This past weekend, I watched a show on Discovery Health which feature two doctors giving you/us the ways to live a more healthy life and to help slow down the aging process. I found it very informative and helpful.
I don’t want to quote and get things wrong, so I’ll place the link to their official site here instead.
One of the things they spoke about was that when you’re going through your pantry, cupboards or at the supermarket, you should check the first four ingredients of the item you have. If they list certain ingredients like sugar, hydrogenated oils, bleached flour, enriched anything and high fructose corn syrup…chuck ‘em!
I have started checking things for this and making sure they’re okay or not. I have to tell you…it’s very hard to find things on the aisles that don’t have these things. One of the things I have noticed is that a lot of the soy/vegetarian/vegan products pass this test.
I made the decision to start migrating to soy products to substitute for dairy. My body is not very friendly with dairy and lactose, so for me…it’s a good change. Don’t get me wrong…It’s okay to have some sliced tomatoes topped with fresh mozzarella, basil and oil/balsamic every once in awhile, but in general…soy is the best way to go.
Things that are easy to change:
Milk—> Soy milk
Creamer—-> Soy Creamer
Butter—–> Soy butter
Shredded cheese—-> Soy cheese
Mayonnaise—-> Soy mayo
Ice Cream—-> Soy ice cream
I have switched all of these. In fact, I made a wheat bread pizza with soy cheese the other night…the bread was a bit dry and could have used a drizzle of grape seed oil, but the cheese was convincing. I use the word “convincing” because most people automatically assume that soy products do not taste like the real thing. As a proud carnivore, I am ready to admit when a soy product does not taste like the real thing. In fact, we had a veggie burger on the bbq the other day…and well, even though it says “burger” in it’s name, it’s no where near the real thing. You just can’t compare…while you’re eating it, you know…this is not a real burger.
On the flip side, the other day I was talking to the ole ball and chain about the proposed transition to soy products instead of dairy and he immediately stated he wanted me to buy “that vegan butter” because he liked it so much. What he is referring to, is a product called “Earth Balance.” I once bought it and he really enjoyed it, so I bought it again.
There are so many soy products in our markets nowadays that it’s easy to transition or even try them out at least once. I also have some soy ice cream in my freezer now and although it may not be as creamy as real vanilla ice cream, it feeds the craving and that’s what counts!
Soy products also have numerous health benefits associated with them, which is also a good reason to start switching over. For a list of health benefits, try out this link.
As for tonight’s, dinner…I’ll be making an easy tofu ginger stir fry. I will obviously take pics and report back to you with the results!
Filed under: soy, vegan, vegetarian
Have you looked at the ingredients in bread lately? It’s so hard to find whole-wheat bread that doesn’t have high fructose corn syrup in it. And I even found bread that contains cow’s milk. What is that about? You may want to check your cheese. Some non-dairy cheeses actually still contain animal protein (casein), which is nasty, nasty stuff (as far as one’s body is concerned).
Have you checked out So Delicious dolce de leche ice cream (soy ice cream)? It’s so freakin’ good!
I was pretty surprised when I bought the wheat pizza dough from Trader Joe’s. I think it didn’t pass the first four ingredient list. I forgot what it had, but I remember being surprised over an ingredient in it. As for breads without high fructose corn syrup, try Ezekiel Bread if you have a Whole Foods, Wild Oats or Trader Joe’s in your area. Straight from their website:
Ingredients:
*Organic Sprouted Wheat, *Organic Sprouted Barley, *Organic Sprouted Millet, Malted Barley, *Organic Sprouted Lentils, *Organic Sprouted Soybeans, *Organic Spelt, Filtered Water, Fresh Yeast, Sea Salt. *Organically grown and processed in accordance with the California organic foods act of 1990.
It’s extremely grainy and takes some getting used to…but doesn’t contain enriched flour, hydrogenated oils, etc.
It’s sad when you look at the big picture and realize how most of the products we eat are pumped with chemicals, preservatives and hormones.
Don’t, don’t, don’t go over to soy products – your cooking will suffer and your health will too!
I love your site and I follow it because you understand about REAL food – soy is not real. Please read this:
http://www.westonaprice.org/soy/index.html
I am a very heathly eater; I eat raw butter, cheese and milk, meat and broths, liver and fried foods
I hope that I eat a ‘traditional’ diet. Real food does not include large amounts of unfermented soy products.
Governments push soy products because they can make alot of money from them, this is why raw dairy was pasteurised in the first place, in order that it can be regulated and profited upon by big food industries.
See here for more on raw milk: http://www.realmilk.com
and for more on traditional diets:
http://www.westonaprice.org/traditional_diets/ancient_dietary_wisdom.html
and saturated fats:
http://www.westonaprice.org/knowyourfats/skinny.html
I love your site and your cooking, I live in France and was especially impressed with your coq au vin – I will try this out soon,
look forward to more posts!
regards,
louisa