Great Restaurant Show on Dr. Oz Today

Dr. Oz plays undercover waiter at a restaurant today, and the entire show is about healthy choices when eating out.  

Dr. Oz Show Restaurant Episode   

Dr. Oz Show Best Restaurant Choices

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The Evolution of Eating

IF YOU HAD SUGGESTED SIX MONTHS AGO that I would be almost totally vegetarian by April, we would have had a good laugh.   How did this happen anyway?   I think anyone’s evolution with food happens naturally, as you educate yourself about how food works in the body and as you experience it.   Those of you who have been with me all along know I started this blog because of “You on a Diet”, by Dr. Mehmet Oz.    In the book and on his show, Dr. Oz is so good at breaking down the functions of food in the body, how the body reacts and processes food, and how we experience those processes.   He really does give you pause with his explanations — food for thought.  

As I do with most things, I ran with the info from Dr. Oz.  I did his pantry cleanout, removing anything bad from my house (although I do still have bags of white flour – who can throw out whole bags of flour?).    So my first steps were to remove sugar and flour from my diet.   Most of you probably realize this, but when you remove flour and processed sugar from the normal American diet, you’re kind of left with fruits, vegetables, meat, whole grains, nuts and that’s about it. 

You also still have things like diet coke and coffee to wrestle with.   I am against artificial sweeteners; I just don’t think they are good for people.   Some studies show artificial sweeteners have a neurological effect on long-term users.   I’m a long-term user (30 years) and  I have the worst memory of anyone I know.  Soft drinks also contain bone-destroying phosphorus-something-or-other — bad.  That’s scary.   So I tried to eliminate diet coke, but I do backslide and still have one occasionally.

My next step was trying to eliminate all caffeine, which I now know is impossible for me.   I still have coffee a few times a week, and after experimenting with agave nectar and honey, I find that coffee with a spoon of raw sugar and some organic skim milk is my thing.  I tried almond milk in coffee and it just wasn’t the flavor I was going for.   But I do drink hot tea with honey and almond milk.

So around the same time I was getting into Dr. Oz, I saw the movie Food, Inc.   And a couple of things really hit me from that movie.   First, Monsanto patenting genetically modified seeds, spying on farmers, and suing anyone who saved seed struck me as being so crazy, far-fetched and sci-fi that I really carried that with me for a long time.  Monsanto controlling almost ALL of the soybean and corn seed really bothers me.  And Monsanto creating a Round-up resistant soy plant bugs me.  Think about that.  Round-up resistant.  No, this does not mean that Round-up does not get on the soy.  This means they can pour Round-up over the plant, and it will kill all plants around it but not the soy plant, which probably means the soy plants are covered with Round-up regularly.  Soy – our healthy bean, able to be doused in Round-up.  Oh, goody.  And about that corn:  almost all farmed creatures are fed corn now, even farm-grown shrimp and fish.  So even when you eat fish, you are being touched by genetically modified corn!  Fish don’t eat corn!  Fish and corn would have never ever even met on this planet!  If these things don’t freak people out, then we’re sunk.  They astound me.

The second thing that stuck with me in Food, Inc. was the treatment of the chicken farmers by the big companies.   Pursuaded to open these huge facilities by Tyson (or whichever company), enticed by the company paying for certain things (providing the chicks, lending them money beyond their means to build facilities) the farmers do all the work and pay the company back with all their profits.  I think the quote was that a farmer makes $18,000 a year income raising hundreds of thousands of chickens.   Pathetic.  Sad.   The third thing was the chickens themselves.  The growth hormones cause them to grow so fast that their bodies and organs can’t keep up,  all they are is huge breasts.  So they can’t walk, or move, and they are literally wall to wall in the HUGEST buildings.   It’s disgusting.   And knowing all of that, how could anyone support it?  How could you bring  yourself to go into a store and buy chicken from one of those companies?   I can’t – so that’s how I got to where I am.   

So now I eat fish once every couple of weeks and that’s pretty much about it for meat.   I would eat organic beef, or any organic meat, but today it’s just easier to eliminate meat.   I haven’t really missed it, so it’s not a huge sacrifice or something I really wish I could have.  I just don’t need it or want it.

So, where was I?  I watched Food, Inc., and I was following Dr. Oz’s diet, and then suddenly I was evolving into my own food rules.   I realized that health was taking the forefront and weight loss was not an issue for me.  I started trying to buy only organic, and I am proud to say I eat mostly organic.   If I’m at the store and I have limited time and the juices aren’t all organic, I’ll just buy what is on the shelf.   I’m reasonable afterall (mostly).  The step to organic was easy for me.   No one has time to research every company, to hear the horror stories of every bad food, how it’s made and all the awful things in it.  But we can reasonably assume if we can’t pronounce the ingredients, it’s bad.   We can also stick to purer foods that have no ingredients.  And we can simplify and just make sure we get the best possible food we can, without all the work, and buy organic.   That’s what I do.

