I've dropped a couple of Kilos and its staying off...
Tea, tea and more tea seems to be the key... I'm sure that this sudden cold spell is helping as well :-)
As for green things... well, I found a copy of The climate diet and D. MaCarthy's book in the libray, so reading of them is continuing a pace.
We've been foraging a fair bit in the last couple of weeks as well. One of the nice things about this area, is the sheer number of apple trees that grow in the urban spaces. And we have a community orchard as well, free for the picking :-)
Although, I suspect I may look like an apple by the end of the month...
Monday, 6 October 2008
Sunday, 14 September 2008
Write it down
Write it down again, and watch the calories not going in...
I kept a list yesterday, and a couple of days before, so that I'd have a 'day' to contribute to a thread on a 'site.
And its true - when you write it down you don't eat as much, or as badly...
Yes, I got up late this evening and forgot to start one. I don't think that I've eaten excessively today, but I do know that I've eaten things I've forgotten about.
Tomorrow I find a notebook and do it a little, better....
I kept a list yesterday, and a couple of days before, so that I'd have a 'day' to contribute to a thread on a 'site.
And its true - when you write it down you don't eat as much, or as badly...
Yes, I got up late this evening and forgot to start one. I don't think that I've eaten excessively today, but I do know that I've eaten things I've forgotten about.
Tomorrow I find a notebook and do it a little, better....
Wednesday, 10 September 2008
On the way again
Weight has decided to drop again :-) Yay!
But in the hunt for health I'm back to running (well, puffing around the nearest local park for the moment but YKWIM rofl). And I'm looking for a new pair of trainers, as the old ones aren't really up to the job of keeping my feet happy and healthy.
And there in lies the issue. I don't wear leather. And I'd rather buy/wear non-sweatshop, non-child labour and as locally made as possible. In theory all these are possible as the company New Balance manufactures vegan footwear, and in the UK. ( see their 'site and wares at www.newbalance.co.uk ) Once you get around the issues of my foot size (a UK 4) you end up looking in the childrens section as they don't seem to make womens shoes below a size 5. And there in lies the rub. Can I find a local stockist of their shoes. Oh yes, no problem. In the vegan forms? Yep, tick there. In the childrens range (so as to have my size)? Um, no because apparently children only wear shoes made of leather, so there is no call for them.
Trying to ask NB themselves about this results in my computer falling over as the email form doesn't like by email programme (or possibly vice versa). And today the phone just rang and rang and rang and .etc....
Tomorrow is another day... but for now I'm in the existing pair of trainers. Well, not-consuming is nice and green anyway :-)
But in the hunt for health I'm back to running (well, puffing around the nearest local park for the moment but YKWIM rofl). And I'm looking for a new pair of trainers, as the old ones aren't really up to the job of keeping my feet happy and healthy.
And there in lies the issue. I don't wear leather. And I'd rather buy/wear non-sweatshop, non-child labour and as locally made as possible. In theory all these are possible as the company New Balance manufactures vegan footwear, and in the UK. ( see their 'site and wares at www.newbalance.co.uk ) Once you get around the issues of my foot size (a UK 4) you end up looking in the childrens section as they don't seem to make womens shoes below a size 5. And there in lies the rub. Can I find a local stockist of their shoes. Oh yes, no problem. In the vegan forms? Yep, tick there. In the childrens range (so as to have my size)? Um, no because apparently children only wear shoes made of leather, so there is no call for them.
Trying to ask NB themselves about this results in my computer falling over as the email form doesn't like by email programme (or possibly vice versa). And today the phone just rang and rang and rang and .etc....
Tomorrow is another day... but for now I'm in the existing pair of trainers. Well, not-consuming is nice and green anyway :-)
Tuesday, 2 September 2008
Water, water, water
Rather needed for health. But getting it when out and about can be, um, interesting when you don't want to add to landfill or recycling.
We carry a small Sigg bottle with us - leaves home filled, and gets topped up where we can (there are some shops who oblige, like the lovely Howies in Covent Garden, and many places still have drinking fountains and the like :0 ).
But Sigg are not the only fruit (oh, um, water bottle)... Poddling around the 'net (as you do) I found http://www.wewanttap.com/
Not only will they sell you a reusable water bottle. They also do 'kits' for you to relable bottles already in your posession. Yes its a retail thing. But they are also seeking to push Tap as a brand.
Which is both frugal, and pretty green, in my book anyway.
And if you're drinking water, you aren't getting calories (although there isn't any reason not to add a little something once in a while. Or to use your bottle to carry something else instead.).
We carry a small Sigg bottle with us - leaves home filled, and gets topped up where we can (there are some shops who oblige, like the lovely Howies in Covent Garden, and many places still have drinking fountains and the like :0 ).
But Sigg are not the only fruit (oh, um, water bottle)... Poddling around the 'net (as you do) I found http://www.wewanttap.com/
Not only will they sell you a reusable water bottle. They also do 'kits' for you to relable bottles already in your posession. Yes its a retail thing. But they are also seeking to push Tap as a brand.
Which is both frugal, and pretty green, in my book anyway.
