• 4 cups chopped red onions (about 2 large)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sunflower oil or canola oil
• 1 teaspoon nigella seeds*
• 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

• 3 tablespoons sunflower or canola oil
• 4 teaspoons curry powder

• 2/3 cup plain soy yogurt
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small head of cauliflower, halved, cored, cut into 1/3-inch-thick slices, broken into pieces (about 3 cups)
• 1 medium white onion, chopped
• 3 tablespoons curry leaves
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 3 cups)
• 1 tablespoon turmeric
• 4 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 6 bay leaves
• 1 9-ounce bag baby spinach leaves
• 1 14- to 16-ounce container firm tofu, drained, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

• Chopped fresh parsley

For mustard-onion salsa:
Combine first 5 ingredients in heavy medium saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat until onions begin to soften, stirring frequently, about 4 minutes. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until onions are very soft, stirring occasionally, about 40 minutes. Add lemon juice and lemon peel; cook uncovered until most liquid is evaporated, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Rewarm before serving.

For curry oil:
Cook oil and curry powder in heavy small skillet over medium-high heat until curry powder darkens slightly, about 1 minute. Transfer to small pitcher. Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour before serving.

For minted yogurt:
Mix yogurt, green onions, and chopped mint in medium bowl. Cover and chill. Can be made 6 hours ahead. Keep chilled.

For soup:
Heat oil in heavy large pot over high heat. Add next 5 ingredients. Cook until onion and cauliflower begin to brown, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Add potatoes; stir 2 minutes. Add turmeric and stir 1 minute. Add broth and bay leaves. Bring to boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Add spinach and stir until wilted, about 1 minute. Add tofu; heat until warmed through, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Discard bay leaves.

Divide soup among 6 bowls; sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serve salsa, curry oil, and minted yogurt alongside.

*Nigella seeds are pungent and peppery, from a flowering plant of the same name. Also called kalonji or black onion seeds. Available at indianfoodsco.com.

The other day I was having a conversation with a good friend of mine about the emo kids I saw hanging outside around the library when I went to return some books. I commented "I wonder how in the hell they can get into such tight fitting jeans."

Hmm, well apparently, as I was informed by my friend, if one really wants to one can squeeze into extremely tight jeans. This got me to thinking, I wonder how low I can go? So today I went out and tried on some jeans at the mall at some of the more pricey shops.

No, I don't buy my jeans at big box stores, they tend to not carry petite sizes. And when I do find some which I think are going to be the right size, they turn out to be "vanity sized" so they don't actually fit. And having to cut off the bottom parts of the legs because they are too long is just not worth the hassle. But I digress...

Now, I wear a size four petite easily (its a little loose) and I can wear a size 2 petite (and its snug but comfy)... so just for the hell of it I tried on a size zero petite jean. Because you know, I was curious and wanted to see just how small of pants I could possibly fit into.

Holy HELL! It seems I can shimmy myself into a size zero. It's a little too tight for my tastes and I didn't buy the jeans. But hot damn, I was pleased with myself. This of course makes me wonder, if I lost a little bit more weight I could fit into size zero. Hmm...

The goal of Calorie Restriction is to achieve a longer and healthier life by

• eating fewer calories
• consuming adequate vitamins, minerals, and other essential nutrients

