I don't know how many calories, grams of fat, or how many complex and simple carbohydrates I ate this day. I have a general idea that the balance was fairly healthy. The amount that I ate was very satisfying and I enjoyed what I ate throughout the day. I tend to go to bed quite late and get up later than most people; usually going to bed about 1 a.m., and getting up around 8 or 9 a.m., thus my meal patterns are shifted back a few hours. I've never been one to be able to eat first thing in the morning. It doesn't feel good to me so I usually don't. Shifting my eating patterns back as I do may be an advantage to me as I have a late dinner and even latter snacks. I think this may help me in doing away with the evening cravings many people have problems with.

Some days I'll have a boneless skinless chicken breast for dinner and some days I'll make a stir-fry with brown rice, extra-firm tofu, bean sprouts, onions, perhaps a few raw cashews, and what ever other vegetables I have sitting around. Two or three times a month I make a batch of spaghetti sauce from scratch (whole tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, etc., but no meat) and I'll have it for two or three days in a row. I usually use spelt pasta; the dark kind made from whole grain. Some days I'll eat a couple of eggs and some days none. I worry a lot more about saturated and trans-fats than I do the amount of cholesterol in my food. Instead of a tuna salad, some days my lunch will be a sandwich or an organic low-salt soup, or homemade chili, or low-fat organic chili (Health Valley Vegetarian) followed by some fruit. I eat an apple and an orange nearly every day as a minimum for my fruits and almost always a banana for all their heart healthy potassium--some days I'll have two. Sometimes my evening snack will be some organic yogurt with fruit. I like "Nancy's" low-fat as it's plain yogurt and plain fruit that comes in two containers that you mix together. It's the real deal and delicious. Some evenings for my snack I'll have a couple pieces of whole grain toast with Earth Balance spread on them. On days that I don't eat fish, I always find a way to add 3 tablespoonfuls of fresh ground flaxseed into something I eat, usually in soup, salad, or beans. I rarely eat red meat or pork, but they aren't off limits so long as they are of the organic free-range variety. Once in awhile, perhaps once a month, I'll eat a steak or a couple of pork chops for dinner with a big baked potato. On these days I often treat myself extra special by getting a bunch of dried mission figs and dried apricots for dessert, sometimes it will be a big brownie with walnuts from the local natural foods bakery.  I'm really flexible as to what and when I eat.

In the morning I'll usually have 3 or 4 big mugs of fresh ground decaf. I buy organic free-trade dark roasts like French Roast and I use an old-fashioned percolator (stainless steel) because it really brings the flavor and richness out. I almost always have a big cup of green tea right after a meal and sometimes another if I sit to watch a TV program in the evening. I drink water and tea with my meals. In the winter, I probably drink 3 or 4 large (16 oz) glasses of water a day and at least twice that much when it's warmer. I do use a filter system—more so the taste is consistent and good than for health reasons, but it's probably a good idea for that too. I just can't get into the bottled water thing.

My main ideas are to never get very hungry, get really good nutrition from as wide a variety of sources as possible, and to really enjoy the experience of cooking and eating using all of my five senses. I love to eat. [More about my food plan]
 

Food products I try never to eat because I consider them a serious threat to my health, deadly and/or dangerous:

• Sodium Nitrate
• High-Fructose Corn Syrup
• Artificial sweeteners (yes, even aspartame and Splenda)
• Hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils and trans-fats
• Genetically modified foods (GMO)
• Monosodium glutamate (MSG)
• Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA)
• Meat and fowl that's pumped full of hormones, antibiotics, and/or that is fed animal by-products.
• Cottonseed oil -- comes from cotton which is produced using huge quantities of pesticides.
• Synthetic coloring agents
• Any foods that contain ingredients that in any amount promote chronic disease
• Non-organic processed packaged foods (high in calories, salt, and preservatives and very low in nutritional goodness)

Foods I seriously limit because they have little or NO redeeming nutritional or health promoting qualities, are damaging to my health if eaten in volume, and take me away from the nutrition and health I could otherwise experience:

• Man made, refined, and highly processed simple carbohydrates
• Sugar, corn syrup, honey (I do add organic sugar and/or honey to my oatmeal but sparingly)
• Soft drinks -- nearly all contain high fructose corn syrup or artificial sweeteners and have no redeeming positive nutritional value
• White flours and other highly processed grains (I eat 100% whole grain products whenever possible)
• White rice, white bread and caramel colored white bread (called wheat bread)
• Table salt and high sodium foods
• Butter, cream, whole milk and whole milk products, and cheese (high in calories and saturated fats for the nutrition offered)

Foods I like to eat and consider health promoting:

• Fresh fruits and vegetables (plenty— I eat all I want. Volume wise, these make up the bulk of my diet)
• Whole grains and whole grain breads, pastas, and cereals (I eat a lot of quinoa, oatmeal, and brown rice)
• Beans, particularly black beans (homemade black bean chili—yummy!)
• Nuts and seeds (I love raw almonds)
• Extra virgin olive oil (used cold or for low heat cooking), cold-pressed avocado oil (higher heat cooking), and cold-pressed natural walnut oil (used cold for salads or drizzled over veggies)
• Freshly ground flaxseed (great source of omega-3's and fiber)
• Salmon (preferably wild caught), tuna, and most fish (but never battered and fried)
• Turkey (organic, free range)
• Chicken eggs in moderation (organic, free range, fed a diet that contains flaxseed)
• Tofu (In stir-fry usually. I go meatless at least two times per week)
• Foods that promote my good health and well-being

These lists are far from complete.

This web site is for informational purposes only and is not meant to serve as medical advice or to replace consultation with a professional dietician, nutritionist, physician, or mental health professional. None of the information presented within this web site is meant to diagnose, prescribe, or to administer to any physical or emotional ailments or conditions.