Spicy Seafood Stew

(makes 4 servings)

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. fresh or frozen sea scallops
  
  


• 8 oz. fresh or frozen shrimp, peeled and deveined with tails intact
  
  


• 8 oz. fresh mussels in shells, beards removed
  
  


• 2 cups water
  
  


• 3 tbsp salt
  
  


• 1 tbsp vegetable oil (or olive oil)
  
  


• 4 chopped cloves garlic
  
  


• 1 cup chopped onion
  
  


• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  
  


• 1 tsp ground cumin
  
  


• ¼ tsp ground red pepper
  
  


• 1 cup low-sodium fish broth (or vegetable broth)
  
  


• 1 cup chopped tomatoes
  
  


• ⅛ tsp ground saffron
  
  


• ¼ cup chopped cilantro to garnish
  
  

Preparation:

• Thaw scallops and shrimp, if frozen. Rinse scallops and shrimp; pat dry.
  
  


• Scrub mussels. In a large-size bowl, combine water and salt then add mussels and let soak approximate 15 minutes. Drain, rinse and repeat twice.
  
  


• Heat vegetable oil in a large-size saucepan then sauté garlic and onion until they are tender.
  
  


• Stir in cinnamon, cumin, red pepper and cook approximate 1 minute, stirring constantly.
  
  


• Add fish broth, tomatoes, saffron and bring to boiling.
  
  


• Add scallops, shrimp and mussels. Return to boiling, reduce heat, covered and simmer until mussel shells open (approximate 5 minutes).
  
  


• Garnish with cilantro and serve.
  
  

Make 4 Servings:

Weight loss recipes Amount Per Serving(¼ of recipe (297 g)): 204 Calories, 27 g Protein, 10 g carbohydrates, 1 g Dietary Fiber, 6 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 113 mg cholesterol, 458 mg sodium

Salmon Chowder

(makes 6 servings)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup chopped onion
  
  


• 1 cup diced potato
  
  


• ¼ cup celery, chopped
  
  


• 1 tbsp vegetable oil (or olive oil)
  
  


• 2 tbsp water
  
  


• 2 tbsp flour
  
  


• ¼ tsp pepper
  
  


• ¼ tsp dried dill
  
  


• 2 (13 oz.) cans of evaporated skim milk
  
  


• 1 lb. salmon fillet, skinned, boned and cut into 1” cubes
  
  


• ½ cup part-skim mozzarella cheese, grated
  
  


• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
  
  


• Salt and pepper, to taste (optional)
  
  

Preparation:

• Heat vegetable oil into a medium saucepan, sauté onion, potato and celery for about 5 minutes. Add water and continue to cook until potatoes are tender.
  
  


• Blend in flour, pepper, dill, milk and salmon. Heat until soup thickens then reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until salmon flakes when tested with a fork.
  
  


• Stir in cheese and parsley. Season with salt and pepper before serve
  
  

Make 6 Servings:

Weight loss recipes Amount Per Serving(1/6 of recipe (323 g)): 294 Calories, 29 g Protein, 27 g carbohydrates, 1 g Dietary Fiber, 7 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 66 mg cholesterol, 331 mg sodium

Randy Tobler Show: Welcome

This morning, I had a conversation with Dr. Randy Tobler on his radio show "Vital Signs", on 97.1 FM News Talk in St Louis. Dr. Tobler is an obstetrician-gynecologist with an interest in nutrition, fitness and reproductive endocrinology from a holistic perspective. He asked me to appear on his show after he discovered my blog and found that we have some things in common, including an interest in evolutionary/ancestral health. We talked about the history of the American diet, the health of non-industrial cultures, what fats are healthiest, and the difference between pastured and conventional meat/dairy-- we took a few questions from listeners-- it was fun.

The show is available as a podcast here (3/26 show), although as far as I can tell, you need iTunes to listen to it. My section of the show starts around 8:20.

