Mindful Eating: Eat To Live

This week I started following Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s “Eat To Live” program, in order to clean up my diet, shed a few pounds before summer but more importantly; increase my energy as I’ve got a lot on my plate these next few months with setting up my new business, studying for continuing education courses and wanting to feel better all around. The concept of Dr. Fuhrman’s ‘diet’ (I hate using that word) is in essence, that when the ratio of nutrients to calories in the food you eat is high, you lose weight. The more nutrient dense food you eat, the less you will crave fat, sweets and high calorie (and less nutrient dense) foods. It’s essentially about maximizing the macronutrients per calorie. His formula goes like this: health = nutrients / calories.

I love this way of eating because there is no need to weigh or measure the food. You get a list of foods you can eat as much as you want of (basically all raw vegetables, leafy greens, crucifierous vegetables, beans, legumes and all fruits), some to eat in moderation (raw nuts and seeds, avocado, plant based milks, and starchy vegetables such as butternut squash and sweet potatoes, brown rice and whole grain breads), and foods that are OFF limits include dairy, all animal products, in between meal snacks, fruit juice and dried fruit as well as all oils, salt and sugar. Now I will tell you I am not perfect, and will still be salting my food! It’s the last “vice” I have from my chef’ing days, I still think vegetables taste bland if not salted. I managed to compete in bodybuilding and get shredded and down to below 10% body fat while still eating salt, and although I am not as heavy handed with the salt shaker anymore – I am picking my battles here…

The five “rules” are:

Consume a large green salad every day, and put some raw onion and shredded cruciferous veggies on top.
Eat at least a 1/2 cup of beans or lentils each day, in a soup, stew, or top of a salad or in another dish.
Eat at least 3 fresh fruits a day, especially berries, pomegranate, cherries, plums, and oranges.
Eat at least 1 ounce of raw seeds and nuts daily, utilizing some chia seeds, flax seeds and walnuts. Limit to 1 oz if you are trying to lose weight.
Consume a double-sized serving of steamed greens daily, and utilize mushrooms and onions in your dishes.

There are endless ways of preparing these foods, while you might think the list looks restrictive, it certainly isn’t – just think of how many varieties of green vegetables there are out there! As a chef, I am challenged to come up with different ways of eating my food, and how to enjoy them. I am using my spice rack frequently and utilizing herbs and spices I haven’t in a while, which have been delighting my taste buds. I’ve had not felt hungry all week and have had surprisingly few cravings, with the exception of last night, when I was craving something sweet (I ended up chewing on a date and going to bed). I am sure there will be days when I want to run to the store and buy the entire shelf of chocolate, breads and crackers, but will then take a moment to reflect on my goal and why I want to do this. Eating crappy foods always make me feel crappy – it only gives me pleasure for a couple of minutes. Mindful eating is about paying attention to every bite, reflecting on how it nourishes your body and how you will feel eating it as a result. Try it!

I will continue to post about my experience with this way of eating. I’ve added some photos below of meals I’ve prepared this week… If you are curious about the Eat To Live program or have any questions at all about plant based eating, as always- please don’t hesitate to ask me anything, I love to hear from you! Wishing you all a happy and healthy weekend filled with delicious, mindful eating! 🙂

Breakfast 1: Oatmeal with cinnamon, currants, blueberries, strawberries, 1/2 a mashed banana sprinkled with 1 tbsp of walnuts:

Breakfast 2: Green smoothie with lots of kale, 1/2 banana, 2 dates, water and ice:

Dr. Fuhrman’s Anti-Cancer Veggie Soup, with lentils, chickpeas and adzuki beans sprinkled with some nutritional yeast:

My daily green salad for lunch with tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and some type of beans will go on top. Dressing is always oil free, sometimes with some nut butter (cashews) to make it creamy:

A flax roll up (which is awesome, low calories- around 135 cal, and 12 grams of protein, only 24g of carbs, 9 grams of fiber) spread with a ginger-garlic-tahini sauce, stuffed with grilled portobello mushrooms, roasted peppers, arugula and cucumbers, SO good!:

Protein on a Vegan Diet

The amount of protein you need in your diet depends a lot on your body weight and what activities you do. More protein is not necessarily better. Americans in general eat far more protein than we need each day.The RDA for protein is .8 grams per kilogram of body weight. So, if you weigh 140 pounds, you’d need 51 grams of protein per day (140 pounds = 63.5 kg, and 63.5 X .8 = 50.8).
This might be higher if you are incorporating a vigorous weightlifting routine into your schedule, but regardless, it is not only possible, but easy to get enough protein on a daily basis while following a vegan (or plant based) diet!

