As I’ve said several times, my health goal for 2024 is to eat more vegetables. I have been very interested in Dr. David Greger’s research and *love* his books: “How Not to Die”, “How Not to Diet”, and now I am listening to the audiobook of “How Not to Age”. . If I were a faster reader, I would love to read them and take notes, but they are *very* long books. “How Not to Age” is over 24 hours long on audiobook! However, they are fascinating and loaded with research.
Dr. Greger has a list called the “Daily Dozen,” which is a list of the ideal things to include in your diet every day. I love that you say it’s a list of aspirations and you don’t have to think about it too much. (You know I’m an overthinker.) I use it as a guide to push me in the right direction, but I don’t expect to check off the entire list every day. Additionally, the list is intended to be the minimum intake. It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t eat beyond what’s on the list.
(The app is free and there are no ads or subscriptions or anything like that. Dr. Greger’s work is non-profit because he has no hidden agenda, just a desire to learn and share data from tons of research.)
On Saturday I was so ready to leave the house. Jerry and I went to Ann Arbor to attend the Salvation Army, Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods. We don’t have TJ’s or WF near us, so it’s kind of an event to attend, lol. We bought the products we would need for the week, as well as some unique, strange and hard to find ingredients.
Yesterday I realized I was all over the Daily Dozen! I took pictures (sometimes I post pictures of memorable meals on a private Instagram account), so I thought I’d share the day’s meals in this post. First, here’s the checklist (when you tap each item in the app, it provides more specific information). I didn’t record this on a calorie counting app, but a quick estimate for the day is about 1600 calories.
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| Breakfast consisted of rolled oats (raw, because they sounded better that way), blueberries, banana, flaxseed, chia seeds, hemp seeds, and soy milk. I usually eat Grape Nuts instead of oats, but since oats are healthier, I’ll try to eat them more often. [As far as the list, this counted as whole grains, berries, another fruit, and flaxseed] |
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| My latest obsession has been cucumbers with hummus. I can not get enough! This counted as “another” vegetable and two servings of beans. |
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| Jerry bought me some Asian pears he had found and this was the last one. I normally eat fruits like apples and pears with the skin on, but Asian pears have a tougher skin, so I peel them. This counted as “another” fruit. |
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| Dinner was SO good! Ethiopian cabbages and beans, from the “How Not to Diet” cookbook, served over red quinoa. Jerry and I loved this. In the Daily Dozen, this included beans, whole grains, cruciferous vegetables, an “other” vegetable, and plenty of spices. I also accompanied it with a small salad, which counted towards my leafy greens. |
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| These are all the spices that were in the plate above. |
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| In the evening I still needed one more fruit and nuts. I usually have pistachios and an apple, but I was a little full after dinner, so I had some dates with almond butter. |
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| My B12 supplement |
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| I got in a lot of water (six 12-ounce glasses are recommended and I definitely hit that). This is the glass that Ava, Eli’s girlfriend, gave me for Christmas. It makes me feel good <3 |
As for exercise, I didn’t count the minutes (because that would be thinking too much for me); I just ran in the morning and went for a walk later.
I really like the Daily Dozen app; It definitely helps me think about my options before eating. And I have loved adding more vegetables where I can. Jerry has been enjoying it too. A HIIT (high intensity interval training) class started yesterday. He loves HIIT and likes the structure of attending a class instead of doing it alone. When he got home, he said it was humbling and really made her want to be healthier, especially with his diet. Having him on board helps a lot!
