Cooking for one (Mark Three)

Irenadler

suki1964 wrote: »

Irene, think about different veg for salad. I really couldn't be doing with salad veg because it goes mank before I get to eat it. So my salads will be shredded sweetheart cabbage tossed in a dressing, dill pickles instead of cucumbers, red onion instead of scallions, pickled walnuts ( cos I love the sweetness) roasted red peppers from a jar or those lovely tiny ones stuffed with cream cheese, baby spinach, nuts and fresh or dried fruit. Lettuce and celery is food of the devil as far as I'm concerned,tasteless pap. If anything is going to stop me dieting or trying to eat healthy, being served a plate of that day in day out will do it. Least with cabbage and spinach, you can cook it when fed up with raw. Oh and I love the red cabbage you can buy in jars. Not the vinegar stuff, but the polish ones. Lovely

Hello and thank you for these top tips.

I can't get thanks button to work on the previous page again, Apologies for those I can't (again). And thanks again!

Never thought about those in jars (another facepalm moment)....

B - naked you guessed it!
L - tuna with limp lettuce and tomato wholemeal sandwiches
T - not sure yet!

[Deleted User]

spirit wrote: »

Make sure you don't feel pressured to sell. Do you really want to move? I'd just say to be thoroughly sure of this rather than sell quickly, repent at leisure.

I am in a very similar position to mrAP and I say, go for it,do it, get stuck into that essential new start. Don`t do what my brother is doing, living in a shrine, stuck. I am waiting for the right house to turn up in a specific location and then I will be off too. I could sell now but don`t want to wait in rented, so I patiently wait here, to buy first and then move at leisure. me and my hobbies. New start, new aspirations, better for cycling, couldn`t be better

Pasta turkey bake was gorgeous, I froze one portion and keeping one portion of pasta sauce in the fridge for tomorrow. The tang was perfect, not sweet at all, very mouth satisfying

moneyistooshorttomention

Wednesday2000 wrote: »

I'm back from the GP and my cholesterol is really high. I shouldn't have high cholesterol as a vegan. It has worried me a bit as my Mum had a heart attack quite young, when she was about 50.

I said I didn't want to take statins yet. My GP (slim and fit looking) said his cholesterol is higher than mine and he keeps trying to get it down lower!:p

I'm going to try and lower that by eating foods like apples, green tea, lentils etc... and get it retested in the summer.

I was just looking online and saw a nice "recipe" just making some cooked lentils and adding olive oil, lemon, salt, black pepper, garlic and herbs and then leaving it to meld together and spread it on crackers. I will have that later.:)

I'd be interested in knowing how you get on re the cholesterol - as that actually is one reason I'm veering over from vegetarian to vegan. I was told (well - 4/5 years back now that my cholesterol had gone from British average of around 5 to sky-high, namely around 9). The eggs were finished up weeks ago. The Cheese Mountain is down noticeably - all cheddar type cheese gone and the last of the soft goat cheese being eaten currently. Just the "fancier" stuff in - like mozzarella/halloumi/feta/parmesan soon.

I wouldnt dream of taking statins personally - I've read enough bad stuff about them. Though, mind you, anyone would have a devil of a job persuading me to take any drugs at all regularly - and would probably not succeed.

I just keep reading that whole food plant-based Facebook page where there is story after story after story about "Me to start with - fat/unhealthy". "Me after months of this diet = much better figure/much healthier" and it includes cholesterol levels going down drastically.

So I am also puzzled why yours hasnt. I know the WFPB diet also cuts out oil, as well as being vegan. So I wonder whether that's responsible for you still having high cholesterol? (ie that you're still having oil)?

EDIT; I've just checked the exact title of that Facebook group I belong to. It's "Whole-Food-Plant-Based-Diet.com". It's a closed group - but I imagine googling for that title + Facebook will bring up a page to request membership on. You'll know it's the correct page by the quote underneath that title on the main page. It's "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food".

Hollyharvey

MrAPJI wrote: »

My doc told me to eat lots of cheesecake :eek: - seriously - he did lol. I haven't, but have developed a fetish for chocolate peanuts

I wish my doctor would tell me to do that . I don't need any encouragement to eat cheesecake though .

moneyistooshorttomention

Little additional thought - and the type of veganism I'm veering towards now is the healthy variety. There are junk food vegans out there - just as much as there are junk food conventional eaters.

Boy - some of those vegan cakes are sweet/sweet/sweet:eek: imo

I'm not so sure about the readymade vegan "cheeses" either. I'll eat them - but they arent anything like the real thing and I'm not sure they're healthy.

I think one does need to be aware about supplements - so yep...I'm taking Vitamin B12, kelp and Vitamin D complex. Also having mushrooms fairly often and making sure I leave them sitting there on kitchen windowsill "bottoms up" for some hours after buying them - as I gather they absorb a noticeable amount of Vit. D in the process through their gills.

