Captain Crunch Berries Cereal and FAT BURNING

What a wonderful testimony to wake up to in my inbox!

"I had been taking Crestor for high cholesterol levels, but never felt well while I was taking it. So I decided to give Maria's diet plan a serious try. Within a few weeks on the diet plan I decided to discontinue my Crestor and had my cholesterol levels checked about 6 weeks later. My triglycerides dropped from 274 to 115. My LDL cholesterol was still high, but by doing the calculations of my ratio of triglycerides to HDL I had a ratio of .40. This shows I have more of the large fluffy LDL particles which do not appear to cause an increase of plague build up in my arteries. Previous to starting the low carb diet, my blood pressure had began to rise to the level of needing medication. After just a few weeks of the new diet regime, my blood pressure began to drop and after 6 weeks was back to normal levels. I've found the recipes to be fulfilling and delicious and plan to continue following this way of eating." -D


Ingredients in Captain Crunch Berries Cereal: Sugar, Corn Flour, Oat Flour, Brown Sugar, Coconut Oil, Salt, Sodium Citrate, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil**, Natural And Artificial Flavor, Strawberry Juice Concentrate, Malic Acid, Maltodextrin, Modified Corn Starch, Red 40, Niacinamide, Reduced Iron, Zinc Oxide, Yellow 5, Blue 1, Thiamin Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, BHT (A Preservative), Riboflavin, Folic Acid

Trans Fats and FAT BURNING!

When insulin can't bind with the cell, the insulin stays in the blood. About 30 minutes after eating, our body measures the sugar levels in our blood to determine if it needs to produce additional insulin. If you have a healthy body, this process works great. The problem is when you live in America and are surrounded by trans-fat (Jiff Peanut Butter, Saltine Crackers, Cereals, Frozen Pizzas, Ice Cream Cones), a crust forms around your cells by consuming these harmful trans-fat. When this happens, the cells are incapable to respond to the insulin that is already in the blood; therefore, an additional surge is created even though enough insulin is already present. So when I read Diabetes Pamphlets that recommend low fat foods and MARGARINE, I get more than upset! Most often the writers of these food guide pamphlets are the pharmaceutical company pushing their drugs! Go figure! They don’t want you to get better; they wouldn’t be one of the most profitable companies in America anymore.

So now we have a very high level of insulin in our blood! And what goes too high, eventually and quickly goes too low…enter: low blood sugar = cravings, moodiness, hunger, low energy, lightheadedness… you grab any carb you see to satisfy your body’s desire and the cycle happens all over again. All day you dream about food. You are no longer the person you once were.

Our fat burning hormone is called the Human Growth Hormone… and guess what? Its antagonist is insulin! So as you continue this cycle of high carb, low fat foods, you never get a natural surge of growth hormone and never get the opportunity to burn fat….you just burn sugar. To read more on what to eat to get your Human Growth Hormone as high as possible, check out the charts on foods, exercise and supplements in my book: Secrets to a Healthy Metabolism.



"HEALTHIFIED" Crunch Berries
2/3 cup erythritol (or Swerve)
1 tsp stevia glycerite (omit if using Swerve)
1 cup almond flour
1 cup JAY ROBB strawberry whey protein (or egg white protein)
1/2 cup butter or coconut oil, softened
2 TBS water
1 tsp pure organic cherry extract
1 tsp Natural Red Food Coloring (if desired)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (170 degrees C). Combine sweetener, almond flour, whey, extract and food coloring in a small bowl. Add in butter and water with a blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Place on a cookie sheet with defined edges or the butter will leak off. Bake for 12-20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and gently stir while still hot. Let cool in the cookie tin (it will crisp up A LOT). Break pieces apart and enjoy with unsweetened almond milk. Makes 8 servings.

