The Plan Z Diet Talks about the Toxicity of Sugar

The Plan Z Diet Talks about the Toxicity of Sugar

By: Zola

Chief Dieter

Plan Z Diet

If there’s one thing that “60 Minutes” has it is street cred.

I watched my first edition of “60 Minutes” at 11 years old in 1968. Before “60 Minutes” came on the air our family always gathered in front of the TV on Sunday evening to watch “College Bowl”. Anyone remember that one? “College Bowl” was hosted by Allen Ludden. Each week, two colleges would put teams of brainiacs together and they’d compete for who could correctly answer the most questions. A team member would buzz in if they thought they knew the answer. They had just a few seconds to confer with each other and then the team captain would shout out their answer. Our family loved it. At 8, 9 or 10 years old, if I knew an answer to even one of the questions, it definitely made my day. I got great inspiration for studying in school and trying to do my best from that show. I could see myself up there some day.

When “60 Minutes” moved over to Sunday nights, “60 Minutes” became our new go-to show. The whole family would gather in front of the TV and watch. Sometimes we’d be eating dinner but we were still allowed to watch “60 Minutes” while we ate. We learned a lot from that show too.

Alas “College Bowl” was eventually cancelled from the airwaves, but “60 Minutes” has continued, uninterrupted, on TV for 44 years. “60 Minutes” is credited with uncovering some of the biggest scandals. “60 Minutes” is credited with breaking some of the biggest stories. “60 Minutes” has captured bad guys on camera and held on like a pit bull until they screamed for mercy. If “60 Minutes” comes knocking at your door, unannounced, it’s probably not good news for you, but in the case I am going to reference today, having “60 Minutes” air a particular segment is like music to my ears. And if you haven’t seen it yet, I’m going to give you a link to what I feel is a subject that should be seen by every human aged 6 or higher. It’s a segment about the toxicity of sugar.

If you haven’t heard of Dr. Robert Lustig before today you will get to know him now. We reference him on the Plan Z Diet a lot! I have been a huge fan of Dr. Lustig for over two years now and his lecture Sugar: The Bitter Truth is a must view as part of the education offered through my diet, Plan Z Diet by Zola. Dr. Lustig has been labeled an overly-energetic zealot by many. On the contrary, I don’t think his message can be screamed loudly enough. I am so happy to see that he has not given up his quest to get the warning out about sugar (in ALL forms), and it’s reassuring that with all the credibility that “60 Minutes” carries, that they now are listening and featured this segment involving Dr. Robert Lustig.

This “60 Minutes” segment touched just the tip of iceberg as it relates to sugar. Everyone will say they know the dangers of sugar. “Sugar will make you fat,” is all most folks will say they need to know. True enough, but in addition, the science is there now that clearly shows it is sugar that will cause heart disease. It’s sugar that will raise your bad cholesterol and it’s sugar that feeds cancer cells so they can grow and multiply and kill you.

This segment only tackles sugar in the most sugary forms. They left off the whole issue of carbohydrates as sugar, which I hope they address in an upcoming segment. But until then, there’s a lot to be learned from this segment. Please watch it in an effort to achieve good health.

Cheers,


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

Plan Z Diet Apple Chips

Plan Z Diet Apple Chips

By: Zola

Chief Dieter

Plan Z Diet





Plan Z Diet by Zola

This is a Plan Z Diet ZReduction recipe from the creative mind of Jen. When we were at lunch the other day, Jen mentioned how dieters miss their crunch. She wondered if we could come up with a recipe for apple chips. I will tell you they worked. They are crunchy if you eat them quickly. If you let them sit overnight they become chewy. Still good but not crunchy. With this recipe be careful with your portions. Be sure not to eat too many.

I like the ones cut with the apple placed on its side. I feel those look the most like potato chips. The rings are fun, too. Use any kind of apple. I used Granny Smith for the chip style and Golden Delicious for the rings.

Servings: Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 2 apples. Don’t bother to peel them.
• 2 tsp of ground cinnamon mixed with
• 2 tsp of Truvia

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

You’ll want to slice your apples very thin or they won’t get crunchy. To do this I used my mandolin slices and set it on level 1 which is the thinnest setting. Without a mandolin slicer this will be tricky but you can get them fairly thin by hand, too.

Take out a 2 cookie sheets. Cover each of them with a piece of parchment paper. Without the parchment paper the apples will stick terribly.

Place your apple slices on the paper. Try not to have them touch each other unless you don’t mind them sticking together. In the pictures you’ll see they stuck some but they are easy to pull apart. Each cookie sheet contains one apple portion.

Sprinkle the top side with the flavor mixture. I put mine in a leftover shaker jar so it sprinkled on very evenly. Don’t worry if it’s a bit messy. They will still taste great.

Put the cookie sheets in the oven and bake for 2 hours. Watch them a last few minutes to make sure they don’t burn.

Serving Suggestions:

Serve hot or cold. I can see all kinds of flavors. You can use nutmeg for another sweet flavor. You can use cumin for an East-Indian version, use cayenne for a spicy version. You can even use the barbecue rub and make barbecue flavored apple chips. Use your creativity to find flavors you love.

