All posts by Will
Easy Burritos
You could use my taco mix recipe as well but this one is a bit easier and quicker. I don’t often measure things, just dump in rice and beans from my refrigerated batches.
Ingredients:
Grow Your Own Food
I started growing some of my own food last year after starting to eat a starch-based diet over 2 years ago. It seemed like a natural progression as I was eating more vegetables and doing a lot more cooking. It can be intimidating but it’s pretty easy to get started. One of the biggest things I feared was having to weed all the time but I’ve hardly had to do that. The trick is to keep the soil covered with a mulch (wood chips, leaves, etc) so that weeds can’t grow as easily. I just take a look at the garden every few days and pull any really small weeds if any but have barely established themselves so it’s a breeze with just my fingers.
I started out with a Palram 6’x8′ greenhouse (I’m not handy so I need something I can just put together) and used containers to grow basil, oregano, tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers. They did pretty well I must say. You can grow a lot in containers if you don’t have the room – just put some potting mix in a container and get some seeds and you’re good to go.
This year I bought two 4’x8′ Gronomics cedar raised beds so that I now have a 4′ x 16′ cedar raised bed. There’s no nailing or hammering it all fits together in minutes thanks to the dovetail joints. That’s great because I don’t have the skills, tools or temperament to built these from scratch! Raised beds are great because you don’t have to dig up the grass and deal with the builder quality topsoil (and rocks) that they put in there! You just lay down some cardboard to kill off the grass and lay the beds and soil on top of that.
In spring I planted onions (from onion sets), garlic (separated cloves from the bulb), Yukon Gold potatoes (from seed potatoes), tomatoes (from a transplant), red russian kale (from transplant), cucumbers (from transplants), green peppers (from transplants I started from seed in the greenhouse).
I’ve made a lot of mistakes already but am learning, asking questions, reading and watching YouTube videos. I recently read Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew and plan to do that next year. It’s a very organized way to lay out the vegetable garden and helps you to space the vegetables properly.
After a lot of studying of gardening I have come to realize that I always try to seek out the simplest and most cost effective solution. So many gardeners (even for organic) use animal manures, blood meal, bone meal, rock dust, epsom salt, fertilizers, pesticides, the list goes on and on. So I’m going to try to replicate nature as much as possible using permaculture techniques. There’s a book about natural farming called One Straw Revolution and many refer to this idea as a ‘no work’ garden. Keep the soil covered with a layer of leaf mulch to keep weeds down and the leaves break down and feed the soil with everything it needs. Keep the plants healthy to avoid diseases and pests and let other predatory pests handle things. Pick off any visible pests that I come across.
I originally used topsoil and some mushroom compost (to avoid animal products) but now have realized I should’ve used something more like Mel’s Mix (1/3 peat moss/coco fiber), 1/3 vermiculite and 1/3 compost). So I’m going to amend the garden this fall with my own compost and leaves and try to stick to just using that each year. I’ve watched videos where people did soil tests and they had all the nutrients they needed from this approach (just like nature). Also I’m going to ‘crop and drop’ which is where you let things you prune fall to the ground and naturally decay, as well as pulling weeds and leaving them on the soil (that haven’t gone to seed).
So I encourage you to get started no matter where you are, in a condo or in a small house with no yard. You can do indoor containers such as herbs, outdoor containers on a balcony or deck, a greenhouse or even the raised beds I mentioned. It’s such an amazing feeling when you see the little sprouts coming out of the ground! Let me know if you garden or are planning to start!
Cook Rice Like Pasta
I used to cook rice using the package instructions. The bottom part always came out mushy. Then I found out you can cook rice like pasta and it’s perfect every time! Of course if you have a rice cooker or Instant Pot you can just use that!
Ingredients:
-2 cups (or more/less depending on how much you want, it will expand upon cooking) brown rice (or basmati, jasmine, white, etc)
-1 large pot of water
Instructions:
Bring a pot of water to a boil then add the rice (I rarely measure but at least 2 cups so I have extra). Turn down to medium heat so it doesn’t boil over. For brown rice set your timer for 60 minutes, for white basmati set it to 10 minutes. For other rice you’ll have to make a judgment call, like brown basmati will take a little longer than white so do a few taste tests while it’s cooking. Once the time is up, drain the water and cover the pot to steam for 5 minutes. This is optional but it tends to help keep the rice separated nicely.