And if you're drinking water, you aren't getting calories (although there isn't any reason not to add a little something once in a while. Or to use your bottle to carry something else instead.).
Monday, 1 September 2008
Leftovers as portion control
Yesterday found me using up filo that I couldn't store on ( see post http://readingandrecipes.blogspot.com/2008/09/recipe_01.html ) and some leftovers from the fridge that were in danger of reaching past edibility.
Anyhow - the reason they ended up as leftovers, is because I was the only person who ate it... the children declaring it 'funny'. 'It' was a rice noodle, tomato and parsley salad. A *lot* of parsley :-) Probably some grated courgette as well. Oh, and a dash each of shoyu, brown rice vinegar and cider vinegar. Really bulky, but low low in calories and fats. It really was yummy when fresh, but yes, the noodles were a bit slimy when freshly made (oops).
But as a packed 1/4 cup portion, wrapped in filo, and baked until crispy and warm; it became something that we all ate happily. Lots of crunchy filo made for chewing, and couldn't be eaten too fast; giving time for those 'satisfied' signals to make it to the brain :-)
Tomorrow though, a decent walk is in order.
Anyhow - the reason they ended up as leftovers, is because I was the only person who ate it... the children declaring it 'funny'. 'It' was a rice noodle, tomato and parsley salad. A *lot* of parsley :-) Probably some grated courgette as well. Oh, and a dash each of shoyu, brown rice vinegar and cider vinegar. Really bulky, but low low in calories and fats. It really was yummy when fresh, but yes, the noodles were a bit slimy when freshly made (oops).
But as a packed 1/4 cup portion, wrapped in filo, and baked until crispy and warm; it became something that we all ate happily. Lots of crunchy filo made for chewing, and couldn't be eaten too fast; giving time for those 'satisfied' signals to make it to the brain :-)
Tomorrow though, a decent walk is in order.
Saturday, 30 August 2008
Green Smoothies
Literally :-)
A banana as a base, or maybe some mango... or if you are being local food minded then maybe a pear or apple (in season of course!). Stuff it in the blender or through the juicer and blitz up the pulp or juice with a few handfuls of greens. Spinach is good, although don't do that too often as the oxylaic acid is a blocker. Personally I go for good, garden grown greens; usually lettuce of some sort or another, or a bit of kale, or rocket, or pea shoots (oh, now those are super yummy!). You can easily use the pieces of those that you might not want to eat - cosmetically a bit bleurgh, but following a careful pick over and wash quite edible :-) Maybe add in a handful of berries - from the freezer if you like to make it thicker.
Let it down with a bit of other juice or some nut mylk if you want something thin enough to go up a straw. Or leave it nice and thick and have it like a good, long pudding :-) You can go a long way towards the recommended 2-3 portions of greens a day with a good green smoothie.
A banana as a base, or maybe some mango... or if you are being local food minded then maybe a pear or apple (in season of course!). Stuff it in the blender or through the juicer and blitz up the pulp or juice with a few handfuls of greens. Spinach is good, although don't do that too often as the oxylaic acid is a blocker. Personally I go for good, garden grown greens; usually lettuce of some sort or another, or a bit of kale, or rocket, or pea shoots (oh, now those are super yummy!). You can easily use the pieces of those that you might not want to eat - cosmetically a bit bleurgh, but following a careful pick over and wash quite edible :-) Maybe add in a handful of berries - from the freezer if you like to make it thicker.
Let it down with a bit of other juice or some nut mylk if you want something thin enough to go up a straw. Or leave it nice and thick and have it like a good, long pudding :-) You can go a long way towards the recommended 2-3 portions of greens a day with a good green smoothie.
Thursday, 14 August 2008
What to eat
So reading around the issues, its becoming apparent that there are several foods that come up time and time again as great for both nutrition, and for weight loss. Some articles or writers even go as far as to describe them as 'superfoods' (although I'm really doubtful about that term, as I suspect that its really easy to use such a status as a reason to eat something to excess, that isn't at all 'green', to justify giving something a high cost (and making yourself a hefty profit into the process) or just to justify why someone should eat something that isn't that great to eat!!).
Anyway.... thus far, in my eyes anyway, the list of 'goodies' (and some of them are so yummy as to definately *be* goodies) is this:
Kale
Quinoa
Oats
Apples
Olives (Olive Oil)
Taragon
Buckwheat
Blueberries
Almonds (although some sources say 'almond butter' rather than the whole nut)
Chillies
Pomegranates
Lentils
Goji Berries
Avocados
Basil
Cinnamon
And that is far from the exhaustive list, its just those things that are considered 'mainstream' foods....
Anyway.... thus far, in my eyes anyway, the list of 'goodies' (and some of them are so yummy as to definately *be* goodies) is this:
Kale
Quinoa
Oats
Apples
Olives (Olive Oil)
Taragon
Buckwheat
Blueberries
Almonds (although some sources say 'almond butter' rather than the whole nut)
Chillies
Pomegranates
Lentils
Goji Berries
Avocados
Basil
Cinnamon
And that is far from the exhaustive list, its just those things that are considered 'mainstream' foods....
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