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CHAPTER 1
The "Plan A" Diet
Then God said, "I've given you every sort of seed-bearing plant on Earth, and every kind of fruit-bearing tree, given them to you for food. To all animals and all birds, everything that moves and breathes, I give whatever grows out of the ground for food." And there it was. (Genesis 1:29–30, MSG)
What The "Plan A" Diet Is Not
Although technically everything we eat is considered our diet, the word diet can have a hundred different meanings depending on whom you talk with. So let's begin by clarifying that The "Plan A" Diet is not a typical diet of restriction for a specified amount of time, nor is it a diet of deprivation that will require super human efforts to refrain from eating. It isn't a short-term fast or cleanse, and you won't need to purchase any magical supplements or powders. Nor is it a diet book with various phases of eating patterns to be implemented one after another until you reach a maintenance level. It does not rely on food combining, willpower, or mathematically tracking food intake.
The success rates of typical diets are dismal. Diets which require us to count calories, count carbs, count points, weigh foods, or decrease portion sizes can leave us feeling hungry and frustrated — and who wants that? Those types of diets are temporary fixes that don't last. Losing weight permanently and regaining health does not mean counting or weighing smaller portions of the same unhealthy foods. Evidence that traditional diets don't work can be found by looking at a 2013 study showing that out of 188 countries, not one has lowered its obesity rate since 1980. The world sadly continues to grow more obese. If you care to guess which country ranks the highest for obesity rates, and you guess the United States, you'd be a winner. We're ranked as the most obese country in the world despite all the diet plans available and the millions of dollars spent on weight-loss efforts.
The lengths to which well-intentioned people will go to lose weight quickly — without regard for their health or truly questioning a diet recommendation — are remarkable. For example, in addition to the mainstream diet plans we see advertised through the media with their celebrity spokespeople, a quick google search reveals such things as the cabbage soup diet, the cookie diet, the leek diet, the baby food diet, the green coffee diet, the moon diet, the fast food diet, various e-diets, and so on. I remember going on a "cottage cheese and canned pears" diet at one point in my life. Questionable diet plans such as these often appeal to those looking for the next magic bullet.
Then there are the more mainstream fad diets, including blood type diets, anti-grain diets, caveman diets, ketogenic diets, eat-more-fat diets, and calorie restriction diets. These plans are typically the low-carb, high-protein, high-fat diets that dangerously promote weight loss at the expense of health. The "Plan A" Diet does not promote a fad (see #5 below). Instead it will demonstrate that the long-term answer to weight maintenance and good health is simple, achievable, and proven. And it's been available since creation.
Pattern Matters
Unlike a typical short-term diet or fast, The "Plan A" Diet is an overall dietary pattern to be enjoyed well into your old age and for the rest of your life. It's fine to include certain foods in your diet for their above-average health properties (for example, including flax seed for its omega-3 content and cancer fighting lignans, or consuming berries for their antioxidant power); but remember that it's the daily pattern of your overall diet that has the greatest effect on your health outcome. It's highly unlikely that simply adding flax seeds or berries to the Standard American Diet (SAD) is going to yield many, if any, real health results. The best way to lose weight and regain your health is to change the entire pattern.
While it may seem daunting to make such extensive, permanent dietary changes, consider what's motivating you to change your diet in the first place. Are you trying to lose weight so you can walk without pain? Trying to reverse type 2 diabetes or get off the cholesterol meds? Concerned about cancer or having a heart attack? Do you want to take an active part in your grandchild's life? Would you like to save money by staying out of the medical system? Do you dream of traveling or staying energetic in retirement? Temporary diet fixes will not address those issues long-term. Keep your focus on what's motivating you and enjoy the peace of mind that comes by putting the right foods in your mouth.
The Macronutrients
The "Plan A" Diet outlined below strives to get roughly 80 percent of calories from carbohydrates, 10 percent from fat, and 10 percent from protein. You may be thinking, "80 percent of calories from carbs?! I'll be huge!" No, you won't. You'll actually lose weight as you fill up on the comfort foods you've been designed to eat. The key is to understand that not all carbs are created equal. You'll be basing your meal plans around complex carbohydrates (potatoes, corn, beans, rice, veggies, fruit, legumes, and whole grains), not refined carbohydrates made with denatured flours, added fats, sodium, and processed sugars (donuts, white bread, snack cakes and corn chips).
