What’s Wrong With Red Meat?

Do you eat meat? Do you eat burgers, steaks, bacon? In the past, I have been a bit shy talking the consumption of meat. I didn’t want to rattle any cages, or ruffle feathers. But honestly, my friends, so many new clients have come to me sick, I have to start sharing real research with you.

Most recently, a client came to me with such odd symptoms. Really odd and seemingly unrelated. Pain in back, finger joints aching, constipation, low energy, dry tongue. I saw this as all inflammatory. When I took down her food history, I saw that she was eating red meat at least twice a day and animal products (meaning dairy, lunch meats or other things) throughout the day. So, red meat was something that I suggested she eliminated. (of course, I also insisted on eliminating dairy)

Within three days all pain was gone.

Is this because I have magic? Well, I wish I did! (I would love to walk around all day with a tiara and a wand!) No, my friends, I just eliminated that which was causing harm. And, sadly to say for most, animal product produce harm. Whether you want to point out the hormones they are given, the ill way they are kept, the fear hormones you ingest, the GMO’d corn they are given…. they do create harm.

I have research to back my claim, although I must say that the clients I see are even twice as compelling to me. In January of 2018, that means just a few days ago, the International Journal of Cancer gave caution to eating meat.

There is also a recent French study with over 61,000 people that found that the people eating red meat had a higher risk of CANCER!! Yes, cancer, especially breast cancer. The study went on to say that the red meat was involved in carcinogenesis in several locations in the body.
I don’t know where you live, but here where I live, Baltimore, we are in a hot spot.

Oh, but there are even more disgusting tidbits. “A nationwide study published by the USDA in 1996 found that 78.6 percent of the ground beef contained microbes that are spread primarily by fecal matter. That means poop!!!!

So, can we stop looking at a “burger and fries” as pure Americana and something wholesome? Let’s at least see the truth. If you aren’t going to hear it from the news you watch, or the medical practitioner you see, at least look at the research.

Can I get an amen?

What do I have in my lunch bag?

Most people refer to breakfast as being the most important meal, but I think, for me, it is lunch. That is because if my lunch is off, I am off. If I haven’t had a lunch that is satisfying and “works” for me, I will start craving at 3pm. Or, if it wasn’t “enough” I will need to eat an hour later. I am funny like that, but at least I know what works and what doesn’t for me.  

So, that means, at lunchtime, I have a pretty hefty meal. I usually like something warm during these winter months. I will cook up one of these recipes and then add either steamed potatoes or steamed brown rice to them.

I have a pretty big wide-mouthed thermos to make that work, along with a big lunch bag. Yes, a big lunch bag, one that carries at least 4 medium size plastic containers. Have you ever seen “Crocodile Dundee” when the robber pulls out this switchblade? Well, I always think about that scene when packing my lunch bag.  

“You call that a lunch bag? Now this, is a lunch bag!”

I usually have 2-3 containers of “ready to eat” fruit. That means things like washed grapes, peeled oranges, cut up peaches or pineapple. Things that are easy and a great snack. Then, I have a container of dates (they last a long time) and two or three apples.  

The main point of lunch I try to keep in mind is to get SATISFIED. I need it yummy and filling. If lunch goes well, I have a better chance of staying with my optimal foods throughout the rest of the day.

How to cook a Vegan for Meat Eaters (Shhhhhhhh-don’t tell them I told you!)

One of the things I do when entertaining for meat eaters is to make food that is hearty. Adding shitake mushrooms to a lentil stew is the perfect way to give some “toothiness.” Don’t tell them though! No reason to spoil our fun!

The easiest Lentil Stew you will ever make to fake-out your meat eaters!

Ingredients 

2 cups of lentils (soaked overnight and rinsed)

2 onions chopped

5 stalks of celery chopped

6 carrots chopped

4 cups shitake mushrooms (if you have never worked with these, no worries! Put them in a bowl and cover with water. Toss about and make sure all the dirt is off. Separate stems from caps and chop. This is what gives the soup its “meatiness”)

1 tbsp sea salt

1 tbsp minced garlic

2 tbsp basil

Instructions

Put all ingredients in a large soup pot.

Cover with water. (Make sure you have about 2 more inches of water then ingredients.)

Simmer for 1.5 hours

If you like it thicker, cook off more water.

If you like it thinner, add more water.

What are some easy recipes to make for lunch?

For me, lunch is the most important meal of the day. If I don’t feel full and satisfied, bad things happen later! Breakfast and lunch can be covered by eating light, or having a “not so perfectly satisfying meal,” but if that happens at lunch, all hell breaks loose!!

