Shmoo to the Rescue
Posted by oryzias on Aug 15, 2006 · Member since Jul 2002 · 13 posts
I know that some of you are fans of the Vegan Lunch Box blog/website... I hadn't read it in a while, and now I find that Jennifer is in week eleven of a total diet transformation! No sugar, more whole veggies, way less processed food! I went out and bought the book she's been following (Eat to Live, by Dr. Joel Fuhrman). I so needed this inspiration, because I've been stuck in a vegan BUT unhealthy / processed/ high carb / high fat diet!!!
Anybody else following this plan?
I have been quite taken with Dr. Fuhrman for the last 8 months or so. I find his book(s) to be quite logical/scientific, which is always a draw for me. While I do not follow the plan 100% the way it should be followed, I feel that I have taken his principles to heart and am eating better. I generally only eat refined sugar on special occassions, have limited my oil consumption (healthy fats from raw nuts, seeds, and avocados primarily), reduced salt intake, reduced grain intake, and have dramatically increased my vegetable/fruit consumption, especially leafy greens (as they are the most nutrient dense foods). That is afterall what Dr. Fuhrman's message is about--eating the most nutrient dense foods that you can.
Oil consumption has been the hardest for me--I like my onions sauteed in oil, and it is hard to find really delicious salad dressing recipes without oil, but I've found some nut/seed-based salad dressings that I really like. This one on veg web is good (don't add the optional sesame oil, and the tamari may be objectionable for the high salt):
http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=6949.0
This site also has some salad dressings with no oil, though I have not tried them all:
http://www.healthrecipes.com/healthy_salad_dressings.htm
Also check out fatfree vegan--there are many Fuhrman-friendly recipes, and I believe the author follows Eat to Live to some extent (she is not fat free, of course, just oil-free):
http://www.fatfreevegan.com/
http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/
Oh, I practically live on frozen banana "ice cream" for desserts now--they are so good and sweet. Freeze your banana in chunks along with any other frozen fruit you want to add. Remove fruit from freezer and let sit about 10-15 minutes. Add fruit to food processor along with a soft date or two (it may help to soak the dates in water if they are on the hard side). The dates aren't necessary, but for me they elevate this to dessert status. You can also add some ground cashews or other nut for richess if you want. Whiz the whole mixture up in a good food processor, adding a little unsweetened soy milk until it all blends together. You want a consistency that you can eat with a spoon. Yum!
And of course check out the Fuhrman websites:
http://www.drfuhrman.com/
and particularly enjoyable:
http://www.diseaseproof.com/
Good luck!
Elizabeth
Hey, Thanks! I'll definitely try that recipe.
I plan on going low fat, not no-fat, too. I cut my oil back to a few grams a day back in the nineties (when "fat-free" was the big craze) and I ended up getting really sick; I won't do that again! The big challenge for me is omitting the simple/processed carbs... I have gotten too dependent on pasta, bread, starchy veggies and rice. I hope I can do this! Thanks for your suggestions.
Rae
Yeah, of course you don't want to go "fat free." That is not healthy, and you will get sick if you do so. Dr. Fuhrman's point about oils is that they are a processed (sometimes heavily), non-whole, relatively nutrient-poor food. Much better to get your fats in their natural packages--nuts, seeds, avocados, and olives for example. I eat a couple of servings of nuts per day (including in a raw nut butter form and in date-nut pop 'ems), 2 tbsp of whole flax seeds in my smoothies in the mornings (the Vita-mix grinds them up), and an avocado here and there. I try to limit my oil intake to about a tsp/day, which is what Dr. Fuhrman recommends as a maximum. Realistically, it turns out I eat probably about a tbsp per day.
Elizabeth