GOOD FOOD - THE FOUNDATION OF GOOD HEALTH

Since I love to eat, and consider food part of my "medicine" to keep me healthy, I budget higher food prices into my (very modest) budget. Produce is unquestionably the foundation of good health. When you enjoy delicious fruits and veggies because they taste great, then you will keep eating them. That's why taste matters.

  Starre Vartan

 

The quote above mirrors my experience. I have a modest income but most of it goes on fresh fruit and vegetables. I make all our meals from scratch, so as not to rely on chemical additives. 

 

Every Friday I visit the fruit market. We make a day of it. I take my mother and daughter, and Peter usually comes along for the ride. We travel a few suburbs to find the fruit market of choice - the Leisure Coast Fruit Market and Deli at Fairy Meadow.

 My weekly buy always includes sweet potato, cauliflower, lettuce, rocket and mushrooms and then whatever else I need for that week such as carrots, onions etc.

 

The truth is we don't know if cancer and other types of digestive diseases and health problems are connected to the array of additives and chemicals present in so many processed foods. (We do know that nitrates in processed meats are carcinogenic.) Since I had cancer recently I prefer to take a precautionary approach. 

 

Fruit and vegetables are the basis of good health. I love to eat and try new recipes. I like to buy good quality produce because it tastes better. I like to make all my meals from scratch so I know what is in them without the artificial colourings, flavourings, extra sugar and additives to give something a longer shelf life.

 

I have read various opinions about eating organic produce. At this stage I have avoided the extra cost as I am on a limited budget, and they are not available at my fruitmarket.  But this may change.

 

I lost 6 kilograms before Christmas. I managed to put it all back on again over Christmas when I stopped sticking to my Plant Paradox regime. I am back on my eating plan and gradually losing weight again.

 

This style of eating is based on promoting healthy gut bacteria and reducing inflammation. I saw Kelly Clarkson on TV explaining that she had lost a lot of weight following the Plant Paradox program so I decided to give it a try. Unlike other diets I have been on, there is no calorie counting which is great, although there are quite a few restrictions. But it is all healthy eating.

 

I plan to start a new blog based on the Plant Paradox program, providing recipes that I have tried, are budget friendly and have ingredients available in Australia. I'd like to try some of my recipes on this blog first. Maybe I could get some feedback.

 

A granddaughter's christening

(Please note that faces are not shown to protect privacy.)

Our little granddaughter was christened on the weekend. It was held in Helensburgh Catholic church.

 

The baby slept through the service, and barely stirred when she had water poured on her head.

Peter's daughter Megg made a beautiful carrot cake which was cut and shared at morning tea.

A walk by the lake

Peter and I took a walk by Lake Illawarra. The white spots are pelicans. There must have been fish out there. 

Another photo of a dandelion on Peter's front lawn. 

I just couldn't resist it.

Article in Medium

 

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I have written an article for Medium, Do You Feel Like Giving Up? Read This Now.

Interesting sites 

 

1.  Beautiful hiking cabin in Norway

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This cabin was made with 77 panels. Click here to read more. 

 

2. Why don't birds' feet freeze?

 

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 Birds' feet don't freeze in winter. Click here to read why.

3. This 'king' once ruled Antarctica

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This king once ruled the green, lush forests of Antarctica. Click here to read more.

SUCCESS

 Success in life is founded upon attention to the small things rather than the large things; to the every day things nearest to us rather than to the things that are remote and uncommon.

 Booker T. Washington

My word for this year is 'success'. I read somewhere that rather than make New Year resolutions it is good to give yourself a word for the year. So my word is 'success' - I'm not sure in exactly what yet. There are a few things I want to achieve this year.

I would like to get my house under control. I am the only one who lives here, but I collect far too many craft materials and don't have enough time to use them or enough storage to keep hidden away. As a result I tend to move stuff from room to room in an attempt to tidy up. I am not quite sure how I am going to do this, but plan to start on my back room.

My back room

I think I need to make small changes and be consistent with them.

I am keen for Peter and I to find a hobby we can do at home and keep us busy together. We do far to much sitting around, working on the computer and watching TV. We are not bored but I feel that healthwise we need to be more active. I think I might start with some water colour painting and see if I can persuade Peter to do some too.


