This was the meal plan for July Week 2:
Leftovers!
I started out the week with a fridge full of leftovers from the previous Friday's dinner that needed to be finished!
I had also been reading, on a couple of other blogs, about striving to have a variety of plant based foods in ones diet. Eileen at A Bracelet of Days had mentioned it, a few years ago, when she was taking a nutrition class online. Angela at Tracing Rainbows did a very informative blog post, here earlier in the year, and I was intrigued. More recently, Fat Dormouse at View from the Teapot posted about trying it.
Both Angela and FD have posted a lot of details about it, but, basically, the concept is to consume a variety of plant based foods (including whole grains, tea, and coffee), at least 30 a week, to encourage the friendly gut bacteria to thrive and do what they do to help us obtain the nutrients from the food we eat. According to this concept, the amounts of the plant based food we eat is not as important as the variety. Each different plant based food, regardless of quantity, gets one point, and herbs and spices count as 0.25 point. However, there has to be 30 different plant based foods, each week. So, if you eat a plum one day and another plum the next day, only the first day's plum gets counted as one of your 30 per week. The focus is on variety.
Now, I am someone who struggles to eat five servings of fruits and vegetables a day. I can easily have three servings of fruit, but, I struggle with the vegetables. However, since one of my goals this month was to focus on improving my health and a better, healthier diet is part of that, I thought that it would be fun to see how much variety I get on a weekly basis. And July Week 2, when the only thing on my meal plan was leftovers, was the week I chose to see how much variety I get in a fairly typical week, when I haven't grocery shopped and bought any produce, specifically with a 30/week diet in mind.
So, here is how last week's meal plan turned out. I have bolded the plant based food item the first time I ate it, as I can only count it once during the week. For the curries, I use a curry powder which is a blend 12 spices (coriander, cumin, fennel, cardamon, cloves, cinnamon, fenugreek, nutmeg, mustard, garlic, curry leaves, lemon grass) plus roasted rice, which will give me 3 points (although, I usually put additional garlic, cloves, cardamom, and fresh curry leaves to my curries, in larger quantities, but, I won't count them). I also eat a lot of rice, which is plant based, but, since I generally eat white rice, I am not able to count that as only whole grains count.
Monday:
Brunch: Yogurt flat bread, devilled beef (curry powder = 3, onions = 1, chili powder = 0.25, paprika = 0.25, pandan leaves = 0.25, tomato = 1, green chilies =0.25, bell peppers =1, coconut milk =1); mango =1 & ice cream (= 9 points)
Dinner: Beef curry sandwich (my beef curry essentially has the same ingredients as the devilled beef, minus the bell pepper, so, no new points).
Tuesday:
Brunch: Salad (lettuce, apple, cherries, plum (= 4 points)
Dinner: Rice, chicken curry, sauteed green beans, cashew curry (turmeric, curry powder, green chilies, onion, curry leaves, coconut milk) (=2.25 points)
Wednesday:
Brunch: Toast, butter, peach jam (I don't think jam counts)
Dinner: Tuna salad (relish) on crackers, strawberries, plums (= 2.25 points)
Thursday:
Brunch: Tuna salad sandwich
Dinner: Rice, chicken curry, cucumber salad (with lemon juice, green chilies, black pepper), sauteed potatoes (I am not quite sure if potatoes are included, I didn't find it listed in the examples of plant based foods that I read, but, I'm going to count it, although, it might be like white rice and not considered a plant based food!); ice cream = (2.5 points)
Friday:
Brunch: Tuna salad sandwich, tortilla chips, plum
Dinner: Leftovers - Devilled beef, cashew curry, cucumber salad
Saturday:
Brunch: Toast, peanut butter, peach jam
Dinner - Fried rice (with bacon, peanuts, green peas, corn) (= 3 points)
Sunday:
Brunch: Bacon, eggs (thanks to Chicken Little!), fried potatoes, bell peppers, plums,
Dinner: Fried shrimp, Lettuce salad
So, how did I do with my 30/week? Well, I counted 23 points for the meals, plus 1 point for a cup of tea (I have a daily cup of tea, but, I don't usually list that in my meal plans), which gave me a total of 24 points for the week. Which, considering the meal plan was focused mostly on finishing up the leftovers, seemed good enough for me.
