Just to remind everyone WHY I think it is so important to eat a Whole Food Plant Based Diet, (WFPB), let me give you statistics on heart disease, the #1 Killer in America. Heart disease will kill one out of every three Americans according to the American Heart Association. Over 60 million Americans currently suffer from some form of cardiovascular disease, including high blood pressure, stroke and heart disease. (This statistic is from 2006, the numbers are probably higher today). The most dramatic finding is that heart disease can be prevented and even reversed by a healthy diet.
Good morning...Happy Monday!! Well, this is the last day of this particular challenge...CONGRATULATIONS to everyone that tried it! However, I hope with the success you have made by choosing to eat this way you are motivated for more. Even though this is the last day of menus and recipes provided by this program, I will continue to give you ideas and recipes to keep the motivation going! Although, I bet there are many people that have the "hang" of this and really don't need any help at all. Anyone who came up with some good recipes, please share them with me...I love trying new dishes.
Just to remind everyone WHY I think it is so important to eat a Whole Food Plant Based Diet, (WFPB), let me give you statistics on heart disease, the #1 Killer in America. Heart disease will kill one out of every three Americans according to the American Heart Association. Over 60 million Americans currently suffer from some form of cardiovascular disease, including high blood pressure, stroke and heart disease. (This statistic is from 2006, the numbers are probably higher today). The most dramatic finding is that heart disease can be prevented and even reversed by a healthy diet. If nutrition were better understood, and prevention and natural treatments were more accepted in the medical community, we would not be pouring so many toxic, potentially lethal drugs into our bodies. We have all watched those commercials on TV telling us about a drug...the first 30 seconds tells us how wonderful it will be by taking this drug, and the next 2 minutes run down the list of side effects of the drug which are worse than what the initial problem was! REALLY?? This country pays more for health care than any other country in the world. As we all know, our health care system is starting to crumble...it cannot support the health of this country. We spend more money on health care than any other country on this planet, and we still have tens of millions of people without access to basic care. In my mind, people need to know the truth. Research has shown why we are unnecessarily sick, why too many of us die early despite the billions spent on research. The irony is that the solution is simple and inexpensive...The answer to the American health crisis is the food we choose to put in our mouths each day! It is as simple as that. Many of us think we are well informed on nutrition, but we are not. We tend to follow one fad diet after another. There is really no scientific basis to these diets...believe me, I know, I have been on everyone of them! They all "work" for weight loss, but are they healthy? Some more than others are somewhat healthy....however, they are NOT SUSTAINABLE. No one wants to "Be on a diet" forever. By eating a WFPB diet, there is no counting calories, carbs, fats...no measuring foods, etc. Eat Whole Food Plant Based, and you are set! OK, I could go on and on with this, so I will stop here for now. Today's menu looks like this: DAY 21 Breakfast: Spiced pumpkin oatmeal with soysage Lunch: Leftover vegetable Lo Mein and mixed greens with dressing Snack: Cantaloupe or another fruit Dinner: Black bean chipotle burger with cran-apple quinoa Dessert: Apple swirl loaf (Make enough for breakfast or another snack this week) Personally, I would not choose the soysage, in my mind it really isn't a whole food. However, many proponents disagree with me on this....They say people that are making the transition to this way of eating "need" some of these "mock-meat choices" in their diets. I agree that it is MUCH BETTER than "real" sausage, but if you are able to get rid of all the artificial ingredients from your food, and then you eat something that isn't a WHOLE FOOD, you can actually taste the "artificial-ness of it and you don't even want to eat it. Believe me, I have personally experienced this as well as many others. Not to mention, we are trying to get rid of all the artificial ingredients from our food that make us "sicK". So, DRINK, DRINK, DRINK YOUR WATER TODAY!! I know I'm not so good over the weekends with my water drinking....For some reason I am much more disciplined during the week. It really makes a difference when you get that water into yourself. Also, EXERCISE TODAY....do something for 30 minutes...a brisk walk, an exercise DVD, get on the treadmill or stationary bike...whatever...just do something! Please, email with any questions or concerns....I would love to help!!
