The Plan Z Diet "Full" Facts on "Bilky"

The Plan Z Diet "Full" Facts on "Bilky"

By: Zola

Chief Dieter

Plan Z Diet




I was raised in Wisconsin. I can still remember the arrival each morning of the milk man. The milk man visited our house at least once a day; maybe even twice. Sometimes we had milk delivery in the morning and other dairy products like cheese and butter were delivered in the afternoon. Our family of seven children drank an amazing amount of milk. We even had those huge 5 gallon boxes of milk with the tap on the end and we’d go through one seemingly before we left for school.

Heck, I drank an amazing amount of milk. Up until a couple of years ago when I started designing the Plan Z Diet I drank a gallon of skim milk, by myself, every two days. I never went to the grocery store without putting milk in my cart.

I used to say that if someone told me I could only drink one thing for the rest of my life, to the exclusion of all other liquids, I’d tell them that milk would win hands down.

I’ve changed my mind since I developed the Plan Z Diet. I almost never drink milk from a cow anymore. If I drink milk it’s probably coconut milk in a smoothie. I drink full fat cream in my coffee instead of milk. Sometimes I don’t even have a carton of milk in my refrigerator.

So what changed my mind? I studied up for the Plan Z Diet.

I found one theory that postulates that most adults are probably allergic to cow milk but they just don’t realize it. They don’t break out in hives or sneeze so they really don’t realize that cow milk is a problem. They just end up with a sluggish digestive system accompanied by regular bloating. All of that leads to weight gain. And I was the “queen of dieting” but I kept getting fatter. I quit drinking milk as I designed the Plan Z Diet by Zola, and my bloating and slow digestion went away. Hmmm. Maybe there was something to that theory. It all stems from babies being taken off of “mommy milk” too early and their digestive systems aren’t fully developed yet, so cow milk causes inflammation. (By the way, this same theory does not apply to goat milk or sheep milk but in the US we just don’t readily reach out for milk from other sources. It’s the fact that we feed cow milk we feed to teeny children that are not ready for it and it causes the problem. As an adult I can drink goat milk (kefir) and I can drink sheep’s milk too. The sensitivity is to cow milk.)

Other experts cite how humans don’t really need milk after the age of 2 and for half of that time they probably should be drinking only “mommy milk”. That sort of makes sense, doesn’t it?

But what if you’re a dairy farmer and don’t like me telling you about problems with cow milk? Or what if you’re so attached to milk that you’re addicted to it like I was? My addiction started at an early age. Story is, my first word was not mommy or daddy. It was bilky. I’d stretch out my little hand from my high chair and open and close my fist as if to beg and beckon what I wanted over to me. What I wanted was milk.

And it turns out skim milk is now found to be worse for you than full fat milk.

That’s what I wanted to show you today. Here’s an article written by Paul John Scott for Details Magazine. It’s all about milk and why skim milk might not be your friend.

This article will enlighten. It’s not about giving up milk altogether. I don’t think people have to give up milk completely, but if you’re at all like I was it could be a slippery slope to getting fat to go back to drinking cow milk. I’m not willing to chance it. http://www.details.com/style-advice/the-body/201105/skim-milk-non-fat-milk-diet-foods

So you’ve learned that if you want to drink milk that full fat milk is probably your best bet for health. Sounds completely opposite of what we’ve been told for the last 40 years or so doesn’t it? Well, I believe it so I thought I’d share this news with you.

By the way, the same goes for cheese¸ yogurt and other dairy products (especially on the Plan Z Diet). Feel free to eat full fat. I’m going to tell you over and over again that it’s not the fat in cheese that makes us fat. You don’t have to suffer through non-fat cheese. You can go to your grocer and tell them that you don’t care if there are 149 different flavors of non-fat yogurt. You want them to begin carrying full fat yogurt again if they don’t now. It’s the fat that will make you feel full so you’ll be satisfied sooner and less likely to feel like you can still fit in that bagel. The bagel is what will make you fat. Not the full fat dairy.

Maybe someday we’ll see pastures covered with sheep and goats. That would be a nice change of scenery, and the dairy farmers can still be busy.

Cheers,

To read more of Zola's blogs CLICK HERE or head over to https://www.planzdiet.com/blog/

Plan Z Diet Lemon Curd

Plan Z Diet Lemon Curd

By: Zola

Chief Dieter

Plan Z Diet




The Plan Z Diet by Zola

This is a Plan Z Diet ZReboot recipe. My husband’s favorite flavor is lemon. We have been together 33 years and every year I have made him a different lemon dessert for his birthday. I have had to get pretty creative after all these years!

Lemon curd is easy to make and so versatile. You can even put a dollop of this on pancakes! (Of course you’ll make your pancakes with almond flour…) One of my Plan Z Diet favorites is to make little lemon tarts with it. The one in the picture were made with crusts I made in cupcake tins so they are very small. I topped them with candied violets. You can order those online. Or just serve them plain, or with sweetened cream on top.

This is a take-off of a recipe I found online but of course I Zolafied for the Plan Z Diet it to take out the sugar. This lemon curd is tart but my guests all declared it was sweet enough for them!

Yield: Makes about 1 cup

Ingredients:
4 Tablespoons butter
½ cup FRESH lemon juice
1/3 cup of ZSweet or Swerve (these are sugar substitutes you can order online. They are great for baking. They don’t give off that tinny taste that Truvia sometimes does).
3 eggs
1 egg yolk
1 small pinch salt

Instructions:

Cut butter up into pieces (around 8 to 10 pieces is good). Put the butter into the freezer.

Blend the rest of the ingredients together in a blender. Pour into a sauce pan. Heat slowly on medium. Stir frequently. When curd begins to thicken to the point where it coats the spoon, or leaves a trail when the bottom of the pan is scraped with a spatula, or is 170 F, remove from heat (don’t let it boil). I use my insta-read meat thermometer to keep an eye on the temperature. This is the tricky part of this recipe. If you cook it too fast the eggs will scramble in the bottom of the pan. Take your time. This is worth being vigilant. I slowly stir this mixture with my wooden spoon; constantly. It takes 6 – 10 minutes or so on medium. It depends on how powerful your burner is.

When it’s ready, turn off the heat. Stir in the butter. Keep stirring until butter is melted and incorporated. If you think it’s too “sharp,” try adding another tablespoon or two of butter.

Enjoy!
Cheers,


To read more of Zola's blogs CLICK HERE or head over to https://www.planzdiet.com/blog/

Plan Z Diet Required Reading

Plan Z Diet Required Reading

By: Zola

Chief Dieter

Plan Z Diet





I’m definitely not one to read the op-ed page. In fact, I don’t even read the newspaper. Okay, okay. In the interest of full disclosure, I might read my horoscope when I find the paper left on the kitchen counter by my husband. And on Sundays, I love to read the magazines inserted into the paper; things like Parade Magazine.

