Progress, Perfection, Planning and Tracking

Gena from www.choosingraw.com wrote a  post that I really needed to hear right now entitled "Progress and Perfection"  You see, ever since losing 50 pounds, I've really struggled with staying at my weight low. In fact, I just haven't been able to do it. I have been hovering about 6 pounds over and even gotten as high as 11 pounds over that low.

Now I do appreciate that I am still at a very healthy weight for my height and build, but the reality is, I'm nervous. Why can't I maintain my very low weight? Should I maintain my very low weight? I think that I am eating so healthfully every day, but maybe those occasional slip up are more than just occassional? Could I be eating too much avocado? The reality is that keeping this weight off is not going to be easy.

That's why I really appreciated Gena's words in her blog posting, "One of my favorite mantras–stolen from my friend Gil–is 'progress, not perfection.' It’s a handy little proverb for people like me, who are perfectionists about everything, and it’s especially helpful to share with clients who are trying to improve their dietary habits. Most of my clients are perfectionists too, and they tend to envision the journey toward healthy living as a one-hundred-meter dash toward a spotless finish line.
The reality is that improved eating habits take time and practice, and that living well doesn’t mean living like a saint."

I'm definately not perfect. But I can start to look at this weight gain experience as part of a progression. I don't need to give up because of it, which is something that I would have done in the past after losing weight and then regaining some.  I am every bit the perfectionist that Gena talks about and thoughts like, "Well, I've gained a few pounds, I'm never going to be able to maintain this diet, I might as well give up" were alive and well in my head in the past. But I can't, and won't, go there now.

So here's what I'm thining: go back to what I know works, which for me is two things: planning and tracking. Planning what I am going to eat for the whole day in the morning and sticking to that plan AND tracking what I eat, whether it be on the computer or on paper. These things in combination, well, they just work for me. So I'll do 'em, starting today. And I'm committing to doing this for the next 68 days. Why that number? It takes me to my 40th birthday, which, psychologically, is a major milestone. And I damn well better be looking and feeling good on that day!

Work Pot Luck Strategies and Engine 2 Orange Hummus Dressing

It's been way too long since I've blogged and I'm truly not happy about it, but sometimes life gets in the way!  Today at work we are having a company wide pot luck, and in order to feel good about myself afterwards, I've got a few strategies.

Strategy No. 1: Bring a huge green salad with a light dressing. When it's time to eat, fill my plate up with said salad and go to town on it, FIRST. That way, whatever else I choose to eat, I won't be nearly as tempted to overeat on.

So for today's Luscious Verde Pot Luck, which happens to be in conjunction with Jersey Shore Dress Up Day (yes, we are really having a Jersey Shore Dress Up Day), I chose to go with more of a Mexican inspired salad rather than an Italian inspired on. For those of you from New Jersey, you know exactly what I am talking about.

I mixed together a ton of romaine lettuce, spring salad mix, black beans, corn, raw pepitas, craisins, and chopped tomatoes. When it's time to eat, I'll add the diced avocado and Orange Hummus Dressing.

Engine 2 Inspired Orange Hummus Dressing

It's not the exact recipe out of The Engine 2 Diet Book, but I think it's better!

3 Tbsp plain Hummus

2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

3 Tbsp orange juice

1 tsp mustard

1/2 tsp fresh ginger, grated on a microplane

1 tsp agave syrup

Whisk the ingredients together in a bowl.

Just a reminder, you can keep fresh ginger (in a ziploc baggie) and orange juice concentrate (just spoon out what you need and reseal the container) in your freezer at all times, which I do. And hummus, agave syrup, balsamic vinegar and mustard are all staples in any Healthy Girl's kitchen. That makes this dressing a snap to throw together without having to stress about making a trip to the grocery store.

Strategy No. 2: Whatever else I eat at the potluck, it's gonna be vegan and it's gonna be in reasonable portions. Luckily, there are a few other "almost" vegans like me at work, so I won't be at all deprived.

Strategy No. 3: Remember, it's about the fun, not the food. This can be a really hard thing to do for a food addict, but it's so important to be present to enjoying the company of the people around you.  Food should be secondary, at best.

Vegan Indian Eggplant Curry

Are we done with Indian food yet? Never! Here's the last of what I made for last week's vegan pot luck. It's very yummy. Great with some naan or brown rice and keeps beautifully in the refrigerator as leftovers.

