Nutrition

What foods should I eat to insure wellness? How should I prepare them? Is food medicine?

Blood Pressure Battle

by ladypbwiggins

A few months ago I discovered that I was in a critical hypertensive condition. I just thought I was tired and stressed out. While that was true, it was not the real problem. My blood pressure was in the 200/180 neighborhood. I don’t know how long I had been walking around like that. I had mild headaches but I just took acetomeniphine and kept it moving. It was only because of God’s grace that I did not stroke out or lose my eyesight.

I discovered this condition when I went in to have surgery on my eye. They couldn’t do it because my pressure was so high. I had to get it down quickly. I went to my primary care provider and she prescribed some powerful medication. It made me so sick that I couldn’t function. I went back and she prescribed a different one which got it down sufficiently enough to have the surgery but my system didn’t like it either. By the way, the blood pressure caused the eye problem. Blood vessels burst in my eye. After the surgery I continued to take the medication until my follow-up exam. I know high blood pressure can damage your heart so I went to my husband’s cardiologist to get mine checked out. While there I told them how the medication was making me feel so another one was prescribed. That one made me even sicker. I thought I was dying after the third dose. I had a blinding headache accompanied with nausea and weakness. I stopped taking it.

So what do I now. Clearly the pharmaceuticals are not my friends. I had planned to return to a nutrition solution after everything was stabilized but I am forced to begin it sooner. I knew that was where my long term solution lay but I needed a quicker reduction. I have no choice but to look to fruit and vegetables. (Some of you know I had been on a raw vegan life plan. Had I behaved I would not be having these issues. More on that later.)

First I looked to herbal teas that I could add a few drops of CBD oil into. Thought that would be faster. My list is beginning with pure chamomile and linden tea. I had never heard of linden tea. Some of it’s benefits are:

  • May promote relaxation. …
  • May help fight inflammation. …
  • May reduce mild pain. …
  • May have diuretic effects. …
  • Linked to lower blood pressure. …
  • May help you sleep. …
  • Soothes your digestive tract. …
  • Easy to add to your diet.

This worked but did not get my pressure low enough. I searched for the specific types of foods that were good for lowering blood pressure. There are many and I will share those in a future post. The first is beets. I know someone is saying yuck but beet juice is really sweet. I began drinking fresh beet juice today. One glass of beet juice is reported to significantly lower your blood pressure quickly. It is suppose to be effective for 24 hours. Other veggies are spinach, ginger, and garlic. That looks like a salad!

I watched a video tonight of a chiropractor named Dr. Story. He discussed what he prescribed to his patients to lower their blood pressure naturally. It coincides with what I found on the GoodRx website and our cardiologist. To reduce blood pressure without medications you should, I should

  1. Exercise most days of the week. Exercise is the most effective way to lower your blood pressure. …
  2. Consume a low-sodium diet. Too much sodium (or salt) causes blood pressure to rise. …
  3. Limit alcohol intake to no more than 1 to 2 drinks per day. …
  4. Make stress reduction a priority.

Jun 22, 2019
What’s the Fastest Way to Lower My Blood Pressure Safely? – GoodRx

I plan to begin this journey on tomorrow. Nothing here is new or a surprise but I am not doing it. I don’t like to exercise but I know it’s necessafy. I know a low or no salt diet is best for everybody but I don’t always eat that way. I’ll talk about that more later. Alcohol is not an issue. I drink wine very infrequently. Now here is the kicker. I live a highly stressful life. My stressor cannot be eliminated so I have to find a way to reduce the stress or release the pressure it causes. I basically have to learn how to relax. If you have suggestions on that, please share them. Until tomorrow, have a good evening. I’m going to try to relax now.

That Is The Question!

by ladypbwiggins

To cook or not to cook? For a period of time we were raw vegan and then slowly began adding cooked vegan meals. Today I created a jackfruit mixture that could be eaten raw or cooked I discovered. I combined jackfruit, mushrooms, sunflower seeds, Bragg’s amino, a few drops of liquid smoke, Kirkland’s no salt seasonings in the food processor and pulsed to blend. I set it aside to let the flavors soak in. Then it hit me. I planned to cook it but it taste so good uncooked. What should I do?

I thought of lettuce wraps. Then I noticed my spaghetti squash sitting on the counter. I need to cook it before it goes bad. Or zuchinni noodles? Hmm. And they say vegans have limited choices. Just the opposite. Soooo many choices as varied as the plant kingdom itself. I have made my decision.

The winner is ….. spaghetti squash, I lightly toasted the jackfruit mixture and spooned it over a bed of spaghetti squash. I added a few slices of avocado and dinner was on.

I have also made another discovery. I have found a mixture whose texture I really like that can be used for other dishes by changing the seasonings: Taco filling by adding mexican seasonings, spaghetti sauce by adding italian seasonings and who knows how far I can take it.

