Author: offwhiteliving

Truth:unrefined

offwhiteliving6 Comments

When I started this blog, I wasn’t sure exactly what and where I wanted it to go.  Simultanelously, in my personal life I’ve been working deeply and intently on releasing my attachment to sugar and refined carbs.

Well, truth be told, lately my commitment to being “off white” has been less than ideal.  Okay, it sucks. I have  some health issues (leaky gut and candida…..sexy,huh!) that really need me to be very low sugar and high veggies and protein.  Sugar is seriously like crack for my brain and like a train wreck for my digestive system.  It  simply does not work.  For a while I was rockin’….and slowly the white stuff began creeping back in.  A slice of bread here,  a piece of cheese there, etc.

This past week has been tough because my body has been hit hard again with what I know always happens when I eat lots of sugar, dairy, and grains.  I feel like crap.  I gain weight. I get constipated (TMI for some of you, and I’m sorry, but it’s true!)

And then last night, a cathartic moment:  I can use my blog to share my journey as I recommitt to the off-white lifestyle, and maybe other people will get something out of my trials and tribulations.  I mean, if I’m going to suffer through sugar detox yet again, at least maybe one of you can learn something or at least get a good laugh as I lament about the hardship of driving past the donut shop without the overwhelming urge to pull in and eat every cream puff and bismark bar available.

So, in addition to the other stuff I ramble about, I’m gonna ramble about me too, and about my off-white journey.

What I did to get started:
You know, when I  start a new project, I like to begin with a clean slate.  For me, this means having 2-days of very “light” eating, to give the ol’ GI system a  rest.  Lord knows I’ve been asking it to work double time lately with those extra bites of bread, the walnut pig-out earlier this week and the ever antagonizing junky hot chocolate.

To reset myself, for two days, I eat the following:

3 servings of veggies/day, with at least 2 being green (today was spinach mostly, with some tomatoes and carrots thrown in there)

2-3 servings of whole fruits, and maybe a few anti-oxidant rich dried fruits like dates.  Yes, I know dates are high in sugar, but I’m trying to just reduce what I eat and keep things simple.   I will focus on low sugar fruits soon.  I don’t give up the sweet easy, you see.

2 servings of high quality protein powder/day, made into a shake.  I like Whey Factors because I can’t have soy (allergy).

Tons of water and some herbal tea if I want.  I choose to have some random cinnamon/cardamom tea at a local coffee shop.  Good stuff.

What I noticed:

  • Even in 24 hrs I have more mental energy than I have had in several weeks.  In the course of the evening I went walking, called my mom, returned an item via UPS (required packaging it up – I’d been putting it off), gave my husband a mini-massage, cooked some sweet potato and spaghetti squash for the weekend, called a friend, vacuumed and am now blogging.  And its only 9;15pm.  This is more than I’ve done all week.
  • My digestion is already better.  That whole constipation issue…yeah, its gone.  Enough said.
  • I’m not hungry, despite the light foods I’m eating.  I’m getting what I need.  I’m not stuffing just a little more in.  I feel good.
  • I’m actually excited about the potential of being free of the sugar/white stuff bondage.  It is so oppressive.
  • I’m willing to share this with you.  That is a big deal for me.

That’s it kids!  More tomorrow.

Is your diet sustainable?….is MY diet sustainable??

offwhiteliving3 Comments

Def’n sustainability (per Wikipedia):
Sustainability is a characteristic of a process or state that can be maintained at a certain level indefinitely. The term, in its environmental usage, refers to the potential longevity of vital human ecological support systems

In recent years an academic and public discourse has led to this use of the word sustainability in reference to how long human ecological systems can be expected to be usefully productive…………

When I ride the bus into work, I like to take advantage of the time and do a little light reading.   I was getting into my favorite magazine, Body + Soul  (check it out!). Eco-friendly living and sustaniable “anything” is a big trend these days.  Its all over the cover and in just about every section of articles.    It got me to thinking:

We often focus on bringing Earth back into balance and that focus is usually outside of ourselves.  I ride the bus to help “save the environment”.  I recycle to “protect the Earth”, etc.   Sustainable products are all about using resources in a way that preserves them for the long haul and not just for my immediate gratification (like can I schlep a canvas lunch bag to work everyday, even w/its food stains, in place of a plastic bag which I just toss out).

