Borsch - as Promised

After the success of the raw celery soup I was determined to make raw borsch from the same book (Sergey and Valya Boutenko, Fresh. The Ultimate Live-Food Cookbook).

Here is the recipe:

3 cups water

3 beets

1 small gingerroot, sliced

3-4 large garlic cloves

6-7 bay leaves

2 cups water

2 carrots

2 stalks celery

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

3 peeled oranges with seeds removed (to avoid bitterness)

1 tablespoon honey

¼ cup olive oil

1 teaspoon sea salt

½ cup walnuts

¼ head cabbage grated

1-2 carrots grated

½ bunch parsley chopped

The first 5 of these ingredients must be blended, others – finely chopped and it serves up to 6 people.

The celery soup had been gone so fast that my confidence in the ‘Borsch project’ grew real strong. I decided this time to make a full portion.

I cut beets into large chunks and felt already happy for not being asked to grate them. ( Raw beets are extremely good for your blood, but grating them takes some effort and is quite messy!) I also put only two oranges instead of three, because mine were large. Other than that I followed the instruction.  

Here is the result

For some reasons, though, I misjudged  the '6 people' mentioned in the recipe. I took them for rather moderate eaters, probably trying to lose weight and watching their portions.  My husband’s guess is that I was just hungry at the moment.

Well, I definitely  underestimated them!

The borsch poured out from the Vitamix filled the large salad bowl which I use for Thanksgiving dinners.  We started tasting it already anxious of not being able to eat it all. And what would I do with the rest? I cannot throw such a good thing away.

These thoughts were not exactly appetite – boosting. Still we liked it a lot!  

We ate two servings each and then I had one more out of guilty conscience.   The rest was put into the fridge to delay uncomfortable decisions.

The next day, however, I changed my mind and after warming it up a little, finished the borsch. By keeping it for so long and heating slightly, I probably lost some nutrients but still as the soup was never boiled, there must’ve been plenty of nutrients left.

And it was as good  and fresh the next day as it was the first day.

Some More WWM

For those who did not read my previous posting – WWM (What Works for Me) - are little arrangements that help me against food cravings. 

Here are some more WWM as promised:

Healthy snack: You would probably have it anyway, so a little extra effort to have a healthy one could actually increase guilt-free enjoyment.

Once or twice a day I like to munch on something plant-based, crunchy and long-lasting (to stretch the pleasure). Some people prefer carrots or trail mix, my snack of choice is radish.

I do not remember liking it much in my childhood. In fact, traditionally we snacked on apples, maybe due to their availability. I had radishes only in season and in salads, because on their own I found them quite bitter.

After we stopped eating meat I developed a real addiction to radishes. When I crunch them, you can show me chocolate cake or melting triple Sundae – not tempted! And they are never bitter for me anymore – just slightly poignant.

Wait after dinner: There is another rule I try to follow – waiting half an hour after a meal for the feeling of satiety. Nutritionists say that when your portions are more or less reasonable, you can expect to be satisfied in a while even if you did not feel it right after dinner.

I noticed however, that cravings might last more than half an hour, so I give myself a whole hour before making any decisions. If I still feel like eating after that I would not hesitate grabbing something – I am not a saint!

And another observation: whether I snacked after dinner or not, when it is finally bed time, my stomach calms down anyway. I guess, you either want to eat or to sleep - never both.

Being an early bird I am fully aware that this trick may not be working for the night owls who feel most hungry late in the evening. This difference in human dynamics is totally mysterious for me and I would not dare suggesting that those who tend to wake up late must simply change their habits.

There should be a  reason for such a strong distinction between these two categories.

Some alterations, though, are doable and advisable as many of us need to start early on a working day anyway. And based on the experiences of the owls I personally know regular breakfast makes such shift much easier.

No cooking shows in the evening: This is a little-bit outdated restriction, because I am rarely inspired by cooking shows nowadays. I see all tricks of the trade used by  TV chefs  – excessive list of ingredients  which they mix in surprising combinations, oil and butter casually thrown in one pan, charcoaled garlic “just for flavor”, fistfuls of salt sparingly added and far from healthy appearance of the cooking gurus themselves.  