I would like to increase my fitness. I have customised exercises I should be doing for my knees and my back and I intend to get back to doing them on a more regular basis, as well as get back to walking each day. We seemed to stop doing a lot of good things over Christmas and the New Year. We also ate too much and I went right off my Plant Paradox diet. 

I plan to start a more professional blog. I haven't quite figured out the niche yet - probably Plant Paradox recipes and I need to sort out a few financial aspects so I can afford to set it up.

I plan to start writing a children's book. I have had a few ideas for this for a few years.
 
I don't think these are really resolutions - they are more just general statements of what I would like to do. But now I have written them down and shared them I have made myself accountable.

Tim Herrera suggests the S.M.A.R.T method for setting goals and this may be useful for daily or weekly goals.

Specific: Set concrete, clearly defined goals with specific points of success.

Measurable: Whatever the goal is, find ways to measure progress.

Achievable: Aim high, but within reason. Your goal should be a stretch, but something you could actually achieve.

Relevant: Find a goal that matters enough to you that you’ll be motivated to stick with it.

Time-bound: Set a reasonable timeline for your goal, and focus on the small wins along the way.

I think I need to break my goals down into more measurable bites. This links back to our quote at the beginning - attend to the small things. 

I intend to give the 3x3 method proposed by Michael Hyatt in his podcast Lead to Win. a try. This is where you set up 3 goals for the year; 3 goals for the quarter; 3 goals for the week and 3 goals for the day. He has a great looking journal that goes with the method but with the exchange rate with the US dollar it becomes very expensive.

Why do we make resolutions with the New Year? There is no real reason for it.  It's a completely arbitrary time, but it seems a time we reflect on the past year and think about how we can change things as we embark on the New Year.

Here's a baby pig

My daughter posted this little pig below on Facebook and I thought I would share it with you.

Kimchi

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 I decided to try making some Kimchi. I haven't really used it before. I was interested because it is fermented and according to the  diet program I am following, good for gut bacteria.I found the recipe here  for ginger, carrot, daikon Kimchi (Vegan.) 

The recipe made 2 jars. 

 

So far I have used it in a stir fry and it was quite tasty, and on an open sandwich with tuna.

Poetry

I love poetry and come across many poems in my reading. this is one i would like to share. It is beautiful and somehow haunting.


To The New Year

 W.S.Merwin

With what stillness at last

you appear in the valley

your first sunlight reaching down

to touch the tips of a few

high leaves that do not stir

as though they had not noticed

and did not know you at all

then the voice of a dove calls

from far away in itself

to the hush of the morning

so this is the sound of you

here and now whether or not

anyone hears it this is

where we have come with our age

our knowledge such as it is

and our hopes such as they are

invisible before us

  untouched and still possible



Interesting sites



1. Great rooms of 2018

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These are the most liked rooms for 2018 on Apartment Therapy. Click here to see them.




2. Mermaid paintings

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Click here to see the mermaid paintings of Ralph Cahoon.





3. The comfort trap.

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Why the pursuit of an easier life creates a harder one and what to do instead. Click here to read more.

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS GARBAGE

“There is no such thing as garbage, just useful stuff in the wrong place."

  Alex Steffen

This statement resonates with me. I can always see something that can be made out of something else even if it is rubbish. I actually have to fight the urge to keep things such as branches I cut off trees. I love to look through the piles of 'rubbish' people put out on their footpaths for council pick up.

The problem is that I collect art and craft books, and supplies, but never seem to get around to doing much.

In fact this hope of creating things has led to a lot of the clutter in my house - a lot of clutter. I am always planning to sort it out but seldom seem to have the time.

I came home the other day and found this stump where quite a large tree had been growing on my front footpath.

Marks on the road showed that the tree had fallen diagonally right across the road. It must have blocked the road completely. I had been out all day and by the time I had arrived home it had been sawn up and removed. I must admit I was quite pleased I didn't have to deal with it. I was extremely grateful that it didn't fall the other way and smash onto the roof of my house. And thankfully because it was on the front footpath rather than on my property, it seems I won't have to pay for the tree's removal.

A couple of days later unbeknown to me someone came and removed the tree stump. All that is left of a 38 year old tree is a patch of dirt.

