HURRAY!!! I will be able to fast soon!

The Verdict is.......

Well I found out what is causing the liver enzyme elevation. They call it fatty liver. The picture to the left is a normal liver and the liver to the right is a fatty liver.

The doctor says to go low fat and low carb and I am already doing that with E2L. So what else can I do? Exercise. I already exercise too, I walk about 3 miles everyday. Maybe I need to attend the gym and do more?

Here is what the mayoclinic online has to say.

Introduction
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) describes a range of conditions involving the liver that affect people who drink little or no alcohol.
The mildest type is simple fatty liver (steatosis), an accumulation of fat within your liver that usually causes no liver damage. A potentially more serious type, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), is associated with liver-damaging inflammation and, sometimes, the formation of fibrous tissue. In some cases, this can progress either to cirrhosis, which can produce progressive, irreversible liver scarring, or to liver cancer.
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease affects all age groups, including children. Most often, it's diagnosed in middle-aged people who are overweight or obese, and who may also have diabetes and elevated cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
With the increasing incidence of obesity and diabetes in Western countries, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease has become a growing problem. Although its true prevalence is unknown, some estimates suggest it may affect as many as one-third of American adults.
Because early-stage nonalcoholic fatty liver disease rarely causes any symptoms, it's often detected because of abnormal results of liver tests done for unrelated issues. Treatments for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease include weight loss, exercise, improved diabetes control and the use of cholesterol-lowering medications.

I am to see the doctor in 2 months after I have the liver enzymes checked again. So I am going to do E2L 100% and be really careful with potatoes and bread, although I don't normally eat these foods anyway. Maybe I'll join a gym and do what I can there. I have fibromyalgia so I'm not sure I'll be able to do an arobics routine but I may give it a try. I want to be healthy and I'll do what I can to be so. I am also awaiting Dr. Fuhrman to answer my "ask the doctor" question at the membership forum. I want to fast but need to make sure he thinks its okay.

At least I finally know why the enzymes were elevated. All the blood work came out okay, except the liver enzymes. I was either within range or the results were negative so the doctor's prognosis is based on the ultrasound that showed a fatty liver and the elevated liver enzymes.

So strict eating is in order along with maybe some added exercise. I'll let you know what happens in 2 months when I have some more bloodwork done. Eat To Live everyone!!!

Fajita Pinto Pita

When I decided to prepare this, it was just going to be a pita topped with pinto beans, lettuce, tomato and avocado. I fix it this way and it tastes great. Oh and add some salsa too!!! ;-)

But instead I decided to do something a little different. It just popped into my head to try some sauteed veggies on top. I really wasn't thinking of trying out a new recipe or coming up with one on my own. Sometimes when those ideas pop into my head, they end up being the best recipe. More so than when I deliberately plan a recipe. So here it is.

Fajita Pinto Pita
Servings - 2

1 small yellow onion
1/2 orange bell pepper sliced
1/2 green pepper sliced
1 clove garlic minced
1 zucchini chopped
2 teaspoons spike (no salt)
chili powder to taste

Spray a pan with olive oil spray or put a drop of olive oil in pan and wipe with paper towel. Add all ingredients in pan and stir fry. I add a little water as needed. Meanwhile heat up already prepared pinto beans. I usually cook my in the crockpot and usually have some in the refrigerator or freezer. When they are done in the crockpot I add some garlic and onion powder and also a little braggs liquid aminos. Also place a no fat whole wheat pita on a cast iron skillet to heat one side and then the other. You want them nice and hot. Layer pita on plate and add pintos in their own sauce and topped that with the sauteed vegetables. Add lots of lettuce and tomato and you have a very satisfying, tastey meal for lunch. Enjoy!

Vegetarian Chile

When I was eating SAD I use to eat chile allot. I found that this recipe is really close to the one I use to make in taste. And with the TVP added, you really feel like you are eating ground hamburger meat. The only caution is that TVP is considered 'junk food' by Dr. Fuhrman. It is a highly processed food with little nutrition so don't use it often if you can help it. I'm sure this would taste great without the TVP. When I was just beginning with E2L, I made this recipe allot. You can find this recipe at diseaseproof.com.

Vegetarian Chile

2 cups dry kidney or pinto beans
1 15 oz. can crushed tomatoes (I use diced)
2 cups red onion
2 cups chopped green or red or combo peppers
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup celery
1 cup TVP (textured vegetable protein)
4 cloved garlic minced
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp raisins or dates diced

Wash beans and soak overnight in water. Drain and add 6 cups water and simmer for 2 hours until soft. Pour off water or you can use a 15 oz can of pinto or kidney beans instead. (I use 1 can of kidney beans and 1 can of pinto or red beans). Combine all ingredients in a large sauce pan and simmer for 1 hour. (There isn't water in the recipe but you do need water for the TVP. I start with 2 cups and add more if needed so you'll need to keep an eye on this while simmering). This can be poured over chopped lettuce or steamed green vegetables such as spinach or kale, or eaten by itself. You also may want to test the spices. I added more of all the spices. :-) Enjoy!