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Good morning...Day 20...Can you believe it? It feels like we just started. On the 21 Day Kickstart website, Kris Karr gives nutritional tips and gives you a link to her website. You really should check it out...She is a NY Times best-selling author who wrote a series of books called, The Crazy Sexy Diet. She was diagnosed with cancer and, as she puts it, was given an "expiration date"...that was 10 years ago! She completely changed her diet, got rid of any and all animal products, and is strictly on a Whole Foods Plant Based Diet. She says her cancer is still "there", but she has stopped the progression of it and has never felt better in her life. Her story is very inspiring and she is extremely uplifting. I strongly encourage you to go to her website and read her story. AMAZING.
Today I want to give you some easy recipes that you can whip up in no time. These recipes are from the book, Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease by one of my favorite cardiologists, Caldwell B. Esselstyn, MD who practices and teaches at the Cleveland Clinic, (world renowned hospital for cardiac conditions). The Perfect Wrap 1. Preheat over to 450 degrees. 2. Assemble whole-wheat or whole-grain tortillas or flat bread. 3. Spread the wrap with loft of hummus. (Two commercial varieties that are good are made by Sahara Cuisine or Oasis Mediterranean Cuisine, or make your own, the recipe follows this). 4. Add chopped cilantro, chopped green onions, matchstick carrots, frozen corn thawed under running water, chopped tomatoes, and chopped peppers. Or, use whatever you have on hand such as cucumbers, beans, rice, broccoli, mushrooms, anything! 5. Top with lots of fresh spinach or lettuce. Spinach is preferable, because it wilts better in the oven. 6. Carefully roll the wrap into a sausage-like shape, squishing it together as you go. Cut in half, put on a baking sheet and bake for about l0 minutes, until crisp, (keep checking so that it does not burn). Fabulous!! I love hummus...it comes in a variety of flavors. I use it for sandwich spreads, dips for pita chips or vegetables. This is a recipe I use often and just add different vegetables, (leave out the roasted red pepper) to change the flavor. The basic recipe is: HUMMUS 2 19 oz cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed, (I cook my own) 1 12 oz jar roasted red peppers, including liquid 1 teaspoon chopped garlic or 2 garlic cloves, minced 1-3 teaspoons lemon juice 1 teaspoon ground cumin Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Add a little water if the consistency is too thick. If you are not going to use the whole batch, I freeze what's leftover in a ziplock bag. Easy! OK, the Day 20 menu... Breakfast: Breakfast Burrito with a side of fruit Lunch: "Bacon", Sprout and tomato sandwich Snack: Air popped popcorn with curry powder or nutritional yeast Dinner: Vegetable Lo Mein with Mixed greens and Miso Dressing If you don't have the ingredients for Miso Dressing, (anyone new to this is probably asking, What is Miso?), use a different dressing on your salad. Just remember, read the label...stay away from High Fructose Corn Syrup, and for those watching the numbers on the scale, look for a low-fat or no-fat version. One of my favorite salad dressing recipes is: 3. 2. 1 Salad Dressing 3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar 2 tablespoons of mustard of choice 1 tablespoon of maple syrup Mix all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Give these recipes a try...check out Kris Karr's website or any other website from the 21 Day Kickstart site...the information and tips can be really helpful. Email me and let me know how you are doing, what your frustrations may be so I can maybe help you make this transition as easy as possible. Happy eating!! Here we are with only 3 days left in our challenge...However, I hope everyone is having good success and will continue to eat healthy! Since it's the weekend, I will be making a pot of some whole-grain for the upcoming week, (probably quinoa) so it's ready for quick, healthy dinners. I like to put any kind of vegetables over it with some kind of sauce...the Chinese Brown Sauce from yesterdays blog is excellent.....or just saute some onions, garlic, tomatoes, spices, (try different spices like cumin, coriander, mustard seed, turmeric, chipotle paprika, etc.) mixed into this tomato mixture...delicious. I will give you ideas for more easy recipes in my blogs.
