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So...I've started experimenting with a few different recipes as well as the weight loss tea and cure-all tea. I've noticied quite a bit of water retention, especially in my face (mostly around my eyes) and I just wonder if thats to do with the shoyu or even the umeboshi plums? I've never been a salt person at all, so i wonder if all the sodium could be making me puffy. Also, I've usually tried staying away from carbs of any kind in grain form because when i eat it, even in good for you whole grain form, I crave it like mad! And now, having reintroduced them to my diet, I want to eat them all the time! :( Any suggestions? Words of wisdom? Anything???
Mary, if you are consuming lots of shoyu and plums it could cause bloating, but more likely it is the sudden introduction of grains when you have been off of it for a long time. It should go away on it's own once your body adjusts. Just allow yourself only whole grain, and in moderation.
Alicia's advice in the book is good, no more than half of your plate should be whole grain. Usually i try to stick closer to 1/3 grain, 2/3 greens because i want to lose weight, too.
(i am by no means an expert...)
Mary, are you eating any store boughtseitan or vegan cheeses? Those tend to be very high in sodium, the same goes with canned beans. If you can, go buy a pressure cooker and make your beans at home, if that's not practically then wash the canned beans 2 or three times in a colander before cooking with them.
As a recovered carb addict, I can only tell you what works for me. The first thing is that I rarely eat regular brown rice, I usually substitute barley, millet or basmati rice in a recipe. I don't know why but it seems to fill me up better. I also always include a protein, from what I've read protein suppresses the appetite and signals the body that you're full faster than just complex carbs(rice). I don't use a lot just 1/4-1/2 cup of beans (if the recipe doesn't call them) or a little tempeh.
I hope that helps :)
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