NUTRITION IS THE KEY TO HEALTH

It's Time To Take Back Your Life

Category: Meal Planner (Page 1 of 2)

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Struggling with My Diet

April 2, 2024 /

Nutrition is the Key to Health Podcast

It is April now, and I have been on my whole food plant-based diet for a about four months now. I did have some meals that I flexed out, but it has remained about 96% plant-based. My weight has recently plateaued with a 36 pound weight loss, and I am struggling to move the needle.

Don’t get me wrong, I am very excited that I have lost the weight I have, but I am struggling with my “personality tendancies”. I have a tendancy of “rise and repeat”, so I am not varying my diet as much as I should be.

I do not know a lot of recipes for plant-based dinners that are quick and easy. I have cookbooks and the recipes are only a search away, but I tend to run out of steam in the very early evening. Most of that is contributed to my pain in my feet, hip and back. What is that from? I think it is a result from years of inflammation that has resulted into several chronic diagnoses.

What have I been eating? Well, for Breakfast, I have oatmeal with blueberries, strawberries, flax and cinnamon. Lunch can be a salad or protein shake, with a EarthChip Organic Vegan Protein, banana, greens, applesauce and plant-based milk. Dinner is generally a pot of homemade soup or chili with with plenty of beans and veggies, or if I am in a pinch, I make a quick bean burger, loaded with Dijon Mustard and veggies. My snacks can be hummus and chips, or hotsauce and chips. I have stopped alcohol now about 7 months now, and to tell you the truth, I miss the habit of the wine and cheese while I was cooking dinner, but I don’t miss the increased blood pressure or the poor sleep that always followed.

I have ordered some Anthony’s Textured Vegetable Protein, which is gluten free, and non-gmo. I have also ordered some Butler Soy Curls. I hope both of these will give me some new options to increase my protein intake and give me some quick and easy meal ideas like tacos and burritos, with veggies, and hotsauce. I think the soy curls might be excellent for my own fajitas, with bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, squash, and hotsauce.

One pot dinners are really my goto now. I eat to fuel my body and not feed my face. I do not need a full three course meal. The one struggle I am really having a difficult time with is yogurt. I love yogurt each night as a sweet snack with granola or fruit. I try not to eat too much fruit at night though. I have noticed that it increases the pain of my inflammation the following day.

This week I have increased my walking to at least 30 minutes a day if it is not storming. This is spring and I am in Texas. I have gotten some cabbage, both green and purple, and I am going to nail down a recipe to substitute for my chicken salad. That is always a quick and easy sandwich if I am ever caught at night, either not feeling well or simply too tired to cook. Also, I need to prep salads and have them ready to go in containers so I can pull, dump and add dressing, and I have a healthy meal. Things like this will ensure, you do not hit the local drive-thru or order a pizza.

I do need to find some recipes for soy blocks. One that I can crumble into a stir-fry or scramble. Theses will add good options as well. I have not gotten into the soy meats yet. I drink a ton of soy milk, but not meat as of yet.

I have some vegan cookbooks, but I will say that the meals are more complex than I would like. I also have Plant-Based on a Budget Quick & Easy, by Toni Okamoto along with her other book, Plant-Based on a Budget. She has some good idea recipes, but in my opinion, she uses too much oil in all her recipes. So, I constantly have to substitute vegetable broth, apple sauce or other things . The jury is still out on the healthy benefits for someone that has to stay away from nuts and oils. She uses a great many of both in her recipes.

My advice to you, is to think about your favorite meals you loved and consumed prior to your diet restrictions. Now, try and nail down a recipe that tastes exactly like it. Get creative and think outside your box. I didn’t think this was possible until one day. I made a recipe of a cold slaw salad and when I closed my eyes, it tasted exactly like my southern potato salad recipe I used to make to accompany my sloppy joes and barbecue ribs. This is a win/win. Anytime I can incorporate cruciferous veggies into my diet, is a good thing being a cancer survivor.

As I told you before, change will not come overnight, and I am your living proof. You must grow your own recipe book with things you like. I tried keeping all the recipes in all the books and marking the pages, but I could never find the recipe I was looking for, when I needed it.

I hope this helps and gives you some encouragement to move forward in your journey to a healthier life. Only you can do this, it is not going to be done for you. But, I can tell you, the benefits far outweigh the effort!

Alicia

Disclaimer

The following above article may contain affiliate partner links.  I could earn a small commission, at no cost to you, for any qualifying purchases.  

This blog is for entertainment and informational purposes only.  The information contained within this blog is not intended to diagnose or cure any medical condition.  I am not a physician, licensed dietician or physical therapist.  

This blog is the result of my personal experiences and what I chose to do for a healthier lifestyle.  As always, before you begin a diet, exercise program or add supplements, please consult your healthcare professional.

Check Out My Podcast

March 30, 2024 /

Welcome and thank you stopping by. I have just recently started a podcast to correspond with this blog, so you can consume the information in the way that is best for you.

You can find my Podcast on the following services:

Apple Podcast, Spotify Podcast, Google Podcast and RSS Feed.

You can go to those services and search for:

Nutrition is the Key to Health Podcast

I would love it if you would join me, and my journey to take my life by through my successes and struggles. I hope to see you on the Inside.

