Going to begin cutting out all processed foods.. Giant Bean!

[sydneyvegan]

Dhal is a great way to eat lentils. There are plenty of recipes around, some have Ghee in them, but it is easy to leave it out.

[Kon]

never heard of Dhal before, but I just did a search, and it looks pretty good, i'll have to try that sometime.

[Kon]

i'm going to post everything I eat, so people can get a good picture on how im going.

If you can, I'd also like to recieve critique on it if there is anything I can improve.

Also keep in mind, i'm trying to gain muscle, but im a noob with that. I've got another reason why i'm eliminating processed foods, and that's because I have some acne, and I'm thinking it will help get rid of it.

I also think not eating processed foods will benefit my body seeing as there wont be any odd stuff in my food once i eliminate it.

 

ok, so here is what I ate today (monday)..

 

I awoke and ate a large apple, 2 bananas, and a handfull of grapes.

later I worked out and drank some water, and then ate the rest of my lentils(atleast 2 cups worth)

later I ate a bunch of pressure cooked kale,spinache, and greenbeans, plus a small bit of salad.

later I had some grapes and then later about half a cup of almonds, maybe more and a banana.

and soon I'll be eating a sweet potatoe.

That'll probably be it for today. (0 processed foods!)

[michaelhobson]

I awoke and ate a large apple, 2 bananas, and a handfull of grapes.

later I worked out and drank some water, and then ate the rest of my lentils(atleast 2 cups worth)

later I ate a bunch of pressure cooked kale,spinache, and greenbeans, plus a small bit of salad.

later I had some grapes and then later about half a cup of almonds, maybe more and a banana.

and soon I'll be eating a sweet potatoe.

That'll probably be it for today. (0 processed foods!)

 

Sorry, not much of a food critic here. Looks awesome to me, I want to come eat with you.

[Gaia]

Check out this site: http://www.tarikausa.com/tarikatips.html

 

This has helped me out alot. It is a little bit of work with the clay mask instead of soap. I do use the day/night oil, but I will also use avocado oil, sweet almond oil, or even sesame oil (very drying and antiseptic) on my skin. I also know I have to stay away from chocolate (for my skin it is sensitive to it. I went without chocolate for 3 months and my face cleared up nicely, then I couldn't resist a dark chocolate dipped rice cream bar, and broke out within 24 hours!), really hot spicy food (like thai and mexican), coconut oil for cooking, and not too many bananas (I use to have two or three a day in my shakes). I see from your list of food that you eat, that you shouldn't have that problem (just watch out for the bananas perhaps? everybody's genetics is different though).

[Kon]

thanks for the link.. I'm somewhat skeptical about putting stuff on your face though, because how I see it is you'd be treating something where it is at the end of it's journey(coming out of the skin)..

I figure it's best to prevent it alltogether by fixing the problem at the source(where you are putting the materials into your body which eventually turn into the acne). Hence one reason for cleaning up my diet a bit.

So far, I have noticed my acne diminishing a little, but it is hard to say whether it is directly connected to the new diet changes or if it is just a phase. I'll probably need 2-3 more months or more to really tell whether it's getting any better.

 

 

now, a review of what I ate so far today:

woke up and ate another large apple and 2 bananas and had grapes every once in a while.

later worked out and had some water. I worked out while I was soaking and cooking a pound of chick peas, and after I ate like a cup of them.

later I pressure cooked some carrots, green beans, and a regular potatoe and ate them along with some more chick peas.

later I ate 2 more bananas and also ate some more chick peas(i've got like half left now, maybe less)..

I might have some grapes still, but that'll probably be it for today. (0 processed foods again!)

[andgbr]

sorry, i'm not really reading and 'participating' in this topic, but why do you keep changing the title?

[Kon]

I think it helps keep things interesting.. I'm changing the title whenever I have a new image, cuz people like to see images.

 

here's the latest image by the way:

Green Split Peas!

http://www.finalredemption.com/stuff/splitpeas.jpg

pretty good stuff.. There is some missing in the shot because I ate some already.

 

 

Here's an update for what i've eaten so far today:

awoke and ate a large apple and 2 bananas again.

later worked out while I cooked my green split peas, and after I ate the remainder of the chick peas (about a cup or two).

My mom then came and stole some split peas

I also had some water.

Later I pressure cooked the rest of my carrots and kale and had that with a scoop of split peas.

 

That's it so far, I might have some more split pease later if I get hungry, and I'll definately have two more bananas sometime tonight as I need to get those eaten..

[Kon]

update for today:

awoke and ate 2 bananas and a large apple again.

later tried eating a plum but it tasted bad which was intolerable.

later ate two more bananas.

later had some pressure cooked spinache with a beet along with some rice, black beans, and some other veggies.

later had the rest of my green split peas(not sure if I like them that much).

I might have a sweet potatoe later, but that'll be all for today.

 

tomarrow I'll be shopping for more food.

[cubby2112]

update for today:

awoke and ate 2 bananas and a large apple again.

later tried eating a plum but it tasted bad which was intolerable.

later ate two more bananas.

later had some pressure cooked spinache with a beet along with some rice, black beans, and some other veggies.

later had the rest of my green split peas(not sure if I like them that much).

