How Karen Shed 40 Pounds Sustainably and Reduced Her Arthritis Pain By 98%!

Karen was 69 years old when she found the courage to ask me to help her Shed Pounds Sustainably (here she is 💖) and what happened, exceeded her expectations....

Karen was suffering from arthritis pain from head to toe especially in her hands and back. The pain was affecting her ability to complete daily chores at home -- she couldn't keep up. She was losing stamina to take walks with her husband.  She could no longer walk to the lake and back with her husband (for the last few years!).  She would have to turn around halfway through and felt very defeated. She was discouraged and felt that she was entering a realm of disability.  

Karen had tried numerous diet programs with no success and felt that she was never going to shed pounds sustainably until she did this one life changing thing...

Karen hired me, Nutritionist, Trisha Mandes, MPHN, as her personal Nutritionist to help her Shed Pounds Sustainably and improve her health.  

After 6 months of working with me and eating optimally (a massive win in and of itself!), Karen...

🔥 Shed 40 lbs without buying products, pills, counting or weighing food.  Amazing! 
🔥 Reduced her arthritis pain by 98%.  Also -- amazing!
🔥 She's not scared of falling anymore so she's no longer moving in fear! 
🔥 Has increased energy to do everyday tasks around the house.
🔥 Is able to take long walks with her husband to the lake again!
🔥 Feels like she has her LIFE back.
🔥 Knows she can eat optimally for the rest of her life and loves what she's eating.

Click the video below to listen to Karen tell you her story in her own words…

Cheers to shedding pounds sustainably in a healthy, lasting way AND never giving up on yourself... no matter how old you are! 

I'm so glad Karen didn't!

In Your Corner, 

Trish

P.S. I'd love to chat with you to see if/how I can also help you Shed Pounds Sustainably!  Do you want that too?  If so, sign up for a complimentary chat with me here and I'll let you know if/how I can help you Shed Pounds Sustainably and what results are possible for you and the unique miracle you are.  Karen's results exceeded her own expectations.  Let's see if we can do that for you too 😉. Schedule a complimentary time to chat with me here.

Smoothies: Three Things to Watch Out For

Smoothies can be a great way to eat more fruits and veggies but I don't recommend drinking them with reckless abandon.  And here's three reasons why...

1.  Smoothies aren't a panacea for good health (for two reasons).

Smoothies can be a great addition to a healthy, plant-based or vegan diet, but they can also trick you.  Here's two different ways...

One - when you blend up your food, the blender is actually doing some of the pre-digesting of the food for you.  This makes it easier to consume more calories without feeling as full.  

For example, if you were to drink a smoothie made of 2 bananas, 1 cup of frozen cherries, a half cup of almond milk, 5 dates and 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder (that's an awesome smoothie that I love by the way), you could fit all of that food into just one glass.

(There's a little left-over.  This is a small mason jar.  This is would all fit into a pint glass).

Same amount of food as the smoothie on the left but you actually have more food to eat when it's whole.

If you were to eat 2 bananas, 1 cup of cherries, 5 dates and a half cup of almond milk whole (not blended), you're going to feel more bulk in your stomach.  This will make you feel fuller.  

When you physically munch of food (versus sipping it through a straw), your insides are going to have to burn more calories to actually digest the food as well.  

Eating the whole fruit is more likely to fill you up than eating it blended.  however, it's the same amount of calories.

Two - if you ate the standard American diet and did nothing but drank a smoothie everyday, yes that's better than not, but it's unlikely you'll experience any tangible health benefits from it.

You're more likely to fit into those old clothes you love in the back of your closet by eating whole, plant-based meals 80% of the week and not drinking smoothies.

However, if drinking healthy, vegan smoothies is going to help you eat healthier throughout the rest of the day, then that's freakin' awesome.  Drink 'em up!  Just avoid these types of smoothies...

1.  Avoid smoothies with dairy products

Dairy is associated with asthma, allergies (1), type I diabetes (2), multiple sclerosis (3), acne (4) and it doesn't promote weight loss (5).  If the reason you're drinking a smoothie is for health, ditch the dairy.  

Use plant-milk or silken tofu for a healthy plant-based or vegan smoothie instead.  Silken tofu (not firm or regular tofu) is soft and creamy like yogurt and takes on the flavor of whatever you mix it with.  

2.  Avoid smoothies with added sugar.  Here's where you'll find them...

There's a good chance there may be added sugar in a smoothie when you buy it at a smoothie chain... fast food smoothies so to speak.  

I was in the Philadelphia airport a few weeks ago and stopped at smoothie and frozen yogurt place in the food court.  Sugar was listed as an ingredient in a lot of the smoothies.  So, I ordered one that didn't include sugar (who needs sugar if you're eating blended up pineapple and mango?).  

It just so happened that I watched the person make the smoothie (for no particular reason) and, she added sugar.  Argh!  So I kindly pointed out the listed ingredients and she made me a new one.   

