Diet tips and tricks

[Bliss Doubt]

I feel bad for both of those women. The anorexia is probably easier to intervene with at least.

People think that, but if you listen to former anorexics who are fully recovered for a long time (and like alcoholics they say "recovering" rather than "recovered"), you find that interventions just make that inner beast angry. The person will comply with treatment, pretend to see the light, "play the game", but as soon as they can get free of treatment, they go back to what they want, starving themselves. They'll tell you it's a kind of split personality, that a rational side of them understands the danger and the degradation of their health, but that inner beast fights it out with the rational creature and wins.

Maturity seems to help. As anorexic women get older the beast starts to settle down and demand less of them.

I was following MerryRose Howley for a while on that subject, staying on the path of anorexia recovery after several years of success, and extra entertaining with her pet bunny Archie. Then came the Covid era and her college shut down. She had to return home to her parents after enjoying an exhilerating time of being on her own with a college apartment for herself and Archie, starring in local theatre productions. Now she has disappeared from YouTube for two years, so I wonder if the bogus Covid boogeyman destroyed yet another life, and she is on the relapse. I may never know.

 

[Bliss Doubt]

Ooh la la. Crepes!

These are around 6" long, just to give an idea of how big they are. They really are delicious, I wouldn't lie.

Be careful shopping. Some brands of the filled crepes are 50 percent higher in calories than this Victory Foods brand. These strawberry filled ones are only 100 calories apiece. The chocolate hazelnut ones are a little more, 130 cal. I think, but I'm happy with the strawberry ones.



Todays breakfast-lunch:

Two eggs each 65 cal. = 130 calories
1 tablespoon butter for scrambling = 100 calories
Two strawberry filled crepes at 100 calories each = 200 calories
Total: 430 calories



I'm always thinking I could get used to less, one egg, one crepe, but that's trapping yourself into a feeling of failure (je m'accuse!). Friday is cheat day, and I am soooooo happy.

 

[Bliss Doubt]

Calorie friendly cinnamon toast.

I don't ever need to eat sugar. Probably nobody reading or posting in this thread needs sugar, but it's so delicious. On a work day morning I won't fry my brain eating sugary treats, but weekends make me think of relaxing the practical rules, to enjoy something special without going off the deep end and having half a tray of cinnamon rolls.

I usually don't preheat the oven for anything, but I did for this, 350 degrees, while I was preparing the ingredients. I just wanted to warm the flatbreads and melt the sugar, so I didn't want it all to sit while the oven came to temp. You don't have to wait for the beep to indicate the temp is reached. Once the dish goes into the oven, it's done when you smell that wonderful cinnamon sugar aroma.

The Wasa multigrain flatbreads, at 35 calories each, are BIG.



I melted the butter in a small pan, two tablespoons, using the measuring graphics on the wrapper.



To the melted butter I added two tablespoons sugar and a generous shake of cinnamon, stirred it up. Spooned the mixture over the three flatbreads parked close together on the baking sheet so as to avoid runoff being lost to the sheet.

Done, I garnished with two of the little clemmies, each 35 calories, and you can see, altogether it barely fit on the plate:



Lots of bites, it expanded time to eat and enjoy this, as compared to one Cinnabon roll at 880 calories, or any conventional cinnamon roll at around 430 calories, squishy and soft, that you chew up and swallow all too quickly.

Calories:

Three multigrain flatbreads each 35 cal. = 105 calories
Two tablespoons butter, each 100 cal. = 200 calories
Two tablespoons sugar, each 45 cal. = 90 calories
Cinnamon = 0
Total for the cinnamon toast: 395 cal.

The clementines are 35 calories each, but of course any lovely fresh fruit you have on hand can be substituted or added. I'd like to see some red raspberries among those clementine sections, but I don't have any berries right now.

If you're dining alongside someone who needs more calories, like a hubs or a big burly son, or a daughter about to go to volleyball practice, then certainly this calorie count leaves room for some pecan halves, walnuts or pumpkin seeds, stirred into the melted butter/sugar mixture before loading it onto the flatbreads, or some eggs on the side.

Bon appetit, and a sweet happy weekend.

 

[Bliss Doubt]

Eating and Sadness

I have a DVD copy of the movie La Grande Bouffe, which I tracked down immediately after hearing a radio interview with some forgotten person who mentioned it casually. The movie is about four middle aged men who are unhappy for various reasons, failed love, failed business, a vague malaise of life and other issues. They decide to meet one weekend at a villa and eat themselves to death. The star was Marcello Mastroianni.

Reviewers and critics have interpreted the plot and other elements in many ways, but to me that underlying theme illustrates how, in a western culture of abundance, when we are bereft of all other proofs of happiness, we will turn to food. Over the years I have noticed that more women than men are afflicted with eating disorders, though it is certainly not a hard fast rule.

