Americans are hopelessly addicted to fast food.
I just ate dinner at 5 Guys Burgers, or whatever the hell its called. I knew what I was getting into when we went, but Donna and I were hungry, so we went. My son, Andrew, told us that the place had vegetable sandwiches (it did!) and veggie burgers (it didn't!). They had fries, and ketchup. Sodas, the usual things. We placed our orders and sat down. If you've never been there before, I think they cut their own fries. A dry erase board on the wall denotes where the potatoes come from. In today's case they were from Ripley, Idaho. I guess someone finds that to be necessary information. Maybe they should ask where the fryolator grease comes from. There are boxes with shell peanuts that you can munch on while you wait for your burgers. They even have dunnage racks in the middle of the dining area with 50 pound bags of potatoes on them. I guess they'd rather seat the potatoes, than add a few more tables for customers!
The place was busy, and very noisy. There was a mixed bag of people, senior citizen couples, families, boyfriends and girlfriends. There were lots of overweight people there as well. About 5 minutes after we ordered, a bus pulled up and dropped off 50 people it seemed. It was so noisy, I could barely hear myself think. But dinner wasn't too bad.
I ordered a veggie sandwich with Cajun fries. Donna ordered the same sandwich (sans jalapeno peppers!) and plain fries. About 15 minutes later we got our order in two brown paper bags. They called our number out like at a deli. Each bag had a sandwich and about 5 pounds of fries in the bottom of each one. Our sandwiches fell apart without cheese in them to hold everything together. I have to say I hated the Cajun fries. The seasoning mix was powdery with lots of cayenne pepper and not much else for flavor. I enjoyed Donna's plain fries much more. Those Ripley, Idaho fries were pretty tasty!
As I looked around, though, I couldn't believe how busy the place was. I mean, a whole bus load of patrons, for a hamburger joint??? There were more than several obese people there downing burgers and fries, and drinking giant Cokes. Other than the loud music and the wall of grills and fryers, there really wasn't much to the place. Just 4 or 5 guys cooking burgers and dogs. I remarked to Donna that next time we'll bring a few slices of vegan cheese to add to our sandwiches, and maybe some red pepper relish. We'll split a plain fry, and save 3 bucks. But, hell, that almost seems like work to me, to go to a fast food joint and have to customize the entree! I might as well go back home and make the same thing for a lot less money!
I remember when my kids were young, we hosted a young student named Geoffrey from Paris, France for a few weeks one summer. I remember the first thing he wanted to do, the very first thing he wanted, was to go to McDonald's for a hamburger. When he actually got one, he was repulsed by it. Apparently fast food in Paris is just a step down from bistro fare, very well prepared, just quicker than ordinary food. In this country it's all about timing and food cost. There is no quality. He could hardly believe that you get your food in 1 minute! But when he ate it he said, "I dislike this 'amburger!" That kid from France knew in 5 minutes what took me 25 years to learn; there are no healthy fast food options in America. And it's killing nearly all of us. Hypertension, diabetes, heart conditions, cancer, all are linked to foods served at many fast food operations. But as the economy slides little by little more, fast food restaurants are getting busier and busier, as evidenced by the restaurant we visited.
I don't know if I'll go back to 5 Boys Burgers or whatever the hell they call themselves. I'm getting sick eating at fast food joints. Not so much from the food, because Donna and I are getting good at requesting vegan options. I'm getting sick from watching what everyone else is shoving down their throats. Americans aren't very educated when it comes to the foods they eat.
I hope anyone who reads this will pause before they pull into a KFC or Micky D's. That pause may save your life!
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Monday, August 9, 2010
Cholesterol and the Vegan Diet
"My name is Richard Goudreau, and I am a recovering carnivore. I haven't had a meat dinner since mid April."
That sentence sounds almost like the beginning of an AA meeting for vegans, if there was such a thing. When I started eating vegan, my initial goal was to get off the medicines I was taking to control my high blood pressure and diabetes. The side effects of the pills was worse than the afflictions brought forth by those illnesses, in my humble opinion. I HAD to get off these pills! Four months later, I have dropped about 25 pounds (exercising very infrequently), and managed to cut my blood pressure medicine down to 80mg per day instead of 160mg. I no longer have to take Prilosec for my acid reflux, bye bye!!! I rarely get heartburn any more. Before I began eating vegan, my doctor was seriously considering putting me on a low dose of cholesterol medicine, to battle my cholesterol levels which were creeping up. My most recent numbers were 148 down from 175 the previous year. My LDL (bad cholesterol ) numbers were down to, 65 from 107 the previous year. I am still battling my triglycerides which have always been high, now 250 from 171 last year. My HDL (good cholesterol) numbers are pretty close to last year's numbers, 33 from 35 (which is pretty good).
