Cyd Notter

Nutrition Educator/ Author/ Coach

Success Tips for Changing Your Diet

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Are you considering a WFPB eating plan, or new to this way of eating? Are you worried that your new diet will limit your choices to broccoli and lettuce? Let me assure you that nothing could be further from the truth.

The “Plan A” Diet not only allows you to provide a variety of foods that suit your palette, it allows you to eat until you’re satisfied whenever you get hungry. As you get familiar with plant-based cooking, you’ll gain the confidence needed to experiment with different spices or create your own wonderful dishes.

Any challenges to changing your diet will be the greatest when you’re just starting out. Once you’re convinced and committed to the change, however, these tips may prove useful to your success:

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Family and Social Pressure

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The people we hang out with can have a major influence on our food choices; life can be challenging when we’re striving to eat healthy but those in our close circles aren’t on board.

For those of you who are social butterflies, sticking to a plant-based diet can be especially difficult when eating out with friends or family members who love their burgers and buckets of fried chicken. When you observe others eating high-fat, high-calorie foods, you may feel it’s easier to join in than to be scrutinized for your healthy choices.

Photo credit: peter.clark on Visual hunt / CC BY-NC

If the people in your life aren’t supportive of your diet plan, they may try to make you feel guilty, chide or tease you, refuse to assist with cooking, get mad at you, feel threatened by you, or in some cases, try to sabotage your efforts by tempting you back into old habits.

That’s why dependency upon your family’s approval can easily set you up for failure. If you recognize that peer pressure from family or friends is going to derail your efforts, here are a few tips which could keep you on track:

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Do you suffer from Carbophobia?

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         Complex Carbs (Photo on VisualHunt)

Whenever I explain that The “Plan A” Diet prescribes getting the majority of our calories from carbs, most people are shocked! Especially when they learn that it’s OK to eat potatoes.

There are two types of carbs: Complex (whole) and Refined (processed)

Complex carbs include whole foods – potatoes, corn, beans, rice, squash, all veggies, fruit, legumes, and whole grains. Complex carbs are the body’s preferred source of fuel; we are designed to get our energy from the glucose in complex carbs.

Refined carbs include processed items made with stripped/enriched flours and added fats/sodium/sugars – donuts, hot dog buns, snack cakes, corn chips, toaster pastries and soda pop.

As Dr. McDougall loves to point out: (Complex) carbs don’t make you fat – fat makes you fat. To illustrate this point, consider a baked potato.

Only 1% of the calories in a potato come from fat. That is, however, until we adulterate that potato by frying it in grease to make french fries (46% fat) or convert it into potato chips (56% fat). Or until (continue reading here….)

Questions to ask when ordering from a menu

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Photo credit: DigitalDurk on Visual Hunt / CC BY-NC-SA

“How to eat out” has always been a topic of interest for those who are striving to eat a healthy diet.

Most of us know that restaurant food is perhaps some of the most unhealthy food out there – filled with hidden fats (butter, oils, creams), added sugars, hidden dairy products, aluminum, excessive sodium, nitrates, and tons of artificial preservatives.

But there are ways to order a decent meal from a menu. And if you know in advance which restaurant you’ll be visiting, so much the better. Call ahead, ask the right questions, and ask the chef to prepare something within your guidelines.

If you don’t have a chance to pre-plan, this article from the Forks over Knives website features a great list of questions to ask before making your menu choice.

Remember to bring your own salad dressing when you can 🙂

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. (Romans 12:2(a), NLT)

 

The “Plan A” Diet Kindle and paperback available here.

Signed copies available here.

(This book would be great for a group study – Discussion Questions included!)

5 Reasons Why Dieters Regain the Weight – a free PDF when you subscribe to our monthly newsletter.

 

Genes, Schmenes….it’s most likely the food

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“It runs in my family, so it’s out of my control”

This “Big Disconnect” deals with the misconception that diet and lifestyle don’t matter because “(disease X) runs in my family.”

I’ve heard this expression countless times over the years from people who believe the genetic cards have been dealt and they’re powerless to prevent disease.

If you’re living with the assumption that you have no control over your health because you’re pre-programmed for some malady, I have good news for you: Disease and disability are more preventable than you think—even if you are genetically predisposed.

There’s a big difference between being born with a gene (genetic predisposition) and whether that gene will develop into disease (genetic expression). Suppose you were born with a predisposition for colorectal cancer. (Continue reading here…)

Genetics may load the gun, but diet and lifestyle pull the trigger.

 

Read the other “Big Disconnects” in Chapter 4 of The “Plan A” Diet

Signed copies available here. 

Book club or bible study discounts available! Contact me for details.

 

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