A food memoir of weight loss, family recipes, digital cookbook and nutrition information for family and friends
Not helping Beyond’s cause is the broad plateau, or even decline, in vegetarian and vegan diets: according to Pew Research, the meatless contingent dropped from 5% of Americans in 2019 to 4% in 2023, and those eschewing all animal products fell from 3% to 1% over the same period.
https://cookwithkathy.wordpress.com/2024/02/23/beyond-meat-will-launch-a-new-healthier-plant-based-burger-in-the-u-s/
I eat meat. I eat plants. I don’t eat highly processed fake meat products.
I was mystified. Butter beans — or lima beans, as I grew up calling them in the Midwest — are the most banal of ingredients, a boring bean relegated to the darkest corner of every home cook’s pantry. Why, then, were food influencers drowning them in luxurious sauces, crisping them up as a crouton substitute, and braising them as if they were a fine cut of meat? What the heck was going on?
Beans, broadly speaking, are having a moment. The dry bean market is expected to grow to $8.7 billion by 2028, while the canned bean industry raked in $5.65 billion in 2023 and is projected to be worth a whopping $15.5 billion by 2033, according to the market research firm Fact.MR.
How Butter Beans Went From Gross to Glamorous — https://www.eater.com/24008145/why-are-butter-beans-so-popular
Beans are cheap and nutritious. More people will be incorporating this staple into their diets because they are unable to afford the more expensive foods.
It’s not the vegan/vegetarian/let’s save the world movement. It’s basic economics.
“Competition puts hurdles in front of you that you have to clear.”
OKC Thunder coach Mark Daigneault
Here’s the same chart I posted from last year that is attributed to the New England Journal of Medicine. I could never find the original source article.
Take Home Lesson
“God speaks to us through signs. It is important to allow angels to act. When we see ourselves repeating our ordinary routine, we realize how much wealth surrounds our life. We understand each step, each attitude. We discover important things, and useless thoughts. At the end of a week – discipline is always fundamental – we are more conscious of our faults and distractions, but we also understand that, at times, there was no reason to act the way we did, that we followed our impulses, our intuition; and now we begin to understand this silent language which God uses in order to show us the true path. Call it intuition, signs, instinct, coincidence, any name will do – what matters is that through “conscious attention” we realize that we are often guided to the right decision. And this makes us stronger and more confident.”
Paulo Coelho
Happy Thanksgiving!
When you buy ground red chilies from a Pakistani grocery store Mild is HOT.
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.
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
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
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.
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
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).
garyskitchen.net 