subscribe via: Feedburner to receive the latest crazy + exotic entries delivered to your Atom/RSS/XML readerMonday 17 July 2006
The Accidental Cultist Part 2: La Playa Sur Diet, Zihua-style
Ya'll might remember the ridiculous amount of moaning I did two months ago when my doctor mandated I cut all sugars out of my diet for several weeks while adjusting to new medications. Without my yogurt, fruit, or red wine, I thought I might just lose my mind or starve to death. I was used to eating yogurt and fruit for breakfast and lunch, rice and vegetables, topped off by a fudgsicle for my nightly dessert. Not only did I have to cut all of my regular foods out of my menu, I also had to bulk up my menu, eating every 2 hours to maintain my blood sugar at a stable level. This was going to be very difficult as I have resisted my doctor's admonitions to increase my food intake for 4 years now.
When I told people about the restrictions, they'd remark that it was similar to the popular Atkins or South Beach diets so I did an internet search for recipes that were approved for these two plans. It turns out that my diet was even stricter than theirs! Still, I got some good ideas from the diet websites, planned a menu, and started grocery shopping. My grocery bill skyrocketed from my usual $15/week to almost $60! That's what I get when I add meat, cheese, and imported garbanzo beans. Even more surprising, though, is that my energy levels also skyrocketed.
I quickly discovered that eating an omelette with mozzarella cheese, peppers, mushrooms, and onions every morning for breakfast eliminated the drastic sugar crash I was always getting three hours after my morning bowl of fruit and granola. Usually, when my blood sugar crashed, I would just pour another cup of coffee and press on, not even doing anything to try and offset the effects. My stomach would start getting knotted and I would stop eating altogether until the next day. I'm used to feeling like crap and just associated the shaky hands, woozy stomach, and headache with the dozen of medications I'm taking. I never actually believed my doctors that I wasn't eating enough - and that I wasn't eating the right foods. Since when is 3 meals of fruit and nonfat yogurt a bad thing? Apparently, since always.
My new routine of a morning (okay, noontime) omelette, on the other hand, gave me a boost of energy and eliminated the shaking hands, allowing me to work steadily through the afternoon. String cheese gave me a push on my afternoon walks with Bev and I mastered the art of slow-cooked soup beans for my late lunch. I broke in a new wok with my nightly stirfry that had 5-6 fresh vegetables and a protein. I usually would put the stirfry on a huge mound of rice but that was a strict no-no on my diet so I learned to live without it.
After the initial maniacal cravings for all things carb and sugar, I started to notice a physical stability that I haven't had in years. I was used to having heart palpitations every day along with shaking hands and a hollow headache. All of these things disappeared. I had a lot more thinking energy and could manage my physical fatigue (from 18-hour work days and all of my health problems) much better. It was unbelievable to me that altering my food consumption could affect my sense of well-being so dramatically. But it did.
I finally confessed to Dr. J what I had been noticing. The conversation when something like this:
Me: My body is starting to respond to the change in diet. My energy level is much higher and I don't feel like I'm on a roller coaster all the time.
Dr. J: No shit, Sherlock. Why do you think I've been telling you that you should eat more real food? For my health?
Me: (ignoring his sarcasm & his potty mouth) And can you believe that I've only had one instance of heart palpitations in the past week?
Dr. J: I can believe it because I've been telling you that would happen if you'd actually eat a piece of meat or some eggs or anything besides a mango, you'd feel better.
Me: But I wasn't hungry! I always felt nauseous!
Dr. J: Of course, you felt nauseous, dumbass. You have stomach cancer. Do you feel nauseous now?
Me: Yes, but it's not as bad. And I'm still getting sick some. Still, I actually feel hungry sometimes and want to eat. I had two bowls of soup beans in a row yesterday!
Dr. J: So all this advice I've been giving you to eat more and to eat fats and proteins instead of fruit and a gallon of yogurt a day was right? Imagine that. I should be come a doctor.
Me: You'd never make it as a doctor. You have a horrible bedside manner.
Dr. J: Seriously, Isahrai, I'm glad you're feeling better. I hope you'll keep eating so well when you're off the diet. And maybe you'll start to listen to some of the other things I say?
Me: Ummmm....
Dr. J: Yeah, I didn't think so.
A week after this conversation, I was released from the diet restrictions and allowed to eat whatever I wanted. Surprisingly, I wanted more meats, soup beans, and fats and my rice cooker stayed on the shelf. I have continued eating omelettes every morning for breakfast - and I've convinced half a dozen friends to join me in eggs for breakfast and they all agree that it is the best way to start the day. I've happily returned to eating a fruit salad for lunch but replaced granola with almonds and in the last 10 days, I discovered a scrumptious black rye bread to replace my bagel. I've only made rice once in 2 months and that was for sushi. I try to keep my carbohydrates down to one a day (if I'm going to have it with dinner, I cut out the bread with lunch) and, in addition to my fruit at lunch, I allow myself one other serving of sugar. Sometimes it's one of my beloved fudgsicles, sometimes Bev's chocolate cookies, sometimes a handful of chocolate covered espresso beans. Who knew that one fudgsicle is just as good as three?! I've stuck to drinking heart-healthy red wine, coffee, and water. This all sounds a bit extreme (hence the inclusion in my "Accidental Cultist" series) but whenever I stray from my regimen, my heart starts pounding, I feel weaker, and I want to eat my way through Zihua's pastelerias.
A true test of this change in eating lifestyle is our weekly dinners at De Donde Eres. I always tell myself on the way that I'm going to indulge in whatever I want on the menu. But, inevitably, I find myself asking for the pork vindaloo without the rice or for my roasted vegetables to be sans potatoes. I haven't felt deprived, I don't really miss the foods I've cut from my menu, and the long term rewards are more than worth any fleeting desires. I don't think of myself as being on a diet and I'm not really doing it for any weight loss goal. (Stomach tumors have a way of thwarting any weight loss plans). Still, my new way of eating has left me feeling stronger, sleeker, and more satisfied. I find myself extolling its virtues to friends and strangers alike, in both English and Spanish. Not only are my new eating habits making me healthier, they're also improving my Spanish skills! I doubt I'll convert many of my Mexican friends, though. The look of horror in their eyes when I tell them that my daily menu doesn't include a single tortilla is probably more severe than if I told them of my plan to hitch a ride on the next comet.
Post Script: Have no fear, I'm still getting my 2-a-day fix of butterscotch candies thanks to a delicious sugar-free version available at Comercial. They're actually just as good as the sugar-filled ones!