Enjoy!
Cheers,

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

Plan Z Diet Apple Chips Recipe Copyright 2015 Plan Z Diet by Zola

The Plan Z Diet Crunch!

The Plan Z Diet Crunch

By: Zola

Chief Dieter

Plan Z Diet





While developing the Plan Z Diet, I never really thought much about what I now call the Crunch Factor. I was never the kid in our family that face-planted in the bag of potato chips. I left that to my brothers. I went for the donuts.

I never wanted to eat the hard candy. I’d rather have a brownie or ice cream for my treat.

After designing the Plan Z Diet, doing it several times, and taking in all the data from dieters, my mind has totally changed. My taste has changed, too.

Watch the video above on why crunchy foods taste so great and why you come back for more.

I get it now. As I developed the Plan Z Diet I was worried about people getting a little bit of carbohydrate from a bread source into their meals, but my only source without going over my designed allotment was to find breadsticks and crackers that could fill the bill. The softer choices like bread and rolls contained too many carbohydrates. It wasn’t til later that I heard from so many dieters that said the only thing they craved was something crunchy and that the breadsticks and crackers were helping fulfill that craving. Having a Crunch Factor has been vital.

Then it happened to me, too. I started craving crunchy and it carries over beyond when I am doing a Plan Z Diet ZReduction to lose weight. I am now part of the population that craves crunch.

Maybe that comes from eating more salads. I find myself loving the crunch that romaine lettuce provides and am not so attracted to plain leaves of greens.

I now crave my husband’s bacon. Not because it’s bacon, but because he’s an expert cook in the bacon category. His bacon comes out crunchy but not crumbly. It’s perfect. I don’t crave just any old bacon. I want HIS bacon fresh from the pan, left on the paper towels for a few minutes to drain and crunch up. And then dive in.

I also crave fried chicken. Fried chicken is a huge offering in Chicago right now. I don’t eat it often. I usually eat breast meat and I factor in the carbs from the breading into the food allotments for the day. So I’m not likely to eat two things that involve breading in one day or in even 3 or 4 days. But the crispier the chicken the better. That never used to hit my radar. I also think with so much chicken competition in Chicago that the chefs are really stepping up their game and cooking chicken in delightful ways.

And then there’s the delightful sound of a fresh stick of celery…or the crunch of a pickle.

What are your favorite crunchy foods? Let us know. And if they fit the Plan Z Diet ZReduction, (fresh and flavorful) you get bonus points! Just like the video, you can submit your recipe offerings, too. Just enter those in the comments section below the article. If you give us permission to repost them on our site, we will give you full credit.

Enjoy!
Cheers,

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

Plan Z Diet Fluffy, No Bake Lemon Cheesecake

Plan Z Diet Fluffy, No Bake Lemon Cheesecake

By: Zola

Chief Dieter

Plan Z Diet



Plan Z Diet by Zola

This is a Plan Z Diet ZReboot recipe. I came up with this recipe as a tribute to Plan Z Dieter Ron and his wife Jean. This darling couple drove from Wisconsin to Chicago just to meet me and my team. They wanted to thank us for developing and supporting Plan Z. Ron lost 69 pounds, feels great and looks fantastic. Thanks Ron!

Servings: Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 2 packages of cream cheese (1 lb)
• 2 lemons, juiced (about ¼ cup)
• 3 tsp of vanilla extract
• 1/8-1/4 cup of Truvia
• 1 – 2 tsp of lemon zest (plus more for garnish)
• Berries for garnish

Instructions:

Let your cream cheese come to room temperature or zap it (opened) in your microwave for 15 seconds on high to bring it to temp.

Put the cream cheese in a bowl. Add the lemon juice, Truvia, vanilla and the zest. In order to zest a lemon you use a tool called a microplane or rasp. Gently glide it over the lemon peel so you get shavings of the yellow part and not the bitter pith underneath. Tap the microplane on the counter to release the shavings. You can buy a fine microplane at any housewares store.

With an electric mixer, blend the cream cheese mixture until light and fluffy. This will take 1 – 2 minutes to get it nice and fluffy. Make sure the sides are scraped down so it all gets mixed.

Divide mixture among serving dishes. Then garnish.

Serving Suggestions:

If you are going to serve it right away, great. If you want, you can cover it and keep it in the fridge for a few hours before serving. Be sure to take it out of the refrigerator about 15 – 30 minutes before you want to eat it or it will taste refrigerator-cold.

Leftovers store well in the refrigerator, covered in plastic. Just like any other cheesecake they will become a bit more stiff over time. You can remedy this by stirring it up.

Blueberries, traditionally, go great with lemon. If you want more blueberries you can stud your cheese cake by stirring some extras in before you put it in your serving dish.

I also garnish with a bit more zest for more yellow color.

The amount of Truvia and zest you put in are up to your taste buds. I’d start with the smaller amount, mix, taste and then judge.

Enjoy!
Cheers,

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

Plan Z Diet Fluffy, No Bake Lemon Cheesecake Recipe Copyright 2015 Plan Z Diet by Zola

Plan Z Diet Cheesy Scallop Bake

Plan Z Diet Cheesy Scallop Bake

By: Zola

Chief Dieter

Plan Z Diet





Plan Z Diet by Zola

This is a Plan Z Diet ZReboot 3.5 recipe. This dish is similar to the fancy French dish called Coquilles St. Jacques but it’s much easier to make. Simple ingredients, a little sautéing and then pop it under the broiler. With a salad and side veggie this is fancy enough to serve to company.