Golden Austrian Cauliflower Cream Soup

I made this soup about two months ago and it is one of those recipes that are at the top of my list for favorites. It is so smooth and creamy and simply delicious. I was beginning to think that I wouldn't have any of those "absolutely delicious" recipes until I tried this one and now it is added with a hand full of other favorites. Here's the recipe.

Golden Austrian Cauliflower Cream Soup

1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
3 carrots, coarsely chopped
1 cup celery, coarsely chopped
2 leeks, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons VegiZest or other no salt seasoning
2 cups carrot juice
4 cups water
3 teaspoons Spike seasoning
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup raw cashews
5 cups kale or organic baby spinach

Cover and simmer all ingredients except cashews and kale or spinach for 15 minutes or until just tender. If kale is being used, steam until tender. Blend 2/3 of soup vegetables and liquid with raw cashews until smooth and creamy. Add back to the remaining chunky vegetables and stir in kale or spinach. Spinach will wilt in the hot soup.

A recipe for dessert

Everyone wants a dessert recipe right? I know I do. I guess I'll always have a sweet tooth. :-) This one is for some banana oat bars that are so easy to make and will last a few days. I have put these in the freezer too so that I'll have some for when that sweet tooth hits. I wish I had a picture for these. Maybe next time I make them I'll add a picture. Here is the recipe.

Yummy, Quick & Easy Banana/Oat Bars

2 cups quick oats (not instant)
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup shredded coconut (no sugar added)
1/2 cup raisins or chopped dates
2 large ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce (I use 1/2 cup)
1 TBL date sugar, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix ingredients together in a large bowl. Press dough in a 9"x9" baking pan. (I use a 9x13 baking pan). Bake for 30 minutes. (I bake for 25 minutes). Cool on wire rack. (I cool them in pan) Slice into squares or bars and serve. ENJOY!!

I have varied this recipe using cranberries. I dried a whole package in the oven and froze them for later use. I thawed them and added them in with all the other ingredients. They were delicious. I think I changed the walnuts to almonds or pecans. You can experiment with all kinds of fruits or nuts.

Awaiting The Results

Yesterday I had my ultrasound done. I thought they were going to look at just the liver but they looked at the spleen, the kidneys, the bile duct, the aorta, a tendon and whatever else was in there.

It was really quite a site and I enjoyed watching those organs as she described them to me. I asked at one point what she was looking at and she opened up and told me everything she was doing. It was fun! I don't have a gall bladder anymore but she showed me where it would be if I still had one.

So now it is a period of waiting. She said that the doctor should have the results today and to give him until Monday to read the results before I call him. The blood results should be in today too so he'll be getting them both today.

Hopefully they will find out what is causing the liver enzymes to rise and, of course, I am hoping that it isn't anything serious. Eating healthy is always the answer for everything and I just bought a new juicer from Amazon. There is the picture of it above. It cost's $99.00 with free shipping. I haven't tried it yet but I'll let you know how I like it as soon as I do. I'm looking forward to more concentrated nutrition.

But, if you are healthy, blended salads are the better way to go because you get all the nutrition along with the fiber and juicing looses some of the nutritional value of whatever you are juicing so if you are doing blended salads, good for you! I am going to continue with my blended salads and add juicing along with that so that I am getting the best from both sources.

I reacted after hearing my liver enzymes were up again and so I ate some SAD food. I guess at times it can be a comfort to me still. But I want to get to the point where my comfort foods are healthy choices without fat/salt. I don't want to turn to my old way of eating because it is really so unhealthy.

In the doctors office these past two times my blood pressure is still around 110/70. This alone makes me so happy. My sister is a registered nurse and I remember when I was trying to lower my bp through exercise and trying to eat more healthy but still eating the american standard diet, she told me at that time that I would not be able to lower my bp that way. And she was probably correct because even eating the heathy american standard diet, it still has so much fat, salt and protein and processing, etc. But when I found E2L, it came down in no time. I didn't have it checked for 3 months so I'm not sure if it had already come down before that or not but it was 112/70 the first time I did have it checked at the doctor's office which was 3 months later.

I haven't tried any new recipes lately. I have had quite a bit in the freezer so I've been eating so much from the frozen food section. LOL I want to try some new recipes though because that is what makes eating E2L sucessful. Finding some favorites. And this was such a difficult task at first but I now have a handful of recipes that I can say I really enjoy and believe it or not, my purplish stir fry that I came up with is one of them. :-)

Well I guess that's it for now. I am really sorry for those who keep up with my blog. I am still having trouble signing in so I can't blog as often as I would like to.

Eat healthy guys, "Eat To Live"!

