Cyd Notter

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

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  • Articles of Interest
    • Food Topics
      • What’s the big deal about fiber?
      • Artificial Sweeteners – What you should know
      • Which food has 8x more cholesterol than beef?
      • 3 Big Reasons to Include Berries in Your Diet
      • Success Tips for Changing Your Diet
      • Suffering from Carbophobia?
      • What about alcohol?
      • The Slippery Slope of “Eating in Moderation”
      • A Nutrition Pop Quiz
      • Protein and Calcium
      • Aren’t Starches Fattening
      • Oils
        • Coconut Oil – Yes or No
        • Oils – what you should know
      • Eating Enough Fruits and Veggies?
      • Do you have a holiday game plan?
      • Making Only One Change?
      • America’s Love Affair with Bacon
      • Is it Safe to Eat Soy?
      • Are gluten-free diets for everyone?
      • Planning to diet this January? Do this instead.
      • Fabulous Flax Seed Has it All
      • How Important is the Glycemic Index?
      • Eating Out at Restaurants or Parties
      • Healthier Halloween Options
    • Health Topics
      • Inflammatory and Anti-Inflammatory Foods (Printable List)
      • What is Vitamin B12 and how much should I take?
      • Why exercise?
      • 5 Reasons to Steer Clear of the Charcuterie Boards
      • MEN: Prostate Stats You Should Know
      • The Aluminum in Our Foods is Strongly Linked to Dementia
      • Diet and Gallbladder Disease
      • Infants are Being Fed Junk Food by Their First Birthday
      • 4 Things Necessary for a Successful, Healthy Diet
      • Habits – Good or Bad?
      • Is it too late to start eating healthy?
      • Making Small Changes but Expecting Big Results
      • Family and Social Pressure
      • Genes, Schmenes – It’s most likely the food
      • Is a plant-based diet safe for children?
      • Which Processed Meats Should We Avoid?
      • Gut Bacteria and Our Diets
      • Diet & Breast Cancer Prevention
      • Statins – Don’t Believe Everything you Read
      • Diabetes – “Manage” or Reverse?
      • The Health Benefits of (a little) Unprotected Sun
      • Making Changes Stick
      • Evaluating Research
      • Vitamin D and Sunshine
      • Featured in Health Science Magazine
    • Faith Related
      • Addressing Biblical Objections to a Plant-Based Diet
      • The mathematical odds that Jesus is who He said He is…
      • Poem: Lessons from a Bike Ride
  • Recipes
    • Zucchini Bean Burritos
    • Minestrone Soup (Easy!)
    • Rainbow Kale Slaw
    • Gingerbread Biscotti
    • Instant Pot Pineapple Chili
    • No-Flour Corn Muffins
    • BBQ Soy Curls
    • Carrot Cake with Glaze
    • Blueberry Oat Bran Muffins
    • Choco-Mint Nice Cream
    • Homestyle Squash and Pinto Beans
    • Barley Burgers
    • Chocolate Orange Nice Cream (and Sauce)
    • Easy Instant Pot Risotto
    • Easy Meals and Desserts
    • Recipes for Chef AJ’s Cooking Demo
    • Recipe Links
    • Pumpkin Raisin Muffins
    • Roasted Veggie Pasta
    • Zucchini Muffins
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    • Amanda G. – Loses Digestive Issues and 115 lbs.
    • Tim P. – Off all 8 Meds!
    • Cindi R. – Reversed Blocked Carotid
    • Doug M. – Doc says “Cured!”
    • Denise V. – At Peace with Food and Body Image
    • Linda Z. – Autoimmune Skin Disorder now Dormant
    • Olga A. – Improved Cognitive Function
    • Kim C. – Relief from “Getting Older”
  • Blog
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Maple Glazed Vegan Ham

January 19, 2021 By Cyd Notter

Whether you follow a plant-based diet or are just looking for healthier recipes, here’s one that might surprise you. Maple Glazed Vegan Ham from www.shaneandsimple.com.
www.shaneandsimple.com          Maple Glazed Vegan Ham


     We made this recipe during the holidays and it did not disappoint! Having not eaten ham for over 30 years, this savory, smoky, sweet meal was a real treat. Makes great sandwiches, too!

     Does it taste exactly like pork ham? No, because it’s not a pig. But it’s definitely close enough and comes without the known cancer risks of eating processed meats. 
Plus it’s packed with protein!

     Further proof that following a plant-based diet does not mean sacrificing your favorite foods! Pretty much anything can be re-created into a much healthier, delicious version. Check out my YouTube channel for other easy recipes.

     If you have any questions, please contact me 🙂 


PS: Get a free copy of The 21-Day Meal Plan here
Get a free copy of “10 simple Dessert Smoothies” here
Order a signed copy of The “Plan A” Diet here – free shipping!
Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking.               (Romans 12:2, MSG)

Filed Under: My Blog Tagged With: meat alternative, no oil, plant based ham, plant based recipes, The Plan A Diet, vegan, vegan ham, vegetarian, whole food plant based, whole food plant based recipes

Flexible Sheet Pan Dinners

December 1, 2020 By Cyd Notter

I received an article today about one pan meals that are ready in 40 minutes. I’m interested!

