"It's Green to be Lean!",,,or "the Anger Management diet",,,or what I did to lose the weight and win the war!!!

A few years ago I lost 30 lbs. because I had eaten some bad sushi. Eventually I gained the weight back and decided that I liked myself better when there was less of me.,,,So I decided to consciously make changes in my diet and here is what I am learning:

In a nutshell,,, I have,,,"STOPPED EATING PROCESSED FOODS!!!" I know it sounds easier said, than done, however, it is actually quite simple. The first thing people say to me is "Then what will I eat?"...

Your body is designed to digest WHOLE natural foods, foods that The Earth, or God or whatever initially supplied for us. Basically we've lost touch with NOURISHING our bodies and we've grown accustomed to eating for PLEASURE. What we need to acknowledge is, that there are two types of food: foods that are TREATS, and foods that are EATS!!!,,or foods that we SHOULD eat!

The KEY is to ENJOY the foods that NOURISH us by breaking our addiction to foods that are not designed for our bodies.Something I've discovered that helps in breaking the bad food addictions, is adding more healthy foods so that my body is satisfied an example would be that I've started eating beans and adding them to many dishes that I love like pasta and rice and vegetables,,,also sardines are a healthy way to break addiction as they are high in Omega's and also calcium,,and flavor,,,I add them to bean dishes also,,

When we eat processed foods our body is not satisfied because it is not receiving the nourishment it needs so it craves more food and so we eat more and we weigh more.

Make a list of all of your favorite fruits and vegetables and then make a list of all of your favorite snack foods. After a few minutes of listing, check to see which list is longer. I've found that I had more knowledge about "junk" food than I did about the plethora of natural foods that are actually available to me in any given grocery store. It's just a matter of looking,,,,

Grocery shopping has become a new hobby for me/I had never realized how many varieties of apples, tomatoes, and fish there are and it is increasingly becoming a stronger passion for me to want to try them all! I've even designed a little cotton grocery sack that I carry with me at all times to remind me to "stock up" as well as to keep the plastic bags from accumulating in my cupboard. (Most grocery stores now offer 10cent back incentives if you use your own bags!!!and as I learned today, Trader Joe's has a weekly raffle for a 35 dollar store credit!!!,,every bit helps!!)

Inside everyone's digestive system there are these little hair-like fingers that are hollow, like drinking straws, called VILLA. The villa are designed to help process the various foods that we eat. Not only do they channel nourishment to the proper places where needed, but they also communicate to your brain that your body is being satisfied, signaling the "full" feeling that causes us to stop eating.

When we eat WHOLE UNPROCESSED FOODS these villa work properly and nourish other parts of our bodies allowing them to function, as they should, as well.

Something that I've learned recently is that when wheat is ground into white flour the friction caused by the intense grinding creates such high heat that all of the natural nutrients in the wheat are completely destroyed. When we eat processed foods (like white flour specifically), the fluids that are designed to help digest our foods, mix with the white flour gluten and incubate in our 98.6 degree bodies, and the process turns the flour into something else that contains the Latin root of the word gluten,,,and this is, you guessed it!,,,glue!!! We joke about having eaten craft paste as children, but what we don't realize is that when we eat white flour gluten we are in fact, actually, eating glue!!!,,,the white paste we joke about,,,and this, in turn, literally gunks up those little VILLA and in some cases causes them to actually break off,,,leaving holes in our tract that allow small undigested particles to leak into other parts of our body. Ever hear of LEAKY GUT SYNDROME? Well, milder forms of this manifest themselves as food allergies. The small particles that leak (example strawberry seeds) become recognized as foreign objects and then the next time we try to eat a strawberry our lips tingle or our mouths swell etc.,,,because our body is telling us that the last time we ate this it caused a problem,,,,

Sooo,,,,if we stop eating the white flour we stop creating holes in our digestive system and the food allergies go away. There is also information regarding how white flour can actually stay in your body undigested for a long period of time and eventually in some cases can actually turn into high-powered drugs like opium and peyote causing sometimes, intense hallucinations as in the cases of some autistic people or schizophrenics. (More about this if you were interested.)