Some Fun

I won't tell you what this is but watch it........it is so cute but also right on!

http://www.storewars.org/flash/index.html

Blood Work

I am so bummed and disappointed and concerned. My blood tests show that my liver enzymes are elevating again. I will be seeing a specialist on Friday so I 'll post what he thinks then, but there is a good chance it is autoimmune hepatitis. I am so tired of being sick and I was so hoping that E2L was the answer for me to get healed of all these health problems I'm having. You can read more about them if you want to in the archives.


I haven't given up though. I believe that the Lord Jesus has led me to E2L and I am hoping I'll be able to still fast soon. I do believe that this is what is going to heal me of so many things I am going through.


A friend prayed with me today and she was so encouraging. I guess I've been thinking about what it could be and have been thinking the worse so I need to relax and trust the Lord and wait until Friday until I hear what the specialist thinks. Even if it is the worst news possible I will be fine because I am in God's hands and there is no better place to be.


I also saw a nurse practitioner today for a female problem and have a yeast/bacterial infection so I'll be taking medication for that. I guess as our bodies are changing as we go through menopause we are more susceptible to those types of things.


I guess I am getting weary somewhat. I am trying hard to get well by eating so healthy. I just bought a juicer though Amazon and can't wait to get it. I'll be doing juicing too to help with the autoimmune disease if that is what it is. If it isn't, I'll still be doing juicing to help with my health issues. I guess I'll post some recipes that I'll be doing with the juicing in case anyone else out there is interested.


So I'll definately see you on Friday or Saturday but probably I'll post tomorrow or Thursday. Until then, Eat to live everyone!

What do I eat for Breakfast

I was just recently asked this question and I am quite a person of habit. When I find something I like, I usually stick with it.

My normal morning meal is simple and easy to prepare. It takes longer to drink it actually than it does to prepare. The picture to the left isn't exactly the color of my morning smoothie but its pretty close. It just depends on how many greens I use and how much strawberries and blueberries are added to it. It is always green in color though, but more of a purplish green I would say.

Here are the contents of my Blended Green Smoothie.

5 oz frozen spinach

3-4 Kale leaves, stems removed

1 cup of frozen strawberries

1 cup of frozen blueberries

1 TB of ground flax seed

1/2 of a frozen banana

1/2 cup of unsweetened soy milk, vanilla flavored

1/2 cup of water or more if needed

I have a vitamix that has a tamper so this is so easy to throw in the blender and blend away and within a couple of minutes I have my breakfast ready. This will make 32 oz and will last me all morning and sometimes into the afternoon.

If you have a regular blender you'll have to blend in stages. I have made this with my vitamix and with a bosch blender and the bosch doesn't make the smoothie smooth and creamy like the vitamix does. I also borrowed a blender from a friend while waiting for my vitamix to arrive and it did a poor job also in comparison. I can't say enough for the vitamix. Its a winner in my book.

There are also some other great combinations and if I don't have kale or spinach I'll use romaine lettuce instead. If you want to try something similar to this you can always experiement and just add a small amount at first to see if you like it and you can always add more the next time. That is what I did because I didn't think I'd like it. I started with romaine lettuce first. After awhile I got brave and used the kale too.

Some days though I just don't feel like a smoothie. So instead of the smoothie I'll make some oatmeal (Quaker Old Fashioned). After I cook this on the stove I'll add one cup of blueberries or other fruit and its delicious. It is quite filling also and will last through the morning. Sometimes I'll add a teas. of date sugar for some added sweetness. You can also add some cinnamon and raisins instead and add some date sugar.

I think those are usually my two choices for breakfast so if you are looking for more variety other than a smoothie and oatmeal, you can find some great recipes at fatfreevegan.com. Also diseaseproof.com has some recipes there too.

I do plan to begin adding more recipes here so please keep checking back. I'll be experimenting more with other recipes for breakfast in the future. I'll also be posting some of my favorite recipes here that I really enjoy the most.

Eat To Live everyone!!!

Chop Wizard

I have been watching the commercial for the chop wizard for the past few months and I wanted one but didn't want to spend the $20 if it wasn't going to do what it showed it could do in the commercial.

I listened to some reviews on a discussion list and also checked out Amazon.com and read some of the reviews there and it sounded like this might be a good product.

I was getting my fil his perscription this morning at Walgreens and went by the kitchen gadget/appliance aisle and they happened to have one left. So I bought it, brought it home and made a delicious fajita pinto pita and used the chop wizard to cut up all the veggies. And I fell in love with it. I've been doing all the cutting, chopping and slicing by hand and this is such a time saver. If you've thought about buying it but were hesitant, buy it!!! You won't be sorry.

Fajita Pinto Pita

1 small onion chopped

1 zucchini chopped

1/2 green bell pepper

1/2 orange bell pepper

2 teas. no salt spike

few sprinkles of chili powder to taste

1.5 cups cooked Pinto beans. You can use canned but I cook mine in the crockpot and they taste so much better.