Eggplant Curry

makes at least 4 cups

1 Tbsp coconut oil or vegetable oil (not olive oil)

2 medium onions, peeled and diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated on a microplane

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

2 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped into 3/4" pieces

1/2 cup vegetable broth (or water)

1 large eggplant, peeled and diced into 1" cubes

2 red or yellow or orange (or a mix) bell peppers, seeded and diced into 3/4" pieces

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground fenugreek

1/2 tsp ground cumin

In a large saute pan, heat the oil over medium heat.  Add the onions, garlic, ginger and jalapeno and cook for 10 minutes.  Add the tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes.  Add the broth (or water), eggplant, peppers, salt, turmeric, coriander, fenugreek and cumin and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 70 minutes.  Serve immediately or reheat before serving.

Vegan Indian Saag (Spinach) Tofu

I've been working on perfecting this recipe for Indian Saag Paneer for over a year, first lightening it up to fit within my Weight Watchers plan, and now, morphing it into a vegan Saag "Paneer".  A traditional Saag Paneer includes cubes of Indian cheese and heavy cream--not Healthy Girl friendly at all. But because it is my number one favorite Indian dish, I'm practically obsessed with getting it right (ie tasty and healthy).  So without further adoo (how on earth do you spell that?), here is my Saag Tofu:

Saag Tofu
serves 8

Printable Recipe

2 packages firm tofu
Tamari or low sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp low sodium vegetable broth
6 medium or 4 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 Tbsp minced (or grated) ginger
1 1/2 cups tomato sauce (I used Trader Joe's low fat Marinara Sauce in the green can)
1 Tbsp garam masala
1 Tbsp ground coriander
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
2 16 oz. bags frozen spinach (or 3 10 oz. boxes), thawed
1 bag fresh baby spinach
1 cup unsweetened almond milk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Open and drain packages of tofu. Wrap each block of tofu in paper towels (a few layers around) and place wrapped tofu block under a cookie sheet weighted with something a bit heavy on top of it. After 15 minutes, discard wet paper towels and cut blocks of tofu into 1" squares. Line cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. Place tofu squares on cookie sheet and drizzle lightly with Bragg Liquid Aminos or low sodium soy sauce. "Broil" the tofu squares for about 40 minutes, shaking the cookie sheet every 10-15 minutes, until the tofu is chewy and looks like this:

Remove tofu from oven and set aside.

Heat vegetable broth in a large skillet or pot on medium heat.  Add the garlic and ginger, stiffing frequently, until garlic just starts to brown.  Immediately reduce heat to low and stir in tomato sauce, coriander, cumin, garam masala and salt.  Partly cover and simmer for 8 minutes, stirring frequently.

Stir in defrosted spinach (it is okay if it is not totally defrosted at this point). When incorporated and hot, stir in fresh spinach.  When fresh spinach is wilted, using a hand/immersion blender, puree mixture until smooth (or as smooth as you would like it, it's up to you). 

Simmer 8-10 minutes until spinach turns an olive green color.  Stir in almond milk.  Gently mix in tofu cubes. Remove from heat and serve. Great served right away with rice or naan and raita.  Keeps well in the refrigerator for leftovers.

Looks just like the real thing, huh?

Vegan Chocolate Mousse

Sounds too good to be true right? Well, it just might be, unless you are a hardcore vegan. But I'm posting it here, because for any hardcore vegan, this might just be heaven. And according to the folks who tried this at the vegan pot luck (who are not, by the way, hardcore anything!) it was real yummy!

Chocolate Mousse

from Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease by Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., M.D.

serves 3-4

1 12.3 ounce container light silken tofu, firm or extra firm

1/3 cup maple syrup or honey

2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa or cacao powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.  Refridgerate or freeze 2 hours before serving.

P.S. You can taste the tofu taste, so if you really don't like tofu, I do not recommend this!

Vegan Indian Brown Basmati Rice Pilaf

It was an Indian cooking hey day in my kitchen leading up to my vegan pot luck dinner. The clear winning recipe was this one, so I decided to post it next. It was also tweaked/inspired from a recipe from The Candle Cafe Cookbook, More than 150 Enlightened Recipes from New York's Renowned Vegan Restaurant.  