If you remember one thing from this chapter, let it be this: complex carbs don't make you fat — FAT makes you fat. To illustrate this point, consider a baked potato. A potato is a nutritious, low-fat, low-calorie, complex carbohydrate that provides the body with its preferred source of energy. Only 1 percent of the calories in a potato come from fat. That is, however, until we adulterate that potato by frying it in grease to make French fries (46 percent fat) or convert it into potato chips (56 percent fat). Or until we smother that potato with butter, cheese, sour cream, and bacon bits; now we've added a big dose of fat (and cholesterol) to an otherwise healthy food. As you can see, the complex carb potato at 1 percent fat is not the culprit adding to our weight struggles. Our troubles begin when the potato gets processed into a refined carb junk food or doused with high-fat toppings. (Fortunately, delicious, low-fat potato toppings are spelled out in this book.)
The biggest reason healthy carbs have gotten a bad rap is because both types of carbs — complex and refined — have been lumped into one evil category, causing much of society to develop carbophobia (the intense or obsessive avoidance of carbohydrates). Don't fall prey to that mindset. Remember that there's a big difference between a bowl of black bean chili (complex carb) and a slice of glazed coffee cake (refined carb). Today's research continually affirms what we've known for many decades: A starch-based diet with the addition of vegetables and fruits is not only the healthiest diet on the planet, it's the diet we're physically designed to eat.
Getting back to the prescribed ratio of 80 percent carbs, 10 percent protein, and 10 percent fat, you may also be questioning the seemingly low protein and fat recommendations. Have no fear! Not only is this style of eating loaded with health-promoting fiber, it provides ample protein, calcium, essential fats, carbohydrate, antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins (with the possible exception of vitamin B12, for which a supplement is recommended). We'll be discussing more on these topics — especially the issue of protein — in the following chapters. Dr. T. Colin Campbell is among many lifestyle doctors today who refer to the 80–10–10 ratio of macronutrients as the ideal human diet. You don't need to keep track of the 80–10–10 numbers or be overly mindful of them. Eating a variety of nutritious plant foods according to the food pyramid shown on page 15 will allow your body to sustain a healthy balance and select what it needs for optimal function.
The "Plan A" Diet (and the Plan B Approach)
The "Plan A" Diet is a whole food, plant-based, no-added-oil diet that includes a wide variety of fiber-filled complex carbohydrates and densely nutritious foods. Starches such as potatoes, rice, corn, yams, and squash are central to the plan, with the inclusion of beans and legumes, non-starchy vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and lots of good clean water. Certain processed foods such as breads, pastas, soups, cereals, crackers, and snack bars are allowed, assuming the products contain only acceptable ingredients. A daily menu might include oatmeal with fruit for breakfast, zucchini-bean burritos or potato soup for lunch, and a salad with lasagna or stuffed peppers for dinner. Fruits and healthy desserts will ensure that your sweet tooth is satisfied.
Gone is the hassle of counting, weighing, or measuring your foods. There is no deprivation because you eat whenever you're hungry and stop when you're comfortably full (not stuffed). Consuming a calorie-dilute, high-fiber diet such as this will allow you to eat larger portions of food and fill your stomach with much fewer calories, as illustrated by the calorie density chart shown below:
Foods proven to be the most damaging to our health and weight are excluded from the plan, including all animal flesh (beef, chicken, pork, lamb, fish), eggs, dairy products (milk, butter, cheese, ice cream, yogurt, sour cream), processed meats (hot dogs, lunchmeats, bacon, salami, ham, jerky), heavily processed junk food, fast food, soda pop/sugary beverages, and all added oils. Yes, even olive and coconut oils are to be avoided since they're 100 percent pure liquid fat and contribute to several serious health issues. The unbiased research that supports these positions should no longer be ignored. Remember that eating animal products, extracted oils, and fast food is how we've achieved the status of being the most obese nation on the planet. Take a deep breath and rest assured there are delicious, homemade substitutions for ice cream, cheese, and most of your current favorite recipes. I promise you will not be deprived of delectable comfort foods.
Faster Weight Loss
Although The "Plan A" Diet is a safe and effective way to lose weight, those wishing to accelerate the weight-loss process would do well to eliminate the higher-fat plant foods such olives, nuts, nut butters, seeds, avocados, and soy-based foods. These calorie-dense foods are near the top of the food pyramid for a reason; they should only be used sparingly — if at all — due to their fat content. Adding these foods as condiments to a dish is acceptable for most people (for example, adding a few nuts to your oatmeal, chopped olives to a quinoa salad, or sliced avocado to a burrito). But for faster weight loss and, in some cases disease reversal, the higher-fat plant foods are best avoided.
Another diet buster is added oils. As mentioned above, added oils are certainly not a part of The "Plan A" Diet — and that includes processed foods which contain oil (especially oil-filled margarines which are 100 percent fat). Just three tablespoons of oil per day — which isn't unusual in the Standard American Diet — can add about 3 pounds to your weight each month, not to mention the damage oils cause to your artery lining and joints. Extracted oils are the most calorie-dense food on the planet, containing 120 calories and 14 grams of fat per tablespoon. As Dr. John McDougall likes to remind us: The fat you eat is the fat you wear. (Refer to the "Be a Non-Conformist" chapter for additional information about oils.)