Alicia

I have already lost 14 pounds

December 30, 2023 /

Nutrition is the Key to Health Podcast

Just two weeks on a plant-based diet

Two weeks into transitioning to a whole food plant-based diet, has yielded tremendous results for me already. I have already lost 14 pounds and that was with a few cheat days, and no exercise at all. I am almost on a 99% plant-based diet. I have a few hold outs, but I am working on letting those go.

One of those holdouts was cheese. I had the last cheese last night, so no more. Now, I have to concentrate on the splash of half and half, with my morning coffee. My goal is to transition to a morning green tea, higher in antioxidants and lower in caffeine. If I can accomplish that, I will not need the half and half. I will just have my green tea with a squeeze of lemon. It’s hard trying to tackle everything at once. Overwhelming one could say, I am very accustom at starting new diets. I usually go all in.

How have I lost the weight? Learning and prepping to change your diet from the Standard American Diet (SAD) to a WFPB diet is no easy task, I am not going to lie. With other diets, the foods were restricted but not taken away, so it was easy. With a WFPB diet, you have to find substitutes for those favorite go to items like oil, eggs, beef or chicken stock and so on. It takes hours of research and reading, to gain knowledge and get ideas for your new recipes. So, give yourself a bit of a break.

Caloric warning

I would urge caution here. All your replacements for diary are generally cashew-based and cashews are loaded with calories and fat. You can eat 1000 calories of cashews in a day quickly. Then, incorporating a great many seeds in addition blows your caloric intake for the day, and both contain oil.

Prevent and Reversing Heart Disease

You might be leaning toward a whole food plant based diet due to a cardiac or vascular disease diagnosis. If that is so, then your menu gets a bit more difficult for substitutes. In his book, Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease, Caldwell Esselstyn, Jr., M.D., restricts this diet even further. Dr. Esselstyn says you must be on a WFPB diet with no oil, no nuts, no seeds and no avocado. Also, you must eat greens 6 times a day with a light steam and chew. So, smoothies don’t count. It is strict, but he has gotten results like you wouldn’t believe. His patients were heading into by-pass surgery, and had severe blockages. He put them on this strict diet, under a physician’s guidance and the disease reversed itself. So, you cannot really argue with his results.

Spoiler alert – shopping takes twice as long

Shopping is an ordeal now. You must pay attention to all leafy greens and fresh produce in the fridge, and make sure they don’t go bad. This was like being in a dark unfamiliar room and trying to find the light switch on the wall, a little luck and a lot of hunting. You have to learn to coordinate meals and times with expiration dates. You also have to read every label!!!!! I cannot stress this enough. Just because you find it in Whole Foods, doesn’t mean it’s healthy! They have the same amount of highly-processed foods that every other store does. They just charge more.

You’ll be surprised what you can find under the Kroger store brand, Simple Truth Organic. A word of caution, read the front. The Simple Truth sign, on both the conventional and organic, look the same. There will only be one small word, “organic”. So, make sure it says organic! Especially on your soy and nut milks.

I hit some snags

I did start to eat far more potatoes and pasta than I would normally eat. I haven’t worked in the rice yet. I am a bit hesitant due to the arsenic load in brown rice. I am also attempting to go oil-free and low sodium. Like everyone else, I was always under that assumption that extra complex carbs were stored as fat. In recent studies, they have found data that disproved that theory.

I was cranking along losing about 1.5 pounds every day or two. Then, I noticed some acne on my face, bloating and my schedule was off. This wasn’t due to the bean intake, because I love beans and my system was already used to them.

As far as the blemishes go, I do not generally have acne, so I was trying to find the culprit. I also noticed various spots on my chest and arms that itched. When I would eat whole grain pitas or breads. I would develop an instant stuffy nose, and a bit of a butter-fly rash that would come up immediately on my face, and would last a few hours. I knew it was something in my diet. I suspected it might be the increased gluten.

Although I am not gluten intolerant, I do now think I might have a gluten sensitivity. I have switched everything over to 100% whole grain, specifically wheat. I began eating far more bread bread products than I would normally eat, and my body was not used to it. So, I think this is probably the culprit, only time will tell. For now, I will be cutting back on the wheat products.

Also, the last three days, I have not incorporated any greens into my meals. That was when I noticed my weightloss came to a complete stop. So tonight, I will have potatoes, greens and veggies and see how I fair tomorrow.

Plate construction

My plate looks a lot different these days. I can honestly say that I am NOT hungry at all. There are times I have to make myself eat my morning oatmeal and fresh fruit. I have switched to Allulose instead of sugar with my coffee. I could be that. I think I read it had some appetite suppressing functions as well.

For the make up of my plates, I am trying to shoot for 45-50% veggies, 20-25% starch, 15-20% fruits, and 5-10% fats, depending on what I might be eating for the meal. Sometimes this is difficult due to the nuts and seeds. They add more fat and calories. I am trying to get protein, carbs and fats in each meal or snack, so it is a zone method.

With that said, there are some nights where you just want to consume something without thought and get into bed. I think getting used to time and building of this diet definitely comes with a learning curve. For now, it is plant-based yogurt with some cinnamon granola. Be careful with the granolas! Most are not healthy and loaded with calories.

