Topic: Sustainable Dieting and Health (Naps, Diet, Exercise)

[Jojo]

We're getting close! Just a another 10 degrees and it's that DARK RUE Jambalaya. The kind you slow cook for 5 hours and make red-hot, but it's so tasty you can't help but eat the whole bowl. I have some crawfish in the extra freezer ready to roll! Make that cornbread in the caste iron trays shaped like ears of corn! Maybe a nice Cognac by the fire afterward. Oh HELL YEAH!

Wow.  Where does one get crawfish?

[Swishypants]

Wow.  Where does one get crawfish?

It's out of season now. You have to get it in late June through early August and flash-freeze it. It will stay good for six months if properly frozen and stored.

[Jojo]

Sauerkraut is ridiculously easy to make yourself if you want to eat live bacteria; all you need is a large pot or crock or even a home depot bucket I suppose and about 40 days.  I make it only because I prefer whole-leaf to shredded.

I haven't tried any of the various fish preparations that work on the same principle, i. e. salted and fermented like Norwegian ansjos or Dutch matjes, but that's on the list.

http://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2015/02/how-to-make-sauerkraut.html

Would you consider it a high sodium food?  Do I have to use distilled water?

[Jojo]

It's out of season now. You have to get it in late June through early August and flash-freeze it. It will stay good for six months if properly frozen and stored.

So you catch it?  My dad used to do that.  They are good!

[Swishypants]

So you catch it?  My dad used to do that.  They are good!

Nah, I buy it from a little Cajun meat market near home.

[Jojo]

I'm not a doctor or presume any knowledge. BUT. Water, when pure, is a good thing and at a minimum 'fills you up', for those worrying about weight. Back when I knew lots of guys who would use the water stuff for the opposite, like I guess?, model do. They would not drink, dip, suck on candy, run in rubberlike suits, etc to "make weight" and then binge and recover after weigh ins for matches. Likely not a healthy thing but water intake clearly an easy solution for short-term gains.

Re: sauerkraut and probiotics? Idk. Like many things, Idk, you hear things. But, in general, I hear even the commerical stuff is good? But like I said with Sardines and Herring (Nordic Power!) keep in mind where caught, made, etc?

Thanks.  I'm pretty sure the ocean is radioactive now...
I tried herring once.  Oh gees, it was so salty and crusty!  Thanks for the encouragement!

[K_Dubb]

http://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2015/02/how-to-make-sauerkraut.html

Would you consider it a high sodium food?  Do I have to use distilled water?

Ha I fill it from the garden hose.  You use a lot of salt but also a lot of water; the juice isn't any saltier than soup.

[Swishypants]

In late June we used to do a big Crawfish Boil. A huge cauldron with bags and bags of fresh live Crawfish, and ears of corn, whole red potatoes, whole onions, chopped celery and garlic bulbs. Douse it in Cajun garlic power and Slap Ya Mamma, and stirr it over an open fire with a brand new wooden row-boat ore. A live band and buckets and buckets of iced down long-necks. Oh man that was fun! Suck the head and get drunk!

[Jojo]

In late June we used to do a big Crawfish Boil. A huge cauldron with bags and bags of fresh live Crawfish, and ears of corn, whole red potatoes, whole onions, chopped celery and garlic bulbs. Douse it in Cajun garlic power and Slap Ya Mamma, and stirr it over an open fire with a brand new wooden row-boat ore. A live band and buckets and buckets of iced down long-necks. Oh man that was fun! Suck the head and get drunk!

And so healthy.  Are you Dr MD too?

[Swishypants]

And so healthy.  Are you Dr MD too?

NOpe!

[Jojo]

Ha I fill it from the garden hose.  You use a lot of salt but also a lot of water; the juice isn't any saltier than soup.

That's good to hear. I can hardly believe how easy this sounds.  I would like to make up for lost time.  Does purple cabbage work?

[WOTR]

Sauerkraut is ridiculously easy to make yourself if you want to eat live bacteria; all you need is a large pot or crock or even a home depot bucket I suppose and about 40 days.  I make it only because I prefer whole-leaf to shredded.

I haven't tried any of the various fish preparations that work on the same principle, i. e. salted and fermented like Norwegian ansjos or Dutch matjes, but that's on the list.

Its almost time for me to make more firecracker sauerkraut.  Its your basic  recipe with added jalapenos and spice-- Great stuff!

