Ok, I may not be Japanese, but I think I should have been. I really, really, really love their food. The other day I needed something to eat for supper, and this simple idea came to me. It may not be new, but it's tasty. Any ingredients that sound strange to you can be found in your local Asian grocer or most large mega marts.
Here's what you need:
1 4 oz. fillet of white fish (cod, whitefish, etc. - any white meat fish)
1 sandwich bag
Marinade:
3 Tbls. Shoyu (soy sauce)
2 Tbls. mirin (sweet cooking wine)
1 Tsp. minced garlic
1 Tsp. minced ginger
1 Tsp. onion powder
1 Tsp. sriracha sauce
Combine all ingredients right in the sandwich bag, including the fillet. Seal the bag and shake well to distribute the mixture. Marinate 15 minutes, then turn fish over and marinate for 15 more minutes. Reserving marinade, place fish in steamer and set timer to 15 minutes.
While the fish cooks, place marinade in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add sriracha sauce and stir well. Reduce sauce to thicken, about 5-10 minutes. When fish is finished, put on plate and pour reduced marinade over fish. (If you can have rice, it will go well with that). Enjoy!
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Low Carb Ribs
The wonderful thing about ribs is that they come low carb. It's what we put on them that makes them super carby. Here's my take on low-carb ribs.
First, it starts with the rub. Here's what you need:
1 Tbls. ground black pepper (fresh if you have it)
1 Tbls. paprika
1 Tbls. coarse ground salt
1 Tsp. dried mustard
1 Tsp. chipotle powder
1 Tbls. garlic powder
1 Tsp. onion powder
1 Tsp. five spice powder
2 Tlbs. Splenda
Mix together all spices in a container with a lid. Cover and shake until well mixed. Place ribs meat side up on a plate and coat well with mixture. Turn ribs over and coat underside. Allow ribs to stand for at least 1 hour and up to 3 days in the rub. The longer it sits, the more flavor it will impart.
When ready to cook, turn oven to 225 degrees and let preheat. Place ribs meat side down in an oven safe pan, and cover with foil. Cook for 4 hours. Remove foil, flip ribs over using tongs, and coat well with low-carb BBQ sauce (see earlier post). Place back in oven and cook for 20-30 minutes to set the glaze. Remove and enjoy.
First, it starts with the rub. Here's what you need:
1 Tbls. ground black pepper (fresh if you have it)
1 Tbls. paprika
1 Tbls. coarse ground salt
1 Tsp. dried mustard
1 Tsp. chipotle powder
1 Tbls. garlic powder
1 Tsp. onion powder
1 Tsp. five spice powder
2 Tlbs. Splenda
Mix together all spices in a container with a lid. Cover and shake until well mixed. Place ribs meat side up on a plate and coat well with mixture. Turn ribs over and coat underside. Allow ribs to stand for at least 1 hour and up to 3 days in the rub. The longer it sits, the more flavor it will impart.
When ready to cook, turn oven to 225 degrees and let preheat. Place ribs meat side down in an oven safe pan, and cover with foil. Cook for 4 hours. Remove foil, flip ribs over using tongs, and coat well with low-carb BBQ sauce (see earlier post). Place back in oven and cook for 20-30 minutes to set the glaze. Remove and enjoy.
Friday, June 15, 2012
In Which The Pouch Says, "Hello."
Ok, so I've had my surgery and have recovered quite well (to this point, at least). I've decided to start a miniseries on my pouch and the foods I eat. Since I'm past the OMG bland Jell-O (I never ever want to eat that again) and broth stage, things are getting a little more interesting.
I've always been a chef and I love good food. It's part of how I got to where I needed surgery. However, I don't see any reason why I can't continue to eat great food, as long as I re-purpose it to be what my body needs instead of what it doesn't need.
My surgeon places a strong focus on a high protein, low carb diet following surgery. Makes sense, and you'd think it'd be simple to follow - plenty of meat all the time, life's great, right? Anyone who'd tried the Atkins diet for a couple of weeks will tell you that meat gets old quickly. However, with the right sauce, meat can come alive, and be something special.
I was walking through the store, innocently, and a rack of ribs caught my eye. It was literally staring at me. It looked so lonely, I thought to myself, "This would be great as a BBQ, with homemade baked beans!" I bought it, and took it home.