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per serving)
Post Cereal = 220 calories, 3g fat, 3g protein, 45 carbs, 2g fiber
"Healthified" Cereal = 211 calories, 15.6 g protein, 16g fat, 4.2g carbs, 1.6 g fiber

MILK COMPARISON (per cup)
Skim Milk = 90 calories, 13g carbs, 13g sugar
Unsweetened Almond milk = 35 calories, 1g carb, 0g sugar

SWEETENER TIPS (more information in The Art of Eating Healthy)
My recipes will call for erythritol and stevia glycerite. I use these separate to help keep my costs down. In any recipe you can use Swerve, ZSweet, Truvia, Organic Zero, Xylitol or Just Like Sugar. In order to use a different product, use the same amount of sweetener for the amount of erythritol in the recipe and omit the stevia (except for Organic Zero, that is only erythritol and you will still need stevia for sweetness). TIP: Most people report that ZSweet is their favorite for sweeteness!

Note: You can click HERE to find healthy natural sweeteners.
1 cup erythritol and 1 tsp stevia = 1 cup Swerve
1 cup erythritol and 1 tsp stevia = 1 cup ZSweet
1 cup erythritol and 1 tsp stevia = 1 cup Truvia
1 cup erythritol and 1 tsp stevia = 1 cup Xylitol
1 cup erythritol and 1 tsp stevia = 1 cup Just Like Sugar
1 cup erythritol and 1 tsp stevia = 1 cup Organic Zero and 1 tsp stevia

Reese's Peanut Butter Cereal

Just because cereals claim "Whole Grains" does not mean that it is a health food!!! Food dye, TBHQ (i.e. "lighter fluid"), BHT, corn syrup, corn starch, and sugar is not a good way to start the day.

Ingredients = Whole Grain Corn, Sugar, Reese's Peanut Butter (Peanuts, Sugar, Monoglycerides, Peanut Oil, Salt, Molasses, Corn Starch), Dextrose, Corn Meal, Corn Starch, Com Syrup, Rice Bran and/or Canola Oil, Salt, Hershey's Cocoa, Tricalcium Phosphate, Red 40, Yellows 5&6, Blue 1 and Other Color Added, Trisodium Phosphate, Artificial Flavor, TBHQ and BHT Added to Preserve Freshness, Vitamins and Minerals: Calcium Carbonate, Zinc and Iron (Mineral Nutrients), Vitamin C (Sodium Ascorbate), a B Vitamin (Niacinamide), Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine Hydrochloride), Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin), Vitamin B1 (Thiamin Mononitrate), Vitamin A (Palmitate), a B Vitamin (Folic Acid), Vitamin B12, Vitamin D3.

TBHQ comes from petroleum (think "lighter fluid"). It is applied either to the carton of fast food items or sprayed directly onto them, as well as in various other prepackaged food items. TBHQ is banned in other countries.

TBHQ keeps fats from going rancid, so you see it in a lot of foods that they want to have a long shelf life. It is considered an "anti-oxidant" BUT it can itself be oxidized into harmful molecules, like tert-butylquinone...causing a TIRED TOXIC LIVER (see chapter on the liver in Secrets to a Healthy Metabolism).

But it also promotes production of quinone reductase, which is linked to cancer. TBHQ can cause a full range of reactions from asthma to anxiety, ADHD, insomnia, depression, tiredness, learning difficulties and children's behavior problems. This chemical is also found to effect estrogen levels...are you trying to get pregnant? or dealing with menopausal symptoms? I would avoid this like the plague.

In pre-packaged foods, if you see the words "no trans-fats," look for TBHQ in the ingredient lists. Some manufacturer's, such as Kellogg's, are using this "trickery," and are using TBHQ instead of trans-fats. Is it better than trans-fat? No. BUT what is even scarier... if you don't see it, that does not mean it is not there. Manufacturers are not required to list "secondary" ingredients. If you don't believe me, call the company and ask if their oil now contains TBHQ. Thank you FDA!

Oh, AND always make sure you use NATURAL peanut butter...Jiff has trans-fats!



