The post Whole Harvest Meal Delivery appeared first on Cyd Notter.
]]>I’ll let you in on a little secret: There are just some days when I am NOT in the mood to cook. Typically I’m a batch cooker, spending 3+ hours in the kitchen to prepare lots of meals at once. However, that doesn’t suit my schedule lately, so I’m back to cooking every other day or so, usually first thing in the morning.
I recently learned about a “whole food plant based, no-added-oil” meal delivery service called Whole Harvest, and because I had a $30 off coupon, I decided to give them a try.
But first I spoke to the company and discovered that not only is Whole Harvest working with hundreds of physicians who recommend plant-based diets to their patients, but they’ve also partnered with the likes of many pioneers in the plant-based world, including Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, Dr. Dean Ornish, and the folks at Forks Over Knives.
There are many great options at Whole Harvest! Many meals are gluten free, and some are SOS-free (no salt, oil, or refined sugar). Due to the seasonal availability of certain foods, their menu items do change from time to time – which is nice!
The minimum order is 8 meals, but I ordered these ten:
* No subscription is required (although a subscription does save money if you plan to order regularly)
* The meals last in the fridge for 7-14 days, depending on the entree. Most of them can be frozen
* The meals arrive in a chilled box (not frozen), and all packaging materials are recyclable
* All meals are fresh and chef-prepared
* Products have a 5-star rating system, so you can see how others have rated them
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]]>The post What’s in that Red Velvet Cake? I think you’ll be be surprised. appeared first on Cyd Notter.
]]>I visited our local mall last week for the first time in ages in order to purchase someone’s favorite lotion as a birthday gift. It was a Wednesday afternoon, and I was surprised by how few people were there.
Many of the free-standing kiosks were unoccupied, but one coffee shop, staffed by a distracted teenage girl reading her phone, was open. I was about to order a cup of decaf when I happened to notice the single-serving cakes being offered in the adjoining bakery case.
Containers of Red Velvet Cake and Carrot Cake were on display, just begging me to share a few label reading tips.
It might be difficult to read the fine print, but here are the basics.
Calories: 1080. Wowza. On a 2,000 calories-per-day eating plan, you’ve just consumed over half with this one treat/cheat.
Total Fat: 66 grams. The daily recommended amount is 20 grams, making this cake over 3x the recommended amount for the day.
Percentage of Fat: 55% of the calories in this cake are coming from fat. That’s really high! We’re aiming for 15% on a daily basis.
Saturated Fat: 28 grams. Of that 66 grams of total fat, 28 grams are saturated fat – the type that raises cholesterol, contributes to plaque buildup, and sets the stage for diabetes, dementia, and all sorts of artery-clogging ailments.
Trans Fats: 1.5 grams. This would be the hydrogenated oils listed in the ingredients list, which our own government has said there is NO safe amount. And yet here it is. Hydrogenated oils are liquid oils that have been turned into solids (shortening).
Cholesterol: 215 mg. Raises blood cholesterol and combines with saturated fat to form plaques (see above).
Sugar: 85 grams. That equates to over 21 teaspoons of sugar, all in the form of refined sugars – one of the most inflammatory foods.
Sodium: 760 mg. Again, very high! Our goal should be around 1500 mg per day, and we get about 500 mg naturally through plant foods alone. When we add in the sodium found in meats, processed meats, cheese, dairy products, and processed foods such as this cake, we’re headed for trouble.
Fiber: 2 grams. A mere 2 grams of health-promoting fiber. That’s because fiber, which makes us feel full, is only found in plant foods. This cake will not fill you up, by any means! We should aim for 50 grams of fiber each day (easy to do when eating plants).
Keeping in mind that ingredients are listed in order by weight, the first 3 ingredients in this cake are:
In addition to oils and hydrogenated oils, we have high fructose corn syrup, eggs, refined wheat flour, milk, red food dye, cocoa butter, additives, preservatives, and artificial flavorings.
Every one of these ingredients contributes to inflammation!
This high-fat, high-sugar, highly processed junk food definitely needs to stay in the bakery case.
I share this not to discourage or shame anyone, but merely to motivate everyone to choose wisely!
