Which Healthy Food Diet For Me.... or Cheetos? #109

One health food I don't discuss is Tofu. Why?  Because it is not part of my diet and I do not know much about it.  I should try some in a few dishes that I eat.   Really for me it is getting to the point that I may stop eating chicken and turkey and go more with a pure vegetarian diet of which Tofu would be part of.  Now remember, I said "may stop eating chicken."

I have read several articles about Tofu.  What I have found it to be is, "highly nutritious, protein-rich, low in calories, and high in omega-3 fatty acids."  Many medical studies indicate Tofu based diets lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease.  Tofu is made from the curd of soy milk and is neutral in flavor.   It absorbs the flavor of other ingredients it is prepared with.

I am not an advocate of a vegetarian diet, it is only that I have slowly moved in that direction as I completely changed my eating habits and lifestyle.   I enjoy the feeling I now have after a meal.   Being full and satisfied after eating probably less than half of what the 'use to be me' would eat.   I like not having to eat meat to feel satisfied at a meal.   Someone I am very close to  recently went on a short, quick weight loss diet.  You know the kind of diet I consider useless. To lose weight real quickly after punishing yourself and suffering for a few days.  And in a couple of weeks you have gained back what you lost.  I ask her why don't you just work on changing your eating habits to more healthier foods and not be concerned about going on a diet?  Her answer.  "you don't include foods like Cheetos in your diet as good to eat."  Which is true, but there is no avoiding the truth in going on a diet as being a temporary method of losing weight, most often as quickly as possible.  A committed change of eating habits over to healthy foods being a longer term, slower weight loss results. But it is permanent change to a healthy lifestyle.   Many studies have shown that those people changing to a vegetarian diet lost an average of 24 pounds after the first year and continued to lose weight and keep it off after 5 years.

Read up on President Bill Clinton.  Hey, he is one of us.  Heart problems, terrible eating habits, on and off quickie diets to lose weight, and finally faced the reality like us, that he too was a lucky guy and had dodged a life ending heart event.   I am sure most of you know he changed to a vegan lifestyle diet and has become fit and trim.   And more importantly, we hope, he has become heart healthy.   Going back to #34 Healthy Food And President Clinton you can get more info on the vegan diet.

As a heart attack survivor and heart patient, you are learning how important diet is to you and your health.  It is not for me to say, other than based on my own experiences, what specific foods are best for me.  The point is to be focused on eating foods that will improve your cholesterol levels to where your cardiologist wants them.  And to be eating a diet that will meet your healthy weight goals.