So the four men meet at the designated place and time, take delivery of sides of various meat animals, some ducks and chickens, giant frosted cakes, a huge dome of decorated foie gras, oysters, champagne, wine and brandy, everything. One of them is a chef, so he gets busy in the kitchen, and the first night's meal is a traditional movie device, all of them around the table in a darkened room, watching kitschy flickering vintage pornography on a screened wall while they dine. Soon the bodily results of their overindulgence begin to strain the plumbing in the old villa, and grossness ensues. Then boredom.

One of them goes out and returns with a couple of hookers. Another brings in a school teacher who is soon bewildered by the suicidal emotion she sees. A beautiful vintage Bugatti car plays a very specific role in the film. With everything in place, the food and libations, the hookers, the compassionate teacher, the immaculate Bugatti, a freakish climax of excess takes place when one of the men is en flagrante delecto with one of the prostitutes, laughing, crying, eating, pooping and orgasming all in the same moment.

Did they achieve their goal of eating themselves to death? I won't get into spoilers, but the movie recognizes what overeaters don't recognize for themselves, which is that we use overeating to keep sadness at bay, and it doesn't work, but real and lasting forms of happiness are more elusive. Is there a moral to this story? I'm not sure. Many are accustomed to see the results of excessive alcohol consumption, the behavior, the bodily results, the sadness, the sickness. La Grande Bouffe brings to us what we don't see among the vast population of overeaters, the behavior, the bodily results, the sadness, the many forms of long term sickness that result. I don't remember why the school teacher was in the mix at the villa that fateful weekend, but she was the compassionate watcher, the soother, the unconditional helper.



The DVD is available with English subtitles.

 

[Freyja]

I have a DVD copy of the movie La Grande Bouffe

Thank you. Looks worth checking out.

For a more lighthearted take on food and obsession with it, there's a Japanese film called Tampopo that I enjoyed years ago.

Tampopo - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Bliss Doubt]

Thank you. Looks worth checking out.

For a more lighthearted take on food and obsession with it, there's a Japanese film called Tampopo that I enjoyed years ago.

Thank you Freyja.

I don't think I've ever seen Tampopo. I'll look for that.

I've always enjoyed movies about food and cooking, before and after I got control of my own eating habits. Here are a few for your consideration:

"Babette's Feast", a beautiful story of food, faith and community. Costumes by Armani:

Babette's Feast - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

"Tortilla Soup", food, family and paternal consternation:

Tortilla Soup - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

"What's Cooking", how Thanksgiving is an inclusive holiday for all who want to take that moment to celebrate our blessings, even if it means having to be with irritating family (a recurring theme of my own, holidays with famdamily)

What's Cooking? (film) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

"The Old Dark House", 1930's movie, a little less foodie but has that classic device of strangers seeking shelter from a storm, seated around a table dining ravenously while the storm rages, lights flickering, before all hell breaks loose. Not to mention the fabulous silk nightclothes of that era.

The Old Dark House (1932 film) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

There is a 1963 re-make too.

"No Reservations", a chef who fantasizes all day about her next food creation until...

No Reservations (film) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

It was basically a remake of the German movie "Mostly Martha", which I didn't think was as entertaining.

"Chocolat": OMG a dream of chocolate. The old war between church and witches becomes the war between self righteous aristocracy and the sensuous temptation of chocolate.

Chocolat (2000 film) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

"Eat Drink Man Woman": I don't remember much about this 1994 movie, but I do remember the interesting thing was that it was shot entirely in Taiwan, so you get a real view into the culture of that country.

Eat Drink Man Woman - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Bliss Doubt]

Thank you. Looks worth checking out.

For a more lighthearted take on food and obsession with it, there's a Japanese film called Tampopo that I enjoyed years ago.

I watched Tampopo last night, what a treat. It's free on Youtube, uncut with English subtitles. A really charming movie, with some strange twists, like the bizarre egg kiss. I sent the link to my friends who've been to Japan a couple of times. Thanks!

 

[Bliss Doubt]

How many calories are on this dessert plate?



110 calories. The Delizza mini eclairs are 55 calories each. There is a gluten free variety too, only 50 cal. apiece.

Now?



Easy math, 165 calories for cheat day (150 if you're using the gluten free ones).

Now?



Still 165 because I don't think the calories in/out plan ever requires counting healthful raw fruits and vegetables, though there are exceptions. If you didn't count the calories in avocados and bananas you could get in trouble, but a whole pound of strawberries, without dipping them in sugar or coating them with chocolate, comes in at only 145 cal., so a couple of big sliced berries as garnish won't disrupt anybody's plan. Even on Valentines Day, when you want to bring your love a temping plate of those big chocolate dipped strawberries they set out at your grocery store, the largest ones are around 27 calories apiece.