Oil is my nemesis

I did try and remove all oil from my diet in the beginning, and literally went down a rabbit hole with the “make your own sour dough bread, pizza crusts and tortillas.” This requires a great deal of kitchen utensils I do not have currently, so this will have to come in stages. It can be costly and very time consuming. I am still working on this. More research is needed.

But for now, I am trying to get bread and tortillas that have the fewest ingredients, with the least oil. I am not typically a big bread eater but tortilla chips and dips are my weakness.

The most difficult conversion I have, is my homemade salad dressing. It was a simple olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper dressing that I adored. I could eat two salads a day on this. I could use it for a marinate, or dip for bread. It was so versatile.

I am still struggling to find something that replaces this taste. I have tried lemon juice, dijon mustard and many more, but it is just not the same. I refuse to buy bottled dressing. I haven’t bought bottled dressing for years since I discovered my dressing, but now, it is off limits. Not a happy place to be. I have stopped eating salads. I have to find something fast!

Your one requirement

Going to the store now, will take you more time than you ever thought possible. First, you have to read every label, until you get used to all the new products. Second, you tend to go to multiple stores to get all the things you need. There is CostCo, Kroger, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods and Sprouts. I have found I get different things at each store. Crazy, I know. Then, you might have to resort to Amazon to get those hard to find items.

I hope you are gearing up for your New Year’s Resolution and whatever diet you choose, I wish you the best of luck! We are approaching New Year’s Eve. So, if you find yourself at home, now would be a great time for some lifestyle change research for the new year! Going on a WFPB diet takes a bit more time to adjust, in my opinion.

Alicia

Disclaimer

The following article contains affiliate partner links.  I could earn a small commission, at no cost to you, for any qualifying purchases.  

This blog is for entertainment and informational purposes only.  The information contained within this blog is not intended to diagnose or cure any medical condition.  I am not a physician, licensed dietician or physical therapist.  This blog is the result of my personal experiences and what I chose to do for a healthier lifestyle.  As always, before you begin a diet, exercise program or add supplements, please consult your healthcare professional.

How to make a New Year’s Resolution-

December 19, 2023 /

Nutrition is the Key to Health Podcast

What is your New Year’s Resolution?

With the holiday’s almost behind us, and large quantities of food and beverage consumed, everyone is thinking about those pending New Year’s Resolutions. After all, they are just around the corner.

How do you even make a resolution and set yourself up for success? Well, here are a few tips and tricks to get you started.

First, you must find a quiet moment and sit down with a piece of paper and pen. Take a serious inventory of your life in the areas areas that are important to you (feel free to add other areas if you wish).

  • Work
  • Finances
  • Spiritual
  • Health
  • Family
  • Friends
  • Relationship

Next, in each of those areas, and list how happy you are on a scale from 1 to 10 (with 1 being the least happy and 10 being the most happy). Look at your numbers. Are the results where you want them to be, or is there room for improvement? Be honest, this is the only way it will work!

Then take a look at those that are low scoring or which areas might be most pressing for you. Maybe your health is catapulted to # 1 because you just had a heart attack, or diagnosis of cancer. Maybe your marriage is heading for divorce. Next, ask yourself what are three to five things you can do to help you reach your goals for the end of the year. Write those down under each category. Remember, this is your inventory not others in your life.

Also, you need to write down realistic goals for each category you choose. Please do not say that you want to loose 100 pounds in six months. While that is a lofty goal and something you might want to achieve, is that really healthy? Keep this simple.

Keep in mind what you want the end result to be. Maybe you want to loss thirty pounds, or reduce your debt by $5,000 dollars. Maybe you would like to find a relationship, or say goodbye to one that is not working. How about doing nightly readings on scripture or watching motivational channels on YouTube? How about vowing to increase your exercise by 4 times a week for just 30 minutes. These are all small changes that can greatly impact your goals in the right direction over the course of the next 12 months, and have a positive effect on your outlook on life, as well as your mood.

Getting buy in

Now that you have your category list and three to five things in each category to help you reach your goals, you need buy in from friends and family. This is where you have those frank conversations, and ask for a little support.

Maybe it’s telling your friends or coworkers, that on your girl’s night out, you will be abstaining from alcohol. Instead of ordering that glass of wine or margarita, you can choose to replace it with a virgin margarita, virgin Bloody Mary, or even water. They need to support you and not give you grief. If it becomes a big issue time and again, maybe you need to take a step back from that friend(s) or family member for a while.

Remember, this is your life and you are choosing to improve it, by making these small changes, you are helping redirect the outcome. If they cannot support your goals, well then, I think you have your answer. You don’t need to be around toxic people when you are trying to inject positive changes in your life.

Blocking time for your resolutions

It is important that you look at your schedule and add small blocks of time during the week for the things you need to do (say 15-30 mins). This will help you keep on track. If you want to get four walks in a week, then add those thirty minute blocks to your schedule and try to stick to them. Understand that life happens, and we all get off track. The important thing is that we don’t stay there. The next day, get back on that horse!