Traditionally, rice pilafs in Indian cuisine are made with white basmati rice. I thought I would take a risk and substitute in a brown basmati rice, which is much healthier. The results were fantastic!  And there's lot's more vegan Indian dishes to come in the days ahead.

Indian Brown Basmati Rice Pilaf

Printable Recipe

2 cups brown basmati rice

1 1/2 tsp brown or yellow mustard seeds

1 1/2 tsp whole cumin seeds

1 Tbsp coconut or safflower oil or cooking spray

3/4 cup diced onion

1 Tbsp minced garlic

1 cinnamon stick

1/2 tsp whole cloves

1 Tbsp chopped or grated fresh ginger

2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp turmeric

3 1/2 cups water

blanched cauliflower florets from 1/2 head of cauliflower

1/2 cup shredded carrots

1/2 cup currants

1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds

2 Tbsp mirin (Japanese rice wine)

Rinse and drain rice to remove some of the starch.

Coat the bottom of a large pot with 1 Tbsp cooking oil or spray. Heat the on medium and add the mustard and cumin seeds.  Cook, stirring often, until they begin to pop. Add the oil, onion, garlic, cinnamon stick, cloves and ginger and saute over medium heat for about 4 minutes.

Add the rice, salt and turmeric and cook, stirring, until the rice is completely coated, about 1 minute.  Add the water, stir, cover and simmer over low heat about 45 minutes.

When the rice is tender add the blanched cauliflower, carrots, raisins, toasted almonds and mirin and stir well.  Keep warm until serving.

Vegan Chana Masala (Indian Chickpea Stew)

I've got a group of friends that have been getting together for a decade and having pot luck dinners. This weekend  I'll be hosting one at my house that has been in the making for months. The theme? Vegan, of course!

So I decided to go crazy and make 5 vegan Indian dishes (have I told you that I was Indian in a past life?). I was inspired by a cookbook I just got called The Candle Cafe Cookbook, More than 150 Enlightened Recipes from New York's Renowned Vegan Restaurant.  This restaurant is beloved and I hope to get the chance sometime soon to visit.

Here's my first adventure, Chana Masala.  I am very impressed with the results. Quite addictive actually. 

Here's a photo of all of the ingredients prepped and ready to go before I started to cook anything. The french term for this is "mise en place" meaning "everything in it's place" and believe me when I tell you, this recipe moves along very quickly, so getting everything ready beforehand is a must.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mise_en_place

Vegan Chana Masala (Indian Chickpea Stew)

makes about 5 cups

1 tsp brown mustard seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 Tbsp coconut butter or vegetable oil

1 large onion (about 2 cups), diced

2 Tbsp finely minced garlic

2 Tbsp grated (on a microplane) fresh ginger

1 cup vegetable broth (or water)

1 medium tomato (1 cup), diced

1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, quartered

3 cans (15 oz. each) chick peas, drained and rinsed

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cardamom

1 tsp sea salt

Heat a large skillet over high heat.  Add the mustard and cumin seeds and cook, stirring often, until they begin to pop.  Lower heat to medium.  Add the coconut butter or oil and stir for about 1 minute.

Add the onion, garlic and ginger and cook for about 8 minutes, until softened.  Stir in the broth (or water), tomatoes, chickpeas, cloves, cinnamon and cardamom.

Reduce heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes.  Serve immediately or reheat gently before serving.

Yum!

To Eat Meat or Not To Eat Meat, That is the Question, Part II

Thank you to Danielle for sparking this very interesting discussion about the practicality of veganism.

Danielle's comment yesterday made me want to do some research into this idea that animal protein keeps you fuller longer.  "The argument made to me by my nutritionist is that animal protein is more complex and takes longer for our bodies to break down, thus leaving us fuller longer. Veggies/fruits digest quickly. Some meals where I eat beans, vegetables, greens and fruit, I do sometimes get hungry a mere 2 hours later. However, there is something about eating in a volumetrics way. Doing that consistently leaves me very satisfied since I am getting all the micro nutrients my body needs. I agree with you on that and am still curious about the meat, so I will let you know the result of my experiments."

