VB6

I have been lurking on Facebook for the last few days. I have little to add to the posturing, but find amusement in the silliness that appears before me. I am a 'Fan' of NPR, and I receive news feeds when they post new stories. Today there was a feed on one of my favorite cookbook authors: Mark Bittman.

He's a food writer for the New York Times, and has authored several cookbooks including my personal fave: How to Cook Everything.

The gist of the story is that he has begun advocating a Vegan before 6 approach to eating. My understanding is that this means you follow a Vegan diet (no animal products - meat, dairy, eggs - but lots of veggies & whole grains) until 6pm. After 6 (or whatever your dinner time is) you may eat as you wish. Within reason. Less junk food, more whole food.

I have to admit, I am intrigued. I've been dabbling in thoughts of healthier eating. Soy milk, whole grains, less processed foods - all good things, right? I could sub in soy milk on my cereal and salad with pita & hummus at lunch. But the thought of no cheese until 6pm? Not sure I could pull it off.

Here's another little blurb from Reader's Digest on his plan.

I am also curious about his latest book called Food Matters. He advocates learning more about how the food we eat is harming the environment, how we can make realistic changes, and WHY we should make changes. Plus there are 75 new recipes to explore.

It's Working

The formula filled with diamond dust and starlight is working!

Big J gained 1 lb. in two weeks. That's 5% of his body weight.

He's also crawling all over the place, sitting himself up, and responding more frequently to basic baby signing (eat, more, all done; no worries, we use these not because he can't verbalize but because it helps him express himself without words).

While I am stoked that he's responding to the million-dollar milk replacement, I am now filled with guilt that I've been depriving his tiny body for the last 6 months. Should I have been feeding him milkshakes and moon pies all along?

Chocolate

I'm doing fairly well on the diet, but want to lick the TV when I see the commercials for that chocolate cake you warm in the microwave. Despite the Halloween candy in the house my willpower has been admirable, especially for me. My saving grace thus far has been low-carb Rocky Road ice cream with Splenda. I highly recommend it. It's nowhere near the deliciousness of regular ice cream, but it's the closest thing to chocolate and ice cream that I'll get for a few weeks. I'm going to have to decide whether or not I will go off the diet when in New York. There's nothing specific I want to have while I'm there, but the limitless options have me fantasizing about the possibilities.