A very SAD experiment

[DotfromOz]

Last night, I just got tired of the sad-puppy looks from hubby when I told him I was cooking a grass-fed, organic beef cutlet for his dinner with mashed potatoes and green beans. He's been upset at my not sharing dinner foodstuffs with him (although why I'm not sure, as we often don't eat the same things when we eat out). Anyway, dinnertime has been issues time since it's apparently more important to him than I realized that I eat what he's eating.

So, having been 100% raw for two straight days, I decided I'd do a SAD experiment and eat pretty much as I used to with the exception of the meat and veggies having been bought at the natural foods market.

This was the menu (Don't read on if you can't handle nausea well! ;) ):

*beef cutlet cooked in non-stick skillet in about a tablespoon of peanut oil then simmered till done (mine topped with bad ol' Heinz ketchup)
*mashed organic white potato mixed with some 2% milk and whipped butter, topped with whipped butter
*cut green beans topped with whipped butter

I took a digestive enzyme capsule before eating, as I figured this was probably gonna do a job on my digestion. Wasn't that bad....except within 30 minutes of eating, I was HUNGRYand sleeeeeepy. I ate some almond butter with celery and felt better!

That did it for me. I'm making plans to go 100%!

[angelandarose]

While I was in Salina yesterday my mom wanted to eat at Spangles. Do you know what they serve? Hamburgers, More Hamburgers, Pita sandwiches and MORE Hamburgers. There was no salad option what so ever. :( My kids and mom really wanted hamburgers so I said what the heck, it's just one meal. I got a grilled chicken pita. It was good but I was burping those greesy fries all evening.

BTW... what is SAD? I've tried to look it up and can't find what it means.

Love,
Angie

[DotfromOz]

It's Standard American Diet, Angie, and also carries the meaning for veggie-eaters of "sad stuff to be eating."

Oooooooo, I know 'zactly what you mean about Spangles! I haven't eaten there for a couple of years as even when I wasn't eating that healthy, I couldn't digest most of their nasty greasy food. Just about everything they sell drips grease. At least, you don't have to watch their amateurish and thoroughly obnoxious commercials, I'm guessing, as far north as you live.

The only thing I still miss are their Yoder cinnamon rolls. Oh, my!!!!!!! I'll spare you a description, but they're made by the bakery in the little Mennonite community of Yoder that's northwest of Wichita. That's the only thing Spangles sells that I used to eat fairly often as they're made from real eggs, butter, etc. Although, we here know there ain't much healthful about those, right? :)

[Autumn]

Dot,
I'm sorry your hubby is feeling left out. I think that's all it is. You're "leaving" for another way of eating, way of life. He probably thinks you eating differently is going to drive a stake in between you. As you said in your post, couples/families eat different meals while they are out at restaurants, so it shouldn't be a big deal to do it at home as well. Hubby and I went on a year long kick where we ate (or I should say I) only fruits and veggies (he ate some other things too, but for the most part stuck with it). However, these were cooked meals that we prepared together. Did your husband used to cook with you? If so, maybe he just wants to help you again. If not, maybe you can make similar things to what he is having so it won't seem so different. If you both start off with a salad, maybe you could have some raw veggie and his would be steamed, etc. Spouses are so often threatened by anything "new" in their hubby/wife's life. Most times it passes quickly, especially when they realize it is nothing to feel threatened about.

[VeganVixen]

Like Autumn said -try to make the "same-ish" raw option

like raw mashed potatoes and raw snow peas and a salad or whatever .....he might even like the raw "side" options.....dont give into his puppy dog eyes(no matter how cute they may be;)) -this IS your health ,I dont want to cross a line but ,he needs to get use to a little change if you want to eat raw, changes like a healthier,glowyi-er happier you.....good luck!

[DotfromOz]

No, he's never cooked with me, Autumn. He was raised Jewish by a SJM (Standard Jewish Mother) who didn't think boys needed to know squat about cooking when their main job as adults was to marry a good Jewish woman who already knew how to keep a kosher kitchen. ;) He gets to use the fridge and the microwave ONLY as the sweet man is a complete kitchen klutz. After he turned on the stove and roasted a nice burner cover, not having figured out which burner control operated what burner even though it clearly says "Front" and "Rear" below the respective knobs on each side, I said, "Sweetie, you use the harmless stuff and DO NOT TOUCH the stove!" :)

Good suggestions, VV and A, if it weren't for the fact that he has to take a powerful anti-inflammatory drug that causes diarrhea if he eats very many veggies at a meal. He seems to have fewer problems with cooked ones than raw and must eat ice cream shortly after dinner to prevent the stuff upsetting his stomach massively.

Yeah, I know you're going to say that he might be able to go off it entirely if he went raw but when he walks with difficulty, risking diarrhea is not something he cares to do. Nor do I want him trying many food experiments that might bring that on!

I can fix him a salad similar to mine when I'm having one. He'll eat most of the SAD salad ingredients, loves spinach salad, so there're possibilities there. He's a very understanding man, so I'm sure he'll cope with it when I go 100%, which I think I'm going to do soon.

[DotfromOz]

Oh, dearie dear, did I EVER do a job on myself last night! No experiment was this one either, as I knew what New York-style pizza with three...that's 1...2...3!...kinds of cheese and a dairy-loaded white sauce would do to me, but I ate two pieces anyway. At least, I was smart enough to take a digestive enzyme capsule beforehand, so I'm not feeling as rotten as I would be otherwise. But my head is mega-congested again. Can't breathe decently. Sinuses HURT...and I knew (dammit!) something like this would be the result as I'd long thought that dairy, wheat and I don't get along well at all.

Now, I've definitely got my proof that I need to eliminate dairy and wheat completely (but for sprouted wheat which I do okay on).

That was just not very smart at all...but then, I know the rest of you have done one or two of those, eh? :rolleyes:

On the brighter side, I just got a juicer and lots of lovely fruits and veggies for juicing, so it's a "Clean Out Dot" Day hereabouts. :o <sigh>