Lynne and Heather embark on the Eat to Live diet developed by Dr. Joel Furhman. The adventure begins with an initial 6 week diet to re-energise and detox the body. Follow us as we discard our favourite high calorie/low nutrient foods for a nutritional, disease-free diet!

Sunday 2 September 2012

Hello. Goodbye.

My mom and I are very close. Even when I packed by bags and left Ohio for Scotland, we made sure we have never lost touch (Skype is a lifesaver!). So when my mom started having health concerns (I'll let her tell you about that), she found out about Eat to Live by Dr Joel Furhman. She told me she was excited to take this on and that it made sense. I was a bit curious and as I did some reading, I wondered how anyone can lose about 20 pounds in six weeks. Certainly that's unhealthy and just a clever marketing ploy, n'est pas? But the more I read people's success stories and found out that a friend from high school follows it and lost 20 pounds in six weeks (follow her blog here), that is when I really took notice. Who wouldn't want to lose 20 pounds in six weeks, feel good, happy and healthy? So I bought the book. The more I read, the more it made sense.

Side note: Ever since I've moved to Scotland, I've craved carbs. Spaghetti carbonara, pizza, mac and cheese, mash potatoes... The weather is most often cold (average high of 20 degrees C/ 70 degrees F in the summer) and so I bundle up in coats and scarves most days and my stomach tells me to pack on the pounds and prepare for hibernation. This is of course detrimental to my health and after a few years of boring, heavy foods and tiredness I decided I needed a change.

I wanted - needed to do this and so i waited until my payday so that i could invest into my health properly. A complete revamp of my cupboards and fridge is a bit of an investment especially when you're swapping cheese and pizza for ground flaxseed, tahini and almond butter! It also just so happened that my boyfriend decided to end things at this time. Well, silver lining and all, I decided I might as well capitalise on that sick-to-my-stomach feeling. It means I won't be struggling with those first couple of weeks of cravings that I'm supposed to expect. Also a healthy diet promising to make you feel happy and healthy - what girl (or guy) doesn't want to feel this after a breakup? It's way better than Ben and Jerry's and Adele on repeat. Sign me up!

So for the past two weeks, I've committed to Dr. Furhman's 6 week diet plan (with the exception of having a few wee drinks. But I beg you to forgive me. Have you ever attempted to tell a gay Scotsman you can't have alcohol? It's not in their vocabulary. Their only answer is to pour you a drink and offer it to silence you. One mustn't decline - that would just be poor manners!)

Yesterday my mom came on board this plant-based diet. We've decided to blog to share our experience with anyone who is also interested in following the Eat to Live plan. It will also serve to hold us accountable for our slips and cravings.

Tonight I had these delicious veggie spring roll wraps (cucumber, pepper, carrots and kelp noodles) with a delicious and easy to make Spicy Thai Peanut Sauce.

Spicy Thai Peanut Sauce
From Blueberry Arugula  Adapted from: Fat Free Vegan
Makes about 1 cup of sauce
Indredients:
1/3 C Natural Peanut Butter, Smooth or Crunchy (the only ingredients permitted are peanuts)
2/3 C Water
1 T + 1 t Low-Sodium Soy Sauce
1 t Tamarind Paste (found in the Asian section of Whole Foods if you're in the US or in Real Foods if you're in Edinburgh)
2 Cloves Grated Fresh Garlic
1 T Grated Fresh Ginger
1 t Red Pepper Flakes
Coarsely Chopped Green Onion to Taste

Directions: Combine all ingredients except green onions in a small sauce pan over low heat. Whisk until the mixture has become a smooth, creamy consistency. Take off heat and stir in the green onions. Serve hot over noodles or cold as a dip or salad dressing.
On top of that I had these gorgeous strawberries from Real Foods - the smell of them was so enticing I couldn't help but treat myself! I made Dr Fuhrman's Almond Chocolate Dip (pg 370 of Eat to Live) to dip my strawberries into. Delicious! Although, note to self: I must purchase a food processor to fully enjoy some of the amazing recipes!