"HEALTHIFIED" CEREAL
2/3 cup erythritol (or SWERVE) ...see below for more info on Swerve
1 tsp stevia glycerite (omit if using SWERVE)
1 cup peanut flour
1 cup JAY ROBB chocolate whey protein (or egg white protein)
1/2 cup butter or coconut oil, melted
2 TBS water (or 2 more TBS butter/oil for a "crunchier" cereal)
2 TBS unsweetened cocoa powder
OPTIONAL: 1 tsp pure chocolate extract

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (170 degrees C). In a large bowl, combine erythritol and stevia glycerite, peanut flour, whey, and extract in a small bowl. Stir in butter and water with fork or pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Divide the dough in half and place half of the peanut butter dough on a cookie sheet with defined edges. Keep the other half in the bowl and add the cocoa powder; stir to combine well.

Place the cocoa cereal dough on separate cookie sheet with defined edges or the butter may leak off. Bake for 12-20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and gently stir while still hot. Let cool in the cookie tin (it will crisp up A LOT). Break pieces apart and enjoy with unsweetened almond milk. Makes 8 servings.

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per serving)
Post Cereal = 220 calories, 3g fat, 3g protein, 45 carbs, 2g fiber
"Healthified" Cereal = 187 calories, 14.5 g protein, 12g fat, 3g carbs, 1.6g fiber

MILK COMPARISON (per cup)
Skim Milk = 90 calories, 13g carbs, 13g sugar
Unsweetened Chocolate Almond milk = 45 calories, 1g carb, 0g sugar

NOTE: if you use coconut oil, no refrigeration is needed! It works great for camping or traveling! Happy Spring Break!

SWERVE: Swerve uses a Non-GMO erythritol manufacturer who employs technology that relies on the inherent ability of certain natural yeasts to convert sugar into erythritol. The resulting erythritol is then purified, dried and sieved. This process does not require any solvents, other than water. No synthetic chemical processes are required and the resulting Erythritol is identical to that which is found in nature.  It measures cup for cup like sugar and it also does not have the same "mouth-cooling" sensation compared to other brands of erythritol on the market.

Granola and OATMEAL = CAVITIES!!!

Did you know that you can reverse tooth decay and cavities? And re-grow bones? Many ground breaking studies and research has proven this. In one particular study published in the British Medical Journal and the British Dental journal, divided 62 children with cavities into 3 diet groups for 6 months.

Group A ate their normal diet plus oatmeal (rich in phytic acid).
Group B ate their normal diet plus vitamin D.
Group C ate a grain-free diet and took vitamin D.

In group A, oatmeal prevented healing and encouraged new cavities, the phytic acid prevented mineral absorption. In group B, simply adding vitamin D to the diet healed many of the cavities and decrease the ability of more to form. The most shocking effect was group C; a grain-free diet plus vitamin D basically healed all the cavities and inhibited new cavities to form.

Although group C contained no bread or other cereals, it included a moderate amount of sugar, for plenty of jam, potatoes and vegetables were eaten.

Dr. Weston A Price also had success curing tooth decay using a similar diet. He fed underprivileged children one very nutritious meal a day and monitored their dental health. He also used high-vitamin pastured butter in conjunction with cod liver oil. We now know that the vitamin K2 in pastured butter is important for bone and tooth development and maintenance.

WHAT TO EAT:
1. No unfermented grains (cereal/oatmeal/crackers/breads). Only true sourdough with NO lactic acid if you must, but best = NO GRAINS.
2. QUALITY animal protein, eggs, grass-fed meat, organ meat, fish, bone broth, full-fat pastured dairy products (if tolerated).
3. Nuts; only if soaked overnight in warm water (to eliminate phytic acid).
4. LOTS of Vegetables!
5. Sunlight, cod liver oil and vitamin D3 supplements.
6. A good amount of pastured butter. Click HERE to find the one I use.
7. No food that comes from a box/plastic bag.
8. A limited quantity of low-sugar fruit (1/day or less).
9. No refined sweets.