That doesn’t mean I walk around with my head in a hole, though. I am a bit of a news junkie. I watch the national news like I’m addicted to it, and I also watch our local news to catch up on what’s happening in Chicago. While I’m reading Parade Magazine, I probably have a news program going on the TV, at the same time. When I’m in my car, I invariably have a news-talk station on. WGN is my fave.

So why am I asking you to read this offering in the NY Times’ Op Ed Page?

It’s because I think it should be required reading for every adult on the planet and especially for those on the Plan Z Diet.

When people ask me what I ate for breakfast I tell them that I made a smoothie. It had full fat Greek yogurt in it, frozen strawberries, unsweetened almond milk, a bit of vanilla and stevia and some flaxseed oil. They invariably exclaim that I must be mistaken. I did buy the 0% fat yogurt, right? NOT the full fat stuff – that stuff will make you fat!

And I come back with, “No it won’t. It’s the low fat stuff with the artificial flavorings, artificial sweeteners and the sugar that will make you fat.” Just because they sell that stuff doesn’t make it good for you. Just because the marketers tell you it’s better for you doesn’t make it true. And just because government guidelines tell you that’s what you’re supposed to eat doesn’t mean they’re right.

This is the exact kind of nutritional misinformation we set straight on the Plan Z Diet.

So read this and get the lowdown on what the federal government’s Dietary Guideline did to us as a nation. It’s time for change.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/09/opinion/why-is-the-federal-government-afraid-of-fat.html

I’m not a political activist, but I’d like to see those running for President talk about THIS. The obesity crisis is the biggest problem we have. Literally.

Cheers,

To read more of Zola's blogs CLICK HERE or head over to https://www.planzdiet.com/blog/

Young and Impetuous

Young and Impetuous

By: Zola

Chief Dieter

Plan Z Diet





I have stayed in touch here and there with a man I worked for 30+ years ago.

Phil was in charge of a division of Quaker Oats in the marketing department. He oversaw the marketing for Aunt Jemima products as well as things like the grits and hominy. All grain-based products. He was also in charge of the Aunt Jemima maple syrup line.

I loved working for Phil. Phil seemed to tolerate me pretty well too.

I think he liked the fact that I was smart. He put up with the fact that I was not the greatest typist and I was always five minutes late. But there was nothing I would not do for that guy. I did my best to go out of my way to make sure his things were in order and projects were done on time. I went above and beyond and helped him with monitoring a department budget as well as some reports. I helped him screen resumes for hiring as well as anything else I could think of.

I was a sponge. Everything that came across his desk or mine was read by me. I wanted to learn and was willing to put in any amount of hours to learn all I could. I was even criticized at one point for not going home. I was making the other secretaries look bad. That just prompted me to take work home. In those days you couldn’t do much work at home. Your only typewriter was on your desk. It weighed about 30 pounds. No way you were taking that back and forth on the train like we take a laptop home now. So I just read what I could and studied everything Phil was doing. He became a mentor of sorts.

Phil had a small family. He had one young son and a pretty wife.

I decided I wanted to treat him and his family.

I had begun decorating cakes and was quite good at it. So I made an egg-shaped cake and decorated it. It was presented on a beautiful glass platter. I got up at dawn and drove it to his house. I put the cake on his porch step and sneaked off to my car. I hoped they had a lovely Easter with a yummy cake for dessert.

The next day Phil didn’t say anything to me about the cake. I had not put a note with it. I figured when he saw the decorated cake he’d know it came from me. He had seen my cake decorating in action before for office celebrations. I was too shy to come forward and ask him if he got the cake. I just let it go.

For 30 years I have wondered if he ever got the cake. I finally got up the guts to ask. He and I had been exchanging emails last week. I told him the story of the cake. I told him that as I grew older I realized what a dumb idea that was. The cake was sitting on his porch; probably for hours, uncovered. All kinds of things could have happened to that cake!

It could have been peed on by a roving dog. It could have been decimated by local raccoons. It might have sat there for days until it was moldy or rained on. I was not thinking about the fact that some folks go in and out of their back door and never use the front door unless company comes. The cake was small enough that even driving in and out of the driveway they might not have seen it.

Here I was worrying about the cake getting eaten and enjoyed by some of my favorite humans but it was probably eaten by animals. But where did the platter go then?

When I asked Phil about the cake delivery of 30+ years ago, he has no recollection. Of course. If he had indeed eaten my cake I’m confident he would have remembered.

Maybe all along the real story is I mistakenly delivered it to a neighbor and they ate it. And they were the ones left wondering who left if for them.

It appears this is one mystery that will never be solved.

Lesson learned.

Cheers,

To read more of Zola's blogs CLICK HERE or head over to https://www.planzdiet.com/blog/

To Chew or Not to Chew? That is the Question.

To Chew or Not to Chew? That is the Question.

By: Zola

Chief Dieter

Plan Z Diet





My Plan Z Diet gum investigation

I have been bombarded lately by Plan Z dieters who want to know if they can chew gum.

My first answer is to try to direct them to a product called WOW Drops if they are worried about their breath. WOW Drops are pure peppermint oil so it’s not filled with sugar. Nor is it filled with artificial sweeteners. That’s all good news for the Plan Z Diet.

But some say it’s not their breath they are worried about. They tell me they are basically addicted to the activity of chewing. Moving their mouth up and down and flexing their jaw is a difficult activity to clear out of their habit chain. For some it provides needed stress relief.

My next answer, be it rather facetious, is to tell them that chewing on a pencil on the Plan Z Diet would be better than chewing any gum I have been able to find. Chewing on pencils has always carried a bad reputation. You were gauche if you chewed your pencil. Some nuns in Catholic schools used to slap you with a ruler if you chewed your pencil. I witnessed that one!

My next option is to take the eraser off of the pencil and chew on that. Let the eraser bounce around between your teeth for a while. Chewing on rubber might not be so fun, so maybe the habit would cure itself.

Yet my Plan Z dieters keep coming to me asking me to find them gum.

I have tried.

I have investigated every gum I can find on the internet. I even resorted to checking out gums not yet available in the US, lest we be able to import healthy gum on behalf of the Plan Z Diet. (Now, I say that’s full customer service.) Problem is I keep failing in my quest.

I have found some fundamental problems with gum.