Servings: Serves 3 – 4 (depending on serving size). Can be doubled and served from a 9″ X 13″ casserole dish.

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup of Panko breadcrumbs. Panko crumbs will give you a crunchier topping than regular bread crumbs.
• 5 Tbl of melted butter
• 1 cup of shredded Gruyere cheese
• 1/3 cup of mayonnaise
• 4 ounces of softened cream cheese
• ¼ cup of dry, white wine
• ¼ tsp of garlic powder
• 3 Tbl of minced, fresh Italian parsley
• 1 pound of bay scallops
• ½ pound of sliced mushrooms (you can use fancy or plain)
• ½ cup of minced shallots or sweet onion

Instructions:

In a small bowl, mix the bread crumbs with 1 Tbl of the melted butter. Set aside.

In another small bowl combine the cheese, mayo, cream cheese, white wine and garlic powder. Just mush it around until it’s mixed up. Set aside.

In a large saute pan, saute the scallops in 2 Tbl of the melted butter just until they are cooked. This will only take a few minutes on medium high. Scallops are done when they are no longer opaque. You can decide how well done you like your scallops. My husband likes his cooked a bit more but you don’t want little rubber blobs, either. The scallops are going to give off a lot of liquid. When they are done tilt the pan over your sink and t

ry to get a bit of the liquid to drain out. Then set the scallops on a platter covered with paper towels. The paper towel will absorb the rest of the liquid.

Using the same saute pan put in two more Tbl of melted butter and saute your mushrooms and shallots. You just want to get them cooked but you don’t need to go so far as to brown them. This will also take just about 3 minutes on medium high. Preheat your broiler.

Now you’re going to assemble. The saute pan already has the mushrooms and shallots in it. Add the cheese mixture and the scallops. Heat on medium until the mixture is hot and gooey. Transfer it to an 8” X 11” (or 9 X 9”) oven-proof dish. Gently spread on the bread crumb mixture. Place on the oven shelf about 6” below the broiling element and broil until the coating begins to brown. Keep an eye on it. This won’t take long.

Enjoy!
Cheers,

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

Plan Z Diet Cheesy Scallop Bake Recipe Copyright 2015 The Plan Z Diet by Zola

C or O?

C or O?

By: Zola

Chief Dieter

Plan Z Diet

I was listening to a radio talk show yesterday while I drove back from a company retreat. The experts they had on were seafood people. The chef works at a restaurant called Catch 35. His general manager was on the show too.

I learned a couple of things I thought I’d share with the Plan Z Diet.

The first thing was about cooking shrimp. Shrimp are so easy to cook but many people screw them up. They don’t have any real measure for how long to cook them.

The chef said it very well. He said when the shrimp are in the shape of a C they are done. If they are in the shape of an O you went too far and they are now overdone.

Easy. Just cook them to the C shape.

I often put the shrimp in at the last minute because I don’t want them to become over-cooked. I get the whole sauce prepared and just cook the shrimp by warming them in the sauce. That often works.

He talks about why you don’t want to buy cooked shrimp. They are just so easy to prepare and will taste better freshly cooked so why not use fresh? I’ll admit I buy cooked shrimp sometimes. If I am really strapped for time I don’t want to take time to rinse and thaw and then take off the shells and de-vein them. I can just drop cooked shrimp into a meal very easily and all I have to do is heat them up if it’s a warm dish. He makes the case for doing the extra work.

The General Manager was asked about buying the fishes that are now coming in from Asia. I have seen some new ones at my fish monger that are from Vietnam. Lots of fish now come from China too and Malaysia. He said to buy all North American fish if you can. Wild caught is always best. The reason is it can be caught and shipped into the store in less than 48 hours. If it’s coming from Asia it has to go through Customs and of all the hundreds of thousands of pounds of fish that come into the airports each day less than 2% of it is inspected. Those countries don’t have the same quality control laws that the US and Canada do so you are taking a higher risk buying their fish. That and it came a long way.

The distance theory also applies to lobster. There’s cold water lobster and warm water lobster. He says cold water lobster is sweeter. Better, firmer flesh too. And lobster from Maine is his preference over lobster from Australia and New Zealand. It takes a long time to fly a lobster from New Zealand. Even if it’s immediately frozen his opinion is that it begins to deteriorate early on.

So there you have your seafood lesson of the day.

Now that you’re hungry for seafood, let me offer up my recipe for my Plan Z Diet Cheesy Scallop Bake. I love this stuff!

Plan Z Diet Cheesy Scallop Bake

You can easily make it with shrimp too.

Cheers,

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

Plan Z Diet Shrimp in a Creamy Mustard Sauce

Plan Z Diet Shrimp in a Creamy Mustard Sauce

By: Zola

Chief Dieter

Plan Z Diet




The Plan Z Diet by Zola

This is a Plan Z Diet ZReduction recipe. This dish comes together in what feels like an instant. The sauce is quick and easy and because you are using cooked shrimp, it doesn’t take long to cook, maybe 15 minutes total. This tastes very gourmet without the fuss of slaving over a hot stove all day. And it’s nice enough to make for company.

