Goodbye old friend......

[Nayto]

I have to try that again. Quitting coffee / caffeine.

The movie "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead"(2011), about an Australian traveling across the USA and only juicing for many months, was an inspiration to more often juice, but I tend to lose focus and go back to old habits.
One of them is drinking a lot coffee (or tea), and with a lot of sugar.

I also tried the Paleo Diet (aka "the Caveman Diet"), but got tired of the chore of always cleaning the grill.

Wish I knew how others can stay the course. Think I have to keep a journal/day-planner to constantly remind me and what my goal is since I don't have a wife to do it.

A good strategy is to not try everything at once and make drastic changes. Do it bit by bit making gradual changes and you'll see things get a lot easier and more manageable.

[Catherine]

I do not think it a sin to have a beer, and I do - preferring something German or Belgian. No BudweiserCoorsMiller here!
.

I doubt wine would be mentioned so positively throughout the bible if alcohol was prohibited. My reason for abstaining is because I've never liked the idea of diminished self-control in public. For someone with unpopular worldviews that seems risky.

Bingo, I've been there done that, had a couple too many and then started in on the jews, blacks, illegals, etc. Not wise around some people, but, my family being from the South usually agrees with me. It's just the liberal daughter I can't be myself around.


As for coffee, well maybe it's the people who are shaking violently with withdrawl every morning who should knock it on the head. I didn't grow up in a culture that drank coffee so it's another thing I wanted to avoid any dependency on. I just need to work on reducing my sugar intake...

Doc dexed me with hypothyroidism last year, when I got home and started researching it I found out caffeine was not suggested to drink, and, I drank two pots a day. I also read caffeine can make your wrists ache, like carpal tunnel, and my wrists ached all the time.

I switched to half decaf and half coffee until I got over the withdrawals, which mostly were massive headaches. Then I went 100% decaf, I feel better and my wrists stopped hurting quickly.

I gotta be careful with green tea, though, because it'll give me nausea if I steep it for too long - I think its too many of the tannins that get drawn out of the tea leaves from over steeping. It doesn't seem to happen to the same degree with black tea, but I prefer milk and sugar in the black, anyhow, which offsets the bitter taste of the tannins..

I just can't get down green tea, and I know it's good for you, but the taste deters me.

Green tea only needs about a minute of steeping, and with water that's not fully boiled. Otherwise it can end up tasting like boiled peas. Black tea I'd use boiling water and steep for two minutes.

The main issue I find with people making their tea too bitter is that the ones using teabags tend to squeeze the bag like they're wringing out a dishcloth, which forces out too much of the tannins. They'd be better off letting it infuse on its own and just fishing it out at the end.

I do drink lots of decaf black tea, and you're correct, squeezing the tea bag makes it very bitter.

[Joe]

Staropramen said

Borderline. Hopefully my new veggie regiment will fix that. Been chugging down pitchers full of blended kale, celery, tomatoes, apples, ginger, garlic etc. 6 days without coffee and a drastic reduction in bread consumption.

Sounds good, I hope you are feeling better.
I heard that juice has to be consumed within a couple minutes after juicing to be beneficial (prevent oxidization or something).

I don't eat vegetables often enough ...but I think I would be able to drink juice more easily. Maybe I should get that thing Bill mentioned.

[Staropramen]

Staropramen said

Borderline. Hopefully my new veggie regiment will fix that. Been chugging down pitchers full of blended kale, celery, tomatoes, apples, ginger, garlic etc. 6 days without coffee and a drastic reduction in bread consumption.

Sounds good, I hope you are feeling better.
I heard that juice has to be consumed within a couple minutes after juicing to be beneficial (prevent oxidization or something).

I don't eat vegetables often enough ...but I think I would be able to drink juice more easily. Maybe I should get that thing Bill mentioned.

We bought a Vitamix yesterday. This thing is awesome. We tried it out earlier. Turned everything we put in it velvety smooth. The blades run @ 240mph!

[Nayto]

The changes sound good Staro! I'm a little envious of your Vitamix. There's so much one can do with those including your own healthy mayonnaise, raw nut butters, etc.

I uses to drink green smoothies, but it has been far more pleasant since getting a juicer!

[Staropramen]

I uses to drink green smoothies, but it has been far more pleasant since getting a juicer!

I wanted the blender to get the fiber to fill me up in the hopes that I'll be able to eat less of the things I shouldn't be eating namely bread. I'm a bread junkie.

[ElleJay]

I love my Vitamix. I have had one for a few years now, and it is still humming along. Mine came with a "bowl" that mills grain, and I used it for breadmaking before I finally broke down and purchased a mill. Homemade bread made with freshly milled flour can be eaten on a diet with great success, so you might consider this. The problem is ... it is so good hot from the oven ... and dripping with real butter ... it is hard to say "no" to more than what you should eat.

Elle

[Nayto]

The problem is ... it is so good hot from the oven ... and dripping with real butter ... it is hard to say "no" to more than what you should eat.

This is a big weakness of mine when my wife makes our bread! Good thing she does it while I'm at work, lol.

[Hunter]

I gotta be careful with green tea, though, because it'll give me nausea if I steep it for too long - I think its too many of the tannins that get drawn out of the tea leaves from over steeping. It doesn't seem to happen to the same degree with black tea, but I prefer milk and sugar in the black, anyhow, which offsets the bitter taste of the tannins..

Green tea only needs about a minute of steeping, and with water that's not fully boiled. Otherwise it can end up tasting like boiled peas. Black tea I'd use boiling water and steep for two minutes.

The main issue I find with people making their tea too bitter is that the ones using teabags tend to squeeze the bag like they're wringing out a dishcloth, which forces out too much of the tannins. They'd be better off letting it infuse on its own and just fishing it out at the end.

Forgot to say thanks for the easy, helpful tip about NOT squeezing the teabag. Its so embarrassingly simple I don't know why it didn't occur to me , so I'll pass the blame, instead! I vaguely remember learning to do this from my mother, who I think learned it from her mother.

Trying to squeeze every last drop out to get your money's worth doesn't always 'pay' off. This is owed to my inherited Irish frugality.

[Hunter]

...I don't eat vegetables often enough ...but I think I would be able to drink juice more easily. Maybe I should get that thing Bill mentioned.

Joe, what about incorporating veggies into homemade soups as a way to get more of them into your diet?

I love all kinds of soups and eat it once almost every day. Sometimes, I add varying mixed-bagged frozen (raw) veggies to canned cream and/or bullion soups. I'll dice up some fresh celery, green onion, garlic, etc. to add more flavour. Don't forget to add any herbs you like. If its a cream soup, I'll put in some diced potato, adding a spoon or two of butter near the end . If its a broth, I prefer to substitute potato with pre-cooked rice, adding the rice near the end of the soup's cooking/simmering time. There's lots of combinations to try.