This summer I've had time to watch more tv than usual. As a result, I've been exposed to so many commercials! Many commercials feature foods made from grains: popcorn, poptarts, cereals, and other "healthy" whole grain foods. I think about how satisfying it would be to dig into a bowl of cheddar cheese flavored popcorn, or a strawberry poptart, and then I remember the pain that ensues for two or three days after I eat anything like that.
How does one maintain a healthy, for me, diet? Our whole society conspires against what's healthy for me. Everywhere there are ads encouraging us to eat peanut butter, whole grain breads, cereals, and other grains. Then there are the legumes! Bush's baked beans, green bean casseroles, roasted ears of corn, and so many delicious Mexican dishes that feature beans and corn.
Each and every day I have to remind myself that for me, these foods conspire against my good health. I end up in pain; I end up having high glucose readings; I end up having low iron levels. What's a person to do?
Thank goodness for fresh fruits and veggies, and for 100% grass-fed meats, and free range poultry. I've learned about the dangers inherent in eating farmed fish and sea-foods, although when the concept was introduced many years ago, it sounded like a great idea.
Grapes, peaches, avocados, tomatoes, squashes, spinach, etc. are so good at this time of year. They are my go to foods at the moment. I also enjoy smoothies made from yoghurt, bananas, and frozen organic strawberries.
On Facebook I "like" the Live Gluten Freely page, but it's sponsored by companies that are based on grains. Even though several of these companies make gluten-free alternative products, they are not grain-free, and many of them also contain high fructose corn syrup and other stuff I don't want to consume.
I haven't read Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma, and perhaps I should. Perhaps it addresses the issues I'm wrestling with. I'm not sure. I am sure that I need to avoid grains and legumes, and I know that these foods are widely advertised on tv and in magazines.
Oh, yes, temptations abound. My daily challenge is avoiding the temptations and the resulting pain and suffering.
It isn't easy.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Friday, July 9, 2010
So many wonderful summer vegetables!
The other day I finished my binder of recipes that are all grain-free, unless I think I can substitute something like almond flour, coconut flour, or tapioca flour for what's in the given recipe. After finishing that job, I've gone through the binder and yesterday selected an interesting looking chicken recipe. There was no flour of any kind in it, but lots of onion and bell peppers and herbs. It was delicious! (The chicken was one of the organic Smart Chickens.)
I went to New Leaf Market in Capitola and bought grass-fed/finished ground round. You're supposed to cook it at a lower temperature and be careful to not overcook grass-fed/finished beef. (I learned that from reading a number of websites written by the ranchers who raise the 100% grass fed/finished beef.) I also bought a lot of organic local vegetables. Now I can make the mock mashed potatoes that use cauliflower and zucchini "hash browns". It's good to find healthy substitutes for potatoes which don't drive my blood glucose up!
Last night dessert was sliced local organic strawberries with organic cream. What could be better than that! So much that is healthy (and safe) for me to eat isn't that difficult.
Tomorrow I'll go to the local farmers' market to see what other wonderful organic summer foods I can find. Peaches or apricots would be nice! I have some good recipes for tarts with almond flour crusts that would be great filled with fresh peaches or apricots!
More later!
I went to New Leaf Market in Capitola and bought grass-fed/finished ground round. You're supposed to cook it at a lower temperature and be careful to not overcook grass-fed/finished beef. (I learned that from reading a number of websites written by the ranchers who raise the 100% grass fed/finished beef.) I also bought a lot of organic local vegetables. Now I can make the mock mashed potatoes that use cauliflower and zucchini "hash browns". It's good to find healthy substitutes for potatoes which don't drive my blood glucose up!
Last night dessert was sliced local organic strawberries with organic cream. What could be better than that! So much that is healthy (and safe) for me to eat isn't that difficult.
Tomorrow I'll go to the local farmers' market to see what other wonderful organic summer foods I can find. Peaches or apricots would be nice! I have some good recipes for tarts with almond flour crusts that would be great filled with fresh peaches or apricots!
