Trim Healthy Mama Plan (18 page)
Read Trim Healthy Mama Plan Online
Authors: Pearl Barrett
TO CHEAT OR TREAT?
T
ime to deal with the subject of off-plan eating, otherwise known as
cheating. Oh boy, this is a painful subject for some of us. The idea of cheating can be either terrifying or liberating depending on our past relationship with certain trigger foods. If you were terribly addicted to sugar and abused your body with junk foods in the past, you're probably so relieved to finally be free from those strongholds with Trim Healthy Mama that one cheat meal doesn't seem worth it. You worry it may send you into a downward tailspin you won't be able to bounce back from. For others, choosing to have off-plan foods every now and then is mentally freeing. Tell us never to cheat and you take away the joyous approach that this is a lifestyle, not a rigorous diet.
No matter how you view off-plan foods, the most helpful thing to know is that as a Trim Healthy Mama you can treat yourself with on-plan goodies all the way to goal weight and then beyond without guilt. The temptation to cheat on sugar or processed, refined starches has far less of a hold when you are not deprived in your everyday life.
Eating some meals off plan is bound to happen at some point. The main problem with cheating is often not the cheat itself, but the
shame that derails us. Most of us can handle an off-plan meal occasionally without it affecting our progress to goal weight or our overall health. But for some of us the
self-loathing that ensues after cheating can throw us right off track.
PEARL CHATS:
Serene is leaving the bulk of this chapter to me since she has no real desire to cheat everâin fact, I have never seen her eat an off-plan food. The temptation for such foods simply isn't there and there is no pretending; she is perfectly happy never eating any of that stuff that the rest of us are sometimes tempted with. (Secretly I sometimes think she is an alien dressed up in human skin, since I truly think this is not normal. But what am I sayingâ¦of course Serene is not normal!)
SERENE CHATS:
Hey, Pearl, I gave this chapter over to you but that doesn't mean you can use it to bash me. I'm actually only partly alien, not fully like you are leading our readers to believe. Kidding aside, why would I want to cheat if it involves poisoning my body and adding to the aging process? Spiking my blood sugarâI don't get how that's fun. That is not being kind to myself, that is being cruel to myself. Just the way I look at it.
Pearl has some great advice on how to navigate your way out of cheat disasters, but I do want to add a caution here. Although Pearlie is able to go off plan here and there and survive it just fine, don't let her own liberty to cheat overtake your THM journey. Throw in too many cheat meals and our plan will no longer have the ability to work. I know that Pearl enjoys popcorn at the movies with her husband once a month or so and occasionally eats a donut, but she doesn't do this sort of thing several times a week. Following Trim Healthy Mama part-time, interlaced with a bunch of destructive cheats, is not an approach for success. It is fine to start out that way for the first couple of weeks while you wet your feet; but after you've matured in your journey, you need to do the whole plan, not halfway, nor three quarters of the way.
We are part of a very large extended family. There is always an occasion or party to attend. If we decided to cheat at every birthday, celebration, or family movie night we'd be cutting loose almost as often as staying on plan. I'm not saying you shouldn't have a piece of Aunt Marge's pecan pie at Thanksgiving. Go for it; I don't give Pearlie the evil eye when she eats our sister-in-law's famous cheesecake (made with sugar) at Christmastime. But choosing to eat a traditional family recipe is much different from cheating willy-nilly without good reason.
PEARL CHATS:
Serene's points are valid. (Pretty good for an alien.)
Now let's find out how to overcome the pitfalls of cheating. Here's Pearl's advice:
GETTING BACK ON TRACK IS AS EASY AS 1, 2, 3
Some of us are going to go off plan at Christmas and Thanksgiving, on our anniversary, and possibly on that cruise we've saved for years to take. My hand is raised. If you choose to stick to luscious S foods on these occasions (which are the easiest celebration foods), I am thrilled for you and fiercely proud of you. You're determining what your body and mind needâyou're staying the course and I imagine you don't even feel a little bit deprived with all your S goodies. The rest of us need a way out of the thorns that try to keep us from returning to the green pastures of THM. Here are three easy steps:
1. SHOVE THE
SHAME!
Maybe in other years you fudged whatever stringent diet you were doing, ate off plan for Thanksgiving or Christmas, and never got back on due to
self-loathing. That AIN'T going to happen as a Trim Healthy Mama! Eating off-plan treats to celebrate family and life blessings is a mere blip on the radar of your THM journey.
Refuse to listen to shame when it whispers, “What's the use. You've messed up, might as well drive through and get that shake and biggie fries you know you want.” Shame is a liar! You are only three hours away from your next slimming meal. That is grace. God has it for us. He knows we mess up, yet there is no limit to his forgiveness and though we fail he takes us wholly back when we turn back to him.
