Food in El Salvador

We've had to practically beg for authentic El Salvador cuisine! The first meal we had a few puposas a piece...12 of us are that meal for $16. Puposas are tortillas stuffed with cheese or beans or meat...a mix between pizza and quesadilla. Our next two dinners were italian though. Pretty funny. 

I thought it'd be easier to be vegetarian here so those making meals could save money and stock me up on beans and rice. Turns out it's easier to cook the same for everyone! So still I've eaten some hen soup (perfect for a 90 degree day right? :) 

Yesterday someone on the job site cut down a banana plant...which is actually not a tree, but closer resembles an herb! Lifespan of 9 months. Crazy right? And plantains are more of a starch like a potato than a fruit. Anyway, this is probably the first time I've ever eaten a tree ripened banana, as those in the states are all shipped in green and gassed to ripen. I think it was sweeter, and was a perfect pocket size!

plant-based nutrition

I go back and forth with being vegetarian or not. What tends to dictate my decision the most is the availability of it.

As I've learned to do with most of my big decisions and life changes lately, I decided to read to influence my decision more on this subject. I, for lack of better wording, half-assed a 3-week cleanse called 'Clean'...which had me eliminate grapefruit, oats, honey, and coffee...which was basically the reason I loved waking up in the morning! It basically eliminated acidic foods (even veg like tomatoes and citris) and allergic triggers (caffeine, dairy, gluten). It did not eliminate meats, but encouraged small meals, and smoothies to replace some meals...and most importantly waiting 12 hours after your last dinner bite before eating your first bite of breakfast. I do agree that too much acidity is bad for our bodies and promotes the environment for cancer, but I'd actually prefer to have tomatoes and grapefruit any day over meat...it's just a gut feeling :)

Now I'm in the middle of a book called "Healthy Eating, Healthy World" about focusing on plant based nutrition, and I think this aligns more with my gut feeling. So many diseases have been reversed by diet...even just a week sort of cleanse. And being a so-called vegetarian seems like a cop-out. You can eat boxes of crackers and cheese from the spray and call yourself a vegan even, but this isn't plant-based, and sure isn't healthy.

I shared some of my reading with my roommates a couple months ago, expressing that I'd like to possibly just eat fish once a week, otherwise mostly plants. Turns out they were interested in joining in. We're calling ourselves 'free-gans' though...we will eat meat if others share it with us, or we will cook meat if we have company over.

For the first time in a month or so, I had meat last week...chicken one night, ribs another. Perhaps I've never paid attention, or perhaps I just never had this reaction, but I definitely didn't feel as light and energetic the next day. Not that I enjoyed the stomachache, but I was happy to feel my body react. Even happier to have plenty of veg to go back to!

It's as if I can taste food flavors again. I know it's mostly from having such fresh produce that we're blessed with from the farm. After harvesting some bug and hail damaged kale, I set to work making kale salad, frozen kale, kale chips, and kale burgers. Will have to look into some kale brownies next :)

going vegan

If I knew I'd be writing this 10 years ago, I'd think I'd be crazy. 10 years ago is when I first heard about vegan-ism and thought it absurd. It's one thing to not eat meat because it was a living being...but to not eat animal products? It doesn't hurt anything!

Or does it? I've read plenty of facts to know that decreasing ones meat intake will increase ones health...across the charts. Vegetarians are shown to have lower risk of heart disease, lower blood cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, and lower rates of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and prostate and colon cancers. All it took me was a few pages of China Study to realize the gross factor of eating meat in excess.

Personally I used to be size 12...creeping up on 14. A lot of that thanks to the college 'freshman 15' and late night cheese nuggets. Moving to Chicago with healthier and more expensive options, as well as a healthier city lifestyle of walking everywhere, probably brought me down to a healthy 6/8. And it wasn't til I met my 1st generation Polish-American beau that I learned the essence of eating whole foods, and mostly fish for meat. I may still have my round cheeks :) but I can't recall gaining weight since.

Living on the farm, I graciously experienced the full circle of life, eating the very creature I was tending to. Since then I think I can count on one hand how much beef/pork/chicken/fish I've bought...mainly because I want to know my farmer, that the beef/pork/chicken/fish was raised sustainably...and honestly, it's a lot of work to research, and much easier and cheaper to eat veggies (especially with a garden)!! Last year at this time I gave up meat for lent (until that was the only option while in Ecuador)...and that vegetarian trend just continued on.

So why vegan? In my mind, the jury's still out, so I'm open to finding out more. I think there are lots of great nutrients in things like fish and eggs. But I'm a complete sucker for ice cream and butter and cheese. Did I mention, butter? I guess this means no honey either. or grande hazelnut lattes. or even creamer...dang! I thought I came so far withholding the sugar...what baby steps to where I am now :)

I've had some great discussions with vegan friends about it though...not the 'animal cruelty' kind of vegans, but the vegans more in tune with their bodies and the cruelty that these foods do to their energy and quality of life. I appreciate the pure and simpleness of it.

Considering we're still 3 months from a good supply of spring greens, I'm oh so thankful to still have potatoes, a couple winter squashes, some growing mushrooms and herbs, and a freezer full of summer produce. (well, Rach does technically since mine is still busted :) oh! and canned dill pickles from Dad :)

Of course this also means no Dr. Pepper.
I could care less about cereal these days.
And no egg pastas.
But there will be my homemade bread...maybe next year I'll go gluten free...who knows.
I think there will be dark chocolate mangoes (thanks Em :)
And wine.

Join me for the next 40 days and see how it's going! I don't expect any readers to go vegan, but I hope this might encourage others to think about what they're eating...or how they feel after eating.

I feel like I should be eating ice cream right now...