I must admit I was a bit disappointed at the stump's quick disappearance. I did have visions of transforming it into a coffee table such as the ones below (The top two were both actually listed on Etsy for well over $2,250 Canadian.)

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Or I would have liked it as a focal point in my garden. I could have used it as a planter like the ones below, which have nicely weathered.

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But it was whisked away before I knew it or had broached the subject of keeping it with Peter. Not that I need his permission, but I would need his expertise - even just to move it. Peter knows me well and I imagine he was just waiting for me to suggest I keep the stump, and was quite relieved when it was gone.


Cauliflower Casserole

Cauliflowers have been cheap, although they are becoming a bit more expensive now as we move into summer in Australia. Peter and I enjoy casseroled cauliflower and sometimes we'll have it as a meal for lunch. It is Plant Paradox compliant (a diet I am following) as long as you use the right cheese and milk substitute.

 Cauliflower Casserole Recipe

 Ingredients

• 1 cauliflower

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil

• 1 tablespoon arrowroot (or 2 tablespoons plain flour)

• 1 cup of milk or milk substitute (I use almond milk)

• 1 1/2 cups grated cheese ( I use Parmigiano-Reggiano)

• Sesame seeds (optional)

Instructions 
1.  Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
2.  Cut cauliflower into florets and steam.
3.  Spread out in single layer in 9x9 inch oven safe dish.
4.  Heat olive oil in saucepan over medium heat.
5.  Add arrowroot and cook for 2 minutes while stirring .
6.  Slowly add milk (or milk substitute) and keep stirring.
7.  Bring to a boil and continue stirring as mixture thickens.
8.  Remove from heat and stir in cheese until it melts. 
9.  Spoon cheese sauce over cauliflower.
10.Sprinkle over sesame seeds.
11.Cook for 30 minutes in oven or until browned.




Interesting sites


1. Theatre is inspiration for tiny house

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When this family decided to build a Tiny House they used they're daughter's passion for theatre as the inspiration for the design. Click here to read more


2. 10 reasons why Finland's education system is best

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Finland's education is consistently ranked top in the world. Click here to read more



3. Global warming will affect beer consumption

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Global warming will mean a reduction in beer consumption because it will affect the production of barley. Click here to read more.

FOOD

Food is not rational. Food is culture, habit, craving, identity.  

Anonymous

For most of us food isn't just a way of getting energy. It is a form of pleasure. The consumption of food is so often a social occasion, either within or outside the family. In Australia Christmas dinner is the big meal of the year.

Food has fashions. Of course in Australia avocados are very fashionable at the moment, as is coffee drinking (I am actually an almond latte drinker). Scientific research tells us what we should and shouldn't eat, and this changes over time as medical science improves.

The way I eat now is very different from the way I ate as a child. I ate biscuits and cakes (which were home cooked) three times a day. I had some at recess, some at lunch time and then after school. There was always dessert at night - always home made. Meat was always the main item on the plate for dinner, accompanied by individual vegetables which had been boiled until they were soft and mushy. By the time I had my own children, cakes and sweets were much more limited and dinners more varied.

One of the results of post-war immigration has been the changing nature of our diets. It has widened to include Asian foods such as stir fries and European foods such as spaghetti bolognaise. Both these dishes are now 'everyday' dishes on our dinner tables. These days the sky's the limit, as the range of ingredients available increases.

I have tended to follow general healthy food fashions, always choosing whole grain over white bread; cutting my red meat consumption and eventually becoming pescaterian (the only flesh I ate was fish); choosing low fat where possible; and at one stage virtually eliminating eggs.

During most of this time I have battled with my weight - losing weight and putting it on. Losing weight and putting it on. Over and over again. I always maintained a reasonable weight (In fact when I look back I was quite thin) until I was 40, when I started taking anti-depressants.

One of the problems was that I now started eating breakfast. Before that time, since my teens, I had always been too anxious to eat breakfast in the mornings (although I didn't realise this was the problem until I stopped feeling anxious)  and now this was extra calories. And the other problem is that unless you are careful it can be easy to put on weight when on some types of anti-depressants.  Before I knew it my weight had increased majorly. I just didn't seem to be able to lose a significant amount. In fact as I grew older I found that the 1500 calories (6000 kilojoules) I used to lose weight on didn't work any more and that I needed to stay around 1500 calories just not to put on weight. I was tired of dieting all the time to stay overweight and just not put any more weight on.

