New ways to eat veggies and legumes...

S

swayzepetsitting

Cathlete
Hello everyone! This is my first time posting. I have been seriously exercising for about 1.5 years now. I started working out to Cathe after hearing how advanced her workouts are. Well, like I always do, I jumped in and got a lot of the many advanced workouts (Imax 3, Drill Max, Body Max 2). WOW...they just about killed my knees (knee problems and never used a step before). x( Well, I started over with the beginner rotation and things are going really well (hard to hear about the new dvd and KNOW I am not up for it :( ). My knees are getting much stronger!

Anyway...I have been eating pretty well since last fall (after buying Eat to Live by Dr. Fuhrman). I eat a whole lot of fruits (~7 servings a day), drink a lot of water, limit my sugar, limit my caffeine (except for coffee in the morning to rev me up for workouts and sits). I eat enough nuts and definitely get enough fiber (from whole grains and fruit).

I barely eat any animal products (just a few slices of turkey and 1/2 cup milk with my oatmeal). I'm not getting enough protein and want to get it, along with necessary phytochemicals, from increasing my veggie intake.

I usually have one salad a day (romaine lettuce, most nutrient dense). I would like to increase to 2, but I get so board of salads!!! Any suggestions for spicing things up without adding delicious fats?

I also eat raws veggies (carrots, snow peas, celery) with some hummus. As far as cooked vegetables, I really like chinese cuisine (nice firm vegetables, lots of soy sauce, with brown rice). The veggies and rice are fine; it's the sauce that's the problem. Also, I found that these types of dishes do not heat up well after being refrigerated (problem because I don't have time to cook everyday). Again, any suggestions?

Oh yes...I love edamame!

Swayze

"Achievement of your happiness is the only moral purpose of your life, and that happiness, not pain or mindless self-indulgence, is the proof of your moral integrity, since it is the proof and the result of your loyalty to the achievement of your values"--Ayn Rand
 
Hello, Swayze!

Welcome to the group! :)

Sure sounds like you are a model student of Dr. Fuhrman's ~~ I wish I was half as good as you. I love his book, very very informative. But, I find it difficult to really implement to the fullness degree. I have slowly been working his ideas into my diet (I know this is against his recommendation), mainly trying to get the whole family on board with it.

I would love to see some ideas for these great foods too...I know I get bored easily too.

xoxo, neicebug :)
 
neicebug,

What I love about the book is that it is basically just extensive research done over the years proving the nutritional value of whole foods. No nonsense, no weasel words or double speak, just the facts.

Don't be so hard on yourself. I am only feeding myself and I still have problems. And don't praise me too much ( I ate something like 7 mini-sized chocolate candy bars today...about to go exercise again x( ).

Unlike with exercise, where it is better to begin slowly, I have found that I do better when I just cut out all of the bad foods and suck it up. The reason this works is because it allows my body to completely ween itself off of all foods that it is accustomed to (yucky processed foods). The greatest example is my sodium intake: I just recently tried a potato chip, something I used to eat on a regular basis. I could barely swallow it because of the salt! I now consume less than half of the sodium that I used to.
 
Hi Swayze!
I have not read Dr. Fuhrman's book and am not real sure what you are asking. If you are wanting to try different ways to eat your veggies....I used to make a big pot of veggie soup once a week and heat up a big mug of it everyday. I would use every veggie that I like ( okra, broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, carrots, squash, zucchini, cans of Rotel tomatoes, green beans, and asparagus) then add about 1 c. of chicken broth. I will have a cup of v-8, too.
If you are wanting to add more protein and don't like meat...try hard-boiled egg whites, Whey or soy protein powder to mix into your smoothie or oatmeal, etc., lowfat cottage cheese or plain lowfat yogurt.

Good luck!
Gin
 
Thanks for the soup recipe, Gin. How do you prepare the vegetables (cut into small pieces, blend together)?

I used to love v-8...until I read the sodium amount. oh well.

I'm mainly just looking for different ways to eat veggies (cooked and/or raw). Thanks again!
 
When eating salads we just put in whatever's around: chickpeas, tuna are good for protein; peppers; nuts and seeds (toasted pine nuts are delicious); egg sometimes or avocado (I know it's fatty but good!)

HTH!
 
Beans are a good source of vegan protein - regular beans, as well as soy beans and soy products. Make sure you get plenty of grains (brown rice, millet, etc.) to compliment the beans and legumes. That way you stand a better chance of getting a "full" protein, meaning you get all of the essential amino acids.
 
Hi Swayze,

The first kinds of dishes that come to my mind are things like:
multi-bean chili
chickpea or lentil curries - homemade without the ghee :)
Tuscan white bean soup
split-pea soup

All can be made with small amounts of fat (olive oil - good fat) and are usually much better the next day, so you can make a large supply and have it as leftovers.
 
Hi, Swayze!

