The DIY Diet

Thanksgiving is fast approaching and earlier this season already I’ve been the grateful recipient of pumpkin, squash, onions, tomatoes, peppers, and the like from the bounty of my brother and sister-in-law’s large garden.  They grew some lovely, large pumpkins this year, the ornamental variety, that we used for Halloween decorations.  For Thanksgiving pies, I think we’ll bake a Mrs. Smith’s Frozen Pumpkin Pie.  We like the flavor and the ease of preparation. The acorn squash has been delicious and from the tomatoes, onions, and peppers I’ve made and frozen spaghetti sauce, chili, and tomato pulp for later use. 

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I’m always on the lookout for beneficial diet ideas that would help make the process of reducing to a healthy weight more appealing and less of a struggle.

Since being introduced to the concept of energy healing and energy medicine in April (see blog about topic) I’ve done a lot of reading about it, participated in some teleseminars, and have attended some workshops through Spring Forest Qigong (SFQ).  I’ve learned some things that may prove helpful.  I’m trying some of those techniques now and want to share them with you.

I know all of you have seen the advertisements for Wu-Yi tea and Wu-Long tea, supposedly a miracle diet aide.  In my research I learned that both of those teas are brand names for types of oolong tea.  Oolong teas (halfway between green and black teas), indeed, contain large amounts of polyphenols, that according to the Health24.com website help to control obesity by activating the enzyme responsible for dissolving fatty deposits (triglycerides) and enhancing the function of fat metabolism.  So oolong tea can help with dieting.  You can buy oolong teas from many tea merchants but it isn’t a miracle diet aide.

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"Sometime during the fall season I’d like to make a trip ‘up north’," my elderly mother said when we were out running errands one day.  I said, "We can do that.  Would you like to go tomorrow?" I think I surprised her with my response.  "Yes," she said without giving it a second thought,  and we made plans to leave the following morning for our former Northeastern Minnesota home.  I made hotel reservations, we packed our bags, told my brother of our plans, and off we went.

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I first visited Mrs. Spoonover’s Restaurant, Whitefish, Montana, back in 1997, soon after it was founded by Judy Scallen, a kindergarten classmate from Northeastern Minnesota, where we both grew up. 

I was on my "old hippie road tour of the west", camping out in my old van and visiting some of the places that had played a significant role in my early adult life.  When Judy suggested I make a side trip to Whitefish, it didn’t take me long to head the old van northwest from my last stop in Ft. Collins, Colorado toward Montana.  On the long drive from Colorado to Whitefish, I was reminded how vast and lonely Wyoming can be when you’re alone.  It had never bothered me to camp alone before but in Wyoming in 1997, it did.  I guess I’d grown a little less adventuresome than I’d been in my twenties, thirties, and forties.

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After a total of 46 hours aboard Amtrak (round trip between St. Paul, Minnesota and Whitefish, Montana) I felt as if I’d been in Never-Never Land.  I wasn’t impressed with Amtrak, at least not the route I took.  Maybe other routes around the U.S. are better but I’ll never know because I won’t take another long Amtrak train trip.  Rattling along the bumpy tracks in a close environment packed with people made for an uncomfortable trip for me.  My back and neck hurt as I tried to find an acceptable sleeping position without imposing on my assigned seat mate for the 22-hour ride to Whitefish.  I admit that I should have done more research about Amtrak before eagerly buying tickets. I was too excited about the adventure of riding the train.

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This year I not only made spaghetti sauce from extra tomatoes, I also made chili to freeze for the winter.

In September, my mother and I were out in the country west of the Twin Cities taking care of lovable labrador mutts, Pumba and Beauty, while my brother and sister-in-law went out of state.  Their garden had produced a bumper crop of tomatoes again this year and though the dogs were running me ragged, I couldn’t stand to see those gorgeous tomatoes sit unused in the garden.  My sister-in-law had already filled up her freezer and had given away as many as she could.

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One day when I was ordering vitamins and supplements from my favorite mail order supplier, Swanson Health Products, I asked the order taker about Slendesta, the new product that I’d seen advertised in one of their catalogs. The order taker said she was using Slendesta for appetite control and she said, that for her, it was working as advertised.

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It seems that every magazine I open these days is talking about the virtues of apples. Like many of you, I was told as I grew up that "an apple a day keeps a doctor away". I have no doubt that the old adage is true. Apples it is said, may protect against heart disease, various kinds of cancer (breast, colon, digestive), age-related memory loss, stroke, Type 2 diabetes, and arteries from plaque build-up. They may improve lung function, learning ability, and reduce the risk of asthma. Prevention Magazine’s website calls apples "nature’s toothbrush" saying apples cleanse and whiten teeth.

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Steaming is my favorite way to prepare certain vegetables. That’s the way I like to prepare cauliflower, broccoli, asparagus, green beans, peas pods, and carrots. I often fix cabbage and corn that way, too. When I steam my vegetables, I use a bamboo steamer. I own a metal steamer basket but I’ve never used it. In fact, I have no idea where it is - probably stored in my garage. I love the very slight bamboo fragrance it seems to impart to the air as the vegetables cook. It reminds me of living in the Orient. I find that one of the big advantages to cooking with a bamboo steamer is that I can quickly stop cooking when the vegetables are al dente or still a bit firm when you bite into them (used typically to describe pasta).

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I admit, I have more cookbooks than any home cook needs and I’d decided I was going to be more selective about buying cookbooks in the future. The approximately 130 cookbooks and folders with recipes I’ve saved over the years nearly fill a tall bookcase that I have stashed in my walk-in bedroom closet. The kitchen cupboard space in my townhome is too limited to consider storing all the cookbooks there. I need the cookbooks nearby, however, so the walk-in closet was the next best solution. Besides, I’m not a clothes horse. Since retiring I’ve found that I haven’t worn some of my work clothes at all. I suppose I should get rid of them. I use less than half of the closet space for clothes. I use much of the space for tablecloths, napkins, video and audio tapes, an assortment of vacuum cleaners, and miscellaneous books I like to have handy to read when I’m sitting in my bed.

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