Healthy Eating tips for Traveling Families

Traveling With Kids

With Memorial day upon us and many families looking to travel, go to a cabin, water park or other fun adventures this weekend and summer, staying on track can be a challenge.  This post I am putting out some tips we use to stay healthy while traveling.

We recently brought our boys to Disney World and had an amazing time.  But traveling with kids and finding healthy options, especially at a place like Disney, can be really challenging.  So here are some tips on how to travel and continue to eat healthily.

Now, you aren't can't avoid everything that isn't the best for you like when eating out of your own “Healthified” pantry.  There will probably be some soybean oil in the ranch dressing or other things that aren't the best options, but compared to donuts and pasta, these are the best options I find when traveling.  Here is an example of some ways to keep healthy when traveling.

Here is a great tip from Mary! "When I go out of state to visit family, I combine all my dry ingredients of a recipe in a ziploc with directions of what other ingredients are required to complete and baking instructions. For instance, I combine all the dry ingredients of Maria's chocolate chip cookies in a ziploc and then when I'm at my family's home, I bake healthy choclate chip cookies for everyone. It does require purchasing healthy coconut oil or butter while there; but I don't mind that. I usually bring a ziploc of the following recipes: peanut butter cookies, bread, quiche or pie crust, rolls, waffles, etc. It works really well for me since some of our trips are a month long and I would not be able to keep the pre-baked goods for that length of time."

We make a lot of stuff on 'rainy' days and stores them in the freezer so we have easy treats 'on-the-go.' We rarely eat things out of the package. As far as easy foods for traveling that you can make them ahead, you MUST try the cereal and granola! I pack those (no refrigeration needed if you use coconut oil) for our trips.  There are several recipes Here on my blog and in my Kids Cookbook.

One of the best things you can do is bring some healthy options from home in your checked bags (We always packs our Protein Bread which is frozen).  When we went to Disney, we brought sandwiches on Protein bread to eat on the airplane; some olives and "healthified" crackers (also in our carry-on for snacking on the airplane), Salmon in these little bags, and some nuts like raw almonds and pecans that you roasted yourself with some coconut oil and seasoning (cinnamon and Swerve is our favorite).  Put in small Ziploc's for on the go snacks.  I know it isn't for everyone, but our boys also love sardines and anchovies so we pack a couple of those as well.   If you are a fan of Smoked Oysters and Baby Clams they are good options too.  Then there are things like beef sticks and beef jerky.  Try to find some without added sugars or junk like this one. We also have our favorites like ChocoPerfection bars and Quest bars.   When in a place like Disney, we also bring treats for the boys like Dr. Johns xylitol Lollipops and packets of Jay Robb to make smoothies.  Xylitol has been shown to actually help reduce cavities.

So packing some snacks will help you snack while on vacation without guilt.  So what about meals?  The one thing we try to do is get a room with a small kitchen.  They cost a little more, but what you save just in breakfasts and food versus eating out can make up for the difference.  So when we arrive we start unpacking the bags and getting settled while Craig makes a quick run to the grocery store.  In Disney we didn't have a car so he took a cab.  He got a few staples that would get us through the week like eggs, avocado (for our Shamrock Shake), sunflower seeds, bacon, lunch meat, pickles (to make ham and cream cheese roll ups), no sugar pasta sauce, artichokes and Bolinski's sausage (to make our easy Pizza Pasta with a side of my Protein Garlic bread), hot dogs for the boys, lettuce, healthy oils and vinegar to make a no-sugar salad dressing and some cheese.  So between the snacks we brought, breakfasts and these items, we can get through 2 meals most days without compromise.

As we walk around Disney we always stop to check menus to see if there is anything we would like. We also pack a few things from our room, such as the Shamrock Shake in a thermos.

Perfect for Shamrock Shake!

If we find something that we like (or can tweak to make it good) we will stop in and eat for lunch or dinner.  For example, at Disney there are these restaurants (I think in every park) that have basic items like hamburgers, hot dogs, etc.  They then have these condiment bars where you can add toppings.  So we just get a cheeseburger with no sides.  Is it the best burger, no not at all.  And if you want to avoid it, just go with veggies and a salad.  But if you are in a pinch, this trick can help.  We then grab lots of lettuce and pickles, cheese, whatever is healthy in the condiment bar and pile it on the plate.  Then we sit down, ditch the bun, and have a hamburger salad topped with ranch dressing.  We didn't have to do this on our trip because we brought enough food for us during the day at the park.  Another great option at Disney is the Smoked Turkey leg sold in most of the parks.  Craig had it for lunch one day.  An example for dinner is the German restaurant in Epcot.  It is all you can eat and there are tons of good options like several kinds of fish, salads, sausages, and pork to fill up on (I suggest to not even walk past the dessert table! lol... we packed "healthified" desserts so we weren't tempted!)

I LOVE These cookies for traveling and easy sweet snacks. All travel ideas are here. Or these protein bars and snacks that you can buy (don't have to make) lol! I also have lots of Sweet treats Here. And Bolinski's Chicken Sausage is a great option too (keep this in your little cooler... it is sooo good and organic). It is all cooked and taste great!

