Monday, November 26, 2007

What constitutes a serving?



One of the most difficult things to comprehend is just what a serving really is and how much a person should eat and just what is a serving.

Water: Most doctors now say drink half your body weight in ounces of water each day. A person weighing 100 pounds drinks 50 ounces of water a day.

Veggies Eat 3 to 5 servings a day.

  • ½ cup vegetables
  • 1 cup salad
  • 1 Fistful of greans or vegetables
  • ¾ cup vegetable juice

Grains: This is the trickiest one of all, while we are to eat 6 to 11 servings a day, most of us tend to overdo it by counting two slices of bread as one serving, etc..

  • 1 slice of bread
  • 1 oz ready-to-eat cereal
  • ½ cup cooked grains, cereal or pasta
  • 2 Tbsp wheat germ
  • 1 oz (28 g) other grain products

Fruit: 2 - 3 servings each day.

  • 1 medium sized fruit such as apple, banana, orange, pear
  • ½ cup of sliced or canned fruit
  • ¾ cup fruit juice
  • ¼ c dried fruit

Beans, Seeds, & Legumes: 2 to 3 servings a day.

  • 1 cup cooked legume (beans,lentils, dried peas)
  • 3 Tbsp (45 mL) nut or seed butter
  • ¼ c (60 mL) nuts & seeds


It is important to vary the types of foods you eat to assure the best nutritional possible. Since I follow Traditional Chinese Medicine practices, follow the seasons, warmer cooked foods in the Winter and fresher more raw foods in summer.

One way to assure vary the types is to eat a rainbow.

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Vegan Pumpkin Pie

I am not a fan of pumpkin pie, but since becoming vegan this recipe has definitely shown me it isn't as bad as I used to think it once was.

So enjoy:

Crust -- Makes one 9" crust.

1 cup Unbleached flour + 1 Tablespoon
1 cup Whole Wheat Pastry flower + 1 Tablespoon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup safflower oil
3 Tablespoons Almond Milk

Sift together the flour and salt. in a separate bowl whisk together the oil and almond milk. Add the liquids into the dry mixture while stirring lightly with a fork. Form into a ball and roll out between waxed paper. Fit into pie shell and set aside.


The Filling

2 cups pumpkin
1 cup almond milk
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon molasses
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 or 1/8 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon cloves

place ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. pour into prepared 9" unbaked pie shell and bake at 350 for about an hour.
Is the best when made and allowed to sit overnight.