We also need to offer grace to ourselves. Grace and kindness are more powerful than any boot-camp or purge approach when you fail despite your own best intentions. We love that passage in Romans 2:4 that tells us it is God's kindness that leads us to repentance. Let's learn to be more like our heavenly Father and not sabotage our journeys with self-scolding and punishment because we simply can't forgive our own mess-ups.
Sure, you ate three pieces of Aunt Marge's pecan pie when you told yourself to stop at just a sliver. You got a bit of a belly ache from it and went to bed with some sugar
cravings stirred up. This is not the end of it all. You don't have to eat Pop-Tarts the next morning to punish yourself. You can happily jump back on plan because your everyday eating is not a path of deprivation. Your norm is now delicious and satisfying and makes you feel great.
2. DON'T PURGE!
Stay out of the vicious cycle that I call “Binge then Purge.” Yes, you need to come back to the THM green pastures, but you don't need to eat nasty, dry rabbit-food meals to get yourself back on track. I hear this question a lot: “Help, I ate terriblyâ¦should I do all Fuel Pulls for a few days?”
“No!”
Deep-SÂ meals like fried eggs in generous amounts of butter are the best ones for getting back on track and getting all those excess sugars out of your cells. Or get some of that leftover meat, put it on a huge plate of salad, and use heaps of extra-virgin olive oil in your dressing. Eating too few calories and denying yourself fats to try to combat your splurge will only make your cravings worse. Remember that fats satisfy. Sure, you can still have your usual amounts of Fuel Pull snacks or enjoy a Fat Stripping Frappa (found in the “Shakes, Smoothies, Frappas, and Thin Thicks” chapter in the companion cookbook) as a meal now and then, but don't overdo these low-calorie items when you are trying to bounce back from a cheat fest. I think that a couple of Deep-SÂ meals in a row are the best way to do a THM reset (from my own experience).
3. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!
Don't let one or two cheat meals turn into a whole season of cheating. The freedom THM offers is one thing, but seriously harming your body is another. Don't give yourself license to spike your blood sugar with off-plan foods from Thanksgiving all the way until January 1. You'll wake up on the first day of the New Year feeling desperate and more apt to make extreme food choices, which will only create another vicious cycle.
No, life will not always be perfect; you may travel for the holidays and not have access to your own kitchen. Do your best and baby-step your way back. Eat on plan when you can, but if you have to continue with less-than-perfect THM meals for a few days, that does not have to derail you forever. Say the word
blip
with me: This is temporary. But if constant cheating goes on for another week or two weeksâ¦then I'll need to send Serene to shake you up and give you one of her Sergeant Serene lectures. Now you're only harming this incredible body God gave to you to look after.
What if the holidays pass but you still have sugar-laden pumpkin pie in your house and cookies galore? They are doing you in: You feel derailed, you can't fight 'em. Take action: They go in the trash or they go to a shelter, they do not stay in your house! You don't want to waste? It is a greater waste of health to continue to eat them, and ill health is much more expensive than throwing away a box or two or cookies. You have plenty of incredible THM treats to replace them with. Don't allow your body to be the garbage can when you have one already.
You are never too far gone to deserve another chance. We're all going to mess up, that's a given. Practicing your comeback will be what gets you all the way to goal and beyond.
AFFORDABLE
SUPERFOODS
ust because you can't afford a bunch of specialty foods doesn't mean you can't thrive on plan. Most of the wonderful foods you'll be eating on a daily basis can be found at any grocery store and can fit within the tightest of budgets. Check out
Chapter 21
, “Heads Up: Budgeting Mamas!,” for more tips on how to do the plan super-inexpensively.
It's time to take a closer look at the health benefits of some of your everyday budget-friendly foods that are actually superfoods! We want you to know the reasons behind our ardent enthusiasm that they be front and center on plan so that you make sure to include them.
You don't have to eat meat at every meal. Eggs are a cheap source of protein. The bright orange yolks from chickens running free are undoubtedly the healthiest, but regular ol' eggs still grow healthy children and trim down adults that need trimming. We'd all eat free-range eggs in a perfect world but even battery-raised eggs contain health-promoting nutrients. Both of us raise chickens for eggs, but we fall short some weeks so off to our Aldi budget chain we go to buy dozens of regular old eggs. They are still rich in EPA and DHA (responsible for nervous system health and mental health) and sulfur-containing proteins crucial for cell membrane integrity. Eggs are the highest source of leucine, which stands above all branched amino acids for muscle building.
