Lifestyle Choices: Vegetarianism

August 26, 2013 / ktbuchs87

I have a lot of opinions when it comes to health. Go figure. I try not to force my views down anyone’s throat or stand on the mountaintop shouting, “It’s my way or the highway!” I share what I believe, why I believe it, and then allow you to make your own opinion based on what I have shared. You know my mantra is what works for me might not work for you, which is why I don’t force my ideas on my readers. One of my stronger opinions is not labeling the way I eat. I feel that putting my eating habits into a category doesn’t work. I eat foods that make me feel the best, that promote my health, and that work for my body. I don’t follow any certain rules or guidelines other than no processed food and more real food. This method works for me, but I understand that when you are just starting to change your eating habits, it can help to have rules and guidelines. In order to help those of you just starting your journey to better health, these next few weeks I am going to be taking a look at some of the more popular eating styles. I’ll highlight the basics of each diet, then tell you what I personally like/dislike about each one. Remember, I am not a dietitian/nutritionist/doctor/health professional. I am just presenting you the facts and then offering my own views and opinions. If you have any questions/doubts, you should talk with your doctor. At the same time, I will be more than willing to answer any questions and offer my advice, and if I don’t know the answer, I’ll point you in the direction of someone more qualified than myself. Let’s get started!

I figured I would start with vegetarianism because this is the lifestyle that is closest to my own, so I know a little more about it. The simple principle of vegetarianism is that you eat no meat. This includes beef, poultry, pork, fish or shellfish. However, things are a little more complicated than that, as there are different types of vegetarians. You have pescetarians that eat no meat except for fish. Lacto-ovo vegetarians eat no animal flesh but will eat eggs and dairy. Lacto vegetarians will eat no animal flesh or eggs but will eat dairy. Ovo vegetarians will eat no animal flesh or dairy but will eat eggs. Flexitarians will mostly eat no animal flesh but will occasionally eat meat. Vegans will eat no animal flesh or animal product (more on this last one in a later post).

Vegetarians focus their eating habits on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and, depending on what type of vegetarian you are, high quality dairy/eggs/meat/fish. Many vegetarians also consume different forms of soy such as tofu, tempeh, textured soy protein, soy milk, or miso, along with many other soy products. There are a wide variety of vegetarian options available both in stores and at restaurants. There are about 7.3 million vegetarians in the US, so it is a fairly popular lifestyle, which makes it relatively simple to find food options.

There are a lot of things that I personally like about vegetarianism, but it does also have some drawbacks. I’ll start with the good. I really like that this eating lifestyle promotes fruits and vegetables. In my humble opinion, Americans following the Standard American Diet do not consume enough of the nutrients that fruits and vegetables offer. I have said it before and I will say it again, we really need to eat more real and whole foods. Nothing is more real or whole as a stalk of broccoli or an apple. Foods that are as close to as nature intended them really offer the most nutritional bang for your buck. While it might not be true for some people (those that really like/crave/want meat), following a vegetarian lifestyle is fairly simple in terms of finding things you can eat. Any grocery store will be full of options and so will many restaurants. In that aspect, vegetarians will generally not have a difficult time following their lifestyle.

Now for the bad. While it is very easy to follow a healthy and nutritious vegetarian lifestyle, it is just as easy to become a “junk food” vegetarian. There are a lot of processed products out there that fit into the vegetarian lifestyle that will do nothing for your health. Things like mac n’ cheese, cookies, chips, candy, frozen entrees, soda, and McDonald’s can all fit into the vegetarian way of eating but still be detrimental to your health. I have run across many people who are vegetarians and think by simply cutting out meat and still consuming their regular junk food they will be healthier than the average Joe. I used to think this way myself in my early years of college. Sadly this is not true. Vegetarians still need to be conscious consumers by reading labels and choosing foods that are minimally processed. One other drawback to this lifestyle is that while it is completely possible to get all the nutrients you need, you need to make sure you are actually getting those nutrients. When people cut out meat, they sometimes don’t consume foods that will provide those same essentials. Most often that is iron, vitamin C, vitamin D, and vitamins B and B12. With the exception of B12, you can get all those nutrients from other sources of food other than meat. As much as I hate to even bring this point up, protein also needs to be monitored. Let me make it very clear: it is entirely possible to get adequate amounts of protein following a vegetarian diet. Here are a just a few of the plentiful sources of protein that vegetarians can eat. Vegetarians just need to be aware of this and make sure that they are getting those vitamins and minerals from other food sources or dietary supplement.

