quilter1024's Journal, 27 March 2018

One other thing. There is a great official FOK closed group on FB with almost 120,000 members that's really active. It's also tightly moderated, unlike FS, so you don't have to deal with the trolls here if you don't want. Message me & I'll tell you how to find it, if you have any trouble. Can't promise a direct link, as FS loves to break links, but it's easy to find. 

Why have you determined you need to go totally plant based? 🤷🏻‍♀️ I understand the Lupus but most of the nightshade vegetables are things that may or may not give you problems with inflammation and keeping a sensible mix converting slowly can lead to better results. They actually put out a transition cookbook for Forks over Knives for people transitioning away from a meat heavy diet that you might look for. 💁🏻‍♀️I have done similar by shifting my emphasis in my meals to meat as a flavoring not an entire meal! LOL I was awful about that growing up! Now most of my protein is plant based, but not all if it. I don’t deal with Lupus. And to get my A1c’s in line Keto has been a very good fit with my lifestyle and non processed foods. Good luck!🙋🏻 

I got a book from the library also, I can cut out cheese and eggs no problem but it’s hard for me to cut meat out of my diet , but cutting back and eating clean . It’s not easy . Good luck 

the key is to think in variety and abundance. there are over 20,000 edible veggies on the planet. create a 90 day calendar with different meals and keep experimenting 

Eating a super simple meal tonight as worked 2 hours overtime and have 1.5 hours before bedtime from the time getting home. Mayo-coba beans I cooked over the weekend, a wild rice and brown rice mix, also cooked over the weekend topped with a spicy Indian seasoning called taraka that I make and always have on hand. Also with a couple slices of homemade all grain and seed bread toasted with a bit of butter. Should have made some quick veggies but exhausted. Complementary proteins. FYI FS does not calculate them on the food diary. 4 fruit and veggie servings earlier in the day and will have another serving of fruit.  

Forks over Knives critique: https://deniseminger.com/2011/09/22/forks-over-knives-is-the-science-legit-a-review-and-critique/ 

I'm not vegan per se, but am vastly reducing animal products to combat high cholesterol, this after watching "What the Health". It takes some thinking and experimenting, but you can find ways to eat plant-based without breaking the bank. Avocados in bulk, nuts, lots of green veggies, eggplant and mushrooms are good meat alternatives, olive oil instead of butter, etc. Good luck! 

I have been almost planted based for 6 years, it reversed a liver problem i had due to a drug I took for my medical reasons metatexrate. It almost destroyed my liver, After my liver got back to normal I still am almost 98% plant based. Its super easy and I love to cook. I eat quite well and love most plant based food, We do eat a lot of rice , and make a lot of lentil burgers and tacos and pizza ! 

My partner is diabetic and him following forks over knives diet lowered his a1c down to 6 from a high of 12  

I have also watched What the Health and numerous others. Eating plant based is so much cheaper than meat and so much better for me. I honestly could not afford a meat based WOE. Just for me my food bill including my coffee addiction averages about $30.00 a week. I do eat some as I live in a meat based world here in Kansas City area and the land of BBQ. I make killer BBQ but now eat little of it but cook it for others. Dinner tonight veggie burger made from a veggie and bean soup that I made too much of and froze the resulting patties and a potato pancake. I had plenty of fruits and veggies earlier in the day.  

MMM you are a quilter??? I think I talked to you a couple years ago, not sure. Quilting for me is a passion that I don't get to do often lately. I am also a long arm quilter. I'm currently working on a paddle star quilt.  

FYI I used to own a restaurant here in the Midwest and we catered many dinners for a national slaughterhouse and meat processing plant. We also used their products. I was in and out of their plant often and had a number of personal tours given by the managers there. I've been on the killing floors as well as every processing area. I still will not eat hotdogs, sandwich meat or most commercial sausage, nasty stuff goes into them. I still have pictures in my mind of the killing floors that kinda haunt me when I eat meat. I've killed chickens for meat years ago, never again, I ended up throwing up and no one could eat the meat. I now have chickens for eggs only.  

