The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - April 2022 Group

[Noella]

"What sorts of resources would you like to see brought into focus and shared in April? Favourite recipes? Strategies for food prep? Favourite tools? Further exploration of the fundamentals? More discussion of the social and emotional dynamics that impact our efforts? Taking a look at inspiring success stories and best practices?"

These are great ideas, Mark. I enjoy reading success stories as these make me realize it is possible to overcome obesity and other diseases related to our habits, lifestyle and diet. I look forward to gaining a better understanding of the social and emotional dynamics, too. All of the topics you mentioned will be helpful.

This week we had a get-together with our daughters and their families. It was a successful MWL experience. On the day before our trip, we shopped and prepared several MWL approved meals with no added oil/salt (marinara sauce for pasta, minestrone, refried beans, Spanish rice for burritos, etc.). We also bought salad greens, fruits, and veggies for the trip. While away, we cooked a huge pot of oatmeal and baked a batch of about a dozen potatoes each morning for breakfast and for handy starch to add to meals and snacks. this way there was always enough starch to feel satiated. Bringing so many groceries and prepared foods with us worked well for me to follow MWL, and our three daughters loved not having to shop or cook anything for our get-together. It was great to see my daughters and grandkids eating the baked potatoes with various toppings for snacks.

1. Start each meal with soup and/or salad and/or fruit. I find fruit and salads are the easiest appetizers while travelling.
2. Follow the 50/50 plate method for your meals, filling half your plate (by visual volume) with non-starchy vegetables and 50% (by visual volume) with minimally processed starches. Choose fruit for dessert.
3. Greatly reduce or eliminate added sugars and added salts. This includes gourmet sugars and salts, too. If either is troublesome for you, you can eliminate them.
4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood).
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy).
6. Eliminate any added oil.
7. Eliminate all higher calorie-dense foods, including flour products (i.e., bread, bagels, muffins, crackers, dry cereals, cookies, cakes), puffed cereals, and air-popped popcorn dried fruit.
8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages).
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until comfortably full. Don't starve yourself, and don't stuff yourself.
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). End of season cross country skiing.

April 1, 2022 - it's my second MWL anniversary today. Following MWL is a pleasure. I'm so pleased with how I feel and how I look. I'm more excited than ever about continuing to follow the MWL guidelines. I am happy to let my body, appetite, fitness ‘rest’ at this weight for a long time however, I do hope to eventually lose a further five pounds as I continue to eat well and do more movement to improve my balance, strength and flexibility.

Best regards,
Noella
December 29, 2019 SW 240
April 1, 2022 CW 145

[Gimmelean]

McDougall Post for week ending 4/01/22

1) Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.
Yes.

2). Follow the 50/50 plate method for your meals.
Yes.
Mark you asked about my recipe and here goes:
I made my version of Kitchari-
I throw everything into my 6 quart instant pot without pre sautéing or extra work and it comes out perfect and different every time. There is no right or wrong way to throw it together and there are many recipe versions out there. The name means “a mess”. Omit the oil and salt for any recipe. I prefer 1 cup of rinsed split mung beans or yellow dahl to 1/2 cup of brown basmati rice because it gets very thick. Add 1tbs whole cumin seeds, 2tsp whole mustard seeds, 1 1/2 tsp whole coriander, 1 tsp ground turmeric, 1/4 tsp ground cayenne, 1/4 tsp ground cardamom, 2 cloves minced garlic, 1 inch fresh ginger peeled and grated, 2 cinnamon sticks, 3 bay leaves. 1/4 tsp ground black pepper, 4 cups of any vegetables chopped. Add 6 cups minimum of water or no salt vegetable stock. I fill the pot up to the maximum line with water. Seal and cook on high pressure for 22 minutes and natural release. I like to experiment and change up the dal and vegetables every time.

I also threw together a salad in a big container. Used mixed prewashed baby greens, a bag of slaw -the fancier the better- rinsed canned corn and chickpeas for creaminess, baby tomato medley, sliced strawberries. This will keep for several days. I add perishable things like Persian cucumber when serving. I love raspberry vinegar but have pear, fig, date vinegars. Rinsed no salt beans add creaminess with no work and no dressing needed besides vinegar.

