What I've Been Eating: Part I - Introduction/Breakfast

In 2020, we've seen monumental changes around the world. This year I have made some big changes to my diet, so that's what I'm focusing on here. On December 30, 2019 as I sat in Tasty Burger between appointments at Mass General, I resolved to make some changes for 2020. I vowed to myself that I would give up meat, fish, candy, and ice cream for January. My New Year's resolution for 2020 was exactly that. I didn't say for the whole year. Goals need to be achievable or they're likely to fail. I knew I could do  a month. 

I accomplished my goal and it was easier than I thought. I decided to stick with the changes, for the most part. I had been having misgivings about eating animals for some time. I became plant-based for ethical, moral, and health reasons. I'll leave it at that. Everyone can make their own choices. 

I'm not the only one going plant-based. Anyone that goes to the grocery store knows the plant-based revolution is fully upon us. New varieties of milk have populated the shelves in abundance in recent years. They existed, but you can't deny there's more than ever. Soy, rice, almond, coconut, and my favorite, oat milk. My black bean burgers were sold out at Market Basket for a while. That's just a couple of examples. It's happening. The food system needs to be reformed before it's too late, and the health and environmental benefits make this revolution worthwhile. The piper is calling you to join him. 

What health benefits? Well, since I've been plant-based, I've lost weight, my blood pressure is better, my kidney function is improved, my lipid panel (cholesterol) saw significant positive changes, my blood sugars are better, and my lung function has expanded to over 100% (it can be over 100% because it's a predicted value based on age, sex, weight, etc.). Currently, I am the healthiest I've ever been. I exercise everyday and I have an abundance of energy. Additionally, when Amanda and I go to Market Basket we save money. Our weekly trip costs under $75 compared to over $100 before. That's 25% savings, $100/month, or $1200/year. Slice it however you like.

I have been losing weight since February 2019, slowly. At that time, I was considered obese on the BMI scale. I worked my way down to "overweight." I seemed to get stuck around 168 pounds. My goal is 155-160 - the normal range. As soon as I cut out dairy, eggs, and fish, I shed five pounds almost instantly. When I stepped on the scale after a few days I couldn't believe my eyes.  I used to eat ice cream, cheese, and eggs all the time. I tried 31/55 of the ice cream flavors at my local ice cream farm stand. No longer. Like my health and nutrition guru, Dr. Greger, says it doesn't matter what you eat on holidays. It matters what you do every day. In other words, your lifestyle and habits will determine your overall health - not what you eat on holidays.    

March 2020 on left. August 2020 on right. Numbers don't lie. I've had a problem with triglycerides since transplant, but they're much improved.

Whenever I mention diet, people ask - so what do you eat? I'll tell you. But first let me acknowledge the difficulty in navigating the food industrial complex. The American government is coin-operated and the best money can buy, so of course, big meat, big milk, and big Agra have a huge influence on nutrition guidelines, which means we all have to do what is best for our health and longevity even when we're being influenced to become fatter and sicker. We don't wield massive corporate power, but we vote every time we pay at the cash register for what we want to see on our plates.

I reckon it makes sense to start with breakfast. First, let's acknowledge that you can eat whatever you want whenever you want. The notion of eating certain foods at certain times of the day is just marketing. Every photo you see of breakfast has a glass of orange juice, white toast, and eggs. That's just sugar, empty calories, and fat and cholesterol. I've done that, but my breakfast doesn't look like that anymore. 

My new thing is overnight oats. Super healthy and easy to make. Let me point out that my blood pressure saw an immediate improvement after eating oats. I'm not making this shit up - it's science. Look it up. In the experiment I did, during the two weeks prior to eating oats my average BP was 117/73. After just a week of eating oats, my average BP was 108/69. If I had high BP, I'd strongly consider making oats a regular part of breakfast. 

Breakfast   

1. Overnight oats

   Easy to make (5 minutes):

1/2 cup old fashioned oats

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp brown sugar

dash of nutmeg (optional)

2 tbsp chopped walnuts

2 tbsp ground flax seed

*mix dry ingredients

1/2 to 3/4 cup oat milk

1/2 to 1 cup frozen berries

*leave in fridge overnight. Microwave for 60-90 seconds in the morning. Healthy breakfast.