It's common for "smoothie restaurants" to use added sugar.  Stick with sweeter fruits for a naturally sweet taste instead.

If you're making smoothies at home and won't it on the sweeter side, add dates (pick or cut them into pieces) or date paste.  Dates are incredibly sweet and they're packed with nutrition.

Take Control Now

Are you a smoothie drinker?  Why or why not?  If you have a great smoothie recipe, please share it by clicking 'comment' below.

References

1. Sackesen, C. et al., 2011. Cow's milk allergy as a global challenge. Curr Opin Allergy Clin immunol. Jun;11(3):243-8

2. Gerstein, H., 1994. Cow's milk exposure and type I diabetes mellitus. A critical overview of the clinical literature. Diabetes Care, Jan;17(1):13-9.

3. Malosse, D. 1992. Correlation between milk and dairy product consumption and multiple sclerosis prevalence: a worldwide study. Neuroepidemiology, 11(4-6):304-12.

4. Melnik, B. 2009. Milk consumption: aggravating factor of acne and promoter of chronic diseases of Western societies. J Dtsch Dermatol Ges. Apr;7(4):364-70

5. Lanou AJ and Barnard ND, 2008. Dairy and weight loss hypothesis: an evaluation of the clinical trials. Nutr Rev. May;66 (5): 272-9.

How to Cut Cauliflower & Five Ways to Eat It

No more steamed cauliflower for you baby! (although I do love steamed cauliflower as part of a salad tossed with an amazing dressing -- if there's great dressing, I can eat loads of cauliflower then!). 

There's so many unique, easy and interesting ways to eat cauliflower now that you don't have to settle for steamed cauliflower.  The up-tick in cauliflower recipes, is in part, due to the unjustified gluten-free craze (Capannolo, et al. 2015).  

Despite the misinformation the gluten-free craze has caused, at least there's more creative ways to eat cauliflower because of it.    

Before I introduce five unique, easy (and plant-based) ways to make cauliflower, Chef Erik of Trisha's Healthy Table (my husband - I'm a lucky woman!) is here to show you an easy way to cut cauliflower.

Before Erik taught me how to cut cauliflower, I was clueless.  I never had uniform cuts and I'd always cut through the "leaves" of the cauliflower tree instead of cutting them, like this...

Once you know an easy way to cut cauliflower, it's time to put your skills to good use with fun and easy cauliflower recipes, like these...

 

Five Unique, Easy (and Plant-Based) Ways to Eat Cauliflower

1.  Cauliflower Rice

Cauliflower rice is SO easy to make.  Simply grate cauliflower with a cheese grater or pulse in a food processor until you get 'rice like' pieces and then microwave with your favorite spices.  We serve cauliflower rice with our Black Bean and Sweet Potato Enchiladas at Trisha's Healthy Table.  If you're going to eat cauliflower rice instead of a whole-grain rice, be sure to include Foundational Filling Foods (like sweet potatoes and black beans) with your cauliflower rice, in order to stay full. 

Here's a cauliflower rice recipe from Minimalist Baker you can use.

2.  Cauliflower Wings

I made these this weekend for the first time and they were awesome!  I used chickpea flour as part of the breading mixture (I tried whole wheat too but that didn't turn out as well) and Trader Joe's General Tso's sauce as the wing sauce.  

We dipped the final product in cashew-based ranch (mix ranch dressing spices into cashew sour cream) and ate them with a veggie vegan pizza we made using Trader Joe's pre-made, whole wheat pizza dough.  It was an awesome dinner and the wings tasted great the next day too.

Check out this cauliflower wing recipe to make them yourself.

3.  Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce

We're serving 100% whole-grain pasta with cauliflower Alfredo and broccoli at Trisha's Healthy Table this week.  A lot of mock Alfredo sauces use cashews and are calorie dense and high in fat.  

Cauliflower Alfredo sauce however, is a low-fat and less calorie-dense version that's especially great for anyone trying to eat more veggies, eat vegan, or trying any who is looking to achieve accelerated weight-loss with a plant-based diet.

Try this Cauli-Powder "Alfredo" from Oh She Glows.com  We LOVE her recipes!  (Psst - I'd omit the 1/2 TB of oil from the recipe.  Save yourself an 60 extra calories).

4.  Cheesy Cauliflower Sauce

I LOVE pouring this sauce on my oil-free potato and oil-free sweet potato fries.  With ketchup of course!  I can eat a huge plate of these, watch some University of South Carolina women's basketball and munch out on what tastes like greasy bar food, but is even better!

Use this Cheesy Cauliflower Sauce from fatfreevegan.com  We love this blog too!

5.  Cauliflower Pizza Crust

I haven't made this yet, so if you do, please comment below and let me know how it goes!  Again, I'd be sure to add Foundational Filling Foods to this pizza to make it a complete, and filling meal.