I batch cooked baked potatoes sweet potatoes, and fresh broccoli florets I buy in a bag. I put them in the air fryer to reheat the potatoes and char the cooked broccoli at serving time.

I buy prepped not processed foods .I used to resent the price but it’s a bigger price to pay when I have no time to cook and grab the wrong things. I like going to ethnic grocery stores and find better varieties and prices on grains, beans, spices, etc. where I buy in bulk and store in glass jars.

3) Greatly reduce or eliminate added sugars and added salts.  This includes gourmet sugars and salts too.  If either is troublesome for you, you can eliminate them.
Yes.

4) Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood).
Yes.


5) Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy).
Yes.


6) Eliminate any added oil.
Yes.


7) Eliminate all higher calorie-dense foods including flour products (i.e. bread, bagels, muffins, crackers, dry cereals, cookies, cakes), puffed cereals, air-popped popcorn and dried fruit.
Yes.


8 ) Don’t drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages).
Yes.

9) Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full.   Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself.
Yes.


10) Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).
Yes.

Victories, comments, concerns, Finally. All yeses 100% of the week. It was not easy but it will get easier. By Wednesday I felt a little run down and depleted after feeling really energized at the start of the week with no “wrong” foods at all. How do you suggest managing that and is that typical? Here’s to another successful week 1 day at a time. I find it very helpful to read about how others in the group have pushed through and conquered challenges and would like to see more of the same. Mark, your advice is always so very helpful and so insightful. (How do you do that?). Maybe a connected but separate thread for meal prep and recipes.

[VegSeekingFit]

Hi Everyone!!

Happy April!!!! Was going to say something about April showers bringing May flowers... and we do have some crocuses coming up; however, still SNOW here in Chicagoland (with a dose of hail one day).

Thank you, Mark, for answering my questions on the lasagna. I am going to experiment and will circle back... Maybe poor cooks should closely follow recipes...

1 Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. Yes. I again mainly ate salad this week as a preload (for B, L, D), but also used fruit a couple of times. I have a broad selection of veggies and fruit prepared for easy grabbing. I have enjoyed trying 2 new (to me) items this week - black radishes and Hami melons. Both were delicious!!!

2 Follow the 50/50 plate method for your meals, filling half your plate (by visual volume) with non-starchy vegetables and 50% (by visual volume) with minimally processed starches.
Choose fruit for dessert.
Yes.
*Using lots of raw or roasted veggies and fresh or frozen fruit for one half of plate.
* Ate many potatoes for other half of plate.
* Also made (surprise, surprise) - Split pea soup, red lentil chili, pots of rice, pot of Mary McD black smashed beans
* Wonderful tweak to Sloppy Lentil Joes (recipe on this website) - made them sloppier and used red lentils... will likely always be making with red lentils now. If you use the recipe on the website, you can omit the sugar and soy sauce (and also mustard). Still tastes delicious.


3 Greatly reduce or eliminate added sugars and added salts. This includes gourmet sugars and salts too. If either is troublesome for you, you can eliminate them.
Yes. I haven't eliminated, but reduced. I do use some garlic salt on potatoes at times. I had 1T of California Balsamics Teriyaki with roasted veggies one time for a "treat".

4 Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood).
YES, of course.

5 Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy).
YES!!!! Have continued on the clean path with not losing to -

6 Eliminate any added oil.
Yes!

7 Eliminate all higher calorie-dense foods including flour products (i.e., bread, bagels, muffins, crackers, dry cereals, cookies, cakes, puffed cereals, air-popped popcorn and dried fruit.
YES!!!! Same as 5. Yesterday, my husband had a great big bowl of pretzels that he had basically under my nose. I asked him to please move them as they smelled good. I did not consume any.

8 Don’t drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages).
Yes.

9 Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself.
Yes.
I think 9 is underrated!!! Going to continue to focus on being consistently mindful here.
I did have one dinner where I ate a bit past the mark. I think I was eating faster than I normally do. Easier to scarf down potato slices than hot soup.
This week, I only snacked once on a few slices of roasted potato. I had intended to 50/50 this and forgot. Next week, I will 50/50 the potato (if I snack on any).