People have the impression that eating healthy is too expensive...it really is not! Staples such as beans, brown rice, whol-wheat grains, vegetables and fruit cost a fraction of the price of meats and dairy products...REALLY! The bonus to this is, eating healthfully will save you on health-care costs in the long run. I can't emphasize enough that by eating a Whole Food Plant Based diet, not only will you achieve your "perfect" weight, but your health improves dramatically. So many people ARE ABLE TO GET OFF MEDICATIONS by eating this way. This is why I put this 21 Day Challenge on my blog....If people are willing to try something different for a short period of time and see as well as feel what nutrition can do for them, it keeps them motivated to continue. This is not just about eating lettuce!! If you are a mayonnaise lover, this recipe is for you: Vegan Mayonnaise 1 12.3 oz pkg Mori-Nu tofu (You can find tofu in any grocery store, doesn't have to be this brand--choose low fat) 2-3 tsp Dijon mustard 2 tsp distilled white vinegar lemon juice, to taste agave nectar, to taste (You can find agave nectar in any grocery store) 1. In a blender or small food processor, blend tofu with Dijon and vinegar until smooth and creamy. 2. Add a few drops of lemon juice and a few drops of agave nectar and blend again. 3. Taste and add more lemon, agave nectar or Dijon as needed. Chill until you're ready to use. Now, let's compare nutritional value--this recipe vs. Hellmann's: This recipe, (1 TBSP): 10 calories, 0.2 gr fat, 0.3 carbohydrates, 0 gr sugar, 0 gr fiber, 1.6 gr protein Hellmann's, (1 TBSP): 90 calories, 10 gr fat, 1.5 gr saturated fat, 6 gr polyunsaturated fat, 2.5 gr monounsaturated fat, 0 protein. Big difference!! Please don't be afraid to try this...I was strictly a Hellmann's girl...this is REALLY, REALLY GOOD! Salad dressings are another product to watch the labels on....most of the bottled dressings not only have many ingredients and are high in fat, but they have high fructose corn syrup in them.....regardless of what the media tells you about high fructose corn syrup, it is BAD for you. Not only does it keep weight on you, your body doesn't know how to metabolize it....it's NOT from nature, it is a man-made bi-product. When you see this in an ingredient label, put the product back on the shelf...do not buy it! Here is a recipe for "Honey" Mustard dressing: 1 tbsp Dijon mustard 1 tbsp raw agave nectar hot sauce, to taste dash of ground ginger 1. In a small bowl, whisk Dijon and agave nectar together. 2. Add a few drops of hot sauce plus a dash or two of ground ginger, mix again. 3. Taste , adjusting sugar, mustard or hot sauce as needed. Both recipes are really good and they come from the book, Everyday Happy Herbivore by Lindsay S. Nixon. Excellent recipes are in this book, they are low-fat and on the table in 30 minutes or less. OK, so today's menu looks like this: Breakfast: Smoothie Day: Berry Blaster Lunch: Chickpea sensation patties with balsamic maple sauce Snack: Maple banana muffins or quick snack: banana Dinner: Kickstart dining out: Italian If you don't like today's choices, choose something else on the Kickstart website or another Whole Food Plant Based diet site. If you need help, please let Good morning everyone...Happy Friday!! For those of you that started this challenge on Day 1, you have almost reached your goal of eating healthy for 21 days. Even if you made small changes, congratulations...you are on your way to a healthier lifestyle. Don't stop now!!