And here are some more ideas:
Trader Joe’s Jerky (or other GLUTEN free jerky...soy sauce has gluten so no teriyaki)
Beef Sticks (venison/grass-fed)
Organic grass fed Hot Dogs
Sardines (canned)
Dr. In the Kitchen Crackers or Homemade Crackers
Skinny Crisp Crackers
Smoked salmon
Summer Sausage
Trail mix (homemade) with sugar free chocolate: almonds, macadamia nuts, pecans, walnuts
ChocoPerfection Bars
Almond/Sunflower Butter and celery
Chocolate Flaxseed Muffins (made ahead at home)
Granola Bars (made ahead at home)
Olives
Tuna (in packet), with Celery/FlaxCrackers/Pickles
Canned Crab (not imitation crab)
Coconut Energy Bars (recipe on blog)
Homemade Cookies (recipes on blog)
Kale Chips (I usually munch on a huge bag on the plane)

Traveling and eating healthy can be a challenge but I hope these tips will help you stay on track while having fun! 

LUNCHABLES and Our Brain

I'm sorry to inform you that Oscar Meyer lunchables are one of the WORST "foods" you can give to your children. I feel like I need to go back to my chemistry classes to read the ingredient list! By cramming in a dessert and a juice box, Oscar Meyer manages to push it to the limit with this already "brain deteriorating" plastic package with more sugar than your child should take in all week. This meal has the sugar equivalent of 10 jelly-filled doughnuts! In 1960 we consumed only 2 tsp of sugar a day, in 2011 we now consume over 63 tsp. NOT COOL!


Ingredients: ROAST WHITE TURKEY - CURED - SMOKE FLAVOR ADDED - WHITE TURKEY, WATER, POTASSIUM LACTATE, MODIFIED CORN STARCH, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF SALT, DEXTROSE, CARRAGEENAN, SODIUM PHOSPHATES, SODIUM DIACETATE, SODIUM ASCORBATE, SMOKE FLAVOR, SODIUM NITRITE, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR. PASTEURIZED PREPARED CHEDDAR CHEESE PRODUCT - MILK, WHEY, MILK PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, MILKFAT, SODIUM CITRATE, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF SALT, LACTIC ACID, SORBIC ACID AS A PRESERVATIVE, OLEORESIN PAPRIKA (COLOR), ANNATTO (COLOR), CHEESE CULTURE, ENZYMES, WHEY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, WITH STARCH ADDED FOR SLICE SEPARATION. CONTAINS: MILK. CRACKERS - UNBLEACHED ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE [VITAMIN B1], RIBOFLAVIN [VITAMIN B2], FOLIC ACID), WHOLE GRAIN WHEAT FLOUR, SOYBEAN OIL, SUGAR, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED COTTONSEED OIL, SALT, LEAVENING (BAKING SODA AND/OR CALCIUM PHOSPHATE), WHEY (FROM MILK), SOY LECITHIN, NATURAL FLAVOR.

Imagine this...your brain conducts routine daily maintenance on your dopamine and serotonin receptors (both essential for mood and concentration). These receptors are composed of Omega-3 fatty acid called DHA. If you consume TRANS-FAT (hydrogenated oils) instead of healthy DHA, your brain molecules use this as a construction material instead. They problem is that trans-fats are shaped differently than DHA: they are straight while DHA is curved. Dopamine receptors becomes mis-shaped and don't work very well. Repeat this scenario meal after meal, day after day, year after year, and you could wind up with problems like ADHD, problems concentrating, anxiety and depression. What is more bothersome to me is when we give our children these so called "treats" because they are entitled to have them when they are young, but it is even more detrimental because children's brains are still developing.

The typical American diet is almost devoid of these essential omegas; they are called "essential fatty acids" because your body can't make them...you must consume them. In fact, over 60% of Americans are deficient in Omega-3 fatty acids, and about 20% have so little that test methods can't detect any in their blood. Omega-3 deficiencies are also linked to dyslexia, memory problems, weight gain, cancer, heart disease, acne, eczema, allergies, inflammatory diseases, arthritis, diabetes, and SO many other conditions. Your brain is more than 60% structural fat, so it is no wonder why if we don't serve our children this essential brain food, they will have a hard time succeeding in school. To read more on Serotonin and Dopamine, try this book: Secrets to Controlling Your Weight Cravings and Mood.



Try this instead! This lunch is also more affordable!

4 Protein Crackers
3 oz Applegate Farms Ham
1 oz WHITE Raw Cheese
1 Hard boiled OMEGA 3 Egg
2 Nutter Butters

OTHER OMEGA FILLED IDEAS:
1. Chocolate (flaxseed) Muffins
2. Cinnamon Strudel Muffins
3. Pizza Bites
4. And LOTS of ideas on sneaking in DHA in my cookbook: The Art of Healthy Eating KIDS.
5. Sardines (don't laugh! Some kids love them!)

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per serving)
Oscar Meyer Lunchables = 330 calories, 2 g TRANS-FAT, 24 carbs, 1 fiber, 18 g protein
"Healthified" Lunchables = 301 calories, 0 g TRANS-FAT, 3 carbs, trace fiber, 29 g protein

Click HERE to find a Cute BENTO Box for Lunches

To find this cute bento lunch box, click HERE.

Poundcake with Lemon Curd and HORMONES

Leptin and Sleep

As summer approaches for us (in the Northern hemisphere! lol.... there are some of you in the Southern that get my blog), we often THINK we are going to lose weight because we are more active in the summer. But, do you lose weight? OR do you gain weight? Many people gain weight in the summer and one main reason is that they skimp on sleep. It is easy to get 8-10 hours of sleep when it gets dark out at 4:30pm in January, but who wants to go to bed when it is still light out? Not me! I work with a lot of gastric bypass patients and in the past, we use to think that they had sleep apnea after they gained weight BUT we now know that the lack of sleep = leptin resistance = don't feel the sense of feeling full = over eating = weight gain! bad bad bad.