Refined sugar,,,most likely contributes to the food addiction problem by raising our glucose (energy) levels very quickly,,satisfying our need for "immediate satisfaction",,and burning off just as quickly causing us to crash. I read somewhere recently that when we crave sugar, what we are really craving are fruits and vegetables!!!,,,we crave the sugar but we need the fiber as well. Because of the availability of processed foods that turn to sugar quickly, we eventually have confused that craving, but, by adding 3 fruits and 3 vegetables a day, back into our diets we eventually can reverse this craving and it again, becomes a valuable tool.

Grains such as wheat and rice are also glucose or sugar producing and the less processed the grain, the longer it takes to turn to sugar and the better it is for us. Sugar is energy and we certainly need that in our daily lives especially since along with changing our diets, we are also going to add some extra exercise to our routine. I've actually started run/walking and jumping rope recently and I have increased muscle in places that I previously thought impossible. And I've never realized how much fun stretching and doing YOGA can be.

I eat 3 fruits and 3 vegetables daily as well as one PROTEIN of my choice as well as one dairy of my choice (hormone and anti-biotic free of course! Antibiotics contribute to skin sensitivity to the sun making us more susceptible to skin cancers!!)...dairy and green leafy vegetables have been proven to be the best sources of calcium.

Raw nuts and/or one fat of my choice are also included as I've found out recently that our brain tissue is nestled in fat, and if we give our bodies healthy fat then we,,, in turn give our brains a healthy place to rest, allowing it to function at its best (fish supplements are found to supply healthy doses of fat but supplements are something you'll discover on your own I'm sure).

Fiber is very VERY important in every diet and whole grain (not whole wheat as it is mixed with white flour) breads are a wonderful way to enjoy butter or olive oil and what you will find is that whole grain is much more satisfying once you've broken your white flour habit. If I am going to enjoy breads and cereals, I have found that they digest best when combined with other sugar producing foods like fruits and vegetables as opposed to proteins. Fiber is found also in nuts and legumes etc,,,,and as I've discovered while watching the Martha Stewart Show that when eating organic kiwi it is ok and rather yummy to include the seemingly harsh external peel!!! (also, Fiber one makes a collection of wonderful snack bars that are very high in fiber and taste good too!)

TREATS!!!,,,it's good to avoid treats completely in the beginning as they are the reason our bodies are malfunctioning,,as your body heals and your digestive system starts to function more properly and becomes stronger you can subject yourself to the treats that you think that you love,,,in small doses,,and less frequently,,remember,,it's a TREAT!!! NOT what you EAT!!! But in the beginning it's okay to replace your treats with healthier versions like baked goods that include vegetables or fruits,,,and/or trail mix with chocolate pieces,,also WHOLE FOODS BAKERY has yummy vegan brownies and/or I also love the CLIF bars that are low in fat,,,

What you may find in time is that your idea of TREATS,,will change,,, I had the most wonderful organic carrots the other day and it was like I'd never eaten a carrot before,,honestly!!! And as you grow in your interest you'll find healthy ways to make healthy treats,,carrot cake is actually quite natural depending on how it is made and pureeing is a fun way to add fruit and vegetables to most anything that you eat as we can find in Jerry Seinfeld's wife's new cookbook!!!

Organic Shopping vs Conventional etc,,are things you will discover as you learn to navigate the grocery stores in your neighborhood,,,it takes practice but whenever someone says to me "What am I going to eat?" I suggest perusing the vegetable aisles and seeing "what's new" in the squash department or whatever is in season,,I use a method called "deep dish cooking" that has been around since the Joman period or the Aztecs,,,,where you brown a protein of your choice and then cover with at least 3 compatible vegetables of your choice and then cover and let cook on medium for at least 20 minutes!!! In time, you'll learn to eat "in season" and it is quite tasty,,,as well as healthy,,,and you'll never get bored,,,

When eating non-organic always remove outer layer by peeling,,,,,,

And my mother says to always remember to drink 35 to 65 ounces of filtered water a day. And we shouldn't forget that honey is a wonderful alternative to sugar when making iced tea and if eaten daily it can have a regulatory effect on our digestive schedule,,lol,,bottled water could be a vessel for the transference of sythetic estrogen that comes from the plastic and tap water may contain trace amounts of pharmeceudical meds like estrogen and various heart medications etc, due to the excess amounts being circulated, but still drink as much water as you can daily.