Most gums are filled with sugar. They are pretty much sugar and all kinds of other ingredients that keep the gum from sticking to your teeth and make it chewy. Many gums come with some kind of undefined warning not to swallow it. If it wasn’t meant to be swallowed why would you put it in your mouth to begin with? The ingredients in the gum that they are warning you about remind me of tires you put on your car. So don’t swallow that eraser I earlier suggested either.

Here are the main ingredients in gum. Notice the word rubber?

Chewing gum main ingredients are

Gum Base – chicle, mastiche (organic), rubber (synthetic)
Softeners – are added to maintain moisture
Sweeteners – all kind of flavors. Most use artificial chemical flavoring
Color – Original color was pink, but today there are practically all colors. These too use chemicals.
Both the Mayo Clinic and Wrigley (the largest gum manufacturer) say it’s okay to swallow gum. They say it will just hang out in your digestive system a few days and then come out the other end. That’s better than the old wives’ tale about it staying in your stomach for seven years. Remember that one?

Mayo Clinic, however does NOT recommend that children swallow gum. They also warn of the choking hazard. Ancient people chewed gum. Their gum was made from tree resin. Do you really want to eat tree resin? And why is that any different than chewing your pencil? The nuns might have been taking this chewing between meals thing a bit too far. (tongue in cheek intended)

I have tried to clear an assortment of sugarless gums. I have failed there too. When I “clear” a food for the Plan Z Diet it means I have done my own investigation of the product to see if it conforms to our dieting parameters or protocol. I haven’t found a sugarless gum yet that conforms.

All sugarless gums have artificial sweeteners in them. Darn. Some are worse than others.

Just for example, I’ve tried to clear Glee, Trident White, Puredent and more for the Plan Z Diet. They all contain xylitol, aspartame, sorbitol or more. You’ve already heard my rant on aspartame. Xylitol is actually supposed to be good for your teeth. The side effects that come from xylitol include: Bloating, a gassy feeling, digestive problems and even liver damage. Oh, yeah, it can also kill your dog if your dog eats too much of your gum.

I’m sitting in my office right now. I’m about a mile from The Wrigley Innovation Center in downtown Chicago. Do you think I should cruise on over and camp on their front sidewalk until they give me a reason they can’t come up with a gum that is actually good for us? I’d feel like Michael Moore but it might be worth taking a shot at it.

In the meantime if you know of a gum that might fit the bill – no sugar, no artificial sweeteners and not carrying any residual after effects we have to watch out for — let me know. Until then, I’ll keep an eye on the sidewalk as I walk around Chicago. Reason is there’s so much gum stuck to the sidewalk it’s almost a hazard. I guess that word about not swallowing gum stuck in this market. Too bad the part about placing it in a trash can did not.

Cheers,

To read more of Zola's blogs CLICK HERE or head over to https://www.planzdiet.com/blog/

Plan Z Diet Butternut Squash Fries

Plan Z Diet Butternut Squash Fries

By: Zola

Chief Dieter

Plan Z Diet

Plan Z Diet Butternut Squash Fries

Plan Z Diet by Zola

This is a Plan Z Diet ZReboot recipe. You will not believe how easy these are to make and how wonderful they taste on the Plan Z Diet!

Servings: Serves 4 – 6 depending on how big a squash you decide to buy.

Ingredients:
1 butternut squash. I try to find a long, skinny one. they have fewer seeds
olive oil spray
sea salt
pepper (optional)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. If you have a convection setting use that at 375 degrees.

Peel your squash with a vegetable peeler. Toss peels in the trash. I don’t put them in a garbage disposal. They can clog. With a VERY SHARP knife cut the ends off of your squash and toss those. Then cut your squash into ½’ discs. You can also cut around the seeded section and get even more ‘fries.’

When you have the discs cut, lay each one flat and cut across them to make ½” wide sticks that resemble potato fries. Spray a cookie sheet with oil. Place the fries on there and don’t let them touch each other. They need room to circulate the heat. Spray the tops and grate on your sea salt to taste. Even some pepper if you like that on your fries.

Roast in your oven for approximately 20-30 minutes. You can see them begin to brown toward the end. I like mine cooked a bit more so you can see what they looked like when I took them out.

Once you start eating these “fries” you’ll never miss the other ones. They taste sweet and wonderful; even better than sweet potato fries. No ketchup necessary.

Enjoy these a LOT!
Cheers,


To read more of Zola's blogs CLICK HERE or head over to https://www.planzdiet.com/blog/

See Plan Z Diet: The Eyes Have It

See Plan Z Diet: The Eyes Have It

By: Zola

Chief Dieter

Plan Z Diet





I found out a little while ago that I had to get a new driver’s license. I moved years ago from Wisconsin to Chicago and because my license had not expired yet I never applied for an Illinois one. I thought I could get away with not doing that until it was about to expire. What difference does it make what state I live in? I can drive in all 50 states.

Well, it matters to my insurance company. I was informed that if I didn’t renew my driver’s license that they would not renew my car insurance. Seems kind of un-related doesn’t it? The insurance company doesn’t stand to make any money off of my new license. Only the State of Illinois will benefit from the revenue.

The State of Illinois (like all other states)needs revenue and it needs it badly, so I guess I have to accept that I needed to make another contribution, but the more I thought about it, seemed to me like there was some cross-lobbying going on somewhere in order for an insurance renewal to trigger that sort of event. Figures.

So I drive out to the state office building where you renew your license. I have all of my ID ready. They want a LOT. They want my social security card, my passport (since I have one), two bills with my address on them, my car registration and more. When my number came up I handed all of that to the registration person.

She reviewed everything and informed me that I’d have to take an eye test and a written test. More fees of course. Collect more fees.

So I’m in the middle of the eye test and she has me read 4 sets of 4 letters going left to right. She asked me to read line 5. I looked down through the lens and read 3 sets of 4 letters. I stopped. She asked about the other 4 letters. I said the box was blank. She told me it was not blank. Try again, only this time read line 4. I did the same thing. I read 12 characters and stopped. The last box was empty. Once again she informed me that it was not empty and that the machine had no history of malfunctioning so would I please try again.

This really freaked me out. I had been working for over 10 months with the optometric clinic I go to in an effort to get new contact lenses. We had a dickens of a time. I could not seem to get them to fit me correctly with lenses. I finally got some they declared to be as good as they can do, and they declared them to fit perfectly and my vision was right on course. I had just gotten those new lenses in the last 30 days so I was confident they were perfect for me.

Now I can’t read the whole right side of the exam.

I quickly screwed up my eyes the best I could to focus just on the last box with the 4 mystery letters in it. I think I actually moved over to the right a bit so my other eye picked up the image; sort of. I managed, somehow, to sort of make them out and then proceeded to kinda guess what those letters were.

