Plant-Based Growth

l have been an omnivore my whole life. I am trying (again) to shift to a plant-based diet. This is my journey.

[plant-shift]

Still struggling

Honestly, I really am struggling with getting back to a plant-dominant diet. Part of the problem is that everything I think of to make requires more prep work than I am capable of doing right now.

I went from planning to defend my dissertation tomorrow to being told maybe I should aim for fall (which is not an option of a list of reasons). I have a course I need to revalidate in order to graduate. I'm also trying to get the online course I'm about to teach ready so all I need to do is grade their work as it comes in.

So right now my food needs to be low-prep and easy to grab and eat. It needs to fit in my budget. It also needs to be something I want to eat. That means meat and dairy are still there.

So on top of all that other stuff, I'm worried about how my diet is factoring into it.

Ugh.

[plant-shift]

Getting back

I'll be honest, plants have drifted down the list. I've been regularly eating salmon for lunch. Part of the perks of working at a grocery store, employee discount on top of sales.

But this past month hasn't been great when it comes to my diet. Today I finally was able to make up some mushrooms I bought.

The plate in the middle is three kinds of mushrooms and a lightly browned tofu cutlet sauteed with a little tamari added at the end. Delicious! I am so happy with how it turned out! The salad is a local mix topped with lemon juice, evoo, and feta. To drink? Water. This feels so good!

I'm not getting rid of my salmon (there's around 4 lbs in the freezer) but I'm definitely working on increasing the plants in my diet. Including tofu.

[homunculus-argument]

I am no nutrition expert but I do have a pretty damn good track record of keeping myself alive, so I want to remind you all that "fed is best" also applies to adults. There's nothing you could eat (that has been deemed fit for human consumption, I don't mean asbestos you smartass) that would be worse for you than just straight-up not eating. No food is as bad as no food.

A protein bar isn't the best possible source of protein in your diet, but it's better than not getting that protein. Fresh fruits would be better than orange juice, but if your choices are between having the orange juice and not getting the vitamins at all, you drink the fucking orange juice.

If you were out at winter while barefoot, and your options were between wrapping random newspaper around your feet, or not having anything to protect your feet, you wouldn't think "newspapers are a worse option than proper shoes, therefore I shouldn't take this worse option" and go barefoot.

[mihai-florescu]

[derinthescarletpescatarian]

Except, critically, at bedtime.

[findersfeeders]

Ravings and urges get miscoded over time. Let’s say you’re thirsty, and you live in a strawberry field. Strawberries contain some water and a bunch of sugar so, over time, you may start to crave strawberries when you are thirsty because you get a reward and some relief in shorter time from the need starting than the trek to the stream. This can happen for every need: sleep, food, whatever.

Trevor Noah has a great tip, that when he craves ice cream at night he breaks it down into parts: I want something cold, I want something sweet. He drinks a glass of cold water then waits to see if he still has the ice cream craving. Usually he doesn’t.

So listening to your body isn’t “follow every urge” but “decompose the urge to discover the underlying need.”

If you always feel like getting cozy in bed you may be: cold, dehydrated, and/or malnourished (maybe a need for high calories that are bioaccessible…not processed).

If you do not feel tired at bedtime you may: need to eat dinner earlier because your body is still digesting, need to exercise or go outside more during the day, get the fuck off your screen for an hour so your brain can enter sleep mode.

Hope this helps someone.

P.S. notice i said nothing about neurodivergence. Not that it’s not a likelihood but the over-pathologization of behaviors prevents us from taking simple actions to improve our wellbeing. Also, these tips are pretty accessible and applicable to most brain variations.

[brightlotusmoon]

[plant-shift]

Definitely need to break down cravings.

[plant-shift]

Yay Kombucha!

I picked up some kombucha today since it was on sale and I haven't had any for a while. I decided to look up kombucha and diabetes to see if there were any negative effects. Luckily there aren't any, and there might be positive ones. In a small study, researchers found that in people with diabetes, drinking 8oz of kombucha a day can reduce their fasting blood sugar levels. I guess I need to start drinking more kombucha again.

[plant-shift]

OMG!!!

I finally got around to making some coconut cashew butter. Best thing ever!!! It is so much smoother than when I make straight cashew butter.