• Avoid simple sugars and flours.
  Sugars and flours generally contain very little nutrition for their calorie content. They also have high glycemic indices, which means that your body absorbs them quickly, leaving you wanting more a short time later.
• Eat both green leafy (salad) and other vegetables.
  Vegetables -- both green leafy vegetables and non-leaf vegetables -- contain the highest content of a wide variety of nutrients for their calorie content. By volume (and often by calories), vegetables are the major component of many calorie restricted but not nutrient deficient diets.
• Carefully select your protein and fat sources.
  Both protein and fat are required macronutrients, but their form can have a significant influence on a person's risk factors for a wide variety of diseases.
• Make sure your protein intake is sufficient, but not overly abundant.
  Common recomendations for total protein intake range from 0.6 to 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight, and some recommendations are much higher. This is probably a minimum.
• Make sure your proteins are complete and balanced.
  A complete protein contains all the essential amino acids, while a balanced protein contains all those amino acids in ratios that are most useful to human biophysiology.
• Select monounsaturated fats, avoid saturated fats, and consume some Omega-3 fats
  Foods containing monounsaturated fats include olive oil, almonds, hazelnuts, and avocados. Most of your fat intake should be from these foods. A very small amount of fat should be in the form of Omega-3 fatty acids. Caution: fatty foods, even healthy choices, are high in calories so be sure that you carefully track your intake so as to stay within your Calorie goal.

Since when is eating healthy food a disease? How is it mentally unhealthy to choose vegetables, fruits, and organic foods over McDonalds? Apparently according to some now I have an eating disorder called Orthorexia Nervosia. WTF?

Let's go through the checklist of questions. This quiz comes from the book, "Health Food Junkies: Overcoming the Obsession With Healthful Eating" by Steven Bratman, MD. 

"1) Do you spend more than 3 hours a day thinking about food? (For four hours give yourself two points.) The time measurement includes cooking, shopping, reading about your diet, discussing (or evangelizing) it with friends, and joining Internet chat groups on the subject. "

Yes, I admit I do spend a lot time thinking about preparing food, but that's because I enjoy cooking and creating new dishes. To me its like a experiment and the kitchen is my laboratory.  If you've ever really talked to me on the phone (for any length of time) you'd know I tend to go on a lot about food and kitchen appliances to the point I wondered if I sounded like a 50's housewife. At one time I even considered becoming a professional chef. (I still may, just because it seems like a really fun thing to do.)

2) Do you plan tomorrow's food today?

Yes, so planing out a week's menu so I know what food to pick up at the farmer's market is bad? I think not.

3) Do you care more about the virtue of what you eat than the pleasure you receive from eating it?

No, I like tasty food. I just want my tasty food to also be very nutritious, healthful, and cruelty free.

4) Have you found that as the quality of your diet has increased, the quality of your life has correspondingly diminished?

No, actually the quality of my life has correspondingly improved along with my diet.

5) Do you keep getting stricter with yourself?

Only if you count going from omnivore to vegetarian to vegan as getting stricter. Which I guess would make this a yes. But again, I fail to see the problem here.

6) Do you sacrifice experiences you once enjoyed to eat the food you believe is right?

I'm assuming they mean food you give up? Yes for example I did enjoy skyr, but I won't eat it now because it is made out of dairy. I fail to see how this is disordered, its my choice. As for giving up other activities, no.

7) Do you feel an increased sense of self-esteem when you are eating healthy food? Do you look down on others who don't?

Yes and no. Yes, I can understand how someone could think I have an eating disorder because I do have a thing for control and controlling my diet is one of those things that makes me feel really good. Control makes me feel more powerful. And no, I do not look down on anyone for their food choices. Eat what you like, I don't care; but if your diet consists of solely Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Checker's Fast Food and Sweet Iced Tea, yeah I am going to worry about you. That's not the same as looking down on someone, that's just concern.

8) Do you feel guilt or self-loathing when you stray from your diet?

Yes, I do feel guilty, but not to the point of self-loathing. If I ate entire bag of gummi bears, I'd probably think to myself. "Ah I shouldn't have done that". (Yes, there are vegan gummi bears.) I would feel terrible though if I are dairy or meat & probably feel incredibly sick.

"9) Does your diet socially isolate you? Once you've reached a certain point, the rigidity demanded by orthorexia makes it truly difficult for you to eat anywhere but home. Most restaurants don't serve the right foods, and even when they do, you won't trust that it's been prepared correctly. Even your friends inexplicably fail to cater to your personal preferences. A common strategy is to bring your own food in separate containers and chew it slowly, looking virtuous and soulful while everyone else gulps down garbage. Or, like a solitary alcoholic, you can decline the invitation and dine in the loneliness and comfort of your own home."