Once I got it home, though, it sank in. I have no low carb BBQ sauce, and I've never even see any in the store advertised as low carb. Distraught, I went back to the store only to have my suspicions confirmed - no low carb BBQ sauce could be found. It became clear I needed to make my own.
I searched online for some ideas, and the best I found was to use diet cola in the sauce. Yep, you read that right. Now stop laughing for a second and let me explain. If you use diet cola (flavored with Splenda, please) you bring a lot of flavor to the party. No need to worry about the carbonation, you're not drinking it, you're cooking it. Anyway, the Splenda they put in adds just the right amount of sweetness, and a few extra spices and you have yourself a spicy BBQ sauce worthy of those ribs and beans. So why Splenda? If you use regular diet soda, it's flavored with Aspartame. To me, that's not good eats, and it also breaks down under the heat of cooking and loses its sweetness. If you can't find Splenda sweetened cola, you can use the Aspartame stuff and add 2Tbls. Splenda on your own.
Low-carb BBQ Sauce
1 small/medium onion
1 Tbls. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tbls. minced garlic
12oz. Diet Cola (flavored with Splenda)
1 Six oz. can Tomato Paste
1/3 cup All Natural Ketchup (no sugar added)
1 Tbls. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbls. Garam Masala spice powder
1 Tbls. Yellow Mustard
Optional - hot sauce as desired
Directions:
Chop onion fine. Heat a sauce pan over medium heat and add oil. Add onion and fry for 2-3 minutes until onion softens. Add garlic and fry for about 30-seconds to 1 minute, until fragrant. Add diet soda and tomato paste. Stir to dissolve tomato paste. Add ketchup, worcestershire sauce, garam masala spice, yellow mustard, and if desired, hot sauce. Stir to combine all ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes. Allow sauce to cool and use as you would BBQ sauce. About 3 net carbs per serving.
I'll post the rib recipe and low-carb baked bean recipe if anyone is interested.
I've always been a chef and I love good food. It's part of how I got to where I needed surgery. However, I don't see any reason why I can't continue to eat great food, as long as I re-purpose it to be what my body needs instead of what it doesn't need.
My surgeon places a strong focus on a high protein, low carb diet following surgery. Makes sense, and you'd think it'd be simple to follow - plenty of meat all the time, life's great, right? Anyone who'd tried the Atkins diet for a couple of weeks will tell you that meat gets old quickly. However, with the right sauce, meat can come alive, and be something special.
I was walking through the store, innocently, and a rack of ribs caught my eye. It was literally staring at me. It looked so lonely, I thought to myself, "This would be great as a BBQ, with homemade baked beans!" I bought it, and took it home.
Once I got it home, though, it sank in. I have no low carb BBQ sauce, and I've never even see any in the store advertised as low carb. Distraught, I went back to the store only to have my suspicions confirmed - no low carb BBQ sauce could be found. It became clear I needed to make my own.
I searched online for some ideas, and the best I found was to use diet cola in the sauce. Yep, you read that right. Now stop laughing for a second and let me explain. If you use diet cola (flavored with Splenda, please) you bring a lot of flavor to the party. No need to worry about the carbonation, you're not drinking it, you're cooking it. Anyway, the Splenda they put in adds just the right amount of sweetness, and a few extra spices and you have yourself a spicy BBQ sauce worthy of those ribs and beans. So why Splenda? If you use regular diet soda, it's flavored with Aspartame. To me, that's not good eats, and it also breaks down under the heat of cooking and loses its sweetness. If you can't find Splenda sweetened cola, you can use the Aspartame stuff and add 2Tbls. Splenda on your own.
Low-carb BBQ Sauce
1 small/medium onion
1 Tbls. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tbls. minced garlic
12oz. Diet Cola (flavored with Splenda)
1 Six oz. can Tomato Paste
1/3 cup All Natural Ketchup (no sugar added)
1 Tbls. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbls. Garam Masala spice powder
1 Tbls. Yellow Mustard
Optional - hot sauce as desired
Directions:
Chop onion fine. Heat a sauce pan over medium heat and add oil. Add onion and fry for 2-3 minutes until onion softens. Add garlic and fry for about 30-seconds to 1 minute, until fragrant. Add diet soda and tomato paste. Stir to dissolve tomato paste. Add ketchup, worcestershire sauce, garam masala spice, yellow mustard, and if desired, hot sauce. Stir to combine all ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes. Allow sauce to cool and use as you would BBQ sauce. About 3 net carbs per serving.