Protein is made up of amino acids, often described as its building blocks. We actually have a biological requirement for amino acids, not for protein. Humans cannot make nine of the twenty common amino acids, so these amino acids are considered to be essential. In other words, we must get these amino acids from our diets. We need all nine of these amino acids for our body to make protein. Eating a variety of unrefined grains, legumes, seeds, nuts, and vegetables throughout the day will make sure we get everything we need, so if one food is low in a particular essential amino acid, another food will make up this deficit. A strict protein combination is not necessary, it is more important to eat a varied diet throughout the day, and it is here that many, who have attempted a vegan diet, have failed, and often come to their own conclusion that they got “tired or anemic” or experienced some other type of deficiency when trying to adopt a plant based diet.

Nearly all vegetables, beans, grains, nuts, and seeds contain some, and often a lot, of protein. Fruits, sugars, fats, and alcohol however, do not provide much protein (or nutrients for that matter) at all, so a diet based only on these foods would have a good chance of deficient in protein (Hence, there are a lot of “unhealthy” vegans out there who live on candy, beer and bread alone… not a good idea). Vegans eating a varied diet containing vegetables, beans, grains, nuts, and seeds rarely have any difficulty getting enough protein as long as their diet contains enough energy (calories) to maintain weight. (source: The Vegetarian Resource Group). Most plant based foods are in general less calorie dense so eating enough is very important. Luckily I don’t have a problem in that area, as I generally have a huge appetite, which follows my active lifestyle.

So how do we combine a meal to ensure we get enough protein, carbohydrates, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals? Here’s is a recipe that will get you well on your way. This Moroccan vegetable stew, when served with quinoa, is packed full of full of protein. For example 100 grams of quinoa contains 14 grams of protein. Add to that the chickpeas (19 grams of protein in 100 grams of chickpeas) and this is a perfect dish after a tough workout, for example – when you need to fill up on carbs. Who’s lacking protein now??

FLAVOR- PACKED MOROCCAN VEGETABLE STEW

Adapted from joyofyum.com

Serves 4
Time : 1½ hours

1 medium onion, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 small carrots, peeled and chopped into ½” pieces
3 small potatoes, chopped into ½” pieces
1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped into ½” pieces
1 small eggplant, chopped into ½” pieces, seasoned generously with salt and let sit for 30 minutes to let water out
1 can (14½ oz) diced tomatoes, or more /to taste
3 cups water
3 veggie stock cubes
1 can (14½ oz) chickpeas
½ cup dried apricots, cut into quarters
Salt and pepper
2 handfuls fresh cilantro, washed and roughly chopped

1 cup quinoa
2 cups water

Directions

1. Place the onions and garlic in a large saucepan with a little good quality olive oil over medium heat and saute until translucent.

2. Add the spices and cook, stirring frequently until fragrant. Add a little water if the mixture is too dry.

3. Add the apricots, carrots, sweet potatoes, eggplant and potatoes to the pot and cook for 5 minutes. Stir now and again.

4. Crumble the stock cubes into the pot and then add the water and the can of tomatoes. The vegetables should be covered by the liquid.

5. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 50 minutes to one hour.

6. Rinse the chickpeas and add them to the pan. Heat the Moroccan vegetable stew until the chickpeas are warmed through.

7. While the Moroccan vegetable stew is cooking rinse the quinoa in a sieve under cold running water. Place in a pan and cover with 2 cups of water. Bring to the boil and then simmer gently until all the water is absorbed. It is just fine to let the quinoa stand, covered, in the pan for up to 15 minutes. Fluff it up with a fork before serving.

