Help! Need GF, Vegetarian, & Vegan Recipes / Tips on Reducing Sugar Intake/ Portion Control

This is one of my favorites – it’s delicious, it’s cheap, it’s really easy, it makes a ton and freezes well, and you can skip the yogurt topping to stay really vegan! 🙂 My husband has Crohns and he can eat this safely (sans cayenne – he can’t have hot peppers).

We’re not vegetarians so we make ours with home-made chicken broth and some chicken thrown in, but that’s easy to omit.

http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/curried-red-lentil-and-swiss-chard-stew-with-garbanzo-beans

My sister is VERY gluten intolerant and she uses Bob’s Red Mill gluten free “Biscuit and Baking Mix” to make all kinds of bread or cake type items. Its a very versatile mix, tastes good, and isn’t gritty. A useful item to have in your pantry (although you may need to order it on-line if your market doesn’t stock it). She remarked that when using gluten free flour mixtures you must remember to let the mixture sit a few minutes before baking it because it takes longer for the wet ingredients to soak in thoroughly than it does when using wheat flour.

A tip: She always carries dried banana chips in her bag as a snack for when she’s hungry and somewhere with no gluten-free choices.

Around Christmas time, my doctor told me I needed to lose some weight. I was almost at 170lbs, and for my height I’m supposed to be somewhere closer to 105-128lbs. I could really feel it affecting me too; I felt sluggish and tired and I would get weird head and body aches. I also wasn’t as flexible and I could tell my body just couldn’t move in the same natural range as it once had when I was younger (in a way that had nothing to do with needing to stretch). My blood pressure was apparently going up, and she was concerned.

So I went with my mother to a single weight watcher’s meeting and bought some of their supply booklets and startup materials, which do cost money, but help to teach the basics about healthy living (portion control tips, exercise tips, which foods I can eat in unlimited quaintites and how much others cost me) and they helped me figure out what my allotted point count per day should be in order to effectively lose weight. I know this method isn’t for everyone; some people would hate to be mindful of what they’re eating all the time, but I have lost 25lbs now and I can see and feel the results and it’s great. If you can find a good leader and group to attend weekly meetings with, I could easily see it being a great way to help encourage you to maintain the new healthy diet and lifestyle you’re trying to achieve, and really I think that is the hardest part about making a change like this. It is so easy to slip back into old habits because they’re comfortable and tasty and easier, particularly when you’re surrounded everyday by people who don’t have to make these kinds of choices and don’t understand where you’re coming from.

For portion control: try to invest in small, dark dishware. This might sound stupid, but you actually will trick your brain into believing that your portions are actually bigger than they are. Also, don’t let yourself get to the point where you are starving. If your stomach starts to get growly, drink some water and snack on some vegetables or fruit. This might seem counter-intuitive, but if you wait until you’re super hungry, then you’re likely to take too much or go back for second-helpings when you shouldn’t. When you’re eating, always eat a lot of vegetables (and/or fruit) first before you start in on carbs like pasta or rice and meat. The vegetables are lower calorie, will help your digestive movements, and will take more space as “filler” in your stomach so that you won’t need to eat as much as the other stuff. Also, be sure to drink plenty of water, just straight up water is the best (you can always flavor it with some of the crystal lite packs or something if the taste is too boring for you). If you’re dehydrated at all, that can often translate to your brain as a false sense of hunger. Plus it will help you to feel full faster.

According to weight watchers, with a few exceptions, I can eat as many fruits and vegetables (fresh, frozen, or canned) a day as I want and they don’t count toward my point totals. This is because it costs your body roughly the same amount of energy to digest them as you gain from eating them; it works out to a net gain of zero. The main exceptions to the unlimited-veggies & fruits are: the food can’t have added sugar to them, can’t be cooked in butter or oil, must be unprocessed (so shakes and smoothies don’t count), and starches like corn and potatoes will count. You can eat them raw, or steam them or season them or cook them in chicken or vegetable stock and that is free. Most condiments (ketchup, mustard, barbeque sauce) and all herbs and spices are also considered free points, so you can use those with impunity for flavoring. Do watch out for your mayo and salad dressing though as these are surprisingly fatty. The program recommends you have 5 servings a day (9 if you’re 350 lbs or more) from fruits and veggies with a wide range of colors so as to get as many nutrients and vegetables from the mix as possible.