For cashew butter, I put half a pound of unsalted roasted cashews and half a pound of salted roasted cashews in the food processor and blend until it's relaxed and the right consistency.

The one difference is adding in half a cup of coconut butter into the processor when the blend starts to form a ball.

So delicious!!!! Especially once it's cool and solid in the fridge. I just eat it straight from the jar.

[plant-shift]

Giving myself a break

As much as I am trying to stick to my high-plant diet, it is hard to do. So, I'm giving myself a break.

I'm still working on eating healthy. I've been having salmon for lunch lately, accompanied by blueberries, and I feel so much better. I don't know what it is about that combination, but I love it. And, honestly, it's got a low GI and GL. (The lowdown on glycemic index and glycemic load - Harvard Health)

I'm worried about my blood sugar and my cholesterol. I know that eating plant-based would reduce both, but there's that important part: "based." I'm not trying to go vegan, not that there's anything wrong with that. But right now I have so much going on that trying to prep lunches that are completely plant-based and low GI and GL is just one too many things for my plate.

Which is why today I bought some dark chocolate covered dried cherries and unsweetened coconut chips to mix with glazed roasted pecans as a snack to have on hand. Yes, there is sugar in there. But there is also a lot of fiber to bring the GL down. It also gets me nuts, dark chocolate, and fruit. All good things to eat in moderation. Something that I have to engage in while snacking on this because it can get to be too much easily.

I'm going to try to use my days off, when I have time to cook a lunch, to work on more plant-based stuff. If nothing else, it'll go well with my salmon.

[plant-shift]

Proud of myself

Today I went out to do some errands. In doing said errands, I was tempted by getting food that I really shouldn't be eating right now. It's probably because I usually would stop for food when out doing errands. It's a habit I need to stop, both for myself and for my wallet.

I did realize that I should stop by Whole Foods for more of those delicious little tomatoes. Thankfully they still have them! I also picked up more olives for both snacking and for meal options. I decided to pick up some lunch while at Whole Foods: a small soup, an apple, and a can of Spindrift.

We have Spindrift at work, but only in the 12 packs. I recently saw an ad for them that showed the drink outside of the can making it clear to me that it is fruit juice in sparkling water. I need an option to replace my daily Pepsi. It is cheaper than Pepsi and much, much less sugar. Also, it may be something my hubby would drink, too, because it does have flavor.

More importantly, I didn't give in to the fast food or the sugary food. I'm just hoping these choices have the intended impact. I'd like to at least get my blood sugar under control without meds. I don't think that's going to be the case with the cholesterol, but we'll see.

Now to go clean things so I can actually make dinner!

[plant-shift]

Getting back on track

I had a doctor's appointment on Thursday. Sadly, my suspicions were confirmed. I have inherited cholesterol and blood sugar problems from my parents. Neither are problematic enough to need medication at this point, so we're seeing how I can manage it without meds.

I did some looking about online and found that the Mediterranean diet is good for both blood sugar and cholesterol, and is basically what I've been aiming for this whole time!

I'm grateful I have supplies to make plant-based lunches right now. I'm trying not to go too far into avoiding some foods and stocking up on others right now. It's been 2 days.

But I am working on being more aware of the added sugar in things. Turns out the tea I'd buy to have at lunch at work has 44% of the daily value of added sugars. As much as I like it, I am definitely not drinking it 3x a week anymore. I'm not cutting out sweets completely, but I am trying to get back to no more than 1 Pepsi a day. And I'm working toward that goal of 1 sweet a week. I don't know if I'll get there before my next appointment, but I figure trying is the best thing.

I am lucky that I finally got a spring mix that I love and only put some extra virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar on it. I also picked up some very small orange tomatoes from Whole Foods the other day. They are delicious!!!

Now I should go cut up a pepperoni pizza and figure out some fruit or veg to have with it.

[plant-shift]

A bit of a week, or three

It's been a bit crazy for me lately. Which means meat and cheese has had much more of a presence in my diet lately.

But that changes today.

I did have some mozzarella cheese with my lunch, but the rest was mango and rice. I didn't give in and go out and get food! I actually have a plan for lunches, I just have to follow through with it. But I have plans to get me that far, too.

