Keeping it Simple

Share your daily McDougall menus and/or keep a journal describing your personal progress.

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Re: Keeping it Simple

Postby Mark Cooper » Sat Jan 09, 2021 4:34 am

creativeone wrote:Wish there was a list of acceptable starches.
Here you go: starch staples. I would note that flour products (with the exception of whole grain pasta) aren't suitable starches for MWL, but are acceptable for the regular McDougall plan (with some moderation). The other starches listed are acceptable for the starch portion of a meal, within the MWL guidelines, keeping in mind that Dr. McDougall recommends limiting beans/legumes to 1 cup per day, on average (due to the higher protein content).
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Re: Keeping it Simple

Postby creativeone » Sat Jan 09, 2021 12:51 pm

Aha - thanks for the list Mark.

Breakfast - porridge banana and kiwi

Lunch - none not hungry

Dinner - crudités and salsa - eaten first, then brown rice mixed with WW pasta - they were both leftover and I just blended them and topped it with steamed peas, onions, savoy cabbage cooked in low sodium vegetable broth and few sliced fresh chillies. In the USA we had salt free veg broth but I cannot find that here. Kitchens and fridges are small with no freezer so I can't make broth ahead and store it. The brand I found has 0.72g per 100 ml which seems to be within the guidelines if I understand it correctly.

Feels like a pretty good day eating wise and I feel like I am learning, eat salad or soup first, so crudités count as salad.
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Re: Keeping it Simple

Postby JeffN » Sat Jan 09, 2021 2:02 pm

creativeone wrote:In the USA we had salt free veg broth but I cannot find that here. Kitchens and fridges are small with no freezer so I can't make broth ahead and store it. The brand I found has 0.72g per 100 ml which seems to be within the guidelines if I understand it correctly.


The guideline for sodium for packaged products are no more then 1mg sodium per 1 calorie. So, something with 100 calories per serving, should have no more then 100 mg of sodium per serving. For condiments, depending on the one and the use, I am more lenient, allowing up to 4/1 or sometimes more.

The numbers you present for sodium is in grams (not mg) and in ml, not calories.

.72 grams is 720 milligrams (mg). Now you have to find the calories and then you can make the correct comparison. I am guess this is going to be very high in sodium

Many of the food sites we use and recommend ship to over 150 countries. These include vitacost, iherb, Amazon.

The best two out there are Pacific low sodium and Kitchen Basics unsalted.

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Re: Keeping it Simple

Postby VeggieSue » Sun Jan 10, 2021 6:21 am

creativeone wrote: In the USA we had salt free veg broth but I cannot find that here. Kitchens and fridges are small with no freezer so I can't make broth ahead and store it. The brand I found has 0.72g per 100 ml which seems to be within the guidelines if I understand it correctly.


I see Jeff already commented on your math as well as availability of boxed broth.

You can always make your own. In his Fast Food 4: Beyond the Basics DVD he shows how to make broth simply by using potatoes, carrots and celery.
https://www.drmcdougall.com/health/shop ... -volume-4/ for the DVD, or
https://store.vegsource.com/collections ... the-basics for digital download.

No time or storage room to make gallons of broth? There are also plenty of vegetable broth powders out there. Just be sure to read the labels to make sure they don't contain salt or oil. Yes, powdered oil is in many of those commercially prepared mixes.

You can also make your own vegetable broth powder using everyday spices. Use your favorite search engine and hundreds will turn up. Here's an example. As with any of these that pop up in your own search, just omit the salt in the recipe. Dr. McDougall allows us to add salt at the table after a food is cooked, so skip it in recipes like this.
https://wholenewmom.com/vegetable-broth-recipe/
I keep a jarful in my pantry for those times a recipe calls for a cup or less of broth. A teaspoon or so of this powder in a cup, add boiling water from the kettle and instant broth.
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Re: Keeping it Simple

Postby JeffN » Sun Jan 10, 2021 11:04 am

VeggieSue wrote:You can always make your own. In his Fast Food 4: Beyond the Basics DVD he shows how to make broth simply by using potatoes, carrots and celery.
https://www.drmcdougall.com/health/shop ... -volume-4/ for the DVD, or
https://store.vegsource.com/collections ... the-basics for digital download.


