Last Thursday my granddaughter graduated from Weber State University. After the graduation the family had lunch at Chili's which was her choice. To prepare ahead so I could stay on my WFPB diet, I looked up Chili's on the internet to see what I could eat. I found their vegetarian menu. (http://www.chilis.com/EN/LocationSpecificPDF/MenuPDF/001.005.0000/Chilis%20Vegetarian%20Menu%20Generic.pdf) The menu also indicates which items have dairy and eggs so you can use it as a vegan menu. I ordered their Santa Fe Salad without chicken and tortilla chips. I added my own Walden Farms Thousand Island dressing. I also had a cup of black beans and 3 corn tortillas (10 fat calories). I dipped the tortillas in the picante sauce like they were chips. It was a very enjoyable meal.
For this entire week I am going to list what I eat each day and request any comments and suggestions on how I can better stay on my diet. We eat out 9 meals a week and it is sometimes difficult to find restaurant food I can eat that is legal on my diet. One of the biggest problems I have is avoiding refined vegetable oils such as olive oil because many places "sneak" it into their recipes.
Monday's Meals
Breakfast at home
Shredded wheat
Almond milk (unsweetened)
2 tbs milled flax seed
1/2 banana
Lunch at Olive Garden
Salad
Walden Farms Italian Dressing (0 calories)
Minestrone soup
1 bread stick
Dinner at Sizzler
Salad with my own Walden Farms 1000 Island Dressing (0 calories, no fat)
Baked Potato
Pinto beans
Pico de gallo
Spoon of guacamole
Honeydew melon
Evening Snack at Home
1 small apple
Congrats, Larry! I keep thinking about the great example and legacy you are giving to your family and all who know you! If you can do this at your age, any of us can do this! This diet is particularly tough when you eat out, and I am proud of you for working this hard at it!!
ReplyDeleteFor anyone interested, there are many diet guidelines out there. The one Larry is following is one promoted by expert whole food, plant-based experts like Dr. John McDougall and Jeff Novick. See this site for guidelines I have summarized based on their work: http://discoveringthewordofwisdom.com/wfpb-guidelines/
Here are some thoughts on Monday’s food:
First, GREAT job!! Be sure you eat enough food at every meal to not go hungry. I find I eat a massive quantity of food every day. For example, for breakfast, I eat 2-3 cups of steel cut oats, one banana, and another whole fruit. Your breakfast looks good! Do you use hot cereal on occasion?
For lunch, the salad at Olive Garden is a good choice. Did you have to omit cheese, croutons or such? The bread stick is sure to be full of butter and highly processed ingredients. I don’t know if they have any wholesome alternatives. The minestrone soup looks like it also contains quite a bit of oil (http://chefpablos.com/restaurant-recipes/olive_garden/olive-garden-minestrone-soup-recipe/). If you eat there only occasionally, this is probably the best hot food you can get at Olive Garden (besides the salad).
I do applaud you for looking up ingredients online. Restaurants really pour on the fat knowing that is what people like.
I like what you did at Golden Corral. I’m going there myself this Friday, and I’ll probably do something similar. The ranch dressing, however, is probably not vegan and not healthy. Try making your own salad dressing (see pg. 170 of the Discovering the Word of Wisdom book or let me know if you’d like me to email you a whole list of them). Some restaurants cook their beans in lard or other fat-filled or animal food ingredients, so you might ask about that.
Keep up the good work, Larry. This diet is harder to do when you eat out, but you are doing great. Try doing a bit more cooking at home on occasion. You may find you enjoy it! I certainly would rather be chopping veggies in the kitchen then spending hours in bed sick!
Bless you!
Thank you Jane for your support and timely advice.
DeleteI am getting plenty of food to eat at all of my meals. I have always had a small breakfast and fill up easily. I continue eating at every meal until I am full and then I stop. Two amazing things I have discovered about this diet. First I can continue eating until I am full without counting calories and the longer I stay on the diet the better the food tastes. Second, it works! I'm losing weight and feeling better every day.
I eat one cup of oat meal about once a week with almond milk, milled bran seed and walnuts. However it is not steel cut oats but I am going to switch to that.
My salad at olive garden has no house salad dressing, cheese or croutons. I bring my own Walden Farms Italian Dressing (0 fat). Their minestrone soup is vegetarian. (see http://media.olivegarden.com/en_us/pdf/olive_garden_nutrition.pdf, page 6 of 9) A bowl has 1 g of fat, 18 g of carbs and 4 g of protein. Thanks for the advice on the bread sticks. I am not eating them any more.
I made a mistake on dinner because I wrote it up ahead of time. We actually went to Sizzler. I have corrected that as you can note above. I have checked on the pinto beans at both Sizzler and Golden Correl. Management at both restaurants told me they do not use any oils or fat in preparing them. The fat free ranch dressing at Golden Correl contains milk so I am going to take my own Walden Farms Ranch Dressing (0 Calories, no fat).
Thanks again for the great advice and suggestions.
Larry: I don't know if you can get any more impressive. I love your response to me. I am amazed at how seriously you are approaching this adventure! You are making all the best choices you can, especially for eating out. Yes, the Olive Garden minestrone soup looks fine and meets the requirement for percent of calories from fat (it only has 10%). The sodium is very high, which is another thing you might want to think about (but not stress out about as you are doing well and there is only so much you can do when you eat out!) Keep up the great work!
DeleteLarry, I'm impressed with how you trying to navigate your dietary changes through the maze of restaurants. That would be hard for me to do and I can tell you're doing the best you can. Especially with everyone around you chomping into the high fat meats and sauces and breads. You are so committed and it's inspiring!
ReplyDeleteMy only recommendation would be for you to incorporate more and more high nutrient low calories fruits and vegetables as you are able. The antioxidants and phytochemicals in foods like berries and leafy greens will help heal your body even faster. Berries are very low in sugar and have known anti-cancer properties. Leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower are very low calorie, high in protein (per calorie), and are the most nutrient dense on the planet. So keep your starches as a base but add in as many high nutrient fruits and non-starchy vegetables as possible. You can eat lots since they are so low calorie. Also, it's great that you like beans. Beans are a terrific starch for diabetics and are super nutritious.
You're doing great! Keep going, Larry! You will feel better and better.
Thank you Michelle for your support and advice. I will try to include more fruits and vegetables in my diet. I have been buying fresh strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries every week at the grocery store.
DeleteGreat advice, Michelle!
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