As a nutrition educator, my goal is to inform you about about what you’re ingesting into your body. How else can you make informed decisions if you’re not familiar with what’s in a product, including the Red Velvet Cake at the mall kiosk?
I encourage you to check out my class titled “Inflammation and Your Diet” for more details about the topic. The course does include some label reading tips as well. You’ll get 50% off the class by using the coupon code TakeOff50 at the checkout.
There are plenty of delicious, healthy cake recipes on line. Easy recipes that will satisfy your sweet tooth while not destroying your precious health. Websites I recommend include:
https://eatplant-based.com
https://shaneandsimple.com
https://annarborvegankitchen.com
https://straightupfood.com
I’d love to partner with you to help achieve your weight and health goals. Watch this free webinar, then schedule a complimentary call. No sales pitch, I promise!
Free webinar: 3 Food Mistakes that Lead to Painful Joints, Extra Pounds, and Health Problems the Doctors Aren’t Solving
Signed copies of The “Plan A” Diet: click HERE
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]]>The post The End of Overeating – by David A. Kessler, M.D. appeared first on Cyd Notter.
]]>Have you ever felt like you’re under the spell of food, or you just can’t seem to stop eating?
I just started reading a book titled The End of Overating: Taking Control of the Unsatiable American Appetite by David A. Kessler, M.D.
Kessler is a former FDA commissioner who led the battle against the tobacco industry. He’s now exposing how the food industry has hijacked the brains of millions of Americans, resulting in our #1 public health issue.
Dr. Kessler states that continued hypereating is a biological challenge, not a character flaw. And it all has to do with our three biggest food addictors – salt, sugar, and fat. Especially when they’re combined and consumed as a trio.
These ‘palatable’ foods – all of which stimulate the appetite – are familiar territory for many of us because of Michael Moss’ best selling book titled Salt, Sugar and Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us.
I’ve only read the first four chapters of Dr. Kessler’s book and I’m not sure where the book is headed as far as solutions go…so this isn’t necessarily a book endorsement. But I was struck by the information he shared about restaurant food – where Americans spend 50% of today’s food dollars.
An insider food consultant described how countless new foods have been introduced in restaurants, most of which hit all the three compass points. Sugar, fat, and salt are either loaded onto a core ingredient (such as meat, a vegetable, a potato, or bread), or layered on top of it, or both.
Examples provided in the book by the insider food consultant who wished to remain anonymous:
Potato skins: A potato is hollowed out, the skin (which is a substantial surface area for “fat pickup”) is fried. Then some combination of bacon bits, sour cream, and cheese is added. The result is fat, on fat, on fat, on fat, much of which is loaded with salt.
Buffalo Wings – start with the fatty part of a chicken, which gets deep fried. Served with creamy or sweet dipping sauce that’s heavily salted. Usually buffalo wings are pre-fried at a production plant, then fried again at the restaurant. So you have sugar on salt on fat on fat.
Spinach Dip – the spinach is there to provide color and a bit of appeal. Dairy is the main ingredient, combined with high fat and high salt.
Chicken Tenders are so loaded with batter and fat that insiders joke about them being “UFO’s: Unidentified Fried Objects.” Salt and sugar are loaded into the fat.
White Chocolate Mocha Frappaccino at Starbucks: Coffee diluted with a mix of sugar, fat, and salt. With optional whipped cream.
Bloomin’ Onions at Outback: Fried in batter and topped with sauce, for a combination of salt on sugar on fat.
Salads have become a vehicle for eating fat. Creamy based ranch dressing and flavored with cheese chunks, bacon bits, and oily croutons.
Tex Mex Eggrolls: Spicy chicken, corn, black beans, peppers, onions, and melted cheese; served with avocado cream and salsa. The avocado alone is high fat, and that’s before any mayonnaise or heavy cream is loaded in. A fried outer layer wraps fat around salt and more fat.
Roadside Sliders: Bite-sized burgers on mini-buns, which suggests a cute little hamburger. But, the food consultant said, there’s salt and fat mixed in the meat, and sugar and salt in the caramelized onions and ketchup. This dish is fat surrounded by layers of sugar on salt on sugar on salt.
Chicken Pot Stickers: Oriental dumplings pan-fried, served with soy dipping sauce. Frying the pot stickers replaces the water in the wrapper with fat. The layer of meat inside is loaded with salt, while the outside layer of sauce is rich with sugar and salt.
