A Whole Foods Plant Based Diet for Health

So a friend invited me to a "vegan" luncheon this past weekend to try vegan dishes and also watch the movie, "Forks Over Knives." I'll be honest, I had always kind of avoided this movie because I thought it was going to show animals being harmed, in crates etc. (Horrible) And yes, I think that is horrible, but I did not want that to be what made me change the way I eat. No, this movie is not like that at all! It is an EXCELLENT movie - VERY scientific and clinical and fact based, not an in-your-face kind of movie at all. They follow 2 guys throughout a 13 week diet change from eating animal protein to eating a whole foods plant based diet (very similar to vegan.) Let me just say - extraordinary results! And that's just a small part of the movie.

And can I say that I was amazed at the variety of dishes we came up with at our luncheon! Appetizers, entrees and desserts! Mac n cheese, quinoa patties, chocolate "mousse", fudge brownies, spiced carrot cake.

Now back to the movie. So it really got me thinking. Yes, its a healthier way to eat and to live - a whole foods plant based diet. It will help my fibro and CFS even more for sure and help me feel even better. Now for the game plan. The big thing - cut out meat. Well, to tell you the truth I had not cooked meat at home for years, only ate it out, so that's easy (just stop eating meat at restaurants), milk - again I already replaced cows milk with almond milk. At home I cook and eat a lot with chickpeas, brown rice and veggies already, I am already on the game plan and I didn't know it! I did logon to my Pinterest account and deleted all recipes with meat :) Seems temptations outside of the home will be the biggest challenge. I looked up local vegan and vegetarian friendly restaurants. Even local burger joints have some super yummy looking mushroom and falafel burgers! Friends BBQ? No problem, I'll bring my own patties, and a few extra patties in case others are curious ;) Chicken salad? Um, can they substitute with black beans?!  Sounds like I have an attempt a game plan! Now do I have the discipline.... Though my friend said that the more she ate on the plant based diet the better she felt and less she was tempted to go back to her old way of eating!

Here are a few super helpful links I found for creating veggie patties - really, the sky is the limit here! Who needs meat??

http://engine2diet.com/recipe/plant-strong-burgers/
http://www.veganlunchbox.com/loaf_studio.html
http://rmcrayne.hubpages.com/hub/Vegetarian-Burgers-Vegetarian-Burger-Recipes

If you want to watch the movie I believe you can watch it online here at their website, and their website itself is such a  wealth of information! Also check with your local library, they may have a copy of the movie too:

http://www.forksoverknives.com/

This is also related, and an excellent resource and starting point:

http://engine2diet.com


I'd love to know anyone else's thoughts, experiences?

Fibro-Friendly Kitchen and Pantry

I think I've finally reached the point of having a semi-decent healthy kitchen that I can work with. When first diagnosed with fibromyalgia and I started looking into how eating better would help with the fibro symptoms I was overwhelmed by all the changes needed. I understood the changes, they made sense, but to wake up one day and have such a sudden change in lifestyle was a hard change to adjust to, and hard to accomplish. But little by little, over the years, I've learned to make the changes, I now eat gluten free bread, and keep an extra loaf frozen in the freezer. I've found affordable, gluten free cracker alternatives to keep on hand. I've found fruits and vegetables to keep on hand that I know I snack on. I have a good stash of canned items just in case (diced tomatoes, beans, tuna - some good basics with few ingredients/additives) all my flours for baking are gluten free, as are my bread crumbs. My milk is almond milk (try it! I was skeptical at first, but  really like it, and it lasts much longer than regular milk!)

I have learned to shop more on the outer perimeters of the grocery store (fresh foods: produce, dairy, meats) and less on the inner aisles - processed boxed foods. So I finally feel I have a good basis in my kitchen for whipping up some healthy fibro friendly meals and snacks. It helps to have this basis as I often forget (thanks fibro fog!) what I have in the pantry, so to be able to open it and see healthy choices to work with is great.

I've also learned some quick and easy recipes to whip up, quick and easy go to recipes. When I get home from work I am hungry and tired so I need quick, easy and healthy!

I am not perfect, fatigue often gets the best of me, I do have some processed boxed foods, but I have found ones that work better for me (than say driving through Wendy's or McDonald's!) - the Near East Quinoa/Brown Rice is always an excellent go to and I have plenty of leftovers for future meals. I often toss in some shrimp for protein and extra flavor.

Here are some great resources for working towards your fibro friendly kitchen and pantry:
http://www.thepracticalfibromite.com/kitchen-pantry/recipes/

http://chronicfatigue.about.com/od/copingwithfmscfs/ss/cooking.htm

http://www.thirdage.com/fibromyalgia/7-tips-for-cooking-with-fibromyalgia

Captain Mike's Fibro Kitchen Blog:
http://kitchenblog.captainhastings.com/