Tag: cooking

A Perfect Fit

Whether it’s clothes or meals, one-size-fits-all will never provide a perfect fit. From friends to salespeople, the obstacle most mentioned as forestalling adherence to dietary plans is fit. It seems it’s hard to visualize how required dietary changes will fit current lifestyle.

Fit is important. If you’ve tried to squeeze into clothes you want to fit into but can’t, you know how uncomfortable it feels when the fit is wrong. It works the same way when we try to visualize making changes to well-worn patterns that make life feel good to us.

Open spiral notebook with blank lined pages and pencil laying across one.

All change causes discomfort. Having a plan to move through that to find a new perfect fit is key to getting past the obstacles within our control.

No matter what sort of plan I’m creating, I begin with the part that is most foundational or most likely to affect everything else. While this is logical, it’s still worth mentioning. If you’re building a wall, you need to know where it goes, what size it will be, what weight it will need to support, and what materials are available long before you decide what color to paint it.

But choosing the color is the fun part. It’s natural to want to skip to the fun part but important to understand why it’s lower priority.

Common foundational priorities include time commitments, access to food, finances, family routines, and family objections. You may have others. Make a list.

Number the list beginning with the thing most likely to prevent you from following a prescribed plan. Once your list is numbered, it’s time to address obstacle Number 1. If it’s time related, explore ways to free up time. Can you delegate a task or reduce social media time? Sometimes, just opting out of notifications makes a big difference.

If food access is an issue, do you have an option to order online or grow food in a community garden? Can you periodically bake and freeze? Do you have neighbors or relatives who can pick up items for you?

Work your way down the list on paper before trying changes out in real life. Why? Because writing down a plan, numbering priorities, and revising the plan if you see obvious inconsistencies feels less daunting and has lower stakes than upending real life. A written process also gives you time to adjust to the idea of change so discomfort can begin to ease.

Once a plan for foundational outer obstacles is in place, address any internal resistance. Internal resistance may be present in expectations, attitude, emotional attachment, anxiety, physical addiction, and fear. Again, you may have other internal struggles that affect progress. Make a list.

Number the list in the order of whatever is most likely to prevent you from following a prescribed plan. Write it down. Again, the writing process slows things down and gives you an opportunity to feel and work through issues that hinder progress.

For internal adjustments, the writing may begin to take on a form akin to journaling. Pulling internal struggles out into the light has its own inherent healing property. Another benefit is you’re establishing a beginning point from which to measure change.

Through listing, prioritizing, writing, and rewriting, you’ll be able to develop a plan that removes some obstacles, works around others, and takes a shape that will eventually fit you well. The time you invest in the plan can help you stay true to your commitment when you integrate the plan into real life.

Life is unpredictable. A plan helps with focus and provides a way to deal with new obstacles when they pop up. Once you have a plan in place, put it to work. Determine a period of time during which you’re willing to commit to implementing your plan. Begin.

The line of progress may not be straight. The process may not look like you expect or hope. But it is possible to design a perfect fit.

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Low Phosphorus Foods

Let’s take a look at low phosphorus foods. Some kidney disease and cancer patients need to limit the amount of phosphorus in their diet. But who has ever even thought about phosphorus existing in food? I mean, I think, research, and write about food all the time and I never thought much about it until recently.

Phosphorus is a mineral that naturally exists in some foods and is added to others. If your kidneys do not work properly, it can build up in your blood unless you limit consumption. With some cancer treatment, cancer cells may release an unusual amount of phosphorus into your system so reducing the amount of dietary phosphorus is helpful.

How can I reduce phosphorus?

A great way to begin is to eliminate processed/prepackaged meat including deli meats (even turkey & chicken), chicken nuggets, Italian sausage, breakfast sausage, bacon, bologna, ham, pepperoni, salami, Canadian bacon, prosciutto, hot dogs, and any canned meat (including tuna).

Next, eliminate fast food. Many of their products are processed in some manner or have phosphates added.

Avoid cheese products that come in block form as well as canned or jarred processed cheese spreads and American cheese. A little Swiss, cheddar, or mozzarella is okay. Regular or low-fat cream cheese and sour cream are okay, but the fat-free versions are not.

