Wellness

[lolakimono]

@QueenDanceALot

I saw this and thought it looked yummy.

http://www.contentednesscooking.com/lentil-chickpea-yellow-curry/

[QueenDanceALot]

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@lolakimono wrote:

@QueenDanceALot

I saw this and thought it looked yummy.

http://www.contentednesscooking.com/lentil-chickpea-yellow-curry/

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Oh, this looks wonderful! @lolakimono!

I am making the chickpea, tomato and spinach recipe you posted last week tomorrow night.  From the lazycatkitchen!

I will try this one next!

Thank you!  

[QueenDanceALot]

Saw an old friend of mine yesterday who has been vegan for many years, as long as I've known him and way before that!

I told him about my WFPB thing and he told me he's not eating vegan anymore.  After all these years he says he had been feeling deprived and decided life was too short.  He'd recently lost 3 friends to non-diet related illnesses and was feeling his mortality.  He says he still eats vegan a lot (his wife still is strict), but he's giving himself some leeway and told me, "if I want a hamburger, I'm eating a hamburger!".  He has no health issues that I know of, and has always been lean and active.  He looked good.  I wasn't going to challenge him.  Hey, I'm new at this, and everyone has their own journey.  

I do think what matters (to health, in regards to eating, and in general) is what you do 80-90% of the time, and if you feel deprived and unhappy then you have to think about the effect of that too.  He was always a real buttoned up kind of guy (although he pretended not to be) and he just seemed freer and more relaxed to me when I spoke to him.

FWIW.

[sidsmom]

That's unfortunate.  

So many question marks over my head when I read this!

Non-diet related illnesses...like a car accident or suicide? 

Can't imagine how I would totally negate years of eating

healthy eating due to someone else's misfortune.  

And unfortunately we all know just because someone

looks trim, doesn't mean they're healthy. Wondering if

there's more to the story.

I've always said eating plant-based (note..not vegan) originates

through any of these reasons:  Health, Medical, Financial,

Environmental or Ethical.  Can't imagine how my mortality

would factor into those reasons not to continue eating

a certain way, which is habit....in fact, it would enforce

my original reasoning. I would think at the very least,

'So you don't want to be healthy anymore?'  

I did have to giggle...still eats vegan while eating a burger!  

Er, uh...that's not vegan, but maybe....hey, MAYBE you

planted the seed for him to re-evaluate his health & well-being

and return to eating 100% 'plant based' vs 'vegan'!

[QueenDanceALot]

@sidsmom

Well, no, I really don't have questions for him.  He was quite clear.  He's not interested in having his dietary screws tightened.  He wants to enjoy things he's never been able to enjoy before.  

The WHPB diet is certainly very restrictive, and that's not what he's interested in at this point in his life. I know him.  I get it.  I mentioned what I was doing and what I was reading and he had zero interest in going down that road.

He looked good, not just because he's slim (he's always been skinny) but because he looked relaxed and happy.  I had no interest in crapping on that.  

Will his life be shortened by his decision?  Maybe, maybe not.  Will his day to day life be enhanced by his decision?  Maybe, maybe not.  But it's his decision to make.  It's his road.   

[QueenDanceALot]

@lolakimono

That LazyCatKItchen Spanish Chickpea and Spinach stew is DELISH!  Definitely going into the rotation!

Oh, and I sauteed the onion and garlic in vegetable broth instead of oil so that @sidsmom wouldn't come after me with an idaho spud!

Next, I will do the curry.  Thank you!!!

[sidsmom]

@lolakimono sure finds the good stuff!  

Keep it coming..yes, please!

@QueenDanceALot

How about a tater taser?  Hee

Though don't have any to spare...doing a 'potato-greens' diet for the next week/so.  Nothing but white/gold/red/sweet potatoes & non-starchy veg & leafy greens. Really digging the hash browns & fingerling potatoes.  Shopping is so easy...what to buy, potatoes...what to eat, potatoes.  I'm in a FB group...and those gals are so creative w/ their dishes w/ limited ingredients.  Really love those 'mono-meals'. Maybe rice next time?🌼

[QueenDanceALot]

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@sidsmom wrote:

@lolakimono sure finds the good stuff!  

Keep it coming..yes, please!

@QueenDanceALot

How about a tater taser?  Hee

Though don't have any to spare...doing a 'potato-greens' diet for the next week/so.  Nothing but white/gold/red/sweet potatoes & non-starchy veg & leafy greens. Really digging the hash browns & fingerling potatoes.  Shopping is so easy...what to buy, potatoes...what to eat, potatoes.  I'm in a FB group...and those gals are so creative w/ their dishes w/ limited ingredients.  Really love those 'mono-meals'. Maybe rice next time?🌼

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@lolakimono

Second day of Spanish stew, I threw in some leftover green peas and boiled up some tiny potatoes (they are actually from The LIttle Potato Company) and tossed them into it, too.  Seriously tasty!