Ack. I’m running out of time atm even though I have more to say. I’ll have to come back and post some more advice later. 🙂 In the meantime I hope some of this helps.

I would recommend checking out the recipes link on the website straightupfood.com. I would also recommend anyone suffering from any kind of intestinal disorder, like IBS and Crohns, to read the article on this website http://karenhurd.com/pages/healthtopics/specifichealthconcerns/ht-shc-inflammatoryboweldisease.html

I fractured my spine 2 years ago and my doctor wanted a lot of weight off me in a hurry but I wasn’t able to exercise. I also fully understand your sugar addiction as I have that too.
She first put me on a pretty extreme diet to get the main weight off then had me get a book called The Fast Metabolism Diet to maintain and drop the last bit of weight. It’s more a lifestyle change than a diet but it has several good recipes in it and allows you to change out the ingredients with other options if you don’t care for what’s in the recipes. It puts your body through 3 phases each week. Each phase has slightly different foods.
Phase 1 is two days of mostly whole grain carbs and fruits. Phase 2 is two days of mostly meats and veggies or vegan. Phase 3 is three days of a mix of the first two phases. The meats are all nitrate free though.
The gal that wrote the book actually explains WHY you eat the foods in different stages.
I hate to cook but the meals are easy to make or can be put in a crock pot. You can also make large amounts and freeze servings.
She teaches you about eating healthy and portion sizes. And the more weight you need to lose the more you can eat. This diet is also recommended for people with colitis and diabetes. It actually helps your body completely reset the metabolism.
It’s a bit expensive to start just because she wants all foods to be as organic as possible but once you have the initial grocery list done I have found it to be no more expensive than what my food bill used to be. My local Walmart carries 97% of everything I have needed.
She asks that you do her diet EXACTLY for 4 weeks. After that if you want to have the cakes or goodies you can. Just stick with her diet plan most of the time and feel free to splurge at parties or special occasions.
She also has The Fast Metabolism Cookbook which is set up in the proper stages and full of recipes.
Haley Pomroy is the author. You can get the book on nook although some of the charts are hard to read on the nook. She also has a website where you can ask questions if you need to.
I bought the actual hardcover books from eBay and then also have both books on my nook.
I’ve lost over 100 pounds and I can tell you without a doubt that when I stick to her diet I feel much better than when I don’t. When I just splurge I’m fine but if I splurge for a few days then I start feeling laggy and depressed. I have also noticed that the migraines I have suffered from since I was 2 have not come back since the second week I was on the diet.
Whatever way you choose to go. I wish you good luck!

Have you seen the recipes I have posted under the Food section at all? All of them are vegan and can be made gluten free. I have taken both nutrition and herbalist courses and studied health and nutrition independently for several years so will tell you a bit of what I know. *Note, this is will be long to read and not everyone will agree with what I am about to type but keep in mind the following is from years of personal research and has helped my health and those I know. If anyone has questions or concerns about any of the following please keep an open mind or contact me for more information.*

I am a healthy weight and have never struggled with serious illness and this is what I do if this helps you. The type of diet I stick to I like to refer to as the non dairy diet. First of all, humans are not supposed to drink cow’s milk anymore than cows should drink human’s milk. We were not designed to which is why we are lactose intolerant. Your body actually produces mucous when you drink milk as a side effect or trying to contain the foreign invader. For those who don’t think they react to lactose, it has been because they have just gotten used to it or don’t notice the negative effects. Milk these days though contains growth hormones and antibiotics which of course are not good for you and because milk is pasteurized it kills all the nutrients you would otherwise get in raw milk. A lot of people are not aware of this either but you actually lose more calcium digesting the protein in the milk than you gain from the milk so people who consume high amounts of dairy are actually at a higher risk of low bone density and osteoporosis. The best alternatives for cow’s milk are almond milk, coconut milk and rice milk. Avoid soy as it is controversial because it elevates estrogen in your body which can have negative effects like increased risk of breast cancer in women. Avoid cheese and ice cream as well. The only exception would be organic yoghurt once in a while because of the healthy good bacteria in it that you need in your digestive tract. Greek yoghurt is a high source of protein but is actually very bad for the earth as there is so much waste from the production of it that producers don’t know what to do with it so have it shipped away to be dumped which contaminates the ground and ground water.