I would like to give you some other recipe options that don't require a lot of time preparing and are very good! The following recipes are sauces you can use on vegetables, pasta, over rice or whole-grains. They are really easy to make and I think you and your family will love them. The first sauce is called Chinese Brown Sauce. Think of the sauce that Chinese food comes in....it really does taste the same, but is a much healthier version. My husband loves this, and believe me, he is my worst critic! Both of these recipes are from the book, Forks Over Knives. CHINESE BROWN SAUCE (makes about 3/4 cup) 1/3 cup low -sodium soy sauce 1/3 cup of vegetable stock 1/4 cup date molasses or brown rice syrup 2 teaspoons minced ginger 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced 2 teaspoon arrowroot powder (cornstarch) Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat until thickened, about 5 minutes. Store refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week. I like to "stir-fry" vegetables with this. Remember, no oil, just put your vegetables in a skillet or wok, start with a tiny amount of water, then start adding this sauce to continue cooking. Another favorite sauce of mine is the No-Cheese Sauce. This is a low-fat sauce that makes great Mac and Cheese...Best of all it only takes 5 minutes to put together. Putting this in a blender makes it creamy and delicious! NO-CHEESE SAUCE (makes about 2 1/2 cups) 1 large yellow onion, peeled and coarsely chopped, (about 2 cups) 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped, (about 1 1/2 cups) 3 Tablespoons cashews, toasted (put n a dry skillet and "toast"...when you smell the aroma of the nut, they are done) 1 Tablespoon tahini, (optional) 1 cup of nutritional yeast salt to taste Combine all ingredients in a blender in the order given and puree until smooth and creamy, adding up to 1/2 cup of water if necessary to achieve a smooth consistency. Note: Tahini is a paste made of ground sesame seeds. It can be found in many grocery stores with the other Middle Eastern products. This is optional in this recipe, so if you don't have it, don't worry about it. Nutritional yeast: This is a deactivated yeast that comes in flaked or powdered form. It gives foods a "cheesy" flavor and has a strong nutritional profile. I find it in the bulk section in health food stores...I love this stuff...I make this cheese sauce with it, sprinkle the flakes over hot vegetable for a cheese flavor, sprinkle it on air popped popcorn...Try it! OK, so Day 18 menu looks like this: Breakfast: Steel cut oats Lunch: Leftover tofu palak paneer or a veggie burger with whole wheat bread or roll, lettuce, tomato, onions, mustard Snack: Frozen grapes Dinner: Red curry chickpea and sweet potato soup with steamed spinach Don't like what's on the menu today, (remember, you don't know if you don't like it if you have never tried it!), find other recipes to try instead, or, just make a veggie wrap for lunch with some store-bought hummus, (watch the amount of oil) and lots of vegetables. For dinner make a huge salad and top it off with chickpeas, black beans, white beans, or any other kind of bean, or use them all! Pay attention to the dressing you are putting on your salad...watch the fat content. So, get your 30 minutes of exercise in today, you will be happy you did, and drink that water! Choke it down if you have to...just keep telling yourself you will burn 25% more calories at rest drinking that extra water, not to mention the "glow" it will give your skin. Email with any questions or concerns...I look forward to hearing from you! Good morning everyone...Here we are on Day 17 for those of you who are following this plan. I'm sure the number on the scale is less and your clothes are feeling much looser. Besides the weight loss, this way of eating is so healthy for you. Your body is getting so many vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, etc., that you most likely haven't had eating the Standard American Diet, (SAD). With the flu being rampant now, (believe me, I see it everyday), this way of eating boosts your immune system giving you added protection.