Servings: Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs of cooked shrimp (approximately 8 per serving of medium-large shrimp), thawed. Tails on or off – your choice. I leave the tails on for looks but I don’t eat them.
• 2 medium shallots, minced
• 1 cup of organic chicken broth
• ¼ cup of balsamic vinegar
• ¼ cup of heavy cream
• 3 Tbl of Dijon mustard
• 2 Tbl of minced, fresh tarragon
• 1 Tbl of minced, fresh chives
• Olive oil spray
• Sea salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Season shrimp with salt and pepper and set aside.

Lightly spritz one or two large sauté pans with olive oil. In the pan(s) add the shallots. Sauté them lightly just to loosen up the shallots. Add the tarragon. Deglaze the pan with the balsamic vinegar. Then add the broth and the shrimp. Heat until the shrimp are hot. Then add the cream and mustard. Simmer on medium just until the sauce begins to thicken a bit. There isn’t that much cream in this dish so it won’t thicken like a regular sauce but you should be able to get it to thicken a bit.

Serving Suggestions:

Serve the shrimp on plates with a scattering of the fresh chives. YUM!

Enjoy!
Cheers,

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

The Plan Z Diet Asks How Good Can Things Get?

The Plan Z Diet Asks How Good Can Things Get?

By: Zola

Chief Dieter

Plan Z Diet

Not long after we started our sales training company in the 1980’s I heard a speech about goal setting that inspired me. The story goes like this:

There was a study done at Yale University involving the graduates from the class of 1953. Researchers had polled the senior class about their future. They specifically asked how many of them had written down their goals. The answer was 3%. Three percent of the graduates had specific, written goals. The rest were unwritten or unclear. Twenty years later they checked back on the graduates and found that the 3% with the written goals had accumulated more personal financial wealth than the other 97% of the class – combined!

Like I said, that inspired me. So I wrote down my top 10 goals and put them on an index card. I used to carry that index card in my Daytimer where I logged all of my appointments. I came across that list regularly so it sort of stayed in front of my face for regular review.

Some of the goals were financial. Some of the goals were things that I wanted to get done or maintain. Some were short term and some were long term. The first of the financial goals I surpassed in just the first year. A very large financial goal, I blew away in about year 4. It was a 10 year goal so getting it done in 4 years was a big deal to me. One was to have a second home in Chicago. I got that done too. One was to maintain a happy marriage. I’m going on year 28 now. If the goal had not been met it had been replaced by something in the same category that was even bigger. Circumstances changed for me so some of my goals needed adjustment. That happens.

The thing is, the process worked. And it worked big time.

Fast forward. Not too many years ago I found out the study was a hoax. No one ever surveyed the Yale class of 1953. No one. Just about every famous motivational speaker told that story and each of them credited a study that turned out to be fictitious. Brian Tracy told the story. Anthony Robbins admitted he told the story. He credited Zig Ziglar. Zig had told the story too. They all thought that it was true. It wasn’t.

My opinion? Who CARES! If the act of writing down the goals works; even for three percent of the population (or pick a number) then I’m a supporter.

Just for grins I’ll tell you a couple of stories about the grads of the Yale Class of 1953.

One of the grads became CEO of Coca Cola. His name is Roberto Goizneta. He thought he’d be working in Cuba, but instead he became the leader at Coke. Two other guys were partners who started one of the biggest law firms in New York City. They planned to be lawyers so that worked out well for them. Another guy, Forrest Mars, Jr. became the CEO of Mars, Inc. I have to say we should have seen this one coming since his last name is Mars but let’s give him credit in that he had to be prepared for the job. He’s retired now but the family still owns Mars.

For the last couple of years I will have to admit I have been lax in writing down specific, written goals. I have done business plans and made plans for my future but I didn’t do the personal index card. I haven’t carried an index card around with me. I just haven’t done it. I got out of the habit.

I was thinking about it this morning and I attributed my lack of initiative to the economy. We’ve all been hit with so much disappointment in the last decade it’s no wonder we’re skittish to make plans. Everyone has been blindsided by disappointment. I dare say none of us is totally immune.

I will tell you though that I have decided to come out of my own personal shell and get out a new index card and make a new list. I have every confidence that if I do that I’ll make those goals.

How about you? What are you doing to determine your future? Are you going to make a list and review it regularly? I hope so. And I hope you make your goals.

Cheers,


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

Plan Z Diet Porcini Mushroom Sauce

Plan Z Diet Porcini Mushroom Sauce

By: Zola

Chief Dieter

Plan Z Diet

The Plan Z Diet by Zola

This is a Plan Z Diet ZReboot sauce that can be served on steak, chicken, roast beef or even a full-flavored fish like sea bass or halibut. A splurge for sure. The Plan Z Diet by Zola offers you comfort food and even luscious gourmet offerings.

