Nisan 2026/5786 Whole Food, Plant-Based Dietary Upgrade

Friday. 8:32 PM EDT Albany, New York. 

1 Iyar, 5786 AM.

Sun 28 degrees 00 minutes Aries.

Mars-Saturn-Mercury Conjunction this Fri-Mon ~7-8 degrees Aries.

Jonathan writes:

About an hour ago, we crossed into the Sabbath and Rosh Chodesh Iyar here in Albany.

Nisan 2026/5786 has involved some powerful "seed-planting" for me in the nutritional sphere. Perhaps Nisan, Aries and the Spring in general are always a good time of year for beginning a clean dietary transition. Perhaps this is just a uniquely convergent Nisan in my life course. Here are the key "seeds" I "planted" this month:

• On 26 March, after fifteen years of delay, I finally resolved to earn a Cornell Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate and inquired about a scholarship for the needy
• On 30 March, I decided to start sprouting and ordered my first round of supplies (2 widemouthed 32 oz jars with stainless steel screens and an accompanying drainage rack)
• On 3 April, after fifteen years of delay, I decided to go oil-free and ordered a Vitamix Explorian E310 blender to make sauces and dressings
• On 9 April, I had enough data to validate ordering a second sprouting kit (2 more widemouthed 32 oz jars with stainless steel screens and an accompanying drainage rack) 
• On 10 April, I discovered the Richard Schwartz Aries synchronicity and ordered three of Richard's books
• On 17 April, I confirmed the unique benefits of ground flax seed in my diet, and ordered a small electric grinder exclusively for preparing small quantities of this lignan-rich food every 3-4 days
• On 17 April, I ordered a 3-quart stainless steel saucepan with lid and steamer as my primary tool for stovetop preparation of soups, quinoa, and vegetables, as well as a two-tiered, 6-inch bamboo steamer with silicon mesh inserts for flash-steaming of sprouts and delicate veggies
• On 17 April, I ordered an Uba portion control plate and a pair of weighted dining utensils for mindful eating    

I probably can't afford the Cornell PBN Certificate and my new kitchen equipment in the same year without a scholarship, so we'll have to see what I decide to do if I don't get selected this time around.

Now let's take a complete inventory of my current food supply.

1. Pantry

During this pivotal Nisan "seed-planting" period, I phased out the heavily processed vegan convenience foods that had become my go-to comfort staples, and replaced them with a variety of new pantry foods:

• Broccoli Seeds (for Salad Sprouts)
• Oats, Barley and Buckwheat (for Grain Sprouts)
• Brown Lentils (for Legume Sprouts)
• Split Red Lentils (for Cooking Legume)
• Quinoa (for Cooking Grain)
• Amaranth (for Cooking Grain)
• Unhulled Sesame Seeds (for Dressing Base)
• Chia Seeds (for Dressing Emulsifier)
• Pistachio Nutmeats (for Dressing Base)
• Cashews (for Dressing Base)
• Sunflower Seeds (for Dressing Base)
• Pumpkin Seeds (for Dressing Base)
• Walnuts (for Dressing Base)
• Hemp Hearts (for Dressing Base)
• Flax Seeds (for Grinding, Emulsifier)
• Canned Chickpeas (for Dressing Base & Aqua Faba Emulsifier)
• Canned Cannellini Beans (for Dressing Base & Aqua Faba Emulsifier)
• Ceylon Cinnamon, Dried Oregano, Crushed Red Pepper Flakes, Onion Powder, Ground Turmeric, Smoked Paprika, Ground Sage, Ground Cumin, Black Pepper, Pumpkin Spice (for Dressing Flavors)
• Coconut Aminos (for Dressing Umami)
• Dried Shiitake Powder (for Dressing Umami)
• Sun-Dried Tomatoes (for Dressing Umami)
• Balsamic, Sherry, Champagne and Red Wine Vinegars (for Dressing Brightness)
• Medjool Dates (for Dressing Balance)
• Nutritional Yeast (for Dressing Umami)
• Assorted Herbal Teas

There are currently three key "question marks" in my active pantry:

• Morton Iodized Lite-Salt (2/3 container)
• Chili-Lime Salt Seasoning (1/3 jar)
• Stevia Powder (1 cup)

At this point, I am not looking to completely eliminate added salt from my diet but rather to keep it under 500 mg per day. The stevia powder is more perplexing. I will try soaking a medjool date in water to see if that works well enough for the dressings I want to sweeten, but I am keeping the stevia on hand for further experimentation.  