Now?



Eclairs don't need any whipped topping, being already iced with chocolate and filled with pastry cream, but the strawberries like a little something extra. Truwhip comes in original, vegan, keto and "skinny" versions. The pink label "skinny" is 30 calories for two tablespoons. The rest are 45 cal. Adding it to a dessert plate, one dollop will reach that calorie count because it will be a heaping tablespoon. I like the Truwhip line because it's based on tapioca syrup, no sugar or corn syrup. It keeps a long time in the fridge.

If you don't care about ingredients, even Cool Whip original is 25 cal. for two tablespoons. In my high school diet days I remember draining a can of juice pack crushed pineapple really well, folding it into a tub of Cool Whip Light, and throwing it in the freezer. It made a delicious pineapple soft ice cream. I haven't done that in years, basically because of all the good ice creams, including non-dairy ones, at less than 300 calories for the whole pint.

Various online references list whipped cream, the real thing, from 7.5 to 52 calories per tablespoon. Air is the helpful ingredient. Whipping makes a half cup of heavy cream into a full cup of whip. I wouldn't trust those lowest calorie counts to be the sweetened whipped cream, which is fine with me. Good organic heavy cream has natural sweetness, and whatever you're plopping it onto will presumably be plenty sweet.

A mini eclair, mini ice cream cone or a cream puff can be favorably compared with a slice of cheesecake (anywhere from 290 to 450 calories or more). Marie Calendar chocolate satin pie is 530 calories per serving. My local grocery store's house brand frozen cream puffs are 45 calories each. Yay for air, the calorie free ingredient.

If calories can seem like an obsession, then know that you learn these things and don't have to keep reading labels, except to check now and then and make sure one of your fave products hasn't been revised, reformulated or otherwise reloaded with more calories.

And I realize some people are able to choose wisely without looking at nutrition labels. They have my respect and my envy, but for now I'm happily preoccupied with looking for the exceptions to the old rule that desserts are to be avoided if you are working on your weight and health.

 

[Jimi]

Those just look sooo goooood.

 

[Bliss Doubt]

Those just look sooo goooood.

The Delizza line is exceptional. I realize you don't eat anything with wheat, but these are as if made for you, and they're even better than the Delizza, higher quality (but godawful expensive).

 

[Bliss Doubt]

This is my Father's Day breakfast-lunch. I had nobody to share it with, as my dad is gone from this world (mom too). But on this holiday each year I think of my father. We argued all the time. We agreed on very little. He was strict and overbearing, but he was soft and understanding on certain things, like my struggles with diet and weight. He was the one who said "eat as if you already reached your goal. Don't wait until some magical future day when you have reached your goal, to learn to eat properly".

He was right, but I continued the diet-binge-diet-binge cycles, mitigated during my high school years by a longer walk to/from school each day, which burned calories, slimmed me down, and led to my acceptance to the football dance team, with practices and rehearsals that worked me out and changed my figure. Done with that, in college it took no time for me to put on the "freshman fifteen" and start the struggle again.

So especially in the peace I have achieved with food in recent years, I think of my dad, wishing I'd listened better sooner. I thought of him while making this breakfast-lunch. He would have loved it because it's good, and because I made it.



Sliced strawberries
One medium banana sliced - 105 calories
A single serve container of plain yogurt - 140 cal.
The stuff that looks like pomegranate pulp is a few raspberries mashed up in organic raw unfiltered honey - 65 cal. the honey, no need to count the raspberry calories
All topped with toasted pecans, about a quarter cup - 185 cal. when left in whole halves (but be careful, chopped pecans fill more space in a cup and will have a considerably higher calorie count)
Total 495 calories

It will keep me full until dinner. I wish I could teleport some to my dad, and to all the vaping dads and grandfathers on the VU forum.

Happy Fathers Day.

 

[Bliss Doubt]

Desserts forever!

If you thought my last dessert post was calorie friendly, get ready for this:

30 calories! This large meringue, also known as a pavlova, has the 30 cal. I don't count the calories in fresh berries, but if the fruit is cooked with sugar to make a sauce, syrup or compote, then the calories should be counted. Like this, perfection unadorned, no counting the few strawberries and blackberries. Green kiwi rounds would be pretty too.



Now, for cheat day? Or any day really, two meringues = 60 calories.



