We hope everyone has a safe and fun Halloween tonight
… it’s really hard to believe that it’s November already! I know many students
are now transitioning from fall to winter sports: Even if you aren’t a member
of an organized team, there are many ways to stay active and fit during the
cold months of the year.
We hope to see all our friends and neighbors at
Pathfinder Produce this week; please help us spread the word about our
well-stocked and competitively-priced market. If you know of others who
would like to get onto our regular weekly produce price email list, please just
let me know at lgrace@pathfindervillage.org. As usual, our Edmeston market will be open on
Thursday afternoons, at Pathfinder’s Village Commons, from 1 to 5 p.m.
Below, my colleague Martha Spiegel recounts her
recent visit to her parents, who live in sunny Arizona.
***
My parents have been on a low-carbohydrate diet for several
months. They are doing well with it now, and have even figured out what they
can order at their favorite restaurants and still stay on track. At first it
was difficult, however, for a couple of reasons. First, they didn’t realize how
many of their favorite non-starchy foods were actually full of carbs. My dad
has always had a glass of orange juice and a banana with his breakfast. He had
stopped eating cereal, potatoes, bread, etc., but still was not losing weight.
He mentioned this to his doctor, who told him that the juice and bananas were
very carb-heavy. Dad made the switch to coffee and eggs for breakfast and has
begun to lose some pounds.
The second difficulty they had was boredom. They quickly tired of
plain meat and plain vegetables for dinner. Mom got busy researching in various
cookbooks and online and found that low-carb did not have to mean low-taste.
One evening while I was visiting, Mom and I made Transylvanian Goulash (very
similar to this recipe). It was
very flavorful and stayed well within the guidelines of their diet plan.
For dessert, Mom ran some frozen strawberries and blueberries
through a food processor until it was the consistency of a sorbet. It was very
tasty and refreshing! (You can do the same thing with frozen bananas for a
low-cal but not low-carb treat.)
Other foods that they enjoy are spaghetti squash with a variety of
sauces, riced cauliflower—by itself or in combination with other chopped
veggies—and fajitas (minus the tortillas, of course). Another recipe that I
didn’t get to try while I was there, but intend to is an Italian
Cabbage Stir-Fry.
Now that they have found ways to eat food that they enjoy without
feeling deprived, they are making good progress toward their goal weights, as
recommended by their doctors. It is important to remember that weight loss
should be steady but gradual, and done in consultation with your health care
provider, especially if you have other health concerns.
Until next time, eat and be well!
Martha (and Lori)
