Not hungry.

I am totally not hungry today. Made myself eat a banana and one of Melissa's blueberry muffins. Had a bowl of cereal for breakfast.

I took a walk early this morning...well, early for me...as it was in the 60s. Could smell the fire already started at the Mediterranean restaurant and sugar odor from the dessert catering establishment. Kept walking.

But I pulled a muscle in my thigh and now am limping around. I need to go to the grocery but don't feel like messing with it. I have a veggie burger and fresh squash and zucchini that I can fix for dinner.

I have already had a nap and it is barely 4 p.m.

At Qdoba

I hate to eat at a restaurant with such a goofy name (wiki writes it may be from the Navajo word for 'house of food') but I did today. It was pretty easy to stay safe...a naked mango salsa salad. Here are the layers that I chose: no tortilla shell, lettuce, black beans, pinto beans, veggies and the mango salsa. They do put some sort of cilantro-lime dressing on it but sometimes you just have to live dangerously.

The nutrition calculator on the website totaled the meal to be about 350 calories. Not bad and I am full.

So now I know one place to go when traveling. Next time I will ask for the dressing on the side.

Blueberry muffins

Another Monday delivery from Melissa. Blueberry muffins and veggie burgers.

I still have vegetables left from last week, so no cooking show.

I wouldn't eat this well if not for Melissa and her goodies.

The End of Overeating

I just finished reading The End of Overeating by David Kessler, M.D. The author says we are preconditioned for hypereating. It's a brain thing, not a willpower thing. The fat, sugar, and salt that we consume in processed foods and restaurants makes us want more even though we don't want to eat more. If that makes any sense. It does to me. Like alcoholics who don't want to drink because they know the consequences, but they drink anyway. One drink sets up the phenomenon of craving. He writes about the cue-urge-reward. See the candy bar, want the candy bar, eat the candy bar even though you are not hungry. And then come the self-recriminations.

He has a rehab plan that I need to reread. Awareness of the cues, right-size meals, support, and pretty much total abstinence from the trigger foods. Easier said than done with TV commercials, billboards, and fast food places on every corner. Ever vigilant.

He feels that eventually a piece of something with fat, sugar, and salt will be safe to eat. I am not so sure. Once in the body, the brain tells you to have another. And another. You deserve it. You have been so "good," worked so hard, blah, blah, blah.

The brain is sometimes our worst enemy.

My personal chef

Having Melissa as my personal chef is really paying off for me. I always have something healthful in little tubs to grab and put together to make a satisfying meal.

Tonight it was a rice/quinoa mixture with green beans, sauteed onions, and one little new potato. I also fixed a spinach salad with mushrooms. For lunch is was her vegan raspberry/pecan muffin with kale. And for breakfast oatmeal with almond milk and dried cranberries.

The onions were already sauteed in a bit of vegetable broth and are easy enough to spoon on top of anything. The grain mixture has a good flavor. Really the only things I have actually cooked this week are the green beans and steamed asparagus. I think one night I steamed some squash, zucchini, and broccoli. Which reminds me I have more to cook for tomorrow.

The veggie burgers or black bean patties are a nice touch. Last night I put half of one on my big salad.

I love having a personal chef.

Dietary guidelines from the government

It seems as if the government, or more specifically the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is catching up with what some already know: a plant-based diet that includes grains and nuts is more healthful than our supersized meals of meat and animal proteins and fats.

The 677-page report tells us that we are overweight or obese and that includes children. We should slash our salt intake and get two-and-a-half hours of moderate activity a week or 75 minutes of high-intensity exercise.

Now if we could just get the producers of fat/sugar/salt processed foods to read and follow the report, we will all benefit.

Skinny Bitch...The Book

Ok. So I discovered I like green beans cooked....and cooked. Fixed a bunch of fresh ones in some vegetable bouillon and a little onion. Lots of salt and pepper. Very yummy over the quinoa and rice for lunch.

My new breakfast is oatmeal. The past few days I have fixed it with fresh peaches on top. Oh my. A little bit of heaven in the morning.

I had the book "Skinny Bitch" on request at the library. I read it advocates a vegan diet. Then I started reading reviews on Amazon. Many of the reviewers noted that it is full of the same loathing messages that those with eating disorders tell themselves. And lots of profanity. Who needs that. I cancelled the request.

