Soooo, since I will the only person in my family not partaking in a dead bird, I shopped at Whole Foods and The Farm to make sure I am full on Thanksgiving. A girl still has to stuff herself silly, right?
My menu will consist of all the sides, but tweaked so that they are vegan, and mostly gluten and soy free. I did buy some soy Silk nog, because seriously? I can't get through the holidays without that rummed up nog with nutmeg on top. Ohhh yeah. Mashed potatoes will have rice milk and soy free earth balance. I will have a nuked sweet potato with cinnamon instead of the casserole which has butter and animal bone marshmallows (they were out of vegan ones at WF today - booooooo.) Butternut squash made with e.b., peas/onions, green beans w/garlic, a small portion of stuffing since there is wheat in it, salad, and I'm going to make some gf/vegan choco chip cookies. That should do it, and not send me too over the edge. I've had to detox the past couple of days after drinking and eating fried pickles this weekend, whups!
I am going to adopt a turkey tonight, to protest the slaughter of these poor birds. I know its tradition, but they didn't have a turkey at the first thanksgiving, so I won't have any at mine. I am thankful for so many things this year. My family, friends, animals I've helped, ending the clinical trial, meeting a great guy, and my health. I'll be working even harder in 2010!
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
challenges and motivation
I think the first week went...okay. I was successful in cutting out the soy and I do have to say that I am much less snotty this week. Gluten was a little tough, I made lentil soup at my brothers and effed it up by adding a quinoa-orzo-couscous mix. As soon as I dumped it in the pot I was like SHIT! So I ate it, not wanting to waste it. The sugar was another toughie as I ate some vegan chocolate and vegan coconut cake this week, but at least no refined sugar. I had beer and some pita, but otherwise cut way down. I did have a glass of wine, so that messed me up a little I think. I need much more water!! I have been pretty good about the morning detox of water and lemon, but gotta have much more before dinnertime.
I really want to start on my raw diet but I can't afford a VitaMix or juicer yet, which is essential. I'll get there though! I am excited to learn about how to eat raw and reverse some of my dis-ease. I went shopping last night and it took so long to read all the labels, but I was able to counsel my friend on my new healthy food knowlege, while searching Market Basket for gluten/soy free and vegan. Not an easy feat - Whole Foods is MUCH easier to navigate.
I finally have all my essential vitamins and supplements: One a day, DHA (omega-3), Calcium, and Vitamin D-3. All vegan, which was tough to find - so many contain gelatin - yuck!
I really want to start on my raw diet but I can't afford a VitaMix or juicer yet, which is essential. I'll get there though! I am excited to learn about how to eat raw and reverse some of my dis-ease. I went shopping last night and it took so long to read all the labels, but I was able to counsel my friend on my new healthy food knowlege, while searching Market Basket for gluten/soy free and vegan. Not an easy feat - Whole Foods is MUCH easier to navigate.
I finally have all my essential vitamins and supplements: One a day, DHA (omega-3), Calcium, and Vitamin D-3. All vegan, which was tough to find - so many contain gelatin - yuck!
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
gluten, soy, and sugar free, day one
Ironic that today is my four year anniversary of being diagnosed with the canSer beastie, and it being my first day of going "free". I had a little trouble with breakfast, but overall today went pretty well! I went to Spring Brook Farm and the natural food store in Groton (since I am babysitting at my brother's for the next 3 days) to get some things, but am still really glad Trader's and Whole Foods are each 10-15 mintues away from me at home - lucky girl I am!
Breaking it down:
Breakfast - Pumpkin flax granola (a bit too sugary but haven't gotten a cereal yet) with almond milk
Lunch - Salad with cukes, summer squash, avocado, red leaf lettuce, red onion
Snack - Hummus with tomatoes and carrots
Dinner - Lentil soup (homeade) w/ kale, celery, carrots, quinoa, couscous, red onion
YUM!
Breaking it down:
Breakfast - Pumpkin flax granola (a bit too sugary but haven't gotten a cereal yet) with almond milk
Lunch - Salad with cukes, summer squash, avocado, red leaf lettuce, red onion
Snack - Hummus with tomatoes and carrots
Dinner - Lentil soup (homeade) w/ kale, celery, carrots, quinoa, couscous, red onion
YUM!
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
breaking point
I have been sleeping with my mouth wide open for 3 weeks now. GROSS. I can't breathe because there is so much mucous in my head that even doing the neti pot 3 times a day isn't clearing it out. Know why? Cause the allergy attack I have been having all this time may not just be from ragweed as I had first thought. I am learning about internal allergies more and more. I didn't think I was allergic to soy, until I talked to my friend today who is also a doctor. She advised me to cut the gluten, soy, and sugar out until I can identify what is and has been making me nuts all these years. Cutting out dairy has definitely helped, but I want to feel even better. I want the fatigue to go away, all the snot, and aches that are caused by inflammation. So it has to start from what I'm putting in.