Chow4Now,,,,,Kelly Dee

Some additional "food" for thought,,,

Always remember the "Lesser of two Evils!!!" applies sometimes when we are making choices,,,

I thought I'd give a few grocery & cooking tips:(In time you can make your own lists of your own favorites or foods that are available to you,,)

First the grocery list:(buy in season, be flexible to eat what is available and be creative! I recently discovered how wonderful saurkraut is with fish!!! and I've been writing my own cookbook of recipes that work for me!!) A friend shared recently that he did a "kitchen sink" recipe involving a chicken breast, a can of black beans, spinach, onion, cherry tomatoes and some spaghetti sauce,,, and the result was worthy of recommendation!

Grains/Fiber:(some people believe that grains are unnecessary, but I have found that eating either proteins or grains separately but not together is what works for me!!)
oatmeal(steel cut is suggested and organic)
long or whole grain rice
brown rice
cornmeal
buckwheat flour
whole grain flour (if you really need bread in your diet)
sprouted grains (usually in a bread form)
popcorn (but not microwave as it uses chemicals that are now being linked to cancer!)
unprocessed wheat bran or oat bran can be added to anything,,no fat, no sugar and 7 grams of fiber in a 1/4 cup (this fiber is not digested but rather "opens" whatever you have eaten and allows for water absorbtion and helps everything pass through your system more comfortably and easily,,

Fruit:(organic if possible, it requires no peeling and saves you time and allows for more fiber in your diet!)
raisins
apples (you'll be surprised at the varieties available year round!)
oranges
bananas
grapes
kiwi(and feel free to eat the peel if it's organic!)
melons
lemons
emperor's hand
limes
applesauce
canned peaches (if you need to)
add to this list as the seasons fluctuate,,always look for "in season" bargains as they need to be consumed more quickly

Vegetables:(again, Organic is best!)
tomatoes (all sizes shapes and colors!)
tomato sauce(canned or in a jar, jar is best!!)
carrots (all sizes,,I consume first thing in the morning for fiber and sugar!)
celery (organic has the best texture)
onions (any variety from scallions to large bulb)
peppers (again, variety is key, hot, sweet, pickled)
lettuce (leaf is better than iceburg or "head" lettuce,contains more folic acid)
spinach (cooked for highest nutrition value)
squash (and don't forget to sautee or bake the seeds for later snacking it's fiber and fat and protein as well as yummy)
cabbage (slivers of purple cabbage add color and vitamin C and much needed fiber!!)
Jersalem Artichokes(see recipe below!)
Leek soup is a great way to jumpstart a cleanse and garlic cleans your blood and keeps mosquitoes away in the summer!

Dairy:
Greek yogurt (you can sweeten with fruit or honey or granola, homemade granola has less fat)
lowfat cheeses (either yogurt or raw milk are my favorite)
cottege cheese (low-fat or low sodium available and your choice of curd)
milk (your choice of fat content)

soy milk is good to have daily and it comes in a variety of flavors, but check the sugar/fat contents, always best to sweeten plain soy with fresh herbs or honey, or be creative