Here’s a video I did which demonstrates the process:
Should I Do Starch Solution or Maximum Weight Loss?
A common question when people first discover a starch-based way of eating and Dr. McDougall is “Should I do The Starch Solution or the Maximum Weight Loss approach?”
The Starch Solution
The Starch Solution is a starch-based approach to eating meaning the bulk of your calories should come from starches – potatoes, beans, rice, lentils, oats, corn, pasta, unrefined flours (for bread, pasta). The rest is provided by non-starchy vegetables (eg. broccoli, kale, cauliflower, spinach) and fruit (1-4 fruit per day). There are no animal products (beef, chicken, fish, dairy) or oil. Nuts should be minimized, and refined flours should be eliminated. Salt can be used to taste on your plate but should be avoided in the cooking process as much as possible. A little sugar is allowed such as on oatmeal. Dr. McDougall wants the food to be palatable so that people will eat it.
Maximum Weight Loss
The Maximum Weight Loss plan goes further in elimination all nuts, seeds, avocado, coconut and flours. This means technically no nut milks, bread or pasta. No juices or dried fruits (see guidelines at link below). A little sugar is allowed. Non-starchy vegetables should make up to 50% of the plate. The concept here is to eliminate foods that are higher in calorie density. You also want to restrict variety as that can lead to overeating. Here is a summary of the rules for maximum weight loss.
My Advice
My advice is to start with The Starch Solution. It’s already quite a change from the standard American diet. Do it with 100% compliance until you are plateauing for at least 1 month. Then you can consider being a little more strict. I find that the vast majority of people are not 100% compliant (they will go to restaurants and have some oil, or eat snack foods and soy ice creams/chocolate that can be high in fat). A lot of people want to cut back on the starches as soon as they have trouble losing fat, but I’ve found the problem is usually coming from other sources (hidden fats/oils, snacks, restaurants, social gatherings, etc).
Why Do People Consider the Maximum Weight Loss program?
The main reason people want to consider Maximum Weight Loss instead of the regular program is that they want faster results. I totally get that. But what usually happens is people are very motivated at first, get very restrictive with their diet and then they can’t sustain it so they go back to their usual eating habits and the weight returns. What I do is ask myself ‘Will, do you want to never eat this food again?’. Like bread, pizza, peanut butter. And the answer is usually ‘No!’. So I try to do things that I can sustain for a lifetime. You could temporarily restrict a food (like pizza) but it increases the risk that you will really go off the rails and never come back. So I opt for a moderate, sustainable approach that I can stick to for a lifetime (it’s been over 2 years now so that’s a good sign).
Going from a standard American diet of meat, dairy and oil to The Starch Solution is already quite a big change as you won’t be eating those products anymore. I personally have been doing The Starch Solution for over 2 years and I wanted to be patient and give the program enough time to work it’s magic before considering changing anything. I’m happy to say that it has worked very well with a slow and steady weight loss over time. I still eat pizza, tacos, bread and other things that help keep me happy and with a full belly. There were ups and downs and plateaus but I had faith that it would work if I adhered 100% and that’s exactly what happened over time (at least 1 year to reach a lean weight).
Sometimes people have issues with certain foods like gluten so they will naturally feel better eating a diet closer to maximum weight loss and avoiding flours that are in pastas and breads. Another reason is if you have serious health issues (heart disease, diabetes, etc) you may want to be stricter in your diet by avoiding nuts and refined sugars/flours.
Possible uses for Maximum Weight Loss program
If you’ve been doing really well on The Starch Solution but have reached a plateau for a few months you could consider trying some of the principles in the Maximum Weight Loss program such as eliminating nuts and/or eliminating flours (eg bread, pizza). Or if you get off track and need a reboot to reset your taste buds it could be a way to get there. Or if you have the serious health issues I mentioned above. But remember as soon as you add these back in you will probably return to the weight you were when you were eating them. Here’s a McDougall article on maximum weight loss you might find interesting and if you want extra help there’s a Maximum Weight Loss Facebook group.