However, what about looking at sustainability, based on the def’n above, in terms of nutrition.  Hmmmm, now here is some food for thought.  Is my diet sustainable?  If I did what I do regularly every day, could I exist in wellness when I’m 60?   how about you: Is what you are eating/not-eating/how you are eating it something you could keep up for the long term without demise or collapse?

If no, then it is not sustainable.  Maybe we’re missing the mark a bit by keeping the sustainability articles focusing on just landfills, water bottles and bamboo floors.

Let’s do a case study.  Let’s use me.

Say that every day I stop for a hot chocolate (my dirty little secret: I love the JUNK hot chocolate. I try and just drink it at home w/my recipe (1st post in recipes)   Let’s say I exercise regularly, have about 5 lbs to lose (put on during the last 5-7 yrs of living a 9-5 lifestyle and being moderately attached to my little sugar fix, as well as some MAJOR sugar benders  each day) , but no drastic health challenges. I’m currently 31 yrs old. Because I get a good dose of sugar/fat/possibly HFCS and possibly trans fats daily, these certainly add up with time.  Not to mention the hundred to several hundred calories of nothing I am consuming (nothing except pure enjoyment and inner peace, that is).

Could I do this indefinitely and still prosper? Probably not. I might be able to do it forever, but prosper I would not. Those 5# could easily double in a year, simply by eating 100 calories/day (esp of non-whole foods like hot chocolate and dairy-based foods). Over the next 40 yrs, that is another 20lbs. No good.

Then there is the long term effect of sugar.  Pretty much it is the anti-sustainability substance.  It’s like an oil spill in the ocean, or holes in the ozone. And who knows what 40 yrs of regularly ingesting chemicals (like the “natural flavors” found in packaged foods”) will do. And what about the crowding out of wholesome foods, more water, herbal tea, or other options that actually ad to health.   Sure, today nothing is wrong, but what about when I reach 65?  What about the desire for sweet that tends to perpetuate when I get my hands on a hot cup o’ cocoa.  where will  those leave me in 20 yrs?  Do I want to keep chipping away at my wellbeing over some crappy product made by Nestle?

So, again, ask yourself: is what you’re eating today going to sustain you tomorrow? If I was a rainforest, would the foods and habits I’m putting into my system yield maximum growth in the future? Would my eco-system flourish indefinitely? What am I eating, that when added up, could make a big impact on my health?

Maybe we need to direct a little attention to our own ecosystems and focus there while doing our part to keep our planet well. We are part of the Earth, anyway. What we do to ourselves (microcosm) is a reflection of what we do to nature (macrocosm).

This isn’t even about weight loss or gain or looking good . Those things come when we care for ourselves.  I find the focus on weight or size totally unispires me.  What really drives me to stay well is the feeling I get when my body/mind are nourished.  I didn’t even know what this felt like until I was willing to get past the sugar coma I placed myself in and try some real food.  Nature produces beauty when it has the natural, clean, resources to do so.  My body does the same thing and no calorie counting is required.   Remember what happened when you fed your plant Coca-cola for your 3rd grade science project? No good. Nope. Not sustainable in the least.

Celebrate with Mushroom Barley Soup

offwhiteliving2 Comments

mushroom

Today is a big day. As o 8:49pm I had 500 hits on this blog!

WOOHOO! Thanks to everybody who kept coming back and to those who perused once to see what was going on. I’m thrilled.

So to celebrate, let’s make soup: particularly mushroom barley soup. Why? …..Why not? Besides one kind commenter asked or a recipe and here at Off-White we’re all about service with a smile.

I haven’t posted a recipe in a while and it feels good to do so. This is a good one for a hearty meal or to make in a large batch and have for lunch at work a few days in a row. I’m posting the vegetarian option first with a beef add-in.