Another bit of advice for faster weight loss pertains to a key point that's worth repeating: Eat when you're hungry but stop when you're comfortably full. It's not uncommon in our culture to eat until we're overstuffed and bloated. Even when consuming a healthy diet, continuing to eat past satiety can hinder weight loss by adding extra calories and extra pounds. Keep in mind that your stomach is about the size of your fist (although it can expand to many times its size). Stop to consider if you're truly still hungry before going back for seconds or when mindlessly eating over the sink.
Twigs and Tree Bark?
Honestly, how does the food taste? Let's face it. No one will adopt this plan if the food isn't yummy. Let me assure you the foods are delicious, pleasurable, and satisfying. I'm a long-time foodie who grew up in an Italian home, and I would not enjoy eating this way if it meant eating grass, rabbit food, twigs, and tree bark (a common misconception about plant-eaters). Will there be a short period of recalibrating your taste buds? Possibly. But the good news is that taste buds change rather quickly, and soon you'll no longer crave the wrong foods. We're all creatures of habit who crave what we continually eat — and it won't take long before you'll begin to crave the good stuff!
Many of your favorite dishes can be recreated in a healthy version. You'll be quite pleased with a thick, hearty bean and mushroom chili, and you won't miss the ground beef. You'll savor sloppy joes, burritos, lasagnas, burgers, pastas, stews, macaroni and cheese, mock meatloaf, mashed potatoes with golden gravy, incredibly creamy soups, stir frys, and more. You'll enjoy banana splits, cookies, and chocolate desserts, all plant-based and amazingly good. What about no longer adding oils to your food? You won't miss that at all. In fact, you'll once again be able to taste the foods that used to be covered in oils. Whenever I offer a cooking class, members of the audience often remark, "Wow, I could really eat this way!" Will there be a learning curve as you adopt a new way of shopping and cooking? Absolutely — just as there would be when embracing any new endeavor. Will it be worth it? Without a doubt. (Note: If you prefer to transition more slowly to The "Plan A" Diet, you'll find details in the Plan B Transition Approachlisted below.)
Why Is It Called The "Plan A" Diet?
When we refer to something as our Plan A, it typically means it's our original strategy and most beneficial choice. It's no different with this eating plan. Here are several reasons why this type of diet should become your preferred go-to plan for the rest of your life — in other words, your Plan A:
1. It's God's "Plan A" Diet. While The "Plan A" Diet will benefit anyone who participates, regardless of their spiritual beliefs, scriptural principles which support an optimal diet have been included to encourage those of the Christian faith. Food is a major theme throughout Scripture, and a whole food, plant-based diet was God's first provision as the ideal food for man. The diet God prescribed in Genesis 1:29 was designed to supply the optimal nutrition needed to keep people thriving, nourished, and free of illness. A whole food, plant-based diet was God's delicious and perfect diet — in a then-perfect world — and was provided to sustain good health and long life.
God said, "I have given you every plant with seeds on the face of the earth and every tree that has fruit with seeds. This will be your food." (Genesis 1:29, GW)
As mentioned in the introduction, many believers are needlessly sick due to their food choices, and I believe it must grieve God to see His kids harming themselves in this way. Whatever the reasons for your weight issues and poor health, it's never too late to address these issues and start making necessary changes. We are called to be the best managers of all He's given us, including the most intimate gift of our physical bodies.
2. Disease Prevention. God's "Plan A" Diet is the same diet that today's unbiased research bears out to be the most effective way of eating to prevent disease. An abundance of evidence, both old and new, continues to show that our food choices can prevent heart disease (our #1 killer), many cancers, hypertension, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, stroke, macular degeneration, arthritis, Alzheimer's disease, migraines, PMS, menopause issues, digestive disorders, and much more. What you eat every day is the greatest determinant of your health, more than any other factor (including your genes).
3. Disease Halting and Reversal. If you or a loved one already suffer from a degenerative disease or chronic condition, The "Plan A" Diet is your best defense to give the body what it needs to heal itself. We now know that even the most severe cases of heart disease can be halted and reversed with diet. Common chronic conditions such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, digestive disorders, and many more are often relieved or reversed — some in as little as three days. It's never too late to start eating well in order to reverse your ailments. Why "manage" type 2 diabetes when you can most likely get rid of it?
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Excerpted from "The "Plan A" Diet"
by .
Copyright © 2020 Cyd Notter.
Excerpted by permission of Morgan James Publishing.
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