Today was another wonderful change. I had bought some turmeric gummies because I needed new turmeric supplements, and I was tired of gagging on pills. They helped, but they weren't as effective as the ones I had been getting from Meijer. I picked up more on Sunday. I took one before bed last night and my knees and back feel so much better than usual after work today!

It's making me feel better, which is making me want to eat better again. Sometimes it's the little things.

[plant-shift]

Struggles

So, I've hit that point. The point where I'm struggling to come up with what to eat that actually hits the nutritional points I need.

I still like my rice and beans and cheeze combination, but I wasn't bringing anything else to the meal. Also, taking it with me to work doesn't work as well as eating it at home.

The thing is, I can eat the Veggie from Jimmy John's every day of the week and not get tired of it. One problem is that it is not cheap. The other is that it does use provolone cheese. But this is one point where I'm reminding myself that I'm aiming for a plant-based diet, not only plants.

Making that sandwich at home is frustrating. The avocados have to actually be ripe. I need to slice things up fresh because things don't always overnight well after being sliced.

But, when I think of most of my options that involve meat, I don't want them. On the other hand, I can't think of what to do for lunch at this point. The salad dressing I completely became obsessed over seems to have disappeared. I really need to get more adventurous about what I eat.

Maybe I need to try some pre-made things and go from there. I've been trying to stick with whole foods because processed foods, even plant-based, aren't as healthy as whole foods are. Especially those that are trying to taste like meat, which are trying to appeal to people who prefer meat, and they can be heavy in salt.

Now I just have to figure out what to eat for the rest of this week. I've already done my shopping. Granted, it was to be able to make sandwiches... I'll make it work.

It's just getting frustrating.

[fiti-vation]

[ernasd]

oh this is a life saver

[gallusrostromegalus]

So these are both “Aw Fuck I’m outta real food” meals BUT ALSO:  if you’re learning how to cook, these are great “baby steps” meals to learn how to cook basics into something enjoyable without “wasting” anything expensive.  Though I maintain that even cooking screw-ups are valuable in terms of lessons learned.

Also they’re great for when you get absorbed in something and you realize your blood sugar is dropping and you need to make something Quick.

[petermorwood]

Making basic storecupboard or fridge ingredients less basic and more nutritious.

[neil-gaiman]

This is wonderful.

[plant-shift]

Plant-based, not vegan

While I've really been trying to find options that are plant-based instead of animal-based, I've been verging on beating myself up for eating things like cheese outside of dinner. But I don't need to.

There's a reason I use plant-based diet to describe what I eat instead of vegan, aside from the fact that I cannot go vegan with my omnivore hubby. I am trying to eat more plants, not completely removing meat and cheese from my diet.

For example, it's been easier lately to just go over to Jimmy John's for a veggie sandwich, which has cheese, for lunch. Aside from the cheese and a little mayo, the rest is all veggies.

Ultimately, it's about proportions and making sure the plants in my diet outweigh the animal products.

Granted, that still leaves a lot of sugary, processed foods that I'm struggling with. But that's always been a struggle. A struggle for another post.

[plant-shift]

I love me some good feta cheese. I like the briney-ness and the dryness of the cheese. So when I saw Violife, my favorite plant-based cheese brand, has a feta, I wanted to try it. And what better way than with some delicious kalamata olives?

Um.... it wasn't as good as I was hoping. It has the brine, but it doesn't have the dry, crumblyness of feta. Personally, it just didn't work. So if I'm really craving some feta and olives, I'm just going to get feta.

[plant-shift]

So, I made the pico de gallo.

I said I would post when I made the recipe, so here it is! (Granted, it's a bit late. It was good pico though)

[plant-shift]

Instant Pot Brown Rice - Kristine's Kitchen

Instant Pot Brown Rice - Kristine's Kitchen

This Instant Pot Brown Rice recipe is an easy, hands-off way to cook fluffy brown rice. It turns out perfect every time!

This is great for making rice in an Instant Pot. I use Multigrain instead of Rice and it comes out delicious!

[plant-shift]

I just portioned out the latest batch of beans. Much better now that I'm prepped for it! Especially since the one jar with not much will work perfectly for lunch tomorrow. I only have to put the three tall jars in the freezer. It's much easier to store things when you have storage actually prepped!