I don’t have to go to killing floors to be turned off to meat. I have a really hard time with it and rarely eat it, was a vegetarian for years and will probably go back to a modified version of that diet. Great for any vegan/vegitarian/meat limited dieters out there.  

dryphtyr, It's difficult to get you name correct. LOL I like your comments on the studies re: auto immune diseases. I know since I've gradually decreased meats in my WOE I have had less and less arthritis pain, strength training helps as well. Renaud's syndrome is less troublesome and my very mild fibro is nearly nonexistent. I'm not vegetarian but eat that way most of the time. Definitely not vegan as I do eat eggs and some dairy.  

I've been a vegetarian since I was a rebellious (sort of) teenager way back in 1978. I've lived most of my life in rural communities, and I don't know too many other vegetarians in non-digital life... . I've had to learn to be creative - if there's a recipe you like, see if you can modify it to something that works for your health needs. If the issue is that you just don't like veggies and don't know how to work them into your diet, there's a book called "The Sneaky Cook" out there - it's not vegetarian, but it does offer a lot of tips on sneaking veggies into food (the primary objective is to feed picky kids, but what works on kids can work on us grownups, too!). A few "for examples" (keep in mind that I'm not sure what is lupus-safe, so these are just jump off suggestions): Very finely grate (or puree, even) carrots, zucchini, beets, mushrooms, and other veggies and add them to a sauce (obviously, this wouldn't work for strongly tasting things like cabbage that would stick out like a sore thumb); add finely ground veggies of your choice to baked goods (e.g., blueberry muffins with grated zucchini, "morning glory" muffins with carrots, walnuts, and raisins) - if you can't eat wheat flour anymore, google keto and/or gluten-free baking, there are tons of recipes out there. You can add all kinds of veggies to soups, and just puree it if you want to hide them... kind of a theme running here, eh? :) If you're talking protein, I eat a lot of beans, tofu, nuts, and seeds (I eat whole grains, too, so I end up with all the essential amino acids by the end of the day). I also eat egg whites (I can't have the yolks because of my genetically acquired high cholesterol levels), non-fat Greek yogurt, and low- and non-fat cheeses. I tend to make a lot of casseroles and soups. Good luck to you!!! 

I have started slowly on this diet! First I was still eating grilled fish and eggs. But my husband, myself and a friend went to Outback Steakhouse last night and I had all veggies, a salad w\vinagerette and the whole wheat bread and ask for no butter on any of it. I was so proud of myself and then they ordered the carrot cake! Well I was strong, not even a bite but really wanted it! That was the first time in over 3 weeks that not having a certain food that bothered me. My main thing to fix that keeps me satisfied when I'm home is roasting my favorite veggies to eat any time! I also love hummus and I've been making my own lately and I dip it with baked tortillas. I also bought the Boca original vegan patties and make burgers with the 45 calorie bread and all the trimmings. (pickles, tomato, mustard). I have the burgers for a my protein and all kinds of beans and nuts for my protein. I look on Pinterest for whole food plant based ideas too! I will be glad to be your diet buddy if you need any help! Nan 

wholefoodnut - Thanks. Glad you're seeing results. The research on autoimmune diseases is definitely in its infancy, but the early research is very promising. I'm not necessarily convinced the meat & dairy is the whole story, but the fact that the people regulating our food supply are the same people profiting off of it definitely gives me pause. None of the animal products found in stores these days are more than superficially similar to what was available 40 or 50 years ago. I don't think it's a coincidence that all these diseases have skyrocketed in that same period. 

dryohtyr, I think a lot of it for me is a dependence on foods with little or no processing which has led me to primarily plant based. My body cannot handle the chemicals, artificial scents and dyes added to processed foods, household products or cosmetics. Much of our meat supply is similarly injected, so for me any meat, poultry or fish (my SIL keeps me supplied with lake caught catfish) I purchase carefully with that in mind.  

:)