Tuesday, May 7, 2013

My 1st Nutritarianniversary

When I turned on the Blendtec this morning, I happened to notice that it’s counter coincided with today being the start of my 2nd year as a Nutritarian!

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No, I’ve not used my high-speed blender every single day this past year, but sometimes I’ve used it multiple times per day, so I guess it all balanced out in the end.

Over the winter, I was usually eating bowls of fruit with either some oats or muslix.  Now that warmer weather has returned, I’m back to drinking my breakfasts.  This week, I’ve been on a berry smoothie kick:

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Berry Yummy Smoothie:

1 cup non-dairy milk (I like non-sweetened almond milk)

1 banana (fresh or frozen)

A handful of fresh kale and a handful of fresh spinach (stems removed)

A few handfuls of strawberries (fresh or frozen)

A few handfuls of wild blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Optional: a tablespoon of chia seeds or flax meal (for additional fiber); a squirt or two of agave nectar (if additional sweetness is desired); a couple ice cubes (if all fruit above is fresh rather than frozen).

Blend in a high-speed blender for about 1 minute until smooth (I used the Blendtec’s “Smoothie” setting).

I’ve been amazed this past year at how much I’ve enjoyed eating a “nutritarian” diet (as Dr. Joel Fuhrman calls it in his book “Eat to Live”).  I easily shed 30 pounds in the first 6 months without ever feeling starved or craving anything.  I also didn’t have to count calories or exercise to lose the weight.  The last 6 months have been more challenging. I stopped losing weight, and in fact, gained a few pounds back mainly from eating too many carbs and sweets, and not exercising enough.

So, this past weekend, I thought I’d start a juice fast for a few days to boost my nutrients and cleanse out the carbs.  Easier said than done!

My mornings started out o.k. with my green/fruit smoothies, but when I tried the more veggie-focused juice recipes for lunch or dinner, it was hard to get them down with all the fiber still being in the drink (I only have the Blendtec and not a dedicated juicer).  I also underestimated the strong desire to CHEW!  Even though my body was getting plenty of nutrients and was not hungry, I still could not mentally get used to blending all that delicious fresh food rather than chewing and eating some of it instead.

So, I’ve now ordered a few food strainer bags, and will try “round 2” of juicing with the Blendtec next week (to see if straining the fiber out will make the juice easier to drink).  A juicer machine would no doubt be easier, but I’m really trying to avoid so many “single-purpose” appliances to make my transition to an RV kitchen easier.

Perhaps my body was still revolting against the juice experiment, but for some unknown reason, I found myself celebrating my 1 year anniversary at Portillo’s eating a big, juicy Italian Beef sandwich!  I grew up on these things, and if you’ve ever been to Chicago to eat one, you’ll know just how addictive they can be.  I have to admit, it was damn delicious! 

I still don’t have any desire to eat meat daily (or weekly), but for special occasions, I’m gonna have that annual Italian Beef sandwich!  Life needs to be lived!  It reminded me of why Dr. Fuhrman calls his approach “nutritarian” rather than “vegan” — he believes the exact same thing!  As long as meats, dairy, sweets, and oils are considered “special occasion” and  don’t exceed 10% of your diet, he sees no harm. 

So, on to Year 2!

10 comments:

  1. Congratulations on your one year anniversary to a healthier life. I'm sure you are feeling better as time goes by. You are doing a good thing for yourself.

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    1. Thanks Jill, yes, it's been fun to learn how to cook this past year and try out lots of new foods and recipes. Still have yet to be bored by it!

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  2. Congrats, Lynne! So happy for you. Keep it up! Dr. Furhman says in his book that the rapid initial weight loss when you first become vegan begins to slow down, so all of this is in the cards I suppose. Great work!

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    1. Hope you and Trisha are continuing to do well with your diet change as well. I know it can get more challenging when you're traveling and are unfamiliar with where to find good vegan foods.

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  3. Michael Gregor - nutritionfacts.org just posted a video this morning about cartinine. Regular meat and dairy eaters experience toxic effects from their ingestion. A 5 year vegan who volunteered for the study ate a steak and had no adverse digestive issues. The difference is the quality of gut flora that have been encouraged by a vegan diet. Interesting stuff.

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    1. Thanks for the heads-up on this Page! I just shared his video link to the Vegan Vagabonds Facebook page. So, if the vegan did not have the same problem with TMAO when eating 1 steak, it sure would be interesting to know exactly when the pendulum swings to mirror that of non-vegans. I wonder if Dr. Fuhrman's 10% rule still holds true or if this new research might suggest we need to, indeed, make meat/fish/dairy, a once-a-month or once-a-year kind of thing?

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  4. Congratulations! We just had a Portillos open here in Scottsdale and haven't given it a try yet. Now that the snowbirds have returned home, we might have a chance of getting in to eat.

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    1. All those snowbirding Cubs spring training fans must have mobbed the place! Well, good (or maybe bad?) to know that one won't need to come all the way back to Chicago to get a decent Italian Beef sandwich anymore!

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  5. You can also buy paint strainer bags at any hardware store or a dedicated paint store like Sherwin Willians for about 98 cents each. Their the same as food strainer bags from what I understand.

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  6. A year of eating healthy has become a lifestyle now, I'd assume. But I agree, if you really love something and are craving it, once in a while won't hurt. you must be so much healthier now. :)

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