I had stopped eating grains because I have a problem with starches (as in I love them with butter and cheese) and it was easier for me to eliminate all bread and all pasta and all cereal.  So I did.  For two months, I had no grains.    I have always loved fresh fruits and vegetables, so living on them, along with juice and nuts, eggs and milk, was not that difficult.   I’m still doing it!   I’m slowly adding grains back into my diet, but it’s happening naturally.  I eat things like a slice of bread or some whole wheat pasta when I need a more filling meal. 

I had noticed when I would eat a piece of bread or any kind of starchy thing after not having them for a couple of months, that they were SO filling — so ridiculously filling!   And it was a different kind of full.  When I eat fruits and vegetables, I feel satisfied and “done.”   But I have noticed that old uncomfortably full feeling, that feeling of heaviness and what I used to think meant feeling full, can only come from eating flour and starches.  They are amazingly good at making the stomach feel all loaded up.  Once you’ve gone without feeling that for a long time, it’s uncomfortable to feel it again.   I think I’ve bought one or two loaves of bread in three months and I only bought butter yesterday for the first time since December.   And last night I made 100% whole wheat spaghetti for dinner.   It’s a start.   I know grains are necessary so I’m working on it.

Another thing I’ve learned is that fast food (and almost all restaurant food) is really bad – and your body knows it and tries to tell you.    It is a rare thing to walk into a restaurant and find something TRULY healthy.  This is fodder for another blog entry, but the short story is, if you stop eating out for even one month — and I mean eat nothing but food from your house — then go out for one meal, anywhere, at almost any restaurant or fast food place, you will know what I mean.  Your body will freak when you hit it with that food.   You’ll be thirsty for days from the salt,  you’ll have intestinal reactions,  it will feel awful in your stomach.  You will taste sugar in bread, sugar in sauces, things will be so salty you can’t keep them in your mouth.   It’s enough to keep you from going back.   And when you DO find a good healthy place to eat and find a good healthy meal at that place, try it.  Your body will tell you if that place serves good food.  I guarantee it.   And then, like me, you’ll be amazed when you look around and realize how many people eat truly bad food, every meal, every day,  and for years.    And then you’ll look at kids and what they are eating — at home as well as at school — and you’ll see what all the fuss is about.  And when you see a small child putting a Chicken McNugget in their mouth, you’ll cringe.

And speaking of grains . . . I have to get that bread baked today.   I’ll be back with that later.

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10 Commandments from The Oz-man

Dr. Oz 10 Weight Loss Commandments

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A Potpourri of Thoughts

Dr. Oz was on Letterman last night.  His part of the interview was good, but Letterman seemed like kind of an ass, and I don’t usually think he is.    I think I felt protective of Dr. Oz.   He is my hero, afterall.  

Today I found two bread recipes on food bags:  Three Seed Bread and Oat Bread, both from Bob’s Red Mill.  The recipe link is top center.   If you look to the bottom right of the page, there is also a Gluten-Free Guide and a link to sign up for newsletters. 

In addition to bread baking, I am going to work to eliminate plastic from my kitchen (I’ll deal with the rest of the house later).   First and second on the list are glass storage boxes for the fridge and stainless steel cooking utensils.  My main spatulas and spoons are all plastic.    I stopped using aluminum foil and plastic wrap way back when, but still have plastic storage containers.    Usually I use a soup bowl with a saucer on top for fridge storage, but I really want those glass boxes!

And then there is the water issue — here in my town we have a higher than normal (above the EPA standard) level of arsenic in the water.  I’ve been drinking bottled water for a couple of years, in plastic bottles, which I recycle always.  But now I’m concerned about the chemicals in the water from the bottles.  I’m going to search for water in glass bottles, and see if it’s feasible for every day use and cooking.   Beyond that, I’m thinking I’ll get a filter for the faucet.   I’m certainly open to any ideas or suggestions on the water issue.

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Dr. Oz and Mood Improving Foods

This is great information – ways to improve your mood by regularly eating these foods.  Have a look:

Dr. Oz Video – Foods that affect Your Mood

Happy now?

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Busy Day!

I have errands to run and since the weather is sooooo nice, I want to walk today.  That pilates circle is staring at me, too, so I guess I’ll do that routine after my walk.   And I am, once again, out of food.  Back to the grocery store I go.

This time I will be sure to get all the pricing for all those things organic.  Then I can really track my food spending for you.   OK, off to watch Dr. Oz – he has the most informative show!

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Anti-Cancer on Dr. Oz

I’m watching Dr. Oz and he’s got a shopping list for anti-cancer foods.  It’s nice to see them all listed and categorized:

Dr. Oz Video Anti-Cancer Shopping List

And then he also has several recipes using these foods:

Dr. Oz Video Anti-Cancer Cookbook

I need to eat more grains!

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I am a Food Robot

Another thing recommended in “You on a Diet” is that one or two of your meals be automated each day, that is, you should eat the same things every day for your breakfast and lunch.   Knowing exactly what you will be eating  for those meals eliminates any decision-making and keeps you completely on track.  Then you only make decisions for one meal each day, your dinner.  Once you have a few meals automated, your mindless eating can actually be a benefit for you.   I find that after only two weeks of healthy eating, when I’m confronted with some awful bad-for-me-food, my brain definitely says, “Does not compute.”   You’ll see — you, too, can be a food robot.