Dressed up for company with just one teaspoon of powdered sugar, tapped through a fine mesh strainer, only onto the fruit, none on the meringues, an additional 10 calories for fancy appearance and a little sweetness to the tart berries. In fact I didn't tap out the whole teaspoon, so this shows only about 5 cal. powdered sugar:



Sprouts sells these large meringues, the only place I've seen them, but you can get the small little meringues in most grocery stores. If the little ones are what you can get, just put more of them on the plate.

 

[Jimi]

Desserts forever!

If you thought my last dessert post was calorie friendly, get ready for this:

30 calories! This large meringue, also known as a pavlova, has the 30 cal. I don't count the calories in fresh raw fruit, but if the fruit is cooked with sugar to make a sauce, syrup or compote, then the calories should be counted. Like this, perfection unadorned, no counting the few strawberries and blackberries. Green kiwi rounds would be pretty too.

View attachment 205639

Now, for cheat day? Or any day really, two meringues = 60 calories.

View attachment 205640

Dressed up for company with just one teaspoon of powdered sugar, tapped through a fine mesh strainer, only onto the fruit, none on the meringues, an additional 10 calories for fancy appearance and a little sweetness to the tart berries. In fact I didn't tap out the whole teaspoon, so this shows only about 5 cal. powdered sugar:

View attachment 205641

Sprouts sells these large meringues, the only place I've seen them, but you can get the small little meringues in most grocery stores. If the little ones are what you can get, just put more of them on the plate.

That looks to pretty to eat but sure one could be persuaded very easily

 

[Bliss Doubt]

 

[Bliss Doubt]

Skinny prepping.

I needed to get started on this prepper item before the big jar could reach its expiration date. This contains 10 cups dry, which makes 20 cups cooked, approx.



I was excited to read on the label "60 calories per serving", but you want to know what is ridiculous? The nutrition label. It says a serving is 45 grams. That's 1.587 ounces. I wasn't the only one who was perplexed by that serving size. I found where someone online measured out that 45 grams on a food scale. It's about two level tablespoons, not even quite enough to make one taco. I put two carefully measured level tablespoons of it, cooked, on a saucer. Here is her pic compared to mine. They look about the same, except hers is more spread out over the plate.



There are four tablespoons in one quarter cup, or the 45 grams x 2, 60 cal. x 2, which equals 120 calories in a quarter cup, 240 calories in half a cup. Dang this stuff is going from very low to very high calorie.

I cooked up enough to have leftovers for a few days, just using the label directions, but I didn't add the olive oil the directions call for. That's just a little bit of calorie savings I didn't calculate. I added a fistful of red pepper flakes and a spoonful of crushed garlic.

Here is how to make it calorie friendly. I love the canned tomatoes with green chilis, and lately there are several brands of organic ones. Right out of the can they're comparable to gazpacho, and calories you don't have to count. So I drained the tomatoes and added the whole can to my bowl, then plopped the half cup of rice & beans right in the middle, chopped onions on top, done, 240 calorie breakfast-lunch.



If you want more calories, you can add a quarter cup pumpkin seeds (another 160 calories), or have a piece of garlic toast on the side, or some tortilla chips, or some avocado. Or use it to make tacos. Or save the calories for a little dessert, which is what I did, a mini ice cream cone at 140 cal.

 

[Frogger]

Ive noticed that anecdotallly. I try and stay away from fried rice cuase it just seems to make me heavier, all i have to do is look at it the wrong way and i gain 5 pounds

 

[Bliss Doubt]

Ive noticed that anecdotallly. I try and stay away from fried rice cuase it just seems to make me heavier, all i have to do is look at it the wrong way and i gain 5 pounds

The Iberia black beans & rice I made isn't exactly fried rice, but it contains oil in the ingredients, and the directions say to add olive oil to the water when you cook it, which I would never do.

Anyway, having eaten it for three meals now, I'm reporting that it's bland, and too salty. I've added tons of red pepper flakes, garlic and onions (first batch). Reheating, I added chopped jalapeno to the serving. Of what I still have left of the cooked batch, I'm thinking of mixing it with something else, anything to give it flavor. Oy, and still lots of it to be eaten up. I don't want to waste it. It isn't nasty, just bland.

 

[Bliss Doubt]

Snack attack

This 3.125 oz can of bean dip has 86 calories.



Seven of these chips are 130 calories:



There are better and worse snacks you could choose, but the above made many a work lunch for me as a young person in my first job downtown, though the organic chips were not on the market yet back then. So if you look at this as lunch, 216 calories, but I used to wash it down with a coke. Better than my other favorite work day lunch in those years, which was a vending machine packet of salted peanuts and a coca cola. It wasn't that I was being a diet angel. I just didn't have the money to go to restaurant lunches every day with co-workers. At 5 o'clock when they would head for happy hour somewhere, I would walk to the bus stop to head home, but in a way, those were the days, a new phase of life, no longer a child or a student, but a self determining adult figuring out life.

