Plant-Based & Vegan - support & recipes
Comments
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DearLife - you pick your own?!! Those must be amazing! I love them in my morning oatmeal, and smoothies. I freeze them as you described, though quite a few did not make it to the freezer today :
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Hello all,
I'm trying to change my diet to more plant based as I believe my diagnosis was caused by my weight,being sedentary more then active and heavy stress. I'm easing back into to exercise by doing prenatal (low impact,factors in big bellies) and certain Pilates dvds that i already own.
My issue is diet right now though. I have a lot of food triggers that set off other conditions. Potatos,high acid food like tomatoes,also onions and garlic and lentils(the last attempt did not end well) are pretty much no go. Money is tight as I am very low income so organic is mostly off the list.i just can't afford it.
Any suggestions on what I could start adding to my daily diet so I can ease into this new lifestyle change?i suspect drastic will make me balk.
Thanks in advance.
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Jadedjo - welcome! One idea is to add greens to your daily diet - once or twice a day. Frozen spinach is inexpensive and convenient. I can either eat it alone or added to whatever I am making. Kale - either frozen or fresh - I steam fresh kale and eat it with sweet potato - so good. For salads, I always use fresh spinach. Is cabbage acidic? If it's safe for you, it's really inexpensive and versatile just like kale and spinach.
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Jadejdo,
I am not vegan, but try to eat plant based so wiser and more informed answers will follow but I will tell you what I am trying to do - and you pick what is right for you. Worth a look at the dirty 12/clean 15.
https://www.produceretailer.com/article/news-artic...
Most work Mornings I have oats and almond milk with berries (or mandarins/grapefruit/passion fruit as quite a few seem to grow where I live), green tea. If not, it's hummus on rye crackers with fruit and roibos tea. At week/ends I start with coffee and have brunch instead and then it's a salad, or oatmeal pancakes ( care of Momine 😊).
Lunch I have a salad - either fresh or roasted vegetables - I like green vegetables - so a beans, broccoli and spinach salad with pumpkin seeds and a citrus olive oil dressing, or a chia salad with beetroot and radishes, grated carrots with orange slices and sultanas and almonds, or a chickpea salad with roasted pumpkin and cumin. I add nuts for crunch, raisins and sultanas if I want a bit of energy and sweetness. I also eat avocados - but on another thread there was a quaestion of BC and avo - did not dwell deeply on that and I am unlikely to stop - I do like them. I can eat tomatoes and onions so I will not tell you about those. But effectively I think of my salads in colours - so red, light green and deep green, purple, orange/tan and so on...don't forget the humble but mighty cabbage - makes a wondeful salad or you can briefly heated up in oil with herbs if you are looking for something easier to digest. Eggplant are also a vegetable that is glorious when in season - from dips to a salad of pan fried or roasted eggplant to the wonderful ratatouille should you have a bit more time.
For dinner it depends whether it's me or family and I - for myself - roasted vegetables/tofu with or without fish and polenta, if we eat together there is also a bowl of soup - I make that in a cheap machine that might resemble a Vitaminex - and it is what veg I have in the fridge cooked purred with olive oil, salt and pepper sometimes turmeric. I have used polenta to make pizza bases - well it is the base and then dump a medley of vegetables on top. I bake apples - with a little honey and cinnamon, if not raisins and cinnamon - I don't eat their skin. In summer I also bake apricots with a little almond crunch on top.
(I rarely eat after 6 pm - I know... but it's doable for me. I will still drink tea and I get super nibbly - I will have a few nuts or pieces of dried or if I want to run a little at night and need some energy a banana.)
I keep good pepper, olive oil, a cider vinegar and walnuts on my table so I don't have to get up to add some to my meal. I take a snack pack with me to work - walnuts, almonds, sunflowers, flax seed ( now grounded due to another post ..) raisins, tea bags and an aspirin. It does not sound like a very varied diet - I cook more at week/ends but it's fresh and has little dairy, grains, no processed foods and very very little meat.
