Who would think I would be taking foodie advice from Alicia Silverstone?
I sure didn't.
Not that I don't respect Cher's eating potential, in fact, Clueless was always a favorite of mine, but you hardly saw them eat....anything.
The Kind Diet is Alicia's diet and eating guide to being vegetarian, or at least flirting like one.
As you all know, I've embarked on a new dieting trend this year, which includes lots and lots of meatless times. So what better place to pull my dieting tips from than those who don't eat the meaty stuff at all?
Recipes
Not to be one-sided, I also looked into some of the vegan and raw food books, but let's just say the idea of dehydrating my pancakes overnight for breakfast, did not sound appetizing.
Sure the food looks pretty and tempting, but really, I think heat is a wonderful inventions created by primordial man, that should be used for more than just winter survival.
Raw foodism (or rawism) is a lifestyle promoting the consumption of uncooked, unprocessed, and often organic foods as a large percentage of the diet.
(Thanks Wikipedia!)
Raw foodism can include any diet of primarily unheated food, or food cooked to a temperature less than 40 °C (104 °F) to 46 °C°F). The most popular raw food diet is a raw vegan diet, but other forms may include animal products and/or meat. Raw foodists can be divided between those that advocate raw veganismvegetarianism, those that advocate a raw omnivorous diet, and those that advocate a 100% raw carnivorous diet. (115 or
In other words, room temperature is good! Seared, baked, braised, grilled, broiled or sauted, bad.
I like my veggies with a little heat transfer. But to each their own.
Back to The Kind Diet:
My favorite parts of this book have got to be Alicia's insider hints. Each holds knowledge about food groups and food processes that only a vegetarian/vegan would take the time to find out, but it's written in her ham-eater-friendly voice of bubbly reason.
How many people would know that some white sugar is processed to the point that it takes nutriments away from your body instead of giving it natural energy? Did you know that some vegans won't eat honey because they feel bees are a living creature and the honey is their "mother's milk"? And don't think your coffee goes unscathed in this process either! Caffeine damages your youthful appearance and makes procreation difficult. (No babies!) The fountain of youth didn't arise via Starbucks, although productivity may have in its place. Teeccino is a decaf herbal coffee alternative that can replace your venti double shot espresso with whip.
Teeccino Caffeine-free Herbal Coffee is a delicious blend of herbs, grains, fruits and nuts that are roasted and ground to brew and taste just like coffee.
There was one entitled "Is Wheat Bad?"
Alicia goes on to say that , like corn (and its syrup) and soy, wheat has been packed into foods were we wouldn't normaly have them, causing us humans to have adverse reactions to high wheat content diets. The intolerance of said content being celiac disease, which is genetic. But you may have symptoms similar to the disease if you find yourself eating too much white flour and white wheat flour, which has been processed the point that you might as well eat sawdust if you're looking for real nutritional value.
Personally, I haven't had white bread in years, my only exceptions being buns for burgers (when wheat isn't available), and the occasional garlic bread or bruschetta. But what do I always preach in my dieting tips? Moderation.
Fun facts: Food: Milligrams of Calcium (per 100 gram serving)
Butter: 20
Whole Milk: 118
Chickpeas: 150
Collard Greens: 203
Parsley: 203
Soybeans: 226
Almonds: 234 (almond milk anyone?)
Sesame Seeds: 1,160
Hijiki Sea Vegetable (right): 1,400
Think of the Hijiki as the Rosemary or seaweed, and then it's not so ominous.
Most people who have allergies and asthma, can probably credit them to the dairy in their diet. Don't believe me? Are you allergic to your cat? The Spring pollen? Your husband? Cut back on dairy for a few months and see if your symptoms ease a little. I won't go into the deal about hormones and how cow's milk is meant for cows. I won't go into how milk studies in children have shown that the use of cow's milk in formula has increased the number of children born with diabetes. Nor will we talk about how much it costs the country to run the dairy industry. It's better that we just say that dairy is bad for you in many many ways, and really if the only reason you drink it is for calcium and soggy cereal, there are kinder ways to accomplish that.
And how about protein? Beans have 5% more protein than steak, 1/16 of the calories, they are 70% complex carbohydrates (the good kind), they help rid your body of unwanted hormones, lower cholesterol, are high in fiber and help revitalize soil for healthy gardening and crops. Plus, beans are cheap! I bought a bag of white beans for $1! I can get at least 4 servings from that one bag, while your $1 whopper Jr. will only get you to 2pm.
Afraid to get the farts after some bean eating? First, you must properly cook your beans. It is not the bean's fault that you get gassy! Its the sugar in the bean fighting with the bacteria in our belly that adds to the post dinning air bombs. So what do you do? 1. Don't cooking your beans in the soaking liquid. 2. Add a bay leaf to your beans when their cooking. 3. Skim the foam off beans when their cooking. 4. Eat them more often so your body can get used to breaking down this protein. (Also, Alicia says if you chew deliberately, with your mouth closed you swallow less air, which also adds to gas.)
And what about iron! Lets talk beans and brussels! Just because you didn't eat them when you were 5, doesn't mean you can't eat them at 25 or 35! Also eat your broccoli, asparagus, spinach, chick peas, parsely and pumpkin seeds.
Chapter 7 "Flirting" is also a favorite of mine. It talks directly to the reader about simply trying a new diet addition, or subtraction, just to see if you like it, before putting it into permanent practice. Alicia even offers a list of veggie/vegan alternatives and brands that you can try (not going to copy it here, you'll have to get the book for those) and see if you like them.
Personally, nothing can replace cheese. And the cheese alternatives will not make me change my mind. I just won't eat cheese.
She even hits the basics, recipes included, for basic meal composition and ways to make food seam hearty without looking like "rabbit food". Whenever I'm eating totally veggie, I give myself permission to have seconds, and sometimes thirds, because as long as it's low in fat and high in nutrients, there's more good in seconds, than there is bad in overeating. At least that's my logic.
Now if you didn't think vegans were extreme enough, some even avoid nightshade veggies which contain alkaloids that attribute to inflammation of the joints arthritis. What are these nightshade veggies you ask? Potatoes, tomatoes, eggplants and pepper. All things I love, but I will take the arthritis thing into consideration the next time I make veggie lasagna.
So now that you know a little about what to eat, what should you have in your pantry?
- Whole grains (not white)
- Grains
- Beans
- Vegetables (duh)
- Sea Vegetables
- Oils,
- Sweeteners
- Fruit
- Natural juices
- Nuts and seeds
Fun Fact* Pickles help with digestion! Ever have a heavy meal and crave that dill gerkin? Maybe it's just your body asking for help before the heartburn can kick in. This doesn't mean you can clean out a jar a week of kosher dills, think about your salt and/or sugar intake and make your own less indulgent pickle from scratch (recipe coming soon).
The Kind Diet was packed with know-how and facts as well as helpful suggestions base on Alicia's personal journey to becoming a vegetarian. Her approach to food is honest and innocent, which makes this book more of a conversation about food and less of a lecture on how so many things are bad for you.
So read on and eat on young foodies!
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