I'm glad you asked babbs this question. I can't imagine a plant based diet since I find that I can tolerate carbs, but only a limited amount. Legumes are a good source of protein but dried bean and soy I can't digest. I think without a diet heavy in meat, poultry and fish I would starve to death.
Breakfast: (All amounts are approx)smoothie with 1+cup non-fat Greek yogurt, approx ¾ cup kale (I buy organic chopped or organic whole and cut up myself and freeze for convenience.) Hand full cilantro (which I also freeze for convenience,) frozen organic mixed berries, frozen organic mango or pineapple if I can get it, splash of pomegranate juice, 2 scoops of collagen protein powder, a teaspoon each of histidine, lysine and chlorella, one capsule of vitamin C and once capsule of hesperidin (I can't swallow anything but the tiniest pills.) Some water. It makes a quart or more. Yes, it's a lot but it has to last me until 2 pm when I get back from the barn where I keep my horse. I'm out there 7 days a week. Lunch is 1 12-oz glass of non-fat milk, about 1+ cup of my homemade granola which consists of rolled oats, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and when I could eat them, walnuts. I use almond butter instead of expressed oil, and add honey and maple syrup, cinnamon (a lot,) vanilla and lemon extract. Dinner is usually steamed vegetables with rice or roasted sweet potatoes. Or I make a curried lentil soup with wilted spinach. Or I do something with tofu and vegetables. Or I make a salad with a whole avocado. My brother uses zero oil to sauté vegetables, but I use either canola oil or camellia oil to coat my carbon steel pan, wipe out any standing oil. It works like a non-stick pan. I like my mushrooms sautéed, or occasionally, I want a crispy outside to my tofu, or I sauté mirepoix for soup. This is not just a plant based diet, but also a very low fat diet. Vitamin K2, vitamin D, and of course, essential fatty acids 3 and 6 need to be supplemented because they are oil soluble. My snacks are bananas, apples or pears, and Larabars (cherry pie my favorite and no walnuts.) I did love my dark chocolate treat, but, oh well.
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With your active lifestyle I am amazed that you get the stamina you need from your diet. I am sure it took years of trial and error to tweak what works for you. Can you tell us again if this is based on a vegetarian philosophy or if your inflammation was raised eating animals. I see you tolerate dairy, but do you eat eggs? My uncle was a vegetarian and allowed himself dairy, cheese and eggs, as he put it, he didn't feel bad stealing from the animals he just couldn't justify their killing.
This is probably TMI, but it was not philosophy, but evolution that brought me here. I'm 73 and when I was young we had meat at least 6 nights a week and fish once a week. As I got older, I noticed that meat and chicken didn't taste or smell the same as it used to. I think by the end of the 70's or early 80's I noticed I couldn't stand the smell of either. When I was young, all meat was grass fed or "free range." Maybe that was the reason for the change, but it just was a sensory thing, not a philosophical thing. I still loved fish. Then fish was farmed and the taste also changed. I still eat wild caught salmon in the summer when it is available, but I can't stand the texture of previously frozen fish. At that point, I was still eating eggs and cheese.
Then, a few years ago, my younger brother was diagnosed with coronary artery disease. He had never had a single symptom of CAD, but his doctor did a scan for calcium in his arteries, only because his cholesterol was a bit high (not alarmingly high.) If you have a calcium value over 100, they put you on statins. His was 4000!
I told him about Nathan Pritikin who, in 1957 was diagnosed with CAD and they ultimately wanted to do bypass surgery on him, when that procedure became available. He refused went on a (virtually) no-fat, vegetarian diet. In 1984, he had a recurrence of leukemia (which had first been diagnosed in 1958) and when he was in the hospital, he committed suicide, choosing to go out on his own terms, and an autopsy showed he had completely clear arteries. In that way, he served as his own control. My brother decided to go on that diet, but added wild caught salmon. He eats egg whites, but not yolks, and no extracted oils, only those inherent in nuts, seed, avocados, etc. He also eats gluten. When he told his doctor what his plan was, the doctor said that won't work. My brother ask why not. He said because nobody actually does it. My brother said, "But I will," and he did!. When he went on this diet, I decided to decrease the fats I was consuming: no egg yolks, no extracted oils (except to coat my steel pan) and no cheese. I spend a lot of time doing dietary and medical research and have determined that this diet is missing some important elements, such as the fat soluble vitamins I mentioned in the previous posts, and essential oils. I am supplementing as needed. My husband does not adhere to this diet but he is on a restricted salt diet – I find that a lot harder.
