Enthusiastic about food again.

I've become more enthusiastic about food again.

Dropping meat gives me an excuse to learn a bunch more about food and food prep.

A year ago I got into bread making, vegetable growing and slow cooking. I even built a chicken coop to grow heritage breeds for their eggs (except the city passed an ordinance outlawing chickens!).

So I've been evolving in my food "journey."  However, I enjoyed my food more, but wasn't getting any healthier.

Then my riding buddy had a triple by pass, my father in law died of esophageal cancer, and I realized that I was literally a "cheeseburger away from a heart-attack."  But I didn't know what to do about it.

The only vegan I know is a hypochondriac, negative, anti-social person and I've gotten used to arguing against her point of view, and I'm shocked to find that her information may have been right, even if her methods got up my nose.

So, one night during the Christmas season, suffering from what they called in Dickens' time a "bilious attack" I decided to change my life.... and I'm loving it!

I'm feeling better, and I'm feeling successful!

And I'm looking forward to new recipes, tastes and textures.

What have I learned so far?

1. I feel better on this diet. I'm no longer so sluggish in the mornings.  I seem to be sleeping better. There's no heartburn or hemorrhoids. I don't feel so stretched and bloated.  I seem to have more energy.

2. It does take more effort and conscious thought to prepare my food.  But I'm AM taking the time and effort and it doesn't seem too burdensome.

3. I do get sick of drinking stuff that looks like it's been hosed off the underside of my lawn mower!

However, a little ginger, paprika, garlic etc helps spice it up. In my opinion DON'T put turmeric in it.  It's far too bitter.  I love it in curries, but not my green sludge drinks!

4. I'm losing weight. It was faster at first, but it's still happening.

5. I'm not going to focus on losing weight. There's a ton of other bonuses to changing my diet and weight is just the natural conclusion.

6. Two "movies" moved me. "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead," and "Forks Over Knives."  FSND was a personal account of an obese millionaire businessman and a morbidly obese trucker he meets in Winslow Arizona and subsequently helps.  Both their lives change, but the truckers change was far more moving, since he was just an ordinary guy suffering (literally) under a heavy load, and a burden of sickness and depression.

The second movie, Forks Over Knives wasn't as moving, but was a very convincing documentary on the underpinnings of the whole food revolution. Very convincing - and made me angry.

I was actually angry at both sides of the debate.  The veggies for their tactics which have often failed to convince me in the past, and which have just as often turned me away; and the food industry for perpetuating a sick diet.  I should have known this stuff 50 lbs ago, when I was only 30 lbs overweight!

7. I know I want my kids to benefit from my knowledge. Our families diet is about to change radically. We love ham and bean soups, slow cooked stews, roast lamb, roast chicken, and home made pizza so that's going to be sad -really sad.  So we're going to have to learn some new favourites!

8. Finally - for now! I know I can do this.  I can go from a high of 326 to 210 lbs! I can do it and I can live longer, happier and healthier.  I'm already planning birthday and Christmas menus so that our family can feast  without feeling they have given anything up.

Forks Over Knives

I was recommended the documentary Forks Over Knives by someone on the Catholic Answers Forum (Thanks 4elise)

I only got through 1/2 of the Forks and Knives last night, and I have to say I was literally blown away. I wish I had seen this 20 years ago.

I want to ask - if this medical knowledge was so obvious and so well tested how come there hasn't been an absolute tidal wave of dietary change in the western world?

However, I know the answer: people love their salty meat, and big business wants to make money (either by feeding them or medicating them).

The fact that you can eat yourself healthy seems crazy (crazy good that is) to me, because I always saw food as the enemy, and one that had beaten me.

I've been on so many mad diets - Atkins, Stop the Insanity etc, but my weight has always trended upwards.

My hope and my prayer is that finally I can become well again, and be around for my wife and kids.

I'm in my 50s with young kids - and I want to be a "young" dad for them.

BTW when I was in formation with the Franciscans back in the 80's I was vegetarian for a few years out of solidarity with the poor in the 3rd world, so I know I can do it.  I just didn't realize that the peasant diet (too poor to eat much meat, but lots of beans and veggies) is the best diet!