Small blocks work best, say under 30 minutes. If you try and block hours at a time, you most likely will not do well at achieving your goals. After all, we all have responsibilities, but make sure you are making a bit of time for you and those things that are important to you.

Some things you can do to increase the joy in your life

  • Journaling
  • Gardening
  • Woodworking
  • Reading
  • Meditation
  • Walking
  • Biking
  • Swimming
  • Prepping meals/cooking
  • Writing
  • Listening to music
  • Playing an instrument
  • Playing with your pet or children
  • Church
  • Volunteering
  • Learning a new language/software program or instrument
  • Birdwatching
  • Hiking
  • Take a relaxing bath and practice some deep breathing
  • Yoga

The list is endless. We are all unique and have different thing we like to do, but keep in mind your goals, and make sure you are moving in the direction of those goals.

Happy New Year and may all your goals be achieved!

Alicia

A day in the life of you

December 18, 2023 /

What is your why? Let’s take a look. Grab a journal and let’s get started. I am going to ask you to take a serious inventory of what you eat on a daily/weekly basis. Write everything down. Don’t worry, this is only an initial exercise for the first week. You will not have to log your intake past this point unless you want to. The one thing is you will need to be is totally honest with yourself or this will not work. I want every stick of gum logged.

I am going to write a scenario and I want you to see if you recognize any of these hamster wheel behaviors.

The routine

You wake after a not so good night’s sleep. You’re already tired. You put on the coffee while you take a shower. You have a cup of coffee while getting ready for work. You head out the door and swing into either you neighborhood Starbucks or fast-food drive-thru. You grab a Frappuccino and a morning combo meal. As you are sitting in traffic you consume both.

When you get to the office you have another coffee/soda before you head to a meeting. Everything is gone off the rails at work, and now you and your team are in crisis mode. Your stress level just increased even more. You head to the vending machine for a RedBull/Soda. You are hungry, so you grab a candy bar or chips too.

At lunch, you drive thru another fast-food line and get another combo meal with a soda or head to a restaurant. You down that and get on with your day.

Around 3:00 pm, you feel like your tank is running on empty, so you grab another soda/coffee/RedBull, and some more goodies from the vending machine.

You’re heading home from work and traffic is terrible. While you are sitting in traffic, you think to yourself, “There has to be more to life than this.” Once you get home, you are so tired, you just want to order DoorDash or a Pizza and call it a night.

You get in bed on your cell phones or tablets. You can’t sleep well for thinking about life’s little problems, like living paycheck to paycheck (or hand to mouth). You are worried about how you are going to pay for those mounting student loans, medical debt or credit cards. Each of those are big green monsters living under your bed. You get up sometime during the night and grab whatever you can find and begin stress eating. Maybe it’s cookies and milk, chips or something else. By the time you stop, half the bag is gone.

You go back to bed and finally fall asleep around 2 or 3 am. When your alarm goes off, you wake so tired and unrested, you head for the coffee pot, get in the shower and rinse and repeat the day. This is your life. This is a hamster wheel that I cannot seem to get off. This is a freight train that is about to hit a wall going 80 mph. How do I stop the madness? Does any of this resonate with you?

The outcome

Now, let’s say you logged your food and beverage intake for the entire week. Looking back on what you logged, what nutrients do you think you actually ingested? Nutrients that fuel your body so it can repair itself, and provide you with the daily requirements to make sure everything is working properly? Most likely, not many. In fact, wouldn’t you say that you did more harm than good with the high-fat, highly processed, sugary and sodium bombs you consumed that were layer is caffeine? Ask yourself, how is your body supposed to recover from that, day after day, year after year. At some point, it just cannot.

You body screams for help and breaks down. This is when diseased starts to occur. Things like high blood-pressure, diabetes, depression, GI issues, sleep apnea, heart, vascular, cancer and autoimmune. They mount one after one and you cannot see to get off the disease freight train.

You have now added more medication, procedures and diagnosis’ to your life. This means more missed work time, and expensive dangerous medications the doctor tells you that you will take for the rest of your life.

Remember those CDC stats I mentioned? Almost 75% of Americans are obese or overweight. As well as 50% of Americans have been diagnosed with high blood pressure and are on medication. There are now twelve year old children are being diagnosed and put on medication for high blood pressure. What do you think their future holds? After all, we most likely began our journey in our thirty’s or forty’s and they are starting at pre-teen ages! If case you missed the stats, here is a link..

CDC Stats Link Home

Welcome to your WHY! Why, you should want to change these habits and create a better plan for what you give your body. Our body is like a temple, and this is how we treat it. We only get one, and it’s not too late to change your course. I don’t care how old you are. Change starts with you and only you. Let’s turn this train around!

Commit to the change and let’s get started.

Alicia

Which is the healthier diet?

December 17, 2023 /

Vegan vs Keto, or somewhere in the middle?

I don’t know about you, but this is the most confusing part of trying to decide which eating plan to follow in my new journey to a healthier lifestyle. I have been on both a vegan diet and a keto diet, and achieved significant weight loss on both. My concern comes with a high fat Keto diet and what effects it will have on my systemic health, especially my cardiovascular system. Then, there is the concern of some limiting factors on a vegan diet like like B12, protein, not to mention increased fructose intake.