Buffalo Blasts: Chicken Breast, cheese, and spicy buffalo sauce all stuffed in a spiced wrapper and fried until crisp; served with celery sticks and bleu cheese dressing. The food consultant just laughed; that’s fat, sugar and salt. The chicken breast allows people to suspend their guilt because it suggests it’s a low-fat dish, and the celery sticks hint at something healthy. But the cheese layer is 50% fat and carries a load of salt, and the buffalo sauce adds a layer of sugar and salt. The dough wrapper is fried and so absorbant that it he called it a “fat bomb.”
Just as chicken becomes the carrier for fat in the Buffalo Blasts, pizza crust can be a carrier for sugar and salt. Caesar salads are built as an excuse to carry fat and salt. French fries are ‘double fried,’ first at the manufacturing plant and then at the restaurant. Burgers are layered with bacon and cheese. Cheese is added to spinach, batter added to fish before frying it, and Mexican food slathered with cheese.
Each one of these foods “becomes more compelling; more hedonic,” said the consultant. He referred to the food industry as “the manipulator of the consumers’ minds and desires.”
(My Note: The same principles apply to the processed foods that line our store shelves and freezer cases!)
Dr. Kessler points out in the book’s Introduction that there’s no shortage of people who lack control in the face of highly palatable food. Food has the power to fixate and control people because we’ve been conditioned by cues that focus our attention, promote anticipation, and build desire.
He points out that the food industry has been remarkably successful at designing foods to capture people. Food manufacturers, food designers, and restaurant owners may not fully understand the science behind the appeal of their foods, but they DO know that sugar, fat, and salt SELL. As surely as if wearing a bull’s-eye on our chests, we are the industry’s targets.
*********************************************************************************************************
So take comfort my friends….overeating and being overweight may not be your fault! Perhaps you’ve fallen prey to the Salt, Sugar, and Fat trap that plagues the majority of Americans, most often without their knowledge.
But now you know better.
Take action to free yourself from the grip! As mentioned above, I’m not sure what the book prescribes, but I do know that there’s a way out. If you’d like to have a complimentary coaching session, please watch my webinar and then schedule a call. I’d be delighted to talk things over and create s plan, or at least a starting point!
Restaurants don’t HAVE to be totally off limits…but their main offerings sure do.
And beware, because even vegan foods at a restaurant can be loaded with salt, sugar, and fat.
Check out my video on How to Eat Out.
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]]>The post Take-aways from the NHA Conference – June 2023 appeared first on Cyd Notter.
]]>In June 2023, The National Health Association (NHA) held their 75th Anniversary Conference in Ohio and I’m so glad I attended! Four days of education, cooking demos, buffets filled with compliant food, hiking, and getting to meet several on-line friends in person!
The line-up of doctors was amazing, including Drs. T. Colin Campbell, Frank Sabatino, Stephan Esser, Kim Williams, Joel Fuhrman, and Allan Goldhammer; each delivered excellent presentations. Cooking Demos were also provided by Brittany Jaroudi, Tami and Tom Kramer, and the folks at Vitamix.
Today I’ll share a few take-aways from Dr. Stephan Esser’s talk regarding health at a cellular level, and how our cellular function impacts the seven INPUTS of health: sleep, emotional poise, water, food, exercise, sunlight, and toxins.
Dr. Esser talked a lot about cellular regeneration, which is the body’s natural process of replacing or restoring damaged cells and tissues. Our bodies contain 40 TRILLION cells, and each cell goes through a cycle of life (spring, summer, winter, and fall). Four million cells turn over every second! Many die while others come to the front.
Each day, 1% of your body regenerates. Imagine that! Which, according to Dr. Esser, means there’s no such thing as a cheat day. You either feed your tissues with things that will restore and regenerate, or you feed your tissues with things that compromise and inflame them.
Many of us get caught up in thinking that something formulated in a laboratory or available in a bottle is what leads to regeneration of cells. But the REAL heart of regeneration is occurring every microsecond in our bodies. Remember, 4 million cells turn over every single second.
