Eat to Live!

On Week 4 of Eat to Live, and it's going very well. We've been eating so many veggies and fruits, lots of raw ones too, and getting our Omega's from raw nuts instead of the oils that I previously over-used in cooking! I love all the fruits, nuts, beans, grains, and veggies we've been having. Right now, I am simmering a pot of 17 bean and barley *no-salt* soup. (Trader Joe's! Bagged beans, and a no-salt vegan bouillon from Whole Foods.)

Anyhow, here's a glimpse into my kitchen on E2L...

Double steamer with red cabbage in one tray, and sweet potato in the other. My fruit and veggie bowls on the side are usually always refilled with fresh stuff now and it doesn't go bad like in the days before E2L! ;)


I have to be careful not to eat more than 1 ounce of raw nuts and seeds per day because of the fats, but I do like to get at least half an ounce. I measure it now, and here is a mixture of raw pumpkin seeds and raw sunflower seeds at exactly 1 ounce. (no salted ones on E2L!)


Lastly, my favorite breakfast "cereals." It's so simple since we just grab some oats, barley, spelt, or rye flakes. Sometimes we will do a mixture of them all. It doesn't take a lot to fill up on these, and it's great with unsweetened soy milk!


Anyhow, it has been going very well, and I am noticing how badly I had previously been eating. Being vegan does not mean you naturally eat well and will be in perfect shape. Oh no... you can certainly make horrible food choices being vegan too. It's easy to be over-weight and be vegan, and I'm seeing how much I still have to learn to find a way of eating that works best for me and makes me feel the best I can. I think we're getting there though!

Hope you are all having a great summer!

Eat to Live Again

Most of you have already heard of the book Eat to Live by Dr. Fhurman. I've owned the book for some time now, and even gave Jamie a copy because I thought the information was so important. He and I have recently revisited this book, but with a new motivation. We had previously been drinking coffee (me!) and soda (Jamie!) and eating out lots. It just wasn't working out, and we realized that we needed to be more serious about our health. No more French Fries/Chips!

ETL is a book that needs to be read completely for the information, as it is not a "diet." Jamie and I are reading it and are in our second week of "detox" on the six week plan. We are very happy with the results so far!

So, with no added salt, sugar, empty calories, oils (aside from whole nuts)... we've been creating dishes that are full of vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, seeds, and all the foods that we actually like, but forgot we liked!

It's not hard to follow this style of eating, you just have to re-learn what to eat. (Just like when I went vegan.) It's easier with a partner though, and Jamie and I are lucky that neither of us is still eating chips and soda.

Tonight's dinner was a mixture of adzuki beans, mushrooms and onions cooked in a bit of water, nutritional yeast, and lemon juice. (no salt or oil!) On top was some quinoa cooked in low-salt veggie broth and water. All served on a bed of arugula.



Using FitDay as a guide, I see this dinner had a low fat/calorie ratio, but also had 40 grams of protein!



I'm happy with all the fruits and veggies we are eating, and also all the raw meals we've had. The way our bodies are responding to this way of eating is letting us know that it's right for us! Congrats to Jamie on a super successful week 1, and also for initiating the six week detox!