Trim Healthy Mama Plan (21 page)

Note: Start slowly with MCT oil, as adding too much too quickly can cause diarrhea for some people. Enjoy it in your Trimmies, in the Shrinker, in the Singing Canary, and in many of your S shakes and smoothies. Use it as a salad dressing. Change up between MCT oil and extra-virgin olive oil on your salad to receive the benefits both provide.

MCT is now available at
www.trimhealthymama.com
or find it online elsewhere.

We now need to make room on this superfood stage for the Three Musketeers that hail from the land of Phenomenal Spicedom. Each one of them wields a powerful sword against the woes of sickness and disease in the body. You'll notice that these are the three
spices we use in our most popular All-Day Sipper drinks. When all three are welcomed in
the diet they are an unstoppable force you will want to have on your side. With no further ado, we introduce to you Terrific
Turmeric, Scintillating Cinnamon, and Genius Ginger.

Daily consumption of turmeric is directly associated with increased healthy fat loss and decreased insulin issues.
Curcumin, a plant-based polyphenol found in turmeric, regulates the body's metabolism. This golden treasure spice is rich in antioxidants and its anti-inflammatory mechanisms fight actively against obesity. In a Columbia University study of turmeric, researchers discovered that mice that were fed turmeric had reduced incidence of diabetes and were not susceptible to weight gain. Under turmeric administration, the decline in body weight was shown to be literal fat rather than muscle or water weight. The fat cells shrunk! This is the real deal.

Turmeric karate-chops
cancer and de
livers a blow strong enough to induce apoptosis. This is a process that triggers the self-destruction and elimination of cancerous cells. Turmeric is one of the best protectors against radiation-induced tumors. This simple spice is an effective preventative against tumor cells such as T-cell leukemia, colon carcinomas, and breast carcinomas. It is known to reduce the risk of childhood leukemia; and look out,
prostate cancer—turmeric is your deadly foe. Turmeric can even scavenge the hydroxyl radical, which is considered to be the most reactive of all oxidants. With fewer of our cells becoming damaged by free radicals, cancer and other degenerative diseases can be thwarted.

Terrific Turmeric also supports the adrenal glands by assisting in the production of its hormonal cascade. For this very reason, along with many others, our adrenal-building Singing Canary (one of our All-Day Sipper drinks) stars turmeric as its main spice. Check out the recipe in the
Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook.
Amazingly, turmeric brings a calming and relaxing effect while simultaneously providing mental alertness. Low liver function is often associated with low adrenal function, and turmeric is a liver rebuilder and detoxifier. Turmeric helps produce bile, and bile is the vehicle that flushes toxicity from your body.

You can gain access to turmeric's power by drinking the Singing Canary or Singing Canary Shot, which is a fun, faster way to get in the goodies of that drink. Add turmeric to your olive oil to preserve the oil's integrity and also to boost your salad with super spice wonders. Sprinkle it in your egg salad or on your roasted or sautéed meats or veggies;
or make the nourishing, calming nightcap Turmeric Toddy Trimmy (found in the “Hot Drinks” chapter of the
Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook).

You can use any old turmeric found at your grocery store, since some turmeric is better than no turmeric; but a nonirradiated turmeric will be your best choice. Organic sources of turmeric have not been irradiated.

Cinnamon is famous for regulating blood sugar. It battles high blood sugar by slowing the rate at which the stomach empties after meals. Not only does it stimulate insulin receptors, but it inhibits the enzyme that inactivates them and successfully increases the body's ability to use glucose. It only takes a scant half teaspoon to reduce blood-sugar levels, so throw it in your smoothies and sprinkle it on your pancakes and Greek yogurt. For that matter, go and make yourself our fat-blitzing All-Day Sipper, the Shrinker, and reap the benefits of this fragrant spice. Watch us make that drink on a video on our website or check out the recipe in the companion cookbook. Oh, while we're on the subject of fragrance, let us say that even just getting a whiff of cinnamon's aroma heightens brain activity and cognitive processing. Let's quickly hit some more of cinnamon's dazzling highlights.

Ginger is the star spice in our Good Girl Moonshine drink. One of the major effects we notice from sipping Good Girl Moonshine all day is that it battles the snacking monster. When we began to dig into the merits of ginger it was no surprise for us to learn that it dulls an overzealous appetite. This delicious spice of pungent heat fires up the thermogenic temperature of the body and kindles the metabolism.

Another benefit we noticed from swiggin' our moonshine was a less gassy tummy. Ginger is a potent digestive aid and fires up the digestive juices. It improves the absorption and assimilation of essential nutrients in the body. Most folks know of ginger's talent in reducing
nausea, and our Good Girl Moonshine, spiked as it is with this super spice, is a pregnant Mama's BFF when the morning sickness hits.

Ginger clears the micro-circulatory channels of the body, including the easily clogged
sinuses. It clears throat and nose congestion and is a wonderful stimulant to the immune system. Ginger is up at the top of the list with the most potent anti-inflammatory supplements on God's green earth and can help relieve common aches and pains and even help with more serious arthritic conditions. It is also considered to be an aphrodisiac, which is a boon for all our Foxy Mamas!