I’d never heard of a Sheet Pan Dinner (or ‘tray bake’ according to the article). But I can certainly see the benefits!

By combining an uncooked grain, freshly cut veggies, a can of beans or peas, spices, and veggie broth/water on a baking tray, you can have a complete, nutrient-filled meal in 40 minutes. Add in your favorite sauces or dressings if desired, as well as optional nuts, seeds, or nutritional yeast.

Here’s the entire article (along with recipes) on the Forks over Knives website.

I was leery that my baking tray would hold 3.5 cups of liquid, so I did a test and it surely does. I typically use a silicone baking sheet liner (or at the very least, a piece of parchment paper) when roasting or baking, but that may not be necessary with this type of dish. I plan to make the “curry and rice” recipe first, but the flexibility of Sheet Pan Dinners offers countless possibilities!

Minimal effort, minimal clean-up, flexible recipes, and foods which are packed with protein, calcium, and other vital nutrients. What’s not to love?

P.S. Want to make quick, Roasted Veggie Pasta? Watch my video here on how to roast the veggies – without oil! Then serve the roasted veggies over whole grain pasta which is topped with a healthy pasta sauce (Aldi has oil-free, organic pasta sauce for under $2 a jar). Everyone loves it!

Let me know if you try the Sheet Pan Dinners (or the Roasted Veggie Pasta)!


Other helpful resources:

A free class: 3 Reasons Dieters Regain the Weight 

A free copy of The 21-Day Meal Plan

Most popular class: Inflammation & Your Diet

Dieting this January? Instead, get this course now and be ready for a permanent change.

Need a gift idea? A signed copy of The “Plan A” Diet would be a great stocking stuffer!

 

Filed Under: My Blog Tagged With: 'Plan A' Diet, Christian, diet, faith based, faith based diet, no oil, oil free, Pasta, Plant Based Diet, plant based recipes, plant-based nutrition, Sheet Pan Recipe, whole food plant based

How Oils and Inflammation Harm the Heart

September 1, 2020 By Cyd Notter

Did you know that common oils are one of the most highly inflammatory “foods” we can eat?

And when it comes to heart disease, oils and inflammation seem to go hand-in-hand.

I know this may be surprising to many of you, since oils are often touted as health foods by savvy marketers and even some health professionals.

I’m always reluctant to call oil a FOOD, because oils are simply the pure fat which has been extracted or pressed from olives, seeds, corn, coconuts, vegetables, nuts, or fish. As described in my article here, all oils are 100% pure liquid fat that contribute to many health issues, including inflammation.

One reason these extracted fats are so inflammatory is because of their high Omega-6 content. Omega-6 is a polyunsaturated fat that, once consumed, metabolizes into another form of Omega-6 called LA (linoleic acid). It’s linoleic acid that produces prostaglandins and other fatty molecules that contribute to inflammation.

A study was released in 2018 by the researchers in the Department of Preventive Cardiology at St. Luke’s Mid-America Heart Institute which took a look at Omega-6 vegetable oils as a driver of coronary heart disease (CHD). The findings revealed that the linoleic acid found in oils is indeed concerning. Here are just a few of their findings:

  • Linoleic acid metabolites promote cardiac arrhythmias, cell death, organ failure and cardiac arrest.
  • Linoleic acid is the most abundant fat found in atherosclerotic plaques, and this has been known since at least the 1960’s.
  • An excess dietary intake of linoleic acid causes greater endothelial activation compared with an excess of saturated fat (a critical step for inducing atherosclerosis).
  • A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials in humans found that when saturated fat plus trans-fat is replaced with omega-6 fat (high in linoleic acid), there is an increase in all-cause mortality, ischemic heart disease mortality and cardiovascular mortality.
  • Linoleic acid is inflammatory to the vascular endothelium.

Here’s how the researchers summed it up:

In summary, numerous lines of evidence show that the omega-6 polyunsaturated fat linoleic acid promotes oxidative stress, oxidised LDL, chronic low-grade inflammation and atherosclerosis, and is likely a major dietary culprit for causing CHD, especially when consumed in the form of industrial seed oils commonly referred to as ‘vegetable oils’

 

Take another look at that last bullet point: Linoleic Acid is inflammatory to the vascular endothelium. The endothelium refers to the thin, single layer of endothelial cells that line the inside of our arteries. These protective endothelial cells produce nitric oxide which keeps our vessels open and allows for proper blood flow. But once the endothelial lining gets damaged, fats and cholesterol enter the artery wall and pave the way for plaque formation.

Chronic inflammation then results because our bodies recognize plaques as a threat and go on the defense by sending immune cells to that area to begin the healing process. That’s what chronic inflammation is. The body’s way of protecting us against something lurking in the body that shouldn’t be there. The immune system goes on high-alert because it’s senses some type of threat, and dispatches immune cells to counteract the threat and begin the needed repairs.

However, when immune cells remain activated and overstay their welcome, persistent, chronic, low-grade levels of inflammation result – and our arteries are one of the most likely sites for this to occur. There are no nerve endings in our arteries, which is why we don’t feel excruciating pain when all of this is going on.

