I'm trying to apply the same mindset to my dietary lifestyle change. I'm trying not to say I am on a "diet" and to invoke the phrase "going primal" instead and strangely it is harder to change the way I talk about what is happening than it is to change the foods I am eating... Maybe because I need to think in advance about foods and the words just pop out uninvited... I'm not sure...
Looking around online for more info on the Paleo Diet I came across a series of reports from a San Francisco TV Health Watch program. The TV doctor was going paleo and followed a diet prescribed by the research team at UCSF and the documentary clips are so interested I thought I should post them here... about half way down this page there are five links under the video clip - I think they are really worth a look.
I'm doing pretty well with going primal... yesterday I made a huge pot of Italian style vegetable stew stuff...
two onions chopped and softened by frying in a teaspoon of olive oil
two tins of tomatoes with no added preservatives or sugar
about twenty pitted kalamata olives
a generous sprinkle of Italian herbs and black pepper
about a tablespoon of garlic
a teaspoon of ginger
a teaspoon of chili
two carrots
six medium zucchini
one medium sweet potato
a quarter of a small pumpkin (skinned)
one large eggplant
about a cup and a half of red wine
any other vegetables you feel like adding.
It was super yummy - I ate a bowl and a half with just a little shaved Parmesan sprinkled on top. Then I stir fried some lean kangaroo meat that had marinated in red wine and garlic (which I think could have been better if cooked on the BBQ).
The tomato stuff made enough for maybe three meals for TLOML and I. We ate as much as we wanted, then froze half of what was left and kept the other half fresh for eating today and tomorrow.
Not bad huh? This is the Italian version of my standard one pot vegetable thingy... I have an Asian style version and an Indian style version but they are all basically the same with different spices and flavours.
Probably none of this sounds too amazing but seriously I didn't cook anything until this year really... except to run the BBQ grill and to grab processed food from the fridge I had nothing to do with food production until moving in with TLOML. Now I cook heaps and we reheat my cooking on most of the other nights!
As an aside it is anniversary season for me... in about a week and a half TLOML and I celebrate our first anniversary. I have already bought a few little gifts online and have been having the fun of seeing them arrive almost daily. I doubt TLOML will do anything much but that's fine. I have the leisure and pleasure of shopping and choosing things while she is at work.
Do check out the video it really is enlightening... There is another story about the study, two groups of diabetics were given diets for two weeks - one group was given the diet recommended by the Diabetes Association (the Mediterranean Diet) and the other group went Paleo -- the first group showed no significant changes while the Paleo group saw lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, lower blood sugar and lower triglycerides. It even surprised the researchers what could happen in two weeks! I hope my version of this diet does the same for me when I go in for my 30 day blood tests!
Lots of things for you to celebrate right now - well done on the 1 year anniversary of waving goodbye to the cigs :-)).
ReplyDeleteHasn't that year gone quickly? I remember when you were leaving Sydney to drive to paradise :-)
The paleo link was very interesting. My Mum, diabetic for 15 or so years, eats more of a Mediterranean diet, however the doctor has recently reduced her insulin and got rid of the cholesterol pills. I really hope you can use this diet to keep yourself off medication... well, medication related to diabetes anyway.
good on you Gen. I'm still off the cigs. But the dieting thing is SOooo time consuming! you are an inspiration :) xoxo
ReplyDeleteGood onya M for staying off the smokes! I am far from inspiring and you don't need the diet the way I do! :)xoxo back atcha!
DeleteThanks mate I hope so too... I will of course report the blood test findings in a few weeks when my thirty days is up. Best wishes to Mum I hope her new regimen works well for her.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the double anniversary, you're dead right about not using the word 'diet' it can make you feel you're depriving yourself, I have every confidence your blood test will reflect your hard work... check out PaleOMG.com and Civilizedcavemancooking.com for recipes and ideas of how to stock your pantry found them to be a great help
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tips Siobhán! I have checked out PaleOMG and it looks like a great place to find recipes for paleo friendly treats. cheers!
Deletecongrats on quitting smoking, and on your anniversary. Also glad you are enjoying cooking and I am certain you will find the path to what you have chosen. You seem dedicated and clever, and if this one doesn't quite work, I am sure you will tweak it.
ReplyDeleteThanks Elizabeth and lovely to hear from you! Yes I will almost certainly give it a tweak or two after my visits back to the doctor but I think this is going to be part of a permanent lifestyle change. Thanks!
DeleteCONGRATULATIONS! Well done, mate!
ReplyDelete