I'll post the rib recipe and low-carb baked bean recipe if anyone is interested.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
42% Of Americans Obese By 2030
Interesting article on Yahoo! news today about the growing obesity epidemic. The article states that by 2030, 42% of all Americans will be more than 100 pounds overweight. That's a big number - it's nearly half the country. There are many reasons for this; however, I believe that the transition from an agricultural society to a technology society is the most directly attributable cause. Our ancestors (not so long ago) had to work hard - from sunrise to sunset, with no electricity, to get their work done. Groups like the Amish that still practice this lifestyle exhibit its benefits. Not that it isn't out there somewhere, but I've yet to see an obese Amish person.
The simple statement "Eat less, exercise more" that comes from people who aren't overweight or obese is a fallacy for most of us. If it were truly that simple, don't you think we would have done just that? There are many demons you battle when you're overweight, too many for me to list here, but at the end of the day you have to just stand up and decide to do something about it. My choice is weight loss surgery, but even that can be defeated by eating a high calorie diet (think malts, shakes, candy bars, etc.). But why would I want to go through all this just to eat like that? No, my reason for losing weight isn't to be able to eat those types of foods, but to extend my life and learn the right types of food and amounts to eat.
The simple statement "Eat less, exercise more" that comes from people who aren't overweight or obese is a fallacy for most of us. If it were truly that simple, don't you think we would have done just that? There are many demons you battle when you're overweight, too many for me to list here, but at the end of the day you have to just stand up and decide to do something about it. My choice is weight loss surgery, but even that can be defeated by eating a high calorie diet (think malts, shakes, candy bars, etc.). But why would I want to go through all this just to eat like that? No, my reason for losing weight isn't to be able to eat those types of foods, but to extend my life and learn the right types of food and amounts to eat.
Monday, May 7, 2012
Lean Cuisine and Greek Yogurt
I used to enjoy eating one, and occasionally two, Hungry Man (R) TV Dinners for supper. One of the big things prior to surgery is starting to change your diet. This is important not only to help shrink the liver, but also to help you transition to the way you'll be eating the rest of your life. I've given up the Hungry Man (R) TV Dinners in favor of Lean Cuisine. If you've never tried them, Lean Cuisine has a wide variety of smaller dinners that are balanced for those of us trying to lose weight. It's not a good idea to eat them all the time, though, because the sodium content can be high.
Greek yogurt is a high-protein yogurt, with almost twice the protein of regular yogurt. This is important, because one of the things post-op patients need most is protein. Why? Protein is the building blocks your body uses to make things like cells, hair, fingernails, and so on. If you don't eat enough protein, your body will start taking it from your muscles, and you'll get weak. Definitely not what I want to have happen. Exactly how much protein you need will be explained to you before surgery and in the instructions sent home with you when you're out of the hospital.
So what's so special, aside from the higher protein, about Greek yogurt? It's the perfect thing to mix things with - for example, you could make a high-protein chocolate mint smoothie with it. That may sound counter intuitive, because we're trying to lose weight, right? Let me explain. As it turns out, dark, unsweetened chocolate is actually good for you. But it's bitter and nasty to eat plain. I'm sure there are people out there who can do it, but if you're like me, you'd rather it taste a little better. I also love mint. Mint and chocolate go great together. Since the chocolate is unsweetened, it's healthy. The mint can either be mint extract or sugar-free mint syrup (like what you put in coffee). So now we have the flavor, we just need a delivery system. You could use skim milk alone, but to me that's too thin. So, if you mix in Greek yogurt in the skim milk, it thickens like a shake. You could drink this like this, but it could be improved. Add in a scoop or two of your favorite low-sugar protein powder and 2-3 tablespoons of Splenda. Blend well in a blender. Try it. It should taste like chocolate mint ice cream. Delicious. Good for you, too.