To everyone who arrived here after hearing me on the air this morning: welcome! Here are a few posts to give you a feel for what I do here at Whole Health Source:

The Coronary Heart Disease Epidemic
US Weight, Lifestyle and Diet Trends, 1970-2007
Butter vs. Margarine Showdown
Preventing and Reversing Tooth Decay
The Kitavans: Wisdom from the Pacific Islands
Potatoes and Human Health, Part I, Part II and Part III
Traditional Preparation Methods Improve Grains' Nutritional Value
Real Food XI: Sourdough Buckwheat Crepes
Glucose Tolerance in Non-industrial Cultures
Tropical Plant Fats: Palm Oil
It's Time to Let Go of the Glycemic Index

Western Food is Making the World Diabetic

Listen to this interesting 13 minute NPR audio on Diet and Diabetes, where one doctor discusses the differences he noticed between Afghan patients and the bodies of North American patients. He says;

"Typical Afghan civilians and soldiers would have been 140 pounds or so as adults. And when we operated on them, what we were aware of was the absence of any fat or any adipose tissue underneath the skin," Patterson says. "Of course, when we operated on Canadians or Americans or Europeans, what was normal was to have most of the organs encased in fat. It had a visceral potency to it when you could see it directly there."

Roasted Yellow Pepper Soup

(makes 4 servings)

Ingredients:

• 5 yellow bell peppers, remove stem, seeds, and membranes, cut into quarters
  
  


• 1 cup chopped onion
  
  


• 4 chopped cloves garlic
  
  


• 1 tsp vegetable oil (or olive oil)
  
  


• 5¼ cups low-sodium vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
  
  


• 1 cup chopped potato
  
  


• ½ tsp ground cumin
  
  


• ½ tsp freshly ground pepper
  
  


• non-fat sour cream (optional)
  
  

Preparation:

• Roast the peppers:
  
  
  • Line a baking sheet with foil. Place peppers down on foil, skin side up and press each segment to lie flat on sheet.
    
    
  
  
  • Bake in an oven at 425 degrees F until skin is blackened and blistered (approximate 20 minutes).
    
    
  
  
  • Transfer peppers from oven and place in a paper bag.
    
    
  
  
  • Close bag and let cool approximate 10 minutes.
    
    
  
  
  • Remove and discard skins. Set aside.
    
    
  
  


• Heat vegetable oil in a large-size saucepan and cook onion and garlic until onion is tender (approximate 3-4 minutes).
  
  


• Stir in roasted peppers, vegetable broth, and potato. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium-low, covered and simmer approximate 15 minutes.
  
  


• Cool mixture slightly then pour in a third of the pepper mixture into a food processor and process until smooth. Repeat with remaining mixture.
  
  


• Return mixture to saucepan and heat through.
  
  


• Serve in bowls with a dollop of non-fat sour cream (optional) garnished with chives.
  
  

Make 4 Servings:

Weight loss recipes Amount Per Serving(¼ of recipe (629 g)): 172 Calories, 10 g Protein, 27 g carbohydrates, 3 g Dietary Fiber, 4 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 103 mg sodium

Vietnamese Pho Beef Noodle Soup

Serves 4

Prep time: 40 minutes

Total time: 45 minutes

ingredients:

• 2 tsp canola oil
  
  


• 1 medium onion, peeled and quartered
  
  


• 1 2” piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
  
  


• 1 tsp five-spice powder
  
  


• 6 cups low-sodium beef broth
  
  


• 1½ tbsp Asian fish sauce ("nuoc mam" or "nam pla")
  
  


• 1½ tsp sugar
  
  


• Freshly ground black pepper
  
  


• 6 oz. dried rice noodles or rice vermicelli (Soaking the rice noodles before cooking may seem like an extra step, but it helps release some of their starch so they don't clump and the broth stays clear.)
  
  


• 8 oz. flank steak, well trimmed and thinly sliced
  
  


• Fresh mint sprigs, fresh cilantro sprigs, fresh mung bean sprouts, chopped scallions, thinly sliced serrano chili, and 2-3 lime wedges, for garnish
  
  


• 1 small onion, peeled and sliced in paper-thin rounds
  
  


• The seasonings and noodles can be found in the Asia section of large supermarkets.
  