1 whole wheat fat free pita

Chopped lettuce and tomato.

Water saute all the veggies. Add spike and chili powder.

Heat pinto beans.

Heat pita on a cast iron skillet or a regular skillet will do fine too.

Lay the warmed pita on plate and cover with the beans. Add the sauteed veggies on top and add the lettuce and tomato on top of that. Ummmm this was so easy and so delicious. This will be a favorite for lunch. :-)

Oh I almost forgot. I only used half of the sauteed veggies and the other half is in the refrigerator. I'll either warm these up and add to my salad tonight or I'll make another Fajita Pinto Pita tomorrow.

Eat to Live everyone!

Purplish Stir Fry?

Doesn't this look like a wonderful peaceful spot to go and enjoy God's creation and the quietness of the day.

And also watch the hummingbirds come to get their fill and go humming around, just to find their way back to this spot and enjoy the sweet necter you have prepared for them.

When I saw this picture at a garden website, I just had to share it with you. I hope you enjoy it. I love winter but their comes a time when I am ready for the spring and summer months so I can get my hands dirty. :-)

I wish I had a picture to show you but I tried a stir fry recipe on my own and it came out a light purplish color. I made it a couple of night ago. I'll see if I can remember what all I put in the stir fry. I was trying to use up some veggies before they spoiled. So if amounts seem odd that is why! ;-)

Sweet Sour Stir Fry
1 onion chopped
3 cloves garlic minced
2 ribs celery chopped
1/2 green bell pepper
1/3 of a red bell pepper
3 small carrots sliced
1/4 head of red cabbage
6 oz of mushrooms
1/3 head of cauliflower
1 bag of frozen broccoli
1 bag of frozen brussel sprouts
unsweetened canned pineapple chunks water reserved

Sauce
3/4 cup water
2 TB VegiZest
1-1/2 TB cornstarch
3 TB Tahini
7 TB of black raspberry fruit spread no sugar added
1 TB Braggs Liquid Aminos
Stir to combine.

I sauteed the onion and garlic in water for about 5 min. I added the bell pepper, celery and carrot and cabbage and added the pineapple juice to cook in for about 3 minutes and then added the mushrooms, cauliflower and broccoli and brussel sprouts. Cook for another 3 minutes. Add pineapple and cook for another minute or so to heat up the pineapple. Add sauce and bring up to heat so that sauce thickens. It looks funky but I enjoyed the taste. If I get a chance I'll post the picture next time. I do think I would use green cabbage next time and use red raspberry fruit spread. I ate this on a bed or romaine lettuce.

I am still doing well with E2L. I still have cravings every once in awhile but they usually subside or I might give in and that is all it takes and I'm back to eating E2L.

I am still going fine not eating the cashew butter but last night I did have a tablespoon of peanut butter. But that isn't as bad as the amount of cashew butter I would eat. I won't tell you how much I ate one night .....its too embarrasing! ;-)

Last night I was wasted and felt a little sick. The last two mornings I got up early and went walking with a friend. I don't sleep well allot of nights (although it has improved some) but I am hoping that if I keep up with the walking in the morning instead of the afternoon, maybe it will change my internal schedule around so that I can sleep better at night. That is what I am hoping for anyway. I just hope I'm not taxing my body too badly. I walked at 9:30 one day and that night I didn't sleep well at all and the following morning I got up at 6:30 and walked at 8:00 and felt horrible in the afternoon. But as I type this I remember that I didn't have time to eat breakfast so that could be part of the problem.

I would also like to begin using the resistance bands again. The last time I did it I went all out and should have only done a few and I was extremely sore and in pain for a few days so I didn't go back to doing the exercises again. So I think Monday I'll begin again and see how I do.

If I can get logged into blogger, I'd like to blog daily but I still am having a hard time getting in. I tried last night and it took two hours to get logged on. I don't know if its on my end or theirs. So I kept myself logged in and because it was too late to blog I decided to blog this morning and I am going to try staying logged in and see if that works.

I'm trying out a dessert type thing and if it turns out well and tastes good I'll post that too. Well everybody, "eat to live"! ;-)

Wonderful Snow

This is my dog Bandit. Well I guess I should say our dog. My DH loves this little guy too. He is so much fun and has quite the personality. We have had many dogs in our lives from poodles to german shepherds but we have never had one quite like the little guy. He is a miniature pincher. We thought he was a miniature doberman and even looks like a smaller version, but the minpin was actually around before the doberman was.

We got him on our anniversary a year ago. We've been married for 35 years on the 21st of January and got Bandit as an anniversary present. So we now get to celebrate two things on that day.

We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into when we purchased him. We bought him and then went home and looked up what a minpin was and boy were we surprised. They are a bundle of energy. They are a small dog but are fearless, curious, stubborn, sweet, energetic, you name it! We have never had a dog with so much personality. He just doesn't want to sit still during his waking hours.