I'm very conscious that high cholesterol/major heart problems are my "genetic inheritance" - from both parents and my younger brother. Though all 3 of them are extremely ill with a variety of things - and I've just got a "couple of minor niggles" I'm in the process of dealing with. So I must be doing something right and a healthy diet obviously makes one heck of a difference.

The only doctor I've ever had that I "got to know" that much was rather ...ahem....generously-proportioned. So he was a very good doctor for fighting on behalf of his patients and taking-it-as-read that some of us would be pretty informed ourselves and make our own decisions - but I'd never have listened to anything he said about what to eat looking at him LOL.

Wednesday2000

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

I just keep reading that whole food plant-based Facebook page where there is story after story after story about "Me to start with - fat/unhealthy". "Me after months of this diet = much better figure/much healthier" and it includes cholesterol levels going down drastically.

So I am also puzzled why yours hasnt. I know the WFPB diet also cuts out oil, as well as being vegan. So I wonder whether that's responsible for you still having high cholesterol? (ie that you're still having oil)?

I'm not on FB. I think it must be to do with the medication I'm taking as that was quite a bizarre jump up in cholesterol level in a few months. I looked online and read that it can be a side effect of that medication in women over 60.

I'm not quite that age yet, lol!:rotfl:

I will focus more on whole foods for the next few months and hope it goes down again. The medication I'm on is the best one for my chronic illness, but I will look for an alternative if it avoids raised cholesterol.:(

Farway

Wednesday2000 wrote: »

I'm back from the GP and my cholesterol is really high. I shouldn't have high cholesterol as a vegan. It has worried me a bit as my Mum had a heart attack quite young, when she was about 50.

I said I didn't want to take statins yet. My GP (slim and fit looking) said his cholesterol is higher than mine and he keeps trying to get it down lower!:p

I'm going to try and lower that by eating foods like apples, green tea, lentils etc... and get it retested in the summer.

Odd that reading as others have said. Back in my vegetarian days they had to recheck my cholesterol because it was so low they could not believe it. 2 point something. Not that now but still OK

I would avoid statins if possible, I was put on them, seems routine once over 60 something, they eventually left me with bouts of feeling dizzy & "foggy headed" so I stopped them a few years back

Rainy but had to go to Doc's. Not 'flu but I have to get chest X ray, a walk in & wait jobby for tomorrow

The rain turned into a deluge but plodded on to get frozen veg just in case, plus YS W/r ex Christmas cheese board and pork & onion pate, cocks a snook at cholesterol

Lunch was some of the pate on toast
Dinner will be LO boiled spuds, sliced & fried in butter / olive oil along with LO cod fillet & nuked frozen peas

spirit

Wednesday2000 wrote: »

I'm not on FB. I think it must be to do with the medication I'm taking as that was quite a bizarre jump up in cholesterol level in a few months. I looked online and read that it can be a side effect of that medication in women over 60.

I'm not quite that age yet, lol!:rotfl:

I will focus more on whole foods for the next few months and hope it goes down again. The medication I'm on is the best one for my chronic illness, but I will look for an alternative if it avoids raised cholesterol.:(

I will be following your diet with interest Wednesday. I had a blood test last Wed. Just rang for results, they took enough to look at 8 aspects of my health, all are ok except cholesterol. I've to have a telephone appt. with the Dr on Friday morning.


thinking about it, it could in my case be the blood sugar diet lifestyle I have. I don't drink, smoke and take moderate exercise, but, I have eggs, bacon or sausages with baked beans for breakfast very often. Eggs and the bangers aren't good I think. I need to look at what else I fancy for breakfast. I gave up porridge in 2016 when I started the diet as was too high in carbs. Might have to revisit it now!

Wednesday2000

The lentil spread and crackers was surprisingly tasty and filling. I felt full so I didn't even make the HM soup yet.

Farway wrote: »

I would avoid statins if possible, I was put on them, seems routine once over 60 something, they eventually left me with bouts of feeling dizzy & "foggy headed" so I stopped them a few years back

Yes, I have heard bad things too about statins. My GP said today (when I questioned him about his high cholesterol:o) that he has tried statins himself and he gets muscle aches from them. I have fibro so I don't want to risk getting more aches and pains! I said no to them straight away and he seemed fine with that. I suppose doctors have to recommend statins even if they know they have such side effects.

spirit wrote: »

I gave up porridge in 2016 when I started the diet as was too high in carbs. Might have to revisit it now!

We can both see if we can manage to lower our cholesterol. :)I know porridge is meant to be great for cholesterol, but I just don't like it. I think I might buy some and then put a scoop in a smoothie each day so I don't notice it, but hopefully still have the health benefits.

Farway

spirit wrote: »

all are ok except cholesterol. I've to have a telephone appt. with the Dr on Friday morning.

Eggs and the bangers aren't good I think.!

The eggs / cholesterol link was disproved a bit back but the fable persists having been banged on about for years by medics and Government

http://www.fitforlife.me/nutrition-en/eggs-cholesterol/

https://www.bhf.org.uk/news-from-the-bhf/news-archive/2015/may/eggs-and-cholesterol