Servings: Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 cup of porcini mushrooms
¼ cup of ruby port
½ cup of water
1 Tbl of olive oil
1 Tbl of butter
3 Tbl of finely diced shallots
½ cup of prepared beef or beef/veal demi-glace
Sea salt and ground black pepper (to taste)
2 Tbl of butter
Whisper of cayenne (optional)

Instructions:

First thing is to prep the mushrooms. I do this early in the day. In a small bowl, just add the mushrooms with the water and port. Let them soak. (If you can’t do this early in the day you’ll need a good 30 minutes. They need to soften)

Drain the mushrooms and coarsely chop them.

In a saute pan add the olive oil and the butter. Put in your mushrooms and your shallots. Saute on medium until the shallots are loosened and the liquid begins to dissipate from the mushrooms. Stir often. Add the prepared demi-glace and stir. (Mine comes as a gel so I scoop out what I need and just add water to the pan. Keep stirring til it melts. Sometimes it comes frozen with the water already in it and you might just have to thaw it. All brands are different. Just follow the instructions on the container.)

Season with salt and pepper. Taste to make sure the mushrooms are done to your liking. The sauce will be glossy and fairly thick. Then turn OFF the heat. Add the rest of the butter to give it even more richness. Stir to incorporate. Decide if you want to add a whisper of cayenne. I do it just to give the flavor a bit of brightness. Not spicy heat.

Serving Suggestions:

Serve over your protein.

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

Porcini Mushroom Sauce Recipe Copyright 2015 The Plan Z, Diet by Zola

Plan Z Diet Porterhouse Primer

Plan Z Diet Porterhouse Primer

By: Zola

Chief Dieter

Plan Z Diet

As one of 7 children, I didn’t eat a lot of steak as a child. There were just too many mouths to feed and we couldn’t afford it.

I do remember when most of the older kids had left home, my parents took to serving fondue on Sunday evenings. There were just 2 of us kids of steak-eating-age at the time, so we were allowed little bits of steak that we could cook in the boiling oil of the fondue pot. Truth be told, we had more chicken bits to put in the pot than we did beef cuts, but we were allowed a little bit. We knew it was a fancy deal.

Fast forward to my young adulthood. I went on a trip to New York City where I saw my first dry aged meats hanging in the famous Gallagher Steak House. That was about 40 years ago, but Gallagher’s still exists. In this picture you can see the dry aging room.

That evening I had my first T-Bone Steak. BIG YUM. I was hooked.

I have grown more fond of eating beef tenderloin now, rather than any other cut. I really think it’s because I find the tenderloin of a manageable size. If you want a hint of what tenderloin to order from your butcher, ask the butcher for 6-8 oz size and “center cut”. That’s the important bit. A center cut steak won’t have any of those strings holding wobbly bits together. A center cut steak is the most prized and comes in one piece.

Whenever I start to gain a few pounds I do a modified version of a steak day that is offered as part of Plan Z. What that means is, I eat lightly through the daytime; maybe just a salad. Then when dinner comes I have an 8 oz beef tenderloin with sides of veggies. Honestly, I wake up two pounds lighter each time I do it.

Tonight I’m cooking up my modified steak day plan and I’m going to be inventing a new porcini mushroom sauce to go with it. Truly decadent. I ate very lightly today and I’m starving so I’m ready for my steak. So very ready!

I thought you’d enjoy this little lesson on the Porterhouse steak. A porterhouse includes the tenderloin section.

There are informational pieces in this Porterhouse Primer that I didn’t even know and I’m a pretty big student of the steak. So I hope you take a look, a listen and pass it onto other steak lovers.

http://www.eater.com/2015/6/19/8813249/everything-you-need-to-know-about-americas-most-iconic-steak

Enjoy!
Cheers,


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

Music to My Plan Z Diet Ears

Music to My Plan Z Diet Ears

By: Zola

Chief Dieter

Plan Z Diet

Dinner isn’t the only thing we do at dinner here at Plan Z Diet Headquarters.

So what do I mean by that?

Every time we eat a meal we make a series of decisions.

We decide things like:

Where are we going to eat? Will we be eating in the car while we drive? Will we go into a restaurant? Will we be eating at home?

If we are eating at home, where will we eat? Are we just chowing down, standing in front of the sink? Are we sitting down? Will we be eating in front of the TV? In the kitchen at the table? Or in the dining room?

What will we eat? Is this going to be a fast food meal? A healthy meal? A hearty meal? Carry out? Comfort food? Gourmet dining? A Plan Z Diet recipe!?

Who will we be eating with? And how does that affect the meal? Are there young children involved? Or is this romantic dining for two?

Are we in a hurry to eat? Or can we take our time?

There are just so many environmental things that affect our meals. And our environment can even impact how good the food tastes and whether we really enjoy our time eating.

I’ve decided that enjoying our time eating is important. Most of us do this activity at least 3 times a day. And yet we pay so little attention. It’s probably one of the contributors to our population gaining weight. Studies already show that the French take their time eating. And they are skinnier. That’s only one factor but it does matter. Americans are always in such a hurry. That’s why fast food has such an impact on our diet. We act like we want to get eating over with; rather than enjoy it.

I’ve always made dinner a priority especially when I'm on the Plan Z Diet. And dinner parties are a way of life for me. I love to entertain. I celebrate food. I also celebrate the act of having dinner; even on weekdays.

