High Carb Low Fat

During the 1980s, the American Heart Association released the recommended fat dietary guidelines in their book, "Towards Healthful Diets". These guidelines advised the public on lowering their overall fat consumption in order to lose weight, even going as far as to say that calories from carbohydrates "don't count" and didn't need to be observed. This led to the release of reduced-fat, fat-free and cholesterol-free products in the market, such as: 

Source: Worldlifestyle.com

Source: Sugarstacks.com

This exponential rise in fat-free products didn't lead, as one might expect, to an exponential decrease in cholesterol levels and obesity in the country. Instead, the opposite occurred: there is now an "obesity epidemic" plaguing the American public, and some might say, it stems directly from these recommendations. 

Yet, one must take into account that this increase in obesity was mostly due to the nature of the products that were being consumed: pre-packaged, processed and factory-made, the products compensated for their lack of fat with extra calories stemming from sugar. In theory, the guidelines weren't too bad: increase fiber and whole-grain consumption, and reduce cholesterol in the blood. 

With both of those arguments in mind, I decided to try both the HCLF (high-carb, low fat) and HFLC (high-fat, low carb) diets, to gauge their effects for myself. 

This first week I started the HCLF because it acted as my transition from the vegan diet I was doing before, because they're very similar in a lot of aspects.

The basics of the diet are:

• Few animal-derived products (honey is okay, reduced-fat milk and cheese too)
• Starchy vegetables are a must as one of the most nutritionally-dense foods
• High amount of fiber needs to be consumed
• The proportion of fat to carbs in the diet must be very high 

In a nutshell, this diet limits the consumption of fat and encourages the consumption of carbohydrates, especially fiber-high, complex carbs such as tubers, whole grains and starchy veggies. I, not having much of a sweet tooth, didn't know what to expect: I naturally limit my carbohydrates when I eat, because I feel like I need to consume much more carbs in order to feel full, whereas I can eat less fat and feel sated quicker. 

The first few days:

It wasn't hard for me at all to go from veganism to HCLF, mostly because I followed almost the same basic rules, and even had more freedom in respect to consuming animal products (milk and honey!!).  I did notice I got more hungry throughout the day, but that was easily solved by finding snack options (which again wasn't hard, because I already had a list of low-fat, high-carb snacks that I consumed while I was in the vegan bandwagon). 

Once again, the PSU Dining Commons webpage saved me, since it gives me the option to look at the nutritional information in the food being offered that day:

It's broken down really neatly by macronutrient.

This is such an underestimated resource that I've found really useful when trying to improve my eating habits, or just being aware of what's going into your mouth. Especially when trying to change something in my eating habits, the website has got a very thorough nutritional compilation of its offerings.

Next week, I'll be writing the wrap-up to the diet, and presenting the hard data that I compiled on it.

Thank you for reading! 

Bye Bye Veganism

As my short experience with veganism draws to a close, I can't help but reflect on what I learnt from it: mostly, resilience.

The hardest part for me wasn't the not eating animal derivates, but having to inquire and do my research beforehand. Admittedly, the research was what I enjoyed the most at first, but it started getting tedious when I went out to places that I hadn't tried before. There, I had to ask a million questions, or research the menu beforehand. I became a bit of a nuisance for my friends, and couldn't spontaneously go to a restaurant and order whatever I wanted: everything had to be planned and researched beforehand.

That said, I do believe I learnt a lot about self-control and what I can do when I'm hungry (crying, mostly). Most importantly, though, I garnered a lot of respect for vegans, and commend them on a task that for me was almost impossible at times.

I lost exactly 1.2kg during this two-week period, but it probably was water weight, given that I cut back on sodium. I did keep up with my regular training and working out, and my sleep schedules stayed the same.

Here are some of the products I thought were really useful, rated in terms of flavor and convenience (for a college student constrained by a lack of space and proper equipment):

Nutritional Yeast: 

Red Star Savory Nutritional Yeast Flakes, $8.18, Amazon

Ratings:

Flavor: 9/10
Convenience: 10/10

Nutritional yeast (nooch if you're from around here) is the vegan equivalent to omnivores' eggs, Nirvana (both the state and the band) and smooth jazz. In other words, essential.

 I ordered mine off Amazon, and didn't know what to expect: all the reviews said that it tasted "exactly like parmesan cheese", and was "delicious sprinkled on top of everything", and it is, if you're not faced by the initial fish-flake look and smell.

I tried it on top of chips, salad, in a quesadilla, and sprinkled it on pasta. I liked the pasta the best, because it helps balance the acidity of the tomato sauce, and it adds a nice umami kick to any dish. This product is a big hit-or-miss though, because it does have a slightly fermented taste to it. Personally, I loved it, but I can see why it might be an acquired taste to some people.

Perhaps the thing I liked the most about this product is its impressive fiber content: 4 grams per every 16, at only 60 calories. As a self-professed fiber junkie, I'm definitely keeping this around, even after/if I re-incorporate regular cheese back into my diet.

Daiya Mozzarella Style Shreds, $4.59, Wegmans

Daiya Cheese Shreds:

Ratings: 

Flavor: 8/10
Convenience: 5/10

I was really excited to try Daiya's cheese shreds ever since I read about them in a recipe on Kimmi Kill Zombie's blog, and finally got a chance to try them.

Unmelted, straight out of the bag, the shreds felt waxy to the touch, and the flavor was only slightly reminiscent to actual cheese, which makes for an awful go-to cold snack. However, once melted, the shreds actually start to meld into the beautiful, ooey, goopy mass that melted mozzarella cheese is. When I made my vegan quesadillas (pictured below), I had to keep reheating them to make sure the cheese was completely melted, which took away points from convenience.

