loveliness.

Category: nutrition

• vegetarian

  Posted at 1:05 pm by jasminedesirees, on February 3, 2015

  I’ve been waiting to post about this for awhile, to make sure that it was really something I could stick with, but it’s been almost 6 months, and I don’t have any plans to stop, so I guess it’s probably safe to share.

  One of the changes I made while we were gone on our trip was that I became fully vegetarian, and completely stopped eating any meat or seafood (not that I ate a lot of seafood before).

  I’ve always been super picky and weirded out by meat, and that always made me feel hypocritical. Like, if you can’t bear to think about what it is without feeling sick, should you really be eating it? So I think it was really kind of inevitable, and it was just the right time.

  Most people when I tell them I stopped eating meat when we were in Indonesia say “Oh I can’t blame you, I wouldn’t eat meat over there either”, but it really wasn’t that I thought it was so much worse than meat we have over here.

  I was almost completely vegetarian by then, but I would still eat chicken once in awhile, until one day when we were sitting in a small home kitchen for lunch. D ordered chicken fried noodles, and a little boy from the family that owned the restaurant ran out to the backyard to bring in one of the chickens so they could kill it and cook it for us.

  And that really freaked me out, but not for the reasons that you might think. I just felt like if I was that uncomfortable eating a chicken that I knew was chicken, and knew exactly how it was going to be killed and cooked, right in front of me, then why would I be OK with eating meat that I don’t know where it came from, and I have no idea (actually I do kind of have an idea, and that’s even worse) how it’s treated and prepared?

  When we were in Australia, I was listening to the radio on our road trip, and a local cattle farmer was being interviewed, and she said that people always came up to her and asked her how she could stand raising animals from babies, and then slaughtering them and eating them? Like how could she eat something if she knew it’s name?

  And her point was, how can you eat something if you don’t know it’s name or where it came from? Which kind of hit home for me.

  So I stopped eating meat, and I honestly really don’t miss it, and I feel great. I actually tried vegetarianism almost two years ago, but when I stopped eating meat I just started eating chips and junk food (because technically that’s vegetarian right?) and I felt awful all the time.

  I decided it must be because I wasn’t eating meat, so I went back to it. This time, I’m actually eating vegetables (what a novel idea), and trying to eat as many different ones every day as I can.

  A few months after I stopped eating meat completely, we were in the Philippines, diving off the island of Coron, sitting in the boat waiting for our divemaster, when a small canoe-type boat pulled up next to us.

  It was a boat from Palawan, bringing live pigs over to sell in the marketplace. There were about 6 of them, enormous full grown pigs, tied to stakes, and tied to each other, and kept that way for the entire 8 hour boat ride. It was very hot that day, and they had no shade.

  The worst part was the sound they were making. I’m not even sure if pigs are biologically equipped to scream, but that’s what it was. They were screaming. It was horrible, I was almost in tears, but I asked D to take a picture so I could share it.

  

  I’ve done enough research to know that compared to treatment animals in some slaughterhouses in America, that probably wasn’t even that bad.

  So that’s where I’m at right now. I’m having fun experimenting with different recipes and trying new foods, and I’m almost feeling up to the daunting task of trying to make my own veggie burgers, but not quite.

  Posted in food, life, nutrition | 4 Comments | Tagged animal cruelty, diet, eating meat, food, nutrition, recipes, travel, vegetarianism

• cleanse

  Posted at 10:19 pm by jasminedesirees, on September 6, 2013

  I’ve had a really great summer, with lots of traveling, concerts, camping and partying. Sadly, all that fun has started to take its toll on my skinny jeans and I’m feeling kind of gross these days.

  I’m pretty skeptical about juice cleanses. It seems like a quick fix, and as soon as you start eating normally again, things would go right back to normal. But I feel like it might be a good jump start to get back to eating healthier, and my mom has done this one a few times and she said she had a lot more energy. It’s only a 3 day cleanse but she kept going for 4 more days after the first time because she felt so good.

  I decided to try it out. The breakfast smoothie is delicious, the supper one is OK, but the lunch one is pretty gross. They are very filling though, so I didn’t feel hungry, just kind of bored with eating the same thing over and over.

  It also says you can do the whole thing for only $16/day. I’m not sure where they were shopping, but it cost me closer to $80 to get all the ingredients.

  

  I do feel better after doing this, but obviously it’s just the first step, and I’ve got more work to do. The best thing about the whole experience was I discovered a new love, and it’s name is Almond Butter. Mmmmm.

