My Blog Archives - Page 3 of 48

Oil-Free Tortilla Chips

June 5, 2023 By Cyd Notter

It's Easy to Make Your Own Chips (or shells)

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!

Purchase corn tortillas, the type that come in a paper wrapper. The ingredients are typically corn, water, and lime.
Cut into quarters - or leave them WHOLE - than lightly brush or spritz with a little water or lime juice.
Sprinkle with salt/low salt/salt free seasoning. I personally use the Tajin, a Mexican seasoning found in almost every store. They do have a low-sodium variety.
Bake on a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet at 350 for 13-15 minutes until crispy; they may require more time, it depends on your oven. Keep an eye on them to be sure they're crispy, but not burnt. They'll harden up a bit as they sit, too.

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!

Place quartered tortillas on baking sheet (or leave whole)

Sprinkle with Low Sodium Salt or Favorite Spice. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes, until crispy.

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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.

Is it possible to change others?

February 12, 2023 By Cyd Notter

Once you discover the benefits of whole food, plant-based nutrition...

...it's natural to want to yell it from the roof tops!

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.

What's a better approach?

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.

First, shift from a critic to an ally.

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.

Second, find an energizing, positive outcome

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.

Third, find a hidden opportunity

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."

Fourth, what's the plan?

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.

We need each other

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)

Why is Sugar Inflammatory, and How Much is in Our Food?

August 14, 2022 By Cyd Notter

Sugar - One of our biggest addictors

(updated 7/20/2024)

Having a desire for 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 such as dates and fruits promote health, while the added sugars found in refined, processed foods promote weight gain, inflammation, insulin resistance, diabetes, heart disease and other major illnesses.

How much sugar are we eating?

Most of the sugar Americans consume is hidden within processed foods, so people don’t even realize they’re eating it. Added sugars can be tricky to spot on labels because of the many types of sugar manufacturers can use. Here's a list of 56 of them, if you're interested.

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.

Those recommendations include ALL types of added sugars: brown sugar, maple syrup, agave syrup, honey, cane sugar, date sugar, coconut sugar, etc. As it turns out, it's the AMOUNT of sugar that matters most, as opposed to the TYPE of sugar.

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 between 17 - 22 teaspoons of sugar daily! That's far above the suggested limits.

How does sugar cause inflammation?

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.

More inflammatory issues...

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.

How much sugar is in that item?

Here’s a quick label tip: When looking at a product’s Nutrition Facts 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 new labeling laws released in 2022 now require the Nutrition Facts Label to list the added sugars separately. So look for the "added sugars." And then read the ingredient list to discover the SOURCE of the sugars.

Do you struggle with sugar?

Sugar is definitely a trigger food, and many people have struggled with it, myself included. It's highly addictive because it triggers the release of dopamine - a chemical in our brain's pleasure center. Sadly, we send our children down this sugary addictive path at a very young age, even as babies.

If you know or suspect you have a sugar addiction, there are several things to consider. Start by examining yourself and your routine; be honest with yourself about your sugar intake. Next figure out what your plan will be. There's no "one-size-fits all" strategy. Here are a few things to consider as part of your plan, based on your personality, lifestyle, and the realistic sustainability of each idea:

Eliminate added sugars altogether; use only bananas, dates, and other fruits as a sweetener.
Wean off added sugars slowly, until you reach the goal of ZERO.
Limit added sugars to the recommendations of 6 tsp/day (25 grams) for women, 9 tsp/day (36 grams) for men. Note: You'll have to track this closely! There's sugar in ketchup, BBQ sauce, cereals, frozen entrees, and just about every packaged food.
Be mindful of what you're eating. This doesn't mean becoming obsessive, but it does require you to pay attention.
Know and AVOID your sugary trigger foods - the foods that could send you on a binge.
Use a multi-approach method. For example, Dr. Neal Barnard's book, Breaking the Food Seduction, lays out a 7-step plan.
Eat balanced meals and don't allow yourself to get ravenously hungry. Include starches (potatoes, beans, rice, corn, squash).
Change your routine. Our habits often trigger us to eat, whether we're hungry or not. Switch up your patterns, especially if it will keep you out of the kitchen.
Exercise. Go for a walk or do some stretching.
Focus on your motivations. WHY do you want to cut back on sugars? Health reasons? Weight issues? Write down this statement: I want to stop eating so much sugar so that ________. Fill in the blank, and post this on the fridge.
Sanitize your kitchen from candy and sweets. Ask family members to store their indulgences elsewhere or out of sight.
Keep grapes, cherries, and cut-up melon in the fridge for snacks. Keep fruit-based nice cream in the freezer.

For some people, changing a few lifestyle parameters will be enough to kick the sugar habit. But others may need to employ stronger measures. Much depends on your personal situation. For example, if emotional eating is driving you to sugary foods in order to cope, then simply abstaining from sugar may not be enough. Discovering alternative methods to soothe yourself emotionally when life gets stressful will be part of the process as well.

You don't have to give up Sweet Treats!

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, mangoes, 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 here for a free copy of "10 Simple Dessert Smoothies" which contain ZERO refined sugar - enjoy them 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."

Use the coupon code TAKE OFF50 to get 50% off the class price.

It's not smart to stuff yourself with sweets...
(Proverbs 25:27a, MSG)

Green Beans with Braised Onion

August 8, 2022 By Cyd Notter

When you need a "go-to" side dish you can whip up in a hurry, it doesn't get much simpler than this!

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

Pop Quiz #1: Which food has the most sodium?

July 16, 2022 By Cyd Notter

Pop Quiz Time

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 🙂

Question: Which product contains the most sodium?

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)

Ok, here's the answer:

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 your body needs.

Tips:

If you do choose to consume salt, a 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.
Keeping your sodium intake below 1500 mg is ideal, according to the American Heart Association. And we get about 500 mg of naturally-occurring sodium in the plants that we eat each day. That would allow for another 1000 mg, which is about 1/2 teaspoon.
Lastly, make sure to read your labels! Packaged foods can be sodium bombs! Including breads, sauces, canned foods, and especially soups.

PS: Need help switching to a healthier diet? Check out my courses and optional coaching opportunities. I'd sure love to help you!