Well, folks, I have finished the first week of my diet, which is kind of a low glycemic/Perfect Health Diet/Nourishing Traditions hybrid. I did well, and enjoyed a burrito from Chipotle for my once-a-week cheat day.
What surprised me is that I haven’t felt hungry at all. In fact, I’ve slightly reduced the portions from what the Perfect Health Diet requires. I had to eat 4 fist-sized servings of allowed starches, and in the end, I ate 2-3 a day. Actually eating carbs did a lot for keeping me full, and for my energy level.
The next requirement for the Perfect Health Diet (I am adding one requirement per week) is to eat “up to 3 servings” of sugary vegetables (carrots and beets) and fruit. Since I’m not feeling hungry, and I want to keep the sugar level low, I am having one serving of either a sugary vegetable or fruit per day. I am also adding the requirement of eating seaweed. I eat nori quite often, but I will begin eating it everyday.
What has made the diet fun, is the large variety of vegetables available in Houston. I have made it my rule to buy any vegetable that I see at the store, that I haven’t eaten before.
Here are some new foods I’ve experienced this week:
I’ve already told you about the cactus leaves that I found at Kroger. To eat them, you scrub the spines off, then slice them into sticks. You can fry or boil them. I fried them up in coconut oil, with some onions, and they were quite good. I think I will make cactus casserole (like green bean casserole, only with cactus leaves) for Christmas!
This is a jicama root. They are a lot like potatoes. I diced them, and threw them in the pressure cooker with a chicken. The leftovers went very well in a chicken soup!
These are daikon radishes. They are huge, and look like elephants’ tusks. They are traditionally used as garnishes in Asian food, but I’ve found that they also work well as potatoes. Their texture is stringy, so they don’t mash well, though.
This is a yucca root. They must be cooked, as they are toxic if eaten raw. I thought this was quite delicious steamed in the pressure cooker–don’t forget to peel the bark off, after it’s cooked!
In addition to these great veggies, I have had the opportunity to try a number of varieties of sushi, which of course is my favorite food on the planet! (And it is allowed on my diet).