Some would say I obsess with the details of dinner but I’m okay with that.

Each time I plan a meal I am thinking ahead to where I’ll eat it. I think about what plate it will be served on. (I have a collection of dinner plates of various sizes and colors. It’s a hobby. I realize I’m odd in that respect.)

I think about how the settling will look; whether I’ll be eating at the dining room table or off a TV tray. I also think about the noise around me and that’s where I come to today’s topic. Music.

I plan my music to suit my menu. If I’m serving Mexican food like Plan Z Diet Taco Salad #2 I might choose salsa music. If I am doing a French meal with the Plan Z Diet Chicken Breasts with Zola's French Pan Sauce I’ll choose French music to go along with it. I might not understand a word of the French singing but hearing French music while I am eating French food brings back pleasant memories of being in France or even Quebec.

Plan Z Diet Taco Salad #2

Plan Z Diet Chicken Breasts with Zola's French Pan Sauce

Let’s say I’m having Plan Z Diet Great Steak. If the side dishes are simple, straightforward American-style items I might choose from several types of American music. I might choose Frank Sinatra or my favorite, Dean Martin. That way I can feel like it’s 1960, when straightforward American dishes were all the rage. If I’m cooking things that were popular in the 1980’s I might match the music to that and do oldies.

Plan Z Diet Great Steak

If I’m having a barbecue outside, like the Plan Z Diet Barbecue Burgers or Barbecue Chicken, Plan Z Diet Style I might pick the Beach Boys, or flip to pop music of today. Barbecuing just brings out a lighthearted mood and so I like the music to match.

Plan Z Diet Barbecue Burgers

Barbecue Chicken, Plan Z Diet Style

Tying the food to the music sets up the mood. I’ll surely pick romantic music for a dinner for two; especially on days like Valentine’s Day.

The food always just tastes more authentic. It tastes better. It tastes like it has more depth if the music matches the food.

I hope I have inspired you to go forward and choose music to match the food you’ll be serving. And feel free to let me know how that affects your meal, your mood and your enjoyment of the experience.

Enjoy!
Cheers,

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

On a Plan Z Diet Cinnamon Toast High

On a Plan Z Diet Cinnamon Toast High

By: Zola

Chief Dieter

Plan Z Diet

On Saturday morning I ate breakfast at the Cinnamon Café. It’s a cute place that specializes in Mexican food. They have lots of authentic dishes on the menu so my husband loves the place. I don’t usually like Mexican food for breakfast but I think my husband could eat that kind of breakfast every day of his life.

I ordered a straightforward omelet and bacon. Boring. (A perfect breakfast, though, when you're in ZReboot on the Plan Z Diet). When the waitress asked me what kind of toast I wanted, I paused. I generally don’t eat toast. I just don’t want the carbohydrates. We teach our Plan Z Dieters to stay away from the carbs because your liver can’t tell the difference between bread and candy. It’s all the same by the time it gets to that point in my digestion. Since I am working to keep my weight steady and not gain back all I have lost, I limit my carbohydrate intake to 20% or less of my daily consumption. I used to eat a LOT of carbs before the Plan Z Diet. Pasta. Potatoes. Whole grain bread. I used to think they were good for me. Now I know better.

On this day, I decided to order toast. I figured at the Cinnamon Café they’d have cinnamon toast. I was right. I ordered cinnamon raisin toast. I had not had any in years. I remember as a kid that we’d go to the local bakery and come home with one of those long tubular loaves of cinnamon raisin bread. It was in a spiral with the cinnamon in the cracks and it was dotted with raisins. I was wondering if I’d get round cinnamon toast or some other shape. Sure enough it arrived at our table and it was the round kind. I was immediately transported back to my childhood. I used to eat three pieces at a time for breakfast. We had what was a new invention then: the toaster oven. I could fit three pieces in the toaster oven instead of the usual two in the regular toaster. I smiled when she set the plate down.

I didn’t dive into the cinnamon toast. I enjoyed plenty of my omelet and bacon first. Then I took a bite of the cinnamon toast. When I bit into it, I first got a taste of the cinnamon sugar around the rim of the bread. I had forgotten that part. If my mouth could have jumped, it would have. That sugary rim just sent a shiver through my mouth and most of the rest of my body. That was what I would call true sugar shock. A cinnamon toast high. I was stunned at how sweet it tasted. I didn’t need much to satisfy my sweet tooth, that’s for sure. Certainly not three pieces. Not even a full single piece and I was done.

Having that experience brought back the memory of a news story that ran last week. The story discussed how sugar should probably be regulated the same way liquor is. It should be taxed and have restrictions on whether children can buy it. The story came from a doctor that I follow and admire. I share his nutritional research often with other on the Plan Z Diet. His name is Dr. Robert Lustig. I am including a link to the article here. I hope you have a chance to read it. Dr. Lustig has taught me a ton about how sugar is metabolized in the body. It’s pretty scary stuff and the education is important.

http://healthland.time.com/2012/02/02/should-sugar-be-regulated-like-alcohol-and-tobacco/

I know for a fact that Dr. Lustig only lets his children eat a sugary treat once a week. He takes them out on Sunday and lets them buy something sweetened with sugar. He closely supervises their consumption of sugar. He seems like a pretty normal dad and his daughters seem healthy, happy and satisfied. I was perfectly satisfied with my bit of cinnamon raisin toast, too.