Many studies connect a link between sleep and the hormones that manipulate our eating behavior; which are ghrelin and leptin. Have you ever experienced a sleepless night followed by a day when no matter what you ate you never felt satisfied? I hate that! This is the outcome when leptin and ghrelin get out of balance. Leptin and ghrelin work like a "checks and balances" that manage hunger and fullness. Ghrelin, produced in the stomach, increases appetite, while leptin, produced in fat cells, sends a message to our brain when we are full. A lack of sleep causes ghrelin levels to increase and your leptin levels to decrease. This imbalance causes us to intensely crave food and never feel full. The worst part is that we don’t crave broccoli, we crave high calorie sweets and starchy foods. Over time, this imbalance can easily lead to long-term weight gain.

In a Chicago study, doctors analyzed leptin and ghrelin levels in 12 fit men. They started by charting their normal levels of appetite and hunger. The men were assigned to two days of sleep deprivation followed by two days of limitless sleep. Doctors supervised hormone levels, appetite, and activity level. The men had considerable changes. When sleep was restricted, leptin levels went down and ghrelin levels went up. As expected, the men's appetite also increased; the desire for high carbohydrate, high calorie foods increased by a shocking 45 percent.

A Stanford study found an interesting significance of the leptin-ghrelin effect. They studied 1,000 volunteers that reported the number of hours they slept each night. Doctors then analyzed their levels of ghrelin and leptin, and their weight. The numbers show that the volunteers who slept less than eight hours a night not only had lower levels of leptin and higher levels of ghrelin, but they also had a higher body fat levels. The link comes when they discovered that their levels of body fat correlated with their sleep patterns. Those who slept the fewest hours per night weighed the most.

Don’t throw your walking shoes away just because this is an easier way to lose weight. Studies also show the relationship is not as obvious as it seems. An interesting problem called, "obstructive sleep apnea,” is something that most people have without knowing it. This causes an imbalance in our hormone levels. People with sleep apnea stop breathing for up to a minute, sometimes hundreds of times throughout the night. It is mysterious because the true cause of the problem is unknown. Some doctors believe that a physical deformity inside the throat cause soft tissue to collapse. This briefly pinches the air passages during a night, causing a disruption in breathing and a tendency to snore. So even though you are unconscious for eight hours, the disrupted breathing stops you from getting quality sleep. Eight hours of disrupted sleep can leave you feeling like you had only a 4 or 5. One symptom of sleep apnea is that you wake up feeling tired even though you thought you went to bed early. People who suffer from sleep apnea are more likely to be overweight. The confusing part is that doctors find they have oddly high levels of leptin; which turns off hunger. Another interesting fact is that when their apnea is treated, leptin levels drop and somehow that helps them to lose weight. Confused? Me too…

As it turns out, the level of this hormone doesn’t matter as much as our response to it. I began to understand when they compared this to people who are “insulin resistant,” they have plenty of insulin but their body can’t recognize it because they became de-sensitized. People with apnea are resistant to the fullness signal that leptin sends to the brain. The body is trying to tell them to stop eating, but the brain isn't getting the message. Experts believe our exercise patterns, eating habits, stress levels, and genetics all control the production and response of leptin and ghrelin.

Sleeping less also affects changes in our basal metabolic rate. When you are sleeping, your body produces human growth hormone; the stuff celebrities are now injecting to look young and feel young. Human growth hormone helps preserve our muscle and keep our metabolism firing at night. So an inadequate amount of sleep will keep this highly desired hormone from kicking in. Another thing to remember is that our human growth hormone doesn’t kick in if we eat 3 hours before bed.

When you get a good night’s rest your body has adequate time to repair and rejuvenate. Here are some tips I use to help me get 8 hours of quality sleep.

• Avoid sugar and foods high in carbohydrates, like popcorn, chips, and crackers, especially in the evening hours. It causes low quality sleep and it stalls our metabolism. When blood sugar rises too much, it falls too low, causing you to wake up because of low blood sugar and hunger.
• If you must eat before bed, eat a balanced snack, such as one of my "healthified" treats, not cereal and skim milk (which was what I grew up on).
• Follow a regular sleep schedule by going to bed and rising at the same time. I know I sound like a loser, but I'm usually in bed by 8:30pm and rise at 6am.
• Before bed do something to relax your muscles and your mind (stretching, yoga or deep breathing exercises).
• Reduce or eliminate caffeine…chocolate has caffeine, so beware.
• Turn off the T.V. and computer and darken your bedroom with heavy drapes.
• Turn the heat down. I often sleep with the windows open even in the winter; I sleep the best at about 57 degrees.
• Add in natural supplements. I suggest taking them 1 hour before bed to calm your body down and shut off that "brain chatter" of events from the day.

If these healthy habits don’t solve your insomnia, I and millions of Americans use 400 to 800 mg of Magnesium Glycinate at bedtime. This mineral is a natural muscle relaxant and can help calm anxiety, both of which help with sleep. “The Magnesium Miracle” is an amazing book that explains in detail. If this does not work, then it is time to contact a health professional or myself to inquire about progesterone cream, 5-HTP or l-tryptophan or melatonin patches. These are effective and natural ways to improve sleep. We are all pressed for time but I encourage you to find eight hours for sleep to maximize energy, mood, mental focus and metabolism. It is the easiest way to maximize our health, no painful exercises required. Click HERE to find more tips and easy to read charts on what foods to eat to balance all of your hormones. To find my favorite sleep supplements, click HERE. 

