Daniel Plan 1/24/17: Check Labels, Avoid High-Fructose Corn Syrup

Wow!

New week, hope you all had a great weekend. I had a lot of fun in the kitchen the past few days. Made a big pot of collard greens from the garden and grilled some venison that I marinated in olive oil, garlic and rosemary. Cooked medium rare and sliced thin.

What a special treat!

I'm really getting into the balanced plate guideline and it's rewarding to match the challenge of doing it right. My sleep continues to improve and I've dropped a couple of pounds, but my recommendation is to not watch the scale as much as observe how you feel.

I want to spend a few minutes on foods that harm, or more accurately (if you consult the definition of food) non-foods that harm. First on the list is sugar. There are a lot of varieties of sugar and we are led to believe, through advertising, that some are better than others, or that "natural" sugars are not harmful. As such evaporated cane juice has snuck into use in foods that are purportedly "healthy," when that is what most table sugar could claim as a pedigree.

The fact of the matter is that sugar is sugar. It all has a similar effect on blood sugar levels in the body.

There is, however, one particular culprit that seems to be worse than the others and that is high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). This "liquid death" has worked its way into a lot of packaged foods including ketchup, barbecue sauce, sports drinks, soda and beer. As an example of how bad HFCS is for you, I'm reminded of a commercial I saw last year during the super bowl that touted a soft drink manufacturer that had gone back to good old reliable sugar in a move to make their product better for us!

Artificial sweeteners are no better. They are shown to "increase cravings, weight gain, type 2 diabetes and they are addictive."

The most important key for you is to read labels.

Look for hidden sugars in packaged foods and drinks. While making food at home, limit sugars and use small amounts of natural sugars sparingly. Honey and maple syrup are favorites at my house. Click the link below for other healthier sugar substitutes.

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Today's bible verse

“I can do all things through Him who strengthens me”

— Philippians 4:13

-Noel

Daniel Plan 1/20/17: "Sustain Life, Provide Energy, Promote Growth"

Good day to all!

I have been getting some encouragement from participants who are giving this plan a try. I feel better already and slept for almost 7 hours in a row last night. That hasn't happened in a long time.

To the right is a picture of a beautiful breakfast skillet that is mostly made up of vegetables from my garden. Gardening is fun and really productive here from September to May. I have yet to find much that will thrive over the summer.

I use raised beds and have good success with a variety of greens. Collards, kale, chard, turnips, lettuces, broccoli, arugula and herbs all do well in my Indialantic location. It takes a little effort, but as my son says "you can taste the sunshine." Back in my home in Western New York you could plant a zucchini and it would produce as much as you could eat, but I haven't been able to grow them here. I've also had limited success with tomatoes, cucumbers, beans and peas. Peppers grow but tend to get white fly, which spread throughout so I leave them alone.

Today I want to expand on the concept of food. First it might be helpful to define food. I know you think you know the answer, but here is what the Medical Dictionary says:

food: "a nourishing substance that is eaten or otherwise taken into the body to sustain life, provide energy, or promote growth"

So, if we operate within that definition we might notice that there is nothing about taste or feeling good. The purpose of food is to "sustain life, provide energy, or promote growth". This is a substantially different viewpoint than is commonly applied.

Let's look for a minute to our animal friends. If you had a race horse that was worth a million dollars, would you be inclined to feed it Cheetos or goldfish? Probably not! Why on earth would we feed them to our children who are worth more than a million dollars to us?

Our dogs get a balanced food with specific ratios of protein, fat and carbohydrates, that are calculated to make them thrive. Shouldn't we be at least as careful with ourselves and our loved ones?

All the best for the weekend. Keep trying, you can't lose if you don't give up!

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Today's bible verse

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

— Proverbs 3:5-6

-Noel

Daniel Plan 1/19/17: Eliminate the Things that Will Make You Fail!

Hi Daniel Plan followers!

I hope you are having some success with our principles. I feel a little better already!

Today I wanted to talk a little about choices, and expand on the blood sugar discussion from a couple of days ago.

When our blood sugar levels drop below a certain point, our body starts craving something to bring them up. This is part of the reason that people feel so run down in the middle of the afternoon. This is especially a symptom of those following the Standard American Diet (SAD).

They have charged up with high-glycemic foods like sandwiches, chips and a soft drink. As a result their body has released another burst of insulin to get the sugar out of the blood stream. This drives blood sugar levels below the optimal level and they end up having low energy and feeling tired in the mid-afternoon.