  

Preparing

• In a heavy saucepan, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion and ginger; sauté until onions are lightly browned (about 5 minutes). Add five-spice powder; stir until fragrant (about 30 seconds). Pour in beef broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover; simmer for about 15 minutes. Strain broth into a clean saucepan (discard onion and ginger). Stir fish sauce, sugar, and black pepper to taste into the broth; keep warm over low heat.
  
  


• While the broth is simmering, soak rice noodles in hot water (do not boil) in a wide bowl until softened (about 20 minutes). Rinse the noodles well in cold water, then drain. Bring a large pot of water to boil.
  
  


• Arrange the mint and other garnishes on a serving platter. Bring broth back to a boil.
  
  


• Transfer softened noodles to the pot of boiling water; cook for about 30 seconds, drain, and divide among 4 deep soup bowls. Arrange some of the raw steak slices over the noodles, and scatter some of the onion rounds over the steak. Ladle boiling broth into each bowl (the beef slices should cook or brown in the boiling broth.). Serve the soup immediately with the garnishes so everyone can customize their own bowl.
  
  

Nutrition score per serving (2 cups): 350 calories, 7 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 51 g carbs, 20 g protein, 2 g Dietary fiber, 51 mg calcium, 2 mg iron, 1,308 mg sodium

I didn't know I was so fat but pictures don't lie

Before Pictures (from the Big Climb March 20, 2011)

Rear view (ugh!)

It's weird how I often don't see my body as it really looks. When I weighed 152 two summers ago, and 166 last summer, I thought I was a fat pig. That's the picture on the lower right, me in the black size 10 skirt and pink top. 152 pounds and I thought I was fat.

Now that I'm fat again I don't see it when I look in the mirror. Even though the size ten's hanging in my closet don't even begin to fit, I still think of myself as the same person that weighed 152. It's like my head hasn't caught to the fact that I'm fat again. It's the opposite of what an anorexia thinks.

The pictures really hit me hard. Really? I'm really THAT fat?! Yes, Diana, you are really that fat. How fat am I? Read below.

My second weekly Weight Watchers meeting
Today was my first Weight Watchers At Work meeting. There were 28 employees at the meeting, each with their $130.20 check in hand for a 17-week series of meetings and e-Tools.

My company is picking up the additional 30% that Weight Watchers would normally charge. I work for an awesome company! Of course, it's in their best interest that we all get to a healthy weight to keep our insurance costs down, as well as take fewer sick days. Smart move on their part, and I get to benefit from it.

I'm very excited about this meeting. I'm not new to Weight Watchers. I've been going to meetings for three years non-stop. It annoys me that I haven't reached goal yet, but I also know that without the meetings I'd definitely be back up to my high weight of 240 pounds, plus a few extra for good measure. Going to two meetings a week is sort of like AA, where the alcoholic goes every day if possible. Like an alcoholic, I have a serious problem.

I weighed in at home this morning and was appalled I saw184 pounds. I decided to eat breakfast, have my cup of coffee and drink water all morning like normal. I'm not going to starve myself or go without water because I have a noon weighin.

The official weighin (are you sitting down because this is rather shocking):

187.4 

Now I could make all sorts of excuses, I was wearing "heavy" clothes or I'd had food and water during the morning, or there was something wrong with the scales the leader brought to the meeting. That can't be my real weight! Seriously folks, it's my real weight. As real as it gets. 

My plan isn't to dwell on how horrible this is or how mad I am at myself for letting this happen. My plan is to get down to business and lose the weight!

I have my regular Weight Watcher meeting on Saturday, which I pay for online so I'll have two official weighins a week. I know that sounds kind of crazy, but I'm kind of crazy. My eating has become totally out of control with no accountability.

Now that I know how fat I am, I need to fix it.