Overall a vegetarian lifestyle can be a very healthy and easy one to follow. If you feel that this is a way of eating that you would like to try start slow and build from there. Have a few meatless dinners a week and see how you feel. If your body adjusts well and you feel that this is a change that you can sustain for the long term, then keep it up! Here are a few more helpful tips to making the transition. The main thing to keep in mind is how do you feel with less/no meat, and do you believe you can sustain this lifestyle for the long term? If you feel your body doesn’t do well on a vegetarian diet, then this isn’t the choice for you and that is fine! You just have to find the right combination that works for you. If you are only switching to a vegetarian diet just to lose weight, you might want to reconsider. Being healthy is a long term goal. While that does include losing weight, it also means making sure your health as a whole is better. Switching from diet to diet just to lose a few quick pounds is not the way to achieve this.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns about becoming a vegetarian, don’t hesitate to ask! I am more than happy to offer my advice and opinions and help you in any way possible. Make sure to come back next week for an in depth look at the vegan lifestyle and have a great Monday!

Sunbutter Sauce

August 21, 2013May 16, 2015 / ktbuchs87

I am a firm believer in sauces, dressings, dips, and spreads. They are super simple to put together, totally customizable to your tastes, and they can make a meal taste ten times better. Many of my meals are planned around some type of sauce. For me it’s kind of the best part of the meal! This sauce came about because I had bought a jar of sunbutter (sunflower butter) and still had yet to really use it. So I looked in my pantry/fridge and put this together. I poured it over leftover brown rice noodles and vegetables I stir fried. You can put it on whatever you want. You can even eat it by itself, I won’t judge!

Sunbutter Sauce

1/3 cup sunbutter (or peanut butter, but I like the sunbutter better with this sauce)
1/4 cup liquid aminos (or soy sauce)
1 tbsp honey or maple syrup
1 tbsp rice vinegar or white wine vinegar
1 tbsp sesame oil (don’t sub in olive oil, the flavor will be off)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp ginger, minced

This is going to be really simple. Put all ingredients in a large measuring cup or bowl and whisk until fully combined. Yup, that’s it. If you like a thinner sauce you can use it right away, but it you want it a little thicker put it in the fridge for about an hour or so. This tastes fantastic with noodles and shredded carrots. I’ve also used it on stir fried green peppers, onions, zucchini, summer squash, and cabbage. Like I said before, put it on anything your little heart desires and enjoy!

When We Go to Extremes

August 19, 2013 / ktbuchs87 / 2 Comments

There are a lot of extreme things out there. Extreme sports, extreme food, extreme vacations, pretty much anything can be made extreme these days. Extreme can be a good thing, as some people really like to push themselves when it comes to sports and thrive in an “extreme” atmosphere. But extreme can also quickly get out of hand and become dangerous, especially when it comes to the way you eat.

Extreme dieting is not a new issue. People have gone to great lengths just to lose weight and shed pounds. We have heard of the grapefruit diet or the cabbage soup diet. Back in the day, those were some pretty extreme diets. Subsisting only on one kind of soup or one type of fruit is definitely not a healthy or sustainable way to lose weight or eat. That seems like common sense for most of us. Yet there are still extreme forms of weight loss out there today. This week I came across this article from Health magazine. It highlights seven crazy and ridiculous methods that people actually use to try and lose weight. From feeding tubes, to tapeworms, to having a patch surgically attached to your tongue that makes it too painful to eat any solid food, the list is pretty extreme.

When I first read this article, I thought, “Come on now people! This is just silly!” As I kept reading, I started to feel really sad. It made me sad to think of the extremes that some people will go to just to lose weight. It made me sad that some people felt that this was their only hope at being thinner. It made me sad that I used to think the exact same way. It also made me mad that in some of these situations (feeding tubes and tongue patches in particular) doctors, people who are suppose to be helping, not hurting, were endorsing these forms of weight loss. To be honest, it also made me feel a little helpless. How can I, one person with very little pull, help stop this? How can I make even a tiny dent and convince people that this is not the way to go?

Once I stopped feeling helpless, I realized I can keep sharing my story and my experiences with others and help guide them in the right direction. When it comes to diet and lifestyle, extreme will NOT help you. Sure, on some extreme diets you will lose weight quickly. That’s what happens when you cut out food and starve yourself. That weight loss though isn’t healthy weight loss and it is not sustainable. Taking extreme measures to lose weight will just hurt you in the long run. With some of the methods listed in that article, they can cause serious medical damage. At the very least, you are taxing your body and messing with your metabolism which will make it really difficult to maintain a healthy weight in the future.

