Food

I've been here and there and most everywhere, experimenting with food the last several months.  In late summer, I had some "mild autoimmune activity" which caused me some joint pain.  In particular, my feet, my hands, and my knees hurt.  It got worse in early fall, and I decided to get a food sensitivities test (thanks, Dad!). The results of these kinds of things are always interesting.  My biggest vice: beer.  Malt and barley and brewer's yeast were all way high.  Also, eggs, dairy, baker's yeast, and some other various (seemingly random) foods.  So, I avoid beer and eggs and rarely eat bread (though cheat occasionally).  Then I read Wheat Belly and was waning in desire for wheat products.  Then I read most of Skinny Bitch (really because it was so funny, at least for awhile) and explored veganism.

There are so many diets out there.  I'm less interested in the diets that are geared toward weight loss.  What I want (and I believe most people want) is to feel vibrant and energized.  But, whether it's my personality or whatever, I never seem to stick to one diet.  I think it's because I don't believe in any of them strongly enough to totally shift my lifestyle.

But now, after all this experimenting, I have decided this: vegetables and fruit and nuts are energy producers.  Dairy is inflammatory and does nothing good for your immune system.  Meat, well, I just don't crave it (unless I'm in the company of Carlos!), so I don't feel the need, and don't believe we need it for protein.  These things combined point me to the vegan diet. Since I'm not an extremist, I will consider myself vegan-lite for now.  What this means to me is that when I am cooking for myself, I will choose to eat vegan.  When others are feeding me, I will enjoy what their labor has produced for me.  Occasionally, there will be times when I enjoy a bite of ice cream or even a hamburger.  I vow to do this guilt-free, because I strongly believe that food and guilt should not be mixed.

What it comes down to is this: veggies and fruit and wine and nuts are appealing to me, and they're good for me.  So why not?

Tonight, I cooked for myself.  I surprised myself by making something delicious and vegan.  Here it is:

2 red onions, sliced

4 cloves garlic, smashed

1 carrot, sliced

1 package shredded brussel sprouts

cook these things in a pot with a generous amount of olive oil and a little balsamic vinegar.

when soft, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and sliced almonds. 

yum!