Cholesterol Myth
Do not be too concerned about the cholesterol scare. Sugar and trans fats are the worst offenders, not eggs. God provided choline, found in the egg, as the perfect built-in cholesterol aid. It helps to raise HDL cholesterol, or what is known as good cholesterol. This is needed for proper hormone production. It is actually dangerous for total cholesterol levels to be too low. This increases the risk of heart attack, since adequate cholesterol ensures adequate hormones and without adequate hormones the immune system breaks down. Most people find their lipid profile improves after following the Trim Healthy Mama Plan despite eating more eggs. You'll likely see your triglyceride levels come down. This is a good indication that your cholesterol particles are becoming bigger and fluffier and not as dangerous as the small, dense cholesterol particles indicated by high
triglycerides. High triglycerides are caused by a high-carb lifestyle and the high blood-sugar and insulin levels that come with it. More and more knowledgeable doctors are looking to other cholesterol markers rather than just overall cholesterol.
All forms of meat are on plan, but wild fish have incredible cardiovascular health benefits and salmon is the king of them all. Salmon is rich in
omega-3 fatty acids and therefore is highly anti-inflammatory. It is our highest food source of dimethylaminoethanol, or DMAE. This firms and lifts our skin and brings tone to our appearance. DMAE is essential fat for brain health and has been shown to be very effective in combating conditions like Attention Deficit Disorder and lack of concentration.
A piece of wild salmon either sautéed, poached, baked, or fried, served over a bed of buttery sautéed greens, or diced yellow squash or zucchini is a perfect quick and (if bought as frozen fillets) inexpensive lunch. Most budget grocery stores will have a pack of four frozen wild salmon fillets for under five bucks. That's just a little over a dollar for a superfood protein source. Frozen fillets are quick to thaw since they usually come wrapped in their own protective package. Just drop them into room temp water, and in an hour or so they should be ready to cook.
If you've given salmon a fair try and still can't acquire a taste for it, all other clean, wild
fish are great options. What? Did we just hear a “blech”? Some distant voices saying they don't like fish at all? At least give our Super Salmon Patties a try. You can find that free recipe on our website as well as in the “Extra Skillet Stuff” chapter of the
Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook.
They are an inexpensive and easy evening meal that gets raves from the whole family. Or try our Salmon Mousse (found in the chapter on “Crackers, Chips, and Dips” in the
Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook
) with plan-approved crackers or slices of cucumberâdelish! And the lemon juice really takes away any fishiness. If you can't stomach fish in any form, there are plenty of other protein options for you on plan; but consider taking a good cod liver, fish, or krill oil supplement so you don't miss out on the benefits.
These are nature's candy, but more than just being sweet and exotic, they pack powerful health punches. The bright color of berries gives away their health secret: They are brimming with phytochemicals, those nutrients that protect our cells from disease and damage. The wonderful thing about berries is that due to the fact that they are not prone to causing a spike in blood sugar, they can be used in both S and EÂ mealsâ
woot!
Frozen berries can be enjoyed on plan all year long and are the budget-friendly way to enjoy berries. Throw them into smoothies, thaw and mix into yogurt, stir into your oatmeal, whiz them into Cottage Berry Whip, or bake into muffins and pies. In summer, you'll find sales for fresh berries or, if you're lucky like us and live in the woods, you can pick them wild. Just pop them into your mouth or throw them onto your salad.
Just one handful of blueberries per day significantly decreases inflammation in the brain. Strawberries have more vitamin C than oranges. Cranberries significantly boost your immune system. Blackberries owe their deep purple color to anthocyanin, which is believed to be effective in fighting cell mutation and cancer. Red raspberries contain high amounts of ellagic acid, which has been shown in clinical studies to cause death to cancer cells. They are also high in quercetin, which protects the heart, and they contain ketones (which are thought to aid in weight loss). Our children love to eat frozen berries right out of the bag and we don't mind a bit!
GREENS
We keep insisting that you include non-starchy veggies and, of these, your greens in leafy form are most important. They won't cost you an arm or a leg. We love purchasing the large containers of organic field greens from our local budget store for just two bucks fifty. Already washed and cut, they make for super-quick meals. If all you can afford is nonorganic lettuce, we believe it is still much better to eat it than to not eat lettuce at all.
We don't nag you to include more leafy greens just because they are Fuel Pulls and can go with any meal. You NEED their vital health benefits. A large plate of leafy greens decadently tossed with superfood oils and topped with hearty protein such as eggs, salmon, tuna, chicken, or steak is a superfood meal.
Most people don't realize it but meat contains all the necessary amino acids for life, all the essential fats, and twelve of the thirteen vitamins. The one vitamin missing from meat is vitamin C, which is integral for your immune and adrenal health. Greens are extremely high in vitamin C. Problem fixed. Here's a little poem for you to remember:
OKRAAdd some greens when you eat meat
They will make your meal complete!