Anyway, calories are calories. So for a Saturday snack attack the dip & chips beats a hot dog and a cupcake, right? And nowadays I wash down my food with flavored sparkling waters, infinitely better than the cokes.

 

[Frogger]

Snack attack

This 3.125 oz can of bean dip has 86 calories.

View attachment 206714

Seven of these chips are 130 calories:

View attachment 206715

There are better and worse snacks you could choose, but the above made many a work lunch for me as a young person in my first job downtown, though the organic chips were not on the market yet back then. So if you look at this as lunch, 216 calories, but I used to wash it down with a coke. Better than my other favorite work day lunch in those years, which was a vending machine packet of salted peanuts and a coca cola. It wasn't that I was being a diet angel. I just didn't have the money to go to restaurant lunches every day with co-workers. At 5 o'clock when they would head for happy hour somewhere, I would walk to the bus stop to head home, but in a way, those were the days, a new phase of life, no longer a child or a student, but a self determining adult figuring out the life.

Anyway, calories are calories. So for a Saturday snack attack the dip & chips beats a hot dog and a cupcake, right? And nowadays I wash down my food with flavored sparkling waters, infinitely better than the cokes.

Coca cola literally dissolves your teeth when drinking, hot dogs cause cancer, and sugar is the silent killer, lol

 

[Frogger]

Ok, i tried skimming the internet for this but i think its so simple a question maybe im misunderstanding

Im trying to get chicken noodle soup without the chicken and noodle.

Is that chicken stock? I tried chicken broth but it was unseasoned, etc.

 

[MyMagicMist]

Ok, i tried skimming the internet for this but i think its so simple a question maybe im misunderstanding

Im trying to get chicken noodle soup without the chicken and noodle.

Is that chicken stock? I tried chicken broth but it was unseasoned, etc.

No gourmand here, but yes, to me, it sounds like you're seeking chicken stock. Broth is usually only flavoring and water. Remember, chicken tastes like everything and so tastes like nothing. This is why chicken gets seasoned more often than not. Stock will draw out talo, marrow, various nutrients, minerals in chicken.

 

[Frogger]

I dunno, something mentioned gelatenous in the description, which didnt sound correct

 

[Bliss Doubt]

I dunno, something mentioned gelatenous in the description, which didnt sound correct

Do a YouTube search on "roasted chicken stock". I subscribe to that theory that you get more flavor from that than if you just boil chicken with veg.

Broth is just from the boiled chicken and salt. Then you remove the chicken and make sandwiches, chicken salad or something from it, and use the broth for your other recipes.

Stock is what you get when you boil the meat with salt, veg and herbs, usually celery (including the leafy top), carrot, onion and garlic, herbs such as bay leaf, rosemary or thyme, whatever you have on hand.

I've never had the patience to make either broth or stock, but it's obviously best. Most of the broths and stocks you can get in cans and boxes have almost no real meat content, and are mostly water, salt and "flavoring".

Either way, broth or stock, you'll get a component that gels. That gelatin is called the "glace" in French cooking, and is deeply rich and flavorful. To get that, you don't skim the broth even though it can get kind of nasty looking on top while cooking.

Here's a quickie, and it looks like a real beauty:

 

[Frogger]

As a 'non-cook' its hard to tell sometimes between gross and whatnot.

I have a huge pile of unused ramen packets i realized, i know i can make soup outa those (or what im looking for, like flavored soup water, something to ease the stomach)

 

[Bliss Doubt]

As a 'non-cook' its hard to tell sometimes between gross and whatnot.

I have a huge pile of unused ramen packets i realized, i know i can make soup outa those (or what im looking for, like flavored soup water, something to ease the stomach)

People usually just use broth and something like saltine crackers to ease the stomach, but if you're not feeling well you won't want to make broth and monitor its progress and wait. Jacques Pepin once said "one cooks for the other".

I hope you feel better soon.

 

[Bliss Doubt]

As a 'non-cook' its hard to tell sometimes between gross and whatnot.

That gelatin is only there when it's cold in the fridge. When added to the cooking pot it melts, and is the richness of the stock. It's a much coveted ingredient.

 

[MyMagicMist]

I dunno, something mentioned gelatenous in the description, which didnt sound correct

Yes, gelatin is properly made from bone, tallow from bone. If trying to stay vegan, then gelatin is on your not to eat list. Gelatin comes from animals.

Some vegan go so far as to avoid eggs, milk, honey. These are the sort who will not wear leather either. Can respect their Janis approach. Not one I can adhere to, however. Part of Janism is no violence, inclusive of against critters, other sentient beings.

