Simple eating is the key to life!

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Simple eating is the key to life!

Postby Raquel1002 » Thu Dec 13, 2018 2:34 pm

Hi all,
I've been sitting here for a few hours skimming these forums and posting. One of my biggest complaints these past few years (even before PB) is that in my attempts to eat healthfully, I've gotten myself held captive to the routine which includes a lot of variety, resulting in my standing/chopping for hours on end, nights and weekends, leaving me with very little time for friends/hobbies.

I copy/pasted something Jeff wrote previously in regards to simplicity (scroll down after my comments). In that forum, I was also flooooored!! to read the study that indicated the simpler the food plan, the greater results. That was astounding to me, given I've been manipulated by marketing into believing I have to eat all this variety! I'm still having trouble wrapping my mind around this new possibility of simpler and less time consuming, given this deep conditioning.

What I notice first is that there are no veg at b-fast! I have gotten myself into eating celery first thing (cuz I read that eating celery first thing is really good for you), along with cucumber, and a blend of spinach, Brussels, cauliflower, spice, and TJ Tomato Juice (Jeff said it's not good to drink your food; I need to go read that article/post. I heard it was ok so long you do a chewing motion, thereby releasing enzymes to help digestion). It doesn't taste great but it's not bad and I thought that I needed to have greens x3 daily so was getting them this way. What a relief were I to give this up! And save money!

I also notice there's no tofu, tempeh, bean spaghetti (I like Explore Cuisine) or seeds/nuts. I limit to 1 oz raw nuts at b-fast (sometimes a Lara Bar), and 1 oz raw sunflower/pumkin at lunch. So the only protein is basically beans (!) I remember reading somewhere that Jeff said many cultures don't eat a lot of protein, subsisting mainly on fruit and potatoes and some veg depending on the season.

I also noticed no Ezekiel Bread or sourdough bread (I know some are better than others). Do folks not eat these breads?

How many pounds of veg (cooked or raw) do most of you folks eat? Aaron and Jackson from Food For Thought have this motto "Eat plants and take epic dumps." This is one of the benefits I find from eating so many veg, but perhaps I don't need as many, and now I know I certainly don't need all the variety I'm currently eating.

Can you believe I currently spend close to $400/month on my food from Stop and Shop (mostly fruits and veg), and at least $50 each at Whole Foods and Trader Joes? (I get my seeds and nuts at TJ). And I'm only 1 person whose salary doesn't even cover my expenses so making this transition will save me a lot of money!

Here's Jeff's example that I was basing my comments above on:

Find out what works for you and stick to it. Create simple meals based around vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes.

For Breakfast..
Whole grain cereal
Fresh Fruit

For Lunch &/or Dinner
Salad
Steamed Vegetables
Soup
Complex Carbohydrate (Rice, Potato, Yam, Legumes, etc)
Legumes (beans)

Snacks
Fruits
Vegetables
Soups
Potatoes

Keep your overall program and menu simple. Look for variety within each of the food groups by using different varieties of vegetables, fruits, legumes and whole grains over the course of a day or a week.
Raquel1002
 
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Re: Simple eating is the key to life!

Postby GeoffreyLevens » Thu Dec 13, 2018 6:04 pm

I eat sourdough bread that I make myself, maybe eat it one or two meals/week. Ezekiel I eat only if served; I don't buy it because then I would have too much of it in the house at once. The sourdough I only make/bake single serving and done.

Not a fan of tofu, just too "white" and bland. Couple times a year I might get some and cook it in waffle iron. Tempe a few times/year. Veg I use as fill since I have a tendency to overeat and tendency to diabetes (family history and have been pre-) so I eat probably couple pounds of those/day.

But over all, simple simple simple. Almost same meals every day--variations on Jeff's SNAP using mostly beans as my starch and fresh veg, a piece of fruit as appetizer or dessert, and that's it for breakfast and lunch. Evening meal, around 3 or 4 pm, often oats and fruit.
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Re: Simple eating is the key to life!

Postby Lyndzie » Thu Dec 13, 2018 6:39 pm

I like cooking, but also have a family to care for, so Jeff’s tips have been a lifesaver when I need to throw together a quick dinner. In the winter I usually do oatmeal with fruit, but lately it’s been grape nuts cereal with banana and raisins in almond milk. Lunch today was left overs (Forks Over Knives stuffed shells), or black beans and rice (for the kids). Dinner was Maangchi’s sweet potato rice with broccoli. Everything was simple and fast and delicious.

You will find that with this way of eating your bathroom habits will remain awe inspiring. I easily eat 50-70 grams of fiber a day, which is plenty for epic elminimation.
Lindsey
My food journal: Adventures in Eating
My pregnancy journal: Maybe a Baby 2017
www.lindseyhead.coach
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Re: Simple eating is the key to life!

Postby GeoffreyLevens » Fri Dec 14, 2018 6:10 am

Lyndzie wrote:...lately it’s been grape nuts cereal with banana and raisins in almond milk.

Ever do that with hot almond milk? Can't remember when or how I discovered it but hot Grape Nuts cereal in cold weather is mighty fine!
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Re: Simple eating is the key to life!

Postby Lyndzie » Sat Dec 15, 2018 7:23 am

Thanks for the tip! I’ll try it out.
Lindsey
My food journal: Adventures in Eating
My pregnancy journal: Maybe a Baby 2017
www.lindseyhead.coach
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Re: Simple eating is the key to life!

Postby Raquel1002 » Wed Dec 19, 2018 11:33 pm

Thank you all for your feedback and for the tips! I'm really excited and have already begun to make changes ie, eating less veg (with no negative effect on digestion!) In process. The support is invaluable!

By the way, I tried hot Grapenuts before and absolutely love them! Thing is, now that I'm not glutton free (never had positive impact on my medical condition), I am happy to say I will be purchasing some grapenuts in the very near future!
Raquel1002
 
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