
"The future is an illusion, but a damned handy one." - David Allen
What I really would like to know though is what kinda snack foods do you guys recommend that travel well, don't need refridgeration, and take little or no effort for me to prepare.
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http://creativedragonstudios.smugmug.com
JERKY....DRIED FRUIT......JERKY....maybe that is spelled JERQUIE..Found mine at a 7th day Adventist store a few blocks from my house...good spicy stuff...........DRIED FRUIT
I travel a lot. I have access to ice most days, but not to refrigeration. I bring granola, fresh fruit in a peel (apples, bananas, oranges), and nuts. Sometimes seeds for variety but I'm not a huge fan generally speaking. I bake chips from wholegrain and livegrain tortillas, and dip in homemade salsa. This only works the first day of travel lol without access to refrigeration. Or bake/buy appropriate crackers, and dip in homemade bruschetta. Both dips will be room temp but it's still worth it to me to have a semi-real meal on the road
You could also prebake for the week and gutload a bunch of muffins or scones with an assortment of greens, veggies, fruits, or whatever it is you want to. They aren't the best travellers, but they hold up decently enough if packed right.
I don't use plastic where I don't have to, but travel is an exception I make. I use plastic containers to help food hold its shape better than baggies do, and they're way lighter to haul than are glass jars!
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I always thought olive oil was heart-healthy but now I think of it as nutrition-free, and loaded with calories and saturated fat. :cry
It's clearly better than lard or hydrogenated fats, but it's a question of lesser evils. When I saute vegetables (which I love to do), I use grapeseed oil and as little as possible. It has less saturated fat and the French love to cook with it because it's light.
I like grapeseed oil, too - and try tea oil. It's another light oil that also does well in salads.
I usually steam my veggies, but we stirfry (*COUGH* ahem
Where does she get her recipes from? I'm off to search for vegan dishes on the 'net now :-)
http://www.twitter.com/deegolden
The political scandal that surrounded the most recent food pyramid from the USDA is enough to make you sick before you eat all the junk it allows.
Hey, are we missing this smilie at dgrin?
So I'm going to have questions too probably.
My first. We have a 10 month old baby. Obviously he needs mom's milk plus other foods. The good thing is that he eats absolutely everything we throw at him (which has only been fruits, veggies, grains like brown rice and quinoa and whole wheat bread, & small amounts of meat). Where does he fall in with all of this? How would his diet compare to ours? What are the pitfalls for him and how can I make sure that I am giving him everything he needs?
Also my supermarket selection is drastically reduced from what it was in the US. First off, if we want to find anything at any reasonable price, we have to shop at the military commissary which is total crap. They have the "staples" but they don't have fancy grapeseed oil or sundried tomatoes or whatever. And if they do carry something, it's difficult to actually find it in stock on a given day. So for the fancy stuff I have to shop at the supermarket on the economy which costs lots more money (it's more expensive PLUS the pound is worth over $2 now so everything is more than twice the price
http://photos.mikelanestudios.com/
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Try: http://www.amazon.com/Vegetarian-Britain-700-Places-Sleep/dp/1902259041/ref=pd_sim_b_2/105-6273346-6880408 or anything like that to give you some options/places to ask questions/places to buy.
GreyLeaf PhotoGraphy
For some reason we fear for the health of slender young childen like these who eat no dairy or meat:
Then we fear the fat they carry over from infancy.
(They are celebrating Liz being pregnant with a girl via the pink hair.)
Cow's milk is designed by nature to get calves big fast and so it's filled with lots of growth hormones. Not even nature lets calves drink cow's milk for long. Much of the protein in milk is Casein, which has been implicated as a carcinogen in humans. It's also found in human mother's milk, but in a much lower percentage (it's 80:20 Casein to Whey in cows and 40:60 in humans).
The high growth is implicated in early puberty, which in turn is implicated in prostate and breast cancers. It's also implicated in obesity, diabetes and cancer.
There is every evidence that the Fuhrman food pyramid, the one Okinawans were on before we introduced foods to bulk them up, is perfect for kids (along with human breast milk).
Right now he is getting everything he needs from breastmilk alone, the other stuff is extra
My eldest started on solids around 10 months, my youngest didn't show an interest until nearly 15 months - we just let them guide their own respective introductions into solids, and let them pretty much just grab from our plates. My kids selfwean so we we always had breastmilk as our fallback, even through the toddler years. Not everyone wants to or sees the benefit of nursing beyond a year ... in which case you'd need to definitely beware of nutritional pitfalls that would likely be discussed in aforementioned books. Lots of reading to do
I spent some time overseas, and I remember how miserable it was trying to find anything remotely 'exotic' at the commissary. And the economy out there was not only expensive but also iffy. That's definitely a hurdle, but even if you make minor changes now you'll see a difference and be doing yourself better - you won't be in the UK forever, no? We had friends and family in the States send us nonperishables that weren't available on post, and then just went a few years without very much good fresh fruit
What a photogenic family!