Maybe, going forward, I can plan my meals with increased variety in mind.
July Week 3 Meal Plan:
Once again, I am not planning to go grocery shopping this week, so, we shall see how well I do with trying to have 30 different plant based foods in this week's meals!
Brunches: Hot dogs on buns with condiments (ketchup, mustard, relish), scrambled eggs or omelets (compliments of Chicken Little!), waffles with blueberry compote; salad
Dinners: Rice with leftover beef curry, sauteed cabbage curry, and tomato curry (Monday and Tuesday); rice with sauteed okra, leftover beef curry, cabbage, and tomato curry; ground turkey curry patties; leftovers
Snacks/desserts: Plums, pomegranate, grapes, apples, ice cream, bread pudding (maybe)
Have you heard of or tried the 30/week eating plan? Is it something you might try? What do you think?
Well done on trying the 30 a week plant based food eating plan and you did well. I did comment on FD's blog that it wouldn't be for me as I try not to have too many different meals than my husband who is very faddy. He will eat fruit but does not like vegetables and will only eat tinned peas and fresh carrots and maybe a few frozen green beans. So I buy bags of frozen veg for myself so I can use just a little of whatever takes my fancy. We're having a salad this evening as it's too warm to cook.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Eileen. I'm a bit like your husband in that I like fruit, but, am not that fond of vegetables. I'm pleased with the amount of variety I had this past week, but, I think I will go back to trying for the traditional 5 servings a day!
DeleteIt sounds like you have found a way that makes things easy for you, with the bags of frozen veg from which to select. In fact, I might follow your example and get more frozen veggies. I usually keep a bag each of corn and green peas; I might get a bag of green beans, next time. Then, I could cook a few when I feel like having green beans, without having to cook a whole pound of them or worry about the rest of the fresh green beans spoiling. :)
I think 23 sounds pretty good. I don't think I would score that high as I like leftovers and don't cook with as many spices as you do. So many parts of my diet could be improved. It gets overwhelming to think about it sometimes.
ReplyDeleteThank you, June. Not being able to count the same fruit or vegetable twice made it very difficult for me. Especially as I was eating mainly leftovers and whatever I had on hand or the garden yielded. I also couldn't help but think that this way of eating a variety, while no doubt good for a person, might not be as easy for someone who just couldn't afford the variety. I think I'll try for the 5/day, with 2 servings of fruit and 3 of vegetables.
DeleteI think you have done really well, Bless. And whilst you didn't quite hit the 30, you did have lots of plant based stuff everyday
ReplyDeleteThank you, Angela. I was pleased with the amount of plant based food I had during the week. I think, getting the 30 would require some careful meal planning, which I didn't do last week, as I was concentrating on eating up the leftovers. But, I did wonder, with so many people in this world struggling to get enough food to sustain them each day, never mind the variety, isn't this eating plan aimed at those who could afford the luxury of that variety?
DeleteI think I will focus on getting my 5 a day and if there is variety, then, that is a bonus. :)
I am currently away for nearly 4 complete days and blissfully willing to eat whatever comes my way, nutritious or not, because I don't have to cook it or clean up afterwards!
ReplyDeleteI would take full advantage of whatever meals I'm served if I didn't have to cook and clean up, myself! :D Enjoy your trip and the meals, Bushlady.
Delete24 out of 30 is pretty good. Well done, Bless.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to try this. I eat mostly plant based food, but need to have more variety.
Thank you, Nil. I am very pleased with it, considering I didn't make any meal plans or, even cook much during the week as I was trying to finish up leftovers. Maybe, with a little planning and making smaller quantities or freezing extras, I could do better. I also feel that I am privileged to be able to have access to and afford the variety.
DeleteThis is something I should try, as I'm trying to rebuild my good gut bacteria after a couple of rounds of antibiotics to clear an infection. But I doubt I could get in 30. You've done really well to get as much variety as you did. I need to read up more on this.
ReplyDeleteYes, antibiotics will do a number on the good gut bacteria as well as whatever caused the initial infection! I suppose one could build up to 30 gradually, that's what I was told. Maybe keep track of a regular week's plant based food intake and then, plan on adding a few more items each week?
