Tuesday's Pretty Pictures & The Perils of High-Protein, Low-Carb Diets

TAH had a little trouble yesterday, because of a large amount of school work that kept her up until 6AM!
I am waiting to hear back about her day.  I do have a picture of her yummy lunch:

Yesterday went very well for SJM.  She has been maintaining a high water intake despite the fact that she lost her main water bottle.  Way to persevere! She bought a full cart of groceries for the first time in a LONG time.  See below:

So, last night she made a large plate of sauteed veggies that looked extremely tasty from the pictures!  Here is the timeline of photos...

Take 1.

Take 2.

Take 3. Now THAT looks good :-D

Helpful Hint of the day:  I need to take a detour from simple hints.  I want to tell you how important veggies combined with a high water intake are to a healthy, trim figure.  High protein, low carb diets are NOT healthy, especially for women, for a number of reasons: 

*First and foremost, they are nearly impossible to maintain.   Yes, the weight will come off initially, but there are not many people who can or should maintain this diet for a long period of time.  Therefore, what is the point of losing the weight, just to gain it back again?  I see no point. 

*Second, it is very harmful for the body.  When a person consumes 30-50% of their daily food from protein, the body goes into "ketosis."  Ketosis causes the body to feel less hungry by burning fat stored in the body, because it no longer has sufficient carbohydrates to burn for energy.  It all sounds good so far, right?  The problem is that ketosis leads to health problems, like kidney failure.

*Kidney failure is very likely from a high protein diet, because protein tends to be harder for the body to digest.  It puts a lot of strain on the body to break down a large amount of proteins, especially animal proteins (which is typically eaten by those dieting with this plan).

*High protein diets, especially those that contain a large proportion of animal proteins, are likely to cause high cholesterol.  High cholesterol has been linked to a higher risk of heart attack & stroke.

*High protein diets can also lead to osteoporosis.  Having a large proportion of protein in the diet has been known to cause excess calcium excretion in the urine.  Losing this essential calcium leads to osteoporosis.

*The risk of cancer is much higher for those who consume a high protein diet.  High protein diets miss out on the dietary benefits of fresh fruit, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains, which are key to carcinogen elimination & a healthy body.  It is well-known that the risk of cancer can be dramatically decreased by getting 80% of your daily food intake from fresh fruit, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains.  So much for that high protein, low carb diet!

Information derived from: http://women.webmd.com/guide/high-protein-low-carbohydrate-diets

Veggie Recipe of the Day:

Delicious Spaghetti Squash

Total time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

1 spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise and seeded

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes

3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

3 tablespoons sliced black olives (optional)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet.
2. Place spaghetti squash cut sides down on the prepared baking sheet, and bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a sharp knife can be inserted with only a little resistance. Remove squash from oven, and set aside to cool enough to be easily handled.
3. Meanwhile, heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute onion in oil until tender. Add garlic, and saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, and cook only until tomatoes are warm.
4. Use a large spoon to scoop the stringy pulp from the squash, and place in a medium bowl. Toss with the sauteed vegetables, feta cheese, olives, and basil. Serve warm.

Adapted from: http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/spaghetti-squash-i/Detail.aspx