Cyd Notter

Author and Nutrition Educator, Founder of The "Plan A" Diet™

Making a Few Changes to Your Diet?

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Making Small Changes and Expecting Big Results?

While many people are comfortable making only gradual dietary changes toward plant based eating, there are others who choose to make a total dietary conversion once they're convinced of the health benefits.  Still others may fall somewhere in between – making a series of small dietary changes with a firm goal toward total conversion.

For those who wade into the waters more slowly, every small change toward a whole-food, plant-based diet without added fats/oils is definitely a step in the right direction.  While I never want to discourage even small, positive changes, it should be noted that the overall dietary pattern is what matters greatly; just removing or adding a few different foods to the Standard American Diet is not likely to result in any noticeable health improvement.  For example, adding flax seed to a dairy based smoothie, including some broccoli in a steak stir fry, or topping a high-fat cheesecake with a few blueberries is not likely to produce much change in one’s health.  Often when those small changes don't result in any lasting health improvement, some people assume the “diet” isn’t working and end up throwing in the towel.  The mantra goes something like this:  “I’m making ALL these changes, but it isn’t working.  I haven’t lost a pound and my cholesterol hasn’t budged.  Might as well eat whatever I want.”  Enter Big Disconnect  # 4:  Making small dietary changes and expecting big weight loss or big health improvement.

Committing to making small changes is commendable, and if that’s your personality, then by all means go for it!  The more changes that are made on the spectrum of healthy eating, the more health improvements will be seen.  But please know that making small changes should not be the end goal; it should be the catalyst for continued change until the overall dietary pattern is one that promotes optimal health.  It’s imperative to continue moving forward with those changes on a regular basis - using a specified time frame - with the goal to get that dairy, that meat, and those high-fat desserts out of the diet all together.  Keep moving forward until God’s “Plan A” Diet™ – the way you are designed to eat – is your pattern of eating every day.  The resulting health improvement will be a true motivator to stay the course!

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You say, "I am allowed to do anything" - but not everything is good for you.  You say, "I am allowed to do anything" - but not everything is beneficial."  (1 Cor. 10:23, NLT)

 

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“It Runs in My Family”……or does it?

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When explaining to friends and clients how greatly our food choices affect our health, the third 'Big Disconnect" I've observed is this:

Big Disconnect #3:  It Runs in My Family, so it’s Out of My Control

When it comes to genetics and chronic illness, the expression “it runs in my family” is one I’ve heard all too often.  Sadly, many I've met are using their supposed bad genes as a handy excuse to avoid making any lifestyle changes.  One man told me quite nonchalantly that he's 'just waiting to have his heart attack',  since his dad and brother had both suffered one in their early 50's.  Don’t get me wrong, there certainly are diseases that DO tend to run in families; but most people are giving their genetic makeup way too much credit.  The third Big Disconnect deals with the misconception that diet and lifestyle don’t matter because (Disease X) runs in my family.....when instead it's the rich Western diet and unhealthy lifestyle that's typically been passed down.

If you’ve been living with the assumption that you have no control over your health because you’re pre-programmed for disease, I have good news for you:  Disease and disability are more preventable than you think – even if you ARE genetically predisposed!  There’s a difference between being born with a gene (genetic predisposition) and whether or not that gene will develop into disease (genetic expression).  Suppose you were born with a predisposition for diabetes.  Your diet and lifestyle are still far greater determinants of whether you’ll develop diabetes than any other factor.  Non-genetic factors such as poor diet and lifestyle account for 80-90% of the cases of our top killers.[I]

Dr. T. Colin Campbell, a researcher I truly admire and the author of The China Study, Whole, and The Low-Carb Fraud, has spent decades in the area of nutrition research;  he reveals how the gene responsible for liver cancer can be dramatically repressed by consuming less animal protein, thereby delaying or preventing liver cancer.  He also points out that the production of enzymes, which are the main products of gene expression, can be markedly controlled by what we eat.[ii]   Other research regarding the Alzheimer gene (ApoE4) also convincingly demonstrates that diet trumps genes, especially since saturated fat and high cholesterol levels are an instrumental factor in the development of dementia.