A few years ago I tried the Paleo or Primal diet. I found this didn't work for me. I wanted to keep my diet as a pescetarian,
and I probably didn't look into it enough so my diet was just too limited.

Now 7 years later I am trying the Plant Paradox diet.

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So far I have been on it for 7 weeks and it seems to be successful. It is all to do with gut bacteria and something called lectins which are found in foods. I gave myself a few weeks to organise foods and then began by substituting one meal at a time. There is no calorie counting.

I began with breakfast. Breakfast is now a cup of frozen blueberries; 3 tablespoons of coconut yogurt (not coconut flavoured yogurt); 2 teaspoons of hemp seeds and 2 teaspoons of flax seeds for Omega 3; 4 teaspoons of psyllium husks for fibre; and 2 teaspoons of stevia to sweeten it.

This keeps me satisfied for quite a few hours.

Virginia Woolf wrote,  One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.” I have found this to be true. When you are hungry, it becomes all consuming. When I have dieted before, I just lived for my next meal and all I could think about was food. But on the Plant Paradox diet I don't find I am hungry and don't particularly miss the foods I can't eat. I have lost 5 kilos in 7 weeks and I don't count calories. Hurrah! I will write a little more about it next week.

 
The past week

Last Wednesday we went out on Lake Illawarra in Peter's boat. The water was very calm.

The pelicans were out in force.

It was a hazy day looking out across the lake to the mountains.

We motored down toward the lake's entrance.

Beautiful poem

In my reading I came across the poem below. It brought tears to my eyes. My father died when I was 10 years old - eleven years before I was married. This poem made me think of him and how wonderful it must be to have a father who felt like the father in this poem. It is a beautiful poem so I thought I would share it with you.

And I thought I would share a photo of my father as he is someone who deserves to be remembered.

“Heirloom of Love” (Poem from the Father Of The Bride) by Angie

There she sits before her mirror,
Primping in excitement, her face flushed.
Today is her day; she will never know
How much I hurt, how scared I am
Of the void she will leave behind.
Will she forget me? I’ll be replaced
By someone new, someone who makes her heart
Dance in her chest, a drumbeat.
Will he, can he protect her as I’ve done?
I have no choice but to trust…
I seethe with an almost-rage,
An unfounded, illogical jealousy, an anger
For what he is taking from me.
I am selfish. She is my joy, my life
I would die for her.
Today I will. A thousand times.
Then she turns to look at me.
In her beautiful face I see worry.
For me? She sees the unspilled tears
She knows. Of course, she knows.
She comes to me.
And with the smallest kiss, the subtle smile
All is well. She is still mine.
She will always be mine
In a different and wonderful way.
She is a part of me.
She will move on, she will give others joy,
And I am comforted knowing her goodness
Will be shared by everyone she touches,
And I am okay and proud, and I take her hand
To give her to her love, her new life.
I swell with almost unbearable pride
To have created something so perfect!
She was never mine to keep, this supreme being
Perfect to me. Shining, golden, priceless…
My heirloom of love.
And there he goes, that handsome, kind man
With his new bride, my daughter, my soul.
Does he know what has been passed to him?
He could not know, not yet,
But time will show him; he will realize.
Someday it will be his turn.
He will have to pass her essence on,
In his daughter, my granddaughter,
Our heirloom of love.
Will he weep? With loss, with anger?
Will he sit alone in his daughter’s room
Filled with love and happiness…sadness?
No, content. A deep breath will help him stand
As I do now, and I walk with trembling lips
And chin held high. I leave this room.
I close the door.

I read this poem and it makes me sad as I think of how much I missed not having my father over the years.

Interesting sits




1. 2018 Wildlife Photographs of the Year

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 Beautiful photos from 2018 Wildlife Photographs of the year. Click here to see them.


2. Helping children with spelling

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This is an interesting article suggesting that we should teach children the origin of words to help them with sprlling. Click here to read more.


3. Japanese man who saved thousands of Jews

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Chiune Sugihara was a Japanese man who saved 6,000 Jewsa dring the Holocaust through his handwriting. Click here to read more.