If you look at the photo above, you realize the animals in that picture are notably some of the strongest (if not the strongest) animals on this earth, and they don’t eat meat. That’s right, they are fully powered by plants! Common sense would tell you they ALL can’t have it wrong. Right?

I looked up vegan plant-based athletes to see what I could find. What I found were some jaw dropping stories. Some of the world’s greatest record holders in every sport are vegan, and their stories are incredible. Below are just a few of those stories. You can find them in weightlifting, skiing, surfing, race car, cycling, swimming, NFL, NBA and NBA and just about every sport you can think of.

Just a few vegan athletes

Ruth Heidrich – Is one of the most impressive stories I’ve read. She was a marathon runner who was diagnosed with Stage IV Breast Cancer. She was given a death sentence. She refused all chemo, radiation, and hormone blockers and sought the guidance of Dr. John McDougall, MD.

McDougall is a functional medical doctor, who placed her on a strict vegan diet and exactly two years from the date of her diagnosis, she not only beat her cancer into submission, but she completed her first Kona Ironman Triathlon, becoming the first vegan and cancer survivor to do so.

At 86, she went on to complete five more Ironman competitions. She holds over 900 trophies, 8 gold medals in the U.S. Senior Olympics. She has competed in 67 marathons to include Boston, New York and Moscow, and all while powered by plants!

Fiona Oakes – British runner and vegan since the age of six. She has completed 50 marathons and holds four world records. She holds the world record in an event where she ran 7 marathons on all seven continents, and took the fastest aggregate time. All, powered by plants.

Carl Lewis – is a track and field superstar and has been vegan since 1990. He won eight world championships titles and nine Olympic gold medals. It is difficult to deny the power of plants when you look at his story.

Pat Reeves – British runner, turned power lifter. At age 32, she was diagnosed with a terminal genetic cancer (14 brain tumors). She adopted a vegan diet, and her cancer went into remission, there was no evidence of tumors remaining.

In 1982 she took up powerlifting and began to compete. In 2019, she was told she had three months to live, due to a car accident that left her with crushed lungs and pulmonary fibrosis. She has refused to submit to the disease, still power lifting at age 76 and still breaking her own records.

Scott Jurek – Named one of the greatest runners of all time. Scott eats a plant-based diet and has given it credit for some of his greatest wins. Although there are too many to list, he holds the world record for running the 2189 mile Appalachian Trial Run. Not a run for the faint at heart. Scott has won over twenty-four marathons to date.

A personal account

I spoke with a woman that was diagnosed with terminal metastatic cancer from a prominent medical facility in California. The doctors told her she had just months to live and to get her affairs in order. She moved back to Texas to be closer to family. She refused all treatments, went fully vegan (specifically 100% organic) and exercised 8 hours a day as a spin class instructor. She only drank Fiji water and changed to all natural products in her environment.

After six months, she went to an area oncologist to get additional scans. She wanted to see if her efforts were paying off. The doctors could not fine a trace of any tumors left in her body. The doctors looked on with disbelief and asked her what protocol she was using to cure her cancer. Her response, “I am vegan”. They all scratched their heads in disbelief. Plant power once again.

I don’t know about you, but I am seeing a common thread in these accounts.

Cancer + vegan + exercise + positive attitude = cancer remission (in some incidents)

Not all people find these kind of results. I lost my mother to cancer, so I understand not all stories have happy endings. There are an estimated 2 million new cancer diagnosis each year, and over 608,570 deaths that are attributed to cancer alone. For some, it’s a second chance. For others, it is a death sentence.

My personal journey

In 2019, I was diagnosed with Stage III Metastatic Triple Negative Cancer. This was an extremely aggressive cancer. I was thrust into the conventional therapies of multiple chemotherapies, and radiation, and surgery, but fell short and could not finish either therapy due to complications. This was before I knew about a plant-based diet and the effects in can have assisting cancer patients overcome their disease. It didn’t really matter, I didn’t want to eat anyway, not even with all the steroids.

By the grace of God, I am still here to write this blog, and I am currently trying to educate myself on transitioning to a plant-based diet. Chemo and radiation is the gift that keeps giving. For any of you that have gone through it, you will understand what I am saying without any explanation. All cancer therapies come with a great risks, some more that others.

When I was diagnosed, my cancer had already metastasized to my nodes. I had a tumor in my axillary region (under my arm) that was larger than most women’s tumor in their breast. The primary tumor in my breast was large. Triple Negative is the second most aggressive breast cancer, only taking a back seat to Inflammatory Breast Cancer.

When I was in chemo, I would talk to the other people next to me and I would always ask what kind of cancer they had. When they would ask me, and I would say Triple Negative, the next words out of their mouth were always, “I am sorry.” That wasn’t a warm feeling.

All the women I was there with that had Triple Negative did not make it. They all passed within the year. So, I feel a bit guilty that I am still here. For some reason, God didn’t think it was my time.

Triple negative is a disease that likes to return quickly and when it does, it is always at Stage IV and in all organs, brain and bones before they find it. I would call that, a point of no return.

The therapies after that are, in my opinion, for the forward movement of science and science only, I am not sure if there is a TNBC Stage IV survivor in this world. I am going to have to do a bit of research. I am sure there might be, but very few.

