Daily Menu for July 30

My pants have been hanging from me with inches to spare for the past few weeks and fell off the other day (luckily I was at home!), so was time to buy new ones. I tried on several sizes and ended up with jeans two sizes smaller than the ones I'd been wearing! I can't look in the mirror and see the loss yet, but fitting into those smaller jeans showed me yet again that it's working.

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I was pointed to the Meatless Monday website. From their site:

Our goal -- consistent with recommendations made by the US Dept. of Health and Human Services, the US Dept. of Agriculture, and the American Heart Association -- is to help Americans reduce consumption of saturated fat 15% by 2010. That works out to eliminating saturated fat one day a week.

The idea isn't to encourage vegetarianism (although that is a good choice for many people) but to encourage people to make more healthy choices, including eating more fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and low fat dairy. While we already have meatless meals many times each week, and what meat we do eat is locally, organically grown on pastures and naturally lower in saturated fats, I thought it was a great idea.

In addition to the health benefits, there are environmental benefits of taking a break from meat once a week. Click here to find out how damaging industrial meat is to the environment, the workers, and your health. Even limiting your meat consumption one day a week can have a significant impact on your carbon footprint, in addition to helping to lower your cholesterol and exposure to antibiotics and hormones.



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Daily Menu

Breakfast
Apple from a neighborhood tree
2 c. fat free milk (Clover)

Lunch
Lentil tamale pie (this really is the last of it!!)
Tomato-basil salad, with both tomatoes and basil from Full Belly

Dinner
Jacob's Cattle bean soup, with beans from Phipps Country Store
Brown rice
Asparagus from the Palo Alto Farmer's Market (I didn't get the vendor's name)

WPA (Weekly Points Allowance) points used today: 0
WPA points available: 25 (I ate about 10 points of nachos last night)
Activity points today: 0
Activity points this week: 3

Daily 8 - the 8 Healthy Guidelines
1. Fruits and veggies - 5+
2. Whole grains - polenta in tamale pie, brown rice, corn cakes
3. Milk - yes
4. Healthy oil - yes
5. Protein - yes (lentils, fish)
6. Limit sugar and alcohol - yes
7. Water - 8+
8. Multivitamin - yes