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 yellow onions, chopped
2 carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 oz dried porchini mushrooms, reconstituted in 1.5 cups of water for 30 min (if you don’t have them, just omit, but they are nice)
1/2 lb fresh button mushrooms, sliced
1/4 can tomato paste
3 cups beef or veggie stock (I like Pacific brand, but watch the salt)
3 cups water
2 cups pearl barley (found in bulk at many grocery stores)
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill or 2 tbsp dried
salt and pepper to taste

Optional: 2 lb beef shortribs, fat removed

In a large, non-reactive pot, heat oil on med heat. Add onions, carrots, and celery until lightly browned and soft, about 10 minutes. Strain dried mushrooms, reserving soaking liquid. Add dried + fresh mushrooms to pot. Cook about 8 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, stock, water and reserved soaking liquid. Boil and add barley. If using beef (which is browned in oil on med heat and then de-boned), add now. Reduce heat and simmer, partly covered for 1 hour. Add dill and cook another 10 minutes.
ENJOY!!!!

Serves 10

groceries: $100. Making good food choices: priceless

offwhiteliving2 Comments

cartoon

In our modern world we “vote” for things with our money. If you think about money as energy, how we direct our energy says a lot about what are values are and what is important to us.

How many of us have thought about our grocery shopping from the perspective of values? I didn’t until I began studying the work of John DeMartini and his emphasis of living inside one’s value system. Now I see many people in conflict because they say they want to be healthy/eat welll, but they “vote” for junk food or foods that make them feel bad physically or emotionally.

Today when I did the weekly shopping, I got the inspiration to give you both a guide to shopping the off-white way, and an invocation to examine how you trade your financial energy for food energy everyday. In a lot of ways, money and food are the same: We need both to live, it hurts to be without, and the repeated habits of how we use each of them carves out our life experience in a lot of ways.

For today’s project I had $100 to spend. Part of my food value is spending $100/week for 2 active adults to eat. It may seem like a lot, but some of my food values include:

  • buying nice groceries so that I enjoy what I have to fix and won’t be tempted to go out
  • having as much fresh produce as I want. Feeling deprived or having food devoid of color and texture make sad and want to eat sugar 😦
  • Buying good quality food. I’m worth it. My husband is worth it. We consider it our health insurance policy. This means no trans fats, no HFCS, and really no white sugar/flour at all. We also don’t buy stuff with MSG and try to avoid soy protein isolate and “natural flavorings” as much as possible. The latter two are hard, as “natural flavorings” are in everything

I’d rather spend more $$ on my weekly groceries and feel empowered about my choices than just get the minimums and then either have to go back for more, or start eating out. The less times I go to a grocery store in the week, the better. Supermarkets are a notorious place where I have little control (especially if I’m hungry, angry, lonely, or tired (HALT)). I’ve been known to get sucked into a vortex of fresh donuts or oatmeal cookies and once that happens, all bets are off.

Okay, back to the project:

Of $100, I spent $96, and here is what it looked like:

weekly food

Here is what I can make with my purchases:

large tray of veggie or meat lasagna
eggs for breakfast 4-6 days/week + eggs to cook with
mushroom barley stew
quinoa pilaf w/green onions
2-3 servings of fruit/day (x 2 people)
roasted beet ravioli with almond cheese
Spinach salad x 5-7 days
Collard green dolmades (like stuffed grape leaves)
carrots + beandip for snacking
almond milk hot chocolate daily
3 sweet potato dinners
spaghetti squash with redsauce, goat cheese and basil
tabouleh
hamburgers x 2-3 dinners
salmon X 2 dinners
chicken enchiladas
roasted chicken breast with garlic and onions
quick refried beans for side dish
beet green + Swiss chard salad with grapefruit/ginger dressing
fresh ginger tea with fresh lemon
and more…..