Greek yogurt is a high-protein yogurt, with almost twice the protein of regular yogurt. This is important, because one of the things post-op patients need most is protein. Why? Protein is the building blocks your body uses to make things like cells, hair, fingernails, and so on. If you don't eat enough protein, your body will start taking it from your muscles, and you'll get weak. Definitely not what I want to have happen. Exactly how much protein you need will be explained to you before surgery and in the instructions sent home with you when you're out of the hospital.
So what's so special, aside from the higher protein, about Greek yogurt? It's the perfect thing to mix things with - for example, you could make a high-protein chocolate mint smoothie with it. That may sound counter intuitive, because we're trying to lose weight, right? Let me explain. As it turns out, dark, unsweetened chocolate is actually good for you. But it's bitter and nasty to eat plain. I'm sure there are people out there who can do it, but if you're like me, you'd rather it taste a little better. I also love mint. Mint and chocolate go great together. Since the chocolate is unsweetened, it's healthy. The mint can either be mint extract or sugar-free mint syrup (like what you put in coffee). So now we have the flavor, we just need a delivery system. You could use skim milk alone, but to me that's too thin. So, if you mix in Greek yogurt in the skim milk, it thickens like a shake. You could drink this like this, but it could be improved. Add in a scoop or two of your favorite low-sugar protein powder and 2-3 tablespoons of Splenda. Blend well in a blender. Try it. It should taste like chocolate mint ice cream. Delicious. Good for you, too.
Sunday, May 6, 2012
I'm Horizontally Challenged
It's amazing the lengths we will go to in order to avoid thinking something's wrong. Having been a frequent customer at the Big & Tall shop for men, I've heard dozens of people (myself included) cover up the fact that we're fat. To us, fat is a dirty word. We're not fat; that's reserved for someone else, not me. We're horizontally challenged, I've heard. I see the resigned, almost pitying look that thin salespeople give me, as I'm trying to find the right 4X shirt. I don't dare ask them, "Does this shirt make me look....oh, never mind", for fear they'll actually tell me. The salespeople in the clothing stores at the mall,where my kids shop, look at me as if an elephant has wandered into the store - one that needs constant watching, lest I disrupt some carefully crafted display with my bulk.
The first step in fixing a problem is admitting that you have one. I'm saying to you that it's ok to come out of the closet and admit it. Yeah, it's tough, especially for guys, to admit you don't have control of something in your life. Trust me, you'll feel better after you do it, because then you know that you can get real help. There really are people out there who want to help you, including your bariatric team.
The first step in fixing a problem is admitting that you have one. I'm saying to you that it's ok to come out of the closet and admit it. Yeah, it's tough, especially for guys, to admit you don't have control of something in your life. Trust me, you'll feel better after you do it, because then you know that you can get real help. There really are people out there who want to help you, including your bariatric team.
Saturday, May 5, 2012
What To Expect When You're Expecting (Bariatric Surgery, that is)
A note to those who are considering bariatric surgery: it's expensive, even if it's done outside of the US, but it'll extend your life much longer than if you don't have it. The decision to do this isn't easy. I spent weeks, even months, deciding if this is what I wanted.
The type of surgery I'm having is known as "Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy". Basically what this means is that they're going to slice me open like a melon, hack off about 3/4th of my stomach so it looks like a bananna, and staple what's left back together. Fortunately, this can be done laproscopically. I do have my weight to thank for my vast understanding of medical terms - I'd never heard of most of this before going through this process.
My surgery is scheduled for May 29th.
In case you're wondering about the process, I'll explain how it worked for me. When I first decided to look into surgery, I had to attend an informational session with other potential bariatric patients. They take your weight and insurance information (if you have insurance), and send you into a shared session with the surgeons who explain the different procedures.
Additionally, my surgeon requires a psychiatric evaluation, a cardiologist evaluation, and a sleep apnea test. My insurance required two months of dietician meetings. Once you accomplish all of that, they'll send in the paperwork to your insurance for pre-approval. Your next few weeks will be in limbo, as you play the waiting game and try not to get any bigger.
When you're pre-approved, things start happening quickly; you'll have an h.pylori breath test to make sure you don't have any nasty bacteria growing in your stomach. Note to GERD patients - you'll probably have to stop taking your heartburn medicine for 2 weeks; there's alternate medicine, but it's not as strong. You'll have an ultrasound scheduled, and a complete physical examination. You'll be required to attend teaching sessions to learn how to eat after surgery (you didn't think this would be easy, did you?) and you will have a pulmonary function test.