8. Serve with the quinoa and sprinkle with chopped cilantro (fresh coriander) and dukkah.

Dukkah Spice Mix

Dukkah is an Egyptian spice mix, that typically consists of toasted spices, nuts, seeds and sometimes fresh herbs. You cn sprinkle this on most any dishes like salads, soups, stews, tofu, tempeh for a flavor packed meal. This makes a batch you can use for many meals. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 month.

Ingredients

½ cup coriander seeds
¼ cup cumin seeds
½ cup sesame seeds
½ cup pistachios or hazelnuts
½ teaspoon salt
Good grind or two of black pepper

What to do

1. Place the coriander, cumin and sesame seeds into a heavy bottomed skillet (frying pan) and set over a high heat. Keep moving the seeds around in the pan to prevent burning. When a delicious fragrance floats up from the pan, tip the seeds onto a plate to cool.

2. Add the pistachios to the pan and toast them over the high heat.

3. Now put all the ingredients into the goblet of a blender (Vitamix) or food processor and whizz for a few seconds. This is just to combine and chop the nuts and seeds a little. Take care not to pulverize the ingredients.

4. Store in an airtight glass jar.

Dukkaspicemix2

Meal Planning: The Key to a Happy and Fit Tummy

Being an avid gym goer in small, local gym, I naturally come across the same people over and over again day in and day out. Some people seem like they are working so hard, and they diligently show up every single day, yet their bodies stay the same. Some stay overweight, while others don’t seem to be changing their body composition at all. What could be the reason? Certainly not their commitment to exercise. So what else is left in the equation? Diet of course. What goes on in the kitchen and what you put into your body is vital for any progress you want to make.

Eating a delicious salad or a nutritious, warming soup tastes good to most people, it’s not like everyone is craving fries every single day, but the problem is most people fail to prepare for eating healthy. Fail to prepare, prepare to fail, as the saying goes. When you are in the middle of your day and hunger sets in, either at work, or running around doing errands, picking up kids, doing laundry, or traveling for business – and you don’t have anything in front of you to eat, chances are most of us will just pick the nearest and easiest option, which more often than not is not an ideal choice.

The solution? Pick a time during the week when you have one or two hours free (yes, you can find it- no excuses! We all spend a little too much time on social media and in front of the TV) and spend it preparing meals for the next 3 days or so. When you’re running out the door in the morning on your way to work or a meeting, all you have to do is reach into the fridge and pick a pre-prepared meal, drop it in your bag and go. A delicious lunch waits for you later in the day, that YOU have prepared, you know which ingredients are in it, and you can better track what you are eating. The work will be worth it – and your body will thank you for it later.

This morning I prepared a ‘buddha bowl’ like salad with fresh vegetables I purchased over the weekend. I typically buy whatever looks good at the market, and I like to buy produce that’s in season; it’s when they taste the best and are cheapest. Then I build my recipes around what I have in my fridge and pantry. Being a chef, I have learned to combine flavors and textures that excite the taste buds and it’s always fun to come up with a new dish.

Today I pre-cooked some beautiful organic green lentils and quinoa and topped the salad with a 1/2 cup each , and gave it a sprinkling of some hemp seeds and pepita seeds, and boom – I had a tasty, colorful, protein-packed and super satisfying lunch that would kick any take-out to the curb, both nutritionally and flavor wise. This gives me energy throughout the day, and doesn’t leave me uncomfortably full and drowsy like many store bought prepared meals typically do.

I’ve included the recipe for what I made below – you can choose the raw’nch dressing or make your own version. A simple extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, fresh herbs, salt and pepper would probably taste really nice too, but I love the flavor of this dressing. You can of course add any vegetable of your liking in the salad and top it with any nuts or seeds you have in your pantry at the moment. Use your imagination and start experimenting!

