how often?

[enjambement22]

Hello,

Somewhere I read that you can eat (macro) sweets a few times a week - what does that mean, exactly? Is that like 5 times or maybe only twice a week? I need dessert every day

ah, maybe you need that information: I'm a rather healthy young girl (just slightly overweight, due to sugar for all these years. Well, I can say I don't miss refined sugar at all now, hurray! thanks God for rice syrup!http://www.cybermacro.com/forum/imag...s/broccoli.gif
).

I hope that the question isn't too silly and thanks for the answers!

[Klara]

Not at all a silly question - but many details of your own background are missing. How long have you been eating mb? You must have read what I've writen a thousand times it's all a process - so it depends where on this process you are and what you're goals are. I don't believe there is an ideal for everyone, or even an ideal for today the same as tomorrow.

Brown rice syrup is wonderful - but in relation to grains/beans/vegetables it is still pretty yin - and again, are you making a grain based dessert, a baked dessert, a fruit based dessert? they all have different effects

And how much? just a small, maybe 1/4 cup of something, or huge amounts?? or are you trying to cut down? and how often?

for trying to cut down on craving sweets, try to include more sweet vegetables on a daily basis (onions, carrots, winter squash, cabbage, corn) - make a sweet vegetable drink and have it a couple times a day for several days (Gary, is the recipe already printed up somewhere?)

I think several times a week means 3 - 4, but that doesn't mean anything as far as what YOU need.

I love desserts, too!!!!!

Klara

[enjambement22]

Thank you so much for the answer!

Well, I started MB three weeks ago. I've been a vegetarian all my life. MB isn't entirely new to me, a few years when I was little my family was 'on MB', but then we loosened the diet and I started eating a lot of dairy products and sweets. I recently realised that's definitely not good for me, so I eliminated that food from my menu.

As for mb sweets: I make wholegrain cookies mostly, because they are nice to take along.

So maybe it is ok to have a dessert every day for now since I'm a beginner and then cut down?

I'm also wondering how many fruit is it ok to eat? (yeah, I'm a fruit lover as well. I must 'be very yin', huh?)

Thanks for the answers, I really appreciate your help!

Zulejka

[Klara]

Dear Zulejka,

Your post makes me smile. On a different macro discussion group, we talked about following rules or figuring things out for ourselves. A lot of longtime mb people truly believe each person needs to get to that place where their bodies tell them what they need to eat or not eat. I said that may happen to them, but not to alot of us who need structured rules, especially at the beginning, and alot of us have looooooooooong beginnings (me!!!). So I smile at your question, "is it OK?????"

and so hard to answer, and so easy to go to the first answer and say everything is ok, you just have to realize it's effects. But of course, I see and know for myself also, that specific guidelines help, and then one day, yes, you can figure some more out by how you feel. I think the guidelines help us get to a more centered place - tho guidelines from an experienced counselor for your specific condition/constitution is even better than books and strangers like me.

You say cookies are nice to take along - does that mean you're out alot? you work? a student?

For myself, I find it much harder to eat balanced if I'm out and about - if I know I'll be out, I try to bring a good meal, tho that's another subject matter and yes, difficult, but not impossible.

Vegetarian cooking can indeed be very far from mb, and even mb eating can be very unbalanced. So I'm sorry, but can you see if you feel unbalanced from all the desserts? Are you flying? quick to emotional reactions? cry alot? talk alot? (now one needs to ask what's a lot? that's why having a good counselor is to a great advantage).

I have a feeling if you're asking these questions (how much desserts? how much fruit?) your intuition might be suggesting you're eating more than you need to.

Again, I suggest going to sweet vegetables. Trying making desserts from carrots or sweet squash as an intermediate step. And again, do go for more vegetables in your every day meals - and the sweet vegetable drink (1/4 cup each of onions
carrots
sweet winter squash
cabbage

simmered a half hour in 4 cups of water, then drained - just drink the liquid, not blend and eat. do not add salt. (if at the begining, you really don't like it, use less water so the taste is stronger - when your taste buds start changing, then go back to original recipe)

Try it, it may be what you need instead of desserts.

Klara

[azulparsnip]

Good advice Klara - cutting back on sweets is hard but it is also taletale. When I cut back I began experiencing cravings and I knew that was a sign of imbalance and that sweets was the wrong quick fix. The sweet vegetable drink you suggested relieved the craving quickly but you have to plan ahead (it seems that the essence of this diet is forethought & making a break from being the subject of your lusts)

[Klara]

ah, planning!!!! After 12 years of practising, I'm still struggling with that one - but yes, so clear, the more planning I put into it, the better my meals, the better my eating - just got to keep practicising!!!!

Klara

[enjambement22]

Thank you, Klara!

Well, I think I eat too much of that kind of food, so that's why I'm asking... It's easier dealing with it if you talk it over. And realising some thing when you write them down.
I guess I was feeling pretty unbalanced for last three years (since I went to college, I live away from my mom's kitchen , which was maybe not perfect, but far more balanced than the food I get here).


I' glad I found this forum, it keeps me motivated!

Hope to hear from you again (maybe some recipes-exchange )!

[Klara]

Look at the top of the page, 4th tab from the left has RECIPES - go in and enjoy.

do you have any cookbooks?

Klara

[azulparsnip]

I gonna go make some Vegetable Barley Stew - Monday is soup day cause it is ready for all to enjoy when I get back from spanish class.

[Klara]

buenas noches - that's from high school - which was a very long time ago

Klara - buen appetit???

[azulparsnip]

buenos dias, me amiga - La sopa estuvo sabroso (the soup was tasty) - for this sentence I employed the handy, dandy dictionario - I think in 10 years US will be bilingual.

[azulparsnip]

What did you have for dinner last night??