Sunday November 25, 2001
Tips on Finding a Therapist
I have spoken to a few of you and I have found that, though possibly against their wishes, some are forced to seak therapy. I have also heard, and experienced firsthand, the horrors of settling with the wrong therapist. Every person is different and so is their choice in therapsits. Here are a few simple things to think of when looking for one. To begin with, does the therapist have experience with eating disorders and if you go in for issues aside from your e.d. (depression, self injury, etc.) you should make sure they have dealt with those as well outside graduate school. If the therapist is lacking in one or more of these aspects, I suggest looking elsewhere to ensure your treatment isn't compromised by inexperience on their part. When treating the patient, they must treat ALL the patient. Secondly, make sure you're comfortable talking to them almost from day one. If they have to grow on you then you might be in for some disappoinments and setbacks down the road. Specifically, if you are not looking to give up your e.d. just yet, find out their stand on things. Some therapists won't treat you unless you are dedicated to recovery now. Finally, it is a huge advantage if your ages aren't more than twenty years apart. Of course there are limitations to that statement and some have different preferences but it may be difficult to disclose issues if you're currenly in high school and your therpaist graduated high school in the 60's, unless that's more comfortable for you.
Site Suggestions
This issue's suggested site: Vitalita Culinary Group - Culinary Consuting in Vegan CookingThis site includes a free book full of vegan recipies as well as nutritional and other useful information. The book is free for download as a pdf file (Adobe Acrobat, link provided for download if needed) or several other file types including .txt
Okra brownies? Tofu Fudge?
What if you could eat your favorite foods minus the fat? What if you could even benefit from it? A dietitian from Philadelphia found that the oil released from boiling okra could be used in cooking to replace the butter and eggs in brownies. Though taste testing didn't always produce ideal results, they were considered edible. In another experiment, a Professor at Idaho State, asked testers to try fudge in which the fat was replaced by pureed tofu. Again, the tofu fudge was rated "acceptable" by three-quarters of participants. Tofu fudge has other advantages on top of fat content. As many of you know, tofu provides a good source of calcium, protein, and other soy-related benefits. The third study conducted by nutritional physiologist Leeanne Sticker, involved replacing sour cream with vegetable oil in coffee cake. Sour cream of course could then be replaced with fat free sour cream, obviously with different and possibly less tasteful results, though noting that the sour cream replacement was a bigger success than that of the tofu fudge and okra brownies. Different varieties were tried in these studies though ultimately, you must experiment yourself to find which variation is best. Though this study is stil considered a "work in progress" if you like experimenting with your cooking, you might start thinking about where you can find okra. Other substitutions were tried such as applesauce for butter or shortening in cakes, egg whites and skim milk for their fatty counterparts. Please see the site below for exact specifications.The complete article can be found on MSNBC: Okra brownies? Tofu fudge? by Jacqueline Stenson
Visual Inspiration