What I want to ask everyone is this, "Let's say for argument's sake that animal protein did leave you feeling full longer but also, as a side effect of eating it, you got heart disease and cancer. Would this be a fair trade for you: eat meat and milk=stay fuller longer + get disease?  If I had the choice here, I think I would just go with having an apple (or some fresh figs . . . OMG, they are in season now and sooooo delicious) in between meals!

This also got me wondering about protein in general, and whether or not I am getting enough of it. So I found this calculation:
1. Your body weight in pounds divided by 2.2 = ________ your body weight in kg

2. Your body weight in kg times 0.8 = ________ grams of protein per day

or just do this simple calculation:
Body weight (in pounds) X 0.36 = recommended protein intake (in grams)

My answer is 50 or 51 grams of protein/day. And just forget about that old concept of proper combining of amino acids to get a complete protein, that myth has been debunked.  "It was once thought that various plant foods had to be eaten together to get their full protein value, otherwise known as protein combining or protein complementing. We now know that intentional combining is not necessary to obtain all of the essential amino acids.1 As long as the diet contains a variety of grains, legumes, and vegetables, protein needs are easily met." http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/protein.html

See also http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/09/the-great-protein-myth/

The protein content of some common vegan foods is:

Food, Amount, Protein

Almond butter, 2 tbsp, 5 g

Almonds, ¼ cup, 8 g

Black beans, cooked 1 cup, 15 g

Black-eyed peas, cooked 1 cup, 11 g

Broccoli, cooked 1 cup, 4 g

Brown rice, cooked 1 cup, 5 g

Bulgar, cooked 1 cup, 6 g

Cashews ¼ cup, 5 g

Chickpeas, cooked 1 cup, 12 g

Kidney beans, cooked 1 cup, 13 g

Lentils, cooked 1 cup, 18 g

Lima beans, cooked 1 cup, 10 g

Peanut butter, 2 tbsp, 8 g

Peas, cooked 1 cup, 9 g

Pinto beans, cooked 1 cup, 12 g

Quinoa, cooked 1 cup, 9 g

Seitan, 3 oz, 31 g

Soy milk, 1 cup, 7 g

Soy yogurt, plain 6 oz, 6 g

Soybeans, cooked 1 cup, 29 g

Spinach, cooked 1 cup, 5 g

Sunflower seeds, ¼ cup, 6 g

Tempeh, 1 cup, 41 g

Tofu, firm 4 oz, 11 g

Tofu, regular 4 oz, 9 g

Whole wheat bread, Two slices, 5 g

Now I can see from this list that I am eating plenty of "protein" so the remaining question is: Is there something fundamentally different about a plant protein vs. an animal protein? Either from a satiety standpoint or a health standpoint?

We know for sure that from a health standpoint, plant protein wins. It has to do with what comes along with that protein: fiber, vitamins and micro nutrients that actually protect you from disease. What does animal protein come along with? Well, saturated fat, cholesterol and a whole lotta hormones and antibiotics. Yuck. The only thing that plant protein lacks is vitamin B12, and that's a whole blog posting unto itself (look out for that in later installments)!

So that still leaves the big question that Danielle original asked, can you be as satisfied only eating plants as compared to eating plants and animal proteins? I do know that for me personally, since I began eating the Eat to Live/Volumetrics way, this is absolutely not a problem for me. In fact, I am more satiated than I have ever been in my life. But what about other people? I guarantee that if you begin a lunch or dinner with a low calorie vegan soup you cannot help but feel stuffed!  It's the most amazing principle. But what is your experience?

To Eat Meat, or Not To Eat Meat, That is the Question

I received a great comment from Danielle yesterday and I thought I would address her question in a blog posting, so here goes!

"Hi Wendy, I agree with you regarding the excess oil that seems to be in all recipes. I have an unrelated question for you though that has been on my mind and I would love to hear your thoughts. I've read Eat to Live, Eat for Health, and the China Study. I've also been a vegetarian for 9 years (and vegan for almost a year). I recently began working with a nutritionist who strongly encourages consuming meat, and not the factory farmed hormone laden kind but high quality organic, free range and grass fed. Her suggestion is that these high quality meats are lower in fat/cholesterol, are full of vitamins and minerals and will sustain you between meals much longer. I have been willing to give her suggestion a try and found that it is much easier to stick to 3 meals without snacks and well, I feel really satisfied. If I continue to eat high volume of fruits and veggies, it seems that I can still stick to nutritarian principles. What do you think about meat consumption? Honestly, I found the conclusions from the China Study to involve some sweeping generalizations about animal products, for example casein causing cancer to spread is generalized to all animal products causing cancer (eventhough casein is only in cheese & milk products). Also, I think the author was comparing the SAD diet to diets in China and of course there are going to be huge differences. I don't eat a SAD so don't think I have the same risk. What do you think? I really enjoy reading your blog and know you have thought about these things. Thanks!"