But there was a time when I was much excited to see these shows. Well aware of the effect they had on me I used to bargain with myself: “I will only check who is there”, “This is a healthy food show”, “I need inspirations to expand my menu”.

But no matter what smart reason I would come with, the results were always the same – I felt like eating what I saw, or… just, anything.

Being seduced by cooking shows many times I decided to never watch them unless armed with a bowl of radishes (see above). And after a while it became clear to me that in most of the cases those recipes were not wholesome!

Have a nice alternative: I also share the common opinion that you should not eat after 7 p.m. or at least three hours before going to bed. Sometimes, though, it can make you anxious: “No food until tomorrow - this is too long!”

For such a case I like to have something pleasant to look forward to, for example, a delightful book on my bedside table, so instead of feeling bad I can anticipate happy reading.

Strategy of diverting activities: Another trick of mine – diverting physical and other activities strategically placed along the day that keep your appetite down and mind – occupied.

Physical activities like yoga class or dancing lesson have two additional benefits: they protect you from overeating before (you really do not want to do yoga on a full stomach!), and right after the activity  - it usually takes at least 30 min. to bring the appetite back. These sober minutes may be used for planning a sensible meal.

And finally -  remember that you will probably fail now and then. It is just better to be prepared than to feel powerless and disappointed. For situations like this specialists in nutrition (or maybe in psychology?) suggest to sincerely forgive yourself and start tomorrow from scratch.

What Works for Me

Or WWM, as I call them - are little arrangements that help me keep eating habits within reason. I have tested them and proven them working for at least one person – me.  

This is, of course, not a big deal, and my WWM may be not all suitable for people with different life dynamics or metabolism. However, taking into consideration universality of the craving problem I decided to share them.

So, here they are:

Plan for a week and plan for a day: It is easier for me to eat healthy, when I have a general meal plan for a week and a more specific – for a day.

For example, Monday is usually our vegetarian day (sometimes strictly raw and sometimes – not). Tuesday – is a former fasting (Paul Bragg’s inspired) day. Currently it is more like “no dinner” day, when instead we might just have tea with a wrapping (for example, whole spelt tortilla, scoop of soft goat cheese, two tomato slices and a bunch of greens).

On Wednesday we like to have grains or beans with vegetables, or fish and salad; Thursday is usually a big salad day with seeds or nuts for protein. Friday is my sunny-side-ups for dinner day. I like it with tomatoes and celery thrown in a pan together with eggs. My husband is a no-nonsense “just eggs, vegetables uncooked and on a separate plate” eater.  

On Saturday we usually do grocery shopping and, therefore, have a freshest-possible salad. Sometimes (about once a month) we skip dinner and instead go for lunch to our beloved sushi place. That is, of course, if we are not engaged elsewhere (then we skip sushi).

We also skip sushi: when we are invited to a party on Sunday (then we “shift” home-made Sunday dinner to Saturday) or, sometimes, for financial reasons. And, depending on the experiences of the previous day, Sunday is either fish/salad, or vegetarian.

Green smoothies: We started incorporating green smoothies into our diet three times a week, mostly on non-raw days, to balance (and reduce consumption of) less healthy foods. Very soon we felt like having them almost every day with different combinations of fruits and greens.  

No lunch: Because the concept of lunch has no equivalent in Russian tradition we ended up skipping it altogether most of the time.

In Russia the traditional meal  in the middle of the day is called dinner. It can be a classic three-course, if you wish. In the evening people usually have supper, and tea is very popular and can be taken at any break, at the end of dinner, or supper (or instead). 

So, after trying for a while to incorporate lunch into our daily routine, I returned my household “to our traditions”. We just have breakfast, early dinner, and then I drink my evening tea. 

This way I freed my mind from constant evaluation of our second important meal of the day (is this enough or too much?) and from pressure of making something different for dinner.

In fact I often prepare traditional lunch dish and just call it dinner. It is much easier to maintain variety this way.  

Cut and share eating out: As we noticed in our first years in America, eating out inevitably gave us extra pounds. I am not sure, what is the major culprit here: large portions, excessive fat or salt. Anyway, for the sake of our health and wallets we restricted eating out. 