  Posted in life, nutrition | 0 Comments

• food porn

  Posted at 2:48 am by jasminedesirees, on July 10, 2013

  This might be a really weird thing to share, but I saw these videos the other day and they are gorgeous. I basically quit my job and signed up for culinary school immediately, and who would want to eat potato chips and canned slop when there is food out there that is this beautiful?

  It’s food art, and even though it’s advertising, I could watch these all day.

  
  minimOilism No. 9 from agency twofifteen on Vimeo.

  
  minimOilism No. 17 from agency twofifteen on Vimeo.

  
  minimOilism No. 6 from agency twofifteen on Vimeo.

  
  minimOilism No. 4 from agency twofifteen on Vimeo.

  Posted in food, nutrition | 0 Comments | Tagged advertising, food, food porn, healthy eating, natural eating, nutrition

• cauliflower cream

  Posted at 3:59 pm by jasminedesirees, on April 29, 2013

  I’ve been seeing recipes for “cauliflower substitutes” for a few months now, but I’ve always been very skeptical. The other day I saw this recipe for cauliflower Alfredo sauce, and I had no choice but to try it.

  A frighteningly large percentage of my life is spent wishing I was eating Alfredo when I’m not, so I figured if there was even a slight chance this would work, it was worth a try.

  Let me tell you, it was delicious. It was a bit lighter than alfredo sauce obviously (which is probably the point) and a lot less thick, but it was super creamy and delicious. It was a bit time consuming, and there is a real risk of 3rd degree burn as you transfer the cauliflower and broth into the blender, but once you’re past that part it’s a breeze.

  I only used about half a head of cauliflower and it made tons. We had enough for a huge batch of alfredo for supper that night, and enough to save in the fridge for supper later in the week. I made it with quinoa pasta, but any pasta will work.

  One tip, do not skimp on the black pepper, it’s very important.

  

  

  

  

  please sir, I’d like some more

  Posted in nutrition, recipes | 0 Comments | Tagged alfredo, cauliflower, pasta, recipes

• quinoa salad

  Posted at 4:52 pm by jasminedesirees, on February 5, 2013

  Since I’ve been doing my cleanse, I’ve had to be a bit less discriminating about some of the things I’m willing to eat, if only out of sheer boredom. I’m kind of a picky eater, so there are lots of things that are probably delicious together that I just would never think to combine.

  My girlfriend turned me on to this recipe for a quick, delicious lunch, and as I was getting pretty sick of quinoa, tamari and veggies every day, I was excited to have a new option.

  You will need:

  2 cups cooked quinoa
  4-5 dried apricots (avoid brand with added sugar or preservatives)
  2 tablespoons dried cranberries
  1 handful of slivered unsalted almonds
  1 tblsp olive oil
  1-2 tblsp balsamic vinegar

  Chop up the apricots, then combine all dry ingredients in a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, mix and serve.

  This salad can be served warm or cold, I’ve eaten it both ways and it is super simple to make, and delicious.

  My only word of caution would be to add the balsamic vinegar a little at a time, I added too much once and it was NOT an enjoyable experience.

  Enjoy!

  Apparently I need a new cutting board

  

  
  Posted in food, nutrition, recipes | 0 Comments

• hungry for change

  Posted at 5:02 pm by jasminedesirees, on February 1, 2013

  After my little rant last week, I was still feeling pretty frustrated about nutrition. I know I don’t eat the best all the time, and I know that eating as much chocolate as I do is probably not ideal, but I KNOW that. What I want to know is how I should be eating most of the time, so that I can sometimes eat desserts and cheesy things (mmm lasagna) and know that I’m still eating as healthy as I could be, at least 80% of the time.

  I started reading the book Clean by Alejandro Junger and it had some great suggestions for ways to get started eating healthier, and even some recipes. I also watched Hungry for Change, a documentary (available on Netflix) and it was actually kind of crazy how it addressed a lot of the things I was talking about last week. I would definitely recommend this film for anyone who wants to learn more about nutrition.
   

  The film talks about how our diet now is so much different from how it was back when people had to hunt or find everything they ate, at every meal. Our food used to be very nutrient rich, and low calorie, things like lean proteins, veggies, fruits, etc. Now our food is low nutrition, but very high calorie, so even though people are eating so many more calories, they aren’t getting the nutrition they need, so they can be overweight, but actually starving to death from lack of proper nutrition.

