WEIL FOOD PYRAMID

I have been using the Dr. Weil Anti-Infammatory Food Pyramid as a guide for changing my diet.  I didn't manage to hit all the marks this week because this all requires a lot of planning and preparation. 

I can report that I only had 2 eggs, 1 serving of chicken and several servings of salmon.  I had 3 servings of whole wheat pasta, 2 servings of brown rice and, as I thought might be an issue, 6 pieces of whole wheat bread.   Now that I put the bread in the freezer, it will be easier to curb those grab and go visits to the bread drawer!

I bought soy milk but that was the extent of my soy so far, I'm working on it.  I am not a tofu fan but I am going to see if I can find ways to add it to my diet.  I was a bit over on the dairy protein and way under on the beans & legumes.  I am good on the fruits and veggies.

So the problem is that  it's more work to get the protein into the proper range.  I went to the library and got a couple of cookbooks, so I will start trying recipes, including some with tofu and many with beans.

I think the biggest change is that I am off sugar and that I have gone out twice and have been fine finding and making good choices.  Even at the fair on Monday I got a grilled fish taco on a corn tortilla.  I really prefer flour tortillas and use whole wheat at home, but I ate the corn tortilla and it was fine.  I asked for no sauce and some extra cabbage on the taco and they were very nice about it. 

I sniffed my son's garlic fries but didn't eat one.  I would have liked the frozen lemonade (it was hot!) but I brought a container of iced tea and stuck with that.  The next time we went out I had a blackened salmon sandwich on a whole wheat bun.  It was great though looking at the bun I am not sure it was really whole wheat - next time out  I'll try the "lettuce as bun" version!

So I made it through a week and now I am gearing up for the long run.

SOMETHING INTERESTING IS HAPPENING

I am at heart a nurturing person.  Becoming wife and mother of 3 made me hyper aware of the needs of those family members - not to the total loss of my own needs, but the awareness was/is always there.

Since I decided to start this dietary plan, I have been thinking about my meals first.  I have been searching recipes and meal plans and went shopping today for a few things, including something to make for my husband's dinner.  (I take my dinner to work with me 5 days a week and usually make something for him to eat at home.)

I cruised the aisles a bit looking for some new things to add to my pantry, I picked up his Diet Coke since it was on sale, got some veggies and thumped a few watermelons before I gave up and decided to pick one up elsewhere tomorrow, then I checked out.

It was while I was in line that I realized that I had picked up some ingredients for my meal - but nothing for him.  Wow.  I didn't even turn around and go back to find something for him - I figured he could make a sandwich or order in or eat some leftovers or something.

I went home, sauteed some mushrooms and garlic in a bit of olive oil, combined that with some brown rice from the frig and added a couple spoons of Tikka Masala sauce.  Packed that with a peach and a couple bottles of water and off to work I went.

MY NEW CHALLENGE

I have been giving a lot of thought to making some changes to my diet.  Changes beyond the effort to lose weight.  I have been reading about how diet affects inflammation and since I have daily pain, discomfort and swelling from arthritis, it seems like a good idea to see if diet can help.  I take a lot of Advil, which is what I was told to do by the Physical Therapist, but it isn't working as well as it once did.

My understanding is that if this works for me, I will notice within a month so I am going to commit to a 6 week trial.  It will actually mean upping my carbs a bit and eating fish as my only meat protein.  I need to get focused on some bean recipes and it will take a lot of will power to up my veggies rather than eating too many whole grains - I do love my grains!

I have read conflicting opinions about dairy.  I think I will continue with the no-fat Greek yogurt and avoid anything else.  I am going to give soy beverages a try on my oatmeal.  I have also read conflicting things about tomatoes and potatoes -  I can't imagine giving up tomatoes (especially with all the basil growing in my yard!) so I will allow those and skip potatoes.

I am also going to track my meals and calories.  I have been given the challenge to write about my efforts - so this seems like the logical place.  So - that will be my focus over the next few weeks.

All that said, my research has also shown that the simple act of losing weight does a lot to relieve the symptoms of arthritis - especially in the areas where I have it - feet and knees.  So I am not unaware that the way I lose weight may not have any more impact than the simple fact of losing weight.  I am interested in pursuing a healthier approach, becoming more self-aware in my food choices and I hope that this experiment will be a good start to that goal.

A RECIPE TO SHARE

I have been stumbling along - some days on plan some days not so much.  I am in maintenance mode in that I am not gaining or losing weight - except that I need to lose about 75 pounds or so before I am actually, happily, in the position for maintenance!!

Anyway - with my schedule it has been important to have things I can make in advance to tuck into my bag for dinner at work.  I ran across a recipe for baked egg rolls and I thought it was a great way to get more veggies in and an easy, portable food for work.

I was showing my sister the recipe and then telling her all the changes I made to it.  She pointed out that I had changed the recipe completely - so I wrote down my version.

2 packs egg roll wrappers

1 package bagged coleslaw (the mix with carrots and red cabbage)

2 chicken breasts or other meat of your choice, minced small

1 bag or bunch fresh spinach

1 can water chestnuts, chopped

1 bunch green onions, sliced

2 or more cloves garlic

minced ginger

chopped cilantro, to taste

Sesame oil

Soy sauce

Heat a large, deep skillet or wok with a little bit of oil until hot.  Add the minced chicken and stir fry until no longer pink.  Add the minced garlic and ginger and about 3 T of soy sauce to chicken.  Then add chopped onions, water chestnuts, coleslaw and spinach.  Take off heat and mix together all the ingredients.  Add about 1 T sesame oil and cilantro if you like.

Let this mixture cool, stir it around to keep it from wilting too much.  Get a little bowl of water ready and take the wrappers out of the package.  The package has directions on how to fold and roll the egg rolls using a bit of water on the edge to help seal the little packet.  I use a serving spoon to scoop up about 1/4 cup of the mixture for each egg roll.

Roll up according to the directions and [place on a baking sheet which has been sprayed with vegetable or olive oil.  Roll them around so they are coated with he oil, or spray the tops before baking.  Leave room between each roll for the air to circulate while baking.

Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, turn each roll over and bake for another 5-10 minutes until the rolls are turning a bit brown and crispy.  Cool on wire racks and then put in airtight containers in the frig.  They can also be frozen.  I like them cold from the frig, but they are also very good when crisped up in a toaster oven.  They can get a bit dry after a few days - so you may want to try them with the dipping sauce of your choice.

The way I make them I calculated the calorie count at about 93 calories each.

Of course this is the perfect kind of recipe to tweak and make your own with your favorite ingredients.  The original recipe called for shrimp and Oyster Sauce  - it was too fishy for me so I started experimenting. 

Let me know if you come up with an interesting version!