As for meat, it is not as bad as milk if you buy organic or free range meat that is hormone and antibiotic free but certain meats are better than others. My one recommendation for everyone is absolutely do not eat pork. That means no bacon, ham or otherwise. Pork is a toxic meat. Pigs, especially any from factory farms live in filthy conditions and will eat anything they find off the ground including disease filled excrement which turns to meat on their bones. You also have a high risk of being infected with various worms, bacteria and viruses if pork is not cooked properly. Also do not eat deli meat as it contain nitrites to help preserve it, which are toxic to your body. The only meats I recommend are lean chicken, turkey and fish. If you like beef, eat it sparingly as red meat is more fatty and is more likely to cause clogged arteries and heart disease later in life. I eat meat once in a while for protein is I am on the go and cannot find vegan food but I mostly eat vegan and raw food myself.

As for gluten free diets, that is a more recent trend with people cutting wheat out of their diets and although I do not follow a gluten free diet myself, I rarely eat wheat products. I do not really eats breads or cereals except for pasta. You can buy gluten free bread and crackers and even get pasta made with quinoa or rice. I eat quinoa, rice, potatoes, oats and other ancient grains. For breakfast, I will sometimes eat an organic cereal with ancient grains or oatmeal with almond or coconut milk, honey or maple syrup and some berries or dried fruits, seeds and nuts on top which is good for you. Oatmeal releases energy slowly and helps you to feel full for a longer period of time than other grains. Oatmeal can also be good to have at night as it can have a relaxing effect or even make you sleepy before bed. Eggs are also a good source of protein to have for breakfast along with gluten free toast and some fruit and juice. Quinoa has a lot of protein in it and is great with stir fries or as a side dish. I like to stir fry a mix of fresh chopped veggies and either beans or chickpeas, mix in a sauce like teriyaki or curry and serve it over quinoa or brown rice. You can also make wraps with quinoa. If you can find gluten free wraps, you spread some humus on for protein, put in a mix of veggies and quinoa and a little olive oil and vinegar or a salad dressing for flavour. Or you can do wraps with big lettuce leaves. Or if you like burritos, again if you can find gluten free wraps, you can put on rice, beans, stir fried veggies, salsa and guacamole and wrap it up. (I posted recipes for salsa and guacamole if you want to make your own.) I love pasta myself and you can use rice or quinoa pasta and make a simple tomato veggie sauce for it. I chop up onion, garlic, carrot and celery and fry in a saucepan with olive oil for a few minutes, then add zucchini, mushrooms and red pepper and fry a little longer until a bit tender, then add a can or jar of tomato sauce or diced or crushed tomatoes, along with basil, oregano, salt and pepper to taste and a little natural cane sugar and let it simmer for maybe half an hour and it makes a delicious sauce. I also posted a recipe where you can make pita pizzas, again if you can find something gluten free to turn into pizza crust.