10 Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).
Yes.
* 6/7 days walked outside. A couple of the walks were just at 30 min due to work conflicts with walking time.
*I am continuing to pace around inside periodically. I am liking this habit. My husband still finds it weird.
* Exceeded my step goal by 2K miles / day (to make up for a weak last week).

Victories, comments, concerns, questions:

In my opinion, the "emotional" side of this process can be especially challenging - like jumping through a fiery hoop. I am looking to build a skillset to tackle in a positive way future non-compliant episodes. I need to plan that these will occur because I know that I am not perfect! Visualizing next steps required --- for instances like when Mark reminds participants to be kind to themselves / treat yourself gently, etc. Sometimes easier said than done - especially as it seems that tendency seems to be to treat yourself more harshly than we would ever treat a good friend or family member. In this regard, thinking to change "self-talk" --- As Pink would say... "Change the voices in your head.... make them like you instead! "

For example, if I had in fact consumed any pretzels (from 7 above) --- I am going to choose to reframe my mental outlook to Option B instead of standard Option A.

Option A - Stephanie, you idiot!! You have ruined over a month of "clean compliance". Why would you think that you could do this anyway? (Feels guilty and disappointed in self, eats remaining pretzels and starts downward spiral of continuing to eat off plan... )
Option B - Take a breath. Dust yourself off. Put down the rest of the pretzels. Nobody is perfect. You have an opportunity to make the next best choice. (Throws pretzels in the trash, watches a sitcom, gets back to eating recommended foods in recommended fashion...)

This Week's Outcome: I am somewhat astonished to have lost 2 lbs. this week --- which makes 9 lbs. in 6 weeks -- attributable to cleaning up 5/7. I certainly didn't plan to "experiment" in this way, but I will say that the results are very informative and will be motivating to me in the future to continue to NOT choose to consume these food items. Not worth it to me.

Thank you, Mark / Jeff / Wild Goose for this forum and all of the support that you provide to each of us.

YAY to each participant for moving forward with positive changes!!! Appreciate the inspiration and community in sharing the journey. Keep going!!!!

Best,
Stephanie

[VegSeekingFit]

I posted a before and now picture on Facebook McDougall Success Stories, it’s up to 500 likes. I also shared with a clothing color group of ladies all over the world, it had over 300 likes. I’m spreading the word!

Awesome, BambiS!!!!!

[VegSeekingFit]

I made my version of Kitchari-
I throw everything into my 6 quart instant pot without pre sautéing or extra work and it comes out perfect and different every time. There is no right or wrong way to throw it together and there are many recipe versions out there. The name means “a mess”. Omit the oil and salt for any recipe. I prefer 1 cup of rinsed split mung beans or yellow dahl to 1/2 cup of brown basmati rice because it gets very thick. Add 1tbs whole cumin seeds, 2tsp whole mustard seeds, 1 1/2 tsp whole coriander, 1 tsp ground turmeric, 1/4 tsp ground cayenne, 1/4 tsp ground cardamom, 2 cloves minced garlic, 1 inch fresh ginger peeled and grated, 2 cinnamon sticks, 3 bay leaves. 1/4 tsp ground black pepper, 4 cups of any vegetables chopped. Add 6 cups minimum of water or no salt vegetable stock. I fill the pot up to the maximum line with water. Seal and cook on high pressure for 22 minutes and natural release. I like to experiment and change up the dal and vegetables every time.

Thank you for sharing this, Gimmelean!!!!

It sounds really simple --- and I am thinking that I could adapt it to the slow cooker. Love that you can change up the veggies, etc.!!! I had just purchased last weekend a bag of "Khichdi Mix" which is combo of the rice and split moong lentils!!! So, awesome timing and I will try this week.

Also, liked your shopping comments and wanted to say that I also like to shop at ethnic groceries where there is a better variety -- with lots of interesting (and compliant!) items to try!!!!

[Mark Cooper]

The window for reporting this week's behavioral results has officially closed.

The remainder of my replies and the weekly summary will follow.

[Mark Cooper]

Noella - Happy second MWL-iversary! That is quite an achievement! The family get together you described sounds like a wonderful experience, and very successful for you, too. Your efforts planning and preparing to support adherence, and create a lovely, enjoyable gathering clearly worked. Really well done!