I don't feel bad for not adhering. One of the Delhi Lama said in recent times, if the need was great enough it was alright to eat a cow / meat from other sentient beings. Kind of how the Holy Roman Catholic Pope said God accepts Atheists.

"Hmm." A judge in Texas ruled a mother be locked up in an institution for drowning her three sons. Her defense was that God told her The End was coming and it best the boys not suffer. The Pope talks with God and creates a new decree. Go figure. *shrugs*

 

[Frogger]

I dont understand why eggs arent acceptable, or milk. I mean i get it if u want to avoid animal products, but the whole cruelty free argument breaks down in my mind with those items.

Edit-Im actually surprised plain chicken soup without noodles isnt more of a 'thing'. Its great for cold winter mornings, put it in a thermos...the noodles always clog it

 

[Bliss Doubt]

I dont understand why eggs arent acceptable, or milk. I mean i get it if u want to avoid animal products, but the whole cruelty free argument breaks down in my mind with those items.

Edit-Im actually surprised plain chicken soup without noodles isnt more of a 'thing'. Its great for cold winter mornings, put it in a thermos...the noodles always clog it

I tried to be vegan a long time ago, but frankly I didn't have the strength of character to keep it up. I do understand the reasons why people choose veganism on the issue of cruelty. Some choose it over issues of diet and health, but in my experience most vegans are shunning animal cruelty.

The production of eggs in conventional poultry farming can come from chickens kept their whole lives in wire battery cages, which keeps them in place, unable to move freely and enjoy life even 1 percent, and it tears up their skin, really such an unnecessary form of torture when chickens are very productive as free ranging creatures. Milk comes from cows who are separated from their calves, when mammals almost always have a sense of love, protection and nurturing toward their young. When we consume dairy we are consuming food meant for calves. In non-organic dairy the cows are given a hormone to boost their milk production, which results in overworked, infected udders, which undeniably leads to generalized sickness in the animal, fever, not to mention pus in your milk.

Organic egg and dairy production mitigates some of that and brings better, more healthful products to market, but some commited vegans say it still is not for us to make animals our slaves and consume what they create for themselves and their young.

 

[Frogger]

I guess i can understand that, but i see it more of a sociology reason than a nutrition reason, which is absolutelty fine.

Edit-dont get me wrong, im not a nutritionist, i just dont get it, something like honey, i accept it, just dont get it (like i understand eating vegan is the only way to avoid that stuff because of what we do to our food)

 

[Jimi]

 

[Bliss Doubt]

I guess i can understand that, but i see it more of a sociology reason than a nutrition reason, which is absolutelty fine.

Edit-dont get me wrong, im not a nutritionist, i just dont get it, something like honey, i accept it, just dont get it (like i understand eating vegan is the only way to avoid that stuff because of what we do to our food)

Your questions are reasonable, and I don't have all the answers.

Eating vegan does not keep GMO out of your diet. Organic eating does that, as much as it can be done vis a vis contamination from pollen drift. Eating vegan doesn't keep pesticides and herbicides out of your diet. Organic eating does.

I have a jar of regional raw organic unfiltered honey that I've had for about four years now, still half full. It takes me that long to get through honey or even a 5 lb. bag of sugar, but my point is that if you buy from a supplier that supports these practices, you're getting it from a source where plants the bees love are grown organically. The supplier might be selling the organic basil or artichokes or almonds, or whatever those bees are sipping on, when those foods are ready to be harvested.

Vegans complain of the bees being shipped from place to do their pollenating work. Hive rentals are a common practice. The incidental honey they leave behind is sold off, and their whole hives taken apart for the wax and whatever else can be had. All of this is, in ways I can't fully explain to you, leading to the extinction of bees (with pesticides and glyphosate also contributing to the harm).

When I buy local honey I hope that I'm contributing to a healthy beautiful ecosystem that supports the continued existence of bees, and their enjoyment of life in their bee way. When I get organically raised eggs I hope I'm not fooled in understanding the laying hens are allowed to range freely, eat their organic feed and feast on bugs they encounter, enjoying life in their chicken way. I don't eat chicken at all, because I've read enough about how the methods of raising them are creating birds that are walking tumors.

When looking at labels, free range doesn't have to be organic, but organic has to be free range to get that label certification. I am very fond of Niman Ranch beef because I know they have their own abattoir, so the animals are not sent to commercial slaughterhouses to be strung up on cable going into the butchering area, where workers start to cut on them before they are dead. I know Niman Ranch animals are bred, born, raised and processed in the US (if beef cattle come from Mexico they might have been grass fed and lovingly raised, but they're made to swim through a tank of pesticide before being allowed into the US, which is just one reason why corporate America is always trying to defeat country of origin labeling). I know Niman Ranch allows no hormones or antibiotics to be used on their animals.