Over time, I created some really easy recipes to make for lunch. I usually make these while I am making dinner. Then, I freeze it in different plastic containers. In the morning, all I do is take a container out, reheat, and put in my thermos for later. It is my fail-proof method to avoiding cookies in the afternoon.

Easy Peazy Recipes to heat up, place in a thermos and take for lunch.

Tomato Coconut Soup

Ingredients

6 tomatoes (or large can of chopped tomatoes)

4 cloves minced garlic

1 can coconut milk (or two cups)

salt to taste

pinch of red pepper

Instructions

1. If you are roasting the tomatoes, Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  (If you are using canned tomatoes, go to step 4A)
2. Cut the stems out of your tomatoes and place on an oiled baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
3.  In a medium sized pot over medium heat, add olive oil and garlic.
4. (Do this if you are NOT roasting tomatoes.)  Open the can of chopped tomatoes.
5. Stir around until fragrant then add tomatoes and mash with potato masher or large fork. Stir in coconut milk.
6. If you desire a smoother soup, as opposed to one with chunks of tomato floating around, blend soup in a blender.

Squash Soup

Ingredients

2 medium onions quartered

5 sticks of celery cut in half

2 carrots

2-3 different kinds of squash

The amounts do not matter. However much squash you have, that will make the soup. I love the “delicate squash” because they are so sweet. Normally I get 2 of these (they are small) and a larger butternut squash.

Water as needed

3 tbsp coconut oil

2 cups frozen corn

1 tbsp salt

Instructions

1. Cut squash down the center.  Take out the seeds and throw them away.
2. Drizzle oil on meat of the squash, sprinkle with salt and place on cookie sheet meat side down.  Cook on 375 for about 45 minutes or until very soft.
3. In a soup pot, put onions and celery and cover with water.  Simmer until they soften.
4. Place the squash in the pot and cover with more water. (If it is a squash with particularly hard skin, scoop the meat out and discard the skin, otherwise put skin in soup also!)
5. Stir it all up. Add small batches into blender and blend until creamy.  Once it is all blended, return to pot and add corn.   

Chili From Scratch!

Ingredients

1 1⁄2 tbsp. cumin

1 white or red onion, cut into small pieces

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp. cayenne

2 tablespoons coconut oil

1 zucchini, diced

1⁄2 cup chopped sweet or white potato

Two cans of organic black beans, rinsed well

One can of organic kidney or garbanzo beans, rinsed well

One 14-ounce can of crushed organic tomatoes

2 cups water

2 tablespoons grade b maple syrup

1-teaspoon sea salt

Fresh cilantro (optional)

Instructions

1. Put coconut oil, onion, cumin, cayenne and garlic, in a pan. Put heat on low. Stir consistently until the onion is golden and translucent.
2. Add in zucchini, and potato, and stir well. Sauté for 3 to 4 minutes, Remember to stir at this point so nothing burns.
3. Add in beans, tomatoes, water, maple syrup, sea salt, and cilantro. Cover with a lid, reduce heat to low.  Cook on low for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.
4.  Turn off heat and stir gently.

How to finally achieve your weight loss goals this year!

The holidays are over and now what? Do you feel like a big stuffed turkey still? Well, you could go on an extreme weight loss plan whose results might last you until the following weekend, or you can slowly chip away at smaller goals and get lasting results. Here are a few I want you to consider as we move into this year and start establishing how we want to feel.

1. Don’t get hungry.
Allow yourself to stop calorie counting and fill your belly. If you are hungry, you will fail. It’s as easy as that. Hunger is stronger than you (or me!) The trick is to fill your belly with the right foods. Make sure you never allow your hunger to get too intense. Travel with snacks, eat larger meals, and eat whole food carbohydrates. This will nip cravings in the bud and allow you to make better food choices.

2. Don’t wait for others to take care of you around the food.
When attending a business lunch, or know I am meeting family for a meal, I make sure that I pre-eat. I don’t “assume” that they will have the food that serves me or will make me feel better. So, I make sure I eat first and then use the time with others to socialize. If I am uncomfortable, I can always order and eat a little bit of what they are serving. If I feel full and satisfied, I make better choices. See #1!

3. Take food wherever you go.
Have food in the car when you come out of the gym. Have food in the car available after work. Have food when you go shopping. Carry your snacks!!!