DeleteI eat a lot of fruits and vegetables but I am repetitious. I'll have to pay attention to the variety. Interesting post. Thanks
ReplyDeleteYes, I'm very repetitious, too. But, I only like certain vegetables, so I tend to eat the same things over and over again! Thank you for visiting my blog and leaving a comment, Judee; I see that you have lots of plant based recipes on your blog and I will be checking them out. :)
DeleteWell done with the meal planning! I really need to do better eating. I just struggle with making food for me (I don't eat meat) and meals for the family (they do eat meat). As they are out to work all day I tend to cook for them and not for me. I really need to incorporate more veggie friendly meal (for people who don't like veggies) so we can all eat. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteIt can be quite a challenge to prepare two types of meals, one vegetarian for you and one non-vegetarian for your family. Can you make something like a roast chicken or steak for the family and a separate big tray of roasted vegetables for all to share? They can pick and choose the vegetables that they like to eat and any leftovers can be made into a roasted vegetable soup for you? Or, if you make a pasta dish, such as spaghetti, set aside some of the pasta sauce for you and add the ground beef to the rest for the family? Or, make a vegetarian meal for all to share, but, serve some meat on the side for those who want it? You need to eat proper meals, too.
DeleteInteresting and inspiring post, i realised my consumption is lack of veriety, like to focus on that too. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThank you, BabyPose. I think that increasing the variety of plant based food in our diet requires some planning.
DeleteThank you for stopping by my blog and commenting.
I remember Eileen mentioning this but it sounded too complicated to bother about. Now I see how you have tracked your food, I see it needn't be difficult after all. I might try to track my intake too, and see how I do. Regarding your thoughts above, I don't think you'd need to feel guilty or self-indulgent if you chose to aspire to the 30. I don't think it is an eating plan "aimed" at any particular demographic (e.g. to be faddy or fashionable), so much as a piece of research which has been shown to have merit, and if one is interested and able to follow it for one's own health, that is perfectly fine. Avoiding doing it just because some people are unable to won't make any difference to them?
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Lady Ella, for sharing your thoughts about what I was feeling regarding the variety of foods. I don't know why I felt guilty, but, I did. It's true, though, that I need to improve my diet, partly for medical reasons, as my current diet shows a lack of certain nutrients for which I must take supplements. I should not feel guilty that I am able to access the variety of foods I need or be able to afford them. I am continuing this goal of 30/week, this week, too, as well as counting the number of servings of fruits and veg. I need to make a trip to the Armenian produce market where I can buy smaller quantities of a variety of produce and plan a few meals with more variety. :)
DeleteGood luck with it. Yes, increasing variety without ending up with loads of surplus is something to consider. We can buy small quantities of fruit and veg here so it need not necessarily be a problem, and, practically, shouldn't end up costing significantly more. It's not a diet that says to eat loads just to be greedy, but simply to be mindful of including plenty of different plant-based foods. There's no need to feel ashamed of choosing healthy options. If anything, we should be ashamed of the amount of treats we habitually (and mindlessly) consume, when others have nothing, but most of us accept those as part and parcel of Western standards.
DeleteThank you, Lady Ella. It's not difficult to buy smaller quantities, here, either, especially if one is shopping in person. I just need to get myself a bit more organized and meal plan with more variety in mind.
DeleteIncreasing your fruits and vegetables will definitely reap health benefit rewards for you and who doesn't want that?
ReplyDeleteI had not heard of this particular program/system. Whatever helps, right?
I eat a lot of fruits and vegetables. A lot. And beans, legumes etc.
( As you do with your lentil consumption.). I am not a big meat eater and will sometimes go months without any. My husband likes meat so I do make it for him.
But I do at times also eat things that I know aren't good for me (chips, pastries, ice cream etc) I do not have a lot of will power when those things are around. so I am always trying to do better.
Yes, a healthier diet is what I am aiming for. I, too, like those snacks and sweets! You eat a lot of mostly vegetarian meals; I need to simply increase my vegetable uptake. It's a work in progress! I think it will be easier if I actually did some grocery shopping with produce variety in mind! :D
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