LMAO, this one is the most hilarious one for me. Well yes, it does, duh' I'm vegan. If I go to a American style restaurant there's not too much I can order, everything seems to have dairy or meat in it. So, I guess people end up thinking I'm either an alcoholic or anorexic because I tend to only order a drink. I just loathe American restaurants, never liked them before, particularly don't like them now. Stuff smothered in butter and cheese and deep fried has always grossed me out. And I refuse to pay six dollars for a plate of iceberg lettuce with a token tomato. So, I carry snacks in my bag. (i.e. larabars, bananas, almonds, berries, and one time celery and carrot sticks.) This does result in people looking at me like I am a freak. I have a very fast metabolism and eat about five to six (small) meals per day. I need food and don't want to end up stuck somewhere without something safe to eat if I get hungry.

I should note however, with ethnic restaurants I don't tend to have this problem as much. Indian, Mexican, various Asian places, there's typically a lot of food I can order or have them modify.

10) When eating the way you are supposed to, do you feel a peaceful sense of total control?

Hell yeah I do. As I've said before, I like control. And yes, I read the ingredient labels on all my food. I read labels on everything I buy. I don't like buying stuff that has pesticides, preservatives, animal by products, strange chemicals or addictive substances in them. I do feel happier eating food that is healthful and cruelty free. Having this level of control and discipline over what goes into my body definately has helped me get out of my depression and helped my sense of self-esteem.


So my question to you, dear reader, do you think I suffer from an eating disorder? I think I fit most of this simply due to the fact I'm a vegan that eschews junk food; I believe the criteria to be biased. But what do you think?

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces thin spaghetti
• 2 pints cherry tomatoes (such as orange, red, and yellow teardrop varieties)
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup fresh arugula
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Cook the pasta until al dente.

2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, squeeze the tomatoes to break them up (it's faster than chopping, and your kid will likely love joining in).

3. Add the garlic, oil, arugula, salt, and pepper; set aside.

4. Drain the pasta (reserving 1/2 cup of the water) and toss it with the tomatoes. If the pasta is still a little dry, add some of the cooking water.

5. Let sit until the heat from the pasta has cooked the tomatoes and garlic slightly and wilted the arugula, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Here's some tips and tricks I've learned over the years. These are all things I do and find to be very useful. I separated them into two sections. One on the diet part and the other on the exercise part.


Diet/Eating

Obviously, and it should go without saying, I advise completely eliminating all junk food and animal products (meat and dairy) from your diet. This alone with dramatically help you if you want to be healthier and thinner.

Make eating purposeful, not mindless. Whenever you put food in your mouth, peel it, unwrap it, plate it, and sit. Engage all of the senses in the pleasure of nourishing your body. Never eat in front of the television or on your bed or in front of the computer. Fully concentrate on the food while you eat: you get more satisfied.

Take it slow when eating  it takes 20 minutes for the stomach to realize it is full. There are so many Americans who rush through their meals, don't be part of the herd.

Take the time to prepare your meals from scratch so you know exactly what goes into them. And take the time to make the meal look appetizing. Presentation is very important. Make certain the food is colorful and aranged in an asthetically pleasing manner. Food tends to look better on darker plates.

It is so tempting to eat because there is food around or you're bored, tired, or stressed out. Learn to recognize real hunger and respect it. Don't eat if you aren't hungry and don't deprive yourself when you are. Learn to deal with boredom, faitgue and stress in healthier ways. Pay attention to how foods affect you.

Drink water - Forget the juices, sodas, and diet sodas as your "regular" method of hydration. Have those things be a treat or something you do now and again. Water is your best friend. Drink one glass of water every hour. This will keep you full and you won't get dehydrated or headaches. Many people suffer from dehydration and don't even realize it.