If you have to feed a large family - you will need a little more for them.
I was happy to read your post - we are all at different stages in this - I love being here - I am learning so much. I don't do/keep everything now - and some things resonate but I save for later - but it's a good place to be this thread.
I am sure Moth - who started this thread will post soon. You then will know what I meant by my opening statement.
( Moth loved the video on upstream/downstream - I will get the book - thank you!!)
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Jo - Back when I was tight on money, I ate things like pasta with sauce and whatever vegetables I could get on sale at the grocery store. Zucchini, yellow squash, onions, and spinach were some common ones. Frozen spinach works just as well as fresh if you're cooking it and is usually pretty inexpensive. I would also sometimes make pasta with sauteed onions, garlic, frozen spinach, and tomatoes in vegetable broth. I'd try to get half pasta half veggies. Now, I still eat pretty cheap. Rice and peas as a main with some sauteed broccoli on the side. Or spanish rice and pinto beans with some sauteed green cabbage, onions, carrots, and whatever else I could get for cheap with some taco seasoning sprinkled on it. Taco salads were a staple for me back then too, just some tortilla chips, lettuce, beans, sauteed chopped veggies with taco seasoning, and salsa. You can add cheese and/or sour cream if you're ok with dairy. It's hard to say what's going to be cheap where you live, but things that were staples for me when I was on a tight budget were:
oatmeal (not instant), bananas, oranges, apples, carrots, frozen spinach, green cabbage, broccoli, zucchini, yellow squash, onions, garlic, beans, peas, rice, tomato paste (a little bit adds a lot of flavor to rice), roma tomatoes, peanut butter, whole wheat bread, and whatever was on sale.
Split pea soup is also a favorite of mine, and cheap to make. I use this recipe: http://www.ordinaryvegetarian.com/2010/02/split-pea-and-barley-soup.html
Save the ends and peels of your vegetables in a baggie in the freezer to make your own vegetable broth. When it gets full, boil them for a couple hours in water, then transfer the broth to some old pickle or jelly jars while the broth is still hot. The jar will vacuum seal itself as it cools down and you'll have vegetable broth in your fridge to make soups, or you can cook your rice in it for added flavor.
As far as buying organic goes, there are some things that really aren't worth the extra money because the standard product already doesn't have a lot of pesticides. Broccoli comes to mind. Anything with a thick peel that you're going to throw away (bananas, oranges) aren't worth buying organic either. Nuts come in a shell, so no need to buy organic there. Even now that I have the money I don't bother buying those things organic. If you're worried about pesticides, you might want to peel your apples and tomatoes, or scrub them pretty well before eating them. If you have a little extra money and can afford it, spinach and fruit (besides oranges and bananas, etc) are what I would go organic on first.
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Hey kids, here's what we're having tonight for supper - it's one of my husband's favorite dishes (meat OR non-meat-based - he generally likes the plant-based meals, but loves this).
I skip the cheese (sometimes I sprinkle Nutritional Yeast Flakes on top for a cheesy taste and if I'm in the mood for creamy, I'll add some nonfat plain greek yogurt because I do eat a little yogurt once or twice a week; mostly I skip it).
Oh, and I don't add salt and I use whole-grain tortillas (smaller ones for me, larger for him).
Bon appétit!
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Speaking of yogurt - Forager brand plain cashew yogurt is the ONLY non-dairy yogurt I've found that's passable. I love it in fact, even if it isn't nice and thick like greek yogurt. I add my own fresh or frozen unsweetened fruit. I buy Forager at Whole Foods.
Another great dessert: yogurt of choice with some unsweetened cocoa power stirred in (it takes work) and a sweetener - I can't have added sugars (knocking down my A1C number plus sugars - in ANY FORM, agave/honey/etc - are terrible for cancer) so I use Now Better Than Stevia brand dark chocolate stevia drops (a couple of drops is all it takes!). I find the Better Than Stevia drops - MANY flavors - on Amazon or at Natural Grocers.
