Day One: Getting started with great enthusiasm!

What is the Longevity Diet?

It is also called the "Calorie Restricted Diet" but I like the alternative name "Longevity Diet" because, instead of focusing on a restriction, it focuses on the end result I am hoping for:  A longer, healthier life!

I am choosing 1500 calories per day as an ultimate goal.  I have probably been eating twice that (or more on really bad eating days.)  I am also choosing not to be hungry on this diet, meaning I am going to find and create recipes that are delicious, filling and low calorie.  This means that I will probably also be focusing on low-fat vegan recipes much of the time.  (See a blog I have been following http://blogfatfreevegan.com by Susan Voisin for some great recipes.)

I want to focus on eating foods that are both high in nutrition AND low in calories.  To me this means I want to be sure I am getting all the nutrients my body needs to be healthy, heal itself, reach a slender weight, and have lots more energy and clarity of mind.  I am going to learn how to eat vegetables and fresh fruits of all "colors" in the right amount to give me lots of vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants and other good things my body needs.  I am not automatically eliminating animal protein but I understand that really I only need 2 oz of a balanced protein a day and that isn't very much.  (I need to check this figure but that is my understanding at the moment.)   Between poultry, fish, beans and legumes, and eggs I should be able to find that 2 optimal ounces a day easily.

I am going to have fun trying out recipes and creating ones of my own!  It appeals to me to stop spending so much time in the kitchen and start making batches of nutrient rich, good tasting food that can be frozen in portions.  For example, I created a great pasta and vegetable recipe this morning and I'll share it with you!  It ended up being 334 calories per two cup serving and created 8 servings of which I ate one, put 3 in the refrigerator and froze 4.  This particular recipe is, admittedly, lacking in protein but at 334 calories for breakfast I can use some of my remaining 1166 calories later today for protein.   Ditto for fresh fruit.

I am actually excited about starting this.  My Dad is a scientist and I have some of his passion for measuring, and calculating along with his strong pleasure in being creative.  I love to cook.  I love to read recipes.  I am going to have a great time making good things to eat within the perimeters of the diet.

Oh, I am also really going to go off gluten and dairy this time!

So here is today's recipe:  (and okay, I see I am going to have to work on my photographing food skills!  It looked a lot better than this on the table!  Flash is too bright but no flash was too dark.)

Pasta and Vegetables in Tomato Sauce
I will give you the calories in the ingredient list.  Keep in mind I am just starting all this and my calculations may not be entirely accurate.  I have used Corinne T. Netzer's "Encyclopedia of Food Values" to calculate the calories for each ingredient.  This book, by the way, is a treasure!  It gives you all kinds of information about fiber, fat, sugars, vitamins and minerals, and nutrient contents of  food by either weight or measure.

1 pkg Tinyaka Brown Rice Pasta Spirals  (1680 calories)
2 24-oz jars of prepared spaghetti sauce (360 calories)
1 15-oz can of Fire Roasted Tomato Puree  (150 calories)
1 1/2 cups shredded carrot (150 calories)
2 cups broccoli (50 calories)
1 cup frozen peas (126 calories)
2 cups sliced zucchini (36 calories)
2 cups shredded cabbage (40 calories)
1 10-oz box frozen spinach (24 calories)
1 medium to large green pepper, diced (20 calories)
2 cups chopped mushrooms (36 calories)

TOTAL CALORIES = 2672 calories
     2 cup servings = 334 calories
     3 cup servings =  501 calories

• Bring 3 to 4 quarts of salted water to a boil.  Add Tinyaka spirals, turn down the heat to medium, and simmer/boil for 15 minutes.  Drain and rinse with cold water to stopped cooking process.  Set aside
• Add spaghetti sauce and tomato sauce to the pasta.  Don't stir yet!
• Put the frozen spinach in a 2 quart sauce pan with some water and bring to a simmering boil.  A few minutes before all the spinach is thawed/cooked, add the frozen peas.  Cook for an additional minute.  Drain and add to the pasta and spaghetti sauce.
• Add an inch or two of water to a big sauce pan (like a spaghetti or soup pot).  Insert a steamer, and steam the vegetables until just tender.  Add the longer cooking ones like the zucchini and the green pepper first and the mushrooms and cabbage last.  Don't over cook.  Drain and add to the pasta mixture.
• Stir gently (don't break all the spirals).  You will have about 16 cups of great tasting pasta, vegetables and tomato sauce. 
• Also note you have some nutrient rich big hitters here:  spinach, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, green bell pepper and especially lots of anti-oxident rich tomatoes.