Should you go nuts over nuts?

When I began seriously learning more about diet and health I was 15 pounds heavier than I am now.  I wasn't huge by any means, but I had always been a lean athlete and wanted my body back.  I suffered a severe ankle break skateboarding the year before and the weight slowly packed on.  

I began eating a whole foods, plant-based diet after watching the jaw-dropping research of Dr. T Colin Campbell, author of The China Study, and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, author of Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease while working as a Nutrition Educator for The Food Trust.  

Now, not only could I maintain a healthy weight without restricting how much I wanted to eat (my favorite part!), but I could highly increase my chances of preventing the chronic diseases that killed my grandparents and help others do the same.  Yes!

But after months eating a plant-based diet, I didn't drop a pound.  I learned later, high-fat plant foods such as nuts, can be a weight-loss killer when not eaten correctly.  Do I still eat nuts now?  Hell yeah I do, but there is a trick to eating them correctly ;)

And it's not just about the weight... high-fat plant foods like nuts, can impede on lowering really stubborn cholesterol, and reversing type II diabetes and heart disease.  

So don't make the same mistakes I did!  Learn how to eat nuts correctly to reverse AND prevent disease in this week's episode of Take Control Tuesdays above.  And then get your booty over to comments section below and take action now towards better health!

FYI - commenting is part of taking action!  As the research shows... the more support people have, the more they adhere to diet aka get results ;)  So.. 

Take Control Now!

How did you use to eat nuts?  Out of the bowl perhaps ;-)?  How will you change how you eat nuts after watching this episode?

Food Guidelines: What to Eat, What to Avoid

What exactly do you eat on a whole foods, plant-based diet (WFPBD) (or should I say, living a WFPB lifestyle?).  Getting the diet is right is essential for getting the results you want.  

As Dr. Pam Popper says, seeing results from the diet is like opening a combination lock.  You can't open it with only two of the three numbers.  And you won't get the best results from following the diet 75% of the time.  Especially if you are sick with heart disease or diabetes.  Adherence is the key to success for arrest and reversal therapy, as Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn commonly advocates.  

This is not meant to deter anyone from slowly transitioning into a WFPBD, but to be honest and give you a heads up.  If you only do the diet 50% of the time and you don't experience any results after three weeks, you can't say the diet didn't work.  

Plus, when you completely go for it, you're cholesterol levels can drop within one week for example.  Experiencing fast results while never having to restrict calories, are HUGE motivating factors to sticking with the diet.  

What are whole, plant foods?

A whole foods, plant-based diet is made up of well, whole, plant foods.  

Whole plant foods are those that can be picked and eaten directly from the garden.  'Whole' plants are eaten in their original form and contain all of their original nutrients.  

What does a WFPBD include?

Yup, it's that simple.  Whole-grains, fruits, vegetables and legumes (beans, peas and lentils).  And there is such a variety within each food group.  Your palate will no-doubtedly expand diving into this culinary world.  

Two - three ounces of organic animal meat (not dairy) is permitted per week.  That's the size of your palm.  

Not only do we have to ensure we are eating a diversity of the four food groups each day, it's crucial we get certain food groups out of the diet as well.  

What not to eat.  Food to avoid.

Yup, that's right.  No animal products of any kind.  No dairy, no meat (including fish) and no refined foods.  

Here is the exception: if you are healthy, have no major diseases, you can eat 2-3 OUNCES (the size of the palm of my hand) of ORGANIC meat (not dairy) once per week AS LONG AS the you are eating whole, plant-based foods the rest of the week.  Don't bend this rule!

But don't worry, eating without the above foods is AWESOME.  And your body will thank you for it... and quickly, again, when you do it right.  Getting the refined foods out of the diet is essential for success.  

What are refined foods?

Refined foods are not whole foods.  They don't contain all of their original nutrients.  They've been stripped of their original nutrients and are empty calories.  Refined foods contribute to weight gain, diabetes and a slew of health problems.  

Refined grain products don't contain all of their original nutrients.  The fiber and many vitamins have been removed in this process.  Most breads, crackers and flour used in U.S. food products are refined.  Avoid them.  

Oils are also refined foods.  When we eat olive oil for example, we aren't eating the 'whole' olive.  We aren't eating the fiber and accompanying vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.  We're just adding nothing but liquid fat and extra calories (that Americans don't need).  Eat the 'whole' food instead--the corn vs. the corn oil.  Use water or veggie broth to sauté instead of oil.  

Sugar is also void of any vitamins and minerals.  It's empty calories, containing nothing but carbohydrate (which isn't any worse than oil.  Carbohydrates at least give our bodies fuel--they're our preferred energy sources).  