We hear these stories of curing cancer and beating it back in submission. First of all, you never “cure” cancer. Cancer is living in our bodies all the time. It is just activated into a disease state when our bodies can no longer fight, and keep it under control. Second, I truly believe if I had refused the conventional therapies before me, and attempted a “diet only” approach, I would be dead within six months. When I came out of my fog after the diagnosis, I asked my oncologist, if I didn’t do anything, how much time would I have. He came back with 6 to 8 months.

I believe that there are certain times which we have to intervene with conventional therapies, and then follow with a diet to achieve a successful outcome. I also believe that each human being is different and what might work for one, doesn’t work for all.

You and I have much different meanings of the word “success”, than the doctors. Success to us, is a cure and we get to live and go on with our lives. Success to a doctor, is an extension of life, 3-6 months beyond what the patient would have without the treatment.

There were a lot of things I wish I knew before going into my journey with breast cancer. I had a lot of sleepless night, so I tried to put them to good use. I wrote and self-published this book in case any of you might have recently been diagnosed or you have a loved one that got the news. It is on Amazon and I will put the link below, just click on the book.

Regardless of your lot in life, the nutrition you choose to put in your body, is the key to health.

Welcome to my journey.

Alicia

Meal planning for quick and easy meals

July 6, 2023 /

Nutrition is the Key to Health Podcast

Meal planning for quick and easy meals is without a doubt one of the most time consuming parts of eating healthier. The only thing worse that this is, the actual meal prep itself. Let’s face it, planning, shopping and then prepping can take an entire day. Who has a whole day to dedicate to this? There is an easier way.

When you plan, you will want quick ideas. For this, you will need to re-think your way of cooking. For me, cooking was more of an art than a necessity. I would spend hours in the kitchen for one dinner, but that was when I cooked the good old southern way. Those days are now gone. I am focused on nutrition now.

What is your why?

You have to ask yourself “what is my why”? This gets you clear as to why, now what is your goal? You have to set an achievable goal. Ask yourself these questions:

  • What is my goal?
  • How can I get the most bang for my buck in the way of nutrients?
  • How can I cook or prepare quick easy and budget friendly meals?

My Goal

First of all, my goal was simple. I needed a diet plan that would support my nutritional goals of eating healthier and losing weight. Some things I needed to forgo were wine, cheese, ice cream and really most dairy altogether.

I was always heavy on the meat and startches, so I needed to add more fruits and vegetables in my mix, and cut the additional salt. Okay, I had my first base covered. I had a specific goal and kept it simple. I have my why and goal covered.

My nutritional needs

I knew that if I incorporated nutritionally dense foods, it would help my body repair itself and provide the nutrients it needed to stay healthy. So, I focused on getting the most bang for my buck. This would provide the much needed nutrition for energy and weight loss. If you need a list of those top nutritional foods, you can find them at the link below:

The top nutritional dense foods

I also needed to save money on my grocery budget, so I followed the Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen rule of buying produce. This will save you money, while forgoing those cancer-causing pesticides. Click the link below for that list:

Organic vs Conventional Produce

Quick and easy meals

I knew my cooking style had to change overnight. I needed to let go of my three and four course meals and focus on meal planning for quick and easy meals. This meant incorporating things like smoothies and oatmeal with fresh fruit, during breakfast and lunch, and cooking “one pot meals” or all-in-one meals for dinner. See my post below for one-pot meals:

One-Pot Meals

Success comes down to having a plan and working the plan

I knew planning, shopping and prepping could not be done for me all in one day. I just simply ran out of stem and didn’t prep. I thought, “I will do it tomorrow” and tomorrow never came. Groceries go to waste like this, so a new plan of action had to be born!

I decided I would meal plan my quick meals during the week and would make a full shopping list for each of the two stores. I would also take inventory of my panty, refrigerator and freezer for the foods I needed.

I had my lists for both stores. You might ask, why two stores, why not just one? Well the reason is two-fold. First, our supply chain hasn’t recovered and my stores do not always have the things I need, so I am forced to make a second stop. Second, you always want to look at the ads for cost-savings and add those to your cards so you can take advantage of those extra digital coupon savings.

My Plan

This meant on Thursday, when the ads came out I would research and load everything I need to my digital coupons for money saving ideas. Friday night, I would clean my refrigerator out, and take inventory of anything I might need. I would make my lists for each store. If I had time, I would look to on-line healthy recipes or a book for inspiration. I may not follow the actual recipe but it will give me a guide. I tend to make my meals a bit healthier.

Then, when Saturday/Sunday rolls around, I grab my lists and keys and head out the door. Inventory was already taken from my refrigerator, pantry and freezer and lists are in hand. This keeps me from purchasing unneeded items and spending more money than planned. Let’s face it, groceries have gotten so expensive, we need all the help we can get in this area.

When I get home, I unload, wash and stock things away. Remember, the refrigerator is already clean and ready to go from the night before. I go directly into the prep of washing, cutting and containing, what I need for the days ahead. This would typically give me about 5 days of easy food ready to go for a quick toss. Realistically, I can prep and cook any dinner in 30-45 minutes and this included clean-up.