   
  It also explained how, even though our environment and the availability of food has changed drastically, our body is still designed the way it originally was (basically). So we are designed to gain weight whenever there is excess food because we used to need it, there could be a drought or long winter, and it might be a long time before our next meal, so storing up calories was very necessary. But now, our body still stores up calories in order to keep us nourished when food is not available, but now, for most people in America, there isn’t a time when we don’t have food, so we just keep storing.
   

  The one thing that really stuck with me from the film, though, is about all of the additives and preservatives that can be found in a most processed foods.. except Peanut M&M’s right? Those are still ok? RIGHT?
   

  It’s actually gets a little scary when you start to really look at the food labels, and see what some of them contain. With the help of Google, obviously, otherwise I wouldn’t know what most of that stuff even was. And I guess that’s the problem? If you really don’t know what something is, why would you put it in your mouth? Or into your children’s mouth’s?
   

  Since I started reading the book, I’ve been trying out the “cleanse” that it suggests. Well, sort of. It’s like a pre-cleanse cleanse called the Elimination Diet, and basically you just cut out sugar, processed foods, dairy, read meat and wheat products. At first I was like, but what’s left? But there is actually a lot you can eat, mostly free range chicken, wild caught fish, and organic fruits and veggies, you just have to get creative, because it can get a little boring (I actually made fish for supper last night… this has NEVER happened before, ever).
   

  It’s not bad for a “cleanse”, because you still get to eat, which is a necessity for me. I’ve been having a smoothie every morning (recipe here) with fruit as a snack before lunch. For lunch it’s been either quinoa, veggies and chicken, or this really great quinoa salad my friend turned me on to (recipe here) and I eat almonds as a snack. For dinner, it’s chicken and veggies, and I drink TONS of green tea all day.
   

  I don’t really know what I’m expecting I guess, I’ve been doing it for a week, and I can tell I’ve lost weight, but I have also felt a bit more tired, which can be a side effect. I guess what I am hoping is that after 2 more weeks, I’ll feel so amazing that I will want to keep eating like this most of the time, with occasional trips to the Cheesecake Factory, for special occasions.

  This Sunday is the Superbowl though, hopefully I can keep it up! I’ll keep you posted.
   

  If anyone has seen the film or read this book, I’d love to hear your thoughts.
  Posted in food, nutrition, thoughts | 0 Comments

• smooth operator

  Posted at 5:45 pm by jasminedesirees, on January 31, 2013

  I’ve been doing a “cleanse” for the last 8 days (more on that tomorrow) but I’ve been starting the day with a fruit and veggie smoothie. It’s only been just over a week, but I can already tell I’ve lost weight, and most importantly, the reason I decided to try this in the first place, I just feel better.

  It’s kind of hard to explain, I just feel lighter, never bloated or full or “gross” as I like to say, and I don’t get “starving” anymore. One of the things I read before starting this was that it can put you back in touch with the real feeling of hunger, because you aren’t eating for cravings, or out of boredom, and there is nothing really “fancy” to eat, so you are just eating basic food that you need to not be hungry, and to get vitamins and nutrients.

  I still have almost 2 weeks left, so I’m excited to see how I feel in a couple more weeks, and if I can find any really noticeable changes.

  Here is my morning smoothie recipe:

  2 cups coconut water
  1 large handful of kale
  1 sprig of fresh Parsley
  1 tsp coconut oil
  1 tsp ground flax seed
  1 tblsp chia seeds
  4 frozen peach sections
  1 handful of frozen mixed berries

  Combine coconut water, kale and parsley in blender, blend well to break up greens. In a separate glass, mix one tblsp chia seeds with 1 tblsp coconut water, set aside. Mix remaining ingredients into blender. Lastly, pour in chia seeds, which will have combined with the coconut water to make a gel. Blend and serve.

  

  

  Soaking chia seeds

  Yum

  I’ve been making it every morning for over a week now, and I like to play around with the ingredients a bit. Sometimes I omit the mixed berries, and instead add in 1 whole peeled kiwi, which is really delicious. I also want to try mixing in other veggies, like cucumber.

  Sometimes I will add a little bit of Naked juice Green Machine for a some extra fruit, but just a splash or two.

  
  

  
  Posted in food, nutrition, recipes | 0 Comments

• Don’t you put it in your mouth…

  Posted at 5:00 pm by jasminedesirees, on January 23, 2013

  Something that has been really bugging me lately is all of the confusion regarding food and nutrition information. Some people don’t know anything about food, other than you need it to live, and it tastes good, and that’s fine, those are the most important things, obviously. But there are a lot of people who actually try to learn more about nutrition, and what to eat to be healthy.