And here is what I spent:

Dry goods/boxed food: $22.41: almonds, almond butter, tabouleh, pasta sauce, dried apricots, dehydrated beans, 1 cup of Nile soup, quinoa, etc

Dairy/meats: 33.96: Salmon, hormone-free chicken, 7% lean gr. beef, ricotta and mozerella cheese (for lasagna), almond cheese, and eggs

Fruits and veggies: $39.63: spinach, collards, ginger root, apples, zucchini, onions, yams, spaghetti squash, green onions, cherry tomatoes, avocados, etc

That is 41.5% spent on FRESH produce. If I factor in the dry goods, that’s $62.04 on plant-based foods, which is 64.6% plants and 35.4% animal products. And all of it is 100% refined sugar, MSG, hormones, white flour free!

Another perspective: of the 51 items purchased, 28 were fresh fruits or veggies (55%) and I got a total of 25.81 pounds of fresh produce. I also purchased 6 whole grains/nuts that were NON-boxed, which makes 34 whole plant-based foods, or 66.7%.

And yet another perspective: I got the foods I need to eat well 100% of the time for my body and my husband’s body, so I have to hassle with stressful food choices 0% of the time: priceless

Self acceptance, as I learned from my cat

offwhiteliving3 Comments

 madeline computer

Last night I had an intimate conversation with my thighs.  I was doing some light yoga to relax before bed and there they were…..looking like two sausages stuffed into white casing (my white yoga pants), starting back at me.   I just couldn’t stand it.  All the sudden the mental saga went off in my mind:  Why did you eat XX??  Why weren’t you born with long, lean legs? Why this?  Why that?  you get the idea.

 For as long as I remember my thighs and I have had a love-hate relationship.  On one hand, I love how strong and withstanding they are, and for those same attributes I resent the fact that the look more like tree stumps to me than legs.  See how skewed my brain is?

The more I examine my wellness vision, which includes both physically nourishing foods, but also mental nourishment, the more I realize that this antagonizing thought pattern is as toxic as eating a box of little Debbie’s and washing it down with Yahoo (and you can bet that I’ve done that in my heyday).

Then, a miracle.  My loving, fat, fluffy cat wandered into the room where I was doing yoga.  She came and sat right on my lap.  Right on my beefy sausage legs.  And she started purring. She did not care that my thighs touched, and always have.  It was She simply nestled in, she relaxed, and she just loved me in the way only she knows how to do: by falling asleep in my lap, completely in peace.

In that moment I realized how critical and ridiculous my mental litany had been.  Could my thighs be THAT bad?  Could I accept the fact that I don’t have Julia Robert’s legs (and never will.  I’m Greek, for God’s sake: not a people known for long, gangly limbs).   So I decided to let it go.  And for that moment, I could embrace and appreciate something about my thighs for the first time in a while.  Just like my cat, my thighs are simply being themselves.  There is no shame or hesitation in the way they develop.  They have no hidden agenda.  They are not judging me or sabotaging me.  My body is simpy expressing itself as it knows best how to do.  And if that isn’t natural beauty, then what is?

So I dedicate this post to my cat, Madeline, who is infinitely wiser than I am.  She always know what I need and I learn so much from her, even though she’s never spoken a word to me.  She eats off white too (all organic gluten-free cat food): it must be what makes her so dang smart 🙂

I Heart WinCo

offwhiteliving4 Comments

Winco

If you think that switching to wheat or white sugar free foods means that your stuck shopping at expensive chains like Whole Foods, think again. I’m discovering the wide variety of products available at large, inexpensive chains, like WinCo.

Now before you get up in arms about WinCo being a large grocery chain, or about how unattractive their store is (which I totally agree – no $$ put into decorating, that is for sure!), let’s consider a few things:

  • Not everybody has the $$ to shop at places like Whole Foods or Wild Oats or local health food stores
  • It is more realistic to find the healthy gems of a big chain store and point them out, than to live idealistically and expect everybody to shop farmers markets. That is just reality.
  • Not every town is equipped with a local health food store.