The recipe is posted here...

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=54286&#p552271

You can always make a pint or a quart of it by adjusting down somewhat.

VeggieSue wrote:Here's an example. As with any of these that pop up in your own search, just omit the salt in the recipe. Dr. McDougall allows us to add salt at the table after a food is cooked, so skip it in recipes like this.
https://wholenewmom.com/vegetable-broth-recipe/


As an FYI, the recipe calls for celery salt. A tsp of celery salt is about 1600 mg sodium. A tsp of salt is 2200 so be careful with celery salt

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Re: Keeping it Simple

Postby creativeone » Sun Jan 10, 2021 1:05 pm

Oh ok - we can give up the stock cubes no problem. When I get to a shop again and can look at the package I can recalculate the sodium levels according to the maths. I know how to make vegetable stock but it is not happening at this point in my life--at one time I made a very nice roasted veg stock without oil. Thanks for the suggestions, I'll probably rather just live without it.

I am really focused on my art studio and cooking is simple and time efficient, beside having very little storage space. Our meals have to be raw cut up crudités and salads, microwaved potatoes, steamed veg, one pot meals in the instant pot meals or anything that can be tossed into the non-stick wok at the same time, that type of thing.

If you check back in with me I would like to know what the issue with salt/sodium is--Dr. M usually has a good reason and I am curious what this one is about. And is this only on MWL or regular McDougall plan.

Today was really good, more energy and pain is lessening in my hands and feet. I woke up hungry and by 2 pm was hungry again. Walked to and from studio so got 90 minutes in walking yesterday and today.

Breakfast: orange and porridge
Lunch: lettuces, sweet peppers, red onions, steamed mangetoute, roasted sweet and white potatoes, salsa.
Dinner: apple and porridge
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Re: Keeping it Simple

Postby JeffN » Sun Jan 10, 2021 1:20 pm

I explain the salt issue in this thread along with Dr McDougall’s recommendations and mine, which are the same and for both programs.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=53973&p=549878&#p549878

This is a much longer thread on Salt where I explain all the issues with it

viewtopic.php?f=22&t=23557

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Re: Keeping it Simple

Postby creativeone » Mon Jan 11, 2021 3:37 pm

Jeff - thank you for the links - once again explaining, I will have a look so I can get a better idea about sodium. Many thanks!

Great day - because we did a whole week on MWL and didn't go off intentionally!

A few little mishaps with not knowing all the rules and trying to learn while changing how we eat.

Breakfast: porridge and apple

Lunch: not hungry, had hot water and lemon because its really cold this week in the studio

Dinner: WW Pasta with tomato sauce with mushrooms, peppers, onions, a lettuce salad and crudités
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Re: Keeping it Simple

Postby creativeone » Tue Jan 12, 2021 12:19 pm

Getting a 60 minute walk in every afternoon and 90 minutes on Saturday and Sunday. Clothes fitting looser already, everyday pain continues to lessen and I feel more energetic.

Breakfast - changed my porridge to 80 grams uncooked so I can take half with me for my lunch.

Lunch- other half of porridge and apple

Dinner - crudités to start, then a small dish of WW pasta (leftovers) w homemade sauce, roasted potatoes with raw red onions and salsa.

So far pretty happy with our meals and I might eat a fruit later for pudding.

The worst part of being out and not being able to get McDougall type foods is the porridge. Every single serving cup of porridge in this country contains milk powder. ugh first of all for taste and it is kind of wrong. The people in Scotland always made porridge with water but somehow milk replaced the water. I don't even like the smell. Being a plant based eater came naturally to me, even as a child I found meat to be disagreeable and preferred rice, pasta and salad and green peas. I had to sit and finish the meat to be allowed to leave the table. I tried to give it to the dog when possible, lol. By the time I was 19 I lived on baked potatoes and popcorn, but I have to confess I did love butter on the popcorn. By 28 I was vegan and flip flopped a few times, adding butter/cheese in and removing it again. That lasted until I was in my 40's and my mom convinced me to eat paleo with her. What a nightmare for me. I didn't like the food and started to get sick. Not long after I went right back to vegan/raw vegan and then found Dr. McDougall 8 years ago. It is really the best possible diet--whole foods plant based--is perfect.
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Re: Keeping it Simple

Postby creativeone » Wed Jan 13, 2021 4:00 pm

Another good eating day!

