This Week

I'm slow getting my goals posted for this week, but here's what's on my mind.

Today I went through my pantry and read labels and sorted things. Below you'll see pictures of what I found. These don't include everything, of course. This is just what was in my kitchen in the tall pantry, and does not include the food storage downstairs, nor the cupboards of baking goods with white flour, sugars, oil, and assorted seasonings and flavorings.

More than 2,500 years ago, Daniel and his three friends embarked on an experiment for the King. For 10 days they drank only water and ate only "pulse," which is interpreted to mean fruits and vegetables and grains including nuts and seeds. During that time, the rest of the king's men ate the meats and rich foods upon which the king himself dined. At the end of the 10 days, Daniel and his friends were strong and healthy and clear-minded, in comparison with the other young men.

I want to try it. Today is March 1. In 13 days I will get to experience my first colonoscopy. (I know, I know, that's probably TMI, but, oh, well!) So I have about ten days (if you allow for the prep days that precede the procedure) to try the experiment for myself. Josie has already been trying foods in her diet that have helped her feel better. Her efforts are inspiring me.

There is a book by Earl F. Updike called: The Mormon Diet, A Word of Wisdom, 14 Days to New Vigor and Health. I checked it out of the library. The emphasis in his book is on plant-based foods, and avoiding animal-based foods such as milk and meat. Here is the shopping list he gives for a week's worth of food:
10-20 lbs. whole-grain wheat (check!)
5-10 lbs. whole wheat flour (check! (if you count grinding the wheat, that is))
5-10 lbs brown rice
10 lbs. potatoes (check!)
10 lbs. dry corn (check!)
5 lbs. cornmeal (check! (if you count grinding the corn, that is)
4 pkgs. frozen green vegetables (check! (canned green beans, as well as frozen veggies))
2 pkgs. frozen corn (check! (I have lots of canned corn, so I'm counting that))
Various fresh or frozen fruis and vegetables (check!: acorn squash, onions, garlic, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, grapes, bananas, apples, oranges, bottled peaches and applesauce, frozen blueberries, raspberries, and marionberries)
2 cans tomatoes (check!)
2 cans tomato juice (check! (if you count the bottled tomatoes))
Cornstarch (check!)
Vinegar: white, cider, wine (check!)
Dried fruits such as raisins (check!)
2 lbs. barley (check!)
Honey (check!)
Ketchup (check!)
salad dressings oil-free, low-sodium (I have the recipe of Neva's that I'll use, even though it calls for oil)
2 bunches celery (1/2 check!)
baking powder (check!)
pasta sauce (check!)
5 lbs. popcorn (check! (but, wait, isn't that the dry corn listed above??))
100 percent whole wheat bread (check!--got it raising right now)
non-animal egg replacer (not likely to buy this--I'll use egg whites instead, so... check!)
whole wheat pita bread (making it right now when I make bread) (check!)
baking soda (check!)
soy milk (I don't plan to buy this. I'll use powdered milk instead)
dry milk (check!)
non-fat yogurt (hmm, not sure I want this one)
10 lbs. pinto beans (check!)
5 lbs. navy beans
5 lbs. lima beans
5 lbs. carrots
10 lbs. onions
1 42-oz. box regular oatmeal (check!)
2 16-oz. boxes oat bran cereal
2 20-oz. boxes Wheatena cereal (what's this???)
Pure fruit jams and jellies (gonna use what I have, and it's sweetened--sorry!)
fat-free, low-salt Mexican salsa (check!)
soy sauce
maple syrup, pure (not sure I want this. I don't care for pure maple syrup. Do you??)
5 lbs or more pastas (check!) although it's not whole-grain. oh, well
36-pack corn and lime only tortillas (check!)
salt-free mixed seasoning (I have some Mrs. Dash, but it's pretty old)
garlic powder (check!)
cayenne pepper (I have red pepper flakes. Does that count?)
nutmeg (check!)
dill weed
onion powder (I have onion flakes)
cinnamon (check!)
black pepper (check!)
oregano (check!)
parsley flakes

I know this is getting long, but before I quit I'm going to share with you the first day of suggested menus. Here it is:
Breakfast:
Wheatena cereal, double helping; follow package instructions; it's best if you use no milk. If you must, use skim milk or soy milk diluted 3 parts water to 1 part soy milk. Eat an orange or other fruit if you are still hungry.
Lunch:
One or two lettuce and tomato sandwiches on whole wheat bread, plain, or with your favorite no-oil, low-salt dressing and/or some mustard; a variety of cut-up raw vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower, onion, celery, carrots, or radishes. Eat an apple, applesauce, or other fruit for dessert.
Dinner:
One, two, or more baked potatoes; a frozen green vegetables; green salad; whole wheat bread; soda water (huh? Yuck!) plain or mixed with fruit juice. Banana or any fruit of choice for dessert. Keep small bags of cut up bananas in the freezer ready to create a soft ice cream-like dessert or snack any time: place equal amounts of frozen bananas and any sugar-free frozen fruit (i.e., raspberries, strawberries, peaches) in a blender. Blend, with a little water if necessary. This treat is all complex carbohydrates. To prepare potatoes, microwave one for 6 minutes, microwave two for 9-10 minutes, or bake six or more in the oven for an hour at 400 degrees; store unused potatoes in the refrigerator for future use.

As you can see, this diet is based mostly on starches. This is interesting, because starches are--guess what?--CARBS! However, I agree with the theory that carbs should make up the majority of our diet. The dietitian that Neva met with suggested a general rule for choosing what goes on your dinner plate: divide the plate in half and fill one-half of it with the vegetables. Then divide the remaining half in half again, and put your protein or meat serving in one section and your carbs or bread serving in the other section. That is one way of eating. It is based on vegetables being the staple of the diet. However, what Mr. Updike points out is that the Word of Wisdom says that wheat is the staff of life, or the staple of the diet. He suggests that the majority of our diet should come, not from vegetables, but from one of five basic starches: beans, potatoes, brown rice, corn, and grains. This is the basis of the diet that I want to try.

My concern, as always, is alienating my husband. He, like most men I know, feels deprived when he is served a meatless meal. I'm not sure what to do about that, other than ask him to support me for the next ten days by either eating what I eat, or fixing his own. I think he can handle it.