So, here are just a few of my favorite gems, all coming from WinCo, all at good prices:

  • Almond milk Blue Diamond Almond Milk – Sometimes I can even find unsweetened

  • Anney’s Organic Dressings
  • Quinoa – check the bulk section. Better yet, its in the pour out type of bin, versus the kind that you dip your hands in to scoop stuff out…..
  • Spelt flour – bulk section. Sometimes in the pour out section
  • ready-cut collard and mustard greens – near the pre-bagged salads
  • Bulk almond butter: so much cheaper than the jar, and you can buy just what you want. This is especially nice if you are just trying almond butter for the first time and don’t want to invest $7 for a jar.

I am not a big fan of WinCo produce because it looks a little picked over and old, and the organic options for produce are pretty slim. However, I can save so much money on the dry goods and bulk foods, that it is worth a trip, about 1x/month.

My husband and I also go to Winco to buy snacks for mountaineering/snowshoeing or travel because they have some unique options, and we can get everything we need.
In a typical pre-travel grocery trip, we get the following:

  • Flax chips (bulk)
  • raw almonds (bulk)
  • some trail mix w/less thant 10g of sugar (bulk)
  • rice cakes (WAY cheaper than any other store, except Trader Joes)
  • Think Thin bars and/or Luna bars for climbing/mountaineering/snowshoeing
  • Peanut butter (Smart balance) or sometimes Almond butter in bulk! WAAAYYYY cheaper than buying it in a jar

Observations from a palapa

offwhiteliving

Yesterday I had many opportunities to observe a thing or two about human nature while sunning myself under a palapa……yes, I know, a hard life 🙂

Now keep in mind, the focus of this blog is about sutainable nutrition, so my obervations are going to be focused in that direction. If you would like to learn more about the social habits of the Americans in general, I suggest you visit the blog “Stuff White People Like”, it is HILARIOUS (bring your sense of humor, please).

One thing I seem to notice is the social permission we give each other to overconsume simply because we are on vacation. Last night I found myself dipping into the chips and salsa for the umteenth time simply becuase “I’m on vacation”. No wonder we come back 5-10 lbs heavier after a vacation. The dialogue in my head went something like this:

“Okay, the food is coming, so I don’t really need chips. I’ve eaten them every day and frankly, I don’t like how I feel afterward”

CRUNCH

“Well, maybe just 1 or two. This salsa mexicana is awesome”

CRUNCH, CRUNCH

“Now, I should really stop. I’m starting to fill up and the food isn’t here. Darn that waiter, why is the food taking so long”

CRUNCH, CRUNCH, CRUNCH

“Okay, no more. I’m done!”

CRUNCH

“Almost done……”

CRUNCH,CRUNCH, CRUNCH

“Okay, tomorrow – NO CHIPS”

CRUNCH, CRUNCH, CRUNCH

“Hey Hon (to my husband), do you think I’ve gained weight on this trip? I mean, I feel like we are always eating”. CRUNCH, CRUNCH, CRUNCH. “I know we are very active, but I just think we are eating too much. We should stop”. CRUNCH CRUNCH CRUNCH

STOP THE INSANITY! Luckily, I walked away feeling okay about my meal. I did stop eating when full, but I did sacrifice eating some of the local flavor for a bunch of chips and salsa – what a cheap thrill!

I’m not suggesting we deny ourselves local flavors when traveling. To me, that is the essence of travel, it is part of getting away to a new place. What I’m suggesting is that we check our motivations for consuming. Do we really taste that extra 3 pieces of whatever, after we are already full? Why is it culturally acceptable to gorge on a meal, keep eating just because it is in front of us and then complain our travel partners that we are unhappy with our weight and wish we would not have eaten so much? And yet we expect the food to be plentiful when we arrive. We are such odd creatures!

Some of my travel conversations with my compadres, as well as looking around at the habits of my fellow tourists brought me to belive that many of us are a real paradox when it comes to travel and food. We go beyond the point of enjoyment and then spend precious energy complaining about our choices, yet the very next day we are first in line at the buffet for breakfast. Hmm……

I’ve even had serveral people tease me about not eating enough or being “too healthy” because I won’t partake in over-indulgence. I know what is behind that feeling – we don’t want to over-indulge alone. It makes us feel bad. I know, I’ve been there. Sometimes I feel the need to eat just because others around me are doing the same. Like when I’m sunning myself and suddenly I see the table next to me order a second round of nachos and guacalmole….suddenly I feel hungry.