Ultimately it’s your decision and I just wanted to let you know about the possible risks of getting too restrictive. What do you think is the best way to go? Post your thoughts below in the comment section.
7 Habits of Highly Ineffective Dieting
I came up with a set of 7 habits of highly ineffective dieting that might help you avoid getting off track (or get back on track). These are some common problems I’ve seen over the years with people trying to lose weight and getting stuck.
Portion Control
Most diets out there depend on portion control for their success. They get people to limit the portions that they eat. Since animal products, processed food and oils are high in fat (9 calories per gram) they also tend to be high in calories. So to reduce calories they say you have to reduce the portions. People tend to use willpower in this case, trying to get used to smaller amounts of food. But that willpower only lasts for so long and they fall off the wagon on that yo-yo dieting cycle.
A much better way that has worked for me is to eat lower calorie dense foods such as fruit, vegetables, legumes and whole grains. You fill your stomach on lower calorie foods, feel satiated and yet you don’t exceed your caloric requirements.
Lack of Knowledge
Many people have emailed me with questions about what to eat and I find that knowing how the diet works and what is involved can really help. Also learning how to cook various foods is useful so you don’t have to order out or buy processed foods all the time. Also understand what our biology indicates we should be eating, the science behind healthy food as well as the impacts on the environment and abuse and death that is involved with raising animals for food. Also many foods in the store have oil, sugar, fat in them so being able to look at the nutrition label and ingredients on the back really helps.
Restaurants
Restaurants are highly problematic even though some people are able to customize their food. Restaurants want food to taste good so they put lots of salt, sugar and fat in the food. They often have prepared sauces so trying to get them to cook things without oil can be difficult. And even if you tell them what you want they may screw up by force of habit, putting oil or cheese on something. I’ve seen so many stories online over the years that it’s basically not worth it. And when you finally get everything done properly you might end up with a plain salad or dry baked potato. If you decide to go once in a while that could be fine, I just want you to understand where some problem areas are that you may not realize.
Plateaus
We all hit a plateau at some point. This is often a point where people give up and jump to another diet. I plotted a graph for an entire year and I feel it really helped me stay on track because I could see the downward trend, even with a few ups and downs. The scale is also not always the best measure as we can gain water weight at certain times. So mentally the graph is a great way to see the progress you’ve already made and encourage you to stick to the program. Also realize this should be a permanent lifestyle change due to the knowledge you have that this is our natural way of eating, and the benefits to the animals and the environment.
There may be some things that need to be changed over time. As we lose weight we need less calories to function so sometimes we need to make adjustments. The best way is to reduce the calorie density as discussed previously.
Moderation
Most diets also use the moderation concept where we can continue to eat unhealthy and fattening food as long as we eat smaller amounts or eat it less often. This generally doesn’t work due to the pleasure trap principle. I like to think of food like I do drug and cigarette addictions. We don’t tell cigarette smokers to only smoke a little or alcoholics to only drink a few beers a day. The best way is to cut it out but of course we all like to hear that we can keep eating the junk! Some people can truly moderate with a few nuts here and there but if you’re overweight or unhealthy, that’s not you!
Minimizing
We tend to forget all the bad things we eat and minimize their effect on our results. I’m here to tell you that everything you eat matters. But we often underestimate how many less than ideal things we’ve eaten and wonder why we aren’t getting the results. With 100% adherence the results will really start to kick in!
Victimization
Many people have the knowledge they need but they just can’t get the results. They tend to blame other things like genetics, or the food corporations that make the unhealthy food or the government who promotes unhealthy eating. I suggest we focus on things we can control which is what we put into our mouth each and every meal. Try not to blame things that you can’t control and even if you have a certain condition (thyroid, etc) you can make sure you eat the best way and get the best results you can in your current situation.
