Silver Spoon

I know, I know.  I really should be talking about my diets, but honestly.  I have not kept up.  I started a new job, had a big garden event and then contracted the flu.  I would like to start it up again and I will probably do this during the last week of October due to the many events going on.  I really want to write on this blog more from a variety of different perspectives and at least publish several times a week but that is easier said than done.  I definitely do not want this to turn into a diary of my ranting either. I really would like to provide quality and interesting conversation that engages my readers-the few that I have that is.   

Ideally, I would like to report on diets, food and nutrition, community health, and culture and gardening, and health policy.  They will all marry into each other, but I would really like to focus on one at a time.  Of course, I still would like to end with a recipe or something foodie since my feeling is to break virtual bread with my readers.   So let’s get started-again.

I have been cooking for a couple with special dietary needs since July.  I have not really divulged information about them or even what I cook in their home.  I won’t divulge even what needs they have, but I will say that they prefer to eat vegan.  This is a new experience for me since I have never officially prepared vegan meals for pay.  In fact, I have never ever sold my services, but I have provided a lot of catering, nutrition and catering expertise for years.  There is too much red tape that I understand, but since I cook and research nutrition as a creative outlet, all the administrative stuff has turned me off doing it professionally until recently. 

The couple I work for are pretty well off. I have no idea how well off they are, but the lady of the house gave me a handmade silver spoon with “kiss the cook engraved” on it during her trip to the Hamptons in New York State.  She mistakenly left the price tag on it and it was $50.  I think that is expensive for a spoon, but she probably saw it and thought of me and $50 to her is what fifty cents is to me.  I know that she could care less about the price and just truly thought of me.  She always tells me that she loves my cooking because I put love into it even if I accidentally burn a carrot cake.

This couple, however, are very unhappy due to numerous reasons.  Right now I am witnessing the man of the house going through a depression aside from other health issues he confronts.  I have been really trying hard to compensate with extra good food and it helps, but I notice little things being done that signal he is using food as a way to medicate his depression.  All the olive oil was gone when I came in today.  The sugar was very low and he is eating more of the vegan cheese.  All of these foods are no-nos in excess for him. 

The next extreme to my work day ends at CNM, a community college, to listen and engage in a panel discussion prior to a film screening about hunger and food insecurity in the U.S. The film, A Place at the Table, identifies many reasons for food insecurity and the relationship between hunger and obesity.  If depression can influence dietary behaviors despite your income status, what if your income status was dire?  What other behaviors do people engage, such as alcohol and drug use?  We give away our power?  Our basic needs are not met? One of those basic needs is companionship and how do you lobby for that? 

So my recent epiphany of why I believe that I should share my creativity?  Because it’s nice to share.

Finally, I wonder if I should share a recipe after this little rant.  I think yes, it has vegetables, it’s sharing and I enjoyed it, shared it and am comforted by it.  It was shared with me and I adapted it.   

Chile Verde con Puerco o no?

I served with beans, einkorn flour tortillas, and sautéed cabbage

1 small pork roast if you want to use it

1 or 2 cups of roasted green chile ( I used only one because it would have been to hot)

6 green roma tomatoes (I used these because my tomato plants froze so I have to use the greenies.) or about a dozen of tomatillos or a little both.  I like to use both because I had both the plants

3 large cloves garlic minced

1 medium onion diced

½ tsp dried oregano

Some salt and pepper

2 tbls olive oil

½ cup water

Season pork with salt and pepper and brown pork in 1 tbls olive oil if using on all sides and set aside on plate.  While pork is frying, chop up your onion and then sauté in same pan pork was fried in to scrape up brown salty bits.  Add minced garlic, and tomatoes or tomatillos.  Place the pork back in the pot and add the water.  Cover and cook for about 45 minutes (this depends on the size of the roast) if you want to do this fast.  It tastes much better if you start this process several hours in advance and throw everything in a crockpot after the initial sauté.  I like to just leave it there for at least half the day.  While it’s cooking I sat on the front porch with the family and smoked a cigar, enjoyed a whiskey on ice during a pleasant fall evening contemplating our meager but happy home. 