***This post now contains a bonus recipe***
https://www.makesauerkraut.com/surefire-sauerkraut-in-a-crock/

[WOTR]

That's good to hear. I can hardly believe how easy this sounds.  I would like to make up for lost time.  Does purple cabbage work?

Yes.  Use purple or green.  Sometimes I will add caraway and use mostly green with around 15% red.  While it ferments it slowly  turns a hot pink colour.  (I know my pink stuff is the caraway.  Firecracker is always 100% red in my fridge.) 

Also, you can  ferment directly in your mason jar for smaller batches.  It is easy, quick and you don't have to worry too much about oxygen.  Yup- same site as the one above... But a page dedicated to starting your first batch in a mason jar...

https://www.makesauerkraut.com/make-sauerkraut-101/

***Warning- after you start with one batch you will quickly have kefir and kombucha on your counter, pickles in a big crock in the closet, and kimchi in your cupboard (I still have the spices from that experiment- but I threw out the fermented shrimp paste- wow that stuff is nasty...)

[K_Dubb]

Yes.  Use purple or green...

I have only used green but I watched this Austrian lady in a video make cabbage rolls with whole-head sauerkraut and she alternated red and green in a checkerboard pattern and it looked so damn festive the next batch will be half-and-half.

[albrecht]

Nah, I buy it from a little Cajun meat market near home.

As a kid I'd catch them for fun or bait but never enough for a boil. For boils go buy them at a fish market. Now days so many people do boils, not just cajuns, they are so ubiquitous that you can just go to HEB during season and buy them relatively cheap. (Though depending on weekend/timing, they can run out.) But I agree. Fun time. Drink beer all day, put on some tunes, and boil em up. The last batch is always the best as the spices have really concentrated. Sustainable: most are produced on farms and healthy? Exercise: lifting heavy baskets of bugs, aerobic exercise as drunken dancing and frequent arms curls with bottles of beer or booze, flexibility and spatial orientation of navigating crowds while drunk, not burning oneself on boiling water, propane flames, and hot pots, etc.

[Jojo]

Addictive red and green probiotics?  OK!  I did buy a little sauerkraut today.  I remember good crawdad picnics too.  Thanks for reminding me!

[Jojo]

What did i do good for my health today!  Only positives, no self-flagellation allowed!
-Stretches
-Had a lucid moment of clarity regarding how fleeting binging is compared to having better mobility and health
-Resisted dessert and ate breakfast instead
-Stopped when full even though i really didnt want to deal with scraping congealed crap
-Prepared healthy food to have on hand
-Found an unexpected way to reduce stress

[Spookingtons]

Lately I'm told to go vegetarian, was working out well until I quit six weeks in due to stress, looking to get started again.
Considering abiding the vegetarian egg white club.

[Lord Grantham]

Lately I'm told to go vegetarian, was working out well until I quit six weeks in due to stress, looking to get started again.
Considering abiding the vegetarian egg white club.

Welcome aboard.

Post often.

[GravitySucks]

Yes.  Use purple or green.  Sometimes I will add caraway and use mostly green with around 15% red.  While it ferments it slowly  turns a hot pink colour.  (I know my pink stuff is the caraway.  Firecracker is always 100% red in my fridge.) 

Also, you can  ferment directly in your mason jar for smaller batches.  It is easy, quick and you don't have to worry too much about oxygen.  Yup- same site as the one above... But a page dedicated to starting your first batch in a mason jar...

https://www.makesauerkraut.com/make-sauerkraut-101/

***Warning- after you start with one batch you will quickly have kefir and kombucha on your counter, pickles in a big crock in the closet, and kimchi in your cupboard (I still have the spices from that experiment- but I threw out the fermented shrimp paste- wow that stuff is nasty...)

I thought the secret to good kimchi was burying it in the back yard for an extended period of time.

Did you ever try to prepare baluts?  I heard that they have gained some popularity in BC.

[Dr. MD MD]

I thought the secret to good kimchi was burying it in the back yard for an extended period of time.

That is the traditional way.

[Jojo]

That is the traditional way.

This so totally different from the thread I expected, in a good way.
The storebought kraut was cardboard, so homemade must be the way.
What did I do today for my health?  No self flaggellation allowed.
1.  Jogged in place one minute a few times after sitting, per Doc Wallet.
2.  Couldnt eat dessert because the landlady was on the couch and i didnt want to wake her up.
3.  Imagined what life would be like if I planned weekly main courses.
4.  Imagined keeping more salad around.
5.  Added fiber, had olive oil and 1tb vinegar
6.  Refrained from making tartar sauce my proviotic commitment.