This is the tea that stars in our drink that went viral, the Shrinker. As the name of this drink suggests, it shrinks your fat cells. Just one cup of oolong tea can help burn off an extra sixty-seven calories. Yeah! As yummy as this drink is, you don't have to limit oolong only to that drink concoction. Sip it as a pure tea without the added ingredients of the Shrinker, hot or iced, sweetened with just a doonk or two of stevia—delicious!

Oolong has health benefits far beyond just weight loss. In ancient Chinese books, oolong is regarded as an elixir that contributes to prolonged life. It is known as having the richest and most complex flavor among all the varieties of tea. The following is an embarrassingly modest list of just a few of oolong's wonders.

It helps prevents obesity and is powerfully active in burning fat. Research shows that the
polyphenols that are highest in oolong tea help activate thermogenesis, which increases fat oxidation in your body. Caffeine content is significantly lower in oolong tea
than in coffee but it robustly boosts vitality and energy. It is
oolong's abundant polyphenols that help with this elevated feeling. In 2003, scientists from the University of Tokushima in Japan found that oolong tea can double the amount of fat excreted by the body. They reported that people who drank two cups of oolong tea burned more than 157 percent more fat than those who drank the same amount of green tea!

Oolong lowers blood-sugar levels and can be an effective treatment for
diabetics. A Taiwanese study in 2003 found that oolong tea controls blood-glucose levels very effectively. The thorough study showed that plasma glucose and fructosamine levels dropped significantly for oolong tea drinkers. Oolong contains antioxidants that powerfully destroy free radicals. Research conducted in 2004 by Dr. Kenichi Yanagimoto of the University of California showed that only fifteen days of oolong tea drinking enabled an incredible 50 percent reduction in free radicals. Another study conducted by the Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Fujian Province, China, concluded that stress levels reduced significantly with four servings of oolong each day for a week. We could cite study after study, but we won't risk causing your eyes to roll back in your head. Our encouragement for you would be to buy this tea and allow it to help revitalize your life. When it comes to oolong, you do want to seek out a USDA-certified-organic source, as some oolong tea (with bogus organic labels) has been shown to have too-high levels of lead. You can find authentic organic oolong tea on our website
www.trimhealthymama.com
or seek out another quality brand online or at your favorite health food store.

We love this stuff for its health benefits, but we gotta be honest and admit—mostly it's because of its wonderful, cheesy, nutty flavor. You'll notice we include it in our recipes for so many savory dishes. Around our homes, fried eggs are not fried eggs without nutritional yeast, and our children cannot eat their Crossover popcorn without it! We use it in soups, savory baked goods, stews, stir-fries—too many ways to list.

While nutritional yeast is not a mandatory ingredient on the plan, it will enhance flavors and supply your body with all sorts of health goodies. It contains eighteen amino acids and is a complete protein. It is also a very good source of vitamins and minerals and a plentiful source of B complex vitamins, which help in managing stress levels. Its greatest
boast is that it supplies a good source of the mineral
chromium to the body. Another name for this mineral is GTF (glucose tolerance factor). This substance is highly effective for those with high blood-sugar levels, such as diabetics and those with insulin resistance and prediabetic conditions (such as hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia). Chromium is also used to help lower cravings for carbs and sugary foods.

Don't be scared of the word
yeast
here. There are good yeasts and bad yeasts. Nutritional yeast is one of the good yeasts and has no connection with harmful bodily yeasts like candida albicans. It does not promote harmful yeast growth in the body and is naturally gluten-free. You can find nutritional yeast in some grocery stores in their “healthy food” aisles, at most health food stores, and online.

Salt is not a no-no on plan. Instead we say a big yes-yes to natural salt full of minerals and health benefits for your body. The no-salt approach to dieting is tasteless boredom: No wonder so many people want to ditch their diets. You will notice the addition of mineral salt in most of our recipes, even those that are sweet desserts! We find a little salt rounds out high sweet notes and brings a warmer “honeysuckleish” sweet flavor.

High-mineral salt comes from mineral deposits deep under the ground or from the sea. It will be either light pink in color (from the ground) or light gray in color (from the sea) and will have a heavier, almost moister feel to it than regular, refined table salt. These colors hint at the minerals within the salt that are, sadly, greatly reduced in refined salts. Not all sea salt is high in minerals; much of the sea salt in grocery stores has been refined and is not as rich in minerals. High-mineral salt alkalizes the body, maintains electrolyte balance, and helps fight adrenal fatigue—part of the reason our adrenal-building Singing Canary drink calls for two to three generous pinches of this amazing stuff. It helps to combat elevated blood sugar, relieve muscle cramps, combat osteoporosis, and, yes, even manage cases of hypertension. It is true that regular, devitalized table salt is not great for your body, so let's use the real stuff our bodies crave for good reason.

The no-salt approach is old-school “the-world-is-flat” thinking. Latest research says it is actually a low-salt diet that does damage. Let's take a look at the facts about salt through a round-world lens.

THE NEW WORLD OF SALT