Go green - The more green you have with your meals (lettuce, collards, broccoli, string beans, kale, etc.), the better. Remember the darker the green the more nutrients it has. Therefore kale is much better for you than lettuce. Dark greens are also your best source for calcium.

Use spinach and kale everywhere: as "lettuce" in sandwiches, heated in soups, wilted in hot pasta, and added to salads.

Strawberries, cherries and blueberries are low in calories, loaded with vitamins, phytochemicals, fiber and boost the metabolism. Not to mention you can pop them in the mouth like snacks.

Vegetables offer the most nutrition for the least calories. Stick with fresh veggies when you can. Raw veggies are especially filling and loaded with phytochemicals and other protective dietary components --- eat them every day.

If you do want to cook your veggies, grill or roast them with little or no oil for intense flavor. You can also try a stirfry with only a few drops of oil and fresh garlic, Bragg's Liquid Aminos, and white wine.

Eat 6 small meals a day spaced about 3 hours apart. Eat negative calorie foods at least 2 times a day.

Drink hot or cold fluids (such as ice water and hot tea) throughout the day to speed up your metabolism. Extreme temperatures trick the body.

Freeze your foods. I freeze fruits and (soy) yogurts and flavored ice cubes. Frozen yogurts take forever to eat so you feel occupied longer. My freezer is full of frozen fruit like bananas and various berries which I use in shakes and smoothies.

Don't eat processed sugar or honey. If you want to use a sweetener, use raw agave nectar or stevia.

If you can't pronounce the ingredient, then don't eat them. Lots of chemicals. Stay away. Look for basic ingredients. Remember if they took something out (i.e., "fat free"), what did they put in its place?

Portion control - Eat until you are full. If you go out to a restaurant, get half of your meal to go. Believe me, here in the good old US of A we know how to plate a big meal. No one needs that much food at one sitting. If you must go out to eat, go to the restaurant’s web page before hand, and find something safe to eat. Most of the restaurants I end up at with other people have nothing I can eat so I've developed the habit of either eating a meal BEFORE I go to the restaurant or carrying some snack food in my messenger bag like goji berries or a larabar.

Avoid packaged and processed - In other words don't eat food you should store in the bunker just in case there is a huge storm or war. This pretty much eliminates anything that comes in a box, bag or wrapper. Cavemen didn't eat at McDonald's drive through, people in the old west didn't have pizza delivered. Eat food that is going to go bad in the same calendar month you are presently living in. Your  body is alive, and needs you to eat the nutrients it needs to do its job for you.

Don’t avoid all fat. Yes, I know it might sound like a strange suggestion when trying to lose weight, but it’s true. Our bodies need certain types of fats just to survive. They’re called essential fatty acids. You may have heard of them. They go by the name of Omegas 3, 6, and 9 and they are essential to a healthy diet. You can get them by eating nuts and seeds. Hemp protein powder has tons of omega in it, as does flaxseed, walnuts and some greens. You can also buy omega supplements in pill form. (And yes, you don't have to take fish oil, there are vegan omega supplements like V-Pure and Deva)

Get your carbohydrates from eating fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, whole grains and legumes. Avoid bad carbs like processed bread, pasta, ect. Even rice and potatoes will get the best of you unless you drastically reduce your portions and do NOT put butter, gravy, cheese sauce or anything else that will defeat the purpose all over your food.

Whole grains are more slowly digested, leaving you feeling fuller for longer. Best choices are intact whole grains such as millet, quinoa, barley, etc...

Don't eat dead food; live food is always better. Never nuke your food. I realize this is "quicker," but ask yourself if it is normal to heat something up in two minutes to scalding hot but the plate and the microwave didn't get hot? Did you see a flame, or doesn't it bother you that your food gets zapped before you put it in your stomach?