Enjoy!
Cheers,

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

We'll Always Have England

We'll Always Have England

By: Zola

Chief Dieter

Plan Z Diet

They were like kids in the back seat of the car on a summer vacation. I almost expected to hear “How many more driveways ‘til we get there?”

Some days the drives were quite long; up to 4 hours. The “kids” in the backseat were my in-laws, Jack and Sally. It was a trip I will never forget, and for all the right reasons.

My husband and I used to travel to Great Britain quite regularly for business; usually twice a year and once even three times. Each time we stayed at least two weeks, visiting our clients in several cities and conducting sales training seminars for their staffs and clients.

On this particular trip we invited Jack and Sally along. Sally had been to London once but Jack had never been out of the US except for his military duty on a war ship off of the coast of China during WWII. This trip was a big deal to them. It was pretty much routine for us except that they were along.

We tried to do some special things for them on the trip but mostly they just tagged along as we did our business. They made themselves busy during the day and most afternoons we had to drive to the next city and check into the next hotel. On the weekends we could venture out a bit more. In-between city visits there were a few times we had a day or two off so we could spend more time together.

My routine was to get up early and deal with my business back in the states. I had to answer faxes that had come through in order to run our company. (There was no email at that point in history.) Then I scoured my tour books and local brochures to come up with suggestions for how they could spend their day. They were very good at taking some of the suggestions and venturing out of the hotel. Other times they just read while we got our work done.

One of the days we were there was Jack’s birthday. We took them to a special restaurant and he got the autograph of the chef. Another evening we went to a play and ate dinner after. That meant dinner at after midnight for two folks in their 70’s. Highly unusual. They did just fine and stayed perky throughout the evening.

We visited cities and hamlets. You name it we either toured it or drove through it.

One weekend we found ourselves on the south coast. My husband and I decided to treat them to something we thought they would find special. And special it turned out to be. We decided to find our way down to the beach so they could look back at the White Cliffs of Dover. Those cliffs mean so much to those involved in WWII and are now listed as a national landmark and icon of Britain.

It took me quite some time to figure out how to navigate a route that would take us down to the beach. It wasn’t clear on the map, that’s for sure. We found parking and got out of the car. This was the only time the entire trip that Sally and Jack ventured off when we were with them. They always hung close to us, but not on this day. Without saying a word they joined hands and strolled off down the beach. They didn’t say “goodbye,” didn’t say “we’ll be back in a minute.” They just went off on their own for some quiet time together. It was one of the few times I saw them holding hands. It was a rare and special moment to watch them strolling along a quiet and peaceful beach, holding hands, looking up at the cliffs and just standing together, as a couple, on the beach. I never asked them what they spoke of while they walked or what thoughts filled their heads. It was more of a meditative moment for them, and one of those times couples share without intrusion. I’ll never forget seeing their silhouette in the distance as the sun waned.

On another occasion we met up in London with one of our dear friends and clients named Julian. Julian made a special trip into the city to take Jack and Sally on a very special adventure while Chris and I conducted our business of the day.

Julian had connections. Julian has connections to seemingly everything special. Julian had arranged for Jack and Sally to tour Parliament. This was no public tour. This was a private tour of the inner “sanctums” of Parliament and also to meet up with a Member of Parliament who was Julian’s friend. Talk about jealous. That could have been my middle name that day.

Julian arranged even more. He arranged for them to have lunch in the private dining room at Parliament. I’ll never forget his generosity and I’ll never lose touch of the chattering voices coming from Jack and Sally after their special day. Funny, too, was Sally’s tipsy behavior when she returned. Not much of a drinker, Sally had a bit of special sherry while there and was as chatty as ever for a good chunk of the afternoon. It was really cute. It was a memory to be captured and held close for a lifetime.

As we ventured along we gathered memorabilia. We kept that autographed menu. We kept the theatre ticket stubs. We kept brochures and stubs from museums, landmarks and anything else we thought would capture the memories. When we returned home my husband and I had all of those bits put into a collage and framed. That picture hangs in Jack and Sally’s house.

Sadly, my husband and I will be traveling to Ohio in the not too distant future to pick up that framed collage. Sally passed away this past December 23rd after a short illness. She was 88 years old. (Jack had passed away a few years before).

I have to profess that I had the best in-laws any woman could ask for. They were bright and generous folks. They gave me an example of a loving couple to emulate as I pass into the decades of marriage I hope to have ahead of me. They were loved in their community and by their family. They were funny. They stayed bright and downright hip in their elder years. Sally was emailing and reading on her Kindle even in her last days.

I had the privilege of taking a picture of Jack and Sally on their 50th wedding anniversary. It’s definitely my favorite picture of them. The trip to England was their 50th wedding anniversary gift from us. I’ll also forever hold dear my mind’s picture of them strolling the beach under the White Cliffs of Dover.

With Jack and Sally we’ll always have England.