Choose plain water or steeped tea, brewed coffee, and almond or rice milk (unenriched) instead of beer, cocoa, carbonated colas, flavored water, milk, milkshakes, protein shakes, canned tea, sports drinks, energy drinks, or wine. Ginger ale, root beer, and homemade lemonade are acceptable.

Soy milk, yogurt, pudding, nondairy creamers and enriched milks should be avoided.

Substitute sherbet, sorbet, and frozen fruit pops for ice cream and frozen yogurt.

Avoid, and this one is hard for me, chocolate and caramel.

Dinner rolls, bread, bagels, and English muffins are okay. If you’re gluten free, you’ll need to read the label. Do not consume anything that contains calcium phosphate, disodium phosphate, phosphoric acid, monopotassium phosphate, sodium acid pyrophosphate, or sodium tripolyphosphate.

Eliminate other processed foods like pizza, snack cakes, toaster pastries, frozen waffles or pancakes, canned biscuits, and breaded fish sticks. Meal mixes are also problematic.

If you eliminate most of the packaged/processed food you regularly eat (including plant-based), you may need to go no further. Just make sure that the fresh or frozen meat you buy has not been injected with a solution containing phosphorus.

If you need to further reduce phosphorus, you can choose white rice rather than brown rice, eliminate rice bran and oat bran, and only eat oats if they are cooked and consider limiting yellowfin & bluefin tuna, Coho and Sockeye Salmon, pork chops, pork tenderloin, and ground pork, ground turkey, and catfish.

Not all kidney patients will need to limit phosphorus, especially those on dialysis. Be sure to check with your doctor or the nutritionist they work with to make sure you are choosing the best amount for your circumstances.

As I’ve learned more about low phosphorus foods, I’ve been struck by the similarities in low phosphorus and low histamine diets. Both require more time in the kitchen. Most of us don’t have time to spare so finding a way to combine cooking with time for family connection, or listening to a podcast or audio novel can make it feel like less of a burden.

A low phosphorus diet will include less processed food and more fresh food making it healthier for the entire family whether or not someone has cancer or kidney disease.

Healthier for all is something we can get behind.

Pretend You’re Helping Someone Else

Overcome obstacles when you pretend you’re helping someone else. I need to cook. I have vegetables that will soon spoil. I even want to eat vegetables. But I don’t want to cook. Just don’t want to do it.

Maybe it’s because I’m craving pizza. Maybe it’s because I don’t want to do the dishes afterward. I’m not sure but I bet you know the feeling. If not, dining out would be way less frequent and packaged prepared food would not appeal.

I could order in and put off the cooking for one more meal. That’s a great option if one meal doesn’t turn into three. Another option is to give away the veggies. That could be good for my neighbors. Another possibility would be to pretend I’m someone else.

When I’m helping a friend, I never mind doing the dishes. I feel no dread or hesitation. I don’t worry about drying out my hands. I just get in there and get it done.

Cooking for a sick friend is the same way. I don’t hesitate. I quickly figure out what I can pull together and prepare it.

Missing ingredient? I come up with a substitute.

Chopping needed? I chop, dice, and mince like a pro.

Why is it so much easier to get started in someone else’s kitchen?

Don’t answer that. There’s not really a need to analyze. Like many things, it’s only important to understand that this is my pattern. I can use that information to get past an unnamed, unanalyzed obstacle.

That realization makes my day easier right off the bat. There won’t be a chance to lament over my momentary laziness or feel anxious that I may waste more food.

I can simply get started and work from the point of knowing a way past procrastination. All I need to do is pretend I’m in a friend’s kitchen.

How do I know this will work? I’m practiced at using my foibles to my advantage. Or you could just say, I’m good at managing myself.

I’ll soon be sautéing green beans, roasting butternut squash, creaming spinach, and cooking onion, red pepper, and yellow squash. By dinner time, I’ll have a smorgasbord from which to choose. The bonus is that my refrigerator will be cleaned out as well.

I mention all of this to say, there’s nothing bad about flipping a weakness into a strength. In fact, it’s a great way to exceed our own expectations.

