Summertime Blues

The summer is quickly passing.  It has been a really hot and stormy one.  I seem to be stuck on my 25 pound weight loss.  Can't seem to get past that mark.  I have pretty much learned this way of eating and really enjoy it.  I mostly enjoy that I feel better when I eat right.  The summer vacations haven't helped with the weight loss.  I choose wisely but tend to it more meat when I am away.  It is hard to get the legumes I need eating out.  The legumes are needed to help with hunger.  Therefore, I eat some meat to keep me full.  I know that is part of the reason the weight loss has slowed down.  My aim to be at my goal by October is approaching fast.  In my last post I said I would never give up, and I won't.  I may not be where I want to be yet but at least I am not where I was.

Update to one of my previous recipes.  I tried the cauliflower pizza crust tonight using vegan cheese.  It worked great.

Recipe of the day:

Quinoa Bean Salad

 Serves: 6

Preparation Time: 25 minutes

 

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked quinoa

1 1/2 cups cooked white beans or 1 (15 ounce) can no salt added or low sodium white beans, drained

1 cup grated carrots

1 cup raisins

1 cup raw walnuts, chopped

2 plum tomatoes, chopped

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

1/2 green bell pepper, chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon chili powder

2 teaspoons low sodium soy sauce

Instructions:
Cook quinoa according to package directions.

Place all other ingredients in a large bowl and mix.

Add cooked quinoa and toss.

This is even better when refrigerated overnight to blend flavors.  I ate this in a pita pocket and it was delicious.

Food for thought: 

We may be required to buy medical insurance, but what we really need is health insurance

The Affordable Care Act was intended to make insurance coverage more secure and affordable, and insure millions of uninsured Americans. The Supreme Court has now deemed the individual mandate portion – the requirement that everyone purchase health insurance – to be constitutional.

Certainly, some aspects of medical insurance coverage are in need of reform. But a much greater need exists – the need for Americans to reform their health by reforming their diets.
Of course there will be continued debate on this subject, but when we look at the big picture (the overall health of the American people), the Supreme Court’s decision and even government involvement is irrelevant. Regardless of the government’s involvement, the health of Americans will not improve unless the eating habits of Americans improve.
The U.S. per capita health costs are the highest in the world. Health care made up more than 17% of the GDP in 2010. Health care costs rose 5.8% in the year ending February 2012, and costs are predicted to continue rising. As health care costs rise, so will insurance costs. Overconsumption of medical care (for example, overuse of diagnostic tests) is a significant driver of health care costs.¹
These high costs do not bring about better outcomes than other developed countries. In the U.S. life expectancy is lower than in similarly developed nations whose per capita costs are lower.²  The U.S. is ranked 38th in life expectancy, 37th in infant mortality, and 37th in overall health outcomes, according to the World Health Organization. We cannot expect the Affordable Care Act to significantly improve the health of Americans – its aim is only to increase access to care, which also mean more needless drugs, radiation exposure and surgeries. More medical care does not translate into better health, as much of what doctors do is harmful, such as prescribe antibiotics for viral infections, perform angioplasties and bypass surgeries on stable CAD, or perform CT scans, prostatectomies and other worthless, expensive invasive interventions that serve to protect the doctor, not the patient. Actually interventions that do not extend life are worse than worthless because they create harm. People should not be denied access to care in emergencies, but overall our population (including lower income people) need less medical care, not more.  (Dr. Fuhrman's Newsletter)
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