So, that's a WFPBD on the most basic level.

Avoid all animal and all refined foods products.

Eat unlimited amounts of whole-grains, fruits, vegetables and legumes.

Feel full and satisfied at every meal.

This is hands down my favorite part of eating a WFPBD.  I LOVE to eat.  I come from a long line of big eaters (and big bellies) but when you eat whole, plant-based foods (especially starchy ones) you feel full and satisfied so you stop eating for hours afterwards.

The fiber, water and bulk found in whole, plant foods all contribute to that feeling of satisfaction.  But your greatest ally is starch.  Whole foods high in starch are essential when eating a WFPBD.  

For one, WHOLE starchy foods such as 100% whole-grain pasta, winter squash, potatoes, corn, rice and beans are incredibly filling (and highly nutritious).  Secondly, whole, starchy foods are much lower in calories compared to animal foods.  So, you get to eat up, but eat less calories!  Make whole starchy foods the staples in all of your meals.  

Top your starchy whole foods with a variety of fruits and vegetables to get the additional benefits of these nutrient powerhouses.  

If you stick to these guidelines, eating a WFPBD 90-95% of the time you can expect amazing results.

What the hell am I going to eat?

Making meals out of the four food groups is easier and more delicious than you'd assume.  Most of your typical meals can be substituted with whole plant-foods.  

For breakfast you could have oatmeal or 100% whole-grain cereal with fresh fruit, or scrambled tofu instead of eggs.  Whole-grain pancakes can easily be made with a nut milk and without oil.

Lunch is as simple as baked sweet potatoes with salsa and salad or corn on the cob (use a lime wedge and chipotle powder instead of butter) with black bean soup.  

Dinner is pasta, pizza or burgers.  Wait what!?  Sure.  Veggies instead of meat on our pasta, skip the cheese on the pizza and instead, over load it with veggies (even corn, beans and salsa are awesome on pizza).  Our burger is a veggie burger with no-oil sweet potato fries.

For a Free Resource Guide that has a list of my favorite recipe websites, make sure you're signed up to website and it will be sent right to your inbox (sign-up at the box at the bottom of this page).

Take Control Now!

Commit to eating one whole food, plant-based meal by next Tuesday.  Will you prepare something or buy it?  Turn an old favorite into a new plant-based dish or try a new recipe.  

What will you do?  Comment with your thoughts below.  

5 New Varieties of Winter Squash -- How and Why to Eat Them

It’s that time of year again!  With fall comes endless squashes, pumpkins and seasonal garden treats.  And right now, the winter squashes are bountiful.  But there are so many varieties to choose from!

Have you seen a bunch of funky varieties of squash and aren’t quite sure what to do with them?  Well it’s time to deviate from your normal butternut squash and get to know these 5 new ones.  

This squash is my FAVORITE!  Buttercup -- it’s the richest, sweetest squash I’ve ever had and I’m excited to share it with you.

Not only are these squash delicious, but they are excellent for your health.  They are very filling, but naturally low in calories, low in fat, contain zero cholesterol and are abundant with disease fighting properties.  

Ways to eat them:

- Stuffed with different whole-grain mixes such as wild rice or farro.  Include dried fruits like cranberries (or fresh cranberries), currants or rasins.  Nuts would also compliment a whole-grain mix (yeah for using nuts and dried fruit as condiments!)

- Baked with diced apples, pear.

- Cinnamon, clove, coriander, all spice compliment them nicely 

- Just plain! As chunks.  Delicious side dish!  Or dip in mustard.

- As mashed potatoes.

- Boiled, baked or even microwaved.

Store: in a cool, dry, dark place for 2-3 months, but not in the fridge.

Differences in taste:

Sweet dumpling: mildly sweet, good for stuffing and baking and served individually.

Kabocha: is the Japanese word for squash. Rich and sweet. Dry and flaky when cooked. Cross between a sweet potato and a pumpkin. Bake for 30 minutes at 400 F.

Buttercup squash:  part of turban squash family (hard shell, turban shaped).  Sweet, rich and creamy—sweeter than most other squashes.  

Golden nugget: can be cooked whole if poked before baking.  Difficult to cut so bake before cutting.

Acorn:  mildly flavored, can stuff as a personal center piece or slice in rings and bake.

Recipes (Trisha approved ;)

Acorn Squash and Apple Soup from Lindsay Nixon and the Happy Herbivore

Sweet Dumpling Squash Stuffed with Lemon Herbed Rice from Fat Free Vegan

Kabocha Bean Dip from Cathy Fisher at Straight Up Food.com

Cost/pound:  $1.29/lb at my local grocery store.  Less expensive, more beautiful and much healthier than a steak or chicken for your main dish ;)

Take Control Now

What squash will you try?  Which have your tried in the past and LOVED?  Post your answers in the comments section below and start to take control of your diet, weight and your health!