4. Don’t waste calories by drinking them.
Do you know how many calories are in a sweetened Starbucks frozen drink? Don’t ask! What about bottled teas? It’s crazy how yummy these things are. Haven’t you ever wondered why? Most of these prepared yummy drinks are sweetened with sugar and doused in cream. Don’t waste those calories. Getting a bolus of calories from fat, dairy and sugar like that is just a setup for cravings and lowered energy.

5. MOVE!!
What is the best form of exercise for weight loss? The one you do! How often should you work out? Every day that you can. Period. End of story!

Get Your Yerba Mate!

GET YOUR YERBA MATE!

THIS IS IT!

The ultimate in appetite control, wellness-boosting and anti-inflammatory response.

Are you having problems losing weight?

Do you have aches and pains?

Arthritis keeping you at home?

Think what you are experiencing is “normal aging?”

Think your issues are hormonal?

What about your energy?

Do you have trouble waking up?  Do you have enough energy at the gym?  Do you “bonk” at 3pm and require coffee?  Have trouble focusing in the afternoon?

What about your weight?

Have you tried a million different diets?  Perhaps you hate to admit that you have spent thousands of dollars on weight loss?

Do you lose 5 pounds, only to gain 3 and then lose another 2?  Are you gaining and losing the same ten pounds year after year?

I have a secret to share with you.

For centuries the women in south America have known a secret that until now has not been shared in North America.  It is called

YERBA MATE

The “gift of the gods.”

You are about to be let in on this most ultimate secret and learn why this drink is being consumed daily by millions of people.

Yerba Mate is a powerful and incredible herb, grown only in the cooler regions of South America.  It has been shown to have incredible healing benefits and was used for centuries amongst the indigenous people of the region until it caught on in the cities there. Yerba Mate has been used for weight loss, focus, concentration, diabetes control, improving heart disease and improving gut health.

And now, we have taken its benefits a step further.

We have created different blends with this incredible herb to tailor its healing benefits to your specific goal.  We have added different herbs to create different healing effects.

Each of our blends will let you be in on this incredible secret, because yerba mate is at the base of all of our blends.  You will understand why this herb is so extremely popular, that just about every home in South America has it.

In the countries that are drinking yerba, ADD and ADHD are not commonly known there. The incidence of obesity, heart disease, and diabetes is much less in these countries than in ours.

Most believe it is due to the secret we are letting you in on.

In fact, rather than laxatives which are not only addictive, but harsh on the system, yerba mate is used.

By going to our site, you will learn the following

-How to make this most healing infusion.

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No one has to know that the reason why you are losing weight.  No one has to know that you are not cravings sweets and have a reduced appetite.

Shhhhhhh we can keep this out secret!!

The secret is

YERBA MATE TEA

If you haven’t heard the buzz, you will soon!  Celebrities, athletes and models are now using yerba mate in their daily routines.  It’s so exciting that TV shows and movies now have scenes filmed with characters drinking it.

Imagine how your life will change when your wellness improves.  Imagine the weight you can lose with more energy and less appetite.  Imagine what increased brain function will allow you to do!

Think of how different and amazing you will feel.

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Yerba Mate Organic Tea

our blends include

NAKED -This is just straight up, pure organic yerba mate.  Encourages positive attitude and mood

DETOX –Peppered with turmeric and ginger (used in Asia, India, and Europe for centuries to facilitate healing, and research suggests it may reduce inflammation and pain) drink this for the anti-inflammatory response you need, Cold Support, detox or recovery effect.  Also good for Arthritis, nausea and Pain Support

ICED – Served as hot tea or cold tea, this spicy and extra-ordinary infusion has organic yerba mate at its base.  It will refresh and awaken your senses.  It not only hydrates, it stimulates on many levels!

SKINNY – Flavored with cinnamon, this helps support healthy weight reduction, minimizing of cravings and appetite for sweets

MOCHA – get the yumminess of creamy chocolate and coffee flavors without the dairy.  Mocha Blend has mood lifting capabilities without uncomfortable spikes

All of these can be made hot or cold and come in either tea bags or loose leaf form.  This is superfood healing blend.

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New Year, New Authenticity.

In this new year, my intention is to be more authentic in the way I talk about food. I have always tried to buffer my clients from the harshness of what was actually going on with our food supply. The idea was to “slowly” introduce new thoughts and ideas in a way that was palatable, in the hopes that the client (or reader) would go further.

My hope was that you would feel better and better and keep walking this path.

I am realizing though, that it is taking too much time, it is way too boring and I am not being authentic. If you are turned off by the message, you can turn away. I am ok with that. I need to tell the truth and tell it like it is. Gloves are off.