People that are now eating a Whole Food Plant Based Diet, report that their: Weight dropped, eyesight became better, healed faster, came off medications, rarely get sick, blood pressure/cholesterol/blood sugars returned to normal, do not need any "vitamin supplements", sleep better, has much more energy, acne disappeared, headaches are gone, allergies cleared up, etc., etc., etc. This way of eating is not just for weight loss. The health benefits you get from nutrition are nothing short of miraculous. When you give your body what it needs, it will heal itself. This is my favorite mantra as I have personally experienced this as well as I have witnessed so many others experience the samething...you will have optimal health by eating the right foods...It's as simple as that! For those of you who haven't really "started" eating this way, if you don't want to "jump" in with both feet at once you don't have to. You can start ONE-DAY-AT-A TIME: Just start eating foods from the plant kingdom for one day's meals and snacks. Don't worry about an upcoming wedding in June or your summer barbecues. Today you will eat plant based foods. If you fall off the wagon, so what. A new day can start at any time. Another way to start this is: THE-ONE-THING-AT-A-TIME PLAN: Cut out certain animal products one at a time. For instance, cut out red meat first, then other meat, then fish, then eggs, and then finally dairy. For most people, including myself, dairy was the "hardest" to give up. But, once I did, and when you learn why dairy is so bad for you, I never looked back. Again, the benefits of not eating dairy are astonishing. A third way option is called: THE VEGAN AT HOME PLAN. This means that you'll learn the basics, get some recipes, stock up on plant-based foods in your own home and you decide what animal products you will want to keep as "fall-backs" for when you're out. For instance, you may want to have fish when you are out sometimes, and cream in your coffee at a restaurant. Personally, I wouldn't encourage this particular plan because it "allows" you to continue to eat animal products. I find once you completely give up animal products and follow a plan for 30 days, it's much easier than flip flopping back and forth. You may also want to just give up meat at first and continue with dairy products for awhile. That's fine also....sometimes baby steps are the best way for people to transition to this way of eating. Whatever works for you is the plan you should try. No matter how you start, just starting will be so much healthier than the way you are eating right now! OK, so Day 17 menu: Breakfast: Cornmeal porridge (Try it you might like it) Lunch: Chinese cuisine Snack: Lettuce wraps Dinner: Pumpkin and tomato soup with steamed eggplant and garlic over brown rice Don't like the menu today? Choose some other recipe from either this website or another site. Try the allrecipes website, they have loads of plant based recipes. For the above recipes, go to The 21-Day Vegan Kickstart Challange website. So, remember to drink that water...you should have downed a glass first thing this morning...get 30 minutes of some kind of exercise, and try a new recipe!! Again, any concerns, comments, questions, please email me...I would love to hear from you! Good Morning.....First things first...get that big glass of water down before your morning coffee. If I can do it, so can you!
Today I would like talk about speeding up our metabolism, who doesn't want that? When we eat foods that are high in fat, (meat and dairy), little fat droplets get into our cells. When these fat particles get into our cells, our "fat burner" cells called mitochondria have a hard time burning fat. It's the mitochondria's job to metabolize fat, but when these fat droplets are inside the cell, the mitochondria has a very hard time doing it's job. Think of the fat inside the cells like gum, it makes it very hard for the mitochondria to burn away fat. Our goal is to have nice "clean" cells without a lot of fat inside of them. A nice clean cell can pull in glucose and convert most of it to energy. But, fatty foods can pack fat into our cells making it very difficult for glucose to get inside, (remember the gum), and our metabolism gets no boost. With the mitochondria unable to burn up the fat, the fat continues to build in our cells and we don't get the "burn" we should have. How do we remove the fat from our cells and get our metabolism back? Well, one way is surgery, which in my mind is extremely drastic and many times very unnecessary. There is a much easier way to evict this fat from our cells. Very simply, LEAVE FAT OUT OF THE FOODS YOU EAT. That means, avoid animal fats AND vegetable