WEDNESDAY LUNCH IN A BOWL

1 head romain lettuce

2-3 cups baby spinach leaves

1/2 red bell pepper, sliced thin

1 carrot, peeled and sliced thin

1-2 celery stalks, diced thin

1/2 cup cucumbers, diced

1/2 cup roasted butternut squash in the oven (diced small, I sprinkled salt, smoked paprika and fresh rosemary on top and roasted it for about 25-30 minutes on 375F)

1/2 cup green lentils, cooked

1/2 cup quinoa, cooked

2 tbsp hemp seeds, hulled

2 tbsp pepita seeds

Mix all the greens and veggies in a large tupperware container and top with butternut squash, lentils, quinoa and sprinkle with hemp seeds and pepita seeds. Seal and go!

RAW’NCH DRESSING

Adapted from “Let Them Eat Vegan” by Dreena Burton

To make it entirely raw, omit the Dijon mustard and replace the red wine vinegar with lemon juice or apple cider vinegar.)

½ cup raw cashews

2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 ½ tsp red wine vinegar (gives more flavor, but can use more lemon juice or apple cider vinegar for a raw version)

1 tbsp raw tahini

¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

2 tsp fresh chives, chopped

1/8 tsp garlic powder or to taste

1/8 tsp onion powder or to taste

¼ tsp Dijon mustard (omit for raw version)

1/2 tsp (scant) sea salt

1/8 tsp freshly black pepper to taste

1 tsp raw agave nectar or coconut nectar (adjust to taste)

1/2 cup water or non-dairy milk (or more to thin as desired)

Using a blender (I love my Vitamix) or an immersion blender and deep cup or jar, puree all the ingredients until very smooth (it will take a couple of minutes). If you want to thin the dressing more, add water to your preferred consistency. This dressing will thicken some after refrigeration. You can thin it out by stirring in a few teaspoons of water, or keep it thick and use it as a dip for raw veggies. Makes about 1 ¼ cups.

Subs and Adds: Try 2 tablespoons of fresh dill to replace some or all of the parsley.

“Fit” vs “Healthy”

When I started this blog, I’ll admit my main focus was on looking good on the exterior. I had recently fallen back in love with working out after a period of slacking, eating too many fatty foods and drinking too much alcohol (hence a 30 lb weight gain). My personality took it a bit further and I developed a big interest in lifting weights, which in turn, led me to enter amateur bodybuilding competitions and in between running half marathons. This is a blog I have wanted to begin for weeks now, as a result of reading friends and acquaintances FB posts and blogs who are just starting out, or who have been in it for a while but who seem to just blindly follow someone who has either experienced some success or who claim to be a “fitness coach”.

As a newbie in the fitness world, I wanted to do everything that the “pros” did – work out like a fiend, eat from tupper ware (which I still do, but never cold food and not that god awful tilapia and overcooked asparagus), “ban” foods and avoid social gatherings so I could get up at the crack of dawn and start the crazy process all over again. I convinced myself that this was a lifestyle I could live with, as long as I was happy with my reflection in the mirror. Never mind that my diet was monotonous, at one point I ate the same meal four or five times a day, something that upon looking back, is quite incredible, being that I am a trained chef, and married to one and my life has always in one way or another has been about enjoying food, creating new recipes and being adventurous in my eating.