More later!
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
It's been awhile since I've posted...
Yesterday and today I worked on my recipe binder while watching the World Cup Semi-finals. (One truth is that one needs to really WATCH the World Cup, because soccer has a lot more action than American football.) Now the whole stack of loose recipes that I saved from magazines, newspapers, and the internet are in plastic sheet protectors and ensconced in a 3 inch binder. The recipes are now categorized into divisions: salads, main dishes, soups,vegetables, breakfast foods, appetizers, and desserts. Most of the recipes are grain-free, OR they have a little regular flour or other thickeners which I think I can substitute with blanched almond flour, coconut flour, or tapioca flour. When I make those substitutions and the recipe doesn't work, I'll toss it.
A few weeks ago I went to Whole Foods and asked about their grass-fed beef. I learned that it is grass-fed until the last 60 days, then it's grain-fed. I went to our local New Leaf Grocery store and found out that they do carry 100% grass fed/finished beef from Pacific Pastures in Humboldt County in Northern California. They also carry 100% organic/truly free range chickens. (We really have to read the labels and figure out what it means when they say things like "all vegetarian fed", as though chickens shouldn't eat bugs and worms, which they would do naturally.)
I bought some of their 100% grass fed/finished beef, and it really wasn't a whole lot more expensive than what one can find other places for the feed-lot beef we've become accustomed to buying. I also bought one of the chickens. The difference in flavor is remarkable! I used the carcass of the chicken to make soup, and it was delicious.
I've been making Waldorf chicken salads lately. I love using organic grapes, apples, celery, walnuts, and the organic/free range chicken in this salad. Sometimes it makes a great meal at lunch, but other times I'll have it for dinner.
The main thing I've learned over the past few years is the importance of making sure to have protein at every meal (and snack), and to include one or two vegetables and/or fruits as well. However, I've also learned about some things to avoid--usually because they are too good/addictive. One of those things is the Cashew Clusters that are sold at Costco. This delicious combination of cashews, almonds, pumpkin seed kernels, with sugar, rice syrup, sea salt, and honey are low in sugar (4 g/serving) and have zero cholesterol. BUT they are sweet and crunchy, and I can't eat just one--the label says that five is a serving. I confess that I've never eaten just five.
So, just because something is grain-free does not mean it's something that one should eat with abandon. Sad, isn't it.
More later...
A few weeks ago I went to Whole Foods and asked about their grass-fed beef. I learned that it is grass-fed until the last 60 days, then it's grain-fed. I went to our local New Leaf Grocery store and found out that they do carry 100% grass fed/finished beef from Pacific Pastures in Humboldt County in Northern California. They also carry 100% organic/truly free range chickens. (We really have to read the labels and figure out what it means when they say things like "all vegetarian fed", as though chickens shouldn't eat bugs and worms, which they would do naturally.)
I bought some of their 100% grass fed/finished beef, and it really wasn't a whole lot more expensive than what one can find other places for the feed-lot beef we've become accustomed to buying. I also bought one of the chickens. The difference in flavor is remarkable! I used the carcass of the chicken to make soup, and it was delicious.
I've been making Waldorf chicken salads lately. I love using organic grapes, apples, celery, walnuts, and the organic/free range chicken in this salad. Sometimes it makes a great meal at lunch, but other times I'll have it for dinner.
The main thing I've learned over the past few years is the importance of making sure to have protein at every meal (and snack), and to include one or two vegetables and/or fruits as well. However, I've also learned about some things to avoid--usually because they are too good/addictive. One of those things is the Cashew Clusters that are sold at Costco. This delicious combination of cashews, almonds, pumpkin seed kernels, with sugar, rice syrup, sea salt, and honey are low in sugar (4 g/serving) and have zero cholesterol. BUT they are sweet and crunchy, and I can't eat just one--the label says that five is a serving. I confess that I've never eaten just five.
So, just because something is grain-free does not mean it's something that one should eat with abandon. Sad, isn't it.
More later...
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