It is difficult to avoid, though, on a business trip where things are complicated by the necessity of eating in new places. 

Maybe it is just me, but it is much harder for me to overcome temptations when trying new things. I may order one entry; then reluctantly agree to couple of "sides" and a "house salad" that goes with it; and then, after having an intense working day (which is usually the case on business trips) I feel myself entitled to a single dessert. Then the plates start coming… and it all ends in overeating.

But, again, maybe it is just poor me who sometimes does not fully understand waiters, or not aware of certain traditions.

So now, when we go to a restaurant, we usually order one salad and one entry or two different appetizers from lunch menu and share.  There is always plenty for two.

Some more WWM - next time.  

It Is Not About Hunger

A good friend of mine who is straggling with her weight told me the following story:

"When I turn on TV during a commercial of, let’s say, blueberry pancakes I immediately want them. It may be straight after dinner, a moment ago I felt totally full, but the picture of golden streaks of honey over warm puffy cakes makes me salivate.

Ten minutes later, in the next commercial I would see a stack of crackers and start wondering if we had anything similar in the pantry. Inspired by these visuals I might crave pizza after candy and then a fried chicken wing. Eventually I would end up opening the fridge and eating something… unplanned."  

Frankly, I do not have a problem with TV commercials, because most of them look very unhealthy to me. But when I do grocery shopping I try every sample in the store. It may be a processed product that I would never buy to eat at home, but a small bite of it, as a harmless little indulgence… why not?  

So, what is it: a bad habit, lack of self-control or poor judgment?

Some people believe that if they limited their food consumption they will be constantly hungry. To avoid it nutritionists suggest having more fiber, or even - to reduce stomach surgically. That will make us satisfied earlier, so we will easily get slim and, consequently, healthy.  

This approach puzzles me a lot, because most of us hardly ever experienced hunger. To be really hungry food must be chronically scarce.

In one documentary made somewhere in Ceylon a famous American traveler was invited to a village feast. A stick-thin old woman in traditional dress offered him something looking like a handful of rice on banana leaf. Taking into consideration the circumstance this was no doubt a generous “guest” portion. 

Around us food is abundant, easily available, in our faces more often than not, and sometimes even free (yes, samples!)

The truth is – we often eat not to satisfy hunger but because the process makes us feel good. While having a morning coffee, dinner, ice cream, or a bucket of popcorn, we experience pleasure and comfort. Worries and anxieties fade or step aside. Studies say that food alleviates depression and (this I checked myself) calms down moderate pain such as head- or toothache.

Naturally, anyone would like to prolong such a feeling and induce it as often as possible.

"Drinking tea", by V. Nesterenko
This is how we like it! And, by the way, every object in this picture is real

Of course, when we were young, we had other sources of joy, much more powerful and noble: the intense array of romantic emotions, the thrill of intellectual or physical achievement. Who cared for food then? I could skip dinner for days, or grab something instead, just to keep myself on the go.

But let’s be honest, after 40 for the most of us these are sweet memories. Gradually and quietly, food becomes our closest buddy, our most reliable (hopefully, not the only one) source of gratification.

Another peculiarity of human digestion is actually formed by evolution: it is the ability to eat as often as you can get it. Predators in their natural habitat eat once in a while after they chased and killed their prey. Then they lay satisfied and rest for days.

Humans, on the other hand, may consume food anytime, just in case there would be no such opportunity later. Therefore, we can be pretty full, and yet a mere sight of food might trigger cravings again. This human weakness is very well known to producers of billboards and TV commercials. 

So to get control over food we must first admit that by the laws of nature we are not supposed to be in control here.

It has nothing to do with certain individuals having more willpower than others.  Some overweight people hesitate starting healthy diet because they believe themselves morally weaker than their slim friends.

No, we are all in this together.

Therefore, we need all help we can get to fight unreasonable food cravings. This is important not just to control portions but in making healthier choices.

Over the years I have collected an arsenal of little arrangements to help myself on a bad day. Some of them I figured out on my own, and others - found in related publications. Not all the recommendations out there worked for me. But those that do may be as well useful for somebody else.

Next time I will share them in this blog.