In conclusion, these shreds are good, but only if you have an oven that gets really hot, a pan, or an actual kitchen (none of which are allowed in my dorms).

The quesadilla I made using Daiya's shreds and Red Farm's nooch. As you can see, it's a bit grey, which took some points from the Daiya shreds. 

Annie Chun's Miso Soup Bowl

Ratings: 

Flavor: 8/10
Convenience: 9/10

At a surprisingly low calorie count (250 calories, for a packaged soup pack, is not bad), Annie Chun's Soup Bowl was a surprising find. I was never a fan of tofu, and had my reservations about this product, but it ended up being one of the most useful ones I bought during this diet. It's smooth, umami layers of flavor helped add a new dimension to what is essentially brown tofu water with noodles.

My only concern in respect to this bowl is its impressive sodium content- 830mg (around 35% of recommended daily intake). This meant that even if it was really convenient, I couldn't eat it as frequently as I would've liked it.


Next week, I'll be going Paleo, and I'd greatly appreciate any advice or recipes and tips on the matter, if you have any!

First Insights on Veganism

Behold, my first-ever meal in college:

Not very healthy, but very, very good. 

This continued being the norm for at least four meals of the week (give or take a couple), and I knew that I had to jump-start my healthy lifestyle somehow. Hence, for my first "diet", I went vegan. What better way to get over the fear of change than by taking the plunge, right?!

Here's a quick run-down of my initial experience with being vegan:


What is it? 

Veganism is "the practice of minimizing harm to all animals" (source), and I was focused mostly on the dietary implications:

• No meat
• No dairy
• No eggs
• Nothing that's a product from animal "labor" 
• This includes honey
• And gelatin
• And white sugar
• And most red dye 
• And basically everything college students eat

I had no idea what being vegan entailed, so I did some research, and the PSU Dining website has got some excellent information about every day's vegan and vegetarian specials:

You can add the vegan filter! 

The vegan options exist!!!

I was pretty excited to start this diet, mostly because of the variety that the website touted.

The first couple of days, being vegan was the most fun I'd had so far in college: I was forced to look at the dining commons in a whole different light, focused on all the creative vegan combinations that it had to offer, as opposed to the typical "all-you-care-to-eat" approach that was my custom. Whereas before I had mindlessly chomped through plate after plate of food, I was now forced to examine my meal, and step out of my comfort zone (steamed brussels sprouts, anyone?). This, in turn, made me adopt better eating habits: eating slowly, for example. Taking the time to find the most flavorful and nutritious food in the commons.

Cutting out the dairy has made me less bloated, and made me wonder whether I have slight lactose intolerance, and the extra fiber I was consuming throughout the day helped me keep my gastrointestinal movement strong and steady (a nice change from before). I've also noticed that it can be exceedingly hard to find variety with all the restrictions that the diet imposes, but it can be done with a little research beforehand (the aforementioned PSU Dining webpage/app). I also want to try a couple of products that have been touted as the maxima of veganism: nutritional yeast, Simply Asia soup bowls, and Daiya cheese products. I'll be visiting Target in the following days to stock up on some vegan food that I can have from the comfort of my own dorm room.

Some facts:

My weight remained steady for the first week, and my hunger levels too. I do admit that I expected to feel a bit more nirvana when I ditched all of the processed, fat-laden, rich animal products, but to be honest, I didn't feel that big a difference from before.

My caloric input dropped from before to a range of about 1,800 to 2,100 calories per day, and my caloric output (approximate) went from 2,000 to 2,500 calories per day. My exercise routine remained the same: three sprinting sessions a week (6-7 sprints per session), and jogging throughout.

The first week has been a relatively smooth transition from omnivorism to veganism: the only minor disturbance has been having to plan ahead, and finding variety within the limits of the dining commons. I'll keep on going for the second week, and try to report some product reviews and conclusion in the next post.

Happy eating!

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog! My name's Gracie, and I'm a freshman at the Pennsylvania State University. 

A while ago, I hit a sort of awkward plateau: just a little overweight, just a little too sluggish, just a little too tired all the time. Trying to figure out what was going on, I started tracking what I ate, how much exercise I did, and how this made me feel. This regular journaling helped me understand a bit more about what (and how) I ate affected my mood, sleep and general energy levels. Then I started toying around with it.

First came the cutting of dairy— the bloated feeling disappeared. I subbed in almond/soy milk instead. Then the whole-grain in place of white bread. The carrot batons instead of chips, the cup of green tea before every meal. I became one of those annoying people who had to control everything they ate— it had to be "clean", and as raw and unprocessed as possible. I'm sure you know the story— I obsessed and logged every calorie, cooked my own food, didn't go out to eat anywhere. Pretty freaky. I knew it wasn't a long-term solution for me, especially because I started college.

I needed to find an alternative to cooking and controlling everything (because, goodbye pans and actual spices, hello microwave and Mac n Cheese) and this is why I started this blog: to explore different options that would help me remain healthy, but with the convenience and (most importantly) cheapness that is needed in college.

My goal:

Try out different "diets" (namely, going vegan, HFLC, Paleo, gluten free, IIFYM) in these couple of months, and report both "soft" factors (the ones that have to do with   perception— hunger levels, energy levels, sleep quality) and "hard" ones (actual hard data—weight, sleep time, caloric input and output, etc.). 

I'll be following each diet for about two weeks, and writing a couple of posts about each one, reviews about different products, recipes that I could make out of my (tiny, old) microwave, and how I felt the diet compared to the rest.

Join me in my quest for the trifecta of college diet, navigating the dining halls and college trash food scene armed only with a vaguely dysfunctional microfridge, plastic utensils, and a large (and necessary) dose of humor.