Remember that genetics may load the gun, but lifestyle pulls the trigger.  Genes can only establish the potential for disease; they do not represent a guaranteed diagnosis.  Depending on your disposition, this can be good or bad news.  It's good news if you're willing to take control of your lifestyle;  not so good news if you're not willing to make any necessary changes or if you choose the path of least resistance.  For anyone dealing with chronic illness - or perhaps fearing one due to their family history - may I encourage you to be like the wise person described in Proverbs:

When a wise person sees danger ahead, he avoids it.
    But a foolish person keeps going and gets into trouble. (Prov. 27:12, ICB)

Switching to a whole-food, plant-based diet is your BEST defense to avoid, halt and reverse disease, regardless of your genetic makeup.  Share this good news with the people you care about!

In case you missed Big Disconnects #1 and #2, you can read about them here:

#1 - The Cause and Effect of Food

#2 - I take meds, so I'm healthy......right?

Keep in touch and have a wonderful 4th of July holiday.  May God bless you and yours, and may He continue to bless our great country.  Thank Him today for the freedoms we enjoy!

[i] Dr. Michael Greger and Gene Stone, How Not to Die (New York, Flatiron Books, 2015), 12

[ii] http://nutritionstudies.org/genes-hazardous-health/

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I take meds, so I’m healthy…..right?

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Big Disconnect #2

(an excerpt from the upcoming book, The 'Plan A' Diet™):

Taking medication for a chronic condition and believing that the condition no longer exists ranks as another Big Disconnect I’ve witnessed over the years. The majority of people taking such meds can fall prey to a false sense of security; they reason that because their biomarkers are now within range or their symptoms are relieved, the problem has been solved.

The typical American makes no meaningful lifestyle changes because they believe their health issues have been fixed by a prescription, and their doctors are not telling them otherwise. Some of my clients consider themselves to be in excellent health in spite of the need for several daily prescription meds.  The chronic condition, along with its root cause, still exists; only the biomarker readings or symptoms have improved (for now).  The ailment will not be given the environment to halt, reverse or partially heal because the underlying root cause is not being addressed; instead, in most cases, the ailment will continue to progress unless a serious change in diet occurs.

The person who trusts in himself is foolish, but the person who lives wisely will be kept safe.

(Prov. 28:26, ICB) 

     Why stay on a lifetime regimen of medication (along with their side effects which often require MORE medication), when changing to the dietary pattern God designed us to eat has been proven time and again to be the answer?  Why “manage” disease when you can most likely get rid of it?

Click here to read about Disconnect #1:  Not Understanding the Cause and Effect of FOOD

PS: Exciting News - The book proposal for The 'Plan A' Diet is in the works!  Pray that the Lord puts the right agent and/or publisher in my path and that I have the wisdom to recognize it.  People are dying prematurely and needlessly, all because of food choices.  I'm praying that this book will be an encouragement and wake-up call to many.

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Big Disconnect #1

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       Have you ever considered how many things we do in the interest of prevention?  We wear seatbelts to prevent injury if we’re in an accident.  We install security alarms to prevent burglaries and we have our cars tuned up to prevent breakdowns.  We wear sunscreen to prevent sunburn and purchase certain toothpastes to prevent tooth decay.  We wear deodorant to prevent losing friends and we back up our computers to prevent losing data.  We put certain oils on our pets to prevent fleas.  And we  purchase all types of insurance – including health, life, home, and auto - to prevent financial loss in case of just about anything.

Where we are sadly lacking in this wide arena of prevention is in what we choose to consume every day.  We may be willing to spend a ton of money on supplements because we’re erroneously led to believe they prevent disease, but we often give little thought to the role nutrition truly plays in the prevention, halting and reversal of disease.  Here are a few of what I call ‘The Big Disconnects’ between nutrition and health:

Big Disconnect 1: Not Understanding the Cause and Effect of Food

     We can all relate to the immediate pain that results from touching a hot stove or stepping on a sliver.  It’s quite easy in those instances to identify the current cause of pain as the stove or the sliver.  My job would sure be easier if that same identifier were true of the three to five pounds of food we consume every day.  When it comes to diet, the more time that elapses between food intake and the resulting effect, the more difficult it is to make the connection between the two; and the more unlikely we are to change our behavior or take any required action.