How and Why to Make Banana Ice-Cream

Eating a healthy plant-based diet does not mean you have to be deprived of dessert.  Especially good dessert! 

I eat this dessert on a weekly basis and I LOVE IT!  It’s cheap, quick and kids can’t get enough!  They love eating and making it.

Which is great because it’s so much healthier than traditional ice-cream.  Let’s break down why.

Banana ice-cream is a completely guiltless dessert!  It’s abundant in disease fighting properties such as phytonutrients, vitamins and minerals.  It’s full of magnesium, potassium, vitamin C, folate and so many others! 

Banana ice-cream is naturally low-in-fat, contains zero cholesterol, zero saturated fat, but contains 6 g of fiber!  The fiber, along with the bulk of this food, is going to leave you feeling full and satisfied after you eat it.  This means you’ll eat less food later in the day—without forcing yourself too! 

It’s contender, ice-cream on the other hand, adds to the disease-promoting standard American diet (SAD) and health outcomes.

Ice-cream is high in saturated fat — 9 g in one C and in cholesterol – 58 mg in one C. Our bodies do not need to consume saturated fat and cholesterol.  They are non-essential nutrients.  We don’t need to eat them in order to survive.

More importantly, eating the saturated fat and cholesterol, increases blood levels of cholesterol and LDL cholesterol in your body.  The Institute of Medicine recommends you “consume as little as possible as increased risk exists at levels above zero” (IOM, 2002).

This means you should rarely eat animal products including ice-cream.  Cholesterol is only found in animal foods and saturated fat is more prevalent in animal products.  This is one reason why I recommend that if you eat animal products, eat no more than 3 ounces of organic animal foods a week.  They are a treat, not an everyday dish.

And I haven’t even mentioned all the sugar in traditional ice-cream!  It’s an addictive blob of fat, sugar and cholesterol.  So keep ice-cream out of your house and treat your body with something it appreciates… banana ice-cream. 

IOM. Report: Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids. Institute of Medicine. 2002. Accessed Oct. 2014 at http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2002/Dietary-Reference-Intakes-for-Energy-Carbohydrate-Fiber-Fat-Fatty-Acids-Cholesterol-Protein-and-Amino-Acids.aspx

Trisha’s Banana Ice-Cream

All you need are two ingredients -- bananas and plant-milk, but it can easily be spruced up for more of a treat.

Ingredients:

• 3 frozen bananas (directions below)
• < one cup of plant milk

Makes 2-3 servings

How to freeze bananas:

Peel ripe or slightly overly ripe bananas (the 50% off bananas at the store) and break into small chunks.  Place in a ziplock bag and put in the freezer for a few hours.  Let freeze until hard.

Directions:

Add frozen bananas to a blender (see my favorite blender below).

Start by adding around ¼ C of plant milk (general rule: 1/8 C per banana) and begin to blend.  (The trick is to add the least amount of liquid possible needed to mix.  You want it thick, like the consistency of ice-cream).

Blend, stop and add more liquid as needed, pushing the mixture down with a spoon during each pause in blending. 

Once you have a thick consistency, you’re ready to serve.  Add toppings and enjoy!

Additional Optional Toppings

• Fresh fruit -- strawberries and blueberries are my favorite
• 1 tablespoon of peanut butter (add on top, not while blending--you’ll get more taste but less calories and fat from the PB)
• 1 tablespoon of walnuts or other nut
• 1 tablespoon of shredded coconut
• dash of cinnamon

Recipes Hints

• For chocolate ice-cream, add of raw cocoa powder 
• For strawberry ice-cream, add frozen strawberries to the blender
• Freeze left-overs in a thin plastic container for ready-to-eat banana ice-cream anytime!
• Water can be used instead of plant-milk
• For greater weight loss or those w/ heart disease or DM, eat the plain recipe (it’s delicious as is) or use fresh fruit as your topping vs. nuts and other high-fat plant food

On top of warm fruit compote

Other Ways to Enjoy Banana Ice-Cream

• On top of oatmeal in the morning
• On top of warm fruit compote
• As a snack or dessert

My favorite blender:

The Master Prep Ninja -- $39.99 at Bi-Mart stores

Act Now!

It’s time to put this knowledge into action! 

• When are you going to make banana ice-cream?  What topping will you put on it?

• How did you like it?  Report back and share with others what you thought!

Comment below with your answers.  And if you liked this information, please share it with a friend!

xo,