SLEEP – is required for survival and optimal function. Impaired sleep can lead to a 500% increase in cell death, while sleep loss contributes to cell damage and increases the risk of depression, anxiety, and inflammatory diseases. Get 6-10 hours each night, and optimize your environment (mattress, lighting, temperature).
Develop pre-sleep patterns about an hour before bed – no blue lights, take a shower, plan out your steps. Eat smaller quantities at night, you don’t want your body to just ‘digest’ – but to heal and regenerate cells.
WATER – Did you know that 60% of your body is water? Nutrients, blood cells, and stem cells travel in channels of water in the blood stream. Water aids digestion and alkalizes your body. However, there is no good data to suggest that alkaline water is helpful.
FOOD – greatly influences cellular regeneration. We should stop thinking about food as “calories in / calories out” and instead consider that food is “information at the cellular level.” Food alters your cellular activity, and can stimulate cell regeneration which facilitates the healing process. Look at your food and ask “is this facilitating my health?”
Eat big salads before going to less nutrient dense, calorie rich foods. Maximize fruits, and make sure there’s enough COLOR on your plate. Eat a variety of foods, because the more you diversify your pallette, the more you optimize your gut microbiome. Every 30-90 days, try some new fruits or veggies you haven’t tried. And use spices on a daily basis, which are powerful. Also make sure you’re consuming your caloric needs.
Every sip, bite, and swallow has the ability to alter your cell function, cell replication, longevity, and performance. So what will you choose to consume? Fasting is another activity that promotes cell regeneration and slows cellular aging.
EXERCISE – reverses cellular aging, reverses age-related muscle loss, prevents stem cell aging, improves lean muscle mass, accelerates healing and improves blood flow, slows cognitive impairment, and more. Are you exercising the way you need to? Compared to drugs, we know that exercise is “as or more” powerful than most of the common medications used to treat common diseases. Shoot for 150 minutes of cardio each week, plus resistance exercise 3x/week, and flexibility/balance 3x/week.
SUNLIGHT – Reduces depression and anxiety, reduces blood pressure and the risk for cardiovascular disease and autoimmune disease. Sunlight enhances melatonin production, improves sleep, and of course increases our vitamin D production and activation. Get 15-40 minutes each day on the arms, legs, chest, and back, when the sun is greater than 45 degrees above the horizon. Avoid prolonged exposure which could injure your skin.
EMOTIONAL POISE – The state of worry and mental tensions that we experience, whether real or perceived, alters our cellular activity, recovery, and performance. On a scale of 1-10, where is your stress level? Is food or your escape? Netflix? Your computer? Develop 5 healthy coping strategies (exercise, prayer, hobbies, music, nature, baths, etc.) – and according to Dr. Esser, it cannot be Nutella.
TOXINS – Avoid them, remove them! Buy organic produce as much as possible; cook at lower heat and don’t char your veggies; beware of toxins in your water, soaps, shampoos, deodorants (especially those with aluminum), laundry soaps, makeup, sunscreen.
Avoid all of those toxins, including ALCOHOL. Even one glass a day increases the likelihood of volume loss of your brain over time. It also leads to an increased risk of dementia, a 15-20% increase risk of breast cancer, and increases the risk of esophageal cancer, gastric cancer, colon cancer, and more.
Do not overlook the basic elements of health. Don’t look past the capacity of your body to facilitate regeneration at the cellular level when we give it the appropriate input. What we do matters! The choices you make throughout the day will be the biggest predictors of your health for the days and years to come.
Thank you, Dr. Esser, for the informative presentation and these great reminders! It once again shows that we have more control over our health than we may have every imagined! That’s great news!
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]]>The post Oil-Free Tortilla Chips appeared first on Cyd Notter.
]]>It can be challenging to find oil-free tortilla chips on the market. Sometimes even the “baked” varieties contain unwanted ingredients. But here’s a solution which is easy, cheaper, and it my opinion, much tastier!
Serve the chips with your favorite plant-based nacho sauce or salsa. Or use the whole tortilla shells as the base for tacos, fajitas, or whatever you fancy.
Bon Appetit!
Sprinkle with Low Sodium Salt or Favorite Spice. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes, until crispy.
Please sign up for my monthly newsletter and receive a free copy of “10 Simple Dessert Smoothies!”
