When you watch too many of these things, you forget where you started. I discovered an ad-type video that took over an hour so I waited to watch that until I could sit for a bit. Then I got lost in the topics I was discovering.... gut health, lectins, prebiotics and probiotics, the effects of antibiotics on your intestinal microbes, then I went on a calorie-verifying search to see if something I heard was true.
Some of the people I listened to were ::
Dr. Steven Gundy, https://silenceyourcravings.com/180619A.php I am not sure how I feel about the Gundy presentation. He seemed to be opposing everything in the plant-based concept, but I don't know enough about him or his message yet. I discovered something called "lectins" in his video. Scary stuff. It can take YEARS to recover from one treatment of antibiotics. I did love his explanations, his word pictures. His was the ad video, and there was a product to buy at the end. I went on to search for real food options, which is where I discovered Dr. Lisle...
Dr. Doug Lisle, author of The Pleasure Trap, a book about what motivates us that was presented in some of the documentaries of that time... I think Forks Over Knives was one of them. I watched him in a YouTube video given to a group of healthy Adventists, :-) talking about how healthy foods will naturally help you to lose weight. How to Lose Weight Without Losing Your Mind (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAdqLB6bTuQ). I discovered the concept of "calories per pound" in this video... very interesting... instead of seeing food as just calories.
The main issue is there is too little fiber in our diets now, and too many foods that are called "concentrated calories" -- like oils, which add a "silent" abundance of calories to each meal they are in. It was really interesting that he brought up why some people gain weight because they eat that extra "little bit" of calories every day and they become all the extra pounds we don't want.
The fiber issue, and the antibiotic issue (including in the foods we eat from factory farms), were very impacting for me. It started to make sense, all the different videos on healthy foods I have watched.
I think it was the Lisle video that said something about the order you should eat your foods, but that could have been the video I watched by Chef AJ ...also on weight loss and eating issues. The idea is that you eat the salad first, the veggies next, and end with any more concentrated calorie foods like rice, pasta, beans, etc.
Dr. Lisle promoted the concept of switching out your foods to change your eating choices. One example he gave was having a woman eat oatmeal for breakfast every day... and it helped her weight go down, but she wasn't a compliant patient so I think that's as far as she got. :-) It was a funny example of how hard it is for some people to change.
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So how has this affected my life? Well, I also discovered my "beloved" cauliflower is a great food choice (Chef AJ), and I am inspired to get more of it so I can try the food processor version, the roasted versions, and continue with my raw appetizer version.
I don't know if I want to peel and seed my tomatoes to avoid the lectins (Dr. Gundy), but it is a thought. I like tomatoes... on sandwiches, in salads, etc. I have to find out what they mean when they say "too many" are harmful to your gut microbes.
I discovered some of the PREbiotic foods are ones I like and already eat... garlic, leeks, onions, asparagus, bananas, and wheat bran (which will increase now that I have discovered some of its benefits).
My best discoveries were some of the calories of foods I like... and some I am willing to eat more of.
- When you are eating blueberries, you can count them one by one... they average about one calorie each.
- Small strawberries average about two calories each!
- Iceberg lettuce is only about five calories per serving, which I think is 2 cups, but I'm not sure what the example considered a serving size.
- Kale was only 25 calories a serving, which may be a cup raw, or half a cup cooked... kind of like spinach servings.
- For my own computing needs, I have a celery stalk at about five calories... they tend to be different sizes so the average will work for me.
- I have been eating more cucumber because it is suppose to be good for your body, and that came in at about ten calories a serving.
These calorie counts are why you can eat a lot of veggies, feel very full, and lose weight without suffering. I was extremely in awe of Chef AJ when she explained that she eats two POUNDS of green veggies EVERY DAY!! She had an example of two pounds of fresh green beans and snap peas in the video linked above. She offers food ideas for those of us who cannot imagine how to change our food choices... and shares how adding oils and nuts (for her) mean you add too many calories. I will be eating more topped baked potatoes in my future meals... something I am not use to doing... and benefiting by the reduced calorie loads.
I am getting ready to do my food shopping soon, so these videos and my diet book by Dr. Neal Barnard will help me make some new choices. I don't think I can afford all the veggies I like, but I will be trying to stretch my budget as far as I can. Each month I try to get further in my quests... all of them. Food is a very difficult issue... financially and physically.
So, I almost lost my entire blog post a few seconds ago... I am recovering from the experience now. I think I will get going before something terrible happens. :-)
Until next time,
In Christ,
Deborah Martin
work2gather.us
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May we all find the best health possible... and new foods to like... and good information.
Amen.
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