After telling us about it, are you going to tell us how you made "Boxing Day Pie?"

I'm reading Andrew Weil's 8 Weeks to Optimum Health since I found it in the clearance rack at my local 1/2 price bookstore. It's only 3 years old, certainly current and at $2, a bargain. I've read and skimmed the first couple of chapters of testimonials and annecdotes, and taken a look at "the first week." It's simple enough, eat broccoli (we had some last night) and eat some wild salmon. He wants to displace the not as good foods with better ones. We already eat fairly healthy, but since I gained weight, partly due to a medication that I'm slowly stepping back from, I thought I'd see if I could also do a gradual improvement in my diet and health. I also have to teach my teenaged son something about good nutrition that he can take with him to college, and this is my last year that he'll for certain be under my roof consistently (he graduates this spring).

I mention it here because the task he assigns in the first week is to go through your pantry and cupboards and get rid of the foods with food colors, with more chemicals than "real" ingredients (aren't too many of either of those), to get rid of margarine and vegetable oils (except canola, and he suggests a specific type) and to switch to olive oil. I'm already there with most of the oils, but I did dump a pound of margarine from the freezer that was for baking. I'll stick with butter now (since it is twice the price of margarine, it means I'll think carefully before I start baking--this is a good thing--but it will also taste much better and not have transfats). He says get rid of the shortening, and right now I have one that is better than Crisco (some animal fat, and no transfats), but still shortening. I suppose substituting butter or oil for it is the skill to learn. I think Jane Brody (a foodie of the New York Times) had a formula of using 2/3 the amount of oil to replace shortening. He says get rid of all of the artificial sweeteners, though Splenda was coming on the market and he said "the jury is still out." I'm a Sweet 'n Low user going way back. Dropping that will be a challenge. I don't use sugar in my tea, but I do like it sweetened. I tried some honey this afternoon, and I suppose if I pay attention and buy local honey, that might help with my allergies.

So I'm decluttering my cupboards and fridge and diet. I tend to use whole wheat crackers, though I have a few of the "Ritz" knockoff variety. Those I think I'll just draw down and not replace because we only eat a few at a time. I can't afford to dump everything!

If I use more expensive oils and fats, it means I won't use it as often and I'll be more careful with it. He doesn't insist that you cut all meat and such, but hopes you'll eat more fish and vegetables. We'll see how this goes. I want to get to where I'm not tossing so many things that vanish in my fridge drawers (hence the reorganization earlier this month) and so that I'm planning a couple of days ahead at least to make meal time a little easier and earlier (again, discussed before).

Funny how when you start one project (changing my HRT) it spills over into other things. And it does suggest that maybe trying to merge the diet and declutter threads again for a while might not be a bad idea.

SRS