     There are certain health conditions for which the cause of pain is easily identifiable; for example, people with acid reflux, migraines or hangovers may be very able to trace their ailments to what they’ve recently consumed. For the most part though, so much time elapses between the consumption of bad foods and the resulting injury that people are not connecting the dots….. especially when they pour fuel on the fire at least three times a day.  The Big Disconnect between wrong food choices and the resulting ailments would be greatly eliminated if we were to experience chest pain immediately after consuming a cheeseburger and fries (or any high-fat meal for that matter). Or if our joints began to ache immediately after eating a breakfast of glazed donuts.  Or if we could feel our blood pressure spike after consuming a fried chicken dinner.  Or if we could feel a colon polyp developing after consuming a sausage pizza. Only then might people connect the dots and realize the true risks of the Standard American Diet.                  

Before we embarked on our plant-based journey, my husband would order up a fish dinner and a milkshake at a popular fast food chain, and shortly thereafter would develop a mucousy cough which would last about an hour.  It was only after we studied the cause-and-effects of food – including the irritants of dairy and fat – that we made the connection. 

Have you connected the dots between your food choices and your health?  If not, it's never too late to educate yourself on the benefits of a whole-food, plant-based diet.  It's the only diet shown to not only prevent, halt and reverse disease, but to also reverse clogged arteries which lead to our number one killer, heart disease.  God's "Plan A" diet - the food He originally prescribed to keep man thriving and in optimal health - is readily available, easy to prepare in a wide variety of recipes, and absolutely delicious. 

Stay tuned for the next blog:  Big Disconnect #2.

“Intelligent people are always ready to learn. Their ears are open for knowledge.”

(Proverbs 18:15, NLT)

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Should your melon go in the fridge?

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Do you recall where you learned how to store your fruits and veggies?  No one ever taught me the proper way, and I wasn't paying much attention to how my mom handled it......so as an adult I just made it up as I went along.  If I thought the fruit was hearty, I left it on the counter.  If the item seemed fragile, I'd store it in the crisper drawer of the fridge.

Turns out I was off-base on a few things!  I always put fresh ginger in the fridge (wrong) and let the peaches sit on the counter until they get too ripe/mushy (wrong).  I've never stored my basil in water, and rarely have I used the right type of 'storage bags'.....although I did invest in the "As Seen on TV" Debbie's Green Bags several years ago.   I don't recall having good luck with them, but again, it may have been due to my unscientific system.

 

Have you ever purchased a hard avocado, hoping it would soften up before Thursday night's fajita dinner?

Well, it turns out we can enhance that ripening process by storing the avocado inside of a paper bag along with an apple!  Who knew?

 

Here's a link to "Fruit & Vegetable Storage 101", an article produced in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).  You may find it helpful, as I did.   Scroll down to the bottom of the page to view or print the handy-dandy pdf chart for easy reference.

Want to know the best way to CLEAN your fruits and veggies?  Dr. Greger explains why a home-made salt solution (along with the mechanical action of rubbing) is a great option.....read more here.

Finally, please remember to keep eating those fruits and veggies!  The recommendation is that adults consume 1.5 - 2 cups of fruit, and 2- 3 cups of vegetables daily; however, a study released by the CDC in 2015 revealed some very troubling data.  During 2007-2010, 76% of Americans did NOT meet the recommended fruit intake, and 87% did NOT meet the recommended vegetable intake. Half the total US population consumed less than 1 cup of fruit and less than 1.5 cups of vegetables daily.(1)  Those results are dismal to say the least, especially for such meager recommendations.

Sadly, the kids aren't doing much better.  The CDC reported that improving fruit and veggie intake during childhood is definitely needed; 60% of children consumed less than the recommended fruit, and 93% consumed fewer vegetables than recommended during that same time frame.

The CDC says that eating more fruits and vegetables adds nutrients to the diet, reduces the risk of heart disease, stroke, and some cancers, and helps manage body weight when consumed in place of more energy-dense foods.

We also know that a host of other ailments are relieved or reversed by consuming an entire diet based on whole plant foods - which by the way is the only diet proven to REVERSE heart disease.

Make it a goal to  increase those fruits and veggies!  (Especially now that we know how to store them).

Blessings to you and yours ~

 

(1) https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6426a1.htm

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