POUNDCAKE:

1 cup Swerve (or erythritol and 1 tsp stevia glycerite)
1 cup coconut oil or butter
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
10 eggs
1 cup blanched almond flour
1/2 cup coconut flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground allspice
2 tsp almond or lemon extract
LEMON CURD:
1 cup Swerve (or erythritol and 1 tsp stevia glycerite)
1/2 cup lemon juice
4 large eggs
1 TBS finely grated lemon peel
8 TBS butter or coconut oil

Preheat oven to 325ºF. In a large bowl, stir the butter and natural sweetener together. Stir in the almond milk, eggs, extract, and spices. Sift in the almond, coconut flour and baking soda. Mix into the butter mixture until well combined. Taste the dough and add more natural sweetener if desired. Pour into a small greased bread pan and bake for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool. TIP: This bread freezes well.

LEMON CURD: Combine natural sweetener, lemon juice, 4 eggs and lemon peel in heavy medium saucepan and whisk to blend; add butter. Whisk constantly over medium heat until mixture thickens and coats back of spoon thickly (do not boil), about 12 minutes. Pour mixture through strainer into medium bowl. Place bowl in larger bowl filled with ice water and whisk occasionally until lemon curd is cooled completely, about 15 minutes. Can be made 1 day ahead. Makes 24 servings.

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per serving)
Traditional Bread and Cream = 319 calories, 24g fat, 4g protein, 26.1g carbs, 0.5g fiber (25.6g effective carbs)
"Healthified" Bread and Cream = 183 calories, 17g fat, 5g protein, 3g carbs, 1.5g fiber (1.5g effective carbs)























PASTRY:
2 cups blanched almond flour
1/4 cup Swerve (or 1/4 tsp stevia glycerite)
1/2 tsp Celtic sea salt
2 TBS butter orcoconut oil
1 egg

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. In a large bowl, mix the almond flour, natural sweetener, salt, butter and egg until you have a firm ball. Press the dough into a 9 inch (or 4 mini tart pans).  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until tart is light golden. Spoon lemon curd into the crust. Makes 16 servings.

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per serving)
Traditional Tart = 211 calories, 11g fat, 3g protein, 29g carbs, 0g fiber (29 effective carbs)
"Healthified" Tart = 172 calories, 15.4g fat, 5g protein, 3.9g carbs, 1.6g fiber (2.3 effective carbs)

For cookie, click HERE

The Art of Healthy Eating SLOW COOKER

New Slow Cooker eBook!

Many of you know that our family has doubled in numbers a little over a year ago. With the growth of our family, Craig and I have been busier than ever. Not only do we have 2 more mouths to feed, we are also trying to enjoy being new parents, as well as keeping Maria Mind Body Health LLC running. I now understand why eating the "healthified" way can be so difficult for busy families! 

But since grain free and low carb eating is a priority for us, Craig and I decided to put together this slow cooker book to make life easier for you. This book is filled with amazingly tasty, yet easy recipes like, lasagna, chicken Parmesan, fajitas, homemade ginger ale mix, cookie dough cupcakes, pumpkin custard, and many more to keep your family satisfied (over 200 recipes)! There are also lots of valuable tips and tricks to help you along the journey of learning how to eat as an art.

Recipes shown:
1. Cashew Chicken
2. Pesto Sole with Asparagus
3. Cesar Chicken Sandwiches
4. Lemon Poppy-seed Bread
5. Lemony Roasted Chicken
6. Nutty Chocolate Cake
7. Buffalo Meatballs
8. Mustard Tenderloin
9. Creamed Pheasant

The ebook is now available on Kindle, iTunes (ipad, ipod and iphone) and Nook for only $9.99!  This ebook was also done by a professional design team so the layout is beautiful on all 3 platforms!

Kindle:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Art-Healthy-Eating-ebook/dp/B00COWEN32/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1368033707

iTunes:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/art-healthy-eating-slow-cooker/id646182720?ls=1

Nook:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1115262542?ean=2940016524597

For those looking to get the Hardcover, that will be available in about 2-3 weeks!  But for those that can't wait, this ebook is a great option!  Thanks for your support!

Cows Milk Free Lasagna and SKIM MILK FACTS

In my book, Secrets to a Healthy Metabolism, I have a chapter called "Milk: Does it really “Do a Body Good?” The truth is that low-fat dairy is overrated. You are in the grocery store and two jugs of mi

lk sit side by side, one skim and one whole milk. Now, without any other information about the ingredients, which one has been scientifically proven to cause weight gain and heart disease, and which has been proven to support weight loss and coronary health? If you’re like most Americans you’ll pick the skim milk as the healthier choice. And despite the fact that your answer would be marketed and advertised as the right choice, you’d be wrong.

In 2007, this false advertisement of dairy’s “three-a-day” weight-loss campaign was stopped after a lawsuit by the Physicians Concerned with Responsible Medicine. They charged that 24 of the 27 studies behind the claim had not only failed to prove a connection between dairy and weight loss, but they had all been studied by a single researcher and funded by the Dairy Council. The Federal Trade Commission ruled that the advertisements were false, and the Dairy Council was mandated to stop them.

So here’s the problem, during the same period that the consumption of low-fat fare rose in the United States, our rates of obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease multiplied exponentially! Health experts are attributing this to our replacing natural whole foods rich in nutrients, including naturally occurring fats, with nutrient-poor, processed foods filled with sugar, refined carbohydrates and man-made oils. This trend and a number of recent studies are finding that fats from whole foods, including saturated, are not the enemy we’ve been led to believe; and that low-fat dairy isn’t the weight-loss ally it has been pushed as.

