Category Archives: weigh loss

Whole Food Plant-Based and weight loss

Cinnamon: great aroma and much more!

All the muffin experiments reminded me of how much I love cinnamon! There are few aromas that make me happier. Probably for a good reason, since a Western Jesuit University study found that smelling cinnamon boosts cognitive function and decreases feelings of frustration.

Closely related to the smell is the taste. What would apple pie be without cinnamon!? We use it in pancakes, waffles and baked goods. Adding a dash of cinnamon to coffee makes even the worst swill palatable. And a dash of cinnamon is the secret ingredient in tomato soup. (more…)

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Sautéing in Oil, Veggie Broth or Water: You Choose!

sauteThank goodness for friends!  One of mine, pointed out that a great number of my recipes start out with sautéing onions, garlic and other veggies.  And she wanted to know how I square sautéing with a low-fat diet.

Made me realize that she, along with a lot of other people, think that sautéing is synonymous with frying. Actually, the way I think about it is somewhat different.

First of all, let’s explore the term sauté.  The word is French and means jumped or bounced.  In traditional French cooking it means browning food to seal in the juices by bouncing it around in a small amount of very hot oil. (more…)

Posted in additive-free food, Cote Home Grown Fare, fresh veggies, kitchen basics, weigh loss, Whole Food Plant-Based Food Kitchen | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Global BMI

senior scaleHere is a fun factoid: The global adult human population has a combined weight of 287,000,000 tons!

I have spent an inordinate amount of time in my life trying to decide how my body measures up.  Finally, I have a tool that gives me a straight answer.  It is called the global fat scale. (more…)

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The Big Scam: Non-Fat, Low-Fat and Fat Free

nonfat

This was posted to my Facebook news feed awhile back. I shook my head and then burst out laughing.  The sign totally embodies my experience with fat-free and low-fat food. (more…)

Posted in additive-free food, excitotoxins, sugar-free food, weigh loss, Whole Food Plant-Based Food Kitchen, Whole Food Plant-Based nutrition | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Meal Replacements – Larabars

audreyRemember the plant in Little Shop of Horrors?   Audrey II whose loudest cry was “Feed Me!”  When I get hungry, my blood sugar drops and the only thing I can say is:  FEED ME!!! I know exactly how Audrey felt!

Which is why I eat “early and often.” I hate turning an irrational and distinctly un-nice person!   The antidote is eating 4-5 times a day.  If I do my blood sugar stays even and my disposition sunny. As and added bonus I feel good and effortlessly maintain my weight since my metabolism is more efficient and I don’t get strange cravings. In the end I actually consume less calories per day. (more…)

Posted in additive-free food, gluten-free food, snacks, sugar-free food, weigh loss, Whole Food Plant-Based nutrition | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Eggplant “Non-Parmesan”

FOOFET03My friend Beth gave me an assignment – create a vegan (non-dairy), gluten-free, fat-free (or close too it), additive-free Eggplant Parmesan to use in Sandwiches.

You know how I am, can’t resist a challenge. So I started experimenting. Many of the recipe components can be found on the Basic Recipes PagesTapioca Eggs, Cashew Cheese and Quick Italian Red Sauce. Please refer to that page for the specific recipe otherwise this post is going to be way to long.

(more…)

Posted in additive-free food, diary-free food, fresh veggies, gluten-free food, Italian, Mirepoix, weigh loss, Whole Food Plant-Based recipes | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Do You Know about Excitotoxins?

Four years ago David developed a gluten allergy. That began a series of radical changes in our diet. But there were more to come!

Two years ago he started having a series of “weird” problems.  He was not diabetic or even pre-diabetic but he clearly had a blood sugar problem!  On any given day his blood sugar spiked and dropped for no apparent reason.  He was alternatively shaky and moody. And eating seemed to make the problem worse.

We were at our wits end!  So in an effort to figure out what was going on we started tracking the symptoms and what he ate. The place to start was in the grocery store; reading labels. (more…)

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Pills or Veggies?

diabetes drugsDid you know that almost 105 million people in the United States are either diabetic or prediabetic?

That is a staggering number.  If you figure the US population is roughly 335 million that means that roughly 1/3 of the total population is at risk!  Here is the breakdown as provided by the American Diabetes Associationregarding type 2 diabetics in the US in 2010:

  • Diagnosed: 18.8 million people
  • Undiagnosed: 7.0 million people

Prediabetes: 79 million people (more…)

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Quick White Bean Soup

The advantage of cooking a big batch of beans on Sunday is that even after making the Baked Beans, I still have some extra.  There a probably a thousand ways to use extra beans.

One of my favorites is to make a quick soup to heat and eat for lunches or to add to dinner when you want a little something more.  Lots of nutrition and great low calorie treat. (more…)

Posted in additive-free food, Beans, diary-free food, gluten-free food, soup, sugar-free food, vegan, vegetarian, weigh loss, Whole Food Plant-Based recipes | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Why Start This Down to Earth Fare Blog? Part 2

Yes, this experiment is an adventure in eating and changing our lives, but in the end it is more than that! Over the last year we have transformed our bodies – inside and out.

Remember, a year ago, we are basically really healthy people*.  Sure, we had the typical complaints of aging boomers – aches and pains, digestive disruptions,allergies and lagging energy: all relatively minor particularly given where we had been even 10 years ago. (more…)

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