Gimmelean - Awesome effort and implementation this week! Thank you SO MUCH for sharing your Kitchari recipe; throwing a bunch of ingredients into the Instant Pot is exactly the kind of recipe I like! I will be giving it a try sometime this week. All your prepped foods sound very appealing, and I'm sure that contributes to your success. Was the "run-down and depleted" feeling you were experiencing more physical, or did it feel more like mental exhaustion and willpower depletion? When the actions and behaviors we are focusing on feel especially effortful, I think it is natural to experience some depletion. From my perspective, taking some time for healthy self-care activities can help with this: getting out in the sun, taking a walk, exercising, or just sitting down to read or relax are all things that work for me. Of course, it is also important to be sure we're eating whenever we feel hungry, and getting adequate sleep, too. Just speaking for myself, whenever I'm feeling the way you describe, my body is often fighting off an illness, or expending a great deal of mental/neurological efforts. Whether or not that feeling is "typical" will likely depend on the individual and their given circumstances, right? Cheers for building success one day at a time!

VegSeekingFit - Kudos, Stephanie; you are in the groove! Best of luck with the lasagna, and please let us know what your experiments yield.

In my opinion, the "emotional" side of this process can be especially challenging - like jumping through a fiery hoop. I am looking to build a skillset to tackle in a positive way future non-compliant episodes. I need to plan that these will occur because I know that I am not perfect! Visualizing next steps required --- for instances like when Mark reminds participants to be kind to themselves / treat yourself gently, etc. Sometimes easier said than done - especially as it seems that tendency seems to be to treat yourself more harshly than we would ever treat a good friend or family member. In this regard, thinking to change "self-talk" --- As Pink would say... "Change the voices in your head.... make them like you instead! "

I think you are right about this; when our efforts to practice this way of living collide with a surrounding social, cultural, and even physical environment that often acts directly in opposition to our intentions, the results can be pretty explosive and stir "big feelings." Many of us DO seem to treat ourselves more harshly than we would ever treat someone else. I think it can be helpful to consciously stop, (Take a breath.) and pretend that WE are one of those good friends or family members. How would we show empathy and compassion to them (ourselves)? What advice would we offer to them (us)? This isn't easy, but it seems like a habit we can build over time. Something that has REALLY helped me in this regard is training myself to view a given outcome or result as a new or additional piece of INFORMATION, without a value judgement attached. This thing I tried worked (I'll keep it), or this particular experiment delivered an outcome inconsistent with my intentions (I should think about why that happened, and revise my plan). Learning something about ourselves, our practice, and/or the interaction between our intentions and our environment is nearly always useful, in my opinion. Big congratulations for the outstanding results you've achieved over the last six weeks (and all the many weeks that came before)! Keep going!

[Mark Cooper]

Please note - I replied to reporting participants in the two posts linked below.

Mark's Replies for April 1 - Part 1
Mark's Replies for April 1 - Part 2

WOW! What an AWESOME way to begin our April group! This was a REALLY successful week, I would say!

Spurred by the discussion this week, I spent some time thinking about what key factors contribute toward success with this way of eating / living. Looking at my own experience, I think perhaps the most important thing was just persistence: I kept trying, despite struggles, obstacles, and (what felt like) personal failures - I didn't give up. That is something I have in common with all of you! You are here each week, reporting your efforts and results, assessing your progress, and putting in the work of attaining and maintaining the recommended pattern of behavior. It makes sense; number 5 on Jeff's list of 10 Secrets to Success is

BE PERSISTENT AND WORK HARD: Success is a marathon, not a
sprint. Never give up.

Like in all things, there will be some setbacks on the road to
health, and some difficult times ahead. This IS part of the
process. Relapse/setbacks do not equal failure, they are part
of the process of change (and success) that we all go through.
You will also encounter some obstacles. There are not there
as a sign for you to quit, but as a challenge to strengthen
your commitment to reaching your goals.

There was DEFINITELY a lot of hard work on display in our group this week. Investing the time to have adherent foods ready and available is a requisite for success, and the reports above offer great evidence for that.