Okay, and another recommendation - if you're avoiding added sugars, Walden Farms makes a very good no-calorie/no-sugars/no-fat/no-nothing pancake syrup that's a good maple syrup sub. This is hard to find sometimes but in Arizona Bashas carries it sometimes and it's available on Amazon.
If one must use sweetener...Date Nectar (I buy D'Vash brand) is low on the glycemic scale or you can make your own Date Syrup (it actually cooks up into kind of a date mush, but is very tasty on and in things). I can provide a recipe and tips. Found where healthy stuff is sold.
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I don't think Forager has made it to Canada. For Greek yogurt, I like Daiya.
For no sugar added summer desserts, vegan banana ice cream is lovely. I find the food processor works better than my Vitamix. You can have it plain or flavour it up https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2016/08/22/banan...also the DIY Dole Whip http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2015/05/copycat-dol...
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Hapa, about the nuts, in my opinion I think buying organic is a must due to pesticides.——
“Nuts and seeds are ideal snacks. They provide vitamins, minerals and quick energy without unhealthy fat or empty calories. Although the nutmeat or seed is protected by a shell or fruit, unless they are raised organically they are treated with synthetic chemicals just as other non-organic crops. Look for the USDA organic seal on nut and seed packages.“- https://www.livestrong.com/article/269647-which-nuts-seeds-to-buy-organic/
“Almonds are not actually raw unless you purchase them from the grower. The USDA pasteurization laws require them to be pasteurized before they are sold in the super market. These nuts easily absorb pesticides because of their high oil content so it is best to purchase organic almonds.
Cashews have been treated with endosulfan which is a highly toxic to humans and animals. They are also not actually raw since part of the process to bring them to market requires they are heated. Purchase organic cashews!
Pistachios may be treated with phosmat. Cornell University completed a study that indicates phosmat causes liver tumors and carcinoma. And on top of this, phosmat is extremely toxic to honey bees. Again, buy only organic pistachios.
Sunflower Seeds like almonds have a high amount of oil and fat content that absorbs pesticides easily so it is best to buy organic.
Walnuts have a lot of pest issues and as such are saturated with pesticides and more chemicals than any other nut. Their fat content allows them to absorb these chemicals so again buy organic.
Sesame Seeds are grown in Africa and Asia where pesticides are not monitored so it is best to buy organic
Macadamia Nuts are treated with atrazine which has been shown to harm aquatic organisms and there is some evidence that it has a negative impact on human reproduction. Buy organic only.
Peanuts are not really a nut; they are a legume and are grown in the ground where they have ample time to absorb all of the pesticides. Along with this, peanuts grown in certain regions where there is high humidity grow a mold that produces aflatoxin which is a potent human carcinogen. Organic peanuts are grown in the South West where the humidity is not a problem.
So in a nutshell, it is extremely important to purchase organic nuts and seeds.”- http://www.worldwellnesseducation.org/nuts-and-seeds/
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Warrior - your post mentioned atrazine which I was sure I'd heard about. & flagged in my mind as important. Sure enough, it's in Sue Steingraber's book Living Downstream which explores pesticides, herbicides, industrial pollutants etc & cancer.
" herbicide atrazine. One of the most commonly used pesticides in North America, it is applied to more than three quarters of the cornfields in Illinois. It is water-soluble and can now be found in rivers, streams, and rain.
"growing evidence that atrazine converts testosterone into estrogen—turning male frogs into functional females—which suggests a link to human breast cancer"quotes are from the lesson plans that go with the book/video
Living Downstream trailer http://www.livingdownstream.com/trailer
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oh my, moth...both look delicious!
