Why Wheat Makes You Fat

This is an informative article suggesting that it is wheat that is a big contributor to obesity.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/wheat-gluten_b_1274872.html

Marinated Tofu Open-Faced Sandwich

Many of us think tofu isn't very appetizing. This recipe by Deborah Madison from her book The Green's Cookbook, has changed my mind. It's wonderfully tasty with a bit of a crust and easy to make. Best of all, the marinade can be boiled, strained and reused. Once you have the marinated tofu you can use it for a quick meal and it seems to last quite a while without spoiling.







 I have adjusted the recipe to be consistent with my low fat diet. Ms. Madison also offers that this recipe can be used in her recipe for vegetable brochettes also found in the Greens Cookbook. I have yet to try that recipe.

1 or two packages firm tofu, 14 to 18 ounces each
1/2 ounce dried wild mushrooms, porcini or shitake
1 cup water
2 teaspoons dried oregano or marjoram
2 cloves garlic sliced
1/2 cup of olive oil or I use 1/4 cup
1/2 cup of sherry or wine vinegar
1/2 cup red wine
1/4 cup tamari soy sauce...I use the low sodium to keep salt content down
4 whole cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt..could omit if you are watching salt intake
several twists black pepper

cut the tofu into slabs 1 inch thick. and set to drain..this is done by setting them on a bread board or back of a baking sheet and raising one end; point the lower end toward the sink to let the water drain off. Cover the tofu with another tray and weight it down with something heavy like a few cans of tomatoes. Let the tofu drain for about a half hour. This will remove the excess water and allow the marinade to penetrate without being diluted.

While the tofu is draining, prepare the marinade. Simmer the mushrooms in the water for 15 minutes. Heat a small heavy skillet and toast the oregano or marjoram slowly til it is fragrant. Add the oregano and remaining ingredients to the pot with the mushrooms, bring to a boil and simmer slowly a few minutes more.
Remove the tofu from the draining board and arrange it in a single layer in a square  or rectangular non-corrosive pan. strain the marinade through a coffee filter, paper towel or fine cheesecloth and then pour over the toful. Cover with plastic or a lid and refrigerate at least a day but preferably longer. The tofu can marinate 4 or 5 days. Then it can be seperated from the marinade and stored for use later. The marinade can be boiled, strained and reused, if the tofu was well drained. I freeze the marinade for the next time.

When you are ready to make the sandwich you can grill the tofu in a cast iron skillet that has been wiped with olive oil with a paper towel. Brown on all sides. Then slice the thickness in two and place on a very good slice of toasted whole wheat bread..I love the organic stone ground whole wheat bread from le pain  quotidian..a bakery with many outlets in New York and other locations. Ms. Madison suggests you put mayonaise and horseradish on the bread..then the tofu, followed with a slice of fresh tomato. I substitute Smart Beat Nonfat mayonnaise dressing..which is a very good mayo substitute that tastes just like mayo and I add to it. For horse radish I use Gold's Prepared Grated Horseradish, which is available in the refrigerator case of many supermarkets. Then I top with a slice of tomato or canned tomato in winter.
I served it with a frisee and fennel and apple salad with fat free apple cider dressing.
Its a delicious meal!
Note:
Here is the nutritional content in tofu so that you can determine the amount you wish to serve as a portion

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/legumes-and-legume-products/4467/2

Food Meditation

Many years ago I took myself to the Miraval Spa. It's a wonderful spa and I had a number of mind altering experiences there. One of these was a class called a food meditation. Probably one of the most important spa classes I have ever taken.

We arrived in the dining room and met at a table with the nutritionist. She spoke to us about the fact that the body needs 20 minutes of attentive eating to register that it has eaten and instructed us to go to the breakfast bar and take whatever we wanted in whatever amounts we wanted. Not to be stingy with ourselves, but to load up on whatever we felt we wanted.

Then we were to come back to the table and silently eat for 20 minutes. No talking. No reading. No listening to music/tv. Just us and our food. After we would speak about the experience. We were to chew slowly really feeling and tasting the food in our mouths. Roll it around. Drink slowly again attending to the food. At first you feel foolish..but over the 20 minutes a personal awareness about self and food starts to emerge.