Get more delicious recipes in my book, The “Plan A” Diet: Combining Whole Food, Plant Based Nutrition with the Timeless Wisdom of Scripture.
Take my free class – 3 Food Mistakes that Lead to Painful Joints, Excess Weight, and Health Problems the Doctors Aren’t Solving.
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]]>The post Is it possible to change others? appeared first on Cyd Notter.
]]>When we see permanent weight loss, we decrease or eliminate our meds, and we just feel 100% better each and every day, why wouldn’t we want to share that great news when the people around us aren’t doing the same?
Sharing our success stories with others is one thing, but actually inspiring them to make changes themselves can be challenging and frustrating, especially with our family members. If we’re not careful in our approach, others might feel as though we’re imposing our will on them, and they in turn, can become defensive.
I love this quote attributed to Dale Carnegie:
“A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.”
In other words, he’s not convinced at all; therefore, no long-lasting change is going to take place.
If you care about people around you who are eating poorly, not taking care of themselves, or not reaching their potential, Howie Jacobson has some good advice.
I listened in as Rip Esselstyn interviewed Howie about his book “You Can Change Other People.” Howie laid out the following four steps, and I’ll share a few of my notes with you.
The critic gives the message “I know more than you” instead of “I’m here to help you, if you want my help.” Howie suggests we wait for silver platter opportunities (such as when someone complains). In a nutshell, we should begin by empathizing with that complaint, expressing some type of confidence in the person, and then ask for their permission to talk it through together. Here’s the kicker, we have to be willing for them to say NO.
Wait! Don’t jump right into the problem. Ask the person what they’d like to happen, and what would be a good outcome for them? What would their life look like? Doing so allows us to better understand their motives. LISTEN and ask questions. Set goals around what their life would look like NOW, not somewhere off in the distant future.
There are different types of opportunities (listen to the interview for Howie’s explanation). Find the hidden opportunity, and come face to face with any “limiting beliefs” the person might have about themselves. A very common one is “I’ve been on diets before and I fail, I can’t stick to it.”
Howie states that the difference between insight and action is having a PLAN. So let’s make it real. Structure a plan, and ask what they’d like to commit to. Here’s an example: every time I have the urge to ‘eat’ my loneliness away, I’m now going to (call someone, read, walk, etc). Ask not only WHAT the plan will be, but WHEN it’s going to begin.
Follow up by asking how confident they are that they’ll follow through with this new plan. You want them to say 10, but if they say 6 or 7, ask what’s getting in their way. The important thing is that they’re making SOME steps toward the goal. Talk about follow-through, not success. Whatever the plan is, no matter how small, they must commit to it.
Howie ends by saying the KEY POINT of the book is that we need each other. These four steps invite other people into relationships. The truth is that change is hard. But community is important, and a tool for people to work together.
Listen to Howie’s interview HERE.
Learn more about Howie’s book HERE.
Plans fall apart without proper advice;
but with the right guidance, they come together nicely.
(Proverbs 15:22, VOICE)
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]]>The post Truly Hungry? or Just Craving? appeared first on Cyd Notter.
]]>But finding yourself in the pantry or at the drive-up window might have more to do with your mood than your actual need for food.
It could be that you’re using food to deal with stress, boredom, anger, loneliness, or a host of other emotions. Or you may be struggling with a food addiction. In either case, indulging in such cravings usually means seeking out foods which are high in calories and fat.
So how can you tell if you’re experiencing a craving, or if you’re truly hungry and need to eat?
Hunger usually occurs when you haven’t eaten for several hours. Your body will send one of several signals when your stomach is getting empty, anything from growling/gurgling belly sounds to headaches or feeling light-headed.
Hunger is the body’s way of telling you that you need fuel, and hunger doesn’t pass with time. When you feel true hunger, you’ll most likely seek out nutritious foods (not candy or cake).
Cravings, on the other hand, can masquerade as hunger. They push you to eat particular comfort foods—chocolate, sweets, fatty foods—even though your body doesn’t need more fuel.
Satisfying these cravings can feel good at first, but often leads to feelings of guilt. Cravings may be even stronger when you’re “dieting” or giving up your favorite foods.
The good news is that cravings do pass with time when you resist them. Distract yourself when craving the wrong foods by engaging in some activity.