In regards to fruits and veggies, of course, eat as many as you like. You can make salads but you can also cook veggies or make them into soups or juices. I love eating fresh vegetable soups. You can either buy nice veggie soups or make your own. One warning is that cans are not really good for us because either the aluminum in unlined cans or the plastic in lined cans can leach into the food so it’s best to buy foods in other packaging or glass. I like to buy organic or veggies soups or juices in tetra boxes. If you want to make your own you can buy a good blender to use. Vita-Mixes are expensive but look up Omni blender online which are just as good and half the price. My friend has a Vita Mix but after doing a lot of research I plan on buying an Omni blender myself. The one I use now which is a less expensive blender and does a pretty good job is a KitchenAid blender with 900 watts of power and it was on sale for $100 in the store. It is pretty powerful and does a great job, just takes a bit longer than a Vita Mix to make things really smooth but I like it for now. If you want to make soups, you just throw a bunch of veggies into the blender until smooth, pour in a pot and heat. You can eat with gluten free crackers and humus for more protein or add rice, potatoes, quinoa or rice noodles to your soup.

I also like to make fruit and green smoothies everyday which are also very healthy for you. I use Kale a lot as it is one of the most nutritious green veggies and contains a good amount of protein. I usually put in a leaf or two of kale, add a couple of cups of frozen fruit, berries or banana, some vegan protein powder, fibre, sometimes a little yoghurt, hemp hearts, chia seeds, ground flax, some nuts or seeds, honey and either juice, water or almond or coconut milk for the liquid and blend it up. Another good one is kale with apple, celery and mango. I also like to do smoothies without kale using berries, banana and pineapple. You can also do veggie smoothies or try adding spinach, beet or carrot to fruit smoothies for extra nutrition. Another good smoothie I like is a cup or two or almond or coconut milk, a frozen banana, some cocoa powder and honey for a yummy banana chocolate smoothie. Another good thing to add to smoothies is avocado or try making an avocado banana or avocado mango smoothie. Avocados are so good for you that you should try and eat one every day or add to salads or wraps or make into guacamole. A lot of people like to make fresh fruit or vegetable juices too if you have a juicer. I like that in the blender you get all the fibre of the fruits and veggies but if you drink fresh juices without the pulp, they actually will absorb into your bloodstream right away for a quick burst of energy versus the body taking time digesting all the fibre from a smoothie so if you want something for fast energy or cleansing, juicing is also a good way to go.

As for portion sizes, I was mentioning protein a lot above because portion sizes actually do not matter much. What matters is the type of protein you are eating with your meal. Typically if you meat, you should not eat more than a fist sized portion and the rest of your plate should be veggies and carbs like rice or potatoes. The veggie and carb portion should each be about the same size as the meat so you should have twice as much as the meat and if you are still hungry, eat more veggies and drink more water. The thing about vegan sources of protein though are you can eat more and feel more full than you would with meat. You could eat a salad for example with veggies, chickpeas, dried nuts or seeds, humus or quinoa and eat twice as much as you would eating meat and you will feel fuller longer, without worrying about getting too much fat from something like meat. Or you could add a small amount of meat or hard boiled eggs to salad for the best of both worlds. You will also lose weight eating more vegan foods though. My friend and I went on a completely vegan diet for a couple of months after watching the documentaries, ‘Food Inc’, ‘Food Matters’, ‘Simply Raw’ and ‘Forks Over Knives’ which I would recommend everyone watch. I kept up my normal healthy weight but because he needed to lose weight, he actually lost about a pound a day over the course of a month and looked so much healthier and had so much more energy from all the raw, live food he was eating. He mostly ate big salads, smoothies, soups and some vegan dinners like stir fries and the recipes I mentioned above and he could eat as much as he wanted and still lost weight. Being completely vegan does take planning though with your meals because if you get hungry in between and feel like snacking on junk food or other things, that can ruin the diet.