Lately, I've been experimenting. My new secret ingredient is ground ginger. It adds a bright pop that zings. I also replaced brown sugar with 1 tbsp of real maple syrup. Sometimes I add a tablespoon of cocoa powder. I add turmeric now also. I gave Amanda a bite the other morning and she was surprised by how good it was. Like what did you think, babe,  I'm out here eating trash for breakfast? I think about food, diet, and nutrition a lot. I only eat things I look forward to actually eating. Stuff you like is out there, just have to look. 

My favorite aisle at Market Basket is now the frozen fruit and vegetable aisle. Healthy and cheap! For my oats I use blueberries, raspberries, and mixed berries. Berries are great brain food. I need all the help I can get after my stroke and brain damage, and they're delicious. 

2. Cereal

I was into original Cheerios for a long time. Now I'm eating Great Grains. The whole lineup is excellent. Protein, fiber, low sugar. I like the Crunchy Pecan and the one with raisins, dates, and pecans. Amanda gets the blueberry one. We have it with the Oatly oat milk, low fat or original - we have both. I like the original with cereal and the low fat with my oats. Not a huge difference, but I track every calorie with MyFitnessPal, and I'm strict about measuring serving/portion sizes. We also buy Multigrain Cheerios and Life.  

Top shelf. You know anything not in a child's line of sight is probably healthy. 

3. Instant oatmeal

If I'm out of milk or cereal or I didn't make oats the night before, I just grab instant oatmeal, which we have on hand. Just boil water and let stand for 5 minutes. 

My favorite instant. 

4. Bars

If I have to go to MGH or I'm on the go somewhere, I have bars in the cupboard that I can grab. I'm pretty picky about bars. First, they need to taste good and not not like dog shit. Second, I look for protein, fiber, under 25 carbs, and not a ton of ingredients I can't pronounce. I think the best bars are Kind bars. I like the dark chocolate, cherry, cashew and the dark chocolate peanut butter. Grab one of each and I'm good to go. I liked the caramel, almond, sea salt, but I thought I was going to crack my fucking teeth, so I'm all set with that foolishness. I also have Zone Perfect bars that I get free from a cystic fibrosis nutrition program for emergencies. I'll eat them if I have to. They don't want me to fade away. No worries guys!

I've mentioned fiber a few times. Let me expound  on the virtues of fiber. I think there's two simple indicators of healthy diets. I track everything on the app, so I know what's going into my body. My current streak on MyFitnessPal is 354 days. It's easy to use the guidelines on there. Indicator number one is fiber. If you are getting 25 grams of fiber each day, you most likely eat a healthy diet. I try to get at least 30. At my last colonoscopy they said eat a high fiber diet. Plant fiber is essential for a healthy gut microbiome. Indicator number two is sugar. If you usually go over the recommended allowance for sugar, then you probably have an unhealthy diet - simple as that. My daily recommendation for sugar is 57 grams, but it adjusts for calories burned exercising. Just looking at the app, over the past week, I've averaged 33/38 g fiber and 70/73 g sugar. I think the default setting is 38g of fiber, but my nutritionist said women 25g and men 30g. 

I've fallen into the trap of thinking I need a high protein/low carb diet. I thought that way for a very long time. In the summer is when I tend to have the time to focus on health and fitness. I go to the gym more, listen to more podcasts, and read more. My biggest discoveries this summer have been Dr. Greger's website, nutritionfacts.org, it's filled with short videos on nutrition and it's non-commercial, science-based. It's my go-to website. A guy from a lung transplant group on Facebook led me there. My go-to podcasts right now are Rich Roll and Exam Room. I recommend the Dr. Greger episodes on both. And while I'm at it doocumentaries I recommend on Netflix are, in order:

-What the Health

-Gamechangers

-Forks Over Knives

Back to the point I started about high protein/low carb. Turns out I don't need as much protein as I thought I did. The findings I've read recommend about .8 g/kg. I weigh 163 lbs, so 163 lbs = 74 kg. 74x.8 = 59.2 grams protein. My nutritionist said 60-75 for me because I'm on 10 mg Prednisone daily, so that's what I do. I also on't worry about how many carbs I eat. All the evidence I need is feeling awesome.