The stats

Goodbye unhealthy lifestyle and hello to nutritional foods! 
Weight (I can't believe I'm writing this!): 175-180 lbs
Pre-diet diet: pizza, spaghetti carbonara, mac and cheese, with a few veg and fruits for my "five a day"
New diet: No simple carbs, oils, sugar or salt
Cravings: mozzerella cheese and Ben and Jerry's


I'm saying goodbye to all these unhealthy things in my life and hello to healthy, nutritional foods. Here's to the new adventure. I hope I can stay away from temptation. Stay tuned for more posts and recipes. Wishing you all a happy and healthy week x h



7 comments:

  1. Spring rolls and strawberries! That sounds alot more flavorful than the old standby : mac&cheese!

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  2. You're so right mom! My taste buds are definitely appreciating better, fresher foods. Had to resist the chocolate calling me at my local shop. Ran away and grabbed some lettuce instead.

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    1. Hahaa! I know! What a pleasant surprise, the tastebud change! It has only been 4 days since I stopped eating milk, butter, cheese, eggs and meat of any kind...and all ready, my tastes have changed! I stopped all these, cold turkey (pun intended)! I have an appreciation for the taste of natural fruits, veggies, beans and grains like never before!

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  3. I have to tell you two how pleasantly surprised I was to see this blog! I had tears in my eyes only reading the title! turning over a new leaf, Two leaves turning! A mother and daughter's journey into a plant based diet! I am so happy for you to embark on the healthiest way to live and how we were really MADE to eat! I have read the articles and watched the video from Dr. Joel Furhman and totally agreed with him. His concept is the right one! I want to wish you two the best of luck and I will continue to follow your progress and help support you both :) I will definitely incorporate (as much as possible), this healthier way of eating into my own life as well. I know the family would not go for it to go "cold turkey"! Haha
    Awesome idea on the blog you two! I love it!
    Heather: I'm very sorry to hear of your breakup :( if you ever need to talk, I'm here!
    Love you both! xxx ooo
    Kimmy

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    1. Kimmy! Thanks for stopping by to check out our new blog, hope you are a regular visitor here. Also, thank you so much for your support! We are finding out this is an adventure; learning to eat only whole foods from plants! We get to experiment with new ingredients, new cooking techniques and try out brand-new recipes. I'm loving it!
      I was tired of eating the same old things, day after day...it seemed I was stuck in a rut. It's so fun to have ingredients you've rarely (if ever) used before, when creating in the kitchen.

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    2. Thanks Kim! So glad you're hoping to incorporate some of the Eat to Live lifestyle as well! I'm definitely starting to see improvements already - my hips and waist are more streamlined and I feel better in general. As mom said, it's so fun to try new ingredients and to relearn how to prepare foods. I thought it would be stressful but I actually quite enjoy it. It sure beats the dull pasta and veg routine!

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    3. Omg! I agree with you both on the getting out of the rut of the same old dishes! Ugh! Me too! Its so fun sprucing things up with a change of diet :) I use a lot of varieties of beans to throw in the mix as well! I know there are tons of websites for vegan recipes you could google too. The videos are very informative also; watching the preparation as well as throwing in their helpful hints! Back in 2003 or 2004, I was pretty much a vegan! I still don't eat meat every day and will go days without. Heather! I stopped craving chocolate then!! :) It's so true, when you cut all that out, it doesn't take long and your tastes change and you crave those healthy greens and fruits and you actually feel sick if you do eat one of those "old" foods again! I even got to where I couldn't even stand the smell of hamburger frying! Smelled and tasted like rank cow! Just like dad said once! Haha! Well, so glad to hear your waists are getting more streamlined and feeling better healthwise!! ..I will definitely keep popping in and out here checking on how the two of you are coming along :) I'm so happy and excited for you two! Lynne, how's Brent? Is he trying a lot of the dishes too??

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