A Taste For Life/ Weekend Prompts: Edition 8
Problem Solving With Plant-Based Diet
Let’s talk about veggies (Prompt 7)
After vegetarian and vegan, here comes PLANT-BASED. Are you in for a plant-based diet? Am I?
Hmmm…
That’s something I need to think about. Not because I don’t want to or I am not a fan of veggies but because of “how can I”.
Energy
I need powers like those of the Power Puff Girls. Even if I eat a big bowl of greens for lunch, my stomach growls after an hour.
Availability
How I enjoy watching videos featuring supermarkets in other countries. The selections of veggies seem endless.
As I look around our markets and supermarkets, the selections are limited. And worse, some are withered and can’t last for another day.
Same varieties. Squash, eggplant, okra, string beans, cabbage, chayote and the leafy ones.
Mushroom is like a gem. So rare. Most of the time, they are in cans, dried and mushy-and-withered-why-are-they-still-selling-them. How come there’s a saying “they sprout everywhere like mushrooms” when they are hard to find? Some are imported from other Asian countries. How’s that?
Price
The high-end varieties are also available. I called them that way because they are pricey.
The cost of a fist-sized broccoli or cauliflower is same as that of 1/2 kilograms of chicken.
Same with a ruler-length zucchini.
It’s more practical to buy a kilo of chicken. It can feed a family for a whole day.
The price of onions even went up to $10/kilo.
I would like to blame the business side. It’s not a simple farm to table. In between are middlemen, high toll fees and gasoline.
I’m blaming our weather too. Either it’s La Niña or El Niño.
Versatility
Most of those veggies are not stand-alone. I mean, they need company to be edible and appreciated. Unless steaming them is acceptable as lunch and dinner for 7 days.
So…
Cooking them with fish is a better idea than beef, chicken, and pork. For dinner, I agree.
But for lunch? Let’s be honest. Even after brushing our teeth for 5 minutes and gargling with the best mouthwash, the taste is still there. And — -I wear a mask for 9 hours in a day.😷
Cooking them with vege-meat is another option. Have you tasted a vege-meat? Whether you fry, air fry or bake it, the taste is the same. Like a spam that has been dried, squeezed out all of its taste, and became a cardboard.
The only option left is tofu
Well, I can live with tofu alone. Aside from being cheap, it can make me feel full for the whole day.
But….
When I had my regular ultrasound earlier this month:
Doctor: You have nodes in your armpits. They were not there the last time.
Me: How come? What caused them?
Doctor: Coffee, tea, soya milk, mushrooms, tofu and chocolates.
Me: (I almost fell from the chair) Those are the main characters in my diet.
Doctor: Those nodes are harmless. But better to modify your diet.
Oh-uh!! What now??? Eh…
Other choices
Salad? The recipe with quinoa is great. But quinoa is not budget-friendly.
Pasta Sauce? We are rice-loving people. We can’t survive with pasta. Here, rice is life.
Okay…
Steam….
Or fry, and deal with cholesterol.
Then…
Sprinkle them with salt, pepper, herbs and love.
Bathe them in a sea of soy sauce, vinegar and chili sauce.
And drown them with a good dessert.
Final Thoughts
Whatever our preferences are, it’s eating a healthy and balanced diet that matters.
A plant-based diet is nice to hear and say but reality says it is for the chosen few. The few who are determined and strong-willed.
And I am not a strong-willed person when it comes to food.