This cauliflower pizza crust recipe is oil-free and vegan and has a 5 star rating (hence why I picked it for you!).

---

If you're interested in learning how to healthy and more plant-based (including fun ways of cooking!), be sure to sign-up for email updates about my next "Plant-Based Nutrition and Cooking eCourse for Weight-Loss and Improved Health."  It'll be here just in time for summer!  If you want to be one of the first know about it (there's perks to that!) be sure to sign-up here.

---

Take Control Now

Which of these cauliflower recipes will be the first you try?  Have another cauliflower recipe to share?  Please post it by clicking 'comment' below.

New study: weight-loss and plant-based, vegan diets

Can people really lose their belly jiggles without focusing on exercise, while eating until they're satisfied and full and without counting calories?

The answer is yes, and here's another new study, showing just that, using a whole-foods, plant-based and vegan diet (well they didn't analyze "belly jiggles" per say, but they did measure BMI, weight and waist circumference).

Watch the video below to learn about the results of the "Broad Study: A randomized controlled trial using a whole food plant-based diet in the community for obesity, ischemic heart disease or diabetes." 

Take Control Now Question

What's one new thing you learned from this video?  Any additional insights to add?

Comment by clicking 'comment' below.

3 ways to eat plant-based when you don't want to cook and food tastes boring.

I was inspired by a friend for today's blog.  Dr. Swann Adams (our amazing Scientific Adviser) had a tough week sticking with her plant-based diet.  If you remember, Dr. Swann recently reversed her type II diabetes (hellz yea!) and she wants to keep it that way.  But this week was a tough one for Swann...   

The reason I'm inspired by Swann though, is not because she struggled this week (although I admire her openness in sharing it because we all struggle). 

I'm inspired by how Swann looked those challenges in the eyes and kicked their asses.  She stayed on track with her plant-based diet, and amongst her challenges, she even lost another 1.5 pounds.  In a week.  

And no, she didn't just stop eating to do it.  She continued eating plant-based, without portion control.  In addition to her HbA1c reverting to a normal level, Dr. Swann has now lost 28 pounds in 17 weeks.  Let me get a "hellz yeah sister Swann!"   

How did Dr. Swann stick with it when she didn't feel like cooking and her meals just weren't appetizing?  That's exactly what I'm sharing with you today -- 3 ways to eat plant-based when you don't want to cook and food tastes boring.  

Swann didn't stay on track and continue to improve her health by luck.  She put the work in, made the effort and we want to share those tools with you today.

3 ways to eat plant-based when you don't want to cook and food tastes boring
 

1.  Have a friend or family member cook for your kids (or you).

Swann did.  Her mom is well aware of Swann's dietary needs and how important making long-term plant-based changes is for Swann (she attended our Take It Back training and learned the recommendations for herself).  So, when Swann needed a break in the kitchen, she asked for help (it's a lot easier to get help if you ask for it.  This is an important skill to have).  Her mom cooked for her kids so she could rest easy.

This is another reason why it's so important to tell friends and family about your vegan diet changes.  They can help you!  Even if you don't have supportive family, make a pact with a friend to help one another.  They can cook for you (or your kids) and you'll always be there for them when they're in need.

2.  Have a professional cook you healthy, vegan meals.

Swann did.  She asked Erik and I to make her a tray of lasagna and meatballs.  Did we?  Absolutely!  Erik's the Executive Chef for Trisha's Healthy Table so he knows how to make healthy, plant-based taste dang delicious.  And Swann agreed...

"I had the lasagna last night and I went to bed singing sweet Erik praises.  Man that man can cook!"

If you're in South Carolina, you can get our healthy meals to-go in your kitchen now too!  We're offering meals to-go on pre-sale until Tuesday, September 20th.  Some are already sold-out and there's only 7 days left to get them in 2016!  Click here to learn more about Trisha's Healthy Table meals.

3.  Use freezer or pre-packaged food.

Unfortunately, restaurant food is generally not that healthy.  But, if you intentionally cook large batches when you do cook, you can freeze the left-overs.  Then, when you don't want to cook, just eat your frozen meals.

You should also keep the house stocked with packaged foods that do make the cut.  Dr. McDougall foods, Engine 2 and more offer boxed soups, veggie burgers, cereals, breads and more.  Keep the house stocked with good food, pre-packaged food and keep the junk out (you're more likely to be vulnerable to junk food when life is tougher).  Then, it may just be a matter of microwaving soup to get good food in your belly when cooking is out of the picture.

Take Control Now Question  

When do you feel like eating plant-based is really hard?  How do you overcome these challenges?

Click 'comment' below to share your thoughts.

It's not easy for most of us to take care of our health the way we need to. Life gets busy, and sticking to a new, plant-base diet can be challenging amongst career, kids, family and endless amounts of fried and junk food bombarding us at every turn.  If you know someone who wants to eat plant-based to improve their health and has trouble doing it, consider forwarding this email to them.  Hopefully it will help.