Get ready for our rant on one of the healthiest foods on earthâand we love it even more because you can buy a nice-size frozen bag of it at your grocery store for under two bucks! While we want you to eat oodles of all kinds of non-starchy veggies, after much research we've realized okra deserves its own special time in the spotlight and, sorry, but we couldn't reduce its benefits to one or two paragraphs. We want everyone clued in on this humble, inexpensive food that slashes high blood sugar and the ravages of Type 2 diabetes, helps melt super-stubborn pounds, and heals your gut.
Now before you go all “yuckety yuck” and “grossity gross” on us because you are one of those people who hates okra and thinks it tastes like slime, give us some faith. We won't make you eat something you hate because you'll feel guilty if you don't. That's not the Trim Healthy Mama way. We want you to love your food and we are determined to get you loving okra. Due to certain members of our own family who started out as okra
haters, we have had to get very creative with disguises. You
okra haters can now reap the full benefits of this amazing vegetable by making some of our bluffing recipes that work on our pickiest slime-detecting children. Okra in brownies? You are the only person who will know this classified information. No need to tell your family members. Just smile as you watch them happily devour the goodness. Check out Cry-No-More Brownies in the “Brownies and Cookies” chapter of the
Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook
. Or try the Choco Secret Big Boy smoothie in the “Shakes, Smoothies, Frappas, and Thin Thicks” chapter. You'd never know it contains slimming, healing okra.
Why are we so gung-ho about okra? It has beneficial insulin-like properties that allow your body to reduce the amount of insulin it has to secrete itself. Remember that overexcretion of insulin causes fat storage and that dratted insulin resistance. Okra also contains a unique kind of fermentable fiber that helps your body regulate high blood-sugar levels. This medicinal food boasts one of the highest levels of phytonutrients and antioxidants such as beta-carotene, xanthin, and lutein. It contains dense nutrition yet miraculously comes with very meager calories.
In
Chapter 23
, “Heads Up: Pregnant and Nursing Mamas!,” we encourage all our pregnant Mamas to become frequent okra eaters because of its abundance in folate, which not only helps prevent
birth defects like spina bifida but also promotes the growth of strong
bones. The rich
vitamin C in okra helps with optimal fetal development and keeps a pregnant Mama's immune system firing strong during this special time when her body is often maxed out by a new full-time responsibility. But okra is universally talented and its merits reach way beyond pregnancy to benefit all seasons of life. This folate-rich non-starchy veggie can also keep a full-grown Mama's bones strong and prevent osteoporosis. Including okra is a no-brainer if you are a
postmenopausal woman at risk for bone loss and it makes sense as a bone-loss preventative for the rest of us as we age. Its high vitamin C levels are a great counterattack to the stress and chaos we all face in our lives, especially with adrenal fatigue becoming such an epidemic. Our adrenal glands require vitamic C to function and we all need more highly bolstered immune systems to help fight off the ravages of disease.
Research in Brazil uncovered okra's uncanny ability to kill human
breast
cancer cells,
prostate cancer cells, and some melanoma cells in a study published in 2012 in a British
journal called
Biology Letters.
The researchers expounded on how a
lectin found within the okra pod seems to induce apoptosis, or cell death, in cancer cells. This miracle buried in okra helped slow the growth of breast cancer cells by a dramatic 63 percent and killed up to 72 percent of human breast cancer cells in an in-vitro setting.
By supporting the production of red blood cells, okra fights
anemia. Its extra-special kind of fiber lowers serum
cholesterol levels and helps battle heart disease and arteriosclerosis. Its high antioxidant levels protect the immune system and prevent cell mutation, making this special little “gumbo” veggie a robust anticancer weapon in more than just one way.
Okra's famous mucilage (we won't call it slime from here on out, as we cannot hurt a superhero's feelings) coats your intestines with a moisturizing, healing layer that soothes an irritable bowel, soothes ulcers, prevents colon cancer, may help with food sensitivities, and relieves constipation. As a
prebiotic it provides a perfect environment for good bacteria to multiply and form a strong healthy inner ecology.
We've nicknamed our okra recipes “Tummy Spa” recipes because that is exactly what they are. They nourish and pamper the bowels and intestines like healing beauty creams would do for the skin. Any recipe made with okra is a “spa” for the colon. Check out our Tummy Spa Ice Cream recipe made with okra in the “Frozen Treats” chapter in the
Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook
.
This mucilage, the very thing that freaks some people out, is a phenomenal aid to weight loss. It satiates the appetite and helps curb overeating. But this ability to help curb overeating is not the only reason that okra is touted as a friend to those trying to lose weight. It helps protect the body against lectins that may bind to insulin receptors and destroy the lining of the gut. In
Chapter 31
, “Balance Is Beautiful,” we'll discuss the mistaken notion that all lectins are a bunch of baddies. Lectins, otherwise known as
glycoproteins, are found in most foods and are important for the proper messaging and signaling in our bodies. They also break down the membranes of hurtful invaders such as cancer cells and dangerous viruses and bacteria.