Since turning vegan, my focus has turned to eating for health all around; not just for an impressive exterior but also for a healthy interior. It has really been a spiritual experience! Now I feel so much freer, no foods are off limits except meat, fish, egg and dairy and that is for both ethical and health reasons so it’s not hard to give them up. I used to have a big sweet tooth when I was on a diet, and my weakness were gummy worms, milk chocolate and any other processed candy… now I simply have no desire to eat them because I know they are made from nasty fish bones or milk from tortured cows. Gone are the days when I thought animal protein was the only good source of protein and that fruit was bad, or any whole foods, for that matter was allowed to be labeled as “bad”. You see, all these health freaks talk about eating what’s good for you, meanwhile they down energy drinks and other supplements that has God knows what kind of deadly ingredients just because it’s calorie or sugar free, consume artificial sweeteners by the mouthful on a regular basis and brag about being able to eat processed junk food on their “cheat day” and still lose weight. Really?? What is the end goal here? End up looking emaciated on show day just so you can win some plastic medal at a local show nobody has heard of and that the ones who have, will forget the next day?? Develop health problems in the name of “outer beauty”? Because let’s face it – I’ve been there, and it’s SUPER important to you while you are prepping: oh my God, that vein is popping, my butt looks tighter, my lats are wider and my abs are insane!! I am on top of the world, I can do ANYTHING!! I am living the dream!! This is the most important thing in the world to everyone, right? Wrong. I am all for improving the physique, challenging yourself at the gym, incorporating daily exercise for better health and working out to feel good overall. But when this takes over your life and you think you can keep a stage physique year round… well, that’s where you are in for a big let down. Life is not about being anal about meeting your macros day in and day out while ignoring other important factors around you, such as having fun in the sun, being with friends and family, work, travel, enjoying simple things in life like having a home made breakfast, and even just hanging out watching a movie without counting the minutes until your next meal. I guess what I’m missing in most bodybuilder’s lifestyle is diversity, spontaneity and just a simple ability to ENJOY life and whatever that brings. A narrow minded view of what life is is no way to live. If I have to skip the gym one day because I have to take care of something, my world is not ruined. I just pick up where I left the next day, my physique or muscles will not vanish in a day, or a week for that matter. It’s all about PERSPECTIVE. This is what the vegan lifestyle has given me.

I don’t mean to bash anybody in their midst of prepping for a show by posting this. I too, thought for a while I had to do cardio on an empty stomach to lose fat and eat my boring ass meal every 2-3 hours to “keep my metabolism going” and avoid carbs after lunch. The truth is, my metabolism suffered after a hard core keto-diet I was put on after my last show, I noticed lack of energy, my body not recovering as well as it has before, and many other signs that I found worrying. I lost interest in food (which is amazing considering my background I mentioned earlier as a chef and food enthusiast), and while I thought I ate so much (most of the foods were vegetables and low in calories so the “amount” seem larger than real life) I was still feeling I missed out on some things. When the euphoric feeling of stepping on stage and placing well dissipated, I was still left with me, and wanting more out of life than just obsessing about my next work out.

So… enter my vegan lifestyle in October of 2013, and I found a wonderful new way of living! Imagine, I am lean still – and have tons of energy – and I get to eat a ton of fruit, nuts, dried fruits, maple syrup, beans, rice, potatoes, vegetables in all shapes and forms.. and you guessed it: lots of protein!!!

There is a spiritual awakening involved also with eating plant based… while before, I used to scoff at vegans thinking they all ate “rabbit food” and all drank wheat grass juice every two hours, I am amazed that I now feel my food choices have EXPANDED, not being limited, and I look forward to, and at the same time am overwhelmed, each week when I go shopping, as everything I make as my weekly meals are not only healthy, wholesome and good for me, but low in fat, high in nutrients and most importantly: extremely delicious!! I feel lighter and happier, because I highly believe that if I consume a living being’s body that was tortured and killed, their energy transfers into my body. I can honestly say that I am smiling both on the inside and outside now, knowing that I don’t have to put myself through nightmarish routines just because I want to look good in a two-piece. Now I eat what I want and look how I want while smiling all the way!! I win – and so can you! 🙂

I have a mission this year, and that is to show you all, in pictures and in words, that it is possible to be healthy looking, MUSCULAR and fit and fabulous, eating plant based foods only, steering away from the “bro-science” of the traditional bodybuilding diets (which are SO bad for you, both metabolically and spiritually – who the hell wants to eat boiled chicken and broccoli- unseasoned- for the rest of their life- just to look “shredded”??) and to include every food in the universe that is wholesome and organic, natural and flavorful… one meal at a time.

To all of you who still think you need to follow the recipe of a super low calorie, monotonous and boring diet followed by 1-2 hours of cardio a day after your regular weight training, I’ve got news for you: You don’t!! Progress pictures to follow in the spring and summer along with more news, info and motivation!

Discover how plants can help your health, wealth and happiness!

Tag: plant based diet