When I feel inclined to slack, I have many self-management tools at my disposal. These allow me to function efficiently and with much less angst. And they make chores feel more like an adventure.

If you’ve never considered harnessing your hesitation as an asset, go for it! My dinner tonight will be proof that it works.

There is no Permanent Record

Cooking for One

Is there a point in cooking for one? The common consensus may be it’s too much trouble to cook for just one person, but is it really? So many of us now find ourselves alone, it’s worth revisiting the question.

Obviously, the benefits of cooking apply whether you’re cooking for one or cooking for six. The question is whether the ratio of effort, ingredients, time, and cost outweigh the ease of popping open a package and grazing. The truth is, you will have to weigh this for yourself and there are many things to consider.

As with most things, the process of thinking through the answer to the question will be revealing and provide insight. That has value no matter what the conclusion.

What are the considerations?

Health

Fresh food prepared at home is the easiest way to eliminate preservatives, artificial coloring, and other additives. It’s the easiest way to make food compatible with your specific dietary needs. It’s the easiest way to control sodium intake and minimize ingesting potential carcinogens. Preparing your own food gives you more control over its healthiness.

Time

The pandemic has overloaded already full schedules with tasks that were previously unnecessary. Some people may have temporarily discovered extra time to bake bread, but most people I know do more dishes, double-up housework and work, have more time-consuming errands, and have had to revise their method for approaching every area of life. Time is an even more precious commodity than before.

Preparing your own meals does take time that you might otherwise spend on something else. If cooking results in food that makes you feel more energized and satisfied, less lethargic and bloated, and less distracted by gut pain, it may well be worth it. There are also ways to maximize efficiency so that the time spent on food prep is minimal.

Cost

If you purchase large amounts of fresh halibut, you’ll spend a fortune and call me crazy, but in general, purchasing individual ingredients is more cost effective than buying prepackaged convenience foods. This is especially true when it comes to gluten-free packaged food.

And you don’t have to strictly buy one or the other. You can make your own macaroni & cheese using store-bought gluten-free pasta. You can keep frozen chicken nuggets, or ham, or pimento cheese on hand for days that plans unexpectedly change and you need something quick.

Taste

I don’t think you can beat the taste of a fresh tomato or peach. In fact, I’d argue that perfectly ripened, they’re best eaten unadorned. Fresh spinach from the garden tastes like a whole different green. Recognizing the inherent scrumptiousness of fresh food cam mean you feel less pressured to go to great lengths to enhance something that’s wonderful on its own. This will save both time and money.

Waste

Perhaps the most frequent argument against cooking for one is that you’ll waste too much food. That is a possibility. But there are many ways to counter this.

I frequently share dishes with my neighbors. Once I hit the point at which I recognize I am tired of something, I throw the balance in a jar and deliver it to the porch next door.

Recently, I made a pie in a pan that a friend left at my house long ago. I needed to test a recipe and I needed to return the pan. I made the pie, took out one piece, then called my friend to come get the rest of the pie thereby accomplishing both.

Occasionally, I freeze something to reheat later. If you’re willing to freeze cookies, then why not pesto chicken, chili or lasagna? And when I don’t want to freeze, I repurpose.

Braised boneless pork ribs become carnitas tacos. Chicken becomes chicken salad. Breakfast sausage and spinach land on mashed potatoes for an upside-down version of sausage shepherd’s pie. This list could go on forever. I repurpose often.

Rather than waste food, you can always share with strangers. There are plenty of children in my neighborhood who can use extra food. While I have not determined the best way to get it in their hands yet, I am constantly making assessments that will contribute to a plan.

Looking at health, time, cost, taste, and waste are somewhat measurable. Cooking also offers intangibles that can’t be objectively measured: warm feelings, pleasing aromas, aesthetically pleasing visuals, family memories, creativity, a feeling of accomplishment. It is the intangibles that pull me into the kitchen. It’s the taste that keeps me there. And the health benefits are a major bonus.

I cook for one. For me, it’s worth it. Let me know if it’s worth it for you.

The Benefits of Cooking – Part 1: The Food