The Harvard School of Public Health have always insisted that evidence tying dietary fat and cholesterol to blood cholesterol and arterial damage are not the bad guys. The body produces cholesterol to heal inflammation and internal injuries; elevated cholesterol levels are in response to coronary damage not a cause of it. Harvard points out that a low-fat dietary approach can have a number of negative health effects, some of which are tied to reduced absorption of essential nutrients that can only be absorbed in the body when consumed with fats. People are at risk for deficiencies of the important fat-soluble vitamins and nutrients when they consume low-fat foods.

The Harvard study goes on to state that the popularity of a low-fat diets have caused “unintended health consequences” by encouraging increased consumption of refined carbohydrates and trans-fats. The bad press about naturally occurring saturated fats played a key role in encouraging people to embrace processed-food products like “I Can’t Believe It’s not Butter,” powdered coffee creamers, and fake fat-free cool-whip. These items are filled with trans-fats and carbohydrates; which were once praised as healthful replacements for foods containing saturated fats, but recent studies have proven them to be the true culprit to increasing obesity, diabetes and heart-disease.

An endocrinologist at Harvard, David Ludwig, MD, PhD, leads the distinguished OWL Program (Optimal Weight for Life) for childhood obesity at Boston University Hospital. He has had overwhelming success using a low-glycemic approach to weight loss rather than a low-fat one. Ludwig finds that too much insulin caused by high-glycemic foods are far more prone to cause weight gain than consumption of saturated fats; including those in full-fat dairy products. Ludwig proves that fat helps restrain insulin levels and appetite.

No- or low-fat dairy actually functions as a hindrance to weight loss for people. When the fat is removed from milk, what remains are a significant amount of un-absorbable fat-soluble vitamins and a surplus of lactose, or milk sugar, with some protein but no fat to slow its entrance into the bloodstream; which causes a spike in insulin levels, the fat-storing hormone! This doesn’t even account for the plentiful amounts of sugar often added to low- and no-fat dairy products to make them taste palatable and improve their flavor in the absence of naturally satisfying fat I get so frustrated when I hear marketing “experts” recommend chocolate milk as a post-exercise recovery drink; yeah, if you are trying to put on weight!

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Teenagers that consume skim milk are twice as likely to suffer severe acne than teens that consume whole milk!

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Not only does an extra dose of lactose potentially lead to insulin problems, many experts argue that most of us aren’t genetically inclined to digest it well in the first place. Studies prove that about 70 percent of people are somewhat intolerant to dairy and lactose as adults. In fact, we stop producing lactase, the enzyme that breaks down lactose in the intestines, shortly after infancy, when we officially no longer need it. Consuming dairy may not make us instantly ill, but undigested lactose in the intestine can cause all kinds of undesirable issues, such as painful bloating, flatulence, diarrhea, stomach cramps, skin rashes, acne and ear aches. Think about it…we are the only mammals that continue to drink milk after infancy and the only species that drinks milk from another mother.

And for people who can’t tolerate dairy, there’s no reason to be worried about lack of dairy leading to nutritional deficiencies; American’s have the highest calcium intake, yet we have the highest rate of hip fractures. AND Almond milk has twice as much calcium as dairy milk!

Fat-Soluble Vitamins: 2 percent, 1 percent and skim milk, are required to be fortified with vitamins, but not whole milk, especially when it comes to vitamin A. That’s because about 1,400 to 1,600 International Units (I.U.) are already in it. Skim milk has a slightly higher percentage of fortified vitamins D, E and K than whole milk, but it doesn’t serve much purpose: All these vitamins are fat-soluble, so without fat, they pass out of the small intestine undigested.

Strong Immune System: Butterfat contains glycosphingolipids, which have been proven to have infection and disease fighting properties. Butterfat is an amazing fat; it has properties that maintain gut flora, it has nutrients that support your immune system, and it helps fight cancer.

Fertility and Sex Drive: The hormones that make us able to reproduce, testosterone, estrogen and progesterone, are created from the cholesterol produced by our bodies and is found in full-fat dietary sources such as milk and other animal fats. That’s why statin medications used to lower cholesterol levels can also notably reduce sex drive. Eating full-fat dairy might also help women get pregnant; according to the Harvard School of Public Health, women who consumed at least one serving a day of full-fat dairy were 27 percent less likely to experience ovulation-related fertility issues.

So remember this:

1. Butter-fat is in milk for a reason: without it, cannot absorb the vitamins and minerals (Vitamins A, D, E and K are FAT SOLUBLE!)

2. Synthetic vitamin D, is added to replace the natural vitamin D; which is ridiculous and a waste of money because you can't absorb vitamin D without fat).

3. Non-fat dried milk is added to Skim, 1% and 2% milk: dried milk is produced by forcing skim milk through tiny holes at high temperatures and pressures which damages its nutrients.

4. Unlike the cholesterol in fresh milk, the cholesterol in non-fat dried milk is oxidized and this rancid cholesterol promotes heart disease.