THIS is like a tutorial for how to have a successful, adherent social gathering:

On the day before our trip, we shopped and prepared several MWL approved meals with no added oil/salt (marinara sauce for pasta, minestrone, refried beans, Spanish rice for burritos, etc.). We also bought salad greens, fruits, and veggies for the trip. While away, we cooked a huge pot of oatmeal and baked a batch of about a dozen potatoes each morning for breakfast and for handy starch to add to meals and snacks. this way there was always enough starch to feel satiated. Bringing so many groceries and prepared foods with us worked well for me to follow MWL, and our three daughters loved not having to shop or cook anything for our get-together. It was great to see my daughters and grandkids eating the baked potatoes with various toppings for snacks.

Definitely hard work, but with BIG rewards, too.

Gimmelean shared an amazing sounding recipe, and illustrated what diligent food prep can look like:

Kitchari-
I throw everything into my 6 quart instant pot without pre sautéing or extra work and it comes out perfect and different every time. There is no right or wrong way to throw it together and there are many recipe versions out there. The name means “a mess”. Omit the oil and salt for any recipe. I prefer 1 cup of rinsed split mung beans or yellow dahl to 1/2 cup of brown basmati rice because it gets very thick. Add 1tbs whole cumin seeds, 2tsp whole mustard seeds, 1 1/2 tsp whole coriander, 1 tsp ground turmeric, 1/4 tsp ground cayenne, 1/4 tsp ground cardamom, 2 cloves minced garlic, 1 inch fresh ginger peeled and grated, 2 cinnamon sticks, 3 bay leaves. 1/4 tsp ground black pepper, 4 cups of any vegetables chopped. Add 6 cups minimum of water or no salt vegetable stock. I fill the pot up to the maximum line with water. Seal and cook on high pressure for 22 minutes and natural release. I like to experiment and change up the dal and vegetables every time.

I also threw together a salad in a big container. Used mixed prewashed baby greens, a bag of slaw -the fancier the better- rinsed canned corn and chickpeas for creaminess, baby tomato medley, sliced strawberries. This will keep for several days. I add perishable things like Persian cucumber when serving. I love raspberry vinegar but have pear, fig, date vinegars. Rinsed no salt beans add creaminess with no work and no dressing needed besides vinegar.

I batch cooked baked potatoes sweet potatoes, and fresh broccoli florets I buy in a bag. I put them in the air fryer to reheat the potatoes and char the cooked broccoli at serving time.

Stephanie supported her successful week with solid prep, too, AND shared her modified version of Sloppy Lentil Joes - MWL adherent!

Wonderful tweak to Sloppy Lentil Joes - made them sloppier and used red lentils... will likely always be making with red lentils now. If you use the recipe on the website, you can omit the sugar and soy sauce (and also mustard). Still tastes delicious.

I bet those lentils would be GREAT over a baked potato.

Like Marilyn and wildgoose, Cloudy Rockwell was a real inspiration to me, as well. Another MAJOR inspiration for me, when I first started MWL, was the journal and success story of George Sanders; his journal was like the "class" I took to figure out how to make this way of eating work in my own life.

Wildgoose really dropped some knowledge above thread, too! Here's the substance, in case you missed it:

Recipe-chasing has been the downfall of many a McDougaller. People get bored and are looking for variety. Or they want to "spice up" their menu a little (which often means they want to push the envelope of the program and see how close to the edge they can live without falling off a cliff). Or they’re curious about what others in the plant-based community are doing. Or they’re like you, wanting to strengthen their program by having a larger arsenal of food choices, when they had the answer right in front of them all along.

I tend to look at some of the suggestions of Dr. Doug Lisle, Dr. John and Mary McDougall, and Jeff Novick when it comes to recipes.

• Get really good at preparing a few dishes (how many? — however many you need to keep boredom at bay), so that good, tasty food becomes automatic. Don’t worry about having a huge list of dishes. Think of how many different dishes you prepared before you started eating this way. I’d bet it wasn’t a large number. Most people make a limited number of meals that they enjoy, over and over, from month to month.
• Use techniques, not recipes. For example, I know how to make a Jeff Novick burger. I can make dozens of different kinds of burgers, just by switching ingredients or spices, no "recipe" required. I can make "meat" loaf or "meat" balls, out of the same technique I use to make burgers (or I can use crumbled burgers in marinara).
• Batch cook, cook in large quantities, and freeze food in manageable portions. You can rotate through your freezer, avoid boredom, and make meal preparation easier while you’re at it.
• Realize also that too much variety is not the best idea when it comes to weight loss. Remember Mary"s Mini? It’s based on one starch. Granted, you don’t live on a Mary's Mini diet for long, but the principle is still there. Less variety, less of a tendency to overeat.

