Getting bored with Eat To Live.

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Replies

  • EIEIElenaO
    EIEIElenaO Posts: 101 Member
    My own approach is kind of "south beach meets mediterranean meets eat to live", by that I mean: I'm not as low fat as some, I'm not 100% plant based and do eat *some* animal products, and I do carefully consider the glycemic load of my foods. But, importantly, I do focus on creating the most nutrient dense, primarily plant based diet that I can.

    We be soul sisters in the kitchen! This is a great explanation of how I love to eat.

    When I do eat meat, or dairy, or eggs, I preferably like to either look it in the eye beforehand (my hubs will hunt and fish for me & I have a friend with backyard chickens) or get to know the person who looks it in the eye (which I find at either a local farmers market or a ranch online that ships stuff frozen). It is more expensive per pound to source this way, but we eat so little of it that it ends up costing less in total.

    I am rareley bored eating my ETL version. Frankly, if I ate everything that met my criteria, I'd be quite large! I see it as a grand opportunity for creativity in the kitchen.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    EIEIElenaO wrote: »
    My own approach is kind of "south beach meets mediterranean meets eat to live", by that I mean: I'm not as low fat as some, I'm not 100% plant based and do eat *some* animal products, and I do carefully consider the glycemic load of my foods. But, importantly, I do focus on creating the most nutrient dense, primarily plant based diet that I can.

    We be soul sisters in the kitchen! This is a great explanation of how I love to eat.

    When I do eat meat, or dairy, or eggs, I preferably like to either look it in the eye beforehand (my hubs will hunt and fish for me & I have a friend with backyard chickens) or get to know the person who looks it in the eye (which I find at either a local farmers market or a ranch online that ships stuff frozen). It is more expensive per pound to source this way, but we eat so little of it that it ends up costing less in total.

    I am rareley bored eating my ETL version. Frankly, if I ate everything that met my criteria, I'd be quite large! I see it as a grand opportunity for creativity in the kitchen.

    I like the way you think!
  • lisabinco
    lisabinco Posts: 1,016 Member
    JacquiH73 wrote: »
    You're story is very inspiring but I need to understand something because I have not read Fuhrman's book.

    You use no salt whatsoever in cooking? I can understand cutting out highly refined sugars and oils but salt is an essential nutrient. I understand whole foods contain natural sodium, some more than others, but what is the harm in adding a little salt to recipes as long as you keep your daily salt intake to less than 2300mg or 1500mg if medically required?
    @JacquiH73 it is my understanding that Dr. Fuhrman's reasons for no salt is that it's bad for your kidneys, and he recommends no more than 200mg of ADDED salt a day, and that we only really need 500mg per day in total. Many other health sources give that same number.

    Now for me, knowing all that, I still choose to use a small amount of salt in cooking etc because I can't get past the reality that salt brings out the flavour in pretty much every dish. Maybe some day I'll be 95% added-salt free, but I'm not going to sweat it. :D
    I use no salt at all anymore. My sodium intake is usually <700 mg/day. I feel amazingly better this way. I have always been sensitive to salt in anything, and it has only gotten worse as I age. If I have too much one day, it shows up as swollen eyes, ankles, fingers, even my eyelids can get swelled up on really bad salt days. Excess salt does make your kidneys work harder, as does excess protein. Excess sodium levels in vegans can lead to hemorrhagic strokes (as opposed to ischemic strokes for meat eaters) (ETL p.133-134). What I found, after almost 3 years salt-free, is that my taste buds have changed. I can now taste my food in all its forms. Peas taste sweet. Asparagus is very flavorful. I'm no longer just tasting the salt and spices in food -- I'm tasting the food! Yes, cabbage and cauliflower have flavor all by themselves.
  • lisabinco
    lisabinco Posts: 1,016 Member
    Lisa's Vegan Navy Bean Soup