Welcome to the forums.

>I barely eat any animal products (just a few slices of turkey
>and 1/2 cup milk with my oatmeal). I'm not getting enough
>protein and want to get it, along with necessary
>phytochemicals, from increasing my veggie intake.

Are you sure you aren't getting enough protein? You might be without thinking so. But some good ways to increase your protein, without resorting to animal products (I've been a vegetarian for over 30 years, and a vegan for around 15 years, so have some experience with that!):
1)Choose higher-protein grains (actually pseudo-grains) like quinoa (a complete protein), amaranth and buckwheat (another complete protein). Quinoa makes a great tabouleh or pilaf. Buckwheat makes a good breakfast alternative to oatmeal.
>
2) add protein to your salads with garbanzo beans (my favorites), the edamame that you like, or by making a bean salad (mix garbanzos, kidney beans, black beans (or black soy beans), green beans, and whatever else you like (jarred pimentos, chopped red/yellow/green peppers, artichoke hearts, red oninons, black olives, chopped celery...whatever you think tastes good), add just enough zesty italian dressing to moisten a bit, and serve on a bed of romaine.

3)use lentils to make soups, salads, pilafs, etc.

4) make your own hummus (you can make it without added oil or tahini, or reducing the amounts of these). You can also make a 'chickeny' spread by processing some red onions, celery, mashed garbanzos, a bit of salt and pepper, and some poultry seasoning to taste.

5) make mock-egg salad with tofu, and mock "chicken or the egg" salad with tempeh.

6) use hemp protein smoothies either as breakfast substitutes or for a mid-day snack. (Hemp is a complete protein, highly assimilable, and one of the best plant-based protein sources). Ruth's hemp has just come out with a mix that has hemp protein, sprouted flax meal and maca, which would be great to add to some non-dairy milk with some berries and/or a frozen ripe banana to make a smoothie.
HTH
 
Wow everyone. Great suggestions!

I'm still unsure about protein. I know I do not need as much as is advocated by the "government" (something like 50g a day!). I think I will add some broccoli to my diet, which is protein-packed. Plus, the bean ideas you all gave me will be great as well. I know that will be enough.

I use the fantastic world foods brand of packaged hummus, but it would probably be better to make my own (which I used to do). It just doesn't taste as good.

that hemp protein smoothie sounds great! could I get that at fresh market or wild oats?

probably a silly question, but by non-dairy milk, do you mean soy? I have not found a good soy milk that I like. Any suggestions?
 
Kathryn,

I too was interested to know where you can buy the Ruth's Hemp protein for smoothies. Thanks for the suggestion! :)
 
>probably a silly question, but by non-dairy milk, do you mean
>soy? I have not found a good soy milk that I like. Any
>suggestions?
>
Not a silly question at all: soy (I like Silk or Soy Dream--you might want to try the vanilla, as it is often tastier, though both these brands taste good---not beany like some--it just might take getting used to it a bit...though if you put them in smoothies, the berries and fruit will cover up any flavor you might not like), rice (Rice Dream) or almond (you can even make this yourself by soaking raw almonds overnight, then blending them with water--about 1 part almonds to 2-3 parts water, depending on taste--and straining through cheese cloth, then adding a pinch of salt--I prefer Celtic sea salt--and some vanilla). I've tried oat milk as well, but I don't like it.

As for hemp, you might be able to find hemp protein at Wild Oats or Fresh Market, but not necessarily the Ruth's Hemp. There are several brands of hemp protein, and some taste better than others. I recomment Nutiva (you can buy it online, free shipping for orders over $35, at www.nutiva.com . I find it's cheaper there than in the stores. I also like their smoothie mixes. Less protein, but lots of other good stuff in. I especially like the chocolate and the berry/pomegranate. You can get one of each flavor for a lower price.
 
I really have to second the vote fore hemp protein, I LOVE it and usually put it in my oatmeal or a smoothie, but I agree with Kathryn, the shakes a very tasty. I'm a chocolate girl myself:7

As for a way to get in more veggies/legumes, have you though about making your own veggie/bean/grain burgers? You can get great recipes online or in vegetarian/vegan cookbooks and then on the weekend make a up a large batch, press them flat in individual servings, and freeze. I find it works best to freeze them between layers of nonstick aluminum foil and then put into a freezer bag. No need to defrost when you cook, just throw them in a fry pan, the oven, toaster oven, grill, or convection oven. Then you can eat them chopped up in salads, on veggie wraps (made from lettuce if you want or a sprouted whole grain tortilla), or alone as a snack with freshly cut up veggies.

I have some black bean and rice and garbanzo bean and corn ones in the freezer right now that are sounding mighty tempting:9

Mattea
 
You are much stronger than I...I would have eaten the entire BAG of mini candy bars...seriously! My worse enemy is my brain, in the moment I justify what I am eating since I workout so hard. x(
 
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