The Purpose of This Blog

I can't follow most recipes; not at the moment, anyway.  I currently have what MOST people consider a super restrictive way of eating, but truthfully there is SO much variety I don't see it as restrictive... until.

Until I go to someone's house, or a party, or to a restaurant and am badgered with, "Oh just try it.  A little won't hurt you."  "You'll hurt my feelings if you don't have some."  "I made it just for you."  "Don't you want to be part of the fun?"

I am learning the fine art of saying no without sounding like a stubborn ass.  I'm still a work in progress.

Four or five years ago I experimented with elimination dieting and discovered not eating dairy meant having no migraines.  Something I'd suffered with my entire life.  Such a simple solution to such a traumatizing problem.      

I also discovered that eating corn made my ears stuff up... to the point where it was like trying to listen to life while being under water.  The problem with this one is that corn is in EVERYTHING (everything processed, that is).  And people don't realize.  Pickles?  no thanks... cured in distilled white vinegar (which is made from corn).  Mustard?  No can do... same thing, distilled white vinegar.  You fried that in vegetable oil?  Well, count me out.  You baked that with baking powder?  Um... that's made from corn.  Etc.

The third thing I discovered was yeast made my eczema go crazy.  I cut yeast out a couple years ago... no eczema since.

After all that elimination experimentation, I blogged about recipes I was trying.  Click here if you're interested.

This past year was another turning point in my life.  I'd known for years how I wanted to eat, but I had little to zero will-power to follow through.  Sure I'd create and eat the healthy foods, but then I'd also eat a lot of not healthy at all foods.  I went cold turkey ('cause I'm an all or nothing kind of person at times) and my weight, my lab results, my resting heartrate, and my blood pressure all agree I'm benefiting greatly from it.  

So this blog is about keeping a record of my way of eating (so I can refer to it quickly and easily.  I expect no one to follow this blog.  But sometimes it's nice for me to be able to post a link to one of my recipes I think someone else might be interested in.

If you're wondering now how I would describe my eating, it might go something like this...

Whole foods, plant-based.  But I've learned that words mean many different things to many different people.  So I'll let you in on the definition of my version of whole foods, plant-based.

I think the only processed food I currently use on a regular basis is vinegar.  I like vinegar but I'm leery of making my own.  I don't use any type of oil.  I don't use sugar, but I also don't use honey, molasses, stevia, agave, or maple syrup.  If something absolutely has to be sweet, I try to use whole fruits to sweeten it (berries, apples, and dates rarely).  I occasionally use tahini or almond butter, but I purchase ones that are single ingredient.

Some of the foods I used to buy but now make for myself include stock, hummus, crackers, and cookies.

I try to create meals with whole, fresh ingredients and I strive for 50% raw foods each day.  I use no oil, no sugar, no gluten, no processed foods, and no nightshades.  There, was that so hard to say!?

You can see why I find it hard to follow any recipe ever (other than my own).

Also, I feel like my recipes are VERY low maintenance.  It's more a gathering of foods rather than a complex set of steps.  For instance, my veggie stock is a bunch of things that get thrown into my Instant Pot.  Afterward I drain out "the things" and am left with my stock.  I just don't have time for recipes that involve too many fiddly bits.

My best buddies are my Instant Pots, my toaster oven, and my food processor.

Why am I still talking?  I said no one was going to read my blog.  This is just for me.  Ha ha ha!  Okay, then I'm done talking to myself.  The best explanation of my eating is to have a look at the recipes.

Oh one last thing... there is a MASSIVE difference between simple carbs and complex carbs.  I advise being careful if someone tells you to "cut carbs".  I recently lost 60 pounds by tripling my carb intake.  I cut out ALL simple carbs and make sure to get about 300 grams per day of complex carbs.

Complex carb: whole grains, beans/lentils, starchy vegetables, fruits

Simple carb: white flour, white rice, sugar, processed food

To see my recipes for anything listed here, check out my list of recipes.  Also, I'd be tickled to know anyone other than me is reading this blog so if you leave a comment, you'll make my day.