What ineffective habits have you noticed?
Photo credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/91695677@N00/3982668517/
Easy, Quick, Unsweetened Blueberry Jam
Ingredients:
4 cups of blueberries (I use wild blueberries from here in New Brunswick)
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 package of pectin (57g = 2 oz Certo)
Instructions:
Put blueberries in a pot with the lemon juice and pectin and bring to a boil on high heat. I mash the blueberries with a plastic potato masher but they tend to break down in the pot, or you could use a food processor. I like there to be chunks of berries in my jam but you could blend more if you like it smooth. I stir occasionally and it’s better to just watch this the whole time as it doesn’t take very long. Boil for a minute and then take off the heat, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes. It should thicken as it cools. Put in a jar and seal, then put in the fridge to cool. I find this is sweet enough with the natural sugars, the pectin box suggests 5 cups of sugar, whoa!!
Using Accountability to Help You Lose Weight
Some people can start a plant-based diet and have success from day one. More commonly some fall off the wagon never to return to a healthy lifestyle. Yet some others jump from diet to diet and never really have success.
If you’re having problems losing or maintaining weight it can help to add some accountability. Accountability can help keep you on track. At work we have bosses and deadlines. At school we had teachers, assignments and deadlines. I’ve often used a teacher or coach to help keep me on track. Whenever I didn’t feel like practicing I would remember my upcoming guitar lesson and it would help keep me on track. Maybe find a friend that you can tell your plans to, share what you eat, tell them your weight, workout with, etc. Or you can start a YouTube channel and share your progress with world. Places like Weight Watchers provide this accountability with weigh-ins and group discussions, even though I don’t agree with their eating suggestions.
I’d like to offer a couple other options – one is that you could join my private Patreon community where you can feel free to post your progress – such as photos, what you’re eating, your weight – whatever you are comfortable sharing. This can help you stay on track and you commit to posting updates every week. Another option is to hire me for phone consults where you can update me on your progress and I can help with you work through problems. You could call once a week or once a month, it’s up to you. I talk about accountability in this YouTube video:
Yummy Lentil Chickpea Burgers
In most of my recipes there is one main thing that is important and that I want to bring to light. In this case it’s that you can easily mash some beans together and add any required spices and you will have a decent burger! I try to reduce the stress that people have about cooking – I rarely measure amounts and so feel free to vary the amounts or change/add your own spices below (chipotle powder, smoked paprika, chili powder, etc). This recipe was inspired by The Vegan Corner, a great channel you should check out.
Barbecue Cabbage Sandwiches
I made these today and really enjoyed them. Shoutout to Jill at Simple Daily Recipes for the inspiration! I had to cook the cabbage for quite a while to soften so I changed the recipe up a little bit, as well as added hot sauce and no extra maple syrup as the barbecue sauce I use already has sugar in it.
Ingredients (makes about 2 sandwiches):
1/2 head of green cabbage (or more, it shrinks up quite a bit!)
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup of bbq sauce (find a no oil version)
1 tbsp of hot sauce (optional)
Crusty whole grain buns (or your favourite buns)
Instructions:
Pre-heat the oven to 350F if you want to toast up your buns a little. Chop up the cabbage into small strips. I like the strips to be fairly narrow and short (1″ long) as they soften better. With long strips I found I had to pull them out of the sandwich quite a bit as it wasn’t easy to bite through the cabbage. Put a large pot on the stove and turn to medium high heat. Add the chopped cabbage and the water. Cover to soften the cabbage for up to 30 minutes (do a taste test to make sure they’re soft). If the water disappears add a little more to keep steaming the cabbage. When the cabbage is getting soft add the barbecue sauce and optional hot sauce and stir to mix well. Throw the buns in the oven for 5 minutes or so to warm up and toast a bit if you want. Turn up the heat on the stove to high to caramelize the sugars in the barbecue sauce and thicken the sauce. If the sauce is watery keep cooking at high heat to evaporate off some of the liquid before serving.
Remove from heat and add the barbecue cabbage to the buns and serve. Yummy!