It's What We Eat That Counts!

 

If a certain 50+ female told you that she had lost in excess of fifteen pounds in the 32 days between December 31, 2012 and February 1, 2013 (I'm still losing but haven't weighed myself since the 1st), and she had done it without the aid of increased physical activity, HRT therapy, pills, powders, or any other weight-loss concoction, or without rubberized sweat apparel, or magnetic belts, or pins in her earlobes or nostrils, you’d probably think she was lying or dying – or both.  On my honor, it happened to me, and I’m pretty sure I’m not dying.  Well, of course, all of us are dying a little bit each day, but you know what I mean.  That works out to be about half of a pound per day. 
                Let’s say you are one hundred pounds overweight.  A weight-loss of a half of a pound per day gets you back to your healthiest and most attractive size in a little more than six months!  If you begin today, you can be ready for your bikini next summer!  You won’t have to go on America’s Biggest Loser and run the gauntlet every day, nor bare your misshapen body and tortured soul humiliatingly before millions of television viewers each week.  All you have to do is to throw out the food pyramid that has been sold to us for decades, an every-day-meal-plan concocted by an agricultural industry that has been, and still is, getting filthy rich off of the fat of our bigger butts and bellies, and the older we get, the bigger they get, and the fatter the wallets grow of the movers and shakers of the industries who put the food on our tables.
                The culprits are grains, legumes, corn syrup and corn starch, dairy products, potatoes, refined salt, refined sugar, processed oils, packaged food items, and soda-pop, even diet soda-pop.  But how can I live without my breads, my baked goods, and potatoes, oh my?  How will I satisfy my sweet tooth, and the convenience of packaged foods and drinks?  you are lamenting right now.  What if I told you that I eat as much bread, muffins, tarts, pizza, and similar things as I like on my current nutrition plan, and that I have syrup-laced pancakes piled with plain, fat-free Yogurt, blueberries and strawberries for breakfast several times per week.  The key is to substitute white and wheat flour, or any grain-based flour, with almond flour (protein).  I actually mix almond flour with garbonza/fava bean flour (more protein) to give my flour a more neutral taste and a finer texture.  You will note that all of these flour-based foods are made from scratch.  You get to cook again!  But when I set aside time to bake, I make enough extra batter to last for several days.  The same batter for bread is used for all of the others…I just doctor portions of it with nuts and fruits for muffins and tarts,  and sweeten portions of it for pancakes, etc. 
               Almond or coconut milk replaces dairy, although I do have plain, fat-free, dairy Yogurt once a day, and fat-free cottage cheese once in a while.  When I find goat Yogurt and cheese, I will make the change.  Potatoes are replaced with sweet potatoes and cauliflower.  You would be amazed at how much cauliflower tastes like potatoes when you cook it the right way.  Sea salt takes the place of refined salt, maple syrup and blue agave syrup of refined sugar, and pure oils of processed oils.  Honey is called for in most recipes in the meal plan, but maple and blue agave syrups are lower in the bad stuff that makes us fat and sick.  And because they are more liquefied, they are easier to fold into flour. 
             I eat lots of lean meats and fish, as many fruits and vegetables as I want, as well as nuts.  Instead of buying ready-made peanut butter, which is laced with cane sugar, corn syrup, and preservatives (really bad things), I make my own.  Oh, stop it now…it’s so easy.  Just put half of a cup of unsalted peanuts in your processor or blender; add one to one and a half teaspoons of peanut oil and blend on low until it’s crunchy or smooth according to your preference.  Since it lacks preservatives, you have to store it in your refrigerator.  That’s it!
                If you think that cream- and flour-based soups are one of the things you have to give up when dieting, think again.  Try this creamy recipe for the most delicious and the healthiest soup you’ve ever consumed.  In twenty-five minutes, you can gobble it up to warm your bones and tickle your tummy on these cold, February days:

Cream of Any-Vegetable Soup

Chop into small pieces a stalk of celery and three-quarters of a small onion (I like to use red onion), and cook with butter in a heavy saucepan until tender.  Stir in four teaspoons of almond flour and garbonzo/fava bean flour mix, ½ teaspoon of granulated, or one cube of instant chicken bouillon, a dash of sea salt, and a dash of pepper until blended.  Add more butter if mixture gets too thick.  Add two cups of almond milk and two dashes of Worcestershire sauce.  Cook and stir until thick and bubbly, then cook and blend for one minute more.  It won’t get as thick as if made with white or wheat flour, but don’t sweat it.  It’s okay!  Remove from the flame and let it cool slightly. 
             In a separate saucepan, cook one cup of vegetables, or two cups if you have a guest (I buy shredded veggies for convenience).  Place all of the ingredients in an immersion or a container blender and blend for thirty seconds, or until smooth.  Return to the original saucepan and heat until warm.  I like to serve it with an iceberg lettuce, non-fat cottage cheese, blueberries, and strawberries salad sweetened with blue agave syrup.  The sweet salad is scrumptious with carrots as the vegetable of choice for the soup.  
          I’ve treated myself to a new set of ceramic cookware.  I couldn’t be happier than if I had received a diamond ring.  The ring on my finger might get me married, but the healthy food I cook in my new pots and pans will keep me slim and well – an easy choice in my book.  If you want to make the switch to a meal plan like mine, I suggest that you begin with a couple of cookbooks, both of them written by bestselling authors, Jodi Bager and Jenny Lass.  They are Everyday Grain-free Gourmet, Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner, as well as Grain-free Gourmet, Delicious Recipes for Healthy Living.
  
The direct link to Linda’s latest novel, Guardians and Other Angels is http://amzn.to/PUOXl9.

To read excerpts of Linda’s current and future books, please log onto booksbylindaleegreene.gallery-llgreene.com/.
 
To view Linda’s online art gallery, she invites you to visit www.gallery-llgreene.com.