She passed me.

I was now sweating. Are my contacts ill-fitting? Or worse. Do I have some kind of macular degeneration? Do I have a brain tumor and something is blocking part of my vision? I don’t have headaches but maybe something is going on.

I have completely lost confidence in that optometric clinic. Now I’m pulling out the big guns. I’m going to an ophthalmologist tomorrow. I need heavy consultation. My job depends on my sight. I’m the main driver in our family. I’m aesthetically oriented and need to be able to see.

That lady was nice to me. She could have failed me in my driver’s eye exam. I am taking this as a big hint and going to see the top pro. ASAP.

Cheers,

To read more of Zola's blogs CLICK HERE or head over to https://www.planzdiet.com/blog/

Chatting with Zola about the Plan Z Diet in the Garden

Chatting with Zola about the Plan Z Diet in the Garden

By: Zola

Chief Dieter

Plan Z Diet

Zola (Birth name: Sarah McCann) is CEO of the Plan Z Diet by Zola, a Chicago-based weight loss program. The average Plan Z dieter loses 31 pounds in the first 50 days and incorporates a homeopathic remedy that Zola invented and patented to make dieting easier and more comfortable. Zola lives in the West Bucktown neighborhood of Chicago in a converted car repair shop with her husband and 3 adorable cats.


Describe Your Wellness Philosophy.
Eat healthy and happy. That's what we focus on here at the Plan Z Diet. Maintaining your weight (or even losing weight) doesn’t have to be drudgery. You just need to cook tasty, unprocessed food.

Top Wellness Activities
I do Super Slow Weight Lifting once a week (that’s all you need) and I do yoga twice a week. I want to be a flexible old lady someday; not one who’s folded over and creaky.

Your Achilles’ Heel:
Mashed potatoes. I’m Irish. I can’t help it. I don't eat potatoes on the Plan Z Diet, so when I do have  a full portion of these tasty spuds it's only about 4 times a year. Sometimes I order au gratin and only eat the cheesy layer off the top.

Brain Food:
I read about 8 hours a day at work. Then I go home and read more. I read catalogs and magazines looking for inspiration in décor, recipe development (I've created close to 900 recipes for the Plan Z Diet. I've gotten so much inspiration from what I read), gardening and travel. I only read novels on vacation now.

What People Say Behind Your Back:
I often get the feeling they wonder if I’m some kind of neat freak. You can come to my house any day, at any time and it will look more than respectable. I also obsess about changing light bulbs. If one goes out I’m the first to notice.

Your Rallying Cry for Employees:
“Be a lifelong learner.” There is always room for making mistakes as long as you are learning something new. Any inspirational ancestors? My grandmother on my father’s side. She tended her own garden and still lived at home into her 90’s. When the Exposition was in Chicago in 1893, she was a young girl in attendance. I’ve seen pictures of her at that time. Beautiful and inspirational. My grandmother on my mother’s side had these really long, bright red fingernails. She rarely talked to me. I found her scary.

Play Any Instruments:
I played first chair clarinet until I was 12. After that I saw no use for a clarinet. I always wanted to play piano, so when I could afford one I bought one. I took jazz piano lessons for a year and then my instructor moved. Now, my piano is a large piece of sculpture in my living room. I plan to get back at it…someday.

Cheers,

To read more of Zola's blogs CLICK HERE or head over to https://www.planzdiet.com/blog/

The Plan Z Diet Lecture and the Plan Z Diet Lesson

The Plan Z Diet Lecture and the Plan Z Diet Lesson

By: Zola

Chief Dieter

Plan Z Diet




I want to offer up to each and every one of you sort of an electronic Plan Z Diet hug. I know clearly that we all have stressors in our lives. No matter how much or how little money we have, we have stress. No matter how close our family ties are, we still have some kind of stress. Whether we have the greatest job on the planet (like working for the Plan Z Diet!) or we have no job at all, we still have to deal with stress.

It’s the one thing we seem to share universally.

I was sent this story of a lecturer talking to his class. I could just imagine him standing up in front of a big blackboard in a major university lecture hall. The room is filled with students, all listening very closely. Read on.

A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked,

“How heavy is this glass of water?”

Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g.

The lecturer replied, “The absolute weight doesn’t matter.

It depends on how long you try to hold it.

If I hold it for a minute, that’s not a problem.

If I hold it for an hour, I’ll have an ache in my right arm.

If I hold it for a day, you’ll have to call an ambulance.

In each case, it’s the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.”

He continued,

“And that’s the way it is with stress management.

If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won’t be able to carry on.

As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again.

When we’re refreshed, we can carry on with the burden.

So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down.

Don’t carry it home.

You can pick it up tomorrow.

Whatever burdens you’re carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can.”

So, my friend, why not take a while to just simply RELAX.

Put down anything that may be a burden to you right now.

Don’t pick it up again until after you’ve rested a while.

Life is short!

Enjoy it!

Here are some great ways of dealing with the burdens of life:

Accept that some days you’re the pigeon, and some days you’re the statue.
Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.
Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.
Drive carefully. It’s not only cars that can be recalled by their maker.
If you can’t be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.
If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it
It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others.
Never buy a car you can’t push.
Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won’t have a leg to stand on.
Nobody cares if you can’t dance well. Just get up and dance.
The second mouse gets the cheese.
When everything’s coming your way, you’re in the wrong lane.
Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live.
You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.
Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.
We could learn a lot from crayons… Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names, and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box.
A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

I’ll be the first to admit that I learned a lot from this lecturer and I hope you did too.

For today’s recipe relax and take the stress out of cooking my letting the Slow Cooker do the work. I’m offering up another one-step meal–My Plan Z Diet Italian Crock Pot Chicken. Put this all in your Crock Pot and go to town.

Plan Z Diet Italian Crock Pot Chicken

Enjoy!

Cheers,

To read more of Zola's blogs CLICK HERE or head over to https://www.planzdiet.com/blog/

The Crazy Cruise

The Crazy Cruise

By: Zola

Chief Dieter

Plan Z Diet





I’ve been on enough cruises to have a pretty good idea of how the people captive on the broken down Carnival Splendor felt.

Stranded at sea after an engine fire.

Spending days in the hot sun with no air-conditioning. They couldn’t even swim in the pool because the ship could not pump chlorine and the company could not take the risk that the swimmers would get sick and make everything worse.

Waiting for hours in line only to be served Spam and pop tarts. Talk about the antithesis of gourmet.

No casino for entertainment.

No cold beer. The thought of drinking warm beer just makes me gag. No ice for drinks.