This is where choices come in.

Sometimes these folks reach for a sugary snack (think the 3 pm Diet Coke) to make it through the afternoon, while other times they fight the hunger until they get home, at which point they're ravenous and go for the first thing they can get their hands on.

Noel's Famous Eggplant Dip

This is why it is so important to have on hand healthy snacks such as cut vegetables and dips like hummus or eggplant dip (recipe here). It helps you can get a quick recharge before dinner. An even better idea is to take them to work with you for those afternoon cravings.

We are always going to eat what is on hand, so it is important to clear out the pantry and not provide ourselves with poor choices. If you want to stop a habit it doesn't make sense to always have the problem in your face. For instance, if you want to quit alcohol it wouldn't be very smart to have beer, wine and liquor all around your house. Eventually you are likely to succumb.

As they say in addiction circles, "if you hang around the barber shop long enough, eventually you are going to get a haircut." Just be sure that you are giving yourself the maximum chance of success by eliminating the things that you know make you fail!

All the best for today!

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Today's Bible verse

“This is the day the Lord has made let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

— Psalms 118:24

See you tomorrow.

-Noel

Daniel Plan 1/18/17: Taste the Rainbow

We got really slammed at work, so today's will be a short note.

I'm especially thankful for my protein and greens shake since I didn't get a lunch break today.

Shakes are a great way to go when you're crunched for time and don't want to go for the cheap nutrition (or lack thereof) of easy-to-grab snacks.

Today I wanted to mention phytonutrients, aka the rainbow of colors in foods. Natural colors, that is. Each contribute to the vitamin and antioxidant powers of the food. The darker the color the better. 

Try to get in at least five servings of fruits and vegetables with dark rich colors. That way you know you are filling up on phytonutrients which "reduce inflammation, rid our bodies of toxins, improve the way our bodies metabolize food and boost calorie burning."

What a deal!

For your consideration, I've included the chart below, detailing the benefits and phytonutrients of each color group.

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Today's Bible verse

“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”

— 1 Corinthians 6:19

Keep at it, we can do it together!

-Noel

Daniel Plan 1/17/17: The Dangers of the Standard American Diet

Hi there from day two of the Daniel Plan from Well Within!

I'm eager to share some thoughts with you about food today. I got going this morning with a nice walk with my dog Rosie. She keeps me motivated to get some early exercise. When I got home I threw a little olive oil, then some onions, mushrooms and broccoli into the iron skillet. Dropped in a couple of tablespoons of water and put a lid on it, let it steam for about three minutes and added a half cup of cooked red rice (found it at Produce Place of Suntree. love that place!).

I beat two eggs (get them from Rockledge gardens farmers market) and turned down the heat and poured them over the veggies. A couple of turns and voila! A quick and easy Daniel Plan breakfast, in just the proportions we talked about yesterday.

Really try to get in the habit of thinking in terms of the four quadrants. It will keep you from overeating in any one group and will leave you full and satisfied. More importantly, you will be properly fueled to avoid blood sugar spikes.

Blood sugar levels are a crucial factor in maintaining health. The standard American diet, acronym SAD, is high in foods or more accurately "food-like substances" which send blood sugar levels on a roller coaster throughout the day. Each time your body has to process high sugar content foods it has to produce insulin to deliver the sugar to the cells (where it is used for fuel). As blood sugar levels rise, the pancreas has to produce more insulin to try to get the cells to receive the sugar in the blood. The cells already have all the fuel they need so they reject the sugar. The body then produces more insulin. Eventually the body can develop insulin resistance, which is commonly known as adult onset or type 2 diabetes.

It is estimated that 10 percent of the population currently has this problem and the number is expected to double in the next ten years, creating a monumental health crisis.

Another fact to consider about insulin is that, in the presence of insulin, the body will NEVER burn fat. Fat is potential energy in the body and it has to be converted to sugar for fuel. Think about it, if there is already enough fuel (sugar) that is trying to be delivered via insulin, why would the body ever try to tap its fat reserves for fuel?

With all that in mind, can you see how eating a lot of high glycemic foods such as bread, cakes, pizza, pasta, muffins, juice, sweet tea, soda and Gatorade will sabotage any and all attempts to get into real fat burning?

The way to get your body back on track is to consume large amounts of vegetables with small amounts of quality proteins and complex starchy carbs.

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Today's Bible verse

“So whether you eat or drink whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God”

— 1 Corinthians 10:31

See you tomorrow.

-Noel