Take vitamins supplements! Taking a daily multivitamin/mineral supplement can help ensure that these nutrients are present in sufficient quanties for optimal health. Think of it as an insurance policy. As an example here's what I take: DEVA Vegan 1-A-Day Multi-Vitamin and Mineral Supplement,V-Pure Vegan DHA / EPA Omega-3 Supplement,DEVA Vegan Glucosamine Tablets,Vegan Sublingual B-12 by DEVA,Living Harvest Organic Hemp Protein Powder,Navitas Naturals Organic Raw Maca Powder, Navitas Naturals Raw Organic Cacao Power.

Exercise

So when's the best time to exercise? Over 90% of people who exercise *consistently*, exercise in the morning. If you want to exercise consistently, odds are in your favor if you exercise first thing in the morning. When you exercise early in the morning, it "jump starts" your metabolism and keeps it elevated for hours.

Exercise before you eat. It will give you more time to think over what you really want to eat, and when you do eat you’ll be more comfortable with it since you just burned some calories.

Start doing light exercise. Begin by doing stretching exercises to make yourself more flexible. Yoga can be helpful and relaxing. Stretch thoroughly from head to toe and begin walking short distances.

As you begin to get used to walking after a couple weeks, start jogging short distances. The idea here is to eventually work yourself up to sprinting short distances. Recent studies have shown again and again that sprinting in "sets", sprinting up hills, running stairs, etc, are much more effective for losing weight that running distances is. It's also much easier on your joints in the long term.

JUMP! Buy a jump rope or a trampoline. Take a rebound class. Jumping is still one of the best ways to boost your cardiovascular system and stimulate weight loss. Do 100 jumping jacks and 100 skips with a jumping rope.

Do 50 sit ups every morning:  it will raise your metabolism and makes your stomach and chest look better not to mention your arms.

Don't forget to do some form of strength training every day. There's so many different exercises that you can incorporate weights into. Use at least 10 pounds of weight when doing strength training.

Also outdoors activities like kayaking help build upper body strength and are fun. Being outside helps provide much needed sunlight which is essential to producing vitamin D.

Go for a (at least) 40 minute walk/run each day. Preferably twice a day, once in the morning and once in the late afternoon.

Don't stop moving. Try to keep moving as much as possible  every calorie burned  counts. Listen to music on your iPod that makes you want to get up and dance your pants off. (Yes, I have become like a cyborg with my techno toys attached to me.) Myself I like to listen to trance or techno music for this purpose because of the rate of beats per minute.

Park your car at the opposite end of the parking lot, take the stairs instead of the elevator or walk around the building during your lunch break.

Yes, they do indeed exist (well, at least in a sense). I first ran across this on a pro-ana website awhile back, decided to verify whether or not it was true or not. Because to be honest, it sounds like hype.

The concept of negative calorie foods has been around for almost a decade, and has been popularized via two main sources: Internet discussion boards and the 1999 book, Foods that Cause You to Lose Weight: the Negative Calorie Effect, by Neal D. Barnard, M.D.

The calories in food are a measure of energy content. For something we eat to be a source of negative calories it must provide fewer of these units of energy than we expend in consuming it. Yet everything contains calories, so at first this concept appears impossible. Therefore, the hunt is on for ingestibles whose energy content is not released into out bodies because we humans lack the ability to break them down -- it doesn't matter how many calories these goodies have, provided we can't extract them. Cellulose in plants is one such substance: although it contains a goodly amount of carbohydrates, they are packaged in a form we cannot digest, so we fail to absorb their calories.

Celery (for example) has about 6 calories per 8 inch stalk, making it a dieter's stable. Although its loaded with latent energy, the amount we are capble of extracting from it is negligible thanks to the plant's cellulose composition. Its ingestion can result in negative calories, but it is a fallacy to believe that the effect has to do with energy expended in chewing. Though chewing might feel like a somewhat strenuous activity, it burns about the same amount of energy as watching paint dry. It is the bodily energy devoted to the digestion of the green stalks that exhausts calories. A cold low calorie drink would enhance the effect, because the liquid needs to be warmed to body temperature, an act that requies further expenditure of energy.