    1 lb bag of dry navy beans
    4 or 5 small yellow potatoes, cubed
    10-15 carrots, sliced
    2 white or yellow onions, chopped
    1 zucchini and 1 yellow squash, sliced
    2 cups Kitchen Basics Vegetable Broth (no added salt)
    2 Tbsp (or more to suit) minced garlic
    1 Tbsp (or more to suit) dried thyme
    1 leaf basil
    Enough water to fill the crock pot

    Put it all in the crackpot. I use a 6 quart pot. I put the beans in the bottom and pile in the vegetables on top, then add the spices, then the liquids, and finally stick the basil leaf on top. I put the lid on and cook it on high for about 6 hours. It smells wonderful while cooking!
    This soup freezes well and keeps in the refrigerator for several days.
  • lisabinco
    lisabinco Posts: 1,016 Member
    This is a great dish! Link: http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/cumin-and-lime-roasted-sweet-potatoes/

    I didn't peel my sweet potatoes; just chopped 'em up into cubes. I used olive oil since I don't have safflower oil. I added lime juice before and after baking but you can add the lime juice after baking to keep it simple. They're crispier if they bake without lime juice, but I like them both ways. I double the onions; they get really sweet from roasting and go nicely with the spices. Throw this combination into a corn tortilla with black beans and avocado for a quick lunch. Enjoy!

    Cumin and Lime Roasted Sweet Potatoes
    Serves 4

    1 large sweet potato or garnet yam (1 ¼ lb.), peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes
    1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped (2 cups)
    1 tsp. Eden Organic safflower oil
    2 tsp. Simply Organic ground cumin
    1 tsp. Simply Organic paprika
    1 lime, halved
    ⅓ cup chopped cilantro
    1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper, or coat with cooking spray. Toss sweet potato and onion with oil on prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with cumin and paprika, and season with salt, if desired. Squeeze juice of 1/2 lime over sweet potato and onion. Roast 45 minutes to 1 hour, tossing halfway through cooking time.

    2. Remove vegetables from oven; squeeze juice of remaining 1/2 lime over top, and sprinkle with cilantro.

    Vegetarian Times, September 2012 p.66
  • Mihani
    Mihani Posts: 3,878 Member
    Thanks for that Navy Bean Soup recipe Lisa... will be trying that! The sweet potatoes sound good too.
  • EIEIElenaO
    EIEIElenaO Posts: 101 Member
    lisabinco wrote: »
    What I found, after almost 3 years salt-free, is that my taste buds have changed. I can now taste my food in all its forms. Peas taste sweet. Asparagus is very flavorful. I'm no longer just tasting the salt and spices in food -- I'm tasting the food! Yes, cabbage and cauliflower have flavor all by themselves.

    Lisa: You bring up a really great point here. My taste buds have changed as well. What used to be a "normal" amount of salad dressing now drowns out the beautiful fresh flavors of my vegetables.

    And Dr. F really brings this point home too. That we need to give our taste preferences time to adjust -- because they will always adjust.

    I hope OP is still reading, because she may decide to reduce salt a bit more and see what happens in her body and in her taste buds.
  • DawnPodojil
    DawnPodojil Posts: 12 Member
    I recently purchased a pressure cooker and Jill Nussinow's book "The New Fast Food" and have found some great recipes that cook very quickly. I highly recommend this combo! Also try Healthy Herbivore's cookbooks. I haven't found a recipe I didn't like - and they are quick to put together.
    -
  • lisabinco
    lisabinco Posts: 1,016 Member
    I agree that Healthy Herbivore has some nice recipes, as does Helyn's Healthy Kitchen. I've noticed from other friends who have given ETL a try, they really don't try very long or with the requisite commitment. Dr F is right; if you're just going to try, don't bother. You've already failed. What's true in life is certainly true about ETL -- that some things in life just take time to develop (like relationships, deep love, memories). That equally applies to changes in taste buds, real changes in one's attitude towards food, lasting changes in your health. Nothing worth having is easy; simple, maybe but not easy.