Finally, there are some transitional foods in my pantry that I need to use, give away, or toss. I am not sure what will happen to them as I move forward, but here is a possible plan:

• Lemon Powder (1 cup) [Maybe Use Up this Summer]
• Organic Pea Protein Powder (1/4 tub) [Use Up]
• Peanut Butter Powder (1/3 tub) [Use Up]
• Garden of Eden Raw Organic Meal Chocolate Protein Powder (1 tub) [Use Up, Maybe with Creatine Experiment]
• Amazing Grass Greens Blend (1/2 tub) [Use Up, Maybe with Creatine Experiment]
• Canned Goods: Lentils, Vegan Chili, Black Beans, Pinto Beans, Spinach, and Pumpkin Puree (~14 cans) [Use Up]
• Pre-Cooked Organic Brown Rice (7 packets) [Use Up]
• Pre-Cooked Indian Dahl (2 packets) [Use Up]
• Marinara Sauce (2 jars) [Give Away]
• Morton Iodized Salt (1 container) [Give Away]
• Tahini (1.5 cups) [Use Up]
• EVOO (1 cup) [Save to burn in Sabbath lamp]
• Creatine Monohydrate (1 container) [Save for a Future Nutritional Experiment]

2. Dry Larder

This section of my kitchen is very basic. This is what I currently have on hand:

• Organic Garlic Heads (for Dressing Flavor)
• Organic Ginger Root (for Dressing Flavor)
• Avocadoes (for Lunch Salad)
• Mango (for Breakfast Fruit and Dressing Balance)
• Bananas (for Breakfast Fruit and Dressing Balance)
• Sumo Orange (for Seasonal Breakfast Treat)

It looks like I need to separate the bananas, avocadoes and mango from the garlic, ginger and future potato purchases, and I should probably get some breathable cloth sacks to keep the light away from the latter items.

3. Freezer

This is what I currently have in my freezer:

• Blueberries (for Breakfast Fruit and Dressing Balance)
• Raspberries (for Breakfast Fruit and Dressing Balance)
• Cubed Mango (for Breakfast Fruit and Dressing Balance)
• Cubed Butternut Squash (for Steamed Vegetable)
• Corn (for Carbohydrate)
• Shelled Edamame (for Cooked Protein)
• Kale (for Steamed Vegetable)

I need to give more thought to spring freezer staples. 

4. Refrigerator

Last but not least, here is what I currently have in my refrigerator (apart from leftovers):

• Filtered Water (for Drinking - not for Cooking or Sprouting)
• Tofu (for Cooked Protein)
• Apple Cider Vinegar (for Dressing Brightness)
• Dijon Mustard (for Dressing Emulsifier and Flavor)
• Limes and Lemons (for Dressing Brightness)
• Mandarins (for Dressing Balance)
• White Miso (for Dressing Umami)
• Fresh Parsley, Basil, Mint, Thyme and Cilantro (for Dressing Flavor)
• Red Pepper (for Lunch Salad)
• Salad Greens (for Lunch Salad)
• Baby Carrots (for Steamed Vegetables)
• Broccoli Crowns (for Steamed Vegetables)
• Apples (for Breakfast Fruit and Dressing Balance)

Following a powerful Nisan nutritional upgrade, that's everything I have on hand (or in the pipeline from Amazon) as of Rosh Chodesh Iyar 2026/5786.

First Barley Harvest

Now let me close this entry by mentioning what I had for dinner tonight. I put steamed carrots and broccoli in half of a 10-inch bowl. In the other half, I put 3-4 ounces of tofu, some lentil sprouts, and my first crop of barley sprouts. Then I drizzled chickpea-cashew-lemon dressing over everything and topped it off with a dash of Morton Lite-Salt. It was very satisfying.

Honestly, I am a little nervous. I've made a major investment this Nisan in WFPB equipment and staples. What happens if my body doesn't agree with some of these foods? What happens if this is an unsustainable fad? What happens when my bipolar schizoaffective symptoms or medication side effects get the better of me and I don't feel like preparing healthy food? 

But mostly I am happy to be starting this next leg of my nutritional journey.