Last weekend we went up to the mountains to see the snow. We just love snow and don't get to see it all that often. Afterwards we came home and we ended up with snow at home a few days later. That was such a wonderful site. Unfortunately it didn't last very long. Poor Bandit was so cold but wanted to stay and play in the snow. He tunneled with his nose as you can see in the picture. After a few minutes he raised one paw and then the other telling us he was freezing. One thing minpins are known for is that they get cold easily. They are missing some of the fur that other dogs have.



Here is another picture of him sitting on our dash in the Tahoe. He loves laying up there because he like to watch where we are going and view all the sites as we pass by. He is quite the character. Plus its usually warmer up there. If he isn't laying up there he likes to sit on the console between my husband and I. So we velcroed a little pad there for him. Yes, he is so spoiled!.... and so much fun too!



So what is going on with E2L? Right now I'm doing well with the diet. I've found lots of new recipes that are delicious and that makes it successful.

I am struggling with not eating cashew butter. It is such a temptation for me and I eat it like candy. I eat way to much in one sitting. So at the moment its in the freezer. I am debating on whether I should give it away to friends or try to try and overcome the tempation and not eat so much of it. I use it in creamed soups and it can be used in sauce recipes and dressings. Oh it is so delicious and I bought 4 jars. Two of them have been eaten by me within a two week period. I haven't weighed myself but I know I've gained some weight because of it. That was really a stupid thing to do. I am not buying any more from now on. I'll just use the raw cashews instead of the butter in recipes.

I also was able to clean the house all by myself. That is a great accomplishment for me. It means I have more energy and less pain of which I am so thankful to the Lord. He is the one who is helping me through all of this. I should say that the house at the moment is an RV. If you've read my past blog posts you know some of my history and why we are living in our RV. One more year and we should be able to move into a house. We sure hope so anyway.

Okay I guess that's all for tonight. I posted this last night and tried to publish and lost it all. I don't know why I have so much trouble with blogger. I guess I should ask others if they have some of the troubles I do. Its really allot of work to type all of this and add the pictures and then loose it all. Its very discouraging. I hope Blogger can get some of their issues fixed soon.

Well its time to get to bed. Hope to see you soon! Eat To Live everyone!

Hoping to fast soon

In a couple of weeks I will see my doctor and find out if the liver enzymes are still up and if it would be okay to begin the 10 fast. I really can't wait to do this. I have a friend who thinks I'm crazy for doing this. She continues to discourage me with a doom and gloom outlook. She says things like I'd be afraid because you will probably fall and if I were your husband I wouldn't let you do it.

I've tried to get her to read the book because she if vegan but she won't. I just would like her to read it so she understands where I am coming from but she won't read it. Anyway, I don't need that type of discouragement right now so I want to avoid the topic with her.

She also says that if I'd only follow what she recommends I'd probably be cured by now or feeling so much better than I do. She wants me to follow super mega doses of supplements from a book she read. I tried to explain to her that because of the way I eat, I am getting all the nutrients I need for optimal health. She just doesn't get it. But that's okay. Maybe one day she will.

I made a great creamy lentil soup this week. I'll post it hopefully tomorrow if I can sign in to blogger. Sorry I've not been posting. Sometimes I still have trouble with the blogger program and being able to sign in. It is frustrating. I have had some problems today also but perservered and here I am. :-)

Eat to live everyone!

Eggplant Parmesan

I tried this recipe last night and it was so delicious. Even my SAD husband liked it too!

A few things I did or would do differently. If you like sauce like I do double the sauce recipe. That is what I did and both my husband and I liked it better. We tried it first the original way except I didn't broil the eggplant. I also cooked it for about 45 minutes and another thing I would do differently is to not use the breadcrumbs in the layers but just add them to the top for the crunch. I think that is all I changed. I'll hope you'll try it either way and enjoy it as much as we did.

Recipe courtesy of:Fatfree Vegan Kitchen

Vegan Eggplant "Parmesan"1 large eggplant, sliced 1/4 inch thick2 pieces of whole grain bread, toasted and made into breadcrumbs2-3 tbsp. soy parmesan (or ground almonds)fresh basil leaves, chopped or torn olive oil spray

Tomato Sauce:1 medium onion, chopped3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed1 16-ounce can diced tomatoes1 tsp. oregano1/2 tsp. basil1/2 cup vegetable broth2 tbsp. tomato pastesalt and pepper to taste

"Cheese" Sauce:
1/2 cup extra-firm silken tofu1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk1/2 cup vegetable broth2 tbsp. cashew butter or tahini1 tsp. onion powder1 1/2 tbsp. nutritional yeast1/2 tsp. salt (optional)1/8 tsp. white pepper2 tsp. corn starchSalt the eggplant slices and put them in a colander to drain.


Prepare the tomato sauce by sautéing the onion in a non-stick saucepan until it becomes translucent (you may use a little water if you like). Add the garlic and sauté for one more minute. Add the remaining tomato sauce ingredients, and cook for 15-20 minutes.