5. All spray dried products (non-fat dried milk) has a high nitrite content

6. Precious enzymes are destroyed in the pasteurization process: without them, milk is very difficult to digest

7. The pancreas can’t produce these enzymes; stress of the pancreas = diabetes and other diseases.

So depending on you how much you enjoy dairy, if you can tolerate lactose, and it works with your biochemistry and metabolism are all things to consider if you chose to consume dairy or not; all of which are very individualized. The important thing is to recognize dairy’s strengths and downsides. Choosing “Pasture-Fed” or “Grass-Fed” milk is a good first step. Pasture-fed cows have significantly more omega-3 fatty acids. It also contains a dietary compound called conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), shown to help reduce body fat and increase lean tissue (see CLA chapter). The key to the production of CLA appears to be in the fresh grass cows eat, so grain-fed dairy products won’t have the same benefits. Pasture feeding is also the most humane method of keeping livestock, and the low-stress conditions keep stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline out of the cow’s milk. Also look for “USDA Organic,” which guarantees that cows are getting organic-certified feed and aren’t given antibiotics or bovine growth hormone (rBGH), which means the milk has fewer toxic byproducts. This is important for full-fat dairy, since toxins concentrate in fat.

Changing your mentality that we have a duty to chug 3 glasses of hormone filled milk a day and be free to discover different forms of dairy as a joy is step one. Step two is to understand that enjoying a creamy tasteful “umami” filled dollop of real cream is what life is all about.

I find milk substitutes as welcomed treat. Some milk substitutes do have quite a bit of sugar. In my family we use unsweetened Almond Milk and Coconut Milk.

If you are looking for a great Mother's Day present, there are awesome recipes like this in my book The Art of Healthy Eating Savory. Click HERE to order your's today! Thank you all for your love and support!

DAIRY FREE LASAGNA
1 lb Italian sausage
1 lb grass fed ground beef
1/2 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jar no sugar marinara sauce
"CHEESE SAUCE:"
1 cup organic beef or chicken broth
4 oz soft goat cheese
4 cups hard goat cheese, shredded
2 eggs
"NOODLES:"
1 lb. thinly sliced deli Chicken Breast

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Drain out fat (otherwise it will be too 'soupy'). Stir in marinara sauce.

In a saucepan, heat the broth and soft goat cheese, whisk until well combined. Add in the shredded hard goat cheese and mix well. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Slowly whisk in the eggs (not too fast or you will get scrambled eggs).

To assemble, spread half of the meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange chicken breast slices over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the goat cheese mixture. Top with a layer of chicken breast slices. Repeat layers, and top with remaining goat cheese sauce. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes before serving.  Makes 12 servings.

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per cup):
Traditional Noodles = 246 calories, 0g fat, 1g protein, 43g carbs, 5g fiber (38g effective carbs)
"Healthified" Noodles = 84 calories, 1g fat, 20g protein, 2g carb, 0g fiber (2g effective carbs)

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per serving):
Traditional Lasagna = 574 calories, 26g fat, 15.7g protein, 49.7g carbs, 3.4g fiber (46.3g effective carbs)
"Healthified" Lasagna= 336 calories, 21.6g fat, 27.5g protein, 3.3g carb, trace fiber (3.3g effective carbs)

Maximize Your Metabolism Class and Book Signing

Ice Cream Snickers from The Art of Healthy Eating Sweets

I have really enjoyed doing my classes and meeting many of you either in my home or online. With all of the interest and inquiries on when my next class will be, I decided to teach another one on Sunday June 2nd from 5-7pm central.

The class is only $25. Pre-registration is required. For those of you who are out of the area there will be a Webinar option. The Webinar option will enable you to see the slides and hear me speak just like if you were in the room.  Any questions you have will be answered (via the chat option in the webinar)  You get a PDF of the slides to follow along with.

WHEN: Sunday June 2nd from 5-7pm central

WHERE: My home in River Falls, WI (email Craig for more details)

DESCRIPTION: Maximize Your Metabolism
Want to boost your metabolism, lose weight and feel better? In this two hour class you'll get a better understanding of what your metabolism is, how you can accelerate it and just what foods will rev it up or put the brakes on it. Find out the biochemical problems with Low Fat Diets and why a breakfast of cereal and skim milk does not "do a body good." Maria's recipes and diet secrets have been featured on television programs, radio shows and magazine articles. She has also been interviewed many times on the importance of balancing your brain neurotransmitters and how that equates to weight loss success. The more sugar we eat, the more we crave it. If you start your day off with cereal and skim milk, you aren't going to be able to walk by the candy jar in your office at 2pm!

Check out these to breakfast comparisons:
Option 1: 1 cup SMART START Cereal (1 cup skim milk and banana)
472 calories, 105 carbs, 4g fiber = 25.25 tsp of sugar in blood (IF you didn't add any sugar!)

Option 2: 2 eggs, with 2 cups of mushrooms, peppers, onions
190 calories, 9 carbs, 3 fiber = 1.5 tsp of sugar in blood

Option 3: My homemade donut made with coconut flour
217 calories, 7.4 carbs, 4.6g fiber = 0.7 tsp of sugar in blood! To eat is a necessity; to eat 'healthy' is an art.

I will have my books at the house, including the new book The Art of Healthy Eating Slow Cooker!

To sign up to attend at our house in person, please email Craig at: 
craigmaria@gmail.com

To attend the webinar, just pay here:

Cholesterol Part 3 - How Can We Reduce Our Risk?

In this third and last post on cholesterol and Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) we will talk about what you can do to lower your risk.  In the first post we broke down the myths of the Lipid Hypothesis (located HERE) and in the second we covered what really causes Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) (located HERE).