  I’m not talking about diet food, or how many calories you should consume in a day to make it to your goal weight, I mean actual health, eating to boost your immune system, fight disease, and really just take the best possible care of yourself that you can.

  It is extremely frustrating because everything you read is so contradictory. I do a lot of research about nutrition and healthy foods, and it seems like as soon as you read something about how you should eat, and what you should be eating less of, the next day you read something else that is telling you exactly the opposite. I’m not talking about some random lady in a grocery store, or an internet forum of interested people, these are doctors, nutritionists and experts, and the fact that they can’t agree on the most basic things makes it so hard for people to make healthy choices.
   

  There are many examples of this, but let’s start with dairy. About half the time, I read about how yogurt and skim milk are the cornerstones of bone and dental health, keep you slim, and promote wellness. But there is a growing group of experts who say that people shouldn’t eat dairy at all, that it is completely unnecessary unless you are a baby, that incidences of cancer and other disease skyrocket in developing countries with the introduction of dairy into their diets, and that we should be getting most of our calcium from leafy green vegetables.
   

  Those are two pretty different view points, it’s not really a grey area. So our choices are osteoporosis, or death? Charming.

  Also, whole grains. It’s fairly well acknowledged that processed flour, white bread, etc isn’t good for you, and that people should eat whole wheat bread and brown rice as part of a healthy, balanced diet. But all you need to do is google Whole Grains, and you can come up with tons of article, and books by experts who say that whole grains, and the gluten they contain, is slowly poisoning us all.
   

  I’m obviously being facetious, and I’m certainly not claiming to be an expert on any of this, but I am somebody who would like to eat healthier and get more in touch with my overall health, but it can be really overwhelming, and sometimes I feel like somebody is playing a trick on me, like they deliberately make it difficult so people keep buying food that’s not good for them.

  We are inundated with food marketing from the time we are young we learn that “Milk does a body good” and that “the incredible, edible egg” is the greatest source of protein and a great way to start the day (or possibly a great way to die of heart disease, but who knows?). These are multi-million dollar a year advertising campaigns, for billion dollar industries.

  How much did the corn growers spend on that “high fructose corn syrup is no different than cane sugar” campaign? I don’t know if it is better or worse,  I just wonder if some of these things really are terrible for us, would they really one day just be like, “OK, guys, we made a mistake, stop eating this thing, all of these people that produce it are going to be out of business tomorrow?”
   

  I’m starting to sound like one of those Area 51 conspiracy theorists, but seriously, it kind of seems like you can’t win. People try to be healthy and spend more money to eat organic and natural, but there really aren’t any hard and fast guidelines for what qualifies as organic, or natural, so really it’s just marketing.
   

  I guess the answer is as ever, an extremely vague “everything in moderation”, and “try to make healthy choices”, but with the epidemic of obesity and disease that is constantly rising in this country, and all over the world, I’m not really sure how well that’s working out for us.
   

  Excuse me while I go sit in the corner and eat a pizza and some cookies, may as well, right?
   

  My sister recommended a book for me, “Clean” by Alejandro Junger. I downloaded it today, so I’ll post about it later and let you know what I learned.
  Posted in nutrition | 0 Comments

• The Beauty Detox Solution

  Posted at 5:14 pm by jasminedesirees, on December 3, 2012

  My little sister is really into nutrition and health, she was vegan for a long time, and she kind of got me interested in eating more healthfully, which is saying something, as up until about 3 years ago my diet consisted of Pepsi and Velveeta Shells and Cheese. For her birthday this year, I bought her this book which I’d heard really great things about.

  

  I read through it, and a lot of the things she talks about make a lot of sense. I think I, and a lot of other people, can sometimes fail to see the connection between the things we put into our bodies, and the way we look and feel, but I do believe there is a connection.

  I don’t think I could ever go fully vegan, cheese is one of my main food groups (right after I wrote that, I saw this, and that’s amazing), but I am going to try to eat less meat, and incorporate more vegetables into my diet. I’m going to try using her Light to Heavy eating philosophy and see if I start to feel better and have more energy.

  It’s really difficult to change habits and beliefs that you’ve held for most of your life, especially with regards to food and nutrition, but even small, gradual changes are better than nothing, and every little bit helps.

  You can find out more about Kimberly and her book here.

  Posted in nutrition | 1 Comment

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