No TV even. Inside cabins didn’t even have light! They had to sleep with the door open if they couldn’t stand the thought of sleeping in complete blackness. And hot!

I’ve never had a mechanical failure on a cruise. I’ve never had a toilet that didn’t work. I’ve never missed a meal. We can all sort of imagine what a floating house of horror that was.

Now balance that off with the experience a small group of Cubans had on a cruise that I was on.

It was in the 1990’s. My husband and I decided to sail the Caribbean on Royal Caribbean Cruise Line’s Sovereign of the Seas. It wasn’t the maiden voyage for the ship, but it was close. The ship was sparkling new.

There was a five story shopping center that went up the middle of the ship. The gold glass elevators floated up and down overlooking the shopping and the middle lobby of the ship. I’d never seen such a stunning floating city.

That ship, like the Carnival Splendor held about 3000 people plus over 1000 crew members. It was full.

Our weather was perfect at the start. We left Miami in early evening and watched the sunset as we watched the shoreline shrink in the distance. We had a lovely dinner, enjoyed a fun cabaret show and went to our cabin to sleep. On the way to the cabin we had a hard time walking in a straight line. We weren’t drunk. The weaving was caused by huge waves forming in the sea. There was a hurricane brewing further south. They warned us that it was going to get a bit wavy and we might have to change the itinerary of the cruise up a bit if it turned out we had to make our way around or away from the hurricane.

The next day we got up, had breakfast, lounged around and toured the ship; just sort of casing things out so we could plan our week’s activities. The waves were reported to be 10 – 15’ high now. It did cause the ship to sway but only slightly.

Just before lunchtime we noticed the ship wasn’t really moving. We seemed to be turning too. It’s hard to turn something that’s the length of three football fields so turning doesn’t happen very abruptly. We’re talking about a half hour. We just knew something was going on.

We went out on the deck and looked down. On the lowest decks, where only crew can go, we could see some scurrying. Men tossing out instructions to each other. Waving arms. Something was up.

Then we saw it. Just a speck at first but there was something in the water and the crewmen were preparing to catch it. What was it? What was so important that a cruise ship would stop and turn like that?

We watched for about 30 more minutes while the scurrying ramped up to a minor frenzy. What came into focus was a small craft with people on it. This craft had an engine of some kind. The engine was spewing a constant cloud of black soot. The people were hardly recognizable. They were coal black from head to foot.

We could tell one of them was a woman because she had a dress on and long hair. One looked like a small child; probably a boy but we could not be sure. Then there were two men. One was trying desperately to navigate the craft toward the massive cruise ship. The other man just kept waving his arms and trying not to get tossed out of the craft by the large waves.

As the boat got closer we could see it. This rickety craft was built from metal pieces. Junk. The front bow was made from the hood of a car. The rest of it was just pieces you’d find in a salvage yard. They had managed to weld it together and attach something about the size of a lawn mower engine on it for power.

It took probably another 30 minutes to get the craft (I don’t think it could qualify as a boat) next to the cruise ship and help the people on it get off. The high waves really made it difficult for all involved.

By now our side of the ship was pretty much covered with passengers leaning over to see what was going on.

When they got the people out of the pile of junk and onto the cruise ship applause broke out from the observers. Then something shocking happened. It didn’t take two minutes before the craft they were in was swallowed by the sea. It was gone.

What if they’d still been in it? Talk about timing.

The excitement seemed to be over. Everyone went back to lying in the sun, swimming in the pool or drinking in the bar. But everyone was talking about these people rescued from the sea. The ship was all abuzz.

It was just a couple of hours before the Captain came on the intercom to give us an update.

He told the story of how this craft was spotted on radar. We were the closest ship to the craft and maritime law dictated that we were immediately designated as a rescue ship. We were required by international law to go find out what that craft was and find out if they did indeed need to be rescued.

Turned out this was a group of relatives that had escaped from Cuba during the night. They had been on that little craft all night long, trying desperately to make their way to Miami. They could have easily died but they were desperate, so they took the risk.

Awhile later someone else from the crew came on the PA to ask for clothing. The sizes of the men, the woman and the little boy were broadcast over the speakers. These people had nothing more than what they had on their backs. And that was covered in soot and ruined. They needed a shower and clothing. The people who worked on the ship came up with the idea to ask the passengers to donate clothing.

And get clothes? They did. Tons of them. More than they needed, for sure.

The saga continues.

That night if you went to the big show room to see the performance you got a treat. They brought the Cubans out on the stage, all cleaned up and in their new clothes. They introduced them to the audience. Everyone cheered, of course.

But now it got complicated.

Remember that we were on a cruise that had an itinerary including several stops. Our next stop was going to be a foreign country. Maritime law then also dictates that you take the people you rescued to the next country and drop them off. This particular country would have taken them into custody at the immigration office as soon as they disembarked. This was not good news. What was going to happen was that country intended to send then back to Cuba. That would mean sure death or prison for a very long time.

The ship we were on is registered Norwegian so they were okay as long as they were on the ship and until the ship got to port. We had two days before they’d be turned over to authorities in the other country.

Now what?

Many of the workers on the ship spoke Spanish and were immigrants themselves from countries all over the planet. They got together and brainstormed. They made a plan. They figured out that the only way these people could remain on the ship until we docked back in Miami is if the US would clear them for asylum before we got to that next country. The radio airwaves were very busy as they crew made calls to negotiate with US authorities.

The US officials came back with word that they US was only willing to clear them if they had jobs lined up in the US.

These same crew members started kicking into high gear and contacted relatives and friends in and around Miami to find companies who would hire these people sight unseen. No time to interview. Just know they are strong, healthy people desperate to live in the US.

Sure enough. Within 24 hours all of the adults had confirmed new jobs when they got to the US.

They were not only rescued. They were saved.

Now just sit back for a minute and think about their introduction to the US. Can you imagine what it felt like to come from abject poverty to being on one of the most lavish cruise ships to ever sail? To be housed, clothed and fed the cruise ship’s midnight buffet on your first day out of Cuba? I’m not sure how they managed to survive the shock. It makes me tingle at the thought. My reliving that cruise while I tell you the tale of the Cuban refugee rescue makes my hands shake again; just like they did the night they brought those amazing people out on that stage to face 3000 people who were applauding them in a welcome to their new life in the United States of America.

God bless this land and its people. And double bless those from the various nations that worked so hard on behalf of a few soot-covered strangers.

Cheers,

To read more of Zola's blogs CLICK HERE or head over to https://www.planzdiet.com/blog/

Plan Z Diet Talks about Carb Addiction

Plan Z Diet Talks about Carb Addiction

By: Zola

Chief Dieter

Plan Z Diet

This article hit me like a ton of bricks. It is so well written. I highly recommend it.