As I eluded to in the first post, CAD is primarily caused by oxidative damage and inflammation.  The 4 primary causes of oxidative damage and inflammation are:

1. Poor Nutrition
2. Stress
3. Smoking
4. Physical Inactivity

Let's break each these factors down.

Smoking

So we all know we shouldn't smoke.  Smoking as few as 1-4 cigarettes a day increases your CAD risk by 40%.  40 a day increases risk by 900%!!   I don't think I need to say much more on that one.

Physical Inactivity

We also know that being physically active is important.  People that are not physically active have 1.5x to 2.4x the risk for heart disease.  Currently more than 60% of Americans are not regularly active and 25% are completely sendentary.  Regular excessive reduced both inflammation and oxidative damage.  There are many ways to increase your physical activity.  It doesn't mean you have to go to them gym and run on a treadmill.  Just going to the grocery store, parking at the far end of the lot, shopping for your food and coming home to cook a meal instead of going through the drive through can make a difference.  Walk around the block and increase from there.  Walk the dog.  There are a lot of activities that we can do to increase our excessive and reduce our risk of heart disease.

Stress

Stress is important to keep low as this can be a big contributor to CAD risk.  This Study showed that stress can triple the risk of heart disease.  This is when we get that "fight-or-flight" response that we experience when under high stress.  This elevates cortisol which causes both oxidative damage and inflammation. A great way to reduce stress and increase physical activity is with something like Yoga!

Poor Nutrition

The best thing you can do to influence your risk of CAD is through diet.  This study of 52 countries found that 90% of heart attacks could have been prevented through diet.  That's right, 9 out of 10 heart attacks could be prevented without drugs.  So what foods cause oxidative damage and inflammation?  There are several sources and we will break down the biggest ones.  This biggest contributors to oxidative damage and inflammation are sugar (sucrose, fructose, etc), starch (grains, etc), polyunsaturated (PUFA) oils and trans fatty acids (transfat).

Sugar!

One of the best studies on sugar consumption and how it relates to cholesterol levels is the 2011 study by Peter Havel and colleagues titled Consumption of fructose and HFCS increases postprandial triglycerides, LDL-C, and apoB in young men and women.  In this study they had 3 groups in a randomized trail and had them consume the Standard American Diet (SAD) (55% carbs, 15% protein, 30% fat) with the difference being where the carbs came from in each group.

Group 1: 25% of their total energy from glucose (so traditional sources, sort of the SAD control group)
Group 2: 25% of their total energy from fructose
Group 3: 25% of their total energy from High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) (55% fructose and 45% glucose)

This 25% of their diet coming from sugar equals about 120 pounds of sugar per year.  That may sound like a lot, but that is actually below the current average for Americans.  This figure shows the differences in LDL-C, non-HDL-C, apoB, and apoB/apoA-I.

This is a very powerful indication that while glucose and fructose alone can be bad in excess, their combination seems even worse.  It would have been really interesting to have an additional group that removed most carbs all together.  (more on this in the carb section below)

Sugar and fructose are very inflammatory and cause lots of oxidative damage.  What happens is when we consume large amounts of sugar and fructose, our insulin levels go up and it is this rise in insulin that causes tears in the artery wall.  Cholesterol comes to repair this oxidative damage and build up causing plaque build up (as described Here in part 2).  So it is imperative to keep our blood sugar levels (and thus insulin levels) balanced so that we don't cause this inflammation and oxidative damage.  So keeping sugar and starch low in our diets (to keep our blood sugars balanced) becomes the best way we can change our diet to reduce our chances of getting CAD.

Also important to note, as I did in This post, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and metabolic syndrome are very big factors in CAD risk (as much as 14 times in women).  So what causes non-alcoholic fatty liver disease?  There is growing evidence that fructose consumption (fruits, fruit juices, etc) are a big contributor as well as high fructose corn syrup (source and source).  When you consume fructose 100% of the metobolic burden rests on your liver.  Only your liver can break it down.  Glucose is only 20% broken down by the liver and the remaining 80% is immediately metabolized and used by the cells in your body.  When fructose is converted into fat, it gets stored in your liver and other tissues as body fat.  120 calories of fructose is stored as 40 calories of fat in your body.  120 calories of glucose gets stored as less than 1 calorie in your fat stores. Fructose metabolism is very similar to alcohol making it one of the biggest contributors to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Fructose also worsens insulin resistance which speed metabolic syndrome.  This is a good video with more info on sugar.

Carbs

There is a great study by Jeff Volek that looks at the results of a carbohydrate restricted, high fat diet compared to a low fat high carb diet and the results on cholesterol (source).

The two groups in the study were taken from a SAD diet to a carb-restricted diet (CRD or Very Low Carb, High fat diet) and low-fat diet (LFD or Very Low Fat, High Carb diet).  As you can see the high fat diet was mostly fat (100g or 900 calories) and very little carbs (44g or 176 calories).  Here are the results after 12 weeks on each diet.

As you can see the Low Carb/High Fat diet reduced Triglycerides significantly and also reduced insulin levels greatly.  The Low Fat diet had statistically insignificant changes in both triglycerides and insulin levels.  As we discussed in the last post, LDL particle number is the best predictor of CAD risk, but other measurements like Triglycerides can be indicative of issues that can contribute to high LDL-P.  It is good to keep your fasting Triglycerides below 88.  

