Don't Call Me Vegan: Calorie density- Eat more plants for long term wei...

Don't Call Me Vegan: Calorie density- Eat more plants for long term wei...: As someone who has ruminated on food and weight since those awkward teen years, I am NOT writing this post from my ivory tower. My eating ha...

Calorie density- Eat more plants for long term weight management

As someone who has ruminated on food and weight since those awkward teen years, I am NOT writing this post from my ivory tower. My eating habits are a work-in-progress and I still eat tortilla chips on the regular. I will say that since using this general approach to eating, it's been surprisingly simpler for me to enjoy my meals with less anxiety.

You all know there are plenty of "diets" that work in the short term. You can avoid all sugar, eat only bacon, tape your mouth shut, etc. and drop some weight. The challenge is finding a way of eating that is sustainable in the long-term, reduces the likelihood of chronic diseases, and (most importantly) doesn't suck. Enter the calorie density approach.

Utilizing a calorie density approach can simplify healthier eating (and you can use this as a guide regardless of your meat-eating status). In a nutshell, if you eat more nutrient dense foods like fruits and vegetables vs. calorie dense foods like processed foods and oils, you will likely shed weight AND not starve. Sounds pretty good so far, right?

Here's a couple of ways to visualize this approach:

Fruits and veggies fill up our bellies with fewer calories.

By the numbers....

As someone who was once deathly afraid of carbohydrates, it's taken me some time to adjust. Now I am at peace knowing that raspberries and sweet potatoes are not the devil, and should not be put in the same "bucket" as chips, crackers and donuts.

you get the idea...

I'll share a few quick tricks I've adopted for swapping out calorie dense foods in favor of more nutrient dense ones:
1) Saute with vegetable broth instead of oil. If your main goal is to keep food from sticking to the pan, this one is a no-brainer.
2) Pile your pizza with your favorite veggies (assuming there are some you find tasty!) in lieu of some of the meat and go light on the cheese. This can save you hundreds of calories in a single meal. I would NEVER advocate giving up pizza; you can incorporate it into a healthy diet with a little maneuvering. 

This isn't for everyone. Baby steps. 

3) Two words. Riced cauliflower. I was a late adopter to this one (and hated cauliflower for most of my life), but now I'm converted. Sitting at approximately 30 calories per cup vs. 200 for brown rice, it's a nice option alone or mixed with "real" rice. I'm not saying brown rice is evil. It's not. Incorporating riced cauliflower is simply one way to feel more satiated with fewer calories.

that's me for sure

 4) Consider MEASURING out a portion size when eating whole plant foods like nuts, seeds or avocado. To put it into perspective, a quarter cup of cashews has approximately the same number of calories as an orange plus FOUR cups of Trader Joe's organic air popped popcorn. You can see how one of those options will likely leave you feeling more full.

No food is off the table (pun intended), but it's important to be mindful of how different foods fit into your eating plan. Taking small steps to incorporate more nutrient dense, fiber-filled foods can help you feel better and move toward, or maintain, a healthy weight.

Today's recipe has become a new favorite as we LOVE our Mexican food. It comes from Rachel Hartley nutrition. https://www.rachaelhartleynutrition.com/blog/2015/12/crispy-baked-tofu-tacos-with-cilantro-lime-slaw  Please note, you can reduce or eliminate the olive oil the marinade and it's still delicious. Also, I prefer Trader Joe's high protein organic tofu (extra firm) for this recipe.

See you next time!

Three Rules for Eating Plant-Based (or even vegan) without being an A@#$%&e

As a quick review- I am experimenting with a plant-based diet. This means no or minimal meat, dairy or eggs. I am not a vegan (and honestly that label scares me) as I still have some leather shoes, purses, etc. that I did not destroy when I transitioned my food choices. In addition, I still eat some junk food (chips, vegan cookies, etc.).  This means I do not eat a 100% "whole food plant based" diet. It means I'm a work in progress and doing what is working for me right now.

I mention that because there can be a lot of judgment around what people eat, especially if you think YOUR way is the BEST way, be that plant-based, keto, paleo, etc. Criticizing someone for what they eat or what their kids eat is the quickest way to send them diving head first into a Quarter Pounder or giant bag of Doritos. It's all too easy to place yourself up on a diet pedestal which only makes you an easy target for criticism and opposition. 

That being said, when you feel like you've found something that works - a healthy and affordable way to eat long term- it can be extremely difficult not to push those views onto others. Full disclosure- I'm working on this and sometimes I completely suck at it. Following are a few rules for eating plant based without alienating everyone around you:

1) It doesn't have to be all or nothing. I've had numerous people say that they are doing "Meatless Mondays" or eating vegetarian a couple days per week. That's great! Encourage people to make little changes, and they can judge for themselves how it's working and how they are feeling. Do NOT shame them for not being 100%...it's not practical for many people and it's just not nice.

2) Don't skewer people for eating"fake meat"- I have seen a lot debate of this lately. With the introduction of Impossible and Beyond Burgers, as well as the myriad of meat substitutes out there, this is a hot topic. You can even see in-fighting between the vegans and the plant based folks on this one. For some, these products are baby steps as they move from a traditional Western diet to a more plant-based diet. Others may try these as a means to reduce meat consumption or to eat more sustainably. From my understanding, the Impossible Burger wasn't designed as a "health food"...nor was a Big Mac. Let it go.

Meat or non-meat?

3) Feed people delicious food made from mostly plants- Cut down on the preaching and get in the kitchen (or to a hip restaurant that makes vegan or vegetarian food). If people taste for themselves that they can eat amazing food without meat (or even cheese or eggs), they might be more amenable to incorporating more of these meals into their rotation. I enjoy "veganizing" recipes, especially any kind of Mexican food. I even fed my dad tofu and said it was chicken (yes, he liked it). I also like going out from time to time, and most restaurants are happy to accommodate my quirky requests.

Wood-fired pizza with spinach, shrooms, and arugula- amazing!

Long story short, everyone is on their own journey when it comes to food. What works for some people, won't work for all. Eating mostly plants has worked for me, but it took me 40 something years to get here (and I would never EVER have imagined that I would go in this direction). If you're giving this a go, be patient and find simple ways to sub out some meat in favor of beans, lentils or meat substitutes. If you have no plans to ever stop or cut down on eating meat, but you find this blog entertaining....thanks for reading.

Here's a peanut butter cookie recipe my husband was given (yes, it's always been on a post-it). A couple of notes:1) the sugar is listed at the very top, you won't to miss that! Feel free to use regular, brown, organic or not, all of part Stevia, etc. 2) a flax seed egg is 1 Tbsp. ground flax seeds plus 3 Tbsp. water (mix, let sit for a minute, then throw it in). These "eggs" work well in cakes, cookies, banana bread and many other baked goods.

Thanks for reading and see you soon!