Confused More Often Than I Would Like

I often find myself really confused about  cooking and eating. As some of you know, I did not come from good cooking genes-- My mother had a few standard meals and very few of them included vegetables..... unless one considers corn on the cob a vegetable along with iceberg lettuce and sliced tomatoes. Iris, my step mother, was not from the world of great cooks either.  The first time I saw fresh vegetables was in college-  In later years at college, I absolutely remember going out to visit Dr. Albert Friedman, our sociology professor. He lived on a farm in PA,which he commuted from to teach at Monmouth. I believed his farm was south of Doylestown because we visited the Mercer Museum with him that day.  I know Caren was with me and likely Maryann too. And he went outside to his garden and cut down some asparagus - came in, washed and steamed it and we ate immediately and I was astounded...... the yummiest vegetable I have ever eaten.

So yesterday I went to Produce Junction knowing I needed to get some food into the house. I purchased broccoli, brussels sprouts, yellow and red grape tomatoes, portabella mushrooms, some zucchini, and 3 avocados.  Oh yes- a bag of Romaine lettuce also-- all for less than 16 dollars. So today I had to cook right?!?!?! Started with vegetable soup with a broth and crushed tomatoes base. In went broccoli, zucchini, carrots, onion, mushrooms too - That made a lot so I froze a big container and packed up one to take to work and left a third in my refrigerator- but what about the Brussels sprouts--- so I found a recipe for that which included tomatoes, and cranberries and walnuts as I had both of them on hand.  I did eat this for dinner tonight and am taking some for work as well.

What I am getting to is that I cannot fiqure out the best way to eat- There are just too many choices....... Paleo- aka cave man diet- fruits, vegetables, nuts, lean meats - no dairy or starches or beans----- Vegetarians with dairy- Vegan without dairy -------Liquid supplements, meal replacements -------Jenny Craig, SlimFast --------Weight Watchers- counting points and calories.-------Atkins, South Beach-------Dash,------Mind------TLC------ Mayo Clinic-----Ornish-----Volumetrics-----Spark
It is overwhelming to fiqure out what to eat- not this but that.

There are few commons agreements though.
Fried foods always undesirable. So is sugary foods. Don't drink calories or any "diet" beverage. Stay away from salt.  Green Tea has healing cleansing properties. There is almost no "drive though" fast food that has healthy food to eat while driving your car. (See the acceptable exceptions- they all include some type of bread though- http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/recipes/healthy-eating/on-the-go/healthy-fast-foods/)  Water is best beverage- Teas are very good- Coffee in moderation and less Alcohol is good- none is best. Highly nutritious natural foods are best without chemicals, additives or sugar.   Complex carbohydrates containing fiber are far better than simple carbohydrates unless simple means natural fruit - then it is good and complex can be bad when it means flour products such as bread.... and some do not like beans, legumes etc- still being debated.  Fish and Poultry are better than Red meat but maybe no animal protein is best?  Healthy fats are highly desirable such as avocados, olives, seeds, nuts and natural nut butters, salmon, some other fish and coconut oil.  Eggs in moderation- avoid cheese. We need Folic Acid, Omega 3s, Vitamins A,B ( 1, 2, 3, 6, and 12) , C, D, E, K- Calcium, Iron, Zinc, Chromium.
Dairy is also debatable but nonfat products are no longer desirable either.
Yogurt has good properties as does tofu and other soy products and Almond milk is better than cows milk or milk products.... In fact we should leave the cows alone--- let them go out to pasture and forget about them all together..... let them die a natural death as they have no place in our lives- Noah made a mistake when he included cows on the Ark.


You got this????  I think I have not lost any weight yet because I am so confused and when I am tired on top of that I give up for a day or two. But today was a new day.  Thanks again for hearing me out about this.  Lots of love, Nancy

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