Cyd Notter

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

Success Tips for Changing Your Diet

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Are you considering a WFPB eating plan, or new to this way of eating? Are you worried that your new diet will limit your choices to broccoli and lettuce? Let me assure you that nothing could be further from the truth.

The “Plan A” Diet not only allows you to provide a variety of foods that suit your palette, it allows you to eat until you’re satisfied whenever you get hungry. As you get familiar with plant-based cooking, you’ll gain the confidence needed to experiment with different spices or create your own wonderful dishes.

Any challenges to changing your diet will be the greatest when you’re just starting out. Once you’re convinced and committed to the change, however, these tips may prove useful to your success:

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Family and Social Pressure

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The people we hang out with can have a major influence on our food choices; life can be challenging when we’re striving to eat healthy but those in our close circles aren’t on board.

For those of you who are social butterflies, sticking to a plant-based diet can be especially difficult when eating out with friends or family members who love their burgers and buckets of fried chicken. When you observe others eating high-fat, high-calorie foods, you may feel it’s easier to join in than to be scrutinized for your healthy choices.

Photo credit: peter.clark on Visual hunt / CC BY-NC

If the people in your life aren’t supportive of your diet plan, they may try to make you feel guilty, chide or tease you, refuse to assist with cooking, get mad at you, feel threatened by you, or in some cases, try to sabotage your efforts by tempting you back into old habits.

That’s why dependency upon your family’s approval can easily set you up for failure. If you recognize that peer pressure from family or friends is going to derail your efforts, here are a few tips which could keep you on track:

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Questions to ask when ordering from a menu

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Photo credit: DigitalDurk on Visual Hunt / CC BY-NC-SA

"How to eat out" has always been a topic of interest for those who are striving to eat a healthy diet.

Most of us know that restaurant food is perhaps some of the most unhealthy food out there - filled with hidden fats (butter, oils, creams), added sugars, hidden dairy products, aluminum, excessive sodium, nitrates, and tons of artificial preservatives.

But there are ways to order a decent meal from a menu. And if you know in advance which restaurant you'll be visiting, so much the better. Call ahead, ask the right questions, and ask the chef to prepare something within your guidelines.

If you don't have a chance to pre-plan, this article from the Forks over Knives website features a great list of questions to ask before making your menu choice.

Remember to bring your own salad dressing when you can 🙂

Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. (Romans 12:2(a), NLT)

 

The "Plan A" Diet Kindle and paperback available here.

Signed copies available here.

(This book would be great for a group study - Discussion Questions included!)

5 Reasons Why Dieters Regain the Weight - a free PDF when you subscribe to our monthly newsletter.

 

Vegan Creamed Chipped Beef on Toast

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Photo by BrandNewVegan.com

Seeing this recipe online sure brought back some memories! This dish was served regularly during my childhood years, and just as in many other families, was known by the slang name of (spoiler alert, I hope this isn't too offensive): "sh*t on a shingle."

So I couldn't wait to try this recipe for Vegan Chipped Beef on Toast created by Chuck at brandnewvegan.com.

Here's my two cents.

It's relatively easy to make - you probably have all the ingredients on hand. Shaving the carrots into thin strips took a while because I used a mandolin instead of a vegetable peeler, and found it to be challenging. It may have been my novice technique, though.

The creamy gravy is tasty and somewhat reminiscent of the original dish because of the sage and thyme (I say that with the disclaimer that I haven't eaten the meat based version with corned beef for probably 45 years). The carrots weren't "bad" - all four adults who sampled it did like the dish with the carrots.

But I'll try an alternative to the carrots in the future. Perhaps ground seitan (or something similar) and will still spice it according to Chuck's recipe. Of course the dish will have a totally different look, but I think the texture (and possibly the flavor) would be better. Who knows, I may go back to the carrots after experimenting. Overall a thumbs up!

PS: Dave's Killer Bread was used for the toast.

 

5 Reasons Why Dieters Regain the Weight

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If you've ever lost a few pounds on a diet plan but later gained them all back, you're not alone.

The success rates of typical diets are dismal - less than 3% of typical dieters keep the weight off long-term.

If you're a disappointed dieter, take heart. It may not be your fault. Often times, you don't fail the diet - today's popluar diets are failing you.

I've spelled out 5 Reasons Why Dieters Regain the Weight in a free PDF, which is yours simply by subscribing to my newsletter. The newsletter typically goes out once a month, so don't worry - I promise not to overload your inbox.

Download your complimentary copy here. 

If you already subscribe to the newsletter, you can request your free copy by emailing me here.

With warm regards ~
Cyd

I can do all things through Christ, because he gives me strength. (Phillippians 4:13)

 

PS: I was recently blessed to be interviewed by Heather Randall on A Musing Podcast! Listen to the interview here. 

The "Plan A" Diet is now available (Signed copies available at www.cydnotter.com)

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