@Jimi knows much more than I do about these things. Perhaps he'll come around and say more.

We all have choices to make, until all of our choices are taken away and we get nothing to eat but bugs. Look into that if you want your hackles raised.

I am never insisting that anybody has to eat the way I do. Even I don't always eat the way I do. I eat out a lot, and you hardly ever know how or where restaurant food has been sourced.

Peace to you Frogger, and bon appetit.

 

[Bliss Doubt]

Jimi that is hilarious the way it's written. You ought to also post it on the daily humor thread.

 

[Frogger]

Lmfao...i noticed my stretchy jeans are about out of stretch today. Big prob

 

[Jimi]

Eating vegan doesn't keep pesticides and herbicides out of your diet. Organic eating does.

Even eating organic you are exposed to pesticides and herbicides, they are just organic pesticides and herbicides. They do wash off but most people don't do it right so they consume them. To do it right one has to soak the item first in either a baking soda solution or a vinegar solution for 30 minutes then scrub clean.
This can only be done with organic or non-GMO veggies and fruits. Very important to soak and scrub fruits too.
When it comes to meat IMHO if you can't get it from a farmer that you truly know and can trust like a brother I sure wouldn't eat it. Humans are basically herbivores, want proof? go get a mirror put on a big smile and take a close look at your teeth. What do they look like a wolf's teeth or do they look like any true herbivore, horse, cow, ? The wolf's teeth are round and pointed. The old saying is let your teeth tell you how to eat.

 

[Jimi]

Jimi that is hilarious the way it's written. You ought to also post it on the daily humor thread.

Thank you

 

[Bliss Doubt]

Lmfao...i noticed my stretchy jeans are about out of stretch today. Big prob.

Ive been pigging out on shrimp lo mein most of the summer (which is just ramen in Chinese) but i switched to turkey hoagies for a week and i put on like 5-10 pounds instantly.

Damn hoagie rolls

Bread gets me in trouble too, and I love it.

You'll get back on track, don't worry.

 

[Bliss Doubt]

Even eating organic you are exposed to pesticides and herbicides, they are just organic pesticides and herbicides. They do wash off but most people don't do it right so they consume them. To do it right one has to soak the item first in either a baking soda solution or a vinegar solution for 30 minutes then scrub clean.
This can only be done with organic or non-GMO veggies and fruits. Very important to soak and scrub fruits too.
When it comes to meat IMHO if you can't get it from a farmer that you truly know and can trust like a brother I sure wouldn't eat it. Humans are basically herbivores, want proof? go get a mirror put on a big smile and take a close look at your teeth. What do they look like a wolf's teeth or do they look like any true herbivore, horse, cow, ? The wolf's teeth are round and pointed. The old saying is let your teeth tell you how to eat.

There's an organic herbicide? I didn't know about that.

 

[Jimi]

Yup, here's a home version

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Avenger-Avenger-Organic-Weed-Killer-Biodegradable-Non-Toxic-Concentrate-32-Ounce-Bottle/5001873237?cm_mmc=shp-_-c-_-prd-_-lwn-_-bng-_-PLA_LWN_241_Chemicals-_-5001873237-_-Online-_-0-_-0&msclkid=b17baf7e7b631d4e0425cbaa75baaec9&gclid=b17baf7e7b631d4e0425cbaa75baaec9&gclsrc=3p.ds

 

[Bliss Doubt]

Yup, here's a home version

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Avenger-Avenger-Organic-Weed-Killer-Biodegradable-Non-Toxic-Concentrate-32-Ounce-Bottle/5001873237?cm_mmc=shp-_-c-_-prd-_-lwn-_-bng-_-PLA_LWN_241_Chemicals-_-5001873237-_-Online-_-0-_-0&msclkid=b17baf7e7b631d4e0425cbaa75baaec9&gclid=b17baf7e7b631d4e0425cbaa75baaec9&gclsrc=3p.ds

I looked it up, but don't get me wrong. I would never use an herbicide, so called organic or not. "Weeds" are someone else's judgment, not mine. I feel that if you're companion planting, like with basil all around your tomatoes to deter nematodes, and catnip to deter squash vine borers, and lots of other stuff everywhere, there isn't room for unwanted invasive things to pop up. You use mulch and rock art as well, and in a healthy garden you're turning over the soil every year to start again.

But I can see how commercial growers would rely on it. Avenger is made from citrus oil. Imagine how long and how much organic matter it would take to restore soil that has been soaked with citrus oil. Yeesh. I also have to wonder what it does to pollinating insects, ladybugs and other beneficial visitors.

Some day the world will remember that as we love this earth, it loves us back.