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Warrior - why does having a high oil content mean pesticides will be absorbed through the shell? Also, I'm surprised that walnuts would have pesticides. My inlaws have walnut and pecan trees on their property and they have no problems with pests eating the nuts. I would think this is the case for any shelled nut. Though I do agree about peanuts (which are technically legumes), I tend to buy organic for anything that grows in the ground. I'm having a heck of a time finding organic peanuts these days since whole foods quit carrying them.
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I’m not sure hapa. My uneducated guess is that perhaps the ones that have a high oil content are more porous, therefore absorbing more pesticides. That’s very neat that your in laws have a nut tree and that they don’t have to spray for bugs or anything. I guess some trees do better in certain areas. If I have a hard time finding something organic, amazon is where I go to find it.
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Here you go: https://nuts.com/nuts/peanuts/organic-blanched.html
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Hi all.
Here’s a salad dressing I use - it is really a ratio. Don’t remember where I got it, but I have it in a recipe that I call 3-2-1 Salad Dressing.
Combine:
3 parts balsamic vinegar
2 parts Dijon mustard, and
1 part something sweet: maple syrup, agave syrup, honey.
Whisk together. For a medium sized salad, I use tablespoons. Simple, tasty.
Avmom
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Hi all.
Here's a salad dressing I use - it is really a ratio. Don't remember where I got it, but I have it in a recipe that I call 3-2-1 Salad Dressing.
Combine:
3 parts balsamic vinegar
2 parts Dijon mustard, and
1 part something sweet: maple syrup, agave syrup, honey.
Whisk together. For a medium sized salad, I use tablespoons. Simple, tasty, fat free.
Avmom
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Hi all.
Having trouble posting - first, it posted twice, then I managed to delete both.
Here’s a salad dressing I use - it is really just a ratio. Don’t remember where I got it, but it is in my recipe journal as 3-2-1 Salad Dressing.
Combine:
3 parts balsamic vinegar
2 parts Dijon mustard, and
1 part something sweet: maple syrup, agave syrup, or honey
Whisk together. For a medium to large salad, I use tablespoons. Simple, tasty, fat free.
Avmom
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avmom - loved the 3-2-1 dressing recipe!
Here's another one - Turmeric-Tahini Dressing (I am pretty much hopelessly addicted to tahini) - It's fun to have a variety in the fridge and I almost always have a little jar of this handy. Every time you use it, however, it's important to stir it up well with a utensil, digging deep to scrape up the tahini that insists on settling at the bottom. This dressing has to be whisked or stirred, not shaken (like a martini?). Ingredients below (basically, just mix it up; you'll have to add some water to keep it from being a paste).
https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/turmeric-tahini-...
- ¼ cup tahini
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- water as necessary
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Patsy, I love anything sesame and it's fun to see a recipe from Bon Appétit (foodie here).
Just a note of caution on sesame for those on on Tamoxifen, with triple negative disease or IBC:
“Those with triple negative or inflammatory breast cancer and those taking tamoxifen should avoid sesame seeds, sesame seed oil, and related foods such as tahini and halvah. Otherwise, it appears that the impact of sesame seeds and sesame seed oil on breast cancer risk depends in part on overall diet. Based on the available evidence, adding sesame seeds or sesame seed oil to an otherwise unhealthy diet low in fruits and vegetables might increase the risk of breast cancer. Similarly, substituting sesame oil for other fats in the typical American diet by using it to fry with or to make sauces is unlikely to have much positive impact on risk. On the other hand, incorporating sesame oil in a diet rich in vegetables could potentially reduce breast cancer risk by increasing the bioavailability of carotenoids and through the chemopreventive actions of sesame lignans.“
https://foodforbreastcancer.com/foods/sesame-seeds-and-sesame-oil
One of our vegan experts may have other research to counter this. I think sesame is one of those debatable foods.
Avmom, that is such a simple recipe and easy to remember. I will try it too.