I understand the helplessness that can accompany trying to lose weight. At times it can feel like nothing works. You either can’t lose weight at all or you lose the weight just to have it all come back. You feel that you are on a never ending diet and you are tired enough that giving up and going back to your old lifestyle seems more and more appealing. Not caring anymore is a lot easier than caring sometimes. I have been there and I know it’s tough to push past that mentality. Truth is the only way to truly be healthy is to change for the long term. You have to make yourself view it as a lifestyle change, not just a temporary fix. You can’t have the mindset that you are going to do this until you lose x amount of pounds and then go back to the way things were. It doesn’t work that way.

Yes, changing for the long haul is hard and daunting. You mean I have to do this forever? Yes. Yes, you do. Stop looking at all the things you are “giving up” or “losing”, don’t put food into categories of can have or can’t have. View it as you are CHOOSING to live a better life, you WANT to have great health, you are GAINING good nutrition and habits. If you are at a point in your life where you are ready and willing to change, don’t overwhelm yourself. Don’t make a massive change to your life, because changing everything at once can cause overload and make you want to quit before you even begin.

Start small and start simple. Remember, extreme doesn’t help when it comes to a lifestyle change. Cut out candy bars as a snack and have fruit instead. Go for a 10 minute walk on your lunch break. Read a book instead of watching TV at night. Easy things that you can sustain, and once you have made those into a habit, move on to the next change. Will this take a long time? Yes, but this is what helps you change for life permanently. As you slowly start changing your life, you will start to see the benefits of living healthier. Those stairs that used to wind you at work are now a breeze to climb. Chronic headaches that used to plague you are now few and far between. You sleep better at night, you have more energy than before, and you are actually enjoying real food more and more instead of processed junk.

If something doesn’t work for you or doesn’t seem to benefit your personal health, then stop and try something different. That is OK! Remember we are all different and our bodies need different things. Maybe your friend is feeling amazing by running every day and subsisting on a more Paleo- type diet, but those things leave you feeling drained, sluggish, and you are SO not motivated to run for even 5 minutes. That is totally fine! Find out what works for you. Health is very personalized, which makes it so great. You can customize your life to give yourself maximum health benefits.

The main takeaway for this post is to keep things simple. I don’t want you to feel that the only way you can lose weight is to take up smoking or swallow a tapeworm. You and your health are worth so much more than the damage those methods will cause. The only extreme you need in your life is extreme happiness. Keeping your best interests in mind will help lead you to the best health you can obtain, I promise!

Lentil Meatballs

August 14, 2013 / ktbuchs87 / 1 Comment

There are probably a ton of different variations of burgers/meatballs/meatloaf/any meat-type meal out there that use lentils. I have tried my hand at a few of these, but my burgers never quite came out just right. The taste/texture was always just slightly off. That is NOT the case with these meatballs. I was leery at first because of my previous meat/lentil failures, but I gave it a shot. I was not let down this time and my husband said that they tasted both delicious and like actual meatballs. Success!! This meal can be prepped in the morning and then all you have to do when you get home from work is just pop them in the oven. Wonderful!

Lentil Meatballs

1 cup cooked lentils
1 package of white mushrooms, sliced (shredded carrots could also work)
1/2 cup cooked quinoa (you can also use old-fashioned oats, dry)
1 tbsp parsley
1 tsp oregano
1/2-1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp marjoram
1 onion diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup vegetable broth
1 tbsp liquid aminos or soy sauce, or tamari
2 eggs

1. Place mushrooms, quinoa, lentils and all spices into a food processor or blender and pulse until everything is combined but not too mushy.

2. In a big skillet heat some olive oil and saute the onion until it is soft, about 5 to 7 minutes. Then add in the garlic and cook for about 2 minutes. Add in your lentil mix and cook until it starts to brown. You want to have a little bit of a crust on your mixture so make sure you cook it long enough

3. Add in the vegetable broth and soy sauce and cook until the liquid has been absorbed. Take your skillet off the heat and place into a large bowl and let it cool. Once it’s cool enough to handle (aka not boiling lava hot) add the 2 eggs, whisked, to the bowl. Mix everything together and form into balls. Place on a baking tray and bake the meatballs at 425 for about 30 minutes.

