Ok I just edited the original post. Does that work for folks?
Suzanne, maybe we could take out the "Eat to Live" part of the title. We are already mentioning Furhman, plus others, and it seems the more important part of the thread is the "Plant Strong," (which I love!) not the "Eat to Live" portion. Feel free to remove if you think it works!
Btw out of curiosity I just went to www.plantstrong.com and it redirected me to www.engine2.com which is another fantastic diet. There's a lot of recipes for faux meat foods such as tacos and meatloaf, but he also promotes big salads and other veggies. The plan helped convince a lot of firemen they could eat healthier. The author, Rip Esselstyn, is the son of Dr. Esselstyn mentioned above.
Banana bread sounds so good for this time of year, Indieblue. I wish I could eat flour! I've been gluten free since early this year. I've tried various gluten free mixes and recipes but quite honestly they are all so weird that I don't even want to eat them.
I had another dinner of swiss chard with a touch of balsamic, a roasted beet, and broccoli. It was so cold outside and the chard and beets were like comfort food.
Today will be fruit and spinach salads all day, then tonight I'll have spaghetti squash with fresh tomato, mushroom, and zucchini sauce, with a side of cooked greens. I'm going to make a faux parmesan cheese to sprinkle on it from a recipe Esofia shared a while back.
Suzanne your salad sounds wonderful! I can't get good greens over here, and definitely miss them. I like your idea of having an all fruit/veggies day. Maybe I can start working towards that...
I got the zucchini banana bread recipe from here: http://www.anjasfood4thought.com/. She does a lot of gluten-free baking, mostly using almond meal.
Speaking of that website, I've been eating a lot of this soup lately: Red Bean Lentil and Spinach. It's so colorful and the lemon/mint adds a very unique flavor.
I had a relatively good week, but was cutting corners a bit too much here and there. Looking back I ate fewer salads and raw things. And more grains. Not that grains are bad, but I'd rather be eating more high nutrient green veggies.
I always do better when things are ready beforehand, so right now (coincidentally Fuhrman is on pbs again, and I'm watching... again.) I'm heading into the kitchen to chop veggies so they will be ready for when I want them.
Breakfast was oatmeal with berries. And cocoa with almond milk. The rest of today the plan is salad and soup for lunch. (Soup is already cooked). And for dinner, a stirfry with multiple veggies (peppers, onion, bean sprouts, mushrooms, squash, etc) and spices and a bit of chicken for flavor.
edit: just made the stirfry (with no added fat) - and am having it for lunch. It's very good.
Indieblue, thanks for the link! She has some really yummy sounding recipes The lentil soup sounds good, too. I recently made a big pot of red lentil soup with tomatoes, carrots and spinach and froze it in individual portions. It's not the best soup I've ever had though, so I'll try your soup next time!
Jansan, I'm a pre-chopper too I have a set of Kenetic Go Green containers that help extend the life of veggies and they fill my fridge. Though these days I tend to eat all of my veggies much faster so I don't run as much risk of loss. I find that the more organized and prepped my veggies are that I'm more likely to stay on plan.
Your cocoa almond milk sounds good, I think I'll go heat up a cup. I'm out of almond milk but I opened a box of oat milk to try for the first time. It tastes like the milk from a cereal bowl
jansan Great meal plan for the day. I know what you mean about too many grains- I've had the same problem in the last few days.
So... I started calorie counting again today. I realized that when I don't CC I eat WAY too many calories, even on Furhman's plan!
Example (from today):
Lunch: 250 g fresh steamed peas, 220 g spinach, 2 oz green bell pepper, 1 170g apple, 15 almonds, 5 dried figs (570 calories)
Snack1: homemade baba ghanoush (170 g eggplant + 2 tsp tahini + spices) + 2 carrots (213 calories)
Snack2: 1 banana, 200 g roasted beets (193 calories)
I haven't even eaten dinner yet and I only have 224 calories. I also had some nibbles and bites here and there that probably add up to 150 calories. So really I only have <100 calories remaining for dinner.
AND this is having not eaten my "grain" for the day, my soymilk for the day, my flaxseed for the day, or my beans/tofu!! All of that would likely add up to... what.. 450 calories or so? (I am counting the tahini as my "oil")
I aim for 1200 calories per day (a bit more on days I exercise hard). I've been eating around 1600 probably for the last week and my weight is up 3 lbs. I really don't know if I can eat too much more than 1200-1300 per day?
