What not to eat.
I’ve seen a few lists on the internet and I have Opinions. Here are my thoughts. Sadly, I am not in charge of the world, or a nutritionist, or a scientist; so my opinion only counts if you want it to count. I don’t really care what you eat. Yes, you can complain about you weight and eat ice cream. Just don’t do it at the same time, enjoy you ice cream.
1) Fast food.
I’ve eaten fast food 2x in the last 3- 6 years. most of it isn’t that tasty. And it is gigantic amounts of calories that are not really balanced in the nutritional sense. and I swear there is something in the food that makes you crave it It is odd that the more you eat it the more you want it.
2) Over-processed food.
the definition of processed – is sort of interesting – because chopping up a veggie is processing it. So lets just say stuff that is very shelf stable because it has lots of extra stuff in it. Or added colors. or neon colors. I’ve read a bunch of articles that suggest preservatives and some of the other food additives cause inflammation. Asthma, diabetes, and heart disease all have inflammation . Yes I eat Doritos and Pringles – but don’t think I should.
3) added sugar.
I’m not talking cakes and pies and cookies – you know what they are. but peanut butter and beans? they don’t need it. Cutting out added sugars – will , over time , reduce your sweet tooth.
4) artificial sweeteners.
They taste bad. And the research on them puts all kinds of things like – messing with your glucose levels, inflammation, and cancer. And even if they didn’t do anything – they can increase your desire for sugar.
5) things you don’t like.
Seriously, If you are not a veggie eater, find a few to eat and add some fruit. Throw some chopped spinach in your spaghetti sauce. Be a grown up and figure out how to get some nutrition in your diet
but if you hate Kale- don’t eat it. Those really sad danishes from the grocery store – that aren’t really good , don’t eat them. don’t like beef , don’t eat it. Eating food you don’t like can lead to overeating because you aren’t satisfied and sometimes if you don’t really like something your body is saying something .
What should you eat? Good, tasty food. Prepared with care , not corporation. Organic when you can. As close to a natural state as makes sense. and always with enjoyment.
cucumber martinis ( all mom’s fault)
No , really. she started me thinking about them…
so I took a bunch of cucumbers and ran them in the blender with the juice of a lemon and a pinch of salt.
I strained the juice ( I’ll use the pulp for taziki ) and added to pinches of sugar to balance everything. We did a little taste testing and decided 1 part gin to two part juice. Yes, you could do vodka, but gin added t o the flavor – which , in this case, is very important. Chill.
When ready to serve – pour in a glass top with sparkling water.
Very refreshing, not sweet.
my understanding is that vodka cucumber martinis are made with simple syrup. this was actually really good, and just juice cut with seltzer might have been really good. If I had any cucumbers left….
Why haven’t you?
I have a friend that is a weight loss coach . She is good at it and I have a lot of respect for her and the job she does. Today she asked the question ( to a general audience ) why haven’t you lost weight?
It got me thinking…and I figured it out . It is not lack of knowledge. I’ve been interested in food and nutrition since I was 12 years old. It is not lack of discipline. You don’t train to walk 60 miles without a good level of discipline.
It is a matter of brain space.
Some brain space is always occupied by my health. Two chronic conditions. I’m either trying to manage them so they don’t affect my life or I’m trying to manage the effects they are having on my life. ( go find protein, I need to eat a veggie, did I take my drugs?, go for a walk, if I pull weeds will my asthma kick in )
work brain space. I am only at work for 37.5 hours a week , but like most people who enjoy their work – I spend a lot of time thinking about work. ( that would make a great teen program, I should post about that , what should I put on the FB page today, how long has it been since I reviewed a book)
household management. most of the day-to-day stuff is mine so there are constant list going through my brain . ( need cat food, garbage day, what can we do for dinner tonight)
and most of that is going on in the background. I’m not sure I have enough processor power to add one more background program in my life. ( and I really don’t want to ) It obviously fits in with the health, but it is going up a level. Partly because when I get hungry , zombies have nothing on me.
So , there is today’s answer.
foods I don’t eat
Twinkies
sorry, my fault they won’t exsits soon. but I didn’t like them as a kid.
green olives with pimento
Over time I’ve grown to like green olives, but still don’t like ’em stuffed with pimento.
artificial sweetners.
I don’t like the taste of them. I’ve even learned to drink Ice tea without sweetner. occassionaly I have a diet soda or crystal light lemonade, but really, I’d rather not.
fat free sour cream
It tastes funny – nothing like real sour cream
fat free half and half
I have no idea how this is even possible.
light butter /light margerine /fat free cheese.
I had some of these that don’t melt. Scary.
So what is this all about? Blood sugars not good. Neither is weight ( clothes aren’t fitting well ) and I really like to eat. SoI’m just trying to remember there are very few foods I dion’t like. Variety is avalible , so eating less of some things does not have to be painful. Also, no matter what advice I get from books or well meaning friends- the first rule of food for me is Never eat anything you don’t like. It only makes me look for something better tasting.
Of course, there are those foods that dont like at all
the Sweet Life
The sweet life : diabetes without boundaries / Sam Talbot
As you might have guessed , I have been renewing my education on diabetes. I picked up this book because it is by a chef who has diagnosed with diabetes as a child. I thought he would be good to read because he would have a perspective I might relate to – someone with diabetes who loves food. And then I saw the title on one of his recipes. Cchickpea and Cherry frittata. Seriously, it has been a long time since I have seen a recipe that was completely new to me. I had to see this book.
Well, I read it quickly over the last two nights — and it makes me sad that I don’t have the time to cook the way I used to. There is that much that is interesting and new .
I also , for the first time really understand the difference between type I and type II diabetes. They are related, but type one is that much more dangerous. Talbot keeps pretty tight control over his diabetes , because his reactions are so much stronger than the average person with type II. The diet/exercise/testing/medication regime is just the way he lives. I think being a chef may have helped him with his diabetes, because fresh food and really flavorful food are just part of his life. why would he eat inferior food ?
One of the difficulties I had with the book was how much attention he paid to his diabetes. I don’t know anyone that does that But then most of my friends are type II and even those of us that had it longer are probably still in the adolescent ( rebellious ) stage of the disease. In other words I found that part of it difficult to relate to . He made some things sound easy to do , when I know they are not.
But I also had a problem with some of the recipes — where do I get – hemp seeds , watermelon seeds, acai berry and Goji berries?
It was a quick read last night, so it is possible I missed some stuff, but I do hope to try some of the recipes and ideas.
Chronic conditions
So , with chronic conditions you have to constantly change in order to keep up with them. last week I would have smacked somebody for stating that – because I am in a readjustment stage.
My diabetes numbers just aren’t where they should be . (BTW – don’t push the issues of testing with your friend with diabetes – testing can be discouraging and most of us go through times – sometimes long times without testing) So new meds. and testing to regularly to get them adjusted. But it is never that simple.
It is allergy season that means extra asthma meds – and my emergency inhaler make my blood sugar rise. A lot. however, breathing works better than not breathing.
And it looks like my food choices need changing. Now I’ve been thinking about it – but for someone who has read so much , it is still hard. In fact, I have two conflicting books looking at me. one vegetarian .One paleo. But the area where they both meet is — goodbye to overly processed food.
So why do we have a candy bar at work today?