Prepare the cheese sauce: Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until completely smooth. Blend again right before using to make sure that the ingredients haven't separated.Rinse the eggplant slices and pat them dry with paper towels. Spray a baking sheet lightly with olive oil and place the slices on it (you may have to do this in two batches). Spray the tops lightly, and place under the broiler. Watch carefully, and remove when the slices start to brown, about 3 minutes.


Assemble the casserole: Preheat the oven to 350. Spray or wipe an 8x8-inch non-metal baking dish with a small bit of olive oil. Place half of the eggplant slices on the bottom of the dish, edges overlapping. Sprinkle with half the breadcrumbs. Spoon half the tomato sauce and pour half the cheese sauce over the breadcrumbs and sprinkle lightly with soy parmesan. Repeat the process with the remaining ingredients (reserving some bread crumbs for on top, as mentioned above). Bake uncovered for about 20 minutes, until slightly browned on top. Sprinkle with fresh basil just before serving.

Serves 4.Each serving provides approximately: 238 Calories (kcal); 9g Total Fat; (30% calories from fat); 13g Protein; 32g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 477mg Sodium; 8g Fiber. (These figures, especially fat and sodium, vary drastically depending on the exact ingredients you use.)

Copyright 2006 Susan Voisin and Fatfree Vegan KitchenAll rights reserved.If you re-post this recipe, please give credit where it is due and post a link to http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2006/09/vegan-eggplant-parmesan.html

Various Questions - Salt?

Ok, so what is wrong with salt?

That is a question I often hear when someone asks about the way I eat. I even wondered that myself.

This was the one thing that was so difficult for me to give up. Well mostly give up. The types of food I eat; vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts, seeds, legumes all have salt. In fact, each day I consume about 700-800 grams of salt. I am allowed 300 extra grams of salt per day which is not very much if you compare the amount of salt consumed by the SAD (standard american diet). The DASH study showed that Americans eat anywhere from 5-10 times this amount.

While our bodies do need sodium, they do not need the amount that most Americans consume on a daily basis. I don't know if you've experienced this or not but as I added salt to my food over the years I have continued to add more and more. I guess our taste buds get use to one amount and require more and more until we think it tastes just right.

One of the health issues for too much salt is one that most people have heard of or read and that is hypertension or "high blood pressure". And this in turn will lead to heart disease.

Salt can also contribute to osteoporosis by taking calcium and other minerals, excreting them through our urine.

Just for your own information, maybe one day while grocery shopping you could begin to look at canned goods, frozen items, bread, cereals, etc. and find out how much sodium per serving they contain. You might just be surprised at what you find.

Some might ask about more healthy salt like sea salt but the bottom line is salt is salt and no matter where it comes from it will still do allot of damage if taken in large quanities. If you are a person who likes to salt their foods, it is best to not add it while cooking and just add a tiny bit at the supper table if you must. You could transition by adding less and less each day until you are adding little to none to you food.

Many may think that high blood pressure is the result of old age. But a larger population are now finding themselves in the doctor's office with raised blood pressure at a younger age. For the past 5 or more years my blood pressure has slowly been increasing. This last time it was up to 135/99 and the doctor was ready to put me on medication. I asked her to give me a chance to bring it down myself. This is when I found E2L and after 3 months I went to see the doctor and she took my blood pressure. It was 110/70. What a relief that was! E2L really works!!!

A New Year

I just wanted to say hi to everyone. Sorry I haven’t posted recently. I haven’t been feeling too well. I have been in allot of pain lately. I also had some computer problems. that hopefully are resolved.. I want to try to post daily.

The December challenge went really well. Overall I did do pretty well with eating nutritionally. What I learned by joining in the challenge was that first of all, it was fun.
*smile* I also learned that I have allot of cravings that I can either indulge or refuse to pay attention to. I have had success in doing both. Ha!

I am the type of person that it’s either all or nothing. Either I’m going all the way with E2L or I’m not. Well I have had to adjust my personality a little. When I first began E2L it was all or nothing and I did so well. I indulged once in awhile but for the most part it was Kale days all the way. And then Thanksgiving came and we visited my daughter and family for 4 days. So we were away from our home and my vitamix. Yikes!

I did do really well but I did have some pumpkin pie and for one meal I ate some of the Thanksgiving leftovers. Doing this challenged my all or nothing ideal. Then December comes and there are more food temptations to deal with. So I guess what I learned is that its okay to have cravings and its okay to give into them every once in awhile and not to feel bad about it. I also learned that next year I’ll be better prepared.

We have a New Year’s challenge going on and I was going to keep up with it, but I haven’t been checking in because of the pain. Actually I have been challenged to throw in the towel! If I am in pain whether doing E2L or eating SAD why bother to struggle with preparing two meals, one for my husband and one for myself. And when I’m not doing well why not give in and let someone else prepare the meal. There are lots of restaurants to choose from. Hehehe!