Protein:
grainburger (chick peas, veggies mixed and dried, just add water!! and saute' or bake!)
tofu (raw or cooked)
soyburgers (available in frozen or dry)
buffalo
chicken
eggs(range-free and you don't have to eat the yolks every time! hardboiled or fried or softboiled or an omelette with lots of vegetables and cheese!!!)
antibiotic/hormone-free beef
fish (Of many variety, but be aware of mercury and carcinogen levels and bottom dwellers, shell fish are designed to purify the water they live in by literally eating the impurities, so that is your choice!!!)
beans,,legumes,,,organic if you can,,,it's good fiber and protein,,I love hummus (homemade is alot of work) but,,I like to eat it right from the spoon as a mini-snack when I want something but don't know what,,it's also good on veggies like cucumbers etc,,

my "nail salon" girl says I should eat cucumbers, tomatoes and lettuce everyday,,,I try,,it's a nice combo,,

Fat:
nuts (organic walnuts, almonds, brazil nuts, cashews, etc,,and raw are best!!)
olive oil
grapeseed oil (has a higher "smoke" temperature than olive oil, also has more saturated fat and I've gained 10 pounds since I started using it,,,google omega 6's,,I'm not sure I'm an advocate...I met a heart attack patient who shared with me that her understanding of this oil is that once it hits it's "smoke" temperature it changes it's structure and it is no longer healthy, she also shared that "people gain wait on this oil!"

Miscellaneous:
Honey
Black strap molasses
Herbs
Spices
Mushrooms in any variety
Clif bars (lower in fat than other's and high in protein for emergency snacks)
Morton's lite salt
salsas
sauces
honey (my favorite is a Canadian honey called Billy Bee however some people swear by "local" honeys which provide exposure to local pollens that cause allergies!)A friend recently brought me fresh unprocessed honey from his family's farm in Turkey,,it had a wonderful citrus taste and was sooo smoothe)
Trader Joe's hotsauce

*choose a "snack" or "treat" and always balance it with something "whole" or healthy like a glass of milk or a piece of fruit; oranges and bananas are a wonderful addition to chocolate

Guilty pleasures, we all have them: I've found that by acknowledging them in print it cuts down the actual craving,,,but, here are some of mine:

chocolate covered oreos
corn chips
dark chocolate covered anything,,,
Spaghettios (neat round spaghetti that you eat with a spoon!)
Fatwitch brownies
Popeye's chicken
KFC

More Food for thought:

Choose your battles...don't be afraid to say "no" when some well-meaning person offers you something you don't want,,,perhaps you are saving your "treat" for something else,,,and when you are not going to be able to excercise avoid processed carbs and sugar completely.

I have staples that I purchase weekly, raw organic plain Greek yogurt that I eat daily mixed with organic honey or fresh berries! It's the best source of calcium and the honey raises your blood sugar enough to give you a boost and helps get your "constitution" flowing.

When eating oats, I add fruit with organic milk and more honey if the fruit is not sweet enough (but usually it is) with a dash or two of cinnamon,,,today I purchased a stick of rhubarb that will be wonderful with some berries.

I usually keep jars of my favorite organic tomato sauce on hand and instead of pasta which is made with white flour,,I pour it over steamed zucchini, yellow squash or any other vegetables that are in season,,,in the Fall I eat lots squash,,,seasoned with anything from garlic to nutmeg and cinnamon.

I keep a seasoning salt called Adobo and Sazon around and it comes MSG free,,,,,for the days when I "just need a little something savory",,,

Some Recipe ideas:

For quick accessible protein I tend to have organic range-free eggs and will separate whites from yolks so as not to have too much cholesterol. (They can be hard-boiled and kept on hand for a quick healthy snack!) My favorite is to make an egg-white omelette with onion, pepper(sweet or hot depending on my mood!), and a third vegetable: squash, potato, tomato, or broccoli and then I melt some of my favorite (raw milk) cheeses over the top,,,for added vegetables a greens salad can be a nice addition to this,,,with tomatoes and carrots or whatever is in season!!

tonight I cooked chicken wings seasoned with Adobo con Sazon covered with potatoes, onion (scallions are a good choice also!), broccoli and steamed until soft,,,then I smothered in Trader Joe's hot sauce,,,

*any meat or meat substitute can be browned in a cast iron skillet and then smothered with 3 or more fresh or frozen vegetables of your choice and the then allowed to steam until desired tenderness. (This is a process called 'deep-pot' cooking and it is one of the earliest documented cooking techniques!)