I might have a sweet potatoe later, but that'll be all for today.

 

tomarrow I'll be shopping for more food.

 

I like to use plenty of herbs with my split peas. And to sweeten them a little bit.

[Gaia]

I usually do a split pea soup with carrots and red bell pepper added in. Thyme and Basil, or any Italian seasonings, would help. Sometimes I add tempeh/smokey cured added to it, but I think that is processed food. . at least a little because of the smokey cured stuff in the tempeh. Keep the carrots cooked well with the peas, but leave the red bell pepper dices kind of crunchy for a sweet crunchy texture to it. Also since it is a soup, throw a bay leaf in it too. Make sure you salt to taste with all these legumes being cooked.

[Kon]

i'm not that proficient with seasoning things yet, but I can see how it would help alot.

how would a beginner handle seasoning something?

 

update for today:

woke up and didn't have any fruit to eat

so I had to drink water and go shopping.

later I had some grapes, then later I had like 3 florrets of brocolli steamed.

later had a sweet potatoe, and later some almonds, and later some grapes.

not that heavy today

[Gaia]

My favorites that I have to have is garlic, ginger, cumin, thyme/basil (italian seasoning), tamari/soy sauce or sea salt, and I throw in tumeric with my onions as it is suppose to help joints stay lubricated (prevention of arthritis) and it makes the onions a nice pretty yellow color.

 

I like to saute the garlic in a small bit of oil with low heat, just to release the garlic into the oil, and then drizzle that over brussel sprouts, or any leafy greens.

 

Ginger is an Asian feel to saute vegetables, and again I heat it up in a little bit of oil under low heat to release its own oils into the other oil.

 

These two spices you buy in the produce section and should be firm and without blemishes. They are strong spices and should be used in accordance with your tastes. Also garlic is in cloves with a papery outside that needs to be peeled off. You can then mince the garlic up or get a garlic press to do it for you. Ginger just needs to have the outside skin peeled off (I use a potatoe peeler) and then minced up with a knife.

 

The cumin again is saute in the oil under low heat, but you can either buy them whole and use them whole seed, or use your grinder to bust up the seeds into an aromatic powder, mmmmmm (makes the kitchen smell wonderful). Cumin is a mexican style spice, and I use it for chili/beans and rice dishes (lentils like cumin too).

 

Dried thyme and basil can be used in anything with tomatoes (sauce, soup, etc.) and other soups. Dried thyme is more bitter and stronger, so a little goes a long way. While dried basil loses its flavored oil once dried, so fresh is better. And with fresh basil and thyme, I like to cut them on the cutting board with oil, so the cut leaves spill their oil into the olive oil I have on the board, and not go all into the board. They both are an italian style to use on saute/steamed vegetables.

 

Tamari/Shoyu is one of the good processed salt seasonings you can get. But it is salt, so be careful in its use. Put it on at the end, so you don't cook it, just warm it up in the dish. And I use sea salt due to its trace mineral content and the taste of it. I have gotten to the point where if my salt isn't gray, then I won't use it! And its taste is bold, so a little goes a long way.

[Kon]

wow, thanks for that informative post gaia, it is really helpfull.

I think I'll try some of those things when I get the ingredients, maybe I already have some, ill need to check. I know I have some ginger, and maybe some garlic..

[Kon]

oh yeah, i was wondering if 100% natural rolled oats are processed?

[Gaia]

Oats: Oat groats are the grain. Steel-cut oats are groats cut up into tinier pieces of oats by steel blades. Rolled oats is when they take the grain and steam it so it is pliable, and then they roll it with a huge roller to flatten it out. They can flatten it thick (for old-fashioned rolled oats or thick-cut rolled oats), or thin for regular rolled oats. Now quick-cooking oats is rolled regular oats cut up in bits for easier cooking time. So is it processed? Just steamed and pressed is all. It isn't raw, but I don't think you can call it processed. Is steamed vegetables processed? You might want to go organic, just to make sure they haven't added anything extra that is under 1% of the total ingredients and don't have to put it on the label on nonorganic/but all natural products.

[Kon]

thanks gaia

 

forgot to update over weekend with what i ate:

saturday:

woke up and at a banana and large apple

ate some grapes

had about a cup of black beans

later cooked some rice and steamed a couple beets and a bunch of carrots and brussels with some beet greens

I was totally stuffed after that, but I think I had a sweet potato later

 

sunday:

woke up and had another banana and large apple plus some grapes throughout the day

later cooked some rice and carrots and brussels and a couple beets with some beet greens again, though less rice this time, so i wasn't as stuffed.

later I had a handfull of almonds.

[Gaia]

Another side note. You have some greens, but you are cooking them/steaming them. I like to have on hand either parsley (very intense flavor. make sure you can handle it) or cilantro (mild and very sweet in taste) to chop up and put on my food for some uncooked greens (Vitamin C breaks down upon cooking). Just when you don't have a salad on that particular day .

[Kon]

I never thought of doing that gaia, but it makes a lot of sense.