Regarding your question about inflammation, by inflammation marker was <0.1mg/dL – low, even before I stopped eating eggs and cheese. These numbers were from 2 years ago. My HDL was 82 and my LDL was 92. My triglyceride was 128 (should be under 100). I should be tested again since I made dietary changes but I won't go into the clinic needlessly during the pandemic.
As an aside, if you look at the Pritikin Center website, they have softened their own guidance to include small amounts of animal protein. But they warn of the dangers of olive oil consumption which surprises a lot of people. I follow the old school diet.
There's a lot of research demonstrating the "health" of high fat or even moderate fat diets. Cardiologists consider it bogus propaganda drummed up by the egg and beef industries. None of the research demonstrates the end result of my diet, because, as my brother's doctor said, it would be nigh impossible to get compliance. Instead they look at various polyunsaturated vegetable oils as substitutes for saturated oils.
I'm not recommending other people do this. It's not very much fun.I don't drink, don't smoke, and now…no chocolate. Physical activity is an important pleasure. At the barn – I'm in a covered, but still outdoor location (open on 4 sides.) Besides caring for my horse, I also feed lunch and water all 17 horses in the barn. This has helped me stay active during the pandemic. I come home and usually go on a 3.5 mile hike including some steep hills. When weather doesn't permit my walk, I do a workout on a Bosu (like a step aerobics workout but on an inflated half dome instead of a step.) I have no lack of energy.
I think we all spend a lifetime finding what works for us. I don't think there's a one size fits all when it comes to diet. True confession: when I travel with my daughter (which I haven't done since pandemic) I am lenient. When in Capri, how could I not eat torta caprese! I also cheat when I have company for Jewish holidays: Rosh Hashanah and Passover (also cancelled during the pandemic) when my friends insist on having my brisket (and then I make torta caprese for dessert – I had to share that pleasure with my friends!) Told you – TMI
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What an inspirational story you have shared. I'm 72 and am active, but not nearly as much as you are. You are amazing. I am curious about your tastes changing and disliking meat. Yet often our bodies are trying warn us about something. You and your brother have taken control of your lives and it will be interesting to have your triglycerides tested. I've never been to Capri, but the country with my favorite food is Italy. American Italian food has little in common with the real thing. I can't imagine traveling in Italy and being on a low gluten diet. When in Rome!
The amazing thing about food in Italy is that vegetables have so much more flavor. Arugula was spicy! It made me plant more veggies when I got home. I know you are an avid gardener, so you already knew that. Lots of fresh caught fish, too. Actually had less pasta than I thought I would have.
i've had GD for 2 months. It has flipped my life around. I am 78, water ski, roller blade,ride my fat tire bike, low blood sugar, low BP.. Water ski is out because of Sun. Bike requires avoiding sunny days. The infrared from Sun heats my skin up. Ditching all tight clothes. etc . . .
It would be great to have a "GD Beginners Guide". Before/After Do/Don't Diet, Sleep. etc I have been a Software Consultant for 35 years, and think like an engineer. Example Blood pressure Standing(low),Sitting(higher), Lying Down(highest). Skin temperature follows BP. Therefore; Standing(lowest), Sitting(higher), Lying Down(highest). So I set bedroom temp to 60 to sleep with no symptoms. Living Room (sitting/standing) to 65. When I was working outside at 60F (with shirt off) I had no itching at all, even when my chest had dozens of blisters. I think like Hercule Poirot, always noting environment and other things. Anyway those are some of my notes since I have gotten GD. One last observation; Dermatologists are like dentists. In, out goodbye.(plus you would like to avoid them) Ive had exposure to 4 different Derms. GP's will spend time and talk with you. My new food guide;
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/multimedia/health-foods/sls-20076653
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My dermatologist actually recommended this site.
Liked by Colleen Young, Connect Director, kg7382, gardeningjunkie, MariannJ
My previous of 30 years retired last year. His practice shutdown. But a new doctor working out of the same location. I made an appointment a month ago and saw him the first time today. I was surprised. He actually heard about cillantro. I told him I heard about it om Mayo-Connect. He will connect himself. This might be the beginning of something new.
PS: got a blender a chopped up 1/2 a bunch with water a frozen blue berries. Could not taste the blue berries, but I found that if I pinched my nose while drinking it, it went down quick and I only notice when I let my nose work.
Don't torture your self. I put honey, fruit, juice, and yogurt in with the cilantro. I blend it for at least a minute on high. I also put two tablets of Lysine in for the itching. I don't even taste the cilantro. How much of each is obviously up to you. I get a full cup of the drink. No reason to hold your nose. Freeze your cilantro and make sure the drink is cold.
@bjbednarz
Good Morning,
I'm curious about your plant-based diet. Would you mind telling me what an average day's menu consist of? Do you mainly eat vegetables?
Thanks,
bjbednarz