B - porridge
L - porridge
D - jacket potato, onions, salsa, tenderstem broccoli steamed, Mushroom Sauce from McDougall recipes, corn tortillas, hot chilies.
S - orange

Cold rainy day and warm porridge was perfect as was the hot jacket potato, a large red type called Albert Bartlett.
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Re: Keeping it Simple

Postby creativeone » Thu Jan 14, 2021 1:07 pm

We have noticed we feel best when eating potatoes vs WW pasta--potatoes are my favourite and I am glad that DB is on board with it!

B- Porridge and apple

L - porridge

s - banana and rye krisp

D - mashed potatoes with spring onions and red onions, spring greens and green beans steamed, fresh cilantro and salsa, 2 corn tortillas, a rye krisp and hot chillis

Exercise - walked 30 minutes and rowed for 12 minutes

rained all day, but I am feeling so much better - clothes continue to feel looser, and I feel a bit more slender every day. We chose mondays as our weekly weigh in day. I just feel so great when I eat this way and am glad to be doing the MWL. We chose it for January to get started and we will assess how we feel at the end of the month and if we feel like keeping to MWL we might for February and same with March. Then we will migrate to regular McDougall--not in a hurry but just don't want to be tired of the limited diet of MWL. Right now we don't find it that way.
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Re: Keeping it Simple

Postby creativeone » Sat Jan 16, 2021 3:20 am

Missed writing my entry yesterday--but ate really well. So glad this is easy to eat this way.

B - porridge alone

L - leftover mashed potato with sliced green onions

D - crudités, sliced red onion, hot chilis, steamed greens and green beans, brown rice with curry style but no salt.

S - tangerine (2) rye krisp
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Re: Keeping it Simple

Postby deweyswakms » Sat Jan 16, 2021 1:05 pm

creativeone wrote:Wish there was a list of acceptable starches.


I found this list: https://www.drmcdougall.com/health/educ ... h-staples/

I love starches! my latest favorites are wheat berries and pearled barley. I just added some precooked to my oatmeal.

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start weight 210 on 7/25/14; MWL recommit 7/2019 weight 197. 6/11/2022 weight 165.0. Height 5'8".
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Re: Keeping it Simple

Postby michaelswarm » Sat Jan 16, 2021 6:43 pm

creativeone wrote:WW pasta is sold in at least a dozen shapes, brown rice is not plentiful and can be harder to find, because of the large asian population mostly white basmati rice is on the shelves.


Check out ethnic Indian grocers. Search for Indian Grocery Store on Google Maps.
At least in the states, every large city has one or more. Often located next door to a family owned Indian restaurant.
There you should be able to find imported brown rice, as well as multiple kinds of lentils and dry spices.

https://www.google.com/maps/search/indi ... 3563655,9z
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Re: Keeping it Simple

Postby creativeone » Sun Jan 17, 2021 2:57 pm

Thanks Marsha - I love wheat berries too!

Michaelswarm - the pandemic/lockdown is making it really difficult to shop, this weekend I was able to get to town and visited a large Sainsbury's store - which has a great ethnic section and many sizes of brown basmati rice in bags. We don't have a car and have to use public transit system and that limits our ability too. But great suggestion for when the lockdown is over and I can get out to longer trips in London.

B - porridge
L- none, was in the studio and had decaf tea and lemon water
D - very large jacket potato, 1 cup green peas and .5 cup steamed broccoli - man I was hungry from missing lunch and had 2 fruits after dinner as a snack with a few rye krisp. Went to bed hungry as I didn't want to eat later at night and lie down with a full belly.

Wondering if that happens to anyone else and what the remedy is - sure I know, take lunch with me tomorrow, I have a potato soup that could have gone with me today if I had been thinking correctly! Soup tomorrow goes along to studio. Some days I feel hungrier than other days. It is not easy to predict and I don't want to eat just because its time to eat--but rather because I am actually hungry.

I am also a bit confused with the MWL - are we supposed to only be eating one type of starch or is that just Mary's Mini. Tomorrow I will take some time to look it up.

Walked - 45 minutes
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