 

[Jimi]

Imagine how long and how much organic matter it would take to restore soil that has been soaked with citrus oil. Yeesh. I also have to wonder what it does to pollinating insects, ladybugs and other beneficial visitors.

Yes this is why I use NOTHING on any of my plants, yes some of my beans get bug bites but hey they gotta eat too and the tiny brown spot doesn't bother me at all. it's where the wound dried from the bite.
I control bugs somewhat by plantin at off times for them. I have just now planted my green beans, do every year this late and I usually get amazingly clean of bug bites crop of beans.

 

[Jimi]

I looked it up, but don't get me wrong. I would never use an herbicide, so called organic or not. "Weeds" are someone else's judgment, not mine. I feel that if you're companion planting, like with basil all around your tomatoes to deter nematodes, and catnip to deter squash vine borers, and lots of other stuff everywhere, there isn't room for unwanted invasive things to pop up. You use mulch and rock art as well, and in a healthy garden you're turning over the soil every year to start again.

But I can see how commercial growers would rely on it. Avenger is made from citrus oil. Imagine how long and how much organic matter it would take to restore soil that has been soaked with citrus oil. Yeesh. I also have to wonder what it does to pollinating insects, ladybugs and other beneficial visitors.

Some day the world will remember that as we love this earth, it loves us back.

I need some help from my dear friends here.
Not to sound stupid but I grew some boc choy this year, have never eaten it but heard it was good.
Ok what/how do I prepare this? Make salad? or what else can it be used for?
Lookin for a lot of ways because it's so easy to grow
Any and all suggestions appreciated

 

[Frogger]

I personally wouldnt but i'm bored so i googled a site that might be in your wheelhouse (i just glanced at it)

33+ Delectable Plant-Based Bok Choy Recipes - The Vegan Atlas

Here's an array of plant-based bok choy recipes for this versatile vegetable — simple preparations, stir fries, soups, salads, and lots more.

theveganatlas.com

 

[Bliss Doubt]

I need some help from my dear friends here.
Not to sound stupid but I grew some boc choy this year, have never eaten it but heard it was good.
Ok what/how do I prepare this? Make salad? or what else can it be used for?
Lookin for a lot of ways because it's so easy to grow

Aren't those gorgeous!

I love it. They use bok choy to make a lot of the commercial kimchi you can buy.

Other than that, I can't add much to the list linked by Frogger. Other than getting it in kimchi, I only ever get the baby bok choy in some kind of brown asian sauce (soy and sesame oil, I think, garlic maybe) served cold, that you can get in the prepared foods section at Central Market.

Check the link Frogger posted above.

 

[Jimi]

I personally wouldnt but i'm bored so i googled a site that might be in your wheelhouse (i just glanced at it)

33+ Delectable Plant-Based Bok Choy Recipes - The Vegan Atlas

Here's an array of plant-based bok choy recipes for this versatile vegetable — simple preparations, stir fries, soups, salads, and lots more.

theveganatlas.com

Thank you my friend, that's just what I am lookin for.
Since it grows so easily and quickly, I am thinkin of plantin a second crop

 

[Bliss Doubt]

I need some help from my dear friends here.
Not to sound stupid but I grew some boc choy this year, have never eaten it but heard it was good.
Ok what/how do I prepare this? Make salad? or what else can it be used for?
Lookin for a lot of ways because it's so easy to grow

I looked up the difference between bok choy and baby bok choy, because I don't know, and apparently baby bok choy is the same as regular, but you pick it earlier while it's small and very tender. Otherwise there are dwarf varieties you can plant, but yours is planted already.

Anyway, this is only 4 minutes long, and looks pretty easy, other than the initial futzing with salting, soaking and rinsing.

It has fish sauce as the only non-vegan ingredient, but there are lots of commercial vegan copies of that flavor out there. Otherwise:

 

[Frogger]

Aren't those gorgeous!

I love it. They use bok choy to make a lot of the commercial kimchi you can buy.

Luv kimchi

 

[Frogger]

-

 

[Bliss Doubt]

Luv kimchi

Me 2

 

[Bliss Doubt]

My fridge is stuffed with today's grocery haul:

2 lbs. organic strawberries
18 oz. organic blueberries
12 oz. organic blackberries
6 heads organic romaine
2 lbs. organic Brussels sprouts
10 lbs. organic gold potatoes
One packaged organic Caesar salad kit (for a lazy supper tonite)
8 cans organic Rotels (hard to find in the organic version)

If I could have bought half the amount of the potatoes I would have, but they had only the 10 lb. bags. There won't be any problem consuming them in due time though.

I would have loved to also get the organic cherries and organic autalfo mangoes, but with the 10 lbs. potatoes I knew there wouldn't be enough fridge space left. Sigh.