 

update fo rthe 12th:

woke up and ate a couple bananas and a large apple

later ate some grapes

later ate some steamed kale and green beans

later cooked some black beans and worked out while it cooked

ate some black beans

later ate like 6 or 7 bananas.

[jonathan]

Kon, your goal is to bulk up. You are not going to be able to do that on the diet that you are eating. Your calories are way to low, not just on the occassional day, but every day.

 

What is the problem with processed food anyway? Almost anything you eat will have undergone some sort of processing in order to preserve it/make it more palatable/tastier. So long as you avoid artificial preservatives/flavours/additives then you are fine. Some of the best food you can eat (especially for bulking) is processed - like bread, tofu, seitan, pasta, oats, cereals etc. I mean, if you are going to have soup and you blend it - does that mean it's out of bounds?

 

For bulking you have to make sure that you eat consistantly, that you eat well and that you don't let yourself get into a state where you have insufficient calories for muscle growth and repair. If I remember correctly your bodyweight is pretty low so say you need 3000cal a day to bulk. You need to get 500cal 6 times a day. Work from there, you cannot go wrong.

 

A good break down average for that 500cal would be about 20g protein, 20g fat and 60g carbs.

 

Think about it man, before you jump on the "processed food is evil" band wagon and waste away to nothing.

 

Jonathan

[Kon]

thanks jonathan,

you made me realize that I am not even recording how many calories I am consuming. Doing so would help me visualize how much I eat and how much I should eat for bulking.

From here on I will record the calories along with what I ate for each day so I have a clear record of it.

 

I'm trying to not eat processed foods for health reasons. I want to see if it helps improve some conditions I face. I prefer doing things naturally.

[Kon]

here is what I ate today:

I used an online calculator

 

             Calories       Protein        Fat       Carbs       Fiber       Sodium 
              2,770.2         132.1        4.6       578.8       171.6       381.1 
             % of Calories:    18%           1%        80% 
 
Bananas - large 
 8 to 8-7/8"=20.3 to 22.5 cm or 4.8 oz=136 g 
   2 servings:  242.0          3.0         0.8        62.2        7.0         2.8 
Sweetpotatoes, baked 
 4.0 oz=114 g in skin 
                102.6           2.3         0.2       23.6        3.8         41.0 
Beans, Black, dry [Safeway] 
 1/4 cup=59 ml or 1.6 oz=46 g 
   10 servings:  1,600.0        110.0       0.0      290.0       120.0       0.0 
Grapes, Red or Green - 10 grapes 
 10 grapes, 1.7 oz=49 g 
                 33.8           0.4         0.1        8.9         0.4        1.0 
Potatoes, boiled - peeled 
 5.9 oz=167 g without skin 
                  143.6         2.9         0.2        33.4        3.0       8.4 
Plums 
 2-1/8"=5.4 cm dia or 2.3 oz=66 g 
   0.5 servings:  15.2          0.3         0.1        3.8         0.5        0.0 
Beans, Green, Snap or String, boiled 
 1 cup=237 ml or 4.4 oz=125 g 
   2 servings:   87.6           4.8         0.8        19.8        8.0        2.6 
Carrots, boiled 
 1.6 oz=46 g 
   12 servings:  193.2         4.8          1.2        45.6       16.8       320.4 
Bananas - large 
 8 to 8-7/8"=20.3 to 22.5 cm or 4.8 oz=136 g 
                  121.0        1.5          0.4        31.1        3.5        1.4 
Bananas - large 
 8 to 8-7/8"=20.3 to 22.5 cm or 4.8 oz=136 g 
                  121.0        1.5          0.4        31.1        3.5        1.4 
Apples - large 
 3-1/4"=8.3 cm dia or 7.5 oz=212 g with skin 
                   110.2        0.6         0.4        29.3        5.1        2.1

[Gaia]

Jonathan would be the first one to recommend you try eating oatmeal! It isn't a processed food really, and you could get alot of vitamins and minerals from it, not to mention good carbs and awesome digestibility with fiber to move things (like toxins) out! In fact I think Jonathan is famous for his raw oatmeal shakes he has after (or is it before?) his workouts .

 

Of course I take it one step further. I make a power porridge, in which I cook up a batch of steel-cut oats (less processed that way and way more fiber), amaranth (high protein little grain), quinoa (the queen of all high protein grains - just have to rinse the saponins off before cooking it otherwise it is so bitter (but good for your heart as the research is now stating)), and I throw in millet just for looks . I then eat it with flax seed oil (good for the omega's oil you need and a hormone stabilizer) and agave nectar (unrefined and raw).

 

You might like to try that: 1 part of each grain to 2 parts of water when cooking. Boil the water first and then add the grains. Takes about 20 - 30 minutes to cook.

[Kon]

thanks,

I did have some oats the other day, but i see now I forgot to list it.

I got the quaker oats 100% natural old style oats.

I also have some left over quinoa in the cabinet

[Kon]

hm, i think i may have over estimated o nthe bean amount in that calculation.. it was for dry, but i measured cooked.

i'll have to check out what other calculators there are..