I’d love to know what others think or experience when they travel. I don’t always feel this way. Truthfully, it is just when I spend a lot of time with my fellow American travelers in an American-style resort where food rules. I know we expect it to be this way, but why? Why is it all about the food?

Now, I must get going. They’re serving free guacamole and chips…I’ve got to get in line to be first 🙂 (Just kidding…)

In search of the finest guacamole in all of Jalisco

offwhiteliving2 Comments

Mexico is turning out to be such a foodie dream come true. Sure, there are fine restaurants (we’ve eaten at a few, like La Palapa in Puerto Vallarta). But that is not where the real essence of fine cuisine lives, in my mind.

The real essence of Mexico’s food is found in much more humble places, like the pueblos and small cities that surround Banderas bay and are home to some fine people, and fine foods…..like guacamole.

Thank goodness every restaurant we visit serves guacalome, usually accompanied by shrimp ceviche, a local speciality. As we sit and lounge under a hand-made palapa watching the waves come into the bay, you can hear the clamour from the kitchen as grandma, auntie (Tia), unclo (tio) and all the cousins (primos) of a family cut, chop, grill and mince to prepare us our dinner. And it it worth the wait.

Mexican food is relatively simple, but that is what is so great. Beans, rice, homemade tortillas and some fresh-caught fish are the fundamentals of a good meal. Add some salsa verde (green), rojo (red) or mexicana (pico de gallo-ish) for flavor and vioala!

So far we’ve tasted fish and guac at every place we’ve eaten and nothing has disappointed us. I am enchanted with the reminder of how close to the food this culture truly is. The mango groves are just a few miles away (Supplying california w/most of their mangos as we learned today).

If you happen down here and want to have an awesome tour that is not your typical “gringo” tour, consider my amigo Adenis and his tour company Vip class tours. He’s a great guy and gives the best experience of “real” Mexico, topped off with a visit to his uncle’s restaurant EL GORDO in Buserias (a town North of P. Vallarta – a new favorite of mine and home to lots of Canadians and Ex-pats).

I’ve taken so many foodie and cultural pics, if only I’d have brought my cord for uploading pics. More to come later….

Adios amigos!

Ole – Mexico, here I come!!!

offwhiteliving2 Comments

My husband, Matt and I are off, for a week in Mexico starting tomorrow.

Some interesting observations I have realized about myself while on vacation:

  • It is actually EASIER for me to make good food choices when I’m away than when at home, despite being limited to the situation I am in when traveling.
  • I tend to make WORSE foods choices the few days before I go. I liken this one to stress or the pressure I put on myself to “look good” on vacation. whenever I put any sort of physical appearance stress on myself, it usually backfires. I suppose I just don’t like pressure 🙂
  • I really savor the flavors of my food and my digestion is better. At home I have a nasty habit of eating while working, or eating while doing something else. This is no good because I don’t connect with my food. IF you want to know more about connecting with your food, check out the mindful eating document in the bottom box of this blog.

Here are a few tips/tricks I do use to help me enjoy my vacation instead of being hung up on food/body image:

  • BYOS: bring your own snacks. Ialways pack an arsenal of raw nuts, flax chips, gluten-free bars, and sometimes fresh fruit (though not this time – I think I’ll find PLENTY in Mexico)
  • Bring a water bottle for the plane. Those dang airlines are really chinsey with doling out the water, so I just bring my own. I also use this bottle when out and about. It saves $$ and I’m guaranteed to have my water.
  • Bring teas. I love good tea, and I’ll feel less deprived if I have what I want.
  • Taste local flavors: spices, veggies or meat dishes that are unique to the region. I can eat bread and stuff like that anywhere – I want the good stuff. So, for this trip, I want good salsas, guacamole, carnitas, fajitas, tropical veggies, etc….YUM!!!

So, that is it! I’ll be back in a week 🙂 If I can write from the beach while I’m away, I will!