My toddler is vegan and off the charts in terms of height and weight - the joke is that I'm making cream, rather than milk
My inlaws worry about him being smaller; but as Baldy suggest, I agree that the perception is skewed and biased out of (our) favor. He'll catch up
Actually it shouldn't be too difficult at this point. Other than the small bits of meat he gets (mostly chicken, a tiny bit of a burger the other night, and some salmon the other day) he eats only fruits and veg and some dairy in the form of yogurt and some cheese the other day. So I can put a stop to the dairy without a problem. We're at a point where he isn't so hooked dairy or meat that we couldn't put a stop to them easily. He only asks for 3 things (we've been doing baby sign language with him): milk, bananas, and kiwis. The rest he just takes as he gets.
I'll start with the china study and go from there. But a quick question, why do you use the asterisk in "veg*n"? Sorry I'm a n00b at all this.
Like I said, he's been chowing down on solids for nearly 4 months now. His bottles (breast milk, mommy works I stay home) are down from a high of 9 a day (nearly 8 oz each) right before we started solids to 4 bottles that are usually less than 4 oz though occasionally he has a night where he takes 7 or 8 oz. We're planning on letting him self-wean. He'll be supplementing his diet with breast milk as long as mommy can stand to pump and as long as he can stand to have milk from a cup. We're weaning from the bottle starting just today.
Good to know there is someone out there that has gone through this. I'm sure it was much worse in Korea with the Army (I'm assuming since you said "Post") than it is in the UK with the Air Force. Sometimes the best you can is good enough, that's good to remember. So thanks for that.
http://photos.mikelanestudios.com/
I also rode my bicycle to the grocery store, so I was being eco-friendly at the same time, next eco-friendly move, live in an 84 square foot home, as this woman has done.
I've been pretty skeptical about some claims Dr. Fuhrman makes, like the reduced incidence of headaches, allergies and asthma. Blood lipids, yes, you can measure them for yourself. Cancer, heart disease, and diabetes, yes, you can look at any number of published studies. Allergies and asthma? Really?
I have to say that in the year I've been eating this way, I haven't had a headache, but I rarely had them anyway. However, I did get hay fever and asthma each spring and this spring I was spared. Maybe it was a low-pollen year, who knows. I'll pay close attention in upcoming years.
We can prevent B12 deficiencies with a simple pill, but if we get Alzheimer's no pill will save us and the bummer is we won't even be able to remember how yummy the cheeseburgers, fries and shakes were that helped get us the disease.
Do you take a B12 supplement now? Any others or just that? Do you need a higher does with a higher rate of activity?
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As one of Baldy's rugrats, I'll throw in a few of my thoughts on this whole thing.
I'm currently not vegan, and didn't have any weight to lose when I first started reading these books and listening to my Dad rave about veggies. In fact, now with being pregnant, I'm trying to put on pounds.
But, changing my diet has been a very good thing for me. Here's what we do at our house:
No meat. Occasionally when we're at friend's house, they'll serve meat because they've forgotten we don't eat it. We smile and eat some. We don't have a problem with fish, but just don't eat it very frequently.
Almost no refined flours, processed foods, or added sugars.
Examples: We drink unsweetened soymilk that's just whole organic soybeans, filtered and water. The "vanilla" or "plain" flavors have added evaporated cane juice which means you get less protein/fiber/beany goodness per calorie. It also gets you craving sweet stuff. We don't eat "meat substitutes", vegetarian frozen dinners, etc. for the same reasons. Whole plant foods are best, the less processing the better. We don't usually buy fruit juices at the store, because you lose all the goodness of the peel and pulp (fiber, color, etc). Instead, we throw whole fruits in the VitaMix. Kiwi fuzz, apple skin, pineapple core, strawberry tops, they all get ground up into smooth goodness.
Not too much dairy. My husband prefers butter over margarine, so he'll put that on things occasionally. We sometimes use whole eggs when baking (waffles, for example), but other times just egg whites, or flaxmeal + water as a substitute. No cow's milk, but some cheese or ice cream on occasion. Only really really good cheese and ice cream though, so a little bit satisfies. No more sprinkling cheese on every burrito, pasta dish, etc. just because.
For us and cravings, the best thing to do is to change your perspective. Fruits are naturally sweet, and I promise you'll appreciate them more if you don't eat chocolate covered sugar bombs for breakfast, soda with lunch (diet or regular), and a candy bar for a snack. We just go down on a bowl of fresh strawberries, or thawed 3-berry blend from Costco as a late-night treat. We don't get artifically-sweetened stuff because it just trains our palletes to expect everything to be sweet. It gets you out of touch with the purpose of our sweet-craving: to detect and appreciate a perfectly ripe piece of fruit.
Once you've got your taste buds out of the fat and sugar-induced stupor, you might still have some cravings for the occasional scoop of ice cream, piece of chocolate, or what-have-you. Eat some slowly, savor it, and enjoy it as a treat. Not the norm.
So, the reason why I say I'm not vegan is because I do incorporate some cheese, egg, fish, etc. into my diet. However, at our house, changing our emphasis (90%+ of our calories) to whole plant foods has made a world of difference. Better sleep at night, more energy, slimmer waistline for my husband, more creative cooking, more appreciation for food and flavor, and best of all: we can eat all we want all day long. We're never hungry. We never feel deprived. Portion control is important when you're munching on pastries and cheesy chicken bake, but you'll never gain weight eating greens and berries.
-Anne
vgrin.com
www.ivarborst.nl & smugmug
www.ivarborst.nl & smugmug