oils. Choose nonfat dressings, get rid of the greasy fries, steam, broil and bake your foods instead of frying. That would cut even more fat from your diet. Researchers took away animal products and vegetable oils from a group of participants, and found the amount of "fat droplets" in their cells dropped by 87%. Do you realize what that can do for your metabolism? WOW! So, the secret is this: if you take most of the fat out of your diet, our cells will respond to insulin much more quickly, (glucose turning calories into energy). Our cells will become supercharged ready to burn off calories faster. Ok, with that in mind, the Day 16 menu looks like this: Breakfast: Frozen vegan waffles with peaches and maple syrup or cereal with almond milk and fruit Lunch: Vegan cup of soup or leftover Sloppy Joes with summer pasta and bean salad Snack: Mali chips Dinner: Savory French lentils and brown rice with a side of steamed greens Dessert: Mango lime sorbet or baked cardamom pears For the above recipes, go to the 21 Day Vegan Kickstart website. Again, there are many more sites for Whole Food Plant Based recipes. One of my favorites is Straightupfood.com, really, really good. Shop the perimeter of the grocery store, get lots of food that doesn't come with nutritional labels on it, (vegetables and fruit), and try recipes using these foods with different spices. After eating this way, your body will reward you....I promise!! Here we are on Day 15...This is not bad at all, is it? When I talk to people about a Whole Food Plant Based Diet, their first response is, you don't eat any meat or dairy??? What is left to eat, lettuce? Unfortunately, from the time we were able to first walk and talk, it was ingrained in our brains how important it was to eat healthy. That meant, we must eat protein and lots of it, drink milk with our meals, and eat cheese, yogurt, eggs, etc. for a healthy body. This way of eating was taught to us a on a daily basis; it is taught at home, and then when we started school, again all this information was enforced. (The meat and dairy industries are brilliant, they bring all kinds of materials into the classroom encouraging children to eat lots of meat and dairy for strong bodies). So, from childhood right through to adulthood, we are "taught" the importance of eating meat and dairy.
However, when eating a Whole Food Plant Based Diet, it's not about what foods you are NOT eating, it's about all the foods you WILL be eating. IT'S NOT JUST LETTUCE!! Although, green leafy vegetables are superfoods, literally. I eat huge salads everyday, usually twice a day. But, there is a plethora of vegetables, fruits, beans and whole-grains out there. Don't focus on the food you are not eating, (along with all the cholesterol and saturated fat it comes packaged with), and focus on all the Whole Foods with their vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants you will be feeding your body with. Try at least one new recipe a day (if time permits), and you will realize what you have been missing! OK, so Day 15 menu looks like this: Breakfast: Oatmeal with Fig and Mint Lunch: Leftover chickpea salad rolls Snack: Orange slices Dinner: Tempeh Sloppy Joes and summer pasta with bean salad, fresh tomatoes and basil Mix and match menus if there is something you don't like. replace it with something else. If you don't like the fig and mint, substitute it for some other fruit you have on hand, or just add some cinnamon and honey. But if you never tried something, how do you know you don't like it?? If you don't have time to make one of the suggested recipes, just make a huge salad with peppers, onions, mushrooms, scallions, tomatoes, carrots, black beans or chickpeas, or any beans. Or, mix together different kinds of beans with onions, corn, chopped peppers, etc., and mix with salsa. Put everything over greens...how easy is that! Just keep looking for ideas and once you try different things, you will come up with your own favorite recipes. So, keep drinking water....don't stop...remember, drinking all that water helps to burn calories while we are at rest...research shows 25% more calories burned. Do some sort of exercise today for 30 minutes, a brisk walk is all you need to do to fulfill that requirement!! Email me with any questions: debbie@asouperhealthyyou.com Happy Monday!! Here we are at the two week mark for everyone following this program....If you have cut back on your animal products for the last two weeks, congratulations! If you have not had any animal products over the last two weeks, KEEP GOING, DON'T STOP NOW!! Hopefully you have found some really good recipes....keep trying new dishes..the available recipes are endless.