The point of all these tests is to make sure you're healthy enough to be put under, chopped, canned, and put back on the shelf. Your body and your life will forever be altered because of this surgery. Keep the end goal in mind - you'll be much healthier very quickly; you joints won't hurt, you'll walk through a store with ease, you'll be able to exercise and enjoy it, and you'll (let's face it, we're guys) enjoy a better sex life.
You may be thinking that you'll have to give up everything you like as far as food goes. Try not to think of it as what you're losing; think of what you're gaining. You're getting a chance to have a healthy diet, and remember that eating your old foods is what got you to this point. I'm not saying you can never enjoy mashed potatoes, or ice cream, or a cold beer - but you've got to have these sparingly, if you want to stay thin. Some of us are so carb sensitive that even a little bit of food like that will cause you to gain weight. And make no mistake - you can, and will, gain weight if you choose your food poorly.
After your surgery, you'll start with clear liquids for a week. You'll then go to non-clear liquids, like milk, but no solid food. This lasts about a week or two. After that, you'll eat finely blended food or baby food for a week or two. Beyond that, you can slowly begin introducing regular solid foods into your diet. You will have to chew your food excessively, and you'll only be able to eat a few tablespoons before you're full.
You will have to take a vitamin for the rest of your life, because of your restricted diet. Learn to love water. Carbonated beverages will be a challenge - you may or may not be able to tolerate these. More to come on diet in future entries....
The type of surgery I'm having is known as "Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy". Basically what this means is that they're going to slice me open like a melon, hack off about 3/4th of my stomach so it looks like a bananna, and staple what's left back together. Fortunately, this can be done laproscopically. I do have my weight to thank for my vast understanding of medical terms - I'd never heard of most of this before going through this process.
My surgery is scheduled for May 29th.
In case you're wondering about the process, I'll explain how it worked for me. When I first decided to look into surgery, I had to attend an informational session with other potential bariatric patients. They take your weight and insurance information (if you have insurance), and send you into a shared session with the surgeons who explain the different procedures.
Additionally, my surgeon requires a psychiatric evaluation, a cardiologist evaluation, and a sleep apnea test. My insurance required two months of dietician meetings. Once you accomplish all of that, they'll send in the paperwork to your insurance for pre-approval. Your next few weeks will be in limbo, as you play the waiting game and try not to get any bigger.
When you're pre-approved, things start happening quickly; you'll have an h.pylori breath test to make sure you don't have any nasty bacteria growing in your stomach. Note to GERD patients - you'll probably have to stop taking your heartburn medicine for 2 weeks; there's alternate medicine, but it's not as strong. You'll have an ultrasound scheduled, and a complete physical examination. You'll be required to attend teaching sessions to learn how to eat after surgery (you didn't think this would be easy, did you?) and you will have a pulmonary function test.
The point of all these tests is to make sure you're healthy enough to be put under, chopped, canned, and put back on the shelf. Your body and your life will forever be altered because of this surgery. Keep the end goal in mind - you'll be much healthier very quickly; you joints won't hurt, you'll walk through a store with ease, you'll be able to exercise and enjoy it, and you'll (let's face it, we're guys) enjoy a better sex life.
You may be thinking that you'll have to give up everything you like as far as food goes. Try not to think of it as what you're losing; think of what you're gaining. You're getting a chance to have a healthy diet, and remember that eating your old foods is what got you to this point. I'm not saying you can never enjoy mashed potatoes, or ice cream, or a cold beer - but you've got to have these sparingly, if you want to stay thin. Some of us are so carb sensitive that even a little bit of food like that will cause you to gain weight. And make no mistake - you can, and will, gain weight if you choose your food poorly.
After your surgery, you'll start with clear liquids for a week. You'll then go to non-clear liquids, like milk, but no solid food. This lasts about a week or two. After that, you'll eat finely blended food or baby food for a week or two. Beyond that, you can slowly begin introducing regular solid foods into your diet. You will have to chew your food excessively, and you'll only be able to eat a few tablespoons before you're full.
You will have to take a vitamin for the rest of your life, because of your restricted diet. Learn to love water. Carbonated beverages will be a challenge - you may or may not be able to tolerate these. More to come on diet in future entries....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)