Obviously, if I exercised religiously every day, these numbers would probably be even better, but I am overall happy with them. It has been only 4 months on this diet after all! It took me 49 years of unhealthy eating to get to this state of calamity. I can't complain about my progress, the numbers don't lie, I am getting healthier!
Look, a scientist or a nutritionist could probably tell you in medical hyperbole why a vegan diet is good for you, but I will say it simply: "If you eat foods with no cholesterol in them, sooner or later you will not have cholesterol problems. If you avoid animal based fats, you will loose fat. If you stop using dairy products, your lactose intolerance will go away. " I am feeling better than ever right now. I am at 205 pounds (down from 230 in April), and I hope to be under 200 pounds by Christmas, if not sooner. My goal weight is about 175 pounds, and not so unrealistic as it was a few months ago...
So now I am going to celebrate with one of my wife's delicious vegan double chocolate espresso chip cookies and a glass of almond milk. And I don't even feel strange or upset about this snack. It's becoming more and more of a habit with me. It's comfort food--VEGAN STYLE!
That sentence sounds almost like the beginning of an AA meeting for vegans, if there was such a thing. When I started eating vegan, my initial goal was to get off the medicines I was taking to control my high blood pressure and diabetes. The side effects of the pills was worse than the afflictions brought forth by those illnesses, in my humble opinion. I HAD to get off these pills! Four months later, I have dropped about 25 pounds (exercising very infrequently), and managed to cut my blood pressure medicine down to 80mg per day instead of 160mg. I no longer have to take Prilosec for my acid reflux, bye bye!!! I rarely get heartburn any more. Before I began eating vegan, my doctor was seriously considering putting me on a low dose of cholesterol medicine, to battle my cholesterol levels which were creeping up. My most recent numbers were 148 down from 175 the previous year. My LDL (bad cholesterol ) numbers were down to, 65 from 107 the previous year. I am still battling my triglycerides which have always been high, now 250 from 171 last year. My HDL (good cholesterol) numbers are pretty close to last year's numbers, 33 from 35 (which is pretty good).
Obviously, if I exercised religiously every day, these numbers would probably be even better, but I am overall happy with them. It has been only 4 months on this diet after all! It took me 49 years of unhealthy eating to get to this state of calamity. I can't complain about my progress, the numbers don't lie, I am getting healthier!
Look, a scientist or a nutritionist could probably tell you in medical hyperbole why a vegan diet is good for you, but I will say it simply: "If you eat foods with no cholesterol in them, sooner or later you will not have cholesterol problems. If you avoid animal based fats, you will loose fat. If you stop using dairy products, your lactose intolerance will go away. " I am feeling better than ever right now. I am at 205 pounds (down from 230 in April), and I hope to be under 200 pounds by Christmas, if not sooner. My goal weight is about 175 pounds, and not so unrealistic as it was a few months ago...
So now I am going to celebrate with one of my wife's delicious vegan double chocolate espresso chip cookies and a glass of almond milk. And I don't even feel strange or upset about this snack. It's becoming more and more of a habit with me. It's comfort food--VEGAN STYLE!
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Tomato Heaven
When I die, and hopefully go to heaven, I hope there is a garden full of sun-ripened beefsteak tomatoes waiting for me beyond the pearly gates! When I worked on the farm as a boy, I came to love farm-ripened tomatoes, still warm when I got home from the hot summer sun. In those days, I used to slice the tomatoes thickly, slather them with French's mustard, and place them between 2 slices of wonder bread. I still remember my eyes rolling back in my head as the sweet & sour flavors of the red tomato ran over my tongue. (They still do that to this day when I indulge in that very same sandwich). I remember buying cases of plum tomatoes from the farm, when my boys were young teens, and making tomato sauce with my wife, Donna. We always hoped that the 20 quarts of tomato sauce we made would last us until Spring, but invariably, we ran out every fall---the sauce was just too damn good! When yellow tomatoes first came out, I made a yellow tomato marinara sauce that I still use today. Recently, I've been impressed with the quality of grape tomatoes and heirloom tomatoes that are more and more readily available in markets across the country. I do find that the prices, though, are ridiculous---$5.95 for a pint of grape tomatoes! Are you kidding me??