Most of what I believe and follow has been proven in scientific journals decades ago!  More compelling though, are the thousands of clients I have seen healed by changing what they eat.

So, let’s get to it, shall we? First up? DAIRY!

If you are dealing with any of the following…. (and I would add in here, any inflammatory disease like eczema, acne, bloated belly, ruddy face) you must ditch the dairy.  

1) arthritis

2) heart disease

3) kidney stones

4) hemoglobin loss leading to anemia

5) mucus production & other allergies

6) mood swings, depression, & irritability

7) irritable bowels, ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s

8) obesity & cancer (dairy contains IGF-1, the most powerful growth factor known

to science)

This was published in May 1995 in an issue of the Townsend Medical Letter (which is a

journal written by doctors, for doctors.) Dr. David Paige at Hopkins, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn at Cornell, and hundreds of other physicians and scientists have been screaming this from the rooftops for decades.

Still, we turn a blind eye. Clients will come sit in my office and most of the time, the first thing out of their mouths is, “I eat pretty healthy most of the time. Just don’t know why I feel awful and my Dr. is threatening to put me on meds if my blood tests don’t improve.”  At this point, I usually write a note that step one is to get this person off dairy. Inevitably, I hear about the “healthy” yogurts they eat in for breakfasts, how their lunch might have some cheese sprinkled on their salads – just a little, and dinner might be a pizza because who has time to cook?

Who has time to feel like crap? Have I lost you yet?

Top 10 Dieting Mistakes

Most clients coming in to see me have spent years on the diet roller coaster. They are frustrated and confused. Here are some of the most common ones I have seen over the past year.

1. Spending a ton of money on supplements when you are not secure in a food program that works for you.
2. Taking a bit of this and a bit of that. Mixing together different diet programs.
3. Not enough prep time.
4. Not carrying snacks and treats with you.
5. Events that you are unprepared for.
6. Not getting enough fiber because they are too “high carb.”
7. Restricting food.
8. Eating foods that aren’t fun.
9. Not having a stocked kitchen.
10. Spending more time in the gym than in the market and kitchen.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone! If anyone needed an extra quick recipe in their arsenal for this week here are two!

Baked Carrot Oven French Fries

6 Carrots

2 tbsp coconut oil

1 tsp sea salt

1. Cut each carrot into 2-inch long sections
2. Cut sections into thinner sticks or “fries”
3. In a large bowl toss carrot sticks with oil and salt
4. Spread paper out on cookie sheet
5. Bake at 425° for 18-22 minutes until carrots are browned

Yummy Bean Chili

1 1⁄2 tbsp. cumin

2 tablespoons coconut oil

1 white or red onion, cut into small pieces

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp. cayenne

1 zucchini, diced

1⁄2 cup chopped sweet or white potato

Two cans of organic black beans, rinsed

One can of organic kidney or garbanzo beans, rinsed

One 14-ounce can of crushed organic tomatoes

2 cups water

2 tablespoons grade b maple syrup

1-teaspoon sea salt

1⁄2 bunch of fresh cilantro

1 cup kale or spinach, chopped

Diced avocado (optional)

Fresh cilantro (optional)

1. Put coconut oil, onion, and garlic, in a pan to heat. Stir consistently until the onion is golden and translucent.
2. Add in cayenne, zucchini, and potato, and stir well. Sauté for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring often so nothing burns.
3. Add in beans, tomatoes, water, maple syrup, sea salt, and cilantro. Cover with a lid, reduce heat to low. Cook on low for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.
4. Turn off heat and put the kale in. Stir gently.
5. Serve hot in bowls over brown rice, quinoa or sautéed greens. Garnish with diced avocado and a handful of cilantro.

Cauliflower Tandoori Marinade

Cauliflower Tandoori Marinade

Ingredients:

4 cloves garlic – minced

1 Tbsp. minced ginger

1 Tbsp. favorite Indian spice blend

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tsp. sea salt

½ cup rice milk (optional)

3 tbs melted coconut oil

Directions:

Place all ingredients except Cauliflower, in a large Ziploc bag.  Close bag and with your hands blend well.

Place the whole of cauliflower in the bag and spread the marinade all over, making sure to coat the bottom as well. Place in the fridge to marinate for minimum 1 hour

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Place cauliflower in pan and roast until tender (45-60 minutes depending on the size of the cauliflower).

Garnish with chopped spring onions leaves, and lemon.