I'm reading 'Food Over Medicine' by Pamela Popper this weekend!

Yeah! My library was able to get me a copy of Food Over Medicine by Pamela Popper and Glen Merzer. I thought this book was new since Amazon has a release date of December 2014, but I didn't look to see that there were other editions previously published. The edition that I picked up from the library is a hard covered book published in 2013.

My first thoughts

At first, I was a little confused because it doesn't read like a typical book (with paragraphs). It's basically Pamela Popper (PP) and Glen Merzer (GM) conversing back and forth about topics. The book does still contain chapters. I'm currently on Chapter 2 called the Program. I've already gotten used to the back and forth conversation and it really works.

How long is the book?

The book is 240 pages long with 8 chapters.

What's special with this book?

I like the Wellness Forum's eating plan diaphragm. It tells you what is mandatory to take in ( water.), what a majority of your portion should be, a substantial portion, 2 servings a day, 1 serving a day, and what to eat minimally. I don't think I've seen this chart before online.

In the middle of the book, there are 32 pages (25 recipes) of colored photos and recipes. The recipes are by Chef Del Sroufe. I took a peek at the recipes when I first picked up the book. There are color photos for each of the recipes.There are a couple recipes that I'd like to try.

1. Black Bean Chili
2. Barbecue Sauce
3. Stir Fry Pasta with Vegetables

What's the best quote so far in the book?

"What are the best foods to make the staples of your diet? Whole grains, legumes, and starchy vegetables. More broadly, I tell people to make the staples of their diet the four food groups, which are whole grains, legumes, fruits, and vegetables."



I plan on working on this book over the weekend. The next two chapters sound very interesting:  Diseases and the Foods that bring them on and Success Stories. I always love to read about success stories, don't you? What books are you reading this weekend?

Free Live WebCast - Fundamentals of a Protective Diet

Research, Research, Research

I listen to Chef AJ's Teleclasses whenever I get a chance. It gives me an opportunity to continually learn while I'm working in the kitchen or driving. I listen to other teleclasses even for diets I'm not interested in like Paleo, Mediterranean, Engine 2 Diet, Macrobiotic, Grain Brain, Natural and Organic, Atkins, Juice detox diets and the Raw Rood diet. I don't like living in a bubble. Listen to all sides. Listen to what others believe and teach. I think it's important to have lots of information in your toolbox to make good decisions.

I figured out by researching that there are patterns to the diets above. Lot's of the diets above are plant based where each are developed with just a different twist.Some diets have actual doctors with research that you can look up, but others do not. I honestly knew very little about most of the diets a year and a half ago. Atkins was the no bread diet in my mind. I knew there were vegetarians but I didn't really hear about starch plant based diets. I don't ever see my research stopping. I am continuing to learn something new each day.
 

Julie talks with Chef AJ

One week Chef AJ had Julie Marie from Protective Diet. This webcast took place on December 15, 2014. So sometime after that I listened to the teleclass and got interested in learning more about her Protective Diet.

Fundamentals of a Protective Diet

Then I watched the free video Free Live WebCast - Fundamentals of a Protective Diet. This is a great start for anyone to learn about this new way of eating. Julie Marie's PD diet is a plant based starch based diet.She talks about why this diet removes such as include nuts, fats, sugar, food additives, etc. You do eat lot's of whole foods (wonderful fruits, vegetables, beans) and  whole grains (brown rice, whole grain pasta, whole wheat). You are eating foods to help protective your body from diseases and toxic chemicals. She also covers how her life style differs from other plant based diets.This is a not a change for a short period of time, this is a way of life.

How has a PD Lifestyle affected me? I lost all that baby weight!

Even if you are not interested in a plant based diet, I invite you to listen to this video to learn more about why I eat this way. Each of us are on our own path and no one can make you do something you don't want to do. I just want to share with you a life style that I found earlier this year that has made dramatic changes in my life. I wish I had found this way of eating years ago!!

• I have lost weight without even trying. This has never happened before!! 
• My husband keeps telling me I look sexy. He said just the other day that I look just like when he met me in 1991. This makes me feel very good to hear.
• My skin looks AMAZING (the best in 40 years). 
• I sleep every night like I never have before, plus I am NOT starving myself; even though my mother thinks I must be ("since I'm so skinny").
• I now fall on the lower end of the weight/height chart. I'm finally right where I'm supposed to be. I fit in the clothes I did before I had babies and I feel wonderful!

Traveling on a Protective Diet

I think one of the largest challenges I've had so far was traveling on a Protective Diet. I was traveling by airplane with other non protective diet family members, so I think that added complexity to my trip.

To prepare for m y plane ride, I made P.D. banana bread into muffins instead of bread. Also, I took peanut butter sandwiches for my son, peeled oranges and bananas. I loaded these up in my carry on so we didn't have to grab any fast food from the airport since we had one layover.

Once we landed, we had a rental car, so we could travel around the town. My sister and I made a visit to the nearest grocery store. I picked up lots of bottled water, fresh fruits, veggies, salsa and tortilla chips to snack on. My hotel room had a fridge, so I also bought some boxed soy milk and a box of old fashioned rolled oats. My breakfast each morning was a large bowl of soaked oats with banana and a banana bread muffin. During the day, I snacked on a lettuce salad w/ salsa and the fruits/veggies. In the evenings we either went out to eat at a restaurant or ordered in. I just tried to make the best decisions I could off the menu available.

I'm happy with sticking pretty closely to a protective diet on my trip. It was a challenge, but I feel good about how it turned out.