This past November I had a colonoscopy. It was revealed to me that I have diverticulitus. To someone who loves raspberries, strawberries and farm tomatoes as much as I do, it was really almost like a curse. It's bad enough dealing with high blood pressure AND diabetes. Now this! When my doctor told me, I laughed and said, "Whatever." I'll just add it to my weak gene list!
Now, I am giving up crappy tomatoes forever. No more cellophane 3-packs in the plastic trays. No more orange tomatoes for 3 bucks a piece in January! No more overpriced cardboard-tasting tomatoes from Chile. Now, I will wait for the tomatoes of July and August, when the sun and the rain leave them full of flavor. Now I cut the tomatoes in half a squeeze out the seeds. See, you can't keep me away from a garden tomato!
I made the following recipe for dinner recently as an appetizer. It's simply a vegan take on the sliced tomatoes with mozzarella that everyone does in the summer. Hopefully, it will make you say, "Oh, yeah!" too! Try it out, and really savor those summer tomatoes, they aren't around for long!
Vegan Marinated Tomatoes and "Mozzarella"
10 ounces extra firm tofu, drained and pressed dry between several layers of paper towels.
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
Drain tofu preferably for 8 hours or so to extract most of the water. You may need to change the paper towels and drain any accumulated water that collects on the plate or bowl you drain the tofu in. When the tofu is dry, slice crosswise into 1/4-inch thick slices. Cut each slice in half to make cracker-sized pieces of tofu. Place the cheese on a large platter and drizzle with olive oil. Season with a sprinkling of Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Set aside to marinate for 1 hour at room temperature.
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tsp brown sugar
To make reduced balsamic vinegar, pour vinegar into a small, non reactive sauce pan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce by almost half. Add brown sugar to taste. The vinegar should be thick and syrupy with a sweet and sour flavor to it. Set aside at room temperature.
1 large vine ripe native red tomato
1 large vine ripe native yellow tomato (if available)
6 grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 small bunch fresh basil leaves
To finish the salad; remove cores from each tomato and slice about 1/2 inch thick with a serrated knife. Arrange alternating colors of tomato on serving platter, putting a slice of marinated tofu between each slice of tomato. When all the slices are arranged, go back and insert a fresh basil leave between each slice of tomato. Keep the tips of the basil leaves sticking out for presentation purposes. Drizzle the salad with the reduced balsamic vinegar, a little more olive oil, and more Kosher salt and black pepper. Serve immediately.
Serves 2-3 people as an appetizer before dinner.
10 ounces extra firm tofu, drained and pressed dry between several layers of paper towels.
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
Drain tofu preferably for 8 hours or so to extract most of the water. You may need to change the paper towels and drain any accumulated water that collects on the plate or bowl you drain the tofu in. When the tofu is dry, slice crosswise into 1/4-inch thick slices. Cut each slice in half to make cracker-sized pieces of tofu. Place the cheese on a large platter and drizzle with olive oil. Season with a sprinkling of Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Set aside to marinate for 1 hour at room temperature.
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tsp brown sugar
To make reduced balsamic vinegar, pour vinegar into a small, non reactive sauce pan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce by almost half. Add brown sugar to taste. The vinegar should be thick and syrupy with a sweet and sour flavor to it. Set aside at room temperature.
1 large vine ripe native red tomato
1 large vine ripe native yellow tomato (if available)
6 grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 small bunch fresh basil leaves
To finish the salad; remove cores from each tomato and slice about 1/2 inch thick with a serrated knife. Arrange alternating colors of tomato on serving platter, putting a slice of marinated tofu between each slice of tomato. When all the slices are arranged, go back and insert a fresh basil leave between each slice of tomato. Keep the tips of the basil leaves sticking out for presentation purposes. Drizzle the salad with the reduced balsamic vinegar, a little more olive oil, and more Kosher salt and black pepper. Serve immediately.
Serves 2-3 people as an appetizer before dinner.
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