Yoga and cooking

Yesterday I attended my first ever yoga class. There were three of us plus the instructor. We were all 'women of a certain age.' It was quiet. I broke a sweat. This was chair yoga, but it was quite a workout. I liked the way I felt afterward. Looser. There is a gentle yoga class on Friday that I hope to attend. We will be on the floor. Kathleen the instructor promised to help me get back up.

Today was Cooking with Melissa. My own cooking show live in my kitchen. I have kale and beet greens, potatoes and rosemary, rice and quinoa, and everything washed and ready for me to steam: broccoli, green beans, squash and zucchini.

This morning for breakfast I put 1/2 cup regular oatmeal in a bowl, added about 1/2 cups of almond milk, and cooked it in the microwave for about two minutes. Then I stirred in a spoonful of Grape Nuts and topped with dried cranberries and cinnamon. Wow! Was that good. And no oatmeal pan to clean up.

I have so much to eat I don't know where to start.

Fresh Market

Today included a shopping spree to Fresh Market. What a delight. Quiet with classical music playing. And not so large. I can see from one side of the store to the other. I had a blast in the produce department and bought lots of fresh vegetables and fruits. Then I just wandered around. There really wasn't anything else for me to buy.

I didn't pay much attention to the prices. I just bought what I wanted. $40. Same as at Whole Foods last week but a much pleasanter shopping experience. Really, there was hardly anyone in the store. Suits me.

One of the nice fellows in produce handed me a free package of three enormous veggie kabobs. Wow! I am taking them to a friend's house for dinner. She has a grill. It may mean a bit of oil from Italian dressing. They will probably need something.

I attended a luncheon today. Veggie quiche and two servings of fresh fruit. Melissa brought over freshly made vegan raspberry muffins and some black bean burgers. I can hardly wait to try them.

I bought asparagus and steamed some of it for a snack. Left the stalks in the steamer all of three minutes. So tender and almost buttery tasting.

So I am set for the week. I only have one other 'eating out' engagement. I will do the best I can.

Eating out

Last night a friend and I went to a mystery/dinner theatre performance. I had salad (no dressing) and requested ahead of time fresh fruit for dessert instead of the proffered cheese cake. The fruit alone was almost enough for a main course. It was chilled and beautiful.

For the entree I chose the vegetable lasagna. It was a serving as large as my hand. It was yummy. I ate the whole thing. The first time I have felt full in three weeks. Of course there was cheese and white-flour pasta and probably oil but I enjoyed it anyway.

I am such a black and white thinker but I won't let myself feel guilty. It just goes to prove that it is very difficult to eat out. If I had known the fruit was going to be so lovely, I would have just had that and the green salad. I figured they would just bring me a small bowl.

Lots of changes at once going on here. Getting off sugar is difficult enough. But also dairy and eggs, meat, oil! And starting an exercise program. Jeeeshh. What was I thinking?

I guess though I have been making small changes all along, but it still feels a bit overwhelming.

At least I am taking an interest in my health and the food I eat. The one big area in my life that definitely needs attending to.

Play Ball

I know so little about nutrition that I had to Google "sources of protein in plants" and "sources of carbohydrates in plants". Protein is in the beans; carbohydrates are in the grains. That's settled.

Today I have been thinking about traveling and eating out and how to fuse those events with my vegan diet. It is not that difficult to stay with the safe foods if I am eating out of my own kitchen. It will just take some planning on my part. When I was a vegetarian I thought ahead and it got easier. But with no dairy or egg or oil, that may present a bit more of a challenge.

What got me thinking about this was the fact that I have tickets to a baseball game tonight. I kept thinking about the different food options at the ballpark and all I could come up with was a baked potato. Plain. Maybe with onion and salsa if they have them. But as it turns out, it is way too hot to even go, so that takes care of that. It would be too hot to eat anyway.

They will just have to Play Ball without me tonight.

A system of sorts

This morning I read through the recipes in Dr. Esselstyn's book. Hmmmm. Some of them have an awful lot of ingredients. More than five feels too complicated for me.

I am trying to work out a system of having 'safe' food (as Dr. E calls it) at the ready for me to grab and eat. That means veggies and fruit washed and ready to cut up; brown rice or quinoa (I just learned it is pronounced KEEN - wah) already cooked; and, plenty of all that on hand. Basically by the time I am ready to eat I am usually too hungry or tired to do much cookin'. I am more of a fixer than a cooker.

