People who are new to Fasting often pose the questions: “Can I really eat ‘anything I want’ on a Slow Day?” and “What should I eat on Slow Days?” To answer those questions, I have decided to add some blog posts to show some of the foods we eat on what the world calls NFDs [non-fast days] but which, in our house, we call ‘Slow Days.’ This feature will appear sporadically. 

Now for the answers. Can you really eat ANYTHING you want on a Slow Day? Not really. If you eat too many calories every Slow Day, you will not lose weight. There are many comments on the Fast Diet Forum which attest to that. Once in a while you can splurge, as long as it isn’t everyday. For what to eat on Slow Days, Dr. Mosley recommends a Mediterranean Diet. As for how we eat, an example follows.

In Summertime, we eat mussels. “Rope-grown mussels” are a big industry where we vacation in PEI, Canada, and we take full advantage of them. Years ago, when we first started going to the local mussel processing plant to buy them, they sold for 50 cents/pound. Even though they are $2/pound now, they are worth it. One of our favorite ways to prepare them is a recipe from A Well-Seasoned Appetite by Molly O’Neil. You can prepare these with fresh mussels in their shells, or use cooked mussel meat that has been removed from the shells. We prefer the latter, and find it to be a good way to use left-over mussels from a previous feed. Very quick, very easy, very good.

Serves 3
1 T. olive oil ½ c water ½ c white wine 4 cloves garlic, minced	Add to a stock pot, bring to a strong simmer.
32 mussels in shells	Add mussels to pot and cook until all shells are wide open. Remove from shells or not, according to preference. Strain liquid and save.
1-2 Tbsp whole wheat flour  3 Tbsp water	Stir these into a paste, and whisk into strained pot liquor. Reduce cooking liquid to 1 cup.
6 Tbsp cream pepper to taste	Add to reduced stock and warm over low heat until thickened. Add mussels to warm them.
2 oz whole-grain pasta/serving 1 Tbsp chopped parsley/serving	Plate pasta, pour mussels-cream sauce over pasta. Garnish with parsley. Serve with a crisp side salad.