I guess I"m concerned about following Furhman without CCing. If I do follow him, I go over 1200.
indiblu- The biggest difference is I eat quite a lot of potatoes and no nuts or added oils... a sample menu for my day would be...
B: shredded dry fried potatoes and zucchini
S: apple
L: huge salad all different veggies topped with buffalo tofu or chick peas no dressing but using some olives or banana peppers for flavor
D: last night was vegan lasagna with a tofu mixture as "cheese" with zucchini, carrots, peppers, olives- I usually eat everything atop arugula, spinach, or spring mix, very few noodles I think I used 3 for the entire pan ;0)
I find that the more organized and prepped my veggies are that I'm more likely to stay on plan.
This is absolutely essential for me. Over the years I never ate enough veggies because they were a pain to prepare at the last minute.
Quote:
Your cocoa almond milk sounds good, I think I'll go heat up a cup. I'm out of almond milk but I opened a box of oat milk to try for the first time. It tastes like the milk from a cereal bowl
It really is good. It's cold here - I think I'll make another cup of hot cocoa. I use only half milk, half water however, or it seems too rich to me. That also allows me to drink it often without thinking I'm over indulging.
Oat milk? I've not seen that before. But why not? There is rice milk.
I'm sorry, I don't count calories on this program, so I have no opinion. But you can tell what is working for you, and what is not. Since you are lucky enough to be so close to your goal weight, your last couple pounds might take a little longer to come off. Be patient.
Indiblue, my problem with calories on ETL (last time I did it) was that I had a hard time getting enough. I struggled to get past 900 and would eat an extra meal to make up for it. But our menus were very different. I'll bet yours tastes better This time I'm tweaking so it would probably be smart for me to check my calories as well. I agree with jansan that you might be encountering the struggle of those last few stubborn pounds though. Things can be different at that stage. Listen to your body
rdw, I've never attempted a vegan lasagna but it does sound good! I also like the idea of serving it atop something green. I've seen brown rice lasagna (gluten free) but haven't tried it. Now I want to
Today has not been the best day, as I've had nothing green. I've been battling a chest cold and today all I wanted was soup. So I reached for my stash from the freezer. Homemade butternut squash soup, tomato soup, and vegetarian chili. And lots of hot tea. Not a green thing in sight.
I eat a mainly plant-based diet. I do have the occasional greek yogurt, add milk to my coffee, and eat fish once or twice a week (not other meat, though).
I love some of the recipes posted here, and I'll definitely have to try them out. I am heavy into soups lately and I eat a very large salad every day (lots of spring mix, sugar snap peas, Zima tomatoes, red pepper).
Homemade butternut squash soup, tomato soup, and vegetarian chili. And lots of hot tea. Not a green thing in sight.
I sometimes wrestle with this myself - not having the full compliment of what I think I should be eating every day. I was thinking today that I need to relax a bit on trying to be perfect. Whenever I make a soup, I seem to think I should put the 'full range' of veggies in that too. But as long as I eat lots of veggies throughout the week, and not too much 'other', I really am doing ok. It will all even out. I'm not going to do food accounting with balanced ledgers for the rest of my life.
Our parents and grandparents who lived in the earlier parts of the last century were not able to eat a full compliment of all foods daily because foods were much more seasonal, and there weren't grocery stores as we know them today. In summer they had a better chance, maybe, but in winter fruits and vegetables were very limited.
Welcome to the thread, Beck.
I too am eating lots of soups these days. Not sure what my main hot foods will be come warmer weather.
Hello All! So glad to have found this thread! I have been vegetarian for almost 4 years now, and really - almost vegan during that time. I eat a few eggs and cheese once in a while, but really try to stay away from them. Love my seitan and tvp and tofu for protein ( and some vegan protein for shakes - yes, I know it's a frankenfood, but it's better than going to fast food!). Love legumes, but have to watch the carbs, personally.
I follow all the authors/doctors listed; but also follow Dr. Neal Barnard. You'll find him if you search for "21 day vegan kickstart" or "Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program for Reversing Diabetes". His is also a plant-based lifestyle. I enjoyed seeing his lecture in person locally; if he comes to your city, it is free, and even my carnivore hubby got something out of it as far as the science part.
Eating low-carb, and almost vegan, has allowed me to get off my blood pressure meds and my metformin for diabetes. It works!!!
Nice to meet you all!
Last edited by justducky2; 11-20-2011 at 10:39 PM.
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The lentil soup sounds good, too. I recently made a big pot of red lentil soup with tomatoes, carrots and spinach and froze it in individual portions. It's not the best soup I've ever had though, so I'll try your soup next time!