Now this will take some getting used to. It will take time to perfect your craft, but you can teach an old dog new tricks, so stick with it. You will find quick and easy ways to get healthy and nutritious foods in your body, without spending an entire day cooking.

Being successful at eating healthier is 80% of our getting healthy journey. If you can master this, then you can add walking (or the exercise of your choice), for the last 20%. All of this together is going to equal a healthier and hopefully lighter you.

Alicia

The biggest nutritional bang for your buck

June 10, 2023 /

Nutrition is the Key to Health Podcast

I will list the highest nutritional yields in each food category. These are the top guns of their categories, the biggest bang for your nutritional buck, if you will. The higher the nutrient richness score, the better it is.

Vegetables

  • Spinach 65
  • Swiss Chard 55
  • Crimini Mushrooms 47
  • Asparagus 43
  • Broccoli 40
  • Romaine Lettuce/Salads 40
  • Collard Greens 38
  • Kale/Mustard Greens 34
  • Tomatoes 34
  • Brussels Sprouts 33
  • Green Beans 33
  • Summer Squash 32
  • Bell Pepper 29
  • Cauliflower 29
  • Celery/Fennel 25
  • Green Peas 24
  • Cabbage 22
  • Carrots 22
  • Winter Squash 20
  • Beets 15
  • Eggplant 15
  • Garlic 15
  • Onions/Leeks 14
  • Sweet Potatoes 13
  • Cucumbers 11
  • Potatoes 8

Fruits

  • Strawberries 24
  • Raspberries 18
  • Cantaloupe 14
  • Pineapple 12
  • Kiwi 11
  • Oranges 11
  • Papaya 11
  • Watermelon 11
  • Apricots 9
  • Grapefruit 8
  • Grapes/Raisins 8
  • Blueberries 7
  • Cranberries 7
  • Bananas 6
  • Plums/Prunes 6
  • Lemons/Limes 4
  • Apples 3
  • Fig 3
  • Pears 3

Herbs and Spices

  • Parsley 21
  • Mustard Seeds 15
  • Basil 11
  • Turmeric 11
  • Cinnamon 10
  • Cayenne Pepper 8
  • Black Pepper 7
  • Ginger 5
  • Dill 4
  • Cilantro 3
  • Rosemary 3

Whole Grains

  • Oats 12
  • Rye 10
  • Quinoa 7
  • Brown Rice 7
  • Whole Wheat 7
  • Buckwheat 5

Diary and Eggs

  • Eggs 18
  • Low-Fat Milk 17
  • Yogurt 15
  • Low-Fat Cheese 9
  • Goat’s Milk 8

Fish and Shellfish

  • Tuna 24
  • Shrimp 23
  • Salmon 21
  • Cod 21
  • Sardines 20
  • Scallops 14

Poultry and Lean Meat

  • Calf’s Liver 41
  • Grass-Fed Beef 15
  • Venison 14
  • Lamb 12
  • Chicken 11
  • Turkey 11

Nuts and Seeds

  • Sunflower 18
  • Flaxseeds 13
  • Sesame Seeds 12
  • Pumpkin Seeds 11
  • Walnuts 8
  • Almonds 7
  • Peanuts 6
  • Cashews 5

Note on choosing your foods. As you can see from this list, blueberries only score a 7, compared to Strawberries, which score a 24. That does not mean you should never eat blueberries. Blueberries are loaded with cancer-fighting antioxidants. The deeper the color, generally the more the antioxidants. This is a guideline to show you where some of your favorites might fall.

Remember to check out my post below on organic vs conventional for money-saving tips.

Organic vs Conventional Produce

When choosing your meals, try to choose from an assortment of these top foods. It is important that you do not fall into the habit of eating the same foods every day. Try to mix it up. This will take planning and prep work on your part but you have to do it if you want to succeed.

Alicia

Organic vs Conventional Produce

June 8, 2023 /

Nutrition is the Key to Health Podcast

Organic vs conventional produce has always been a very hot topic talking out foods to consume and which are healthier. There is a great deal of speculation on whether organic is worth the extra money. Easy answer, I will say, “Yes”. However, it’s not that easy.

What is Organic

Organic farming, is a strict farming practice that certifies certain standards were maintained when growing and harvesting the produce. That means that certain pesticides and fertilizers are not allowed in the growing or harvesting process of these fruits and vegetables.

You will be able to differentiate organic produce in your groceries isles because the PLU (price lookup code) will follow these standards:

  • 4011 – Conventional Banana
  • 94011 – Organic Banana
  • 84011 – Genetically Engineered or modified Banana

So, the number you want to focus on is the first number of 4, 9 and 8 at the beginning of the code. This denotes the type of produce it is.

What is the Dirty Dozen

Each year, EWG.org, puts out the top conventional produce that are ladened with pesticides. EWG.org is a non-profit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to protecting human health and the environment.

You can find the list for 2023 at the below link:

https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/dirty-dozen.php

According to EWG, these are the top produce for 2023, that contain the most pesticides, when referring to conventional farming:

  1. Strawberries
  2. Spinach
  3. Kale, Collar and Mustard Greens
  4. Peaches
  5. Pears
  6. Nectarines
  7. Apples
  8. Grapes
  9. Bell & Hot Peppers
  10. Cherries
  11. Blueberries
  12. Green Beans

This year, strawberries take the top seat, and this is not a good thing. That means that when eating these twelve foods, your pesticide load that you are ingesting is the highest if you are picking conventional in any one of the above foods. We all know that the amount of pesticide load we ingest, has a direct correlation with cancer.