Just eating veggie is healthy too,,in the Judeo/Christian Bible there are these guys named Daniel, Shadrack, Meshack and Abednigo (they alternate names too depending) but in the story they eat nothing but vegetables and they are bigger and stronger than anyone else in captivity at the time!! Anyway, long story short, I cut a medium size spaghetti squash in half,scraped out the seeds and sauteed for a snack,,, and then placed it like 2 bowls in a large cast iron skillet,,I filled the "bowls" with garlic, spanish onion, green cabbage and kale and I let it steam with some water for about a half an hour,,,then I sprinkled sunflower seeds over it with grey sea salt, fresh ground black pepper, and about 1/2 cup of sweet white wine,,really yum,,,then I just scraped out each bowl,,and I had enough for lunch the next day. Parmesean cheese would have been nice too but I didn't have any.

Experimenting can be fun ,,,one of my favorite discoveries was when I cooked catfish in sauerkraut with applesauce,,,a friend of mine refers to this as 'la cocina povera'! I've recently altered this a bit and submitted it to a recipe contest on the food network!!! I have another recipe for the Durken burger that I've submitted to Top Chef for their next season's "show down",,,

take 2 ounces of ground duck, turkey, and chicken, then grate one small zucchini and mix well in a bowl with some grey sea salt and fresh ground pepper,,,makes 4 small burgers or 2 large,,,brown on one side then flip and then over the top slice a vidalia onion bulb or two and then cut the stems into bit size pieces and throw over the whole thing allowing some to fall and cook in the juices of the meat! To serve use a bun of choice or on a field of greens,,,topped with a dollop of plain no fat greek yogurt and a swirl of Annie's Horseradish mustard!!! It's amazing,,,cucumbers and tomatoes slices and carrot flowers are a great alternative to fries,,!!!

Tonight I made mock pizza,,,,I take all of my favorite toppings,,broccoli, onion, and cheese and I prepared in pieces like I would for a pizza topping and I covered the bottom of my cast iron (you can use teflon or other types but cast iron puts iron into your food and the pan lasts forever!!!) as if on the top of a pizza and then I heated the pan with all of the ingredients(adding a small amount of olive or grape seed oil),, except the cheese and I poured in a splash of water to make steam,,,then I covered and after 5 minutes I added the cheese and covered for another 5 and then I added Trader Joe's hot sauce (or your favorite pizza sauce!!) Serve on a plate or in a bowl,,and it's just like gooey pizza without the crust,,,yum,,,you can add a couple of egg whites if you like to give it some body or add whatever your favorite toppings are,,,pepperoni etc,,sausage, mushrooms. There's a cheese called racelette that is heated on a grill and then spread onto potatoes,,,there are many wonderful and creative ways to melt cheese and enjoy!!!


hmmm?,,,enzymes,,,,the closer we eat fresh produce from the life source the more enzymes we get,,,our bodies do not produce enzymes so we have to eat them,,,, I have a little "chia" garden where I grow my own fresh parsley and basil and cilantro,,,and I can eat from it daily!!

shopping around is fun,,,today I found a produce store with things I've never seen before and can't wait to try,,,,something called a Buddha's hand that looks like a squash of some sort,(oops just googled it... turns out it is a citron, like a lemon! hmm?),,,and the cutest baby corn, and some Jerusalem Artichokes that seem to be in season right now,,,always google or research new items as some can be poisonous if not prepared properly but don't let that deter you,,,rhubarb is one of my fav's,,just don't eat the leaves!!!, and Yuca or Cassaba can be fatal if not prepared the right way, however, Jerusalem Artichokes are safe and can even be eaten raw! However one should be aware that too many can cause "gas" problems or stomache cramping,,(good to know!!)

