Temptation

Today is my parents anniversary and we are taking them to Red Lobster. I am the only one so far eating plant based in my family. I had been doing well losing weight so I was thinking of treating myself to a lobster pot pie. It sounds so yummy in the commercials. The last couple of days, however, I have been gaining weight so now I really wish we weren't going to Red Lobster tonight.

I haven't had much time this week to cook. I tried a new Indian dish last week from Rip Esselstyn's new book My Beef with Meat, I love that title by the way. I didn't really care for it though. The name of the dish is Sweet Holy Deliciousness. One of the key ingredients is the spice garam masala. When preparing the dish it made my house smell like a delicious Indian restaurant I have been to. I thought, "This is great!" When I tried the dish, however, the garam masala gave it a sweetness I didn't care for. It wasn't awful. I ate it but I did not feel satiated.

I need to feel satiated from my food. Processed food does that quickly and easily but with harmful long term consequences.With the pressures of everyday life I want my food to be yummy and comforting and if I'm not prepared to make a comforting whole food plant based (WFPB) dish I can fall into temptation. So now my search is on for another WFPB dish that will be comforting. Being busy with work and family can make that a challenge. I regularly scour my WFPB books for a delicious new recipe to try. I guess I should focus on menu planning and stocking my pantry. It might be challenging at times to find those delicious, satiating dishes but soon I will have twenty or more recipes at my disposal that I can cook at a moments notice.

Why I'm writing this blog

Six months ago I was on a Royal Caribbean cruise enjoying a week of unlimited food. If someone had told me then I would be removing not only meat but eggs and milk from my diet, I would have told them they were crazy! A vegetarian maybe. Because of a lack of experience in the kitchen, I didn't eat meat much anyway. I didn't know how to cook it. But become a vegan? No way! Besides, I believed that the Creator put animals on this earth for us to eat. I couldn't see myself going to such diet extremes for political reasons.

Sometime in February, wanting to watch something that stimulated my mind, I stumbled upon the documentary Food Matters. This got my attention because as I am entering middle age I worry about cancer, osteoporosis and other diseases. I also worry about how I would pay for medical treatment and medication for these diseases. I like many Americans have inadequate health insurance coverage. I watched a few other 'food is your medicine' themed documentaries and most significantly stumbled upon the documentary Forks Over Knives. The scientific evidence in support of a plant based diet is hard to refute, though I'm sure someone out there will.

I wanted to start this blog sooner. So far being on a whole foods plant based diet, I have lost 19lbs!! Woo hoo. So far I haven't done any regular exercise. I know to succeed I must add exercise, so that is soon to come. It has been and still is a journey. I am writing this blog to have a record of my progress. I look forward to seeing how far I have come. I hope I can encourage my friends and anyone else who comes upon this blog. Sometimes eating plant based can be challenging. I am not much of a cook so preparing a new recipe from scratch can be overwhelming. I am getting there though. I have recently been living on Kole's Creamy Cauliflower Soup from The Engine2 Diet book and also Miraculous Walnut Sauce from Rip Esselstyn's dad's book Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease. I love the Esselstyns!! I am so grateful to them and all the experts in the plant based diet field. I no longer worry about my medical future. I am in control!!!!