Cyd Notter

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

Probiotics – Yes or No?

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Dear Coach:  I have some stomach issues and I’m hearing a lot about our “gut microbiome” these days.  What does it all means, and does food factor into it?  What is your opinion of probiotics?  Thank you, C.R.

Dear C.R., You’re right that there’s a lot of buzz lately about the health of our guts.  The gut microbiome is the subject of much new research, and we now know which foods are beneficial to our gut, and which foods can lead to problems.

Read about those foods here.

 

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit them together in my mother’s womb.

(Psalm 139:13, TLB)

Does The Government Want you Hooked on Cheese?

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Hi all, I just sat in on Dr. Neal Barnard's presentation on CHEESE. Wow. Here's a very BRIEF recap:

    • How cheese is made (did you know cheese is made with bacterial cultures, one specifically called Brevibacterium - which is the bacteria found between human toes? So you shouldn't be surprised if your cheese smells like stinky feet!) Enzymes are added which causes solids to clump together. The whey protein is drained off, then SALT is added to prevent the bacteria from growing further.
    • Americans are now eating about 35 pounds of cheese per person per year. That's 65,000 calories, and over 5200 grams of fat. In one year.
    • Cheese is 70% fat, and the highest source of saturated fat in the American diet.

Here's where the government comes in:

Photo on Visualhunt

      • Several years ago, the US Government and the Dairy Industry held a forum to figure out how to market more cheese. The idea was to determine what triggered cheese cravings, and Dr. Barnard showed the actual slides that were used at the forum (cheese eaters were divided into "Cravers" or "Enhancers").
      • So the Government worked with Wendy's in order to promote the Cheddar Lovers Bacon Cheeseburger, who successfully sold 2.25 million pounds of cheese during that campaign. That's 380 tons of fat and 1.2 tons of cholesterol.
    • They also worked with Subway (The Chicken Cordon Bleu and the Honey Pepper Melt), with Taco Bell, Burger King, and Pizza Hut (the Ultimate Cheese Pizza, with 1 pound of cheese in ONE serving!)

The same group in charge of the US Dietary Recommendations (who claim that people consume far too much saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium) is the same government group working behind the scenes to promote more cheese!  I bet the $140 million per year the government accepts from the cheese industry has something to do with it.

Think about this the next time you see a fast food commercial featuring cheese - because millions of taxpayer dollars are used to promote these unhealthy foods.

Read more on Dr. Barnard's blog titled the Five Frightful Facts About Cheese.

Vitamin D and Sunshine!

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The sunshine blessed us with a SNEAK peek for a couple minutes today in the dreary Midwest....a sign of hope that spring may be around the corner!

And a welcome relief for those of us who look to the sun to replenish and maintain our Vitamin D levels! You see, food or supplements are not the best source of Vitamin D (which is really a hormone, not a vitamin). It's incredible that sunshine converts a form of cholesterol found in our skin into Vitamin D with the help of our livers and kidneys. What a beautiful design! Here's how much unprotected sunshine you need.

Before you get tested or automatically purchase Vitamin D supplements, you may want to re-consider. Dr. John McDougall explains the risks of Vitamin D supplementation AND the over-exaggeration of 'normal levels' in his newsletter.

Also check out this short video.

Don't be afraid of the sun! Take caution not to burn, but don't neglect the many health benefits of sunshine.

At every time and in every place—
from the moment the sun rises to the moment the sun sets—
may the name of the Eternal be high in the hearts of His people.                          (Psalm 113:3, The VOICE)

 

Addressing Biblical Objections to a Plant-Based Diet

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Diet is a Touchy Subject.

I discovered long ago that diet beliefs can be very divisive indeed. Together with the hot topics of politics and religion, our food choices can rank quite high as a personal issue to be handled with care.

I realize that most of you have preconceived beliefs about what constitutes a healthy diet, and I’ve heard some doozies in my day. But because The 'Plan A' Diet combines the two tenets of "diet and religion" into one conversation, many of you will write to me about passages that seem to promote or endorse meat eating.

Here I address some of the passages I hear most often, along with my response.

See how good and pleasant it is when brothers,
and sisters live together in harmony! (Psalm 133:1, GW)

Pear Spice Upside-Down Cake

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Do you like spice cake? Then you'll love this easy-peasy, oil-free version by Susan Voisin at the Fat Free Vegan website!

Pear Spice Upside-Down Cake has turned out to be one of our favorites.  Susan's cake turned out much prettier than mine (her sliced pears on top resembled a Christmas tree, mine resembled ......well, nothing but randomly sliced pears!)

You can see her pretty design on the above link.  But here's a photo of how mine turned out:

The only thing I noted is that the recipe calls for 3 LARGE bosc pears, and apparently the pears I used weren't large enough. I would recommend buying at least 5 pears since you're going to need 1-2/3 cups of pear sauce in addition to the sliced pears on top. You may even want to buy SIX pears - you can always have the extra as a snack! In any case, if you come up short on the required pear sauce, you can add applesauce until you have enough.

If you give this a try, let me know how you liked it!

May you be encouraged today by God's promise as you trust Him in all things:

But I will bless the person who puts his trust in me. 

He is like a tree growing near a stream and sending out roots to the water.

It is not afraid when hot weather comes, because its leaves stay green;

it has no worries when there is no rain; it keeps on bearing fruit. (Jeremiah 17:7-8, GNT)

 

What is The 'Plan A' Diet?

And why should you consider it?

Why shouldn't we eat oils?

 

 

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