First, I want to say that I am not a doctor or a nutritionist, so my opinions come from personal experience and not from professional study. That said, you are totally right, I have thought about these things and I do have personal opinions on them. I am going to break down your question of should you eat meat into two questions. First, should you eat meat to attain longer satiety? And second, should you eat meat to attain greater health?

Should you eat meat for satiety?  I am assuming that your potential meat eating stems from a desire to not eat between meals thus consuming fewer total calories for the day.  Otherwise, why would you want to eat less or less often? But please correct me if I am wrong.  Again, it has been my personal experience that whether or not I eat animal protein at breakfast or lunch, I am really, really hungry about and hour or two before I want to eat my next meal. Every day starting at 4 pm I am noticeably hungry and by 5 pm I am ravenous. But I really would like to eat dinner at 7 pm or later when my husband gets home from work! Does that imply that I didn't eat enough of the "right" ie "satisfying" foods at lunch?

I'm going to say, "No, it doesn't." It is perfectly normal to be hungry before meal time. In fact, it is our intense fear of hunger (which probably is a survival of the fittest remnant from a time before food was plentiful and cheap) which drives us to consume so many excess calories and is one of the reasons that so many humans are overweight.  Ask a naturally thin person if they are hungry during the day and what they do about it. You are likely to find that the answer will be "yes" and "I wait until mealtime to eat."

For me personally, the idea that I didn't have to eat as soon as I felt hungry was a real wake up call on my journey to a healthy weight. I didn't magically discover this by myself.  It was brought to my attention in a book called The Beck Diet Solution by Dr. Judith Beck. The book is not a food plan, it is a series of exercises to retrain your brain to think like a thin person, and without that knowledge I would never have come this far.  Dr. Beck has an exercise called "Practice Hunger Tolerance" that specifically addresses our fear of being hungry. I highly recommend Beck's system. I am even going to remind myself here that going to bed a little hungry every day is a big determiner for me of whether or not I will maintain my weight. If I go to sleep full, I gain weight. It's pretty simple actually.

I also have to note that feeling satisfied after eating is a basic human want that we should not be beating ourselves up about. In my life, I have been both an omnivore and a vegetarian and now, almost a vegan.  My stint as a vegetarian lasted a really long time--over a decade. One of my sister-in-laws would ask me all of the time how I felt full after a meal if it didn't contain animal flesh (I was eating milk and eggs).  I was always befuddled by the question and didn't have a way of answering her at the time.

It is only recently that I could give her an answer that makes any sense, and my answer comes from my experiences after reading both Volumetreics and Eat to Live and practicing the Nutritarian way of eating. My sense of fullness comes from the volume of food that I eat, not which macronutrient(s) that food contains.  So the more low calorie food (which can really only come from vegetables and fruits) that I consume, the more full I am. I can literally stuff myself and not be worried that I have overconsumed calories. If I stuffed myself on steak or chicken, that wouldn't be the case. There would be a whole lotta calories there.

Now I know what you are thinking . . . "I'm not planning to eat only steak and chicken, I'm just going to eat mostly fruit and vegetable with a little bit of animal flesh and maybe then I won't get hungry before dinner." To that I am going to say, "Give it a try, see if it works, and please, report back the results!" I'm going to put my money on you are still going to be hungry before dinner!

Thoughts?

I'm going to address whether or not I think we need to eat meat for health reasons tomorrow. Thanks for reading!

Weight Watchers Potato and Green Bean Salad, E2 Approved

About a year ago I was given a recipe at a Weight Watchers' meeting that was an instant classic in my kitchen. I made it many times last summer as a substitute for the traditional fat laden potato salad, and I have to say, this one tastes much better. Of course, you have to like tarragon, and I learned that I really like tarragon.