Luckily I hadn't grocery shopped in a good while, so there wasn't much to chuck out. The soy ice cream sandwiches had to go, as well as the Morningstar Farms products. They are full of soy, gluten, sugar, and gmo's. Well, they are made by Kellogg's after all, so I guess I should have looked more closely at the ingredients. Bye soy milk, hello almond milk. Goodbye pasta, hello quinoa. Peanut butter will be replaced by almond butter, sugar replaced with agave. My goal is to have optimal health, and if this is what needs to be done, then I'm ready. I have been vegan for almost a year, but I'm ready for the next step which is to push for raw. I still will have soups and pasta and the like, but will incorporate a high volume of raw (which is *I think* under 105 degrees) foods. I've had raw at a couple of restaurants and it is damn good. I can't wait to do some shopping tomorrow! I am going to finish my cucumber water and go to bed.
Luckily I hadn't grocery shopped in a good while, so there wasn't much to chuck out. The soy ice cream sandwiches had to go, as well as the Morningstar Farms products. They are full of soy, gluten, sugar, and gmo's. Well, they are made by Kellogg's after all, so I guess I should have looked more closely at the ingredients. Bye soy milk, hello almond milk. Goodbye pasta, hello quinoa. Peanut butter will be replaced by almond butter, sugar replaced with agave. My goal is to have optimal health, and if this is what needs to be done, then I'm ready. I have been vegan for almost a year, but I'm ready for the next step which is to push for raw. I still will have soups and pasta and the like, but will incorporate a high volume of raw (which is *I think* under 105 degrees) foods. I've had raw at a couple of restaurants and it is damn good. I can't wait to do some shopping tomorrow! I am going to finish my cucumber water and go to bed.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
food, incorporated
“The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. They were not made for humans any more than black people were made for white, or women created for men.” - Alice Walker
We should make every effort to break bad cultural habits... namely, that of eating animals. When people say “but we’ve been eating meat for thousands of years” tell them that just because we’ve been doing something bad or oppressive for a long time doesn’t justify our continuing to do it. Slave ownership was something that was present for years too...
I've been thinking a lot more about food...how toxic most food is in the U.S. Coincidentally, a new movie just came out, Food, Inc., which shows where most of the foods that wind up in supermarkets really come from. For years, I have done my own investigating, watching and reading horrible accounts of slaughterhouse practices, how pretty much everything we see in the markets is presented in such a way that we grow up thinking that this is normal and good for us. What if we had to pick up our meat at the slaughterhouse? Would people think twice about that ground beef or pork chop? How about the honey baked ham or rotisserie chicken that is smothered in BBQ sauce? Would you still eat it if you saw its feathers being ripped out, its head chopped off?
When I was little, I never knew the pink stuff that got all over the shelves and shopping cart was actual blood...how sticky and smelly it was, but thought that it was just "juice" or "drippings". How good I thought milk tasted...only to find out it is loaded with pus and mucous and that the cows that it came from are injected with hormones so they keep producing. I'm injected with hormone supressing drugs every month and I know how crappy it makes ME feel...but its MY choice to be on this clinical trial.
So many people tell me that meat just tastes too good to give up...and I used to think they were right.
We should make every effort to break bad cultural habits... namely, that of eating animals. When people say “but we’ve been eating meat for thousands of years” tell them that just because we’ve been doing something bad or oppressive for a long time doesn’t justify our continuing to do it. Slave ownership was something that was present for years too...
I've been thinking a lot more about food...how toxic most food is in the U.S. Coincidentally, a new movie just came out, Food, Inc., which shows where most of the foods that wind up in supermarkets really come from. For years, I have done my own investigating, watching and reading horrible accounts of slaughterhouse practices, how pretty much everything we see in the markets is presented in such a way that we grow up thinking that this is normal and good for us. What if we had to pick up our meat at the slaughterhouse? Would people think twice about that ground beef or pork chop? How about the honey baked ham or rotisserie chicken that is smothered in BBQ sauce? Would you still eat it if you saw its feathers being ripped out, its head chopped off?
When I was little, I never knew the pink stuff that got all over the shelves and shopping cart was actual blood...how sticky and smelly it was, but thought that it was just "juice" or "drippings". How good I thought milk tasted...only to find out it is loaded with pus and mucous and that the cows that it came from are injected with hormones so they keep producing. I'm injected with hormone supressing drugs every month and I know how crappy it makes ME feel...but its MY choice to be on this clinical trial.
So many people tell me that meat just tastes too good to give up...and I used to think they were right.
