When you buy ground red chilies from a Pakistani grocery store Mild is HOT.
Lessons Learned From a Lifetime of Cooking #1
How To Reduce Your Risk of Developing DM2 (type 2 diabetes)
Replacing one serving of red meat a day with a serving of plant-based protein sources like nuts or legumes decreased the risk of type 2 diabetes by 30%, and substituting a serving of red meat for dairy decreased the risk by 22%.
More Than One Red Meat Serving A Week Can Increase Diabetes Risk — https://www.forbes.com/sites/ariannajohnson/2023/10/19/more-than-one-red-meat-serving-a-week-can-increase-diabetes-risk-study-finds/
The Forbes article has links to other research studies on meat consumption and health.
Link to the Harvard press release — Red meat consumption associated with increased type 2 diabetes risk — https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/red-meat-consumption-associated-with-increased-type-2-diabetes-risk/
The study featured in the articles above was published on Thursday, October 19, in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
My Personal Opinion
If you eat meat, eat less. If you don’t eat meat, consider the occasional meal with meat for its nutritional benefits. My diet is approximately 75% meat-free, I do not have diabetes.
Eat an Apple and Some Broccoli and Call Me in the Morning
A recent study examined the effects of produce prescription programs in 12 U.S. states (1). Almost 4,000 individuals received produce prescriptions. About half were adults and half were children. They were all from low-income neighborhoods. Participants received paper vouchers or electronic cards providing from $15 to $300 per month to buy fruits and vegetables at grocery stores and farmers markets. They attended nutrition classes. The median length of program participation was 6 months.
Adults receiving produce prescription ate, on average, more than three quarters of a cup per day more fruits and vegetables; children averaged a quarter cup more per day. Both adults and children reported that their overall health status improved. Among adults with poor health, improvements were seen in blood pressure, glycated hemoglobin (a measure of diabetes control), and body mass index (BMI). These results suggest that produce prescriptions could have important benefits.
Eat an Apple and Some Broccoli and Call Me in the Morning: Produce Prescriptions Offer Health Benefits — https://www.vrg.org/blog/2023/10/13/eat-an-apple-and-some-broccoli-and-call-me-in-the-morning-produce-prescriptions-offer-health-benefits/ – Posted on October 13, 2023 by The VRG Blog Editor
Eat Prunes
Like plums, prunes contain a lot of nutrients. In fact, eating just three can count towards your Five A Day. As well as fiber, they contain carbohydrates, vitamin K, vitamin A, B vitamins, and antioxidants.
Not Just for Grandmas: Why You Should Eat More Prunes — https://vegnews.com/vegan-health-wellness/not-just-for-grandmas-eat-more-prunes
Chicken Thigh Week – Sunday, The End
Another short post today. There’s too much bracketball to watch today.
Breakfast – Roasted chickpeas and veggies
Lunch – Ampaipitakwong Fried Rice (aka Pete’s), egg roll (yes, it does resemble last night’s dinner)
Dinner – Chicken fajitas
I enjoyed tracking my meals this week and learned a lot.
I no longer need to track consumption like I have in the past. The habit and behavioral changes have stuck around.
My snack last night was grapes and crackers. They found my mouth after I posted.
The very ripe spotted bananas seemed to ripen faster when residing in the same bowl as the once rock hard green avocados that are now ripe enough to eat hence fajitas for dinner tonight.
I made Whole Wheat Banana Muffins (updated). See above.
Snack – muffin?
For the week 1/3 of my meals were meat based. Time to rename The 90% Solution The Nearly 70% Solution.
Still not a vegan.
Chicken Thigh Week – Saturday
Short post today. The Boss is Back and there will be Boss directed activities to be done today.
Even More Things I Learned This Week
Rock hard green avocados ripen faster when placed in a bowl with very ripe spotted bananas.
Fresh grapes satisfy my sweet tooth.
I forgot to weigh myself this morning. “Daily weighing may be key to losing weight.” ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/11/181105081735.htm (accessed 03.25.23). My OCD may be getting better.
Keeping a food diary/journal makes me more aware of what I’m eating and provides opportunities for improvement. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/why-keep-a-food-diary-2019013115855.
The Boss noticed the brownie supply in the freezer was smaller than when she left. I have no idea what happened to them.
I forgot to include some snacks in my meal count.
Today’s Meals
Breakfast – Low sugar box breakfast cereal, added raisins, low fat cow milk
Lunch – 2 shrimp tacos, cup of black beans, green beans, 4 french fries
Dinner – Ampaipitakwong Fried Rice (aka Pete’s), egg roll
“Do not worry about immediate results. More and more you must concentrate on the value, the rightness, the truth of the work itself.”