Another option might be to fulfill that craving with a small amount of something healthy. For example if you’re craving sweets, how about a handful of grapes or a few slices of mango?
Below is a picture of the Hunger and Fullness Scale, which describes just that: varying degrees of hunger and fullness. It’s a tool that can help us identify how hungry or full we are.
Level 5 is neutral, neither hungry nor full. Level 4 is where we’re starting to think about food, at Level 3 our stomach starts to growl and our thoughts increase about getting something to eat.
At Level 2 there’s lots of stomach growling, our stomach may actually hurt, and we need to get food now! At Level 1, ravenous, we’re past the point of hunger and can have headaches, difficulty concentrating, and low energy. At Level 0 we’d be weak, dizzy, have a stomachache, and be mentally impaired.
On the fullness side, Level 6 would be lightly full, we’ll be hungry again in 1-3 hours. Level 7 = moderately full, satisfied, hungry again in 2-3 hours. Level 8 = Full, comfortably full but would not want to eat more. Level 9 means we’re stuffed, past the point of comfort (our stomach may hurt). And Level 10 is when we’re so uncomfortably full that we feel sick.
It is normal for your hunger and fullness to fluctuate all day long. Staying in the moderate ranges (from a 3-7) will help you avoid extremes in hunger and fullness.
If you start eating when you are lightly moderately hungry you are more likely to stop eating when you are lightly to moderately full. If you start eating when you are empty or ravenous you are more likely to eat until you are stuffed or sick. This scale can serve as a guide to help us mindfully connect to our bodies and our true hunger signals.
The long-lived, Okinawans in Japan, who stay healthy well into old age and have the highest percentage of centenarians in the world, follow a practice called Hari Hachi Bu, which teaches people to stop eating when they’re 80% full.
It’s something they say before meals as a reminder to stop eating when they feel 80% full. One of their proverbs says that “eight parts of a full stomach sustain the man; the other two sustain the doctor.”
Wouldn’t it be great if we followed that example?
By getting back in tune with your hunger and satiety signals and paying attention to what/why you eat, you’ll soon be on the road to a much healthier lifestyle.
Interested in more tips for healthy eating? Check out this free training class where you’ll walk away with tips you can begin implementing today.
Keep your mind on things above, not on worldly things. (Colossians 3:2, GW)
(Photos from VisualHunt)
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]]>The post Why is Sugar Inflammatory, and How Much is in Our Food? appeared first on Cyd Notter.
]]>Desiring sugar is quite natural! We have built-in taste buds for salt, sugar, bitterness, sour, and fat.
But there are MANY sources of sugar. The natural sugars found in whole plant foods promote health, while the added sugars found in refined, processed foods promote weight gain, inflammation, insulin resistance, and can even damage our arteries.
Sugar consumption can be difficult to control because the food industry often adds it where consumers might not think to check.
The World Health Organization suggests getting no more than 5 percent of daily calories from sugar, or about 25 grams (6 teaspoons). The American Heart Association recommends women limit sugar consumption to 6 teaspoons (25 grams) per day and men limit to 9 teaspoons (36 grams) per day.
Other organizations have different limit suggestions.
But many people consume far more than the recommendations. The U.S. continues to be one of the highest sugar-consuming countries, with the average American now consuming over 22 teaspoons of sugar daily!
The refined sugars found in soft drinks, fruit juice, sweet tea, pastries, desserts, cookies, candy, snack cakes, cereals, and even frozen entrees can stimulate the production of something called “free fatty acids” – which circulate through the bloodstream and trigger both insulin resistance and inflammation in the skeletal system, the liver, and the protective cells that line our arteries.
Sugar also triggers the release of inflammatory cytokine cells; just 40 grams of sugar per day (which is one can of pop) leads to an increase in inflammatory markers, weight gain, and increased LDL cholesterol.
Refined sugars also lead to the excess production of AGE’s – Advanced Glycation End Products – which form when protein or fat combine with sugar in the bloodstream. Having excess amounts of AGE’s harms the body’s cells and promotes oxidative stress and chronic inflammation.
