A Kinder, Gentler Diet

I was watching an episode of Oprah the other day, which included the makers of the documentary, "Food, Inc." as well as Alicia Silverstone, actress, vegan and the author of the book "The Kind Diet".

At first I found the subject matter mildly interesting, but within minutes I was transfixed. So much of what was shared resonated with me. When it was over, I added "Food, Inc." to our Netflix queue and logged onto Amazon to send "The Kind Diet" on it's way.

One of the biggest messages I took away from the interview with the "Food, Inc." producer, is how cheap calories are ruining our country's health. The cheapest food is always the most processed, least nutritional...but it's cheap and fills kids' bellies...so the majority of our country lives on it. But we are paying an even bigger price with our health. This producer posed the question, "Do we want to pay a slightly higher price now for real, whole, nutritional food...or a MUCH higher price later through the cost of our health care (and I would add...the LOSS of our good health...can you put a price on that?)?

Alicia Silverstone (who, although I recognized, I couldn't have told you what she actually performed in) talked about how her health was transformed through using food as medicine and giving up things which were toxic to her body...how she gained energy and lost the fatigue and puffiness and feels like a million bucks. That's what I want...to wake up feeling like I have actually slept...to not have to drag myself through the morning and feel exhausted by dinner time.

When the book arrived, I read it in two days and was excited to get started. Since many of the ingredients are Japanese, it's been easy to find lots of produce, beans, sea vegetables and other ingredients (like miso) in the Japanese markets, but finding some western ingredients has been more of a challenge. It's not like we have a Trader Joe's or a Whole Foods over here. The commissary is it, as far as western shopping, and I've spent a couple of long shopping trips scouring the aisles...and mostly, have found a lot of what most of America eats...lots of processed "pseudo-healthy" foods full of lots of what we don't need (sodium, fat, hormones, chemicals, preservatives). There are a few gems here and there...but it has been very challenging to find substitutes for dairy, sugar and eggs for cooking, and meat substitutes (other than beans and tofu) like those made from grains, that are more readily available in the States.

The (not so) funny thing is, reading this book, I've found so much of it is right in line with The Word of Wisdom* but we (as a church) usually just focus on the "don't drink or smoke" parts...and not on the "only eat meat in times of famine and cold" and "eat plenty of whole grains, fruits and vegetables" parts.

Anyway, the author is vegan, so she doesn't use any animal products at all...but she has done a lot of research, and I've used some of her footnotes to read more about some of the things that intrigued me. This post could be really long, so I'll just get to the point by saying that four days ago, I decided to try 30 days meat, dairy, sugar and caffeine free. The caffeine shouldn't be a problem...it just means I'll be drinking water (yet again) instead of Diet Coke on the rare occasion I eat out on the base (off base usually only offers water or tea, anyway). The sugar is going to be a challenge, I know. I really don't like beef or pork, anyway...so that shouldn't be a big deal. Chicken...and especially seafood...will be tougher. (Although from what I read in her book about seafood...whether it be fresh from the sea or "altered" from the farm...makes it seem a whole lot less appetizing right now. Same with the chicken.)

At any rate, more importantly than what I'm giving up...I am having to eat a whole lot of yummy, whole, fresh food. Which has meant more prep time...but I'm really enjoying it so far.

My plan has been to make the same thing for the whole family, but to also offer meat on the side (like turkey breast or fish) so they can add it if they like. Surprisingly, everyone but Jake (who is worried we are all turning into hippie freaks) has jumped on the bandwagon to one extent or another. Troy and Patrick even read the book.

Here's an example of what we're eating:


Rice Pilaf with Caramelized Onions



Baby Bok Choy Drizzled with Ume Vinaigrette



Dinner is served!

These recipes are both from the book, which contains LOTS of yummy stuff. I'm also looking for more via the Internet and a great site called Vegweb.com. SO many recipes to try!

Do I think I'm going to become a Vegan? No. I think I will occasionally eat fish and chicken. But I want to spend these 30 days sorting out what feels right for my body and detoxing from all the garbage I've been feeding it, and I'll take it from there. I'll let you know how it's going.

* (from Mormon.org) "A law of health revealed by the Lord for our physical and spiritual benefit. In this revelation the Lord commands us not to use alcohol, tea, coffee, tobacco, and harmful or habit-forming substances, and promises blessings for obeying this commandment."