Which potatoes are better? the potatoes you'll eat!

Mmmmm potatoes. All the potatoes you can eat... when has anyone told you that before? Yes, potatoes of all colours and especially sweet potatoes, orange or purple. They are not the enemy, carbs are not the enemy - the butter you put on the potatoes should be eliminated and poultry or beef based gravy should be eliminated just not the potatoes themselves. You can make your own oven baked fries with no need for oils, you can bake them, you can microwave them, you can boil them and top them with pesto or chili or search the web for many amazing recipes that will make your family drool. There are even recipes for delicious brown gravies that use simple ingredients and no animal products. So fill up your stomach and feel satisfied, pair the potatoes with bean loaf or homemade bean burgers.... mmmm

Have you heard about the gentleman from Australian who lived on potatoes only for a year? yes, there are so many nutrients in potatoes and sweet potatoes that he was able to not only stay alive, he was able to thrive. He lost over 100 pounds and was able to eliminate his clinical depression and anxiety and his addiction to food. Please take some time to read about Andrew "Spud Fit" Taylor. It is not something that is recommended for everyone as he was medically supervised the whole time however one way to eliminate animals foods is to increase items like potatoes and whole wheat breads in your meals as you will then consume less meats or other animal based foods.

All potatoes are rich in complex carbohydrates, which contain starches, glycogen and fiber. Complex carbs are the body's fuel source and essential for muscle and brain health and severely limiting your intake of carbs can result in your body stealing them from its protein stores in a process known as gluconeogenesis. Fiber provided by a potato helps to lower cholesterol and keep your digestive system regular. We all aim for regular!!

Sweet potato or yam? both are root vegetables that are good for you with sweet potatoes having more beneficial nutrients than yams and both have more nutrients than potatoes. The only potato that may be worth avoiding is the russet and the more colour in a potato the more nutrients there are so the purple sweet potato is top of the ladder and the russet at the bottom. Again, it comes back to the best potato is the one you will eat.

TIP

If your potatoes have turned green it is best not to eat them. They should be stored in a cool, dry location.

Which beans are better? the beans you'll eat!

Eating more beans has probably been one of the tastiest benefits of our new lifestyle. I actually find myself craving beans for a meal and my "elimination system" loves when I eat beans often. Some recommendations are 1/2 cup threes times a day. Sometimes we just eat the cup and a half in one sitting. LOL

Our favourite beans are pinto beans and chick peas (garbanzo beans) followed closely by navy beans, great northern beans, black beans and the kidney beans for chili.

Which beans are good to buy dry? pinto, great northern and navy are the easiest to soak and cook. Chick peas (garbanzo) are the more challenging to cook correctly along with kidney beans. It is especially challenging if you mix kidney with some of the other quicker cooking ones. So kidney beans and chick peas are staples, however, we usually stock the canned versions of them so as to avoid beans that are undercooked.

The bean juice from chick peas is also known as aquafaba and makes a great egg substitute.

We do enjoy breakfast beans in a can (just watch the varying sodium levels amongst the different brands and watch for added oils) and also refried beans are a huge favourite... again watch the sodium or make your own by mashing cooked beans.

Nutritional benefits of beans are wide ranging. They are an excellent source of molybdenum, a very good source of folate, dietary fiber and copper and a good source of manganese, phosphorus, protein, vitamin B1, iron, potassium and magnesium.

COOKING TIP

When cooking soaked beans in the slow cooker or crock pot do not add salt or tomato until after the beans are fully cooked. We had to find this out the hard way, a couple of time as it applies to lentils also. The acid in the tomato prevents the beans from cooking and so it takes much longer. Salt, for some reason, works the same way so add your salt to taste at the time you actually eat the food.

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Starchivore Whole Food Plant-Based Lifestyle

Definition:

  • a plant-based diet that reduces or eliminates all animal foods like meat, dairy, and eggs PLUS has the addition of starch, so that you feel full and satisfied
  • include grains like rye, wheat, barley, oats and corn; starchy vegetables like squash, potatoes, and sweet potatoes and legumes like red and brown lentils, chick peas, green peas, and lotsa beans like pinto, kidney AND lots of fresh fruits and vegetables
  • reduces or eliminates added oils, including coconut, olive and peanut and reduces added sugars and salts
  • it is believed Dr T Colin Campbell coined the term "whole food, plant-based" and Dr John McDougall the term "starchivore"


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