This way of eating is NOT a diet...when I hear the word "diet", to me it means, what day do we start, what am am I depriving myself of, and when is the end date? We have all done this in the past...God knows I have been on every single diet that is out there...RETIRE FROM DIETING! Unprocessed plant foods are nature's best kept secret---is so well kept because it's hard for corporate food interests to make a lot of money off something you can grow in your own backyard. It's as simple as that!! Vegetables and fruits are very low in fat and high in water content. Beans, whole grains, vegetables, fruits and nuts (the plant-kingdom rarity of high-fat food), are filled with fiber. Neither water nor fiber has any calories at all, and "Remove the fiber" is the recipe for creating processed foods. When the fiber goes, the calories increase. The equation I love comes from the book, Main Street Vegan...Not Much Fat + Water + Fiber=Food That Fills You Up with Fewer Calories. This means you can eat large quantities, (no measuring, weighing, counting), lose weight and keep it off without dieting, obsessing or feeling guilty. As long as you are following a Whole Food Plant Based Diet, you can JUST EAT and not think about the calories. Some people think this is too good to be true, but I am here to tell you eating this way works! Just on the internet alone there is a boat-load of information and testimonials from people who have literally turned their lives around by EATING THE RIGHT FOODS. OK, so the Day 14 menu looks like this: Breakfast: Huevos Rancheros and garlic hashbrowns with Kale Lunch: Chickpea salad rolls Snack: Apple or other fruit Dinner: Beans, greens and grains, (consider using barley, lentils or anything else you may have on hand. Here's to the start of another week.... Go to the 21 Day Vegan Kickstart website for the above recipes....Drink, Drink, Drink your water....Exercise for 30 minutes today...Drink some more water...Let me know how you're doing!! Good morning everyone...Hope your weekend is going well...I just cooked a huge batch of beans...It's very simple, just buy a bag of dry beans, rinse and soak overnight in water, (put beans in a pot, cover with about 2 inches of water), drain water off in the morning, cover with fresh water, bring to a slow boil, and cook for about 1 -1 1/2 hours. You don't have to stand over them and stir, just bring to a slow boil, cover and let them cook. At the end of an hour, taste them for doneness...you don't want them too mushy, but you also don't want them "hard"...when they are undercooked they're a little harder to digest. They are the cheapest, easiest food to make....when I make a batch I usually make 3-4 bags at a time it a large stock pot, (it takes the same time to make one bag as it does to make 5), and then divide them up in ziplock bags, and freeze them until needed....it doesn't get much easier than that. Remember, beans are LOADED with protein and fiber...they are a superfood!!
OK, the tip for today comes from Bob Harper...he says we need to eat apples and berries EVERY SINGLE DAY. Remember yesterday, I told you about apple peels.....Bob says if we want to make weight loss permanent, we need to abide by this rule. I discussed phytochemicals in a previous blog and how they protect us from toxins....well, it turns out apples and berries are rich in phytochemicals. The most important phytochemicals for us is called anthocyanins which is found in colorful fruits and vegetables. Then anthocyanins are powerful natural anti-inflammatories. They push down bad cholesterol and stop cholesterol's harmful effects on our heart and arteries. Also, for anyone concerned about the effects of aging, studies are being conducted now showing these anthocyanins slowing down the aging of our skin. So, we don't have to buy the $100 cream to stop the wrinkles, all we need to do is eat our phytochemicals that we buy in the produce department at our grocery store!! Now, you ask, what about fruit and weight loss. Well, it turns out that fruit helps to stabilize the "friendly bacteria" in our gut, (we hear about this friendly bacteria in advertisements for probiotic drinks and yogurt), and when the bacteria is stabilized, it helps us to burn calories instead of storing calories, therefore, helps to prevent weight gain. The phytochemicals in apples and berries restore the balance of these "gut bacteria" helping us to burn those calories. And, apples and berries are much cheaper to buy, and much better for us, than those pricey probiotic drinks that are added with who-knows-what. Frozen berries are just as good as fresh...sometimes when we buy fresh berries they can be mushy, pulpy and pricey. If you buy frozen berries, (I do all the time), make sure there is no added sugars or juice. Put them in your oatmeal, over your cereal, or whip up a fruit smoothie using the berries and some