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

Plan Z Diet Apple Chips

The Plan Z Diet Apple Chips

By: Zola

Chief Dieter

Plan Z Diet




Plan Z Diet by Zola

This is a Plan Z Diet ZReduction recipe from the creative mind of Jen. When we were at lunch the other day, Jen mentioned how dieters miss their crunch. She wondered if we could come up with a recipe for apple chips. I will tell you they worked. They are crunchy if you eat them quickly. If you let them sit overnight they become chewy. Still good but not crunchy. With this recipe be careful with your portions. Be sure not to eat too many.

I like the ones cut with the apple placed on its side. I feel those look the most like potato chips. The rings are fun, too. Use any kind of apple. I used Granny Smith for the chip style and Golden Delicious for the rings.

Servings: Serves 2

Ingredients:
2 apples. Don’t bother to peel them.
2 tsp of ground cinnamon mixed with
2 tsp of Truvia

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

You’ll want to slice your apples very thin or they won’t get crunchy. To do this I used my mandolin slices and set it on level 1 which is the thinnest setting. Without a mandolin slicer this will be tricky but you can get them fairly thin by hand, too.

Take out a 2 cookie sheets. Cover each of them with a piece of parchment paper. Without the parchment paper the apples will stick terribly.

Place your apple slices on the paper. Try not to have them touch each other unless you don’t mind them sticking together. In the pictures you’ll see they stuck some but they are easy to pull apart. Each cookie sheet contains one apple portion.

Sprinkle the top side with the flavor mixture. I put mine in a leftover shaker jar so it sprinkled on very evenly. Don’t worry if it’s a bit messy. They will still taste great.

Put the cookie sheets in the oven and bake for 2 hours. Watch them a last few minutes to make sure they don’t burn.

Serving Suggestions:

Serve hot or cold. I can see all kinds of flavors. You can use nutmeg for another sweet flavor. You can use cumin for an East-Indian version, use cayenne for a spicy version. You can even use the barbecue rub and make barbecue flavored apple chips. Use your creativity to find flavors you love.

Enjoy!
Cheers,

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

Read the Label. It's a Plan Z Diet Requirement!

Read the Label. It's a Plan Z Diet Requirement!

By: Zola

Chief Dieter

Plan Z Diet

AC Nielson is known best in the US for its work with television viewership ratings. They rate radio station listening, too. That’s all well and good but AC Nielson is actually a global information and measurement company. They conduct polls and surveys in over 100 countries all over the world.

I found out today that AC Nielson has conducted a couple of surveys that relate to consumer behavior in the super market. This information can prove very useful for those on the Plan Z Diet.

For example, I found out that according to AC Nielson survey research, only 21% of the population ever reads a food label on the products they buy. I should not be surprised. Until the last few years I was probably more influenced by TV commercials than I was by the label on the product. If they told me on TV that it was good for me, I believed them. Not so much anymore.

That leaves almost 80% of our population wandering uniformed through the grocery store, picking up products and putting them into their cart with no real education about what it is or what it will do to them when they eat it. On the Plan Z Diet we teach people how to read labels and the importance of being a conscious consumer.

People watch TV and then go out and buy what advertisers (food companies) tell them to buy. They push their cart through the aisles and pull things off the shelf that look pretty, or colorful, or tasty. And then, without any real regard for the contents in the package, they cook it up and eat it. That’s sad.

We do more to research what kind of car we are going to buy than what we put in our mouths to fuel our bodies.

AC Nielson also reported that out of the 21% of people who read a label, on average, only 43% of them are confident that they understand what they are reading. That’s ridiculously sad. This stuff should be taught in high school.

I’m not going to go into great detail on how to read a food label, but I will give you a quick rundown from the perspective of the Plan Z Diet. Before the Plan Z Diet, I was only interested in the calorie count. If it was low-cal I thought I was good to go. Now I know better. Buying low-calorie foods made me overweight.

Let’s look at this label for spaghetti. Before I knew better, this was one of my favorites.

First off, let’s look at the serving size at the top. You’ll see it says one cup. That’s one cup COOKED. Do you know what one cup cooked looks like on your plate? I assure you it looks NOTHING like the portion shown on an Olive Garden TV commercial. What they show in TV ads is a HUGE amount of spaghetti. They make sure the sauce amount is smaller and the spaghetti sticks out around the sides and sometimes even covers the very edge of the plate. That’s insane. A cup of cooked spaghetti is a proper portion. The pasta trade associations even refers to pasta as ‘a vehicle’ for sauce. It’s the sauce that’s good for you.

The other thing I want to focus on for today’s conversation is the number of grams of carbohydrates. There are 40 grams of carbohydrates in ONE cup of spaghetti. Most humans can’t handle more than about 80 grams of carbohydrates in one day before their weight would start to go up. This number varies by your height and weight as well as your individual metabolism, but this is a fairly good number to gauge with. So 40 grams of carbohydrates would be half of your carbohydrates for a full day. That doesn’t even take into account the carbohydrates that would be in the spaghetti sauce. And don’t get me started on the garlic bread.

A Snicker’s Bar has 37 grams of carbohydrates. Do you get my drift?

Believe me when I say it isn’t fat that makes you fat… it’s the carbohydrates. Pay close attention and READ YOUR LABELS.

More on this soon.

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