You can serve these just like any other meatballs, over pasta, or rice, or even on their own. Top with some tomato sauce and eat up! Again, like pretty much every meal I make, these are good leftovers, so cook up extras!

Always on My Mind

August 12, 2013 / ktbuchs87

Today’s post might seem to go against what this whole blog is about, but stick with me on this one, I think that this might just be an important message for you to hear.

I spend a lot of my time thinking about food and healthy eating. Not very shocking information, I know. I write a blog about healthy eating, so it makes perfect sense that a lot of my time and energy is focused on learning more, seeing what information is out there, and ultimately trying to help others reach their health goals. I enjoy doing all of these things, otherwise I wouldn’t do this. I am also passionate about food. I love everything about food, from the shopping all the way to the eating, I thoroughly enjoy immersing myself in all things food. It helps me to be able to work with and know every aspect of food in order to help you get the best possible information and advice I can give. I relish (haha, food pun!) being in the kitchen, creating a new and healthy dish to then share with you guys. I believe that everyone should feel comfortable in the kitchen and be more than capable of producing a healthy meal with minimal effort.

Here is where things are going to get a little contradictory; sometimes, I spend too much time thinking about food and healthy eating. I sometimes realize I am constantly thinking about food, or the next meal, or what the healthiest way to eat is, or what new research is coming out about eating properly, or new foods/recipes I should make. It can sometimes reach a point where all I’m thinking about are these things and not actually enjoying the benefits of leading a healthy life.

You might be thinking, wait, wait, wait… How can thinking about being healthy lead to you being unhealthy? This makes no sense!! I told you this post might get a little dicey! I can only speak for myself, but constantly thinking and planning and dwelling on healthy living can make me feel frazzled. I feel like I am failing in some aspects or not doing enough or letting myself and others down. It stresses me out, and being stressed does not help my health. Being stressed also cannot help me lead others to a healthy and positive lifestyle. Stress takes a toll on the body and can rob it of good health, and all the good things I try to do to promote my good health end up going to waste.

I know that many of you might also constantly think about food/dieting/living healthy. You might be worrying that you aren’t following the right eating style or that what you are doing isn’t working. You might be wondering if the next event you go to will have food you can eat or you might be nervous that people won’t approve of the way you eat. Maybe you are always dwelling on what your next meal will be or all the things you need to do to continue your healthy lifestyle. If someone like myself, who is passionate about food and health and wants to devote my time to helping others with their health, feels stressed thinking about these things, I can only imagine that the general population feel even more stressed/worried about their health.

While I can’t get inside your minds and tell you to stop dwelling constantly on food (heck, I have a hard time getting my OWN mind to stop), I can give you some simple advice: just stop. You don’t have to always be worried about your health. Yes, you should be vigilant and make sure that you properly take care of yourself, but it shouldn’t be all consuming. Make sure you are actually enjoying living your healthy life, and you are not just thinking about what you need to do or not do next. Don’t be so caught up in what you should be eating that you never actually enjoy the food you eat. Don’t be tirelessly planning your workout routines that you never fully put yourself into your current exercise. Don’t be constantly planning out nutritious meals that you forget to stop and contemplate all that went into producing that delicious and satisfying meals. Finally don’t be so immersed in your own health that you stop interacting with those around you. Don’t feel bad if you realize you’ve been doing these things, I’ve just described my own bad habits. I have been so wrapped up in the health world that it started to hinder my own health and that isn’t good at all.

What did I do about it? I stopped. Yesterday I spent the morning/afternoon with my husband. We enjoyed a wonderful long breakfast and talked about what was going on with each other. We went to VeggieFest out in Naperville and just walked around looking at booths, listening to music and sipping cold coconut water.

My sister and her boyfriend came to visit us for dinner too. I set out a bunch of taco fixings and we made our own dinners, sipped wine, and enjoyed each other’s company. We talked and laughed and caught up on each other’s lives.

My hair can get crazy….

Just to prove I can be semi-normal…

I had my sister dye my hair and we watched a favorite movie from our childhood. It was a fabulous day and it made me feel happy and amazing. Relaxing and NOT focusing on food/good health actually made me feel healthier than I have in awhile. I understand that I sound conflicting right now. I promote good health and yet I just told you to stop focusing on good health. In order to have the best health possible though, sometimes you need to just take a step back, breathe, and enjoy. I promise it will do wonders for your health!