I sauteed my chokes in Irish butter (mmmmm,,amazingly wonderful!)however, what they do not tell you but my boss warned me, is that they are very dirty and they smell a bit like fried dirt while they are cooking,,so don't be turned off,,you can then add some garlic and spanish onion and cabbage and green pepper and let it steam/fry for about 20 minutes,,then, I smothered in Trader Joe's hot sauce and some greek yogurt and it's totally yum! And I'm full and ready to go,,not to mention that J-chokes have a lower glycemic value so they will not turn to sugar as fast as a regular potato and it becomes "long burning" energy for the start of your day!!!

sauteeing or baking pumpkin and/or squash seeds makes for a nice fiber snack

A few nights ago I made grainburger parmesean with organic tomato sauce: Grainburger sauteed in onion and then topped with melted yogurt cheese and then covered with organic tomato sauce,,,nice

tonight I chopped mushroom into a pan with grapeseed oil and then added some garlic and then turkey strips or nuggets powedered with Jamaican Curry, I then cut up a spanish onion over the top, added 1/4 cup raisins and cooked with the lid (steam/frying) for about 20 minutres and then added three small tabs of pure Irish butter, with two small drizzles of soy sauce and browned for a few minutes,,, I reduced the heat and added a cup of red wine that was just "turning" and cooked on low for another 10 minutes

Find foods that you really like and keep them in stock all of the time,,when they are in season,,eat seasonally,,the key to not binge eating is variety,,,always eat in multiples,,never eat "many" of the same thing,,,and anytime you can, add fruit or vegetables it only takes a minute,,!!!

I made a little crocheted cotten bag that I carry with me all the time to remind me to shop and most stores have incentives for people who use their own bags!!! We've even started selling them in a local shop!!!(I now have a blog for that as well,,and learning about a variety of ways to make them!)

"Less is more",,,,,the more satisfied your body is by nutrients, the less you'll eat,,,

the world is your treadmill,,,

Something I noticed about Britney Spears,,,if you look at photos taken in the beginning of her career she almost always has a bottle of water in her hand,,the first time I remember there being "trouble" was in regards to her throwing a "fountain" drink from a fastfood place at a photographer,,,and then later, everytime you see her she is drinking starbucks etc,,what if she stopped putting all of those chemicals into her body and went back to drinking water again?

It's hard to stay hydrated in the winter when our bodies are subject to the "flight or fight" response that comes naturally,,your organs shrink whenever you are subjected to the cold and it doesn't allow the same capacity you would have in the warmer months,,,so you have to sip more frequently and incorporating fluids into your food choices is wise,,soups and sauces are helpful and hot beverages.

A year ago I was so angry about everything,,,telemarketers were a reason to go berzerk,,!!!,,now, they are the one's turning on me and calling me names,,,lol,,no, it wasn't that bad,,but,changing my diet has brought back my sense of humor and I'm constantly amazed at how my overall mood has changed,,,

Things not to eat: white flour, some people shouldn't have any wheat products at all until their damaged system recovers and then only whole grain, this includes pasta, corn syrup, white sugar, hydrogenated fats, I would rather avoid any fat that is processed and isn't coming straight from a source like seed oils, olive oils, or the fat in raw nuts and the fat that occurs naturally in meat.

So, my new found love in the food department is Unprocessed Wheat Bran (Miller Bran). It's a great colon cleanser and you basically just eat a teaspoon of it in the morning when you wake and then after each meal and then before you go to bed and always wash it down with at least 8 ounces of water,,,you'll find you'll desire more water as your body adjusts,,,it cleans your colon and it also takes away your desire for white flour and sugar products,,,I also am an advocate of "whole" foods,,,whole fat etc,,,as they satisfy what your body needs in smaller amounts,,,I recently suffered ligament damage and found that I was craving fats and proteins which are necessary for healing,,,then I suffered a corneatic abrasion and discovered that Omega 3's are needed,,,and salmon and avacado were desired,,,

portions and proportions,,,,

content,,,,

Personal favorite quotes:

"When a person is ill, first change their diet!" -Hippocrates

"I want to know God's thought's,,,the rest are details!" -Albert Einstein