You’ll be shocked, and you’ll be better educated when you have completed your reading. I promise.

Now for a little back story.

Before I began the Plan Z Diet by Zola I was fat. I was fat by anyone’s measurement. I felt I had tried everything to lose weight. I ate less. I exercised. Nothing moved the needle. It seemed the harder I tried to get thin the fatter I got over time.

I did everything the dieting experts asked me to do. I ate smaller portions. I ate less fat. I ate whole grains. I ate diet foods almost exclusively, yet I gained weight. I’ll admit I treated myself at times. When you spend all week dieting and not getting anywhere (year after year) you get sick of it and then splurging on the weekend at a dinner party doesn’t seem like such a sin. You deserve a little treat here and there. Right? So I got stuck in this cycle of lose a pound, gain a pound. Oops make that gained 2 pounds until I was off the charts. And I was miserable.

So it was July of 2009 when I got hold of a lecture given by award-winning science writer, Gary Taubes. That lecture changed my life and my whole perspective on food chemistry. It was the beginning of my research for the Plan Z Diet. I’m not talking about the lecture today, but the article I’m about to connect you to had the same effect on me as that lecture did.

As I watched that lecture I could not believe my eyes or my ears. What Gary Taubes was telling me was close to completely the opposite of what I had learned about dieting starting in the 80’s. Everything the dieting industry jammed into my head decade after decade was all ripped apart by the Taubes lecture. No wonder I was fat. I did what they told me to do and what they told me, over and over, with grand enthusiasm and bravado beyond compare was wrong.

Suddenly I felt exonerated. I cried. I had done what I was supposed to do but it was wrong. Pretty much, all wrong. All of that diet macaroni and cheese was eaten with the greatest of intentions but it just kept making me fat.

What you are about to read isn’t just another “down with carbs” article. This one has great science in it. This one explains it in detail and it doesn’t mince words. This article, written by Paul John Scott in Details Magazine equates carbohydrates to a cocaine addiction. No kidding. And when you read it and consider your own experiences with food, I bet you are going to make the some of the same connections I did. At least I hope so.


Feel free to send me your comments. I’ll welcome them with open ears.

Cheers,

To read more of Zola's blogs CLICK HERE or head over to https://www.planzdiet.com/blog/

The Plan Z Diet Explains What Happens to the Nutritional Value of Food over Time

The Plan Z Diet Explains What Happens to the Nutritional Value of Food over Time

By: Zola

Chief Dieter

Plan Z Diet





When I was a kid, my mother and I did all of the grocery shopping for the week on Saturday. My mother was cooking for seven kids, so the grocery cart was full to overflowing. During the week, the milk and dairy were delivered by the milkman. The egg lady brought the eggs, so what was in the cart didn’t even include those items. During the summer we went to the farm stand on the edge of town. So check that off the grocery store list, too. What was in the cart was mostly meat or anything we needed from the aisles of the store; the canned stuff or things in boxes.

My mother was concerned about food spoilage so that explained why we had chicken on Mondays. The chicken was the first to spoil.

But my mother and I never discussed how quickly the produce we selected would lose its nutritional value. We were mostly concerned with spoilage. Turns out spoilage wasn’t the only thing to keep track of.

As is always the case with the internet, when I started my research for this Plan Z Diet column I came across some conflicting information. Some writers profess that produce loses nutritional value at an alarming rate and some don’t. I try to stick with sources that cite studies or come from publications I trust.

For example, I came across this excerpt from an article published by the Chicago Tribune: “University of California studies show that vegetables can lose 15 to 55 percent of vitamin C, for instance, within a week. Some spinach can lose 90 percent within the first 24 hours after harvest.”

That doesn’t say much for the baby spinach I use in my salads. If the University of California is correct, the best I can say for the spinach I buy at the store is at least I get fiber!

Today must be a day when I am optimistic because I focused on some work published by Jane Lear, who was on staff at Gourmet Magazine for over 20 years. I have always found Gourmet Magazine to be a reliable source. Jane’s take is also backed up by published studies and bodes well for fruit in particular.

“According to an important study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry in May 2006, researchers were surprised to discover that fresh-cut fruit such as mangoes, pineapples, kiwifruits, strawberries, watermelon, and cantaloupe do not lose most of their nutrients—including antioxidants vitamin C, carotenoids, and phenols—when stored in clear plastic clamshell containers and refrigerated for a few days. They were compared to the same fruits, left whole, stored for the same duration but sliced or diced on the day of sampling.

In general, fresh-cut fruits visually spoil before any significant nutrient loss occurs,” wrote the researchers, who didn’t add any chemicals to prevent the fruit from oxidizing or losing its visual appeal. Here’s the rundown of how much vitamin C, for instance, each type of fresh-cut fruit lost in six days:

Mango, strawberry, and watermelon: less than 5%
Pineapple: 10%
Kiwi: 12%
Cantaloupe: 25%

And although the total content of carotenoids (antioxidants related to vitamin A) decreased in cantaloupe cubes and peeled kiwifruit slices during refrigerator storage for up to nine days, it actually increased in mango and watermelon cubes in response to light exposure.

And that brings me to an exciting discovery published just a couple of weeks ago in the journal Current Biology. A team of scientists at Rice University and the University of California at Davis has found that, for some days after harvest, cabbage, lettuce, spinach, zucchini, carrots, sweet potatoes, and blueberries continue to respond to circadian rhythms (day-night cycles of light), allowing them to alter levels of certain phytochemicals that protect them from being eaten by insects and other herbivores. Those same chemical compounds have anti-cancer effects when eaten by humans. It will be fascinating to see what the consequences are for everyone who stores produce, including growers, shippers, and sellers—whether at the farmers market or the grocery store.”

Jane also addressed some concerns for busy cooks who have to prepare food ahead of meal time. I agree with what Jane offered up so I am passing that along to you, too.

Preparing food ahead of time—a few helpful techniques, tips, and strategies

“Every smart, organized home cook knows that meals—or components of meals—made ahead of time are like money in the bank. And children who grow up eating delicious home-cooked food—even if it’s prepared in advance and reheated by a caregiver—are far more likely to cook for themselves when they are adults. A happy and grateful assortment of roommates, boyfriends, girlfriends, and spouses will have you to thank.