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Thanks, DearLife, I was going to provide the link. For me scarier part of the text on that page from foodforbreastcancer.com is
"One study using a mouse model of premenopausal ER+ breast cancer to evaluate the interaction between tamoxifen and sesame seeds in the diet found that sesame seeds not only failed to inhibit human breast cancer growth, but also tended to negate the cancer inhibitory effect of tamoxifen by promoting cancer cell proliferation and decreasing apoptosis. Sesame seeds contain relatively high levels of copper, which could contribute to angiogenesis and metastasis of breast cancer, especialy in women with inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) or triple negative (ER-/PR-/HER2-) disease."
This is why I haven't been able to enjoy hummus for two years.
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Perhaps I should just say I'm not a mouse and indulge once in awhile anyway.
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Pi-Xi - here is an oil-free, tahini-free hummus recipe https://nutritionstudies.org/recipes/appetizer/oil... I used to make my own hummus years ago with olive oil. Then to save time, I started buying it. But now, it looks like I should start making it again - but now without oil.
With this recipe, though, I would probably adjust the ingredients for just one can of chick peas. I might add some ginger and tumeric because it's so good for us. Horseradish is also powerfully good for us. That would also be good in hummus.
As a parallel - I love how mustard is an ingredient in so many salad dressings.
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Yeah, I'm pretty skeptical about mouse studies. So many animal studies fail to transfer to humans. For ex "Currently drugs have over a 90% failure rate, which means they are certified safe from animal studies, then fail in human clinical trials or once they reach the market." (source: Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine)
At this point, I'm not taking hummus off the menu. But I don't eat tons of it - probably about 1/4 - 1/2 C a week, usually as an ingredient in other recipes.0 -
Looking at that sesame seed study, it looks like the mice in the study were fed a diet consisting of 10% ground sesame seeds. That translates to a whole lot of sesame seeds for humans. I doubt any of us are going to eat a diet made up of 10% sesame seeds. Stuff like this is why mouse studies often don't translate to humans.
Still interesting though. Note to self: don't go crazy on the sesame seeds.
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Hapa- too funny! Yes, let's not go crazy for sesame seeds.
Saw this today on Instagram and wanted to post here in case anyone might be interested:
Edited- part of my response was for the lifestyle thread
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wanted to share this recipe for a simple but tasty garlic herb sauce. Good on bean & veg croquettes, or as a flavouring for filling for wraps, drizzled on buddha bowls, as a veg dip etc.
Garlic Herb Sauce (from Minimalist Baker)
1/4 c hummus1 Tbsp lemon juice
3/4-1 Tbsp freeze dried dill (or fresh if in season)
3+ cloves of crushed fresh garlic
water to thin (or you can use a plant milk) until it's the consistency of a pourable but creamy dressing
just mix it all up & it's done
Lasts well in fridge.0 -
I have discovered I can grow broccoli. They make me smile every morning.
This is one of the many green salad versions I play with - green beans, brocolini, roasted garlic & tomatoes, parsley and some roasted pumpkin and seeds still to come - it's yum on its own or over a bit of couscou. Lemon olive oil dressing but I think next time I might try the 321 above over it
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Moth that sounds delicious!
Wildplaces, that’s so awesome! That recipe sounds yummy too.
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Tomorrow, we're having a friend to dinner while his wife is out of town. My husband is planning on grilling steaks for the two of them and I'll be making some kind of salad and a whole grain side dish (cold or hot) to go with dinner. Fruit salad for dessert because we have great peaches and cherries right now. But for MY ENTREE, I found this on Minimalist Baker: Jamaican Jerk Grilled Eggplant. I love spicy foods so this is right up my alley. I would guess that the recipe can be amended so as to be less spicy. I'll let you all know how it turns out. Best of all, I was given a free eggplant today. Now, THAT doesn’t happen every day, does it
https://minimalistbaker.com/jamaican-jerk-grilled-...
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That looks very very good Patsy!! I wish I could like eggplant more but I can’t get past the mushiness of it. Is there a best way to cook it?
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