Stroganof Inspired

by ladypbwiggins

Today I was looking through my #Healthy Mind Cookbook and noticed several strogonof recipes. I am not a big creamy sauce person but the thought of using nondairy cream intrigued me. I used sweet peppers from my garden, a red onion for a little bite,fresh chopped garlic, fresh purple basil with its flowers from my plants, cumin, dried oregano, dried dill sauteed in avocado oil. Then I added shitake mushroom and enough flax milk to cover. Salted to taste with Celtic Sea Salt. Simmered until mushrooms were tender.

Strogonof Sauce Inspired

I poured thos over a baked potato. It was quite tasty. I might be getting good at this vegan cooking thing 😄😄😄

Chickpea & Mushroom Burger or Not

by ladypbwiggins

Took a break from jackfruit to use my baby portabella mushrooms before they went bad. Trying to change the mushroom lose paradigm. I chopped the chickpeas and mushrooms together in the food processor. I added some leftover cooked oatmeal from breakfast to aid in binding. I used onion powder instead of fresh onions because I am trying to determine the source of a bitter taste in my veggie burgers. It was suggested by another vegan to soak the fresh onions before using but it didn’t help. I added my spices and herbs. It was a little too moist so I added some rolled oats. I set the mixture aside while I made jackfruit dinner. 😄. After dinner I decided to wait until the next day to cook the burgers. I put the mixture in a glass container. I noticed it looked like a meatloaf so I thought, why not? The next day I cooked the”meatloaf”. Dinner became black-eyed peas, mixed veggies and meatless meatloaf. Burgers will have to wait.

I am not adding a measured recipe because I didn’t measure. This was totally a “my senses determined how much and what” kind of dish. The flavors were correct but the texture was a little dry. It will definitely be tried again with a little more scientific precision 😄.

Ugh Those Brown Bananas

by ladypbwiggins

I think everyone, at least vegans, have experienced those too ripe bananas that just look terrible and a breath away from the banana graveyard. I keep telling myself that I’m going to make banana bread before it’s too late. I have never made. Today I did. I searched the internet for a vegan recipe and I found quite a few. I then had to narrow it down to those who matched the ingredients I had in the pantry. I landed on Nora Cook’s recipe. Of course I didn’t have everything required. I don’t use all purpose flour. Subtitue number 1. I didn’t feel like softening up my brown sugar. Substitute number 2. I had ground so much today that I didn’t feel like grinding flax seeds to make the flax egg. Subtitute number 3. Had no almond milk. Substitute 4.

The resulting recipe: 2 cups of buckwheat flour, 2 TBLs chia seeds, 12 Tbls Water to make chia eggs. Add more water if needed to get an egg like texture. 1/4 cup flax milk, 1/3 cup melted vegan butter, 1/2 cup Agave nectar, 1 tsp Baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt, walnuts. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Jackfruit Tacos

by ladypbwiggins

Yes I’m on a jackfruit journey. As I mentioned in my last post I discovered an authenic vegan Mexican restaurant in my neighborhood, #VEEGOS. They are my motivation. I decided to try making taco meat from jackfruit. I use young jackfruit packed in water. The only preservatives are lime juice and sea salt. That gives it a salty taste. For those who want to minimize or eliminate that, I suggest rinsing the jackfruit. I haven’t tried it but I think it would work.

I also decided to make my own Mexican spice mix. I did not add salt because of the saltiness of the jackfruit. My mix was cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, and oregano. I put the jackfruit in the food processor with the mix. Just a note. I was out of chili powder so I ground some chili pepper flakes. While that was marinating I made some pico de gallo. I had no salsa. I used the chili pepper flakes in the mix so I skipped the jalapenos in my pico. Hey use what you got. I used roma tomatoes, green onions (white and green parts), parsley and a pinch of salt. I must say here thank God for food processors. I could have chopped all of this including the jackfruit but the processor made it so easy and quick.

When we were ready to eat, I took the jackfruit mixture out of the fridge and tasted it. Hmm it was good. It could have been eaten raw on a romaine leaf wrap but I added more cumin and it gave it a slightly bitter taste, I added some olive oil and cooked it in a nonstick skillet just like I would have used ground beef or ground turkey. I lightly fried my tortilla shells. I placed grated vegan mozzarella and cheddar cheese, the jackfruit and the pico de gallo on the tortillas. We enjoyed a very good late lunch.

Jackfruit Tacos

I told you VEEGOS was my motivation but it wasn’t just because of the jackfruit. I wanted their nachos. They are loaded and very good. I was all set to go and get them when I realized today is Monday. They are closed on Monday. As a result I made jackfruit tacos. So glad I did. Now I have a raw and cooked option. Give it a try.

Is It Tuna Salad Or Not?

by ladypbwiggins

Many vegans wonder why whould you want to eat something that imitates meat. Well when you have spent your whole life experiencing meat based food, the desire for those flavors and textures don’t go away immediately if at all. We are vegans for a variety of reasons. I wanted to improve our health initially and then my husband had a heart attack. His cardiologist prescribed a raw vegan lifestyle change. However, I did not lose my desire for certain flavors and foods One of those was tuna salad sandwiches or tuna and crackers. Until now I had not tried to make a substitute. All of the substitutes were carrot based mixtures that tasted nothing like tuna or at least remind me of seafood. My motivation for trying to create something now is my new found relationship with young jack fruit.