Clean Fifteen

Just like the dirty dozen list, EWG.org also puts out the popular Clean Fifteen. These are the conventional produces that contain the least amount of pesticides and are as follows:

  1. Avocados
  2. Sweet corn
  3. Pineapple
  4. Onions
  5. Papaya
  6. Sweet Peas (frozen)
  7. Asparargus
  8. Honeydew
  9. Kiwi
  10. Cabbage
  11. Mushrooms
  12. Mangoes
  13. Sweet Potatoes
  14. Watermelon
  15. Carrots

You can find the link here:

https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/clean-fifteen.php

What does this all mean?

I will say this. If you can afford to purchase organic, please do. However, if you are on a food budget, then the best tactic you can use, is to purchase items on the dirty dozen list, as organic. Then, all others you can go conventional to save money.

It should be noted this list changes yearly, so please go to EWG.org and refresh your list. For instance, the last few years, blueberries and apples took the top spots on the dirty dozen.

A few noteworthy mentions here. There are a few things that you will always want to purchase organic and they are as follows:

  • Almonds (conventional are treated with eronmous amounts of pesticides around the trees. So when they are harvested, they will get cross-contaminated with pesticides all over them.
  • Brown Rice (Organic) has a great deal of arsenic in it, so you will want to eat this sparingly, and when boiling, do so in large amounts of water and always rinse throughly afterwards before serving. This will lessen the load.
  • Quinoa is much like brown rice. It needs to be soaked prior to cooking. Overnight if you can, and rinse throughly. In 2023, it is said that the United States will have decreased production of this pseudo grain, due to increased fly issues. We will likely be sourcing from other countries.
  • Green Tea has a high pesticide yield, so you will want to purchase only organic. Look for the store brand in organic and it is usually very affordable.

Any of your berries, nuts and grains, the farmers tend to use vast amounts of pesticides to keep the bugs and the birds from ruining the crops. So, keep that in mind when shopping. Always rinse everything! Even that spinach that claims to be “triple washed”.

When trying to gain a healthier lifestyle, all of this helps. I hope you can go with confidence to the store and choose your produce wisely. I keep a screenshot of the dirty dozen on my phone, and refer to it as I am shopping. It helps.

Alicia

Shopping the perimeter

June 8, 2023 /

Nutrition is the Key to Health Podcast

Shopping outside the perimeter has long been a strategy of many diets. It is said that all the nutritious foods are located on the outer walls around the store. This still holds true to this day.

Where to go

When gathering your food, you will want to mainly be in the produce section, and the frozen food section of any store. There are thing like spices, beans, olive oil, broth and alternative milks that you will have to go into the inner isles for.

You need to be careful to not fall into the old traps of processed foods. Chips, sodas, diary and meat do not need to be a part of your list, unless you are consuming meat and seafood. Even then, only lean cuts and small amounts.

Setting a budget

You need to go to the store with a budget that fits your household income. Only get what you need for half the week. Make it a habit to go to the store twice a week. This will take care of fresh produce.

If you get produce for the entire week, it might go bad before you have an opportunity to use it. That is why it is best to shop by a list and plan your meals in advance.

Comparison shopping

I once did a comparison. I shopped on the outer isles of the store getting fresh produce and meats, and then on the inner isles picking up more processed foods. The fresh was actually less expensive than the processed, and a heck of a lot healthier.

After all, have you seen the prices of food this day and time? Ice cream is almost $10 a half gallon. Eggs are $7 a dozen. Chicken has skyrocketed and sometimes is more expensive than beef. Chips are almost $5 a bag, and the bags have gotten smaller. Canned veggies and beans are $1.25 to $2.50 a can. We are not even going to talk about cleaning supplies, Kleenex or toilet paper. Sodas are almost $5.00 a six pack. It is crazy what the prices of groceries have become in today’s economy. You literally cannot get out of a grocery run for less than $80 and that is walking out with only a handful of bags.

It is going to be a bit of work and organization on your part, but you have to pay attention to the ads and what is on sale at what store. The days of going to one store for all your needs is nearing extinction. To get what you need, takes a trip to two, if not three stores, unless you live in a rural area.

If you can afford to have your food delivered by InstaCart, Amazon or one of the grocery stores, go for it if you think you budget can handle it.

I will say mine cannot. I had my groceries delivered one time and that was during my chemo, when I was so sick, I could barely stand up. You have to pay for the delivery, then tip. It can get costly.

If you don’t like to shop, your best bet is to order you food and have them bring it to your car. The only problem is you get home and need something for dinner that they didn’t have. Supply chain interruptions are still a thing. We have never truly recovered.

Prepare for the week. Make a list and only get what is on your list. This will keep impulse buys to a minimum. The only thing I might deviate from is more fruits and veggies, especially frozen.

I never said going on a diet was going to be easy, but don’t let that discourage you!

Alicia

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