So this summer I had my first opportunity to make it and I noticed that the original Weight Watchers recipe called for a decent amount of olive oil (3 Tbsp per recipe).  That's a lot of added fat and calories. So this year, having found my Engine 2 mojo, I decided to try it without any olive oil AT ALL, adding 3 extra Tbsp of veggie broth instead. And do you know what? It was just as delicious as I remembered! I will never put in the oil again.

So it got me wondering, just why do we think that all food must contain OIL? Is oil like salt, something that our taste buds have become accustomed to but that with a little effort we can cut way back on? I was watching an episode of Foodology last night on The Cooking Channel and witnessed someone saute an onion in 6 Tbsp of olive oil. What? 6 tablespoons for one onion? That's a lot of oil! And a ton of wasted calories. What do you think? How are you cooking these days?

Weight Watchers Potato and Green Bean Salad, Revamped Healthy Girl Style

24 ounces fingerling potatoes, scrubbed, sliced into 1/4" rounds

8 ounces (or more!) green beans, stem ends trimmed, cut or broken into bite sized pieces

9 Tbsp vegetable broth

1/4 cup finely chopped shallots

2 Tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

3 Tbsp chopped fresh tarragon

3 Tbsp chopped fresh dill

3 Tbsp chopped fresh chives

Put potatoes into a large pot. Fill pot halfway up with water; bring to a boil over high heat. Boil until almost tender, about 8 minutes. Add green beans and cook until potatoes are tender and green beans are crisp-tender, about 3 minutes more. Drain; rinse under cold water and drain again.

Meanwhile, to make dressing, in the bottom of a large serving bowl, whisk together broth, shallots, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper.  Stir  in tarragon, dill and chives.  Add potatoes and green beans to bowl; toss gently, taking care not to break up potatoes, until mixed and coated with dressing.

Whole Wheat Vegan Blueberry Stuffed Pancakes

Did you think you had to fore sake pancakes forever to maintain your girlish (or boyish) figure? Think again. Hodgson Mill makes a "Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancake Mix" from whole wheat flour, whole grain yellow cornmeal and a few other ingredients and it's totally E2 approved. Rip Esselstyn mentions "whole grain pancake and muffin mixes" as a pantry staple to keep at all times in your Engine 2 healthy kitchen.

I happened upon the whole grain mix yesterday when shopping at Miles Road Market for our 4th of July barbecue so I thought we would treat ourselves this holiday morning. I used Ener G egg replacer instead of the eggs and almond milk instead of cow's milk,  but I was too chicken to do anything about the oil that the pancake recipe called for, so I did use canola oil. Next time I will definitely substitute apple sauce for the oil. Then I loaded in all of the fresh blueberries that the mix could handle. The results were AMAZING. And finally, my photos do my food justice!

Fourth of July Food Fests

First shot with the new camera! Not shabby, huh? It's the Red Quinoa Salad (doctored up a bit) from the back of the box of the Trader Joe's package of Red Quinoa.  I've posted my version of the recipe, which eliminates the oil,  in a prior blog post (http://healthygirlskitchen.blogspot.com/2010/05/day-9-and-red-quinoa-salad.html ) and I'm here to remind you that it's the perfect thing to bring to a big pot luck or back yard 4th of July b-b-q.

How are you all handling all of these summer food fests? I've got three this weekend and I'm not complaining, but anyone who is trying to maintain a healthy weight has to have a strategy for doing it. It won't happen by accident or by wishing it so. One of the big parties is at our house tomorrow night and as we were parked outside of Dairy Queen picking up a big ice cream cake it occurred to me that there's been a fundamental change in the way that I think.

I used to have a battle going on inside my head about whether or not I should eat whatever it was that I was craving at the moment. It was a raging battle and as you might know from being here before, my angel was not winning. She was losing big time, that is, until I read Eat to Live by Dr. Fuhrman.  That was the beginning of the radical change in my thinking.

That book was followed up by some other doozies like The China Study and Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease.  And reading these books rewired my brain for the better. It's just not enough in today's day and age of cheap, high calorie, really tasty food to want to be a healthy weight. On their own, too many people will never win against this reality.  You have to understand fundamentally why you are not at that healthy weight and exactly what all of that cheap, high calorie, really tasty food is doing to your body.

Once you arm yourself with the information, saying no to the food that is keeping you overweight becomes, well, easier. Not easy, but easier.