almond milk...delicious! Ok, so on to today's menu... Breakfast: Vanilla french toast and a make-your-own smoothie Lunch: Spinach, beet, and orange salad with whole-grain bread or pita Snack: Edamame Dinner: Jamaican stir-fry over long grain brown rice, (or try quinoa) Again, go to the 21 Day Vegan Kickstart website to get all the recipes above as well as many, many more. Mix and match, do whatever you like. As I said before, if you have time today make a batch of beans, or brown rice, or any other kind of whole-grain that you can use during the week for a quick, healthy dinner. Use left-overs to make a wrap for lunch the next day. If anyone needs help with ANYTHING, please email me...debbie@asouperhealthyyou.com.....I would love to hear from you! Good Morning!! For everyone that's making healthy changes to their diet--Congratulations! Hopefully you are trying new recipes with ingredients that are new and different. On the 21 Day Vegan Kickstart website, there is so much information, nutritional advice, cooking videos, meal plans, and recipes...I hope you are taking advantage of this FREE information. All the information, remember, comes from world class physicians...As a matter of fact, President Clinton chose Caldwell Esselstyn"s Whole Food Plant Based program to reverse his heart disease. Again, all my information comes from only extremely reputable physicians from Harvard, Yale, Berkley, and the Cleveland Clinic. I believe the problem with all the confusion surrounding nutrition is all the mis-information that is in the media from all kinds of sources, especially the MEAT and DAIRY industries...they spend BILLIONS, (billions with a B) on their advertising campaigns...and they have brilliant marketing skills. However, the information we hear on a daily basis, such as "drink milk, it's good for your bones", and "people must eat meat to build strong muscles"....and we have all been "taught" that this is how we must eat to be healthy, is KILLING US!!
By eating all this meat and consuming all this dairy, we are a very sick nation. Heart disease and cancer rates are the highest EVER and they continue to rise....How can this be? How can Americans be amongst the "sickest" people in the world? The scientific research that has been done shows us by eating all the processed, artificial foods, along with huge amounts of animal products, (meat AND dairy), is making us SICK. This does not have to be the case....our health is in our hands. We can absolutely prevent disease, stop the progression of diseases, and reverse damage that has been done by THE FOOD WE PUT IN OUR MOUTH. There is not a PILL on the market that can work this MAGIC!! I would like to share with you two tips today: Apples and Mushrooms. Apples: According to Michael Greger, MD, research nutritionalist, a study done at the University of Wisconsin showed that apple peels stopped the growth of tumor cells. The researchers had petrie dishes with cancer cells growing in them, (breast and prostate cells)...they put drops of apple peelings into the dishes and the tumor cells stopped growing. The results were amazing. Mushrooms: Researchers asked the question why Asian women had extremely low to non-existent risks of breast cancer, when in America breast cancer is rampant. Their research showed in Asia, women consumed green tea regularly as well as ate mushrooms which played a big part in their diets. After gathering all their information, the researchers found women who ate 15 mushrooms in a month's time had a 64% lower risk of breast cancer, and those that ate the mushrooms and drank green tea had a 90% less risk of breast cancer. This is AMAZING! For those of you who don't know this, researchers have found that whatever starts the formation of breast cancer cells starts the formation of prostate cancer cells. Both of these types of cancers are considered "hormonal"--researchers are finding what causes breast cancer also causes prostate cancer...they are very closely linked. Ok, so the menu for Day 12 is: Breakfast: Smoothie Day! Mango Sassy or Sheera Lunch: Tofu Palak Paneer with herb roti Snack: Carrot halwa Dinner: Aloo gobi (potato and cauliflower curry) over basmati brown rice The menu today is Indian inspired...If it's too daring for you, of course make something else, there are a billion recipes to choose from. With that being said, the potato curry recipe is easy and I make it often...it's really good!! Also, since it is the weekend and you may have more time, maybe you can try an omelette with the eggs!! Again, lots of recipes to choose from out there.... If anyone has any questions or needs help with something, please let me know...I want to help you succeed with this new way of eating...I promise you...you will be thankful you did! |
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May 2018
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