Blanching is one way to keep vegetables flavorful and crisp; you simply bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the vegetables—green beans, for instance—for a minute or so. But water-soluble vitamins (B complex and C) do leach into the cooking water and eventually go down the drain. To help protect those nutrients, avoid using too much water or cooking the vegetables too long. It also helps to repurpose the cooking water, so use it to make soup, rice, or pasta. You can even use it instead of oil to sauté broccoli rabe or broccoli after blanching. And remember, B and C vitamins are found in lots of foods. If your family eats a varied diet that includes both cooked and raw fruits and vegetables, they’ll receive plenty of both.

Steaming vegetables in a rack placed over simmering water is another way to go. Because the vegetables aren’t actually submerged in the water, they retain more water-soluble vitamins. You can reuse the cooking water from steamed vegetables as well.

Roasting vegetables couldn’t be simpler—simply toss the vegetables with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper and pop them in the oven at 375 to 400°. The high heat will caramelize (brown) them, turning them crisp around the edges and sweet. Many a child who says he or she hates vegetables has fallen hard for roasted carrots or slices of sweet potato.
(You’ll notice in most of my recipes I go the roasting route with vegetables. I find the flavor stays with the vegetables as they roast and the result is a deeper flavor than cooking any other way.)

Microwaving cooks vegetables faster than other forms of cooking and with very little added fat or water, so they generally retain more nutrients than they usually do. Using the microwave oven to reheat foods is also easy and quick.”

I am one of those people leery of microwaves. I use mine mostly to melt butter or soften cream cheese.

If you are lucky enough to have your own garden or have a farmer’s market nearby this body of information definitely supports the effort it takes to buy local.

And often.

I shop almost every day but I’m spoiled. I realize most folks can’t do that. So do your best to get the freshest and the most local you can. Buy what you can eat and don’t expect that celery sitting in the bottom of the produce drawer for a couple of weeks to offer much up in the way of nutrition.

From all of us at the Plan Z Diet enjoy your fruits and veggies!

For This Week's Featured Recipe try my Plan Z Diet Berry Pie Filling for a refreshing summer dessert.

Plan Z Diet Berry Pie Filling

Cheers,

To read more of Zola's blogs CLICK HERE or head over to https://www.planzdiet.com/blog/

A Prescription for Owl Eyes

A Prescription for Owl Eyes

By: Zola

Chief Dieter

Plan Z Diet

It’s not easy being cross-eyed and far-sighted with a serious astigmatism.

Most folks are near-sighted. It’s easy to make a contact prescription for them. Those are the folks that can order through something like 800-CONTACTS. Their lenses come right away. Mine, on the other hand have to be custom fit and then custom-made. There’s a lot of handwringing and mumbling that goes on with the optometrist’s staff when I need new lenses.

I began wearing glasses at 18 months old. I was just a tot. My mother noticed when she asked me to pick something up that I’d reach down and put my hand right next to what I was going after, but never right on it. My eyes weren’t crossed every minute. She realized that they must be crossing when I went to focus on something. So off to the specialist. An optometrist was not specialized enough. I had to go to an opthamalogist. You can hear the bills adding up as I type. I was an expensive kid when it came to my eyes.

My first glasses had to be custom made too. My head was so little and my prescription so rare. The glasses ran $160 per pair. This was 1959. That was an astronomical amount of money. Then to make matters worse I kept taking them off. I was 18 months old. I thought they were a toy. I’d hide them.

When I hid my glasses the whole neighborhood got involved. They had to find my glasses. We could not just go buy another pair. I am pretty sure I liked the attention too. Everyone was focused on me when my eyes were completely unfocused without my glasses. I’ve heard the legendary stories.

One time I hid them under the door. They were so small that I could put them on the floor and slide them under the door. Easy to find if you moved the door. Not so easy to find when you had no idea where in the house to even begin looking!

Then there’s that time I hid them under Freckles. Freckles was our neighbor’s dog; a big, fat Hush Puppy dog. We used to ride Freckles. Freckles was so big we could sit on his back and he’d get up to walk away and we’d “ride” him. Freckles probably didn’t think this was all that funny. We were just pestering little kids. But we thought it was hilarious. One morning Freckles decided to take his post-breakfast nap next to a large tree in his yard. I decided to hide my glasses under Freckles’ big belly. Really funny. It took several hours to find my glasses that time. I never seemed to help. I never seemed to remember where they were either.

I’ve seen the pictures. Sometimes I had pink glasses; then baby blue ones, cute little beige, sparkly ones. They always had that pointy sweep to the sides. Very Jackie Kennedy-fashionable in the ‘60’s. Every time I grew a little bit, or my prescription changed, I needed new glasses. I looked like a little owl too. When you are far-sighted your eyes are magnified by the glasses. Huge eyes and a cute smile. Call me precocious. I was it.

I went off to school looking like that little owl. I was a smart little school child. The glasses made me look extra smart.

At 15 years old I saved enough babysitting money to be able to buy contacts. My dating years started right then. I was no longer just the smart girl with the ridiculously large eyes. Boys took notice.

I’ve worn contact lenses ever since. It’s really hard to fit me in glasses and I continue to loathe the way I look in glasses so I’ve never pushed to get new ones.

In my current status I’m dealing with all that comes with age. Add bifocals to my prescription now and everyone goes into a tizzy! I’ve been wearing reading glasses for years now but the technology has advanced once again and my new doctor thinks he can fit me for lenses that cover my cross-eyed challenge, my far sightedness, my horrible astigmatism (that apparently is the worst part) and now the addition of bifocals.

I’d been waiting almost a month for the contact lenses I picked up last Friday.

He explained to me that he ordered one for my long distance vision. The other one is for short distance reading. My eyes were going to have to get used to them though. I was going to have to go without my reading glasses to force my brain to make the adjustment. I walked out of the store feeling like I just got introduced to my first set of lenses and that they guy who gave them to me was a complete whack job. I could hardly see! My husband had to read the menu to me that night at a restaurant. The next day I could only read the headlines in the paper. Thank goodness it was the weekend! I’d never have been able to function in the office.

The body sure is resilient and adaptable though! By Sunday afternoon in my office I could read everything on my computer. My eyes were no longer tempted to cross in an effort to focus on the words. I could see without reading glasses and I can read type down to about 5 point! That’s pretty teeny! He tells me I probably will never be able to read the miniscule type on the back of some bottles without reading glasses for an assist but that I should be able to work without them.

Sure enough. He’s right.

And this guy thinks HE can fit me for glasses; just in case I want a back up pair. That’ll be the day, but he might just be right about that too.

For recipes today I'm offering My Mom’s Meatloaf recipe. On the Plan Z Diet by Zola all of the dieters are so looking forward to cooking healthy meals this year and serving them to their families. Healthy meals, they now know don’t have to be boring. This Plan Z Diet recipe is one of my favorites an perfect for the whole family.