When we were finished we spoke of the meditation on our meals, for many of us a first. No one could finish what they had taken. All felt full with less than what they expected. The nutritionist explained that by focusing on what we were doing, really focusing,  our bodies could really have the full effect of the experience of eating.

I have found if I try to leave the newspaper, the tv..the talking aside and truly focus for twenty minutes it always results in my feeling more full, satisfied, relaxed and with less quantity. The effect of this meditation seems to last a while and then I notice myself sneaking the Times back to the table. Its a meditation that needs doing and re-doing to keep myself educated to its wisdom.

I encourage you to try a food meditation. It does world's to reset your understanding of you and food.

Food Thoughts

Ok so I will be frank..I have avoided this diet forever. My clothes from 5 years ago don't fit and I am unhappy about it.

Deciding to blog, while doing, is helping me to stay on track about sensible eating and exercise..I only hope if anyone reads this, that it will help them to re-set their patterns too.

Some History

Years ago..diagnosed with higher than acceptable cholesterol levels I devised this diet..I did it because..I did not want to go on lipitor and ended up losing about 20 pounds and lowering my cholesterol by 120 points! My doctor told me I was the poster child.

I did it by eating a low fat high fiber diet. But I love to eat so I did it my way. Fast easy to make meals that were very tasty. I am a food lover so food has to be delicious or I won't eat it! Period!

I read Dean Ornish..Dr. Ornish advises his patients to give up meat and eat vegetarian. Good advice but not for me.

I used some of his ideas..while he advocates ceasing eating meat..I couldn't manage that, so I started considering using meats as tasty treats rather than the main thing on my plate. He advised a varied vegetarian diet rich in grains and vegetables. This I did buy into. After all, I had cooked wonderfully for my vegan daughter.

I also consulted and used the South Beach Diet, a very good diet in my opinion. The main thing I took away from that diet was information about glycemic levels..I am not an expert..not a nutritionist or chef so please take this as one woman's idea, but..essentially I learned that there were foods higher or lower on the glycemic index. Glycemic being about the foods' ability to spike your insulin levels thereby causing you to become even more hungry shortly after. I cook with foods, low glycemic foods because the higher level foods set you up to become hungry again sooner and one of my goals is to eat so I feel full. I hate being hungry.

Whole grains and leafy green vegetables are good for us and help lower cholesterol. They are also slower to digest and therefore make us feel full longer as well as keep our digestion functioning longer..using calories to do so. But very few of us know how to prepare them well, so that they taste reat and are easy to fix.

I try to keep my overall fat intake on the low sided and think about where those fats are from. I use good tasting extra virgin olive oil and avoid eating servings of cheese.Like meat, I use cheese as a condiment. Butter is another thing I try to avoid, using it only for flavor and in minute amounts. Small amounts of nuts, seed and avocado give us variety in the type of fats we eat and are good..As in 1/4 cut avocado or 8 almonds..not the whole bag!

Eating this way makes me feel more energetic and a sustained diet like the one I am describing, coupled with regular exercise seems to be what will keep my cholesterol, blood pressure and weight in check.

I am not into cooking every day or in a complicated manner so the simple things I cook, I use later for leftover based meals.

I try to drink lots of water. If I haven't been doing it for a while, I have to build up. At first it feels impossible but after a while I can drink a lot of water. The easiest test to see if you are drinking enough water is the color of your pee. It should be clear or pale..not dark. Dark indicates you are dehydrated.

I find alcohol impedes my diet in a number of ways. Liquor is empty nutritionless calories. It slows my metabolism and I lose my will power. A friend said it like this, "If I drink I will have the rice pudding for dessert" Also Isleep badly if I drank so my body does not have a chance to recouperate at night. So while I love good wine, I need to limit my intake.

Finally, I have made the connection that cooking healthy, tasty food for myself, serving it attractively and focusing on it while I eat it , it is honoring myself three times a day.

As Julia Child would say, Bon Appetit!