Cyd Notter

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

Oil-Free Tortilla Chips

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The finished product

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!

  1. Purchase corn tortillas, the type that come in a paper wrapper. The ingredients are typically corn, water, and lime.
  2.  Cut into quarters – or leave them WHOLE –  than lightly brush or spritz with a little water or lime juice.
  3. 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.
  4. 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)

 

Brush or spritz with lime juice

 

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. 

Truly Hungry? or Just Craving?

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All of us have food cravings from time to time.

But finding yourself in the pantry or at the drive-up window might have more to do with your mood than your actual need for food.

It could be that you’re using food to deal with stress, boredom, anger, loneliness, or a host of other emotions. Or you may be struggling with a food addiction. In either case, indulging in such cravings usually means seeking out foods which are high in calories and fat.

So how can you tell if you’re experiencing a craving, or if you’re truly hungry and need to eat?

Here’s one way to recognize the difference:

Hunger usually occurs when you haven’t eaten for several hours. Your body will send one of several signals when your stomach is getting empty, anything from growling/gurgling belly sounds to headaches or feeling light-headed.

Hunger is the body’s way of telling you that you need fuel, and hunger doesn’t pass with time. When you feel true hunger, you’ll most likely seek out nutritious foods (not candy or cake).

Cravings, on the other hand, can masquerade as hunger. They push you to eat particular comfort foods—chocolate, sweets, fatty foods—even though your body doesn’t need more fuel.

Satisfying these cravings can feel good at first, but often leads to feelings of guilt. Cravings may be even stronger when you’re “dieting” or giving up your favorite foods.

Photo by Andres Ayrton, Pexels.com

The good news is that cravings do pass with time when you resist them. Distract yourself when craving the wrong foods by engaging in some activity.

Another option might be to fulfill that craving with a small amount of something healthy. For example if you’re craving sweets, how about a handful of grapes or a few slices of mango?

Self-awareness is key in distinguishing between hunger and cravings.

Below is a picture of the Hunger and Fullness Scale, which describes just that: varying degrees of hunger and fullness. It’s a tool that can help us identify how hungry or full we are.

Level 5 is neutral, neither hungry nor full. Level 4 is where we’re starting to think about food, at Level 3 our stomach starts to growl and our thoughts increase about getting something to eat.

At Level 2 there’s lots of stomach growling, our stomach may actually hurt, and we need to get food now! At Level 1, ravenous, we’re past the point of hunger and can have headaches, difficulty concentrating, and low energy. At Level 0 we’d be weak, dizzy, have a stomachache, and be mentally impaired.

The Role of Hormones in Hunger and Fullness - Hearty SmartyOn the fullness side, Level 6 would be lightly full, we’ll be hungry again in 1-3 hours. Level 7 = moderately full, satisfied, hungry again in 2-3 hours. Level 8 = Full, comfortably full but would not want to eat more. Level 9 means we’re stuffed, past the point of comfort (our stomach may hurt). And Level 10 is when we’re so uncomfortably full that we feel sick.

It is normal for your hunger and fullness to fluctuate all day long. Staying in the moderate ranges (from a 3-7) will help you avoid extremes in hunger and fullness.

If you start eating when you are lightly moderately hungry you are more likely to stop eating when you are lightly to moderately full. If you start eating when you are empty or ravenous you are more likely to eat until you are stuffed or sick. This scale can serve as a guide to help us mindfully connect to our bodies and our true hunger signals.

Hari Hachi Bu

The long-lived, Okinawans in Japan, who stay healthy well into old age and have the highest percentage of centenarians in the world, follow a practice called Hari Hachi Bu, which teaches people to stop eating when they’re 80% full.

It’s something they say before meals as a reminder to stop eating when they feel 80% full. One of their proverbs says that “eight parts of a full stomach sustain the man; the other two sustain the doctor.”

Wouldn’t it be great if we followed that example?

By getting back in tune with your hunger and satiety signals and paying attention to what/why you eat, you’ll soon be on the road to a much healthier lifestyle.

Interested in more tips for healthy eating? Check out this free training class where you’ll walk away with tips you can begin implementing today.

 Keep your mind on things above, not on worldly things. (Colossians 3:2, GW)

(Photos from VisualHunt)

Green Beans with Braised Onion

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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?

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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)

(Are you sure you’re right? Don’t look just yet)

(Think again)

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 you need and even allows you to flavor your food with a little salt.

Be sure to TASTE your food before salting it. About 1/3 of people add salt before they even taste!

Another 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.

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

Planning to diet this January? Do this instead.

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The Party’s Over

The holidays and the leftover desserts will soon be behind us, which means that many of you will once again resolve to start a new diet on January 1.  

The top three resolutions made every year typically include losing weight, getting healthy and fit, and living life to the fullest.  Fortunately, all three of those goals can be achieved with one lifestyle change….namely, the right food choices. 

Photo by i yunmai on Unsplash

Have Past Diets Failed You?

There are hundreds of diet plans on the market today. But “buyer beware.”

Typical diet plans have about a 3% success rate. That means that 97% of people following today’s traditional diets (Keto, Paleo, Atkins, South Beach, and even Weight Watchers, among others) will NOT have long-term success.

Many people fall prey to these questionable diet plans in an effort to achieve quick weight loss, not realizing the health problems in store for them down the road.

The answer to permanent weight loss and improved health is simple, achievable and proven by mounds of unbiased research. It’s not a typical diet of restriction, nor is it a diet that requires super human efforts to refrain from eating. Plus, everything you need to do it is at your disposal.

Carbs are your FRIEND! (the right carbs, that is)

Let me show you the difference between healthy complex carbs, and unhealthy refined carbs.

Let me show you the LAST diet you’ll ever need. A diet which isn’t a DIET at all. It’s a lifestyle plan that will restore your health and vitality, with weight loss being a natural byproduct.

No counting calories, no tiny portions, no counting points/carbs/anything. Eat when you’re hungry!

Check out this FREE training class:  “3 Food Mistakes Which Lead to Painful Joints, Extra Pounds, and Health Problems the Doctors Aren’t Solving.”

Do NOT go on another diet this January. Watch the free training class, schedule a call with me if you need help, and gear up so you’re ready on January 1!

 

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How to make delicious Raw Apple Crumble

How to Saute, Roast, and Bake without oil

 

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