New Week, New Challenge. Let's go Paleo!

So I often hear all about the Paleo diet (Paleolithic)  From my understanding this diet helps to eliminate gut inflammation due to legumes, grains, dairy and refined sugars.  There is a lot more to it and with some research I do agree with.  However, I do believe that this diet has its faults.  Not all diets fix all people. 

The premise to the paleo diet is that our ancestry is not accustomed to eating cereal grains like wheat, oats and corn nor legumes.  Both are heavy in phytic acid which prevents mineral and vitamin absorption and I believe is the culprit to gut discomfort because we cannot break it down in one of our stomachs since we only have one stomach.  Ok, I agree with that.  It also inhibits enzymes such as amylase and pepsin that breakdown proteins in starches like wheat and proteins.  In compound form, phytate also binds with important minerals such as calcium and magnesium making them unavailable for absorption as well. 

Paleo diets also eliminate dairy because lactase and casein, found in dairy, are also hard on the gut according to paleo eaters.  Studies are being done on why, but in short.  Lactase, the breaker of lactose is not produced in as much quantity as we age.  Casein, the protein I believe causes problems similar to that of gluten in wheat intolerant folks.

 

My biggest questions are that many of us here in Nuevo Mexico took a huge part in the agricultural revolution for efficiency.  American Indians have had agricultural staples for thousands of years and it was not until the introduction of processed foods when the U.S. migrated Natives into reservations that they have had serious health problems.  I think that there are other methods to being able to eating grains such as sprouting and fermenting, eating legumes, such as soaking, and eating dairy such as adding beneficial bacteria or consuming raw dairy already containing beneficial bacteria.  Let’s go!

My menu for the week is here.

I will be saving my meat bones and making a broth from them

I am allowing myself coffee and occasional glass of wine

Nut butters and flours make a good sub for grain flours, but not the same texture

Dates, honey and maple syrup in moderation will be my sweeteners

References:

1. Weston A. Price Foundation, 2010

2. Phytic acid added to white-wheat bread inhibits fractional apparent magnesium absorption in humans1–Bohn T and others. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2004 79:418 –23.

3. http://www.phytochemicals.info/phytochemicals/phytic-acid.php.

4. http://paleodietlifestyle.com/category/paleo-diet-articles/

The Vegan Diet Results

Ok, so the results of the Vegan diet challenge.

For the most part I felt pretty good with the exception of a couple of days.  I often hear the term vegan cleanse and for me it seemed like the cleansing tool was a wire brush to my intestines.  I had a tender tummy for a couple of days.  I will probably have to try this again because it was the week of my period, which I believe is a major confounder to the results except the weight.  I am usually heavier during my period and I did not retain water at all on this diet.

I am foregoing the Likert scale since some of the questions are more qualitative in nature and after all This is a pilot study on only one person, me.

Could I finish the diet? Nope, I ate a burger on Saturday night for Fiestas.  See previous blog.

Did I like the diet? Yes, I loved it.  The food was delicious and I felt that I could eat larger portions and eat more often.  Who doesn’t like eating?  I think it helps that I am accustomed to cooking this way. I did really miss yogurt and cheese.

Would I do it again? Of course, after the diet I made a beet veggie burger and have been craving one ever since.  I will have to share the recipe soon.  I don’t think I could ever become a strict vegan because I love cheese and yogurt.  Vegan cheese= sweaty lump of soy nasty. Totally processed.

How do I feel? Not a big change here. I still felt tired and I did feel hungrier.

Did I lose weight? (I will use my digital scale) I went from 154 to 150 in the seven days during my period which says a lot.

Did I lose inches? (I will use a sewing tape measure) no

Where do I notice the difference? In my poor gut L

How does my skin look? This is where the menses confounder was obvious.  I tend to break out during my period and I did get a few blemishes on chin and jawline.

Digestion system discomfort? Oh yeah, my 4 year old even told me to leave because I had some smelly bubble guts.  Lots of intestinal discomfort on heavy bean days.