You said yourself that you eat plain food. So do I. Use that as your base and see what you can invent. Forget chasing recipes.

Thanks to everyone for making this thread such a lively, exciting resource! Onward into spring!

[Gimmelean]

It sounds really simple --- and I am thinking that I could adapt it to the slow cooker.

Mark Cooper wrote Thank you for sharing this, Gimmelean!!!!
It sounds really simple --- and I am thinking that I could adapt it to the slow cooker.

. Mark, Kitchari- kitchidi- can be cooked in the slow cooker. 3 hours on high or 6 1/2 hours on low. You can soak the beans and rice overnight but not required if you haven’t planned in advance.
Enjoy!

[squealcat]

Everyone: I have learned SO much this weekend and I want to thank all of you for your input! We are a great group, I think !

I just copied down Gimmelean's Kitchari recipe and want to make it in the the next week . I have made it before but I like all the spices she used and the easiness of the recipe. Thank you !

I also got brave and made some burgers fashioned out of Jeff's burgers and also from a recipe in "Vegan Under Pressure" that uses sweet potatoes . I like that recipe but it has a couple of ingredients I wanted to skip so I used black beans instead of kidney beans and used oats and the two sweet potatoes that I had already cooked along with curry spice, ginger and other spices . I haven't tasted yet but they smelled wonderful !

I am using my 10 MWL point checklist and so far all is well ! I have copies of that checklist on my fridge and also in the cupboard where it is needed as a reminder.

Have a great week everyone !
-squealcat (Marilyn)

[carwex]

Dear Time and Adherence Community,
On Friday I became distracted by my grand moving project and failed to report. I am writing now because it keeps me coming back to my “other” important goal which is the MWL. This program (like anything worthwhile doing) demands focus. I tend to get distracted so sharing with you helps me re-focus.

I am happy about the direction that our forum is taking, more topics to consider, more personal sharing, I need the input. So few people I know eat MWL (no one in fact) and therefore I often feel I’m trudging a lonely road. The most success I have had losing weight while still feeling satisfied has been in the last 2 years since joining the MWL forum. You all comprise the community I need badly in my life. So I appreciate all your shares.

Especially loved Wildgoose’s metaphor about the ditch, the furrow, and the gully. And I took Mark’s advice from last week and watched Dr. Lisle’s video about willpower and how stress is the main trigger for overeating. This is very true for me right now.

Today I feel like a Star McDougaller. I found Dr McDougal and plant based eating when I was 68+ years old, lost some weight and went off cholesterol medication and solved a long standing GERD problem. I also headed off Diabetes 2 which is rampant in my family. However, over the next few years I ate too much from the fat end: tahini, nuts, tofu, avocado, bread and peanut butter. Joining MWL was THE way to finally lose the last 15-20 pounds and now I am at goal weight. Most important for my age, I have NO underlying conditions, no medications. This does not mean I will live any longer than others who eat differently but it may mean that I can live better.

I like recipes and tips. My food needs to be tasty, not necessarily gourmet or ultra-delicious but tasty so I work on that within the limitations of the MWL. It is safe to say that I LOVE MY FOOD.
Breakfast is always oatmeal with fruit sometimes with veggies. I was missing a crunch when I went off nuts but have recently found that diced apple or pomegranate pips provide that.
For lunch I always prepare a large fresh salad of many ingredients for me and my husband. Before eating, I add a drop of soy sauce and a squeeze of lemon, for a little taste and acid. It looks beautiful in all its varied colors. I serve it in a hand made bowl.
For dinner, I love legumes so lentils and especially beans in all their variety are a must for me. Even my husband has started to add them to his plate. As for making them tasty, I like Jeff Novick’s formula for “dumping into the pot”: To the beans, add tomatoes (paste, sauce, fresh or canned whole or diced), vegetables (usually onion, celery, green pepper and carrot) and spices and herbs (bay leaf, cumin, oregano, cilantro, chili pepper) and lots of fresh garlic. Also to keep flatulent-free, I use kombu which is a Japanese seaweed. A 1½ inch square piece of kombu added to a pot of beans or legumes during cooking will do the trick.