[Dr. MD MD]

This so totally different from the thread I expected, in a good way.
The storebought kraut was cardboard, so homemade must be the way.
What did I do today for my health?  No self flaggellation allowed.
1.  Jogged in place one minute a few times after sitting, per Doc Wallet.
2.  Couldnt eat dessert because the landlady was on the couch and i didnt want to wake her up.
3.  Imagined what life would be like if I planned weekly main courses.
4.  Imagined keeping more salad around.
5.  Added fiber, had olive oil and 1tb vinegar
6.  Refrained from making tartar sauce my proviotic commitment.

I usually only eat tartar sauce occasionally when I go out for a traditional fish and chip dinner. I wasn't aware there was anything wrong with it though. What's the deal?

[Jojo]

I usually only eat tartar sauce occasionally when I go out for a traditional fish and chip dinner. I wasn't aware there was anything wrong with it though. What's the deal?

Probably nothing if you're not me.  It is somewhat probiotic, having pickles.  But we'd been discussing sauer kraut, which has way more probiotics and a lot less fat.  I can make my own which will suit me.  But it is quite caloric at the rate I enjoy it.

Plus I off eggs right now.  I love them but they don't love me!

[Jojo]

What did I do today to be healthy?

1.  I drank water even though it was very inconvenient.
2.  Breakfast and lunch were small and included complex carbs.
3.  I put foam over the top of my door to keep second hand smoke from the ceiling heat register in the hall out of my room.
4.  I ate a piece of real fruit with my chip snack.
5.  I started the day with a little protein.
6.  Made sure to eat before any problems happened (blood sugar issues).
7.  I realized there are no baked tortilla chips, that all mine are fried.  That is a caloric problem.

[albrecht]

Probably nothing if you're not me.  It is somewhat probiotic, having pickles.  But we'd been discussing sauer kraut, which has way more probiotics and a lot less fat.  I can make my own which will suit me.  But it is quite caloric at the rate I enjoy it.

Plus I off eggs right now.  I love them but they don't love me!

What about pickled eggs?

[Jojo]

What about pickled eggs?

How do those taste?  Are they cooked first?
It's a histamine thing so I doubt it, because pickled has higher histamine.  But maybe.  I tried duck eggs and organic eggs and they did not like me (unless there is just a little, preferably the white, and pretty cooked out, like in a bready food). 

Speaking of eggs, there is a good childrens picture book entitled How Fletcher Was Hatched, abiut a big, floppy dog.  Makes me cry every time!

[Jojo]

5 things I did for my health today:

1.  Blotted grease off meat with a paper towel.
2.  Ate plenty of salad.
3.  Choked down fiber/vinegar water.
4.  Tried to give away something I don't want around to tempt me.
5.  Made sure I have healthy food on hand in advance for a couple days.

[GravitySucks]

5 things I did for my health today:

1.  Blotted grease off meat with a paper towel.
2.  Ate plenty of salad.
3.  Choked down fiber/vinegar water.
4.  Tried to give away something I don't want around to tempt me.
5.  Made sure I have healthy food on hand in advance for a couple days.

Good for you. If you can keep doing something positive for 21 days it should become a habit.

[Hog]

I buy hamburger beef and when I fry it, I drain it in a colander and rinse it with hot water.  If I am doing a large batch for lets say a large batch of pasta sauce, I can save quite a bit of money by using medium lean instead of buying the more expensive extra lean and ultra lean cuts of burger meat. Ground beef costs about CAN$4.50/pound for medium $5.50/pound for Extra Lean and $7.00-$7.50/pound for Ultra Lean.

Obviously subbing out beef for poultry or tofu etc would be healthier, but I enjoy eating meat and besides that's why humans invented Statin drugs, a Rosuvastatin a day, keeps the cardiologist away.

Consuming something that contains Branch Chain Amino Acids(BCAAs) or anything with protein immediately before retiring can help the body to utilize the rise in Human Growth Hormone (HGH) that occurs just after you fall asleep.
Just don't go crazy or you'll end up with indigestion.  Nuts are good for this, or a small BCAA drink.

peace
Hog