So enjoy!

Plan Z Diet My Mom's Meatloaf

Cheers,

To read more of Zola's blogs CLICK HERE or head over to https://www.planzdiet.com/blog/

The Hunt Was On

The Hunt Was On

By: Zola

Chief Dieter

Plan Z Diet

My niece found out she was being awarded a fun new job.

The job was is in Chicago.

She was living in Madison, Wisconsin.

She was starting in 10 days. They asked her if she could handle moving that fast. “Sure,” she said. (That’s what you say when someone offers you a new job in a job market like this one. Make it happen.)

First item on the list. Get the old apartment sublet. That happened lickety-split. It went so fast she had to move out that weekend.

Then get to Chicago and find a new apartment. No time to put off that possible new tenant. That tenant wants to move in right away so that means move your stuff out of the apartment and put it in storage even though you will, with any luck, have to move it again into the new place within a week.

That is if you can find a new place. There’s the challenge.

Call in Auntie Z.

Zola loves to shop for real estate; be it a house, an apartment a new office. It’s an odd hobby. It’s not a hobby that I can do just because I have spare time though. I have to have a reason. A niece with one week to find a place to live is my kind of reason.

Kick it into high gear Zola.

But don’t go overboard. If your niece wants to do this on her own, she’s a young adult. Back off if you are not invited. Back off on influencing what size of apartment to get, what location, what budget, what amenities. You’re not living in this place Zola. She is.

It’s a balancing act. I realize how real estate agents feel. They have to be sort of impartial. Just present the available real estate and back off if they don’t want your opinion.

My niece gave me direction. She wanted modern, a safe location, laundry in her unit if possible, parking would be nice, one bedroom would be nice or an efficiency will do. In the big city it’s hard to tell what you can afford until you get into it. She told me what neighborhoods she preferred and they were not the ones young adults out of college usually gravitate to. And she gave me her budget.

We looked at 7 places in one day. We were in a few different neighborhoods. Nothing had everything on the list but most of them would “do”. My niece told me later she was about in tears but then at 5:30 PM we walked into her perfect place.

It has everything on her list and more. She has a garage; not just parking. She can walk to the train. It’s only 2 blocks from her house, so she can commute to her office. The walk to her office from the train stop is less than a block! She has a cut little front courtyard with hydrangea trees and bushes. She can sit and have coffee out there. Or she can have that coffee in her sun porch. Yep. She has a sun porch that’s glassed in; a perfect place to read a book in a rainstorm. She has a back yard. It’s not in great shape at the moment but it has plenty of potential!

She has the one bedroom with the big closet she was hoping for. She has an open concept with the kitchen running into a dining space and into the living room. She has one of those “candle” fireplaces. Very cute and romantic. She has wood floors and brand new cupboards and counter tops in her kitchen.

My brother and sister-in-law brought a 16’ truck with all of her belongings. We moved them into the house and now she gets to settle in.

She picked the only place that’s not quite “done”. The guys were working on it even after she moved in. I didn’t see her this morning so that means the water was hooked up to her shower.

Oh, and her Auntie Z lives less than 4 blocks away. Now, won’t this be fun!

Enjoy!

Cheers,

To read more of Zola's blogs CLICK HERE or head over to https://www.planzdiet.com/blog/

How Sweet It Is

How Sweet It Is

By: Zola

Chief Dieter

Plan Z Diet



Here’s one at the top of my Frequenly Asked Questions list at the Plan Z Diet. “What’s stevia?”

I use stevia in a lot of my Plan Z Diet recipes. I use stevia because I am trying to keep the carbohydrate level and the glycemic index level of my recipes at a minimum. Stevia helps me with that goal.

Stevia is a natural sweetener. It’s made from the stevia plant.

I recently got hold of an interview with the guy who started the manufacture of stevia sweeteners, 28 years ago. That’s a LONG time ago. It just shows you how long it takes sometimes to make a product financially viable and to get distribution of the product to enough places so it catches on.

I’ve talked before about how the average dieter on the Plan Z Diet by Zola loses 31 pounds in 50 days. That’s pretty remarkable. There are lots of reasons the Plan Z Diet works so well but one of them is the use of stevia as a sweetener. Everything works in concert.

Most people have a sweet tooth. We know that. And I don’t want to take away the satisfaction of being able to eat something sweet during the day. In fact, you get dessert twice a day on the Plan Z Diet by Zola. I have learned to use stevia as a sweetener and take the carbohydrates out of desserts without losing the satisfaction of the flavor.

The brands of stevia that are most popular and most widely distributed are Truvia and Purevia. I use those in most recipes because those are the easiest to get. Jim May owns the company called SweetLeaf. His packet of stevia is twice as strong as sugar so you need to factor that in. His line of liquid sweeteners are fabulous for making your own soda at home or flavoring coffee and other drinks.

Stevia can also be purchased “straight” but it’s so powerful that the amount needed to sweeten coffee would stand on the head of a pin. The processed versions we use for sweetener are usually categorized as erythritol. So just look for the brands I have listed and you will have your sweetener without the bad side effects that come from most artificial sweeteners. Stevia is natural. The other ones in all those little yellow, pink and blue packets are artificial; they are chemistry experiments gone wild. Stay away from them. Forever.

I have also set another goal. That one is to bring a new level of health to the holidays. I’m calling it “Happy Healthy Holidays”. My mission is to take some of the recipes you normally find on the dining table at Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years or even the 4th of July and convert them so they are healthier. These dishes will lose their carbohydrate count but will not lose their flavor or satisfaction. The Plan Z Diet is not about suffering. This is about eating with excitement!

These dishes will be low carb; not necessarily low fat. Your relatives probably think you have to make something low fat for it to be healthy. I and a lot of other scientists and diet experts disagree. Our contention is that fat doesn’t make you fat. Carbohydrates make you fat. They also make even thin people unhealthy as the addiction to sugar, breads, pastries and more creep higher and higher.

So healthier holidays will include recipes like the one I am sharing today.

And for your dessert today, because after all, today’s theme is stevia and how to work with it I have included a special new recipe for my Plan Z Diet Pumpkin Cheesecake. This is as light as heaven in your mouth and will make a lot of people happier and healthier than when they eat pumpkin pie. I hope you choose to serve some of these new, healthier options at your holiday table. I’ll keep ‘em coming for a few weeks. We’ll tackle the turkey, more desserts and even more side dishes to give you a full array of options for your Happy Healthy Holidays.

Plan Z Diet Pumpkin Cheesecake

Enjoy!

To read more of Zola's blogs CLICK HERE or head over to https://www.planzdiet.com/blog/