Macaroni And Cheese – Weight Loss Diet Solutions

Food History: The Founding Foodies

Since our trip to Monticello a week and a half ago, I’ve been a little consumed with all things Thomas Jefferson. I’ve watched two documentaries (though I’ve fallen asleep- a habit of mine), and am now reading The Founding Foodies by Dave DeWitt.

I’m very interested and slightly obsessed with knowing how and what people ate. Did food taste the same? Where did they get their food? I know that Thomas Jefferson was a big fan of ice cream, wine (and making wine jelly), macaroni and cheese and ate more vegetables than meat. During colonial times pigs, followed by fish were the main sources of protein.

I’m not someone who believes that we should eat exactly like our ancestors (yes, another contradiction) mainly because food wasn’t regarded as it is today. They ate what they had access to and just didn’t have the information that we have today. Food history, like all history, is complex. It weaves and turns and sometimes, like now, it just doesn’t always make sense. Though, I will say that I’m even more convinced that the modern overeating/fat issue derives from having too much convenience food. It’s easier now to pack away the food than it was a hundred or more years ago.

I don’t believe that history makes something authentic. It’s easy to get caught up in the “good ol’ days” mentality. That unless people were doing it, listening to it, or eating it a hundred years ago means we should be doing the exact same things today. I wouldn’t trade my modern freedoms for the past, but I will happily pick and choose lessons from another time.

Before, if you wanted ice cream you had to find a source of cream which wasn’t always available. Then you had to find sugar which was heavily taxed at certain points in history. And then you had to churn it (or in Jefferson’s case, have it churned for you) with a hand crank. And then after all that, you probably didn’t have a whole gallon to yourself. There were guests, and children who were vying for a scoop too. It’s not ice cream that is the problem. It’s the abundance and ease to which ice cream comes today. I could plop down $5 at my local grocer and get a decent pint, or gallon of ice cream depending on my mood. And if there’s a sale, I could buy one and get one free.

Not to mention that most of the cheaper varieties come from abused and medicated cows. The sugar is replaced with corn (did you know that Benjamin Franklin loved corn and may have started the corn crop popularity in America? He often made beer from corn sugar among other things.)

This is what Michael Pollen means, in Food Rules, when he says if you want junk food, make it yourself. This is why I’ve often said to people what you see me eat, isn’t the reason for my weight. A normal portion of pretty much anything won’t make you fat. My excess weight comes from the indulgences you don’t see. The abundance that is hard to control. Because it is so easy to just eat and eat and eat. It’s cheap.

What if we had to source the ingredients for all the food that we overeat today? What if I had to kill a cow and clean it every time I wanted a burger? What if I had to grow the potatoes, harvest them, cut them, fry them every time I wanted a french fry? Or milk a cow, skim the cream, find the sugar, hand churn the ice cream? It would take real work and maybe a better appreciation for food when actual work is involved with consumption.

Taking a peak into history helps shift my perspective. And I’m left wondering how I can apply some of these principles to my modern life? Leave some of the stuff in the past, like heavy drinking, because I know better, but picking up the extra work involved with eating.

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Other updates. I finally lost my water weight and am thinking I’m going to add another 2-3 pound loss this week. I’ve gotten better at moderation, even with a couple of days off on the weekends. I’ve found that I can have moderate, portioned treats on the weekend without feeling guilty or totally derailing my efforts. More on all of this time come.

I’m going through a few personal/career changes, that are all very good at the moment. This means that I won’t be able to post or analyze my food and exercise consumption like I would like in the next month. This could be a good thing! I will still post when I can, and update my weight losses, but I won’t be able to document every time I exercise or eat eggs for breakfast. Just know that I’m still around doing what I need to do, I just have a little less internet time until things settle in around September.

Vegetarians do not eat meat but it does not mean that their meals are bland and tasteless. Vegetarian recipes are not only healthy but they are also flavorful. If you try using fresh vegetables in your main courses more often you will realize that a vegetarian meal will make a healthy, delicious difference in your diet. Healthy vegetarian recipes can be found everywhere on the internet.
Vegetarian recipes are often economical. A balanced vegetarian diet provides all the essential nutrients that the human body requires.

Because vegetarian meals are often low-calorie, they help keep the weight down naturally. Vegetarians rarely suffer from illnesses linked to fat consumption.

Because of the health benefits of vegetarian recipes, more and more people are becoming vegetarians. People who eat vegetables are less likely to be obese or suffer from heart disease, kidney diseases, or diabetes. Vegetarians have lower blood pressure and fewer incidents of digestive tract disorders.

Getting the Right Amount of Nutrients

Contrary to what many people believe, meat and fish are not the only sources of protein. Healthy vegetarian recipes can also provide all the essential amino acids that the body needs. Rice and beans, macaroni and cheese, bean-vegetable chili with tortillas, and cheese rolled in chopped nuts are just a few vegetarian recipes that provide protein and other nutrients.

Citrus fruits, peppers, melons, cabbage and strawberries are good sources of Vitamin C. Vegetarians take in calcium from soy milk, almonds, artichoke, broccoli, carrots, kale, peanuts, spinach, lima beans and peas.

Getting enough iron can be tough for vegetarians, but there are vegetarian foods that are rich in iron including Swiss chard, lima beans, whole grains, spinach, lentils, blackstrap molasses, quinoa, and tofu. Vitamin C improves the absorption of iron and must be included in a vegetarian diet.
A Healthy Vegetarian Dinner Recipe

Once you’ve tasted this Homemade Black Bean Burger recipe, you’ll never want to eat frozen veggie burgers again.

Ingredients:

? 1 (16 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed

? 1/2 green bell pepper, cut into 2-inch pieces

? 1/2 onion, cut into wedges

? 3 cloves garlic, peeled

? 1 egg

? 1 tablespoon chili powder

? 1 tablespoon cumin

? 1 teaspoon hot sauce

? 1/2 cup bread crumbs

Directions:

1. If grilling, preheat grill. If baking, preheat oven to 375F and lightly oil a baking sheet.

2. In a bowl, mash black beans with a fork until pasty.

3. In a food processor, finely chop bell pepper, garlic and onion. Stir the chopped vegetables into the mashed beans.
4. In a small bowl, stir together the egg, chili powder, cumin and hot sauce.

5. Add the egg mixture into the mashed beans. Add the bread crumbs and mix until the mixture is sticky and holds together. Divide mixture and form into four patties.

6. If grilling, place patties on a foil and grill about 8 minutes on each side. If baking, place patties on baking sheet. Bake about 10 minutes on each side.

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