Sugar can also contribute to “leaky gut” – another name for Intestinal Permeability. Leaky gut occurs when the lining of the small intestine becomes damaged, causing undigested food particles, toxins, and bacteria to ‘leak’ through the lining and into the bloodstream. This process triggers inflammatory reactions that cause problems in the digestive tract and beyond.
Lastly, sugar greatly contributes to weight gain, which in and of itself contributes to inflammation because our own fat tissues release those inflammatory cytokine cells mentioned earlier.
As you can see, processed, refined sugar is rated as a highly-inflammatory food for a number of reasons! And sugar is added to pretty much ALL of our packaged foods.
Here’s a quick label tip: When looking at a product’s nutrition label, remember that 4 grams of sugar = 1 tsp.
Find the number of sugar grams, and divide by 4. That’s the equivalent of how many teaspoons of sugar the product contains per serving.
So a soda containing 41 grams of sugar would contain 10 teaspoons of sugar (41 divided by 4 = roughly 10). Eye opening, right?
Be sure the check the serving size, too. If a product contains 12 grams of sugar per serving, and the packages has TWO servings, you’ll be ingesting 24 grams of sugar if you eat the whole package.
Note: Products can contain natural sugars (such as fruit), added sugars, or both. The Nutrition Facts Label will sometime separate natural and added sugars, but for the most part, the label will only show the TOTAL sugar grams. That’s why you’ll need to read the ingredient list to discover the SOURCE of the sugars.
The good news is you do NOT have to give up the sweet flavors you enjoy. But you do have to make good choices regarding your sugar intake if you want to achieve and maintain a healthy body.
Fruits (bananas, mangos, cherries) and DATES are the absolute best sweeteners that can be used to make a variety of desserts! From cobblers, pies, puddings, and shakes, to banana splits, cupcakes, cookies, and muffins. Go to my resource page to find my recommended recipe websites.
And you can click below for some Dessert Smoothie Recipes you can enjoy guilt-free!
For more details on refined sugars, plus information on artificial sweeteners, natural sugars, and acceptable sugar substitutes, please check out my class titled “Inflammation and Your Diet.”
For a short time, use the coupon code TAKE OFF50 to get 50% off the class price.
Click here for a free copy of “10 Simple Dessert Smoothies” which contain ZERO refined sugar
It’s not smart to stuff yourself with sweets…
(Proverbs 25:27a, MSG)
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]]>The post Green Beans with Braised Onion appeared first on Cyd Notter.
]]>Especially if you use Steamer Green Beans.
Do use “seasoned” rice vinegar (not plain) – it does make a difference.
Here’s the recipe!
Green Beans with Braised Onions
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]]>The post Pop Quiz #1: Which food has the most sodium? appeared first on Cyd Notter.
]]>The teachers in my grade school were big fans of “pop quizzes.” We never knew when we’d be asked to pull out a blank piece of paper and answer the questions being written on the board.
Most of us dreaded those pop quizzes, but in retrospect, they did keep us on our toes!
In that spirit, there’s a little nutrition pop quiz just for fun. See if you know the answer
a) a serving of beef
b) a serving of baked all-natural chicken
c) a large order of McDonald’s French fries
d) a serving of salted pretzels?
(Think it over carefully as the Jeopardy music plays in your head)
(Are you sure you’re right? Don’t look just yet)
(Think again)
The chicken.
In his book How Not to Die, Dr. Michael Greger points out that the poultry industry commonly injects chicken carcasses with salt water to artificially inflate their weight, yet the chicken can still be labeled “100 percent natural.”
Consumer Reports found that some supermarket chickens are pumped so full of salt water that they registered 840 mg of sodium per serving – that could mean more than a full day’s worth of sodium in just one chicken breast.
Surprising, right?
The majority of our salt intake comes from processed food, animal products, and fast food. But a whole food, plant-based diet provides all the sodium you need and even allows you to flavor your food with a little salt.
Be sure to TASTE your food before salting it. About 1/3 of people add salt before they even taste!
Another good rule of thumb is to salt your food at the table rather than at the stove top. Far less salt is used by flavoring the surface of your food rather than mixing/cooking it into the recipe.
PS: Need help switching to a healthier diet? Check out my courses and optional coaching opportunities. I’d sure love to help you!
The post Pop Quiz #1: Which food has the most sodium? appeared first on Cyd Notter.
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