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Step One: The Kitchen Makeover & Life on the Edge

No, not the fun kind of kitchen makeover — no granite was purchased or installed.  This is a food makeover:  remove all unwanted food from the kitchen (or anywhere else in the house for those of you who might hide things or keep them in your desk at work).

Rid your home and office of all foods you do not want to eat.  The good doctors (Roizen, Oz, and others) say that five ingredients “should be banned from your diet forever.”   They are hydrogenated oil, sugar, high fructose corn syrup, enriched flour and bleached flour.    Eliminate those and you will remove your need to revisit most of the sections in your grocery store, I don’t care where you shop.    As you may have read elsewhere by now, the perimeter of the grocery story is where the good stuff is:   fruits, veggies, meat, good whole grains, and dairy.   A few good things are still in the middle of the store, depending on where you shop of course, but most of it is around the edges.  Live life on the edge! 

So,  I went to work cleaning out my kitchen.   I waited until I was almost out of food anyway (God forbid an American waste food, right?).   I had barely anything in the kitchen on January 17^th, the day I went grocery shopping.    When I was done rearranging things in the cabinets and fridge, I ended up with the following bad foods to get rid of:

                      Mozzarella cheese

                      4 sticks of butter

                      1 bagel

                      A bottle of light salad dressing

                      Grape jelly

                      1 box of raisin bran

                      1 box of macaroni and cheese

I have given those foods to a friend who isn’t currently concerned about their own diet.

The unusual mix of odd things I then had on hand that were good foods to keep were:

                      2 cans of salmon

                      1 can of artichoke hearts

                      1 can of green chiles

                      2 cans of ranch beans

                      2 small and 1 large can of tomato paste

                      1 can sardines (I’ve never tasted a sardine, but I think I was

                      planning to)

                      3 cans diced tomatoes

                      1 cup of honey

                      1 cup of blueberries

                      1 tablespoon of peanut butter

                      19 eggs 

                      6 slices of whole grain bread

And I went to the grocery store and came home with the following:

                      8 organic apples

                      9 organic lemons

                      3.5 c. raw unsalted almonds

                      3 c. raw unsalted walnuts

                      3 c. red grapes

                      1 lb carrots

                      1 onion

                      2 lbs mushrooms

                      One bottle of akai cranberry concentrate

                      One large bottle of cranberry juice

                      One carton of orange juice

                      1 bag of precut salad

                      1 bag of cauliflower and broccoli

                      1 bag of broccoli

                      1 bag of shredded zucchini and cabbage

                      3 organic zucchinis

                      6 boneless chicken breasts

                      ½ gallon of 1% milk

                      12 cans of organic soups, all broth based  (for easy lunches with

                      salads)

 I returned a couple of days later and bought:

                      1 bottle of canola oil (mine was really old)

                      1 bottle of olive oil (I guess I was out – still haven’t found it if I

                      had any left)

                      1 bottle of balsamic vinegar 

                      Jar of local honey

                      Box of raw sugar

                      3.5 oz. bar 85% chocolate

                      3.5 oz. bar 70% chocolate 

The plan was this: 

                      Breakfast:  Omelet with vegetables,  coffee, water, or juice

                      Snack:  Fruit with nuts

                      Lunch:  Soup with a salad

                      Snack:  Fruit or veggie or nuts

                      Dinner:  Meat with veggies

That’s really my whole meal plan.  The foods will be prepared as simply as I can do it, and they are in as pure a state as I can handle at this time.   My meat the first two weeks was only chicken.  The only starches I had rice or potatoes in the canned soups.  All my carbs were in the form of fruits, vegetables and said noodles or rice.  I had four slices of bread, whole grain.  The canned soups were bought knowing that later I would make my own, but for now this was for convenience and ease so I wouldn’t get discouraged.

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The Good Book

Last year I bought a copy of “You on a Diet:  The Owner’s Manual for Waist Management” by Micheal F. Roizen, M.D. and Mehmet C. Oz, M.D.   Wow, what a great book!   This book, to me, is the most thorough explanation, in layman’s terms, of how the body functions.    Drs. Roizen and Oz remove the mystery from the whys and hows of weight gain and weight loss, and many other topics like diabetes or cholesterol levels.   I find  their approach to food is a fit with the way I eat.   And I like the “no nonsense” directness of the entire book.  

So I am using “You on a Diet”  as a guide to my health project, following the advice on what foods to eliminate and which to keep.   Throughout the next fourteen months I will be pulling in information from many sources, including other books, websites, magazines, and television.   But this book provides much needed nutritional guidelines and, with the removal of processed foods, a simple way to know exactly what I should and should not eat.   If I don’t keep this simple, I won’t accomplish a thing.  

I’m also easily bored, so you can expect a lot of VARIETY (yes, those are caps), a lot of information and lots of FUN and interesting resources as I go along.    Yay!

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