Thomas Merton
Chicken Thigh Week – Thursday
Thurs 3/23 Update 5:25 pm
I’m learning a lot about myself this week from tracking my meals. Since The Boss is away my meals and eating habits are totally my own. I don’t have to think about, shop for, plan or cook with someone else’s preferences in mind. I like not having regularly scheduled meals. I much prefer to Eat Only When Hungry. Last night I didn’t have a big dinner meal, just a cup of homemade chili beans.
Things I’ve Learned About Myself
I spend far more time at grocery stores than I realized.
I like spending time in grocery stores.
I tend to shop the sales and plan meals around what I end up buying with basic pantry items already in the house (ahem, Chicken Thigh Week?).
I do not like wasting food and will eat leftovers until I get sick and tired of them. I’ll also incorporate food items into several different meals to reduce food waste. For example I picked up a tub of organic greens for $1.49 (yes, you read that right) which I’ve been eating all week. The tub got eaten up today.
Although I once said I’m incapable of creating a 7 day meal plan I think I’m getting better and feel I can now plan a full day ahead.
I eat a lot of peanut butter.
Today’s meals –
Breakfast – Strawberries, banana and full fat Greek yogurt. Two Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes.
Lunch – Toasted Irish Cheddar Cheese sandwich with organic greens and mustard.
Snack – apple
Lunch #2 – cup of soup, PB on whole wheat bread
Dinner – Roasted Chickpea and Veggie Burrito (see Veggie Burrito Spice Blend for the seasonings).
Technology and Food – Hand in Hand — University of Cincinnati COM Chronicles
Sarah Whiteside ’24 An iPod. Then an iPhone. Then an iPad. Then a laptop. It never ends. We eagerly await the newest technology release as if we are not satisfied with a fully capable and working phone. We strive for more. We equate technology with power, and power with success. We rarely stop to ponder […]
Technology and Food – Hand in Hand — University of Cincinnati COM Chronicles
Good article. I recommend reading the entire post.
We. Are. Doomed.
Chicken Thigh Week – Wednesday
Weds 3/22
The Anti-Bunko meeting last night was a rousing success. Seven showed up and five of us ordered zero sides. Two ordered tots with their burgers. I guess it takes some people a longer time to learn why their jeans no longer fit.
I’m not sure if it was last night’s burger or busyness at work but I wasn’t hungry this morning. I didn’t notice any signs of hunger til around 10:30 AM. So while I may describe my meals as most people would, the times are definitely not the typical meal times. This turned out to be a good day to practice how to Eat Only When Hungry.
We should add eating only when hungry to this post Five healthy habits net more healthy years — Malheur County Health Department and make it Six Healthy Habits.
On Wednesdays the local store changes their weekly ad. I pulled the ad up online and to my surprise found boneless chicken thighs for $1.99/lb!
Chicken Thigh Week! An excuse to get out of the house!
But I was disappointed.
Avoid purchasing chicken if the package has excess liquid sitting in it. The excess liquid usually results from the conventional method of immersing chickens in water to chill them to an appropriate temperature. These liquids are expelled by the chicken once it is in the tray, which weakens the flavor and results in a mushy texture.
Guide on the different types of industrial chicken https://www.watermelon.market/post/guide-on-the-different-types-of-industrial-chicken
I did not buy any cheap chicken thighs BUT I did find one package of the $2.99/lb not as cheap chicken thighs. Now I have plenty of chicken thighs both boneless and bone-in.
So far my meals for today:
Breakfast – Raisin bran, soy milk banana at 10:30 AM
Lunch – cup of soup from the pot I never got around to freezing portions at 1:30 PM
Second Lunch – 2 roast chicken wraps with organic greens and hot honey coarse mustard at 3:00 PM.
It’s “dinner time” now and I’m not hungry.
Eat Only When Hungry
Retrain yourself to recognize feelings of hunger and respect them. Eat when you feel them and stop when they stop. Don’t eat when you’re not hungry. This approach starts with eating breakfast, planning snacks, or eating only part of your lunch and saving the rest for a snack later on in the afternoon. Eat regular meals but don’t eat by the clock.
Eating When You’re Hungry versus Eating on Schedule — https://www.dummies.com/article/body-mind-spirit/physical-health-well-being/diet-nutrition/general-diet-nutrition/eating-when-youre-hungry-versus-eating-on-schedule-202578/
garyskitchen.net 