You know, I can never go back. I know I am so much better off nutritionally and that this way of eating is really better for my health, even if I don’t feel the benefits of it at the moment. E2L will always be my way of eating. At times if I eat something else, that will be okay but it will only be those once in awhile occasions.

My goal at the moment is still to do a fast. I’m just waiting to see the doctor and see what she says about the liver enzyme elevation and then I’ll check with Dr. Fuhrman to see if he thinks I’m ready for the fast. This has been my goal the whole time and will always be my goal. I’m learning patience and perseverance each time it has been delayed because of my blood work. I have refocused and decided that it is more important to fill my body with all this wonderful, nutritious food. This is my medicine. And hopefully sometime in the future I’ll be able to do the fasting.

Well I guess that is it for now. I’ll try to post again tomorrow. Eat To Live everyone!!!

Problems with Blogger

It is so great to be able to post on my blog again. I've been out of commission for at least a week and a half. Blogger is now no long a Beta version and I was having trouble signing in.

I emailed them a couple of times and didn't get a response so I finally decided to do a new blog and copy everything over.

As I began to post to a new blog, I had this one (the old one) opened. I was going to mention the problems I was having and then proceed to copying and pasting and as I was looking at this blog I noticed I was signed in. Each time I would try to sign in I would get an error saying there wasn't an account. So I guess somehow by signing up for a new account it recognized my email account.

Well whatever happened I'm just glad that I don't have to do all the copy and pasting. And I am glad to be back posting again. Hopefully I won't have any more problems.

I hope you all had a wonderful time with family and friends during these past two months and are looking forward to the new year. I am expecting, hoping for some improvement in health. I need to make an appointment to see my PCP and have her check my blood work. I really want to get on with the 10 day fast and a month later I can do another 10 day fast.

This is short but I will catch up on the challenge days and how they are going. The challenge is coming to an end but we will begin a new one in January. I'll see you later today hopefully!

More benefits of Eating To Live

Saturday was a Kale day. Let me see if I can remember what I had.

B-Blended salad smoothie

L-None

S-Golden Austrian Califlower Soup over green leaf lettuce with steamed broccoli on top

D-Banana Oat bar

Carry over balance - $4.00

Exercise 30 minutes 1.00

Exercise + Kale .50Tab

Tab = $2.50

Today I had another SAD meal so it is a Blueberry Day. We were away from the house today and the place we ate lunch didn't have salads nor anything else that would be a good choice for an E2Ler. So $4.00 + $2.50 = Tab $6.50 (my highest yet) Tomorrow will be a better day. I've made my mind up.

I'm going to continue with some more of the benefits I've had "Eating To Live". My hopes are that some of you reading this may be encouraged by what I write.

I think I wrote about the excruciating headaches I have each and every day. They are not migranes and I don't believe they are sinus headaches. At least they don't feel like the sinus headaches I get periodically. These headaches are on the right side at the temple area and above the ear and go behind the ear. Whatever kind of headache it is, it causes so much pain. I took Relafin for awhile and when Dr. Fuhrman said that you need to be off medications to be able to fast, I made the hard decision to try to endure the pain without the Relafin.

Around that same time that Dr. Fuhrman said I needed to be off medicines, I had my Relafin refilled and they gave me this long list attached to my perscription of all the side effects of NSAIDS. So that helped me to make the decision to go off of the Relafin and bear the pain as well as I possibly could. Well the pain was absolutely awful. It was so difficult to not take something to help lessen the pain. It was so overwelming to continue to endure each and every day without something to ease the pain! The Lord helped me day by day to continue without the help of medication and to carry on with E2L. I don't even remember when I began to feel some ease of pain. I guess it was probably around 4-6 weeks before I noticed that the pain had lessened some. It isn't totally gone yet but it is so much better.

Also what is interesting is that a strange thing happens to me when I eat a non-E2L meal. At least I thought it was strange at first and you may think I'm crazy, but after a day or two if I eat SAD, the pain in my head will get really bad again which encourages me to get back with the program. I may never be able to really go back to eating SAD, not that I want to, but it just goes to show you the tremendous benefits there are from eating a plant based diet. I am probably at the beginning stages in the healing process of getting rid of the headache all together and I keep interferring with the healing by eating a SAD food or a SAD meal. I could kick myself in the seat of the pants!!! So what a great benefit I receive from eating this new, healthy, nutrient rich diet!