@sidsmom

A Tater Shooter!  haha

Just wanted to pass along part of a Dr.Greger thing in his book about potatoes.  Says that "a sweet potato's nutritional content is tied directly to the intensity of it's color.  Sweet potatoes are healthier than plain, but if you eat the plain ones, look for those with blue or purple flesh.  The consumption of one boiled purple potato a day for six weeks was found to significantly decrease inflammation, something neither white nor yellow potatoes were able to accomplish.  The same was found for oxidation, but much faster.  Within hours of consumption, purple potatoes increased the antioxidant capacity of study subjects; bloodstream, whereas white potato starch appeared to actually have a pro-oxidant effect.  Blue potatoes may have ten times more antioxidant power than regular white ones.  The most exciting purple potato study to date had people with hypertension eat six to eight microwaved small purple poatoes a day, and there were able to significantly bring down their blood pressure levels within a month.

Purple sweet potatoes may offer the best of both worlds.  I was so excited to discover them that I bought them as holiday gifts for my family one year - stocking stuffers they could stuff themselves with!"  

I will now be on the hunt for blue and purple fleshed potatoes.  Got some with purple skins (the LIttle Potato Company) but the flesh isn't purple.  Still delish though!

P.S.  Dr. Greger's book has 132 pages of references. (Not all of them about potatoes!) haha

P.P.S.  Boring workout today.  I'm on a 2 week cut back, which I needed.  Coincides with a break from dance which will get back underway in 2 weeks.  I've had a nagging shoulder ache and am taking my own advice and being diligent about my rotator cuff work.  Ignore your rotator cuff and your shoulder will stop working!

Did do lower body stuff - reverse lunges, step ups, squats, and a bunch of plank variations.  And a bit of time on thoracic spine foam rolling, which I've been pretty dligent about the past couple months.  I've got a sore rhomboid on the same side as my sore shoulder.  BEEN THERE< DONE THAT!  haha

I'll be good as new in 2 weeks and I will have to remind myself to keep up with the rotator cuff work!  I tell other people to do it, but then I ignore it.  NOT SMART!

Later!

[QueenDanceALot]

@sidsmom

OH, and are you only eating potatoes/greens for a week?  Like for every meal?

Do you switch up recipes for them?

[sidsmom]

@QueenDanceALot

I didn't know about Purple Potatoes having properties to lower blood pressure! Cool! Which everyone would know this! Everyone always talks about 'eat the rainbow with vegetables...but I guess that pertains to colorful starches, as well.

Saw where Dr. Greger now has a TV Special on PBS. It showed last night in Detroit. Curious to see if it goes nationwide. I just saw a commercial for a plant-based butter spread w/ the key words, 'it's vegan'. And with those Silk commercials, these are things you didn't see 5 yrs ago. This vegan/plant-based movement is quietly moving in the right direction.

Workouts...yes, rest. Upper body injuries are sneaky hard to rehab. You think you're ok, then boom...you're back on the sidelines. Don't push yourself...maybe this is nature's way of getting you ready for your new career changes, yes?

Taters & Greens/Non-starchy Veg this week. I've done this off/on for many years. Really any starch could be used for the majority of your calories...rice, corn, winter squash, etc. Yep, every meal...ad libitum. Hash browns, mashed & baked fries, soup...all with as much non-starchy veg/greens you want...of course, no oil & low salt/sugar sauces/dips/dressings. Just calms down the palate & dopamine hits from over-stimulated eating. The idea is to make it purposefully boring...to really taste the food. I've always had issues with eating, even as a young teen, so trying to understand my food addictions have been trying at times. Going vegan began to help, then moving to Plant Based, away from the processed junk, also really made a difference. But it was when I reduced the fat/oil...that's when the mental monkeys all but uttered a peep. The sense of calm was so refreshing. But...for whatever reasons why, when those monkeys begin to start chattering (!), I see the signs...and tackle it head on w/ a reset. Get back to basics.

I love when you write about things you've learned...and sharing ideas. There are tons of people on this forum who will read your words. Our posts might be conversational in tone, but you are influencing so many people here!   Plus it's important..we both hear the same words, but we might interrupt them differently. Always good to get each other's feedback.

Sidenote...if anyone reading this has questions about the plant-based lifestyle, ask Kitty!!

PS.  Tonight I minced & dry-fried...onion/mushroom/1lb yellow potatoes, black pepper to season.  H.o.l.y. Cow that was good. It's takes a bit to release the mushroom liquid, cook off & marry the flavors, but since everything is chopped itty-bitty, it cooks up quickly.  The flavors were earthy...and it was very filling.  Definitely could see this as a cook once/eat twice meal.