To make matters worse, some of those hovering immune cells will decide to switch teams! They go from being protective cells to damaging cells, and when those damaging immune cells combine with fats and cholesterol, they actually contribute to plaque formation and lead to even more inflammation.

Another study which was released in 2018 took a look at the role of those damaging immune cells. The study, conducted by the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, showed that a diet high in fat and cholesterol depletes the ranks of artery-protecting immune cells by turning them into promoters of inflammation which worsens the plaque buildup that occurs in cardiovascular disease.

The researchers reported that inflammation is a key factor to the hardening and narrowing of the arteries, known as atherosclerosis. The lead researcher was quoted as saying:

“People think atherosclerosis is just about cholesterol, diet, and exercise, but it’s actually an immune disease. The blockage of arteries is very much due to the immune system reacting to excess cholesterol and lipids in the walls of the blood vessels.” He goes on to say “With a western diet, protective cells change to damaging cells, causing more inflammation.”

It’s not unusual for Americans to add oil to their skillets, their salad dressings, and their baked goods. Plus restaurant meals, fried food, and processed junk foods are typically loaded with it. Eliminating these health-damaging extracted oils from your diet is one of the best decisions you can make!

 

If you found this article helpful, check out our online course “Inflammation & Your Diet”

Watch this video: How to Saute, Roast, and Bake without Oils

Take a 1-question quiz about oils here.

Click here to get a free copy of “10 Simple Dessert Smoothies”

 

Filed Under: My Blog Tagged With: 'Plan A' Diet, diet, faith based, heart, immunity, inflammation, no oil, oil, Plant Based Diet, plant-based nutrition, The Plan A Diet, whole food plant based

How to Saute, Roast, and Bake without Oil

April 18, 2020 By Cyd Notter

Hey everyone! Due to technical difficulties, this blog post may not have made it to your inbox. Here’s the video replay on how to cook without oils, take a look! Eliminating extracted oils and other added fats is essential for both weight loss AND health! 

Here’s the video.

Here’s an article summing up the health detriments of extracted oils.

If you’re ready to improve your immune system, reverse chronic pain, and lose weight safely, I’m at your service and would love to help! This life-changing course explains the WHY’s and the HOW’s – plus you can go at your own pace. Contact me if you have questions – I would love to guide you!

Filed Under: My Blog Tagged With: bake without oil, no oil, Plant Based Diet, roast without oil, saute without oil, The Plan A Diet, vegan, vegetarian, whole food plant based

Highlights from Dr. Greger’s speech

March 12, 2020 By Cyd Notter

Earlier this month, I had to pleasure to hear Dr. Michael Greger speak at the Charlotte County Veg Fest in Punta Gorda, FL. The event was held on a Monday in order to accommodate Dr. Greger’s schedule, yet several hundred people were in attendance.

Here are my “take-away” notes from his presentation.

  • The body is a self-healing machine. When you hit your shin on the coffee table, it becomes inflamed and starts to heal. UNLESS you keep hitting your shin on the coffee table three times a day (in other words, eating the wrong foods for breakfast, lunch, and dinner).
  • Many who’ve suffered with diabetes for over 20 years and are taking shots can be off meds in just 16 days – even if they don’t lose weight.
  • Smoking in the 1950’s is similar to the Standard American Diet industry today. (NOTE: he did a long comparison on this topic; doctors then were smokers, and the majority of doctors today are eating poorly, which is one reason they don’t promote diet change).
  • Society has to catch up to science. It takes a while, as with smoking.
  • There are 14 million deaths a year due to processed food alone. (compare that to Corona virus!)

Questions from the audience:

  1. Is it OK to blend greens in a smoothie, or will we lose all the nutrition? Dr. Greger replied that we actually have BETTER absorption by blending, but the trick is to SIP your smoothie very slowly through a slender straw for best absorption. Don’t gulp it down.
  2. How much exercise do you recommend? 90 minutes of moderate exercise every day.
  3. What about prebiotics? Good for gut bacteria, the brain, and immune system. A recipe to have “happy bugs” is made of black lentils, oat groats, rye berries, sorghum, millet, and other items prepared in the pressure cooker. (I believe he said the recipe is in his new book, How Not to Diet).
  4. What is Dr. Greger’s favorite food: Pawpaw fruit.
  5. What about vitamin B12? Always purchase a USP Certified brand such as Nature Made. Take 1000 mcg of the Cyano type each day. (Cyd’s note: That’s higher than he recommends in “How Not to Die.” There are many differing opinions on the topic of B12; read more here.)
  6. What do you suggest for high triglycerides? De-flour your diet, except for pasta. (Cyd’s note: I’m assuming he was referring to whole grain pasta, not the white/enriched flour varieties which spike blood sugar).

 

Why not add the award-winning book, The “Plan A” Diet to your collection as well? I’d love to help you get started with the healthiest diet on the planet. 🙂

 

Filed Under: My Blog Tagged With: Christian diet, Dr. Greger, faith based, How Not to Die, how Not to Diet, no oil, Plant Based Diet, plant-based nutrition, vegan, vegetarian, whole food plant based

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