Monday, May 11, 2009
factory farming is piggy.
what's grosser than gross? animals squeezed into small spaces so that companies can get more bang for the buck.
growing up, i never knew what meat really was, let alone where it came from. i wish i had known years ago - maybe if i did i would have chosen not to eat it back then. it took years of weaning off meat and learning that i didn't HAVE to have animal protein - that veggie, nut, grain, fruit, bean, and soy protiens carry just as much amino acids.
i used to think vegans/veggies were weirdo hippies - how could anyone give up chicken soup? isn't it for the soul? easy when you learn where that meat really comes from....and do some real soul searching.
growing up, i never knew what meat really was, let alone where it came from. i wish i had known years ago - maybe if i did i would have chosen not to eat it back then. it took years of weaning off meat and learning that i didn't HAVE to have animal protein - that veggie, nut, grain, fruit, bean, and soy protiens carry just as much amino acids.
i used to think vegans/veggies were weirdo hippies - how could anyone give up chicken soup? isn't it for the soul? easy when you learn where that meat really comes from....and do some real soul searching.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Spring = Back to blogging
Yep. Its been a looooooooooooooong winter. My nephew was born, I got laid off. Started finding a lot of old friends on Facebook. Had to deal with Unemployment, making sure I have insurance, and enough money to pay my bills. Lots of paperwork and scared my severance would run out before the unemployment checks started coming in.
During the switching of gears, I found I had more time to shop and cook, which turned out to be a really good thing. I was still having gastric issues (leftover from years ago) and thought more natural foods would be a good place to start really finding out why after eating I was bloated and had "popcorn" stomach. I loved Trader's instantly, even though they of course don't have everythinggg. Now between that and Market Basket (with an occasional trip to Whole Foods), I was starting to find a lot of different foods.
Now, I had entertained going full vegan a while back, but not even being a full veggie, I had to slowly wean off all the animal products. I had actually started buying cruelty and animal free household products before I stopped eating meat. I started doing more and more research on dairy and was realllly grossed out. My conscience started eating away at me, as well as knowing that dairy was a huge problem with me being lactose intolerance. But what to do about protein? No meat, and no dairy? I already was off ice cream, yogurt, and milk, but eggs and cheese too? Could I really do that?
Okay. I have slipped a few times on the cheese when I go to restaurants, but other than that, I've been dairy free since New Year's. I didn't consciously make a resolution to stop eating it, but to at least try to. I have found so many other things to eat, and different things that I wouldn't have even tried. I'm on more veggie/vegan websites looking for recipies, and I know I have a long way to go in learning but I am on my way!
And I am no longer crazily bloated and hearing my stomach make awful digestion noises. And I can look Footie and Clem in the face and feel good about not eating any of their cousins. Now if I could just find an easy veggie diet for them...
Woo!
New stuff I've tried:
Veggie Dogs
Trader Joe's Veggie Meats (chicken and beef strips)
Trader's Banana Gluten free waffles
Trader's cheeseless pizza
Veggie cheese slices
Smart Balance Organic olive oil spread (vegan!)
During the switching of gears, I found I had more time to shop and cook, which turned out to be a really good thing. I was still having gastric issues (leftover from years ago) and thought more natural foods would be a good place to start really finding out why after eating I was bloated and had "popcorn" stomach. I loved Trader's instantly, even though they of course don't have everythinggg. Now between that and Market Basket (with an occasional trip to Whole Foods), I was starting to find a lot of different foods.
Now, I had entertained going full vegan a while back, but not even being a full veggie, I had to slowly wean off all the animal products. I had actually started buying cruelty and animal free household products before I stopped eating meat. I started doing more and more research on dairy and was realllly grossed out. My conscience started eating away at me, as well as knowing that dairy was a huge problem with me being lactose intolerance. But what to do about protein? No meat, and no dairy? I already was off ice cream, yogurt, and milk, but eggs and cheese too? Could I really do that?
Okay. I have slipped a few times on the cheese when I go to restaurants, but other than that, I've been dairy free since New Year's. I didn't consciously make a resolution to stop eating it, but to at least try to. I have found so many other things to eat, and different things that I wouldn't have even tried. I'm on more veggie/vegan websites looking for recipies, and I know I have a long way to go in learning but I am on my way!
And I am no longer crazily bloated and hearing my stomach make awful digestion noises. And I can look Footie and Clem in the face and feel good about not eating any of their cousins. Now if I could just find an easy veggie diet for them...
Woo!
New stuff I've tried:
Veggie Dogs
Trader Joe's Veggie Meats (chicken and beef strips)
Trader's Banana Gluten free waffles
Trader's cheeseless pizza
Veggie cheese slices
Smart Balance Organic olive oil spread (vegan!)
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