I am still hungry but perhaps I am getting used to the feeling. I think I am eating enough. I have totally switched over to the almond milk. I would like to find some sort of bread I can eat. The Arnold's whole wheat rounds have all sorts of stuff in them. They are off my list.

I was excited to see that sorbet and frozen fruit bars (read the ingredients) are safe. Make my day.

Where's the money?

I scooted around online today trying to find vegan diet information and blogs. Here is something the bothers me: many of them want me to try meatless meat products. Dairyless dairy products. What is the point of soy turkey? If I wanted to eat turkey I would roast a turkey. The same with soy yogurt, soy ice cream, or soy whatever.

The main goal for me is to eat a plant-based diet of whole foods. I know soy is a good protein but I am just not a big fan and I don't think making it taste like fake bacon is going to change my mind.

A few years ago, when I was changing to a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet, I cooked a pot of rice and beans that had 'smoke flavoring' added. Big mistake. My kitchen smelled like I had roasted a whole pig. I threw out the food and still smelled pork for days. I learned a lesson that day - if you don't eat meat don't cook something that smells like meat!

Anyway, I don't see the sense in eating fake anything. Once again, it seems that corporate America has taken over even this portion of our eating. As usual, they have their greedy little hands in our tills.

Be careful out there.

What do I know?

I guess to be fair I should reveal the author of the book that started me on this vegan journey. Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease by Caldwell Esselstyn, MD.

Here is what I liked:
The book is well written and easy to understand.
It didn't blind me with science.
There are helpful hints on dealing with 'food' situations - restaurants, travel, etc.
Fully half of the book is made up of recipes.

There are some scary pictures of arteries that are as blocked as an LA freeway during rush hour (or any time really).

Dr. E presents a simple case and a simple plan. Eat vegetables, grains, fruits. No oil. No meat, poultry or seafood. No dairy. No eggs.

Makes a trip to the grocery store a breeze. Three-fourths of the stuff in the store is not for me.

Today I had my usual Kashi cereal with blueberries for breakfast. I mixed 1/2 cup of 2% milk and 1/2 cup of almond milk and poured it over the cereal. I sometimes like to ease into things. Make small adjustments. Anyway, the half-and-half mixture was OK. I really couldn't tell much difference. That is a plus. I was afraid I would not like the taste.

For lunch I had another one of Melissa's veggie burgers on Arnold's Whole Wheat round, lettuce, mustard, green beans, and some of the roasted vegetables from last night.

Afternoon snack: Kale and grapes.

I do feel hungry though. Or maybe it is just empty. Is there a difference? Today I have eaten about every three hours.

Who would think of kale as a snack?

Getting Started

So I read this book about heart disease - prevention and reversal. I am a prime candidate. My mom had a heart attack, my grandmother had strokes, and my great-grandmother did as well.

The message: Eat a plant-based diet. Nothing with a face or a mother. And even stricter - no oil. No nuts, avocados, even olive oil. Now there's a challenge.

Excluding meat doesn't bother me. I was a lacto-ovo vegetarian for 15 years and then just gave it up. I will have a more difficult time with the dairy. But, I got rid of the cottage cheese, yogurt, and cheese in the fridge. Eggs are gone.

Here is what I have: veggies, brown rice, and fruit. A very minimalist kitchen.

I still have 2% milk for my cereal but that will go as soon as it is used up. Probably in a day or two. I have almond milk as a substitute.

Today I went to Whole Foods (where the people don't really look all that healthy) with Melissa as my guide. We bought beets, kale, grapes, quinoa, lemons, peppers, apple butter, stoneground mustard, and the vegetable broth with the photo of the two guys on the back. I trust them.

Melissa washed and chopped and sauteed and stirred. I watched. She roasted the veggies using olive oil (one thing at a time!). Actually, they were too oily tasting for me, so I rinsed them off before I ate them.

She sauteed the beet stalks and greens. She stripped the kale and burned my big pot while sauteing the onions in the vegetable broth. Lesson number one: The broth cooks down fast. Keep an eye out.

She made me veggie burgers. Delicious but I found out she used egg so they would stay together. I am eating them anyway. Spicy and flavorful.

Basically since June 1 my eating has been good. It is just in the last few days that I have considered the vegan diet. So we shall see. This is the first time I have decided to change my eating for health reasons instead of looks.

Welcome to The Vegan Bunnie.