Dr. Ryan French, Food Box Challenge Participant

Theft?  It Crossed My Mind… Seriously!

To prepare for next week I went to the grocery store on Thursday night, armed with my shopping list of food.  The directions were clear – pick up a number of non-perishable food items according to their list, and then spend $8 on anything else you wanted for the week.

For those that missed the last entry, here is the list:

Shopping List

·              1 – 1lb bag of pasta of your choice

·              2 cans of beans (Choice of chick peas, pork and beans, kidney beans or lentils)  540 ml each

·              2 cans of soup (Usually tomato, mushroom or chicken noodle) 284 ml each

·              1 box of macaroni & cheese

·              1 package of rice (Uncle Ben’s/No Name)

·              1 can of spaghetti sauce

·              1 can of vegetables 398 ml

·              1 can of meat (175 g)

·              1 Speciality item:  Box of cereal; jar of peanut butter; jar of jam; pancake mix

·              $8. – Your choice (Must be spent in a grocery store, not a restaurant)

 Getting items on the list was simple enough – it’s the $8 that really got me.  It took me an hour to figure out what I’d spend those precious $8 on!  The intent of this is to raise awareness, and I can tell you that my eyes are wide open. 

Here are some questions and thoughts that ran through my head as I meandered through the store:

* NUTRIENT ISSUES: One can of veggies?  Should I spend the $8 on a multivitamin?  What veggies are the cheapest?  What veggie has the high nutrient density?  Where will I get the most bang for my buck?  What’s on sale today?  Where am I going to get the Essential Fatty Acids from? 

* BLOOD SUGAR and CRAVINGS: What about fruit?  Can I afford bananas?  What about a few apples? Maybe some spinach to stabilize the blood sugar and minimize the stress on the hormone insulin = less cravings???  With so many carns (pasta and rice) to act as fillers, my insulin receptors are going to get a crazy workout – can you spell INSULIN RESISTANCE (which by the way leads to chronic inflammation, cellular decay and early aging)!

* PROTEIN: One can of Salmon – that’s all 175 g represents!  And the beans have protein as well, but that’s all?  I need to shop for nuts in bulk – that’s when it happened… I’m loading a bag with almonds and I realize that if I simply write another bin number on the little white tag… I could save a precious dollar or two!  Wow.  That line of thinking has never even crossed my mind – I wonder if those on this program struggle with that consistently… another eye opener!  (BTW I didn’t, but I’m not so sure that faced with the same question week after week that it would be so easy to do…who knows)              

Here’s one thing I am certain of – the diet provided through the food bank is NOT ENOUGH TO SUSTAIN HEALTH!  It provides SUSTENANCE, not SUFFICIENCY!  There is a huge difference between the two!  Yes, I am clear that sustenance is critically important, but we’ve been asked to share all of our thoughts, and I can’t help but look at the fact that the basic needs of a body for THRIVAL are not being met, just the needs for SURVIVAL.

Here’s my plan for bulking and protein: Almond Yogurt!  I’ve made almond yogurt often, and it is a great way to spread your money a lot further.

Making Almond Yogurt – a great base for shakes or simple consumption

First of all buy a bag of RAW ALMONDS from the bulk section – mine cost $2.68.   Pour them into a container and soak them overnight in water in the fridge.  Why?  This will soften the nuts and extract the ENZYME INHIBITORS.  This turns almonds into what I call a ‘pre-digested’ state.

(Remember, if a food has live enzymes in it you can digest it more easily – so removing the inhibitors from an almond make it easier for you to extract the goodness inside and it’s easier on your belly!)

Now drain the almonds (you won’t believe how much colour there is in the water!!!).  Rinse the almonds.  Put the almonds into a blender with an equal amount of water (ex one cup almonds to one cup water – roughly)     If you do have any plain yogurt add a spoonful to help the bacterial-growth in your yogurt – acts as a wonderful and CHEAP probiotic! 

Blend your almonds and water into a consistency that pours like yogurt.  Should not be watery so add more almonds if too watery, or more water if too thick.  Pour this into a flat pan so that your yogurt is spread out – cover and sit on the counter for 24 hours. 

Since the almonds are now in a pre-digested almost sprouting form, they start to grow bacteria – this is GOOD! (but it does decrease the shelf life of your almonds from 6-12 months to one week (ie. It’s more ALIVE!!!)

Voila – you have a protein base that would last a week, is filling, has simple ingredients, is cheap, and is easy on the belly.  I know this recipe will really help this week!

I look forward to next week!  And I know that the CCS has pointed out that this is an awareness campaign and not a fundraising one – but I don’t always listen that well.  We are accepting food and monetary donations at my office all week – Inside Out Family Chiropractic, 27 King St E downtown Bolton.

Blessings, Dr R