Yes, a diet high in whole plant foods will help people lose weight and can have all kinds of health benefits that make them a smart choice. But it isn't pancea. Eating a diet consisting solely of celery would be a very bad idea; celery, like iceberg lettuce, basically is very low in nutrients. Eating a varied diet of fresh veggies and fruit would be a much better option.

So other than celery what are some negative calorie foods? Asparagus, Beets, Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Chicory, Hot Chili Peppers, Garlic, Green Beans, Lettuce, Onion, Radish, Spinach, Turnips, Zuchini and of course Cucumbers. Fruits are also commonly including in the list too (which doesn't make that much sense to me seeing how many fruits do have a high sugar content which I'd think would negate the negative calorie effect.) These are Apples, Blueberries, Cantaloupe, Cranberries, Grapefruits, Honeydew Meleons, Lemons, Limes, Mangoes, Oranges, Papayas, Peaches, Pineapples, Raspberries, Strawberries, Tomatos, Tangerines,  and Watermelon.

There is plenty of charming folklore surrounding the goji berry. But the real question is how much of it is actually true?



Don't get me wrong, I love eating them and they are very healthy for you; but they aren't going to cure cancer or restore your eyesight as I've seen some websites claim. And I should note that

Goji berries contain many nutrients and phytochemicals including

• 11 essential and 22 trace dietary minerals
• 18 amino acids
• 6 essential vitamins
• 8 polysaccharides and 6 monosaccharides
• 5 unsaturated fatty acids, including the essential fatty acids, linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid
• beta-sitosterol and other phytosterols
• 5 carotenoids, including beta-carotene and zeaxanthin (below), lutein, lycopene and cryptoxanthin, a xanthophyll
• numerous phenolic pigments (phenols) associated with antioxidant properties

Select examples given below are for 100 grams of dried berries.

• Calcium. Goji berries contain 112 mg per 100 gram serving, providing about 8-10% of the Dietary Reference Intake (DRI).
• Potassium. Goji berries contain 1,132 mg per 100 grams dried fruit, giving about 24% of the DRI.
• Iron.  Goji berries have 9 mg iron per 100 grams (100% DRI).
• Zinc. 2 mg per 100 grams dried fruit (18% DRI).
• Selenium. 100 grams of dried Goji berries contain 50 micrograms (91% DRI)
• Riboflavin (vitamin B2). At 1.3 mg, 100 grams of dried Goji berries provide 100% of DRI.
• Vitamin C. Vitamin C content in dried Goji berries has a wide range (from different sources) from 29 mg per 100 grams to as high as 148 mg per 100 grams (respectively, 32% and 163% DRI).

Goji berries also contain numerous phytochemicals for which there are no established DRI values. Examples:

• Beta-carotene: 7 mg per 100 grams dried fruit.
• Zeaxanthin. Reported values for zeaxanthin content in dried goji berries vary considerably, from 25 mg per 100 grams to 200 mg per 100 grams. The higher values would make the berry one of the richest edible plant sources known for zeaxanthin content. Up to 77% of total carotenoids present in goji berry exist as zeaxanthin.
• Polysaccharides. Polysaccharides are a major constituent of wolfberries, representing up to 31% of pulp weight.

Another factor to keep in mind regarding goji berries is the price. Usually these products aren’t cheap. A 32-ounce bottle of goji juice is at least $13. A 16-ounce package of dried goji berries is $15 to $22. A product called “Yogi Tea Green Tea Goji Berry Daily Energy Tonic” is $4.49 for 16 tea bags -- much more expensive than other green teas. You also might not be getting what you want: many juices that carry the name goji juice are actually a small amount of goji juice mixed with many other juices.

So are goji berries a good buy? They’re certainly healthy and can be a fun, new food to try. Along with a balanced diet and exercise, they can be a good part of a healthy lifestyle -- just don’t expect them to cure cancer or replace a visit to the doctor. And when eyeing goji berries in the supermarket or trying them for yourself, don’t forget about what may be the most important question of all: how do they taste? That is something only you can decide for yourself.