Good Fats

This is the component you want to increase the most (while decreasing carbohydrates) to help protect against heart disease.  Especially important are saturated fatty acids (SFAs).  Saturated fats like coconut oil, butter, ghee, tallow and lard are protective against oxidation and inflammation and have many other important health benefits.  I will have a post on fats coming soon to expand on this topic in greater detail. Studies like This one published in the Journal of Nutrition 2004 showed that saturated fat from MCT oil (medium-chain fats similar to those in coconut oil) and beef tallow reduced alcohol-induced liver damage when substituted for polyunsaturated corn oil. In fact, they replaced 20 percent, 45 percent, or two-thirds of the corn oil with saturated fat and found that the more saturated fat they used, the greater the protective effect.  So saturated fat can be protective against one of this biggest risk factors for CAD, fatty liver disease.  Here is another recent study showing the protective affects of coconut oil.  There are several good oils that can be very helpful in reducing your CAD risk.  Also, the higher the saturated fat content the better.  Here are the best oils:

1. Coconut oil: 1.9%  PUFA (92% saturated fatty acids (SFA))
2. Palm kernel oil 2% PUFA, (82% SFA)
3. Cocoa Butter: 3%  PUFA (60% SFA)
4. Beef Tallow: 3.1%  PUFA (49.8% SFA)
5. Ghee: 4% PUFA (48% SFA)
6. Butter: 3.4% PUFA (50% SFA)
7. High Oleic Sunflower oil (9% PUFA)
8. Macadamia oil: 10% PUFA (15% SFA)
9. Avocado oil: 10% PUFA (11% SFAt)
10. Lard: 12% PUFA (with 41% SFA)
11. Duck fat: 13% PUFA (with 25% SFA)
12. Almond oil: 17% PUFA (with 8.2% SFA)
13. Olive oil: 9.9% PUFA (with 14% saturated fat) (although this one should never be used for cooking which will cause oxidation.  So only use in dressings, etc.) 

So we should be consuming lots of these oils in order to reduce our CAD risk (as well as a huge number of other health benefits). Many studies have shown that the higher the saturated fat intake in the diet leads to less fat in the bloodstream (source).  Where as the same study showed that low fat diets where carbs were high, had higher fat in the bloodstream.

Bad Fats

There are two kinds of fats that should be avoided.  The most inflammatory fat is Trans Fatty Acids (transfat). Transfats are one of the worst substances we can consume for our overall health.  There are many studies that show the heart disease and cancer risks of transfat (source, source, and many more for cancer, source and source).  Even the FDA has stated that "Further reducing trans fat consumption by avoiding artificial trans fat could prevent 10,000-20,000 heart attacks and 3,000-7,000 coronary heart disease deaths each year in the U.S." Here is a list of transfats to avoid:

• Margarine
• Vegetable Shortening
• Ingredients that list Hydrogenated (fully or partially) Oils

Poly Unsaturated Fatty Acids (PUFA's) are also bad oils as they are easily oxidated.  This means they are very susceptible to oxidative damage, the thing that increases our CAD risk.  There are many PUFA oils and here is a short list:

• Grapeseed oil: 70.6% PUFA
• Sunflower oil: 68% PUFA
• Flax oil: 66% PUFA
• Safflower oil: 65% PUFA
• Corn oil: 54.6% PUFA
• Walnut oil: 53.9% PUFA
• Cottonseed oil: 52.4% PUFA
• Vegetable oil (soybean oil): 51.4% PUFA
• Sesame oil: 42% PUFA
• Peanut oil: 33.4% PUFA
• Canola oil: 19% PUFA

What has happened over the last 100 years is a huge increase in PUFA consumption and a reduction in other good fats (like saturated fat).  Here is a chart showing the increase in PUFA consumption in the US.

It is my belief that this is a big contributor to our increase in heart disease.  So it is imperative to reverse this trend if we want to reduce the incidence of heart disease.

Note: PUFAs are essential fatty acids, so we do need them in our diet.  When it comes to PUFAs, the type and how you handle them is very important. When using PUFAs, try to use them without heating too much (salad dressings, etc) to keep them from being oxidized and store them in the refrigeration to keep them from getting rancid (omega-3s like fish oil, flax, etc). The ratio of Omega-3s to Omega-6s should be closer to 1-to-1, but today many people eat a 1-to-20 or even 1-to-50 ratio of Omega-3s to Omega-6s.  Omega-6s are also inflamitory when consuming too many and Omega-3s are anti-inflammatory.  So it is important to make dietary fat intake from more saturated fats and less PUFAs and make the PUFAs we do eat a ratio closer to 1-to-1 of Omega-3s to Omega-6s. (Lots more about this Here)

Summary

There are many things you can do to reduce your risk of coronary artery disease (CAD).  Some of these are obvious (quit smoking, reduce stress, increase physical activity).  But nutrition can be the largest factor (preventing as much as 90% of heart attacks).  The biggest nutritional contributor to CAD risk is sugar.  High fructose corn syrup and fructose are particularly bad but all sugars will contribute and should be eliminated as much as possible.  Other starchy foods also contribute to oxidative damage and inflammation so keep starchy food consumption as low as possible also helps CAD risk.  Lastly, the good fats (saturated fats, coconut oil, MCT oil, ghee, butter, tallow and cocoa butter) are very protective against oxidative damage and inflammation and should be consumed in high quantities in order to reduce your risk of CAD.  The bad fats are the transfats should be completely avoided.  PUFA's should be limited and kept at a 1-to-1 ratio with Saturated fats or less.  Eating lots of good fats, moderate amounts of protein and very low carbs (especially sugars) are the best ways to reduce your CAD risk.  In addition supplementin with CoQ10 can help decrease oxidation and improve heart health.