I must digress for a moment. The first time I tried jack fruit it was in a prepared barbeque meat substitute from the grocery store. I hated it. It was too sweet and it turned me off. Recently I discovered Veegos Authentic Mexican vegan restaurant. One of the protein selections was jack fruit. I loved it.. A customer told me how to get the same product at home. First, you must buy young jack fruit canned in water or brine. I use the packed in water. This product has not ripened so it has no flavor. That makes it perfect for absorbing the flavors of the marinade or seasonings. Back to the not tuna.

I did my research to discover the best things to use to get that seafood flavor. I have used dulse and hijiki seaweed before but it didn’t give me what I was looking for although it did add that seawater taste.What brought it home was Old Bay seasoning. I made my not tuna salad with young jack fruit, cooked pureed chickpeas, celery, dulse, hijiki seaweed, onion powder, garlic powder, It was a success. I served it on a vegetable salad. It was a good dinner. I planned to try it again with rehydrated chickpeas or another fresh bean product to make it a raw meal.

Clean Fridge Payoff

by ladypbwiggins

https://instagram.com/stories/ladypbwiggins/2589494116025707629?utm_source=ig_story_item_share&utm_medium=share_sheet

One of the dreaded but necessary jobs in the kitchen is to clean out your refrigerator. Let’s face it. Food can die on the shelf in the back of the refrigerator. The crisper drawers can be a veggie graveyard too. Sometimes food begins to go south faster than anticipated.

Yesterday was the attack day. This time I put a big soup pot on the stove and all of the almost gone veggies went into it. I had too-ripe tomatoes and mixed veggie leftovers to add. The cauliflower and cabbage were still good but not enough for a meal. I threw in a few green onions, some organic no-salt seasoning and water into the pot. I let it come to an almost boil and then turned it down to simmer most of the day. My results: a clean fridge and this bounty of veggie broth. Clean, cheap and no preservatives. Feeling good.

My Vegan Burger

by ladypbwiggins

When I first began to prepare raw vegan dishes I searched out appealing raw vegan recipes. I spent some money on cookbooks. Later I discovered internet and YouTube chefs. Today I prepared to make some raw veggie patties. I whipped out one of the cookbooks and i checked some chefs i liked on the internet. One of the recipes I made few weeks ago but I didn’t like the bitter after taste of the white onion. An experienced cook suggested I soak them. This time I soaked them for a few days. (Not on purpose. It just happened. 😄) I was walking through the house thinking and decided to try green onions. The bitterness is much milder. And then💡. I know the flavors I like so why don’t I make my on recipe. If the other cooks did, why can’t I? So I did.

I cannot give you a measured recipe because this was a taste it till you like it exercise. I may make a larger batch and record my measurements. The ingredients are mushrooms chopped small, carrots chopped, green onions, ground flax seed, soaked chopped coarsely sunflower seeds, chopped seedless jalapeno, liquid smoke, Kirkland salt-free seasoning, a pinch of sea salt,and water. I mixed all the ingredients and let the mixture sit awhile so the flavors could meld and the flaxseed and water could do their thing. I made the patties and put them in the dehydrator. One hour at 145 degrees and then 4 hours at 115 degrees. Flip them and dehydrate for another 4 hours. I tasted them this morning. I like. I am pleased.

My Mushroom Sunflower Seed Veggie Patties

Bacon! Glorious Bacon!

by ladypbwiggins

I’m sure you’ve heard the saying that everything is better with bacon. I miss the flavor of bacon. Early in our raw vegan journey I tried an eggplant bacon recipe. I was disappointed. I don’t know if it was the recipe or if I expected too much from the eggplant. I may not have seasoned the eggplant properly. In any case, I walked away with no bacon tasting eggplant. Here we are four years later and I decided to try it again. I found another recipe from #TheRawChef. He has videos on YouTube. It sounded good so I gave it a try. Don’t laugh at my cuts. I tried to show you the best of them. The mandoline and I are still working on our slicing consistency. 🙂 I adjusted the recipe a tiny bit. I added liquid smoke to give a smokier flavor. The smoked paprika did well but I wanted more. I also adjusted the maple syrup. I didn’t want it too sweet. First I put very little in the marinade but it was bitter from the paprika; regular and smoked. That had to be balanced so added a little several times until I was satisfied with the taste. What can I say. The chef knew what he was doing. I put the eggplant slices in the marinade for an overnight stay. I then dehydrated them according to instructions. The results were satisfactory. They are a little spicy but I am okay with that. I have bacon. Oh glorious bacon. I put some slices on my veggie burger and it was a good lunch. Now for those of you who are purest and can’t understand why this is important, that’s okay. I am a southern girl who grew up with bacon. I don’t want the pig but I like the flavor in certain sandwiches and meals. If you desire the taste of bacon, try The Raw Chef’s recipe. He has several others I would like to try.