GOSSIP FROM THE GIRLFRIEND GATHERINGS

Learning from YOU to empower ME !

Get A Grip on Change – Greta Grypp Report #4

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SuperChgWomanGreta and I have collaborated FANTASTICALLY for the month of April.   On March 23rd I started the Virgin Diet and as of the date of this blog post I have lost 19 lbs.   Please note that I did not do any exercising during that period.   My success was all because I changed the food that I ate each day.   However, I know that in order to continue to have this success I need to reincorporate daily exercising again.

As I mentioned in last month’s post, I eliminated corn, soy, dairy, eggs, gluten, peanuts, and sugar/artificial sweeteners from my food intake.    The past two weeks, I reintroduced dairy and eggs to my diet.   Also, I had a couple of meals with friends that were non-organic even though I ate foods that were on the eating plan.   I did experience a negative reaction to this change and the weight loss did slow down.   So, I am reverting back to eliminating dairy and eggs again for several more weeks as suggested by the Virgin Diet.   It is apparent that I do have some food intolerances which evidently caused my weight gain.   I can never go back to eating eggs and dairy in the manner that I have for most of my life.

The next step is to keep eating organic and clean.    Even though the food costs more it is so tasty!   The fruits and vegetables are scrumptious.   I am eating a lot of wild fish and pasture-raised chicken with the occasional grass-fed rib-eye steak (I am a Texan).   I use spices and seasonings from Penzeys (http://www.penzeys.com) to switch up my taste buds so that I don’t get bored eating the same thing.   I have discovered that because the food is so tasty I don’t need to eat as much to feel satisfied.

There is an organization I want to follow that promotes “food as medicine” which I now believe is the purpose of food.    We human beings have re-purposed food into something that has made a lot of us sick.   Now that I have experienced the benefits of a few weeks of change, I want to move forward and I think following Ali Miller, RD, LD, CDE of Naturally Nourished (http://www.naturallynourishedrd.com) is the best next step for me.   I plan to attend one of her speaking events at the Urban Harvest Farmers’ Market that is scheduled several times a month.   I am also interested in some of her cooking classes.   Check out the website for some great healthy recipes.

Overall, I feel great.   I have lots of energy.   I am not dragging out of bed each morning.   I am not “foggy” in my thoughts.   The best benefit is that I still have enough energy at the end of my work day to come home and write.

QUESTION(S):

What do you think about the “food as medicine” philosophy?

 

The Best Things in Life #8 – Eating Desserts

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One of the very best things in my life is eating desserts.   I love them.   I am the person that walks into a restaurant and checks out the dessert tray or dessert menu first  – usually makig an entrée choice based on my dessert review.

Growing up, I was lucky to be born into a family of great cooks.   My mother baked a homemade-from-scratch dessert every day……peach cobbler, banana pudding, sweet potato pie, etc.   If I visited one of my grandmothers and/or aunts, there was a homemade dessert in their kitchens, too.    It was normal.   It was natural.    We (the kids) had to eat all of our other healthy foods to acquire approval to eat dessert but it was never a problem because we had a cousin who would (upon request) eat the food item you didn’t like for you………squash, broccoli, beets, spinach, etc……..I always wondered if he had normal taste buds.

It was heartbreaking when I became an adult and finally realized I could no longer eat dessert every day.    At first, I thought my clothes were shrinking and then I acknowledged that I was actually growing larger.    So, I had to accept that I would have to enjoy my desserts in moderation.   Now, I have dessert only for special occasions and holidays – sometimes splitting them with friends.     However, I must admit the moderation step has only made desserts more desirable.    As they say, the forbidden fruit (or dessert) is always sweeter!

Here are a few desserts from some of my favorite Houston restaurants:

Dessert 4 Dessert 2 Dessert 1

 

 

QUESTIONS:

Do you eat desserts?

If so, how often do you eat them?

NaBloPoMo #6 – How Do I Balance Good Nutrition and Good Taste?

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Good looking and good tasting food is very important to me.    In my quest to eat healthier, I strive to find those healthy food items that are tasteful.   I will not eat food that is healthy but tasteless.   I am willing to enhance a food item with spices, healthy sauces, etc. but will definitely strike it from my list if I cannot make it appealing to my taste buds.   I know this attitude limits my menu of healthy meals but I would rather rotate a few very tasteful meals than have many mediocre tasteless meals on my eating plan.   I have discovered that any healthy food items made by nature (fruits, vegetables, nuts, etc.) are usually more tasteful than the “man-made” nutrition food items (snack bars, protein shakes, etc.).

Now when it comes to desserts it is very difficult for me to balance good nutrition and good taste.   I love desserts and have not found any that have been made with healthy substitutions to be tasteful.    Therefore, I choose to allow myself certain celebration experiences where it is allowable for me to have a regular dessert.

NaBloPoMo #5 – Using Recipes as A Guide

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When I do prepare a full course meal for the holidays and family gatherings I use recipes.    Normally, I follow them to the letter and when I do make adjustments it is usually a shortcut.   However, I make sure that the shortcut does not compromise the end “taste” result of the dish.    I feel justified in doing this because I do choose complicated and new recipes to try on these rare occasions when I put on my apron.

NaBloPoMo #4 – Have I Ever Invented a Recipe?

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I am an adventurous person and I enjoy tasting new dishes from friends or at a new restaurant.    Call me up and I am that girlfriend that will taste test your new dessert or try out that new pasta dish at the favorite restaurant (i.e., like that wonderful seafood ravioli I had recently at the original, family-owned Carrabba’s Restaurant on Kirby Drive in Houston – www.carrabasoriginal.com ).     However, I have not been adventurous enough to create a recipe in my own kitchen and cooking life.

There have been occasions that I have experimented with grilling beef, pork, chicken and seafood using different seasonings from one of my favorite cooking stores – Penzeys Spices (www.penzeys.com), I have added to an existing soup/entrée recipe and I have even fooled my “bake-from-scratch-only” Mom by doctoring up one of those Duncan Hines box cake mixes but I don’t think these action will count as inventing a recipe.

My life isn’t over.  I still have time.   I think I will add this to my bucket list.