I absolutely avoid anything deep fried, flavoured chips, candy, chocolate bars, pop, coffee and alcohol and anything with MSG or Aspartame. MSG or Monosodium Glutamate is most commonly found in flavoured chips, canned soups, and crackers. Aspartame is found in gum, diet pop and other diet products. Both are excitotoxins which can harm nerves and damage brain neurons and can cause things such as brain tumours if consumed too much over the course of many years. Some great snacks to fix that hunger in between meals are nuts (try to get raw or unsalted), seeds, dried fruit, gluten free crackers or baked chips (lentil, rice and chickpea chips are good) with humus, salsa or guacamole, fresh fruits and veggies, salad, a smoothie, a peanut or almond butter sandwich on gluten free bread with banana, honey or jam, etc. If you like sushi, you can buy or make vegetarian sushi as well. When I get hungry, I always have a bag of mixed nuts I get in bulk at the store and I will eat a handful with some juice or water and maybe a banana and then am usually fine til the next meal since nuts have a lot of protein. If you like chocolate, the best chocolate to get is as close to raw as possible like an organic dark chocolate bar with 70% cocoa because the higher cocoa, the better it is for you. Avoid any chocolate bars that contain chemicals, a lot of sugar or high fructose corn syrup. Also raw cacao nibs are great for you as well although they taste strong and not sweet but can be added to smoothies and things as well.

Another tip is to drink a lot of water throughout the day to stay hydrated as some people confuse hunger with thirst. If you are not getting enough water, you will think you are hungry. Also if you drink a glass of water before a meal, you will eat less and stay full longer. Always try and drink at least 8 glasses of water a day, not including other liquids. Even if you have a glass of juice or a smoothie or tea, still drink that much water and you will notice a huge difference with better digestion, less IBS symptoms and your skin will look better and more youthful. Of course try and drink filtered or spring water if you can as tap water can actually cause digestive issues and IBS symptoms. I learned this after suffering with IBS all through childhood. My biggest problem was simply not drinking enough good water. Another good thing to eat are dried prunes and apricots. Also eating nuts and apples are good sources of fibre. Another thing I do is add fibre to my smoothies or take in a glass of juice or water each day to stay regular.

As for supplements, even if you eat a really healthy diet, you would have to eat several pounds of vegetables a day to get enough vitamins and minerals in your diet since the soil these days has been depleted over the years. Also because of GMOs and environmental pollution and pesticides and herbicides, unless you eat organic produce, the chemicals on your food will outweigh the benefits. The best thing to do is take a whole food supplement for overall vitamins and minerals as the kind of vitamins you buy in the store are often made with cheaper synthetic vitamins that your body can’t even absorb. I take these ones by Doctor Mercola and they are of really good quality at a good price. This article tells you more about vitamins and these supplements. http://products.mercola.com/whole-foods-multivitamin/ Also if you subscribe to Dr. Mercola’s newsletters, you get e-mails about all kinds of natural products and good health and medical tips from him. I also take other supplements including Omega 3’s, Calcium citrate, Magnesium, Vitamin D, Vitamin C, Digestive Enzymes and Adrenal support as I have adrenal fatique from being under a lot of stress in my life the past few years.

Now for any digestive issues, you should take pro-biotics daily. Even if you eat yoghurt and especially if you don’t, you need these in your gut to help digestion. Other things that help increase your good bacteria are fermented foods or drinks like apple cider vinegar, lemons, limes, pickles, saurkraut, kimchi, kombucha, etc. I like to slice raw veggies and soak them in a little apple cider vinegar and then eat them. Or if you take a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in mixed with water when you eat dinner, it will help your digestion and prevent heartburn. The reason pro-biotics are so important to build up healthy bacteria in your system and the reason sugar is so bad is because if you eat too much sugar, it feeds Candida Yeast in your body which is the enemy to healthy digestion. If Candida gets enough sugar it will multiply in your stomach to outnumber the good bacteria and start attacking your system. You can get all kinds of illnesses from too much Candida ranging from yeast infections to cancer. But if you take enough pro-biotics they will outnumber the bad bacteria to keep your body in check and healthy. Another good cleanser for your system is to squeeze a fresh lemon in a glass of water when you first wake up and add a little cayenne pepper and drink to flush out your system and boost your metabolism first thing in the morning. It’s also a good way to cleanse toxins from your system. As for all the things I have mentioned here which are just the most common things I can think of off the top of my head, I would say research the things I have mentioned and also search good vegan, vegetarian and gluten free recipes online because you can find tons of websites with great health and nutrition information as well as great recipes that way. Sorry this is so long but hope it is helpful and informative.