Another thing that would happen each day is that my heart would fibrillate. Every single day I experienced pain and fibrillation of the heart. This is caused by the fibromyalgia or I guess I should say it is a symptom of fibromyalgia. If you want to learn more about fibromyalgia, please click here http://www.fibromyalgia-symptoms.org/fibromyalgia_treatment.html. If you can't click, then you can copy and past it in your browser (internet explorer window). Again, I can't remember exactly when I began to feel some relief of the fibrillation but it was at least a month of following E2L that is such a nutrient, plant based diet. The pain is still there and hasn't completely gone but it has lessened quite a bit. I still probably experience pain every week and maybe for a day or two at the most, and that is it. I don't have to put up with the pain every single day like I was. How wonderful is that! ;-)

And then there was pain I use to have in my left arm along with numbness and tingling. I thought it was totally gone because I experience pain and numbness so infrequently now, but it has almost disappeared. I can't tell you how thrilled I am to have so many things disappearing from sight or almost gone! It is just so exciting for me. I also had pain in the back of my thighs that use to cause pain every single day. Especially as I sat in the car or on a couch without the benefit of being able to raise my legs and rest them on a foot stool. I can't remember the last time I felt pain there.

Another great joy in my life from eating so healthy is that the HOT FLASHES are almost extinct. If I drink too much caffiene, I have noticed that they will return but as long as I am careful and only drink decaf coffee every once in awhile, I don't experience the hot flashes anymore. I am talking about serious hot flashes too. I am drenched and dripping with water when I experience one. In the evening when I lay in bed, trying to fall asleep, I play the covers on, covers off game, (reminds me on wax on, wax off if you've seen the "Karate Kid" movies ;-) all night long. And during the day I'd be drinking ice cold water all day and place the ice to my face while trying to find the coolest room or find the coolest vent to get under. My poor husband had to put up with a colder house because of me and he was so sweet about it too. There was always this weird feeling at the pit of my stomach every time a hot flash came upon me. I guess you just need to experience it to know what it felt like because it is hard to describe. I guess the closest thing to it would be an anxious feeling. Ahhhhh, what a relief to have that gone as well.

It's about that time again, it is getting late again so I guess I'll continue with more later. I just want to encourage anyone who has some health issues to consider "Eat To Live". I'm not going to lie and say it is easy. For some it may be easier if you are already eating lots of fruits and veggies, but I have found that many, when beginning a new way of eating, have had to transition into E2L. For me, I jumped in with both feet and plunged the depths of E2L because my goal is to fast and I had to eat healthy before I could do the fast. So I had great motivation going on in my life.

Even if you don't have health issues, or don't think you have health issues at this time in your life, if you continue to eat the Standard Amercian Diet, chances are your arteries are clogging which causes heart disease. In the China Study, they autopsied some of the most fit and healthy men that were soldiers during the war and found that they had clogged arteries already and these men were in their 20's. I know, I said I was going to bed so I will. Just remember to Eat To Live!!!!

A Blueberry Day - Day 15 of the Holiday Challenge

Day 14 was much better, it was a Kale day!

1. Breakfast was a blended salad smoothie.
2. Lunch I made the Golden Austrian Califlower Soup. (UMMMMMMMMMM) Also ate a clementine.
3. Supper was Vindaloo vegetables on green leaf lettuce with added steamed asparagus.
4. Dessert was banana oat bar and a banana.
5. Exercised 1 hour. My hip is me. Not sure how much longer I can walk. May need to take a break. DH is telling me not to quit but the pain is awful.
6. Verdict Kale - Tab = $0.00

   Today wasn't such a great day. It ended up being a blueberry day for me. I am so bummed with myself. I was doing so well this morning deciding that I was going to have another Kale Day. I started out great for breakfast. I had my normal blended salad smoothie.

   For lunch I had a bowl of Golden Austrian Califlower Soup that is absolutely delicious. I made it yesterday for the first time and it is just as good the second time around. It makes 4 servings so I'll be eating it for the next 2 days. I didn't want to freeze this one until I hear from another E2L buddy that it freezes well. When I make a vegetable dish I usually freeze half of it and eat on the rest for a couple days. I also ate a banana after lunch and was quite content.

   DH came home from work and we decided to go get something to eat from town for supper. Big mistake for me. I wasn't feeling well. I have been walking each day for about 1 hour for the past 3-4 weeks. These past two days though the pain from the arthritis has gotten worse in the hip. And also I have tendonitis around the same area. I was not going to walk today but decided to not give in to the pain and walk anyway.

   By the time I got home I was ready to collapse into the bed to get off my feet. Well I changed into my grungies and sat instead on the leather couch and checked my email on the laptop. A few minutes later is when DH came home and I didn't want to lift a finger to prepare or cook anything so we went to go and grab something. I could have chosen more wisely but didn't and so it costs me $4.00 for today.

Most everyone is struggling with the challenge. This is a month for so many temptations and busyness to drag us away from eating healthy. Being tired, stressed, in poor health are already trying but added to that for most is holiday shopping, parties, crying kids, what to buy for whom and etc. I am enjoying this challenge though and for the most part it is helping me to stay the course. Well I need to continue with my E2L story so I will post this and hopefully post a little more of my journey if I don't get too tired. So please stay tuned and "Eat To Live"!