Yesterday the first tomato from the garden was harvested, and was lovely in the green salad served with dinner. Today another tomato was harvested, for a salad today.
Attila left early this morning to take the car in for the required maintenance schedule, to keep the warranty active. He will be gone all morning, leaving Ginger and I to our own devices.
So far I have not used my time wisely, or maybe I have. I’ve been wandering around the internet, mostly looking at recipes, most of which I will never prepare, as they are almost all too high in cholesterol, sodium, and sugar. Oh well, I can dream. I occasionally find recipes that I can adapt to my restrictions, this is what keeps me curious and out there looking.
While perusing recipes, I’ve been listening to a podcast on youtube, by ZOE, about plant based proteins. Attila and I primarily eat meat as a condiment in casseroles and soups, with the occasional meal of sausage burgers, or baked fish, or baked chicken. We do not eat processed meats at all, except for wee a bit of bacon perhaps once a month or so, usually with pancakes and fruit. We both love bacon, and so haven’t given it up entirely.
Today I canned eight 250-ml jars of Sweet Thai Chili Sauce, which I love to flavour rice or pasta with a vegetable stir fry. The garlic in the recipe was fresh from the garden. I will reduced the sugar significantly by substituting liquid stevia for half of the called for sugar. Liquid stevia is suitable for canning. I would not use any other type of “artificial” sweetener. The research on liquid stevia in the human diet is inadequate, although it is often lumped with other artificial sweeteners. The trouble with those studies, I’ve gone in and had a look at the publications, are that the stevia they tested was combined with other artificial sweeteners, such as maltodextrin. Fair dues though, our grocery store only sells stevia mixed with other artificial sweeteners, so it is the most common product, and I would not use it. I use NOW liquid stevia, purchased on Amazon, which is not combined with other artificial sweeteners. I wonder if the research might have been funded by the sugar industry, even indirectly, I guess I’ll never know. The only research I’ve located on pure stevia found benefits rather than detrimental issues.
Continuing intermittent fasting, my eating window has been eight hours for the last few weeks. Yesterday, for the first time, I craved food during the fasting hours. This is not hunger, it is desire. I am in no way undernourished. The food in question was a slice of banana walnut loaf, which was made with three of the bananas bought at a discount. It has slightly more sugar in it than my muffins due to the ripe bananas, which I think has triggered a sugar craving. Today I had a slice for breakfast, and another for a snack. The loaf is very healthy, made with whole wheat flour, flax seed, egg, milk, banana, walnuts etc., so indulging this craving during the eating window is the most sensible and humane way to move through the situation.
The eating window is so short that it seems as if I am always eating! Most of the time it is a relief to stop for the day.
The heat wave has subsided, thank goodness. Attila and I enjoyed going for a comfortable stroll.
Worldly
Weather
22°C
Date: 1:00 PM EDT Tuesday 6 August 2024
Condition: Cloudy
Pressure: 101.8 kPa
Tendency: Falling
Temperature: 22.0°C
Dew point: 15.1°C
Humidity: 65%
Wind: NE 10 km/h
Humidex: 26
Visibility: 24 km
Quote
“It is of interest to note that while some dolphins are reported to have learned English — up to fifty words used in correct context — no human being has been reported to have learned dolphinese.”
Carl Sagan
1934 – 1996
Hi Maggie. Do you find that the intermittent fasting makes you feel better? There’s nothing more delicious than a sun-ripened garden tomato!
Hi Sandy. I don’t notice a significant change in how I feel with the fasting. I do like it, during the eating window I feel full all the time, which is pleasant, and I don’t feel any stress about eating too much, as after a good breakfast I am always surprised when it is time for lunch, and after lunch I am surprised when it is dinner time, the time between meals passes so quickly I don’t have time to get hungry..
I am really looking forward to toasted tomato sandwiches when the the tomatoes start to ripen in earnest!
I, too, aim for the eight hour eating window. I think it does my old digestive system good to give it a rest from solid foods (only drinking water and unsweetened tea during the other hours). Enjoy your tomatoes!
Joan, I too think it is good to give the old digestive system a break from it’s hard work. I just drink water, but eventually I may introduce plain tea (or coffee) as well.
Thank re the tomatoes! Attila says there is a huge Sicilian Saucer tomato out there, it is turning pink, I have my eye on it!
Around the first of the year I was seeing quite a few articles on problems with artificial sweeteners. The sheer weight of problems being found finally convinced me and I stopped drinking things like my ice tea with sweetener and switched to DH’s favorite, Brisk, which is light in sugar. Since we both drink it cut by half with regular brewed tea, the sugar doesn’t bother me at all. Higher sugars would make me jittery or give me a headache.
Teri, yes a lot of studies are arriving in publications, and the news on artificial sweeteners isn’t good. I’ve discarded any we had, which wasn’t much. I found no studies on pure stevia, although they include the word stevia, but only tested products with other artificial sweeteners mixed with it. I think that may be indicative that the results on stevia might be positive, and that people wouldn’t use any other type of sweetener. Science doesn’t usually sully the playing field with adulterated products for testing.