I usually don’t add grain or potatoes to the bean pot since I like to have 2 different dishes on the plate (or on ½ of the plate), which means more variety to the meal and more flexibility on the prep. As for grains, I never met one I didn’t like. For pasta I choose whole meal spelt fusilli. With mashed potatoes I like to mash white potatoes with sweet potatoes or turnips.
I won’t get started on soups. Love ‘em.

Let’s all be Star McDougallers this week!

Carol

[squealcat]

I love your last line: "Let's all be Star McDougaller's this week !"

I have read that your identity is very important if you want to achieve a certain goal. You just reminded me of this Carol !

-Marilyn

[Noella]

Hi Mark, Jeff and Wildgoose,
I am thinking about my current cholesterol levels, and except for my triglycerides, these remain in the high/borderline high category. Total Cholestorol - 225.06 LDL- 133.8 HdL 64.19 (high) Triglicerides - 135.52. I have followed the MWL diet (no animal foods, no added oil). I make sure that I include foods that help reduce cholesterol daily. Such as steel-cut oatmeal, apples, beans, brussels sprouts, and garlic. I'm trying to keep my fruit consumption at three servings; sometimes, I overdo it with fruit. The bloodwork I had done was non-fasting, and I had eaten an MWL-approved lunch just before the bloodwork in case that meant anything or might have an effect. I wonder if there are any suggestions regarding following MWL that may help me. My doctor wasn't unhappy with my measurements and did not suggest medication, but I wonder what else I can do. Add oat bran? Add psyllium? More cruciferous? Is stress related to this? Your ideas, thoughts and suggestions, please. I'm keen to put more effort toward reducing my cholesterol.

Noella

[JeffN]

Hi Mark, Jeff and Wildgoose,
I am thinking about my current cholesterol levels, and except for my triglycerides, these remain in the high/borderline high category. Total Cholestorol - 225.06 LDL- 133.8 HdL 64.19 (high) Triglicerides - 135.52. I have followed the MWL diet (no animal foods, no added oil). I make sure that I include foods that help reduce cholesterol daily. Such as steel-cut oatmeal, apples, beans, brussels sprouts, and garlic. I keep my fruit consumption at three servings or less. The bloodwork was non-fasting, and I had just eaten an MWL approved lunch before the bloodwork if that means anything. I wonder if there are any suggestions regarding following MWL that may help me. My doctor wasn't unhappy with my measurements and did not suggest medication, but I wonder what else I can do. Add oat bran? Add psyllium? More cruciferous? Is stress related to this? Your ideas, thoughts and suggestions, please. I'm keen to put more effort toward reducing my cholesterol.

Noella

We really recommend fasting 10 hours before these tests as eating can influence the numbers.

In regard to cholesterol, I teach an acronym, BYOB & B which stands for Beans, Yams, Oats, Barley and Berries. These foods are some of the highest in soluble fiber which can help lower cholesterol. So, someone trying to lower their cholesterol numbers might want to make these a main part of their diet. So, beans at every meal, Yams or sweet potatoes instead of white, red, etc potatoes, and berries are the best choice for fruit. I would add in the BYOBB, double check every label to make sure no oil or sat fat is slipping in, wait 2-3 months and retests after fasting.

For the record, everything you hear about oats is true but barley is actually more beneficial then oats (though oats are still good). It makes a great breakfast and barley groats can replace rice, etc. Look for hulled barley.

If I remember correctly, Landog followed the above recommendations and it had quite an impact on his numbers. You might want to PM him or post in the Health section to him.

Regards
Jeff

[squealcat]

BYOB & B ! I will remember that ! I have barley in my cupboard and will have it more often now. I have labs drawn in the fall and will remember this. My doctor is happy with my cholesterol numbers but I would like to see improvement as in getting my total to be below 150. Maybe this year !

-Marilyn