Eating this way maximizes mineral absorption while also providing abundant fat-soluble vitamins essential for bones and teeth. Say good bye to cavities and hello to healthy bones! *Reminder: soak your nuts first.



Phytate Free Granola:
2 cups psyllium husks
2 cups chopped pecans
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1 cup sunflower seeds
3/4 cup Jay Robb vanilla whey or egg white protein
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup coconut oil or pasture fed butter
1/3 cup Nature's Hollow Xylitol Honey (OPTIONAL: I made it without it and it tastes great! BUT add 1/3 cup more butter/coconut oil)
1/2 cup Just Like Sugar, OR Truvia (or erythritol )
1 tsp stevia glycerite
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp Celtic sea salt

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine the psyllium husks, nuts, seeds, vanilla whey protein powder, sweetener, stevia, sesame seeds, cinnamon, and salt.

Melt the coconut oil, and stir it together with the syrup or honey. Pour over the dry mixture.

Spray a big roasting pan with coconut oil spray, and turn the granola into it. Place in the oven, and let it bake for 40-50 minutes.

Remove from oven and allow to cool, and store in an air tight container. Serve with unsweetened vanilla almond milk. Makes 48 servings (1/4 cup serving).

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (1/4 cup serving)
BareNaked Granola = 130 calories, 22 carbs, 2g fiber, 4g protein
"Healthified" Granola = 110 calories, 9.7 carbs, 7.6g fiber, 5g protein

FYI: The honey bear is the only animal found in nature with a problem with tooth-decay (honey decays teeth faster than table sugar). Honey = highest calorie content of all sugars with 65 calories/TBS, compared to the 48 calories/TBS found in table sugar.


XYLITOL= Xylitol occurs naturally in many fruits and vegetables and is even produced by the human body during normal metabolism. Manufacturers make it from plants such as birch and other hard wood trees and fibrous vegetation. Some people prefer the taste of xylitol.
CALORIES = 2.4 calories/gram; 1 tsp has 9.6 calories and 1 tsp of sugar has 15 calories (40% fewer calories and 75% fewer carbs than table sugar)
SWEETNESS = Same as table sugar. Use cup for cup.
BENEFITS =
1. Reduces Cavities: It does not break down like sugar and keeps a neutral pH level in the mouth. Sugar produces an acidic environment in the mouth, which increases bacteria and weakens the enamel protecting the teeth. Xylitol prevents bacteria from sticking to the teeth, which protects the teeth from tooth decay. After eating xylitol, acid-producing bacteria falls as much as 90%, therefore the bacteria can't stick to the surface of the teeth which decrease plaque buildup.
2. Reduces Ear Infections: It has be used as medicine for ear infections because it clears out excess earwax and inhibits the growth of harmful bacteria in the pharyngotympanic tubes.
3. Helps with Asthma: Since asthma is linked to chronic post-nasal drip, xylitol helps by breaking the cycle of bronchial inflammation.
4. Clears up Candida: Candida is an opportunistic fungus which feeds on sugars and other yeast-containing foods (foods that are aged, pickled, dried, fermented or cured).
5. Boosts Immune System: Xylitol increases our White Blood Cells, therefore boosting our immune health and protects us from chronic disease and bacterial infections.
6. Protects newborns from streptococcus if the nursing mother consumes this. It is proven to help decrease this oral bacteria by 80%.
7. Decrease Allergies and Sinus Infections: They now have a nasal spray made of xylitol because it decreases the harmful bacteria that gather in the cells of our nose.
8. Reduces Ovarian Cysts, PCOS and Breast Cancer: Consuming sugar creates high insulin levels which increase the production of estrogens, leading to an estrogen-dominant condition, and also interfere with healthy ovarian function. Insulin resistance is a major cause of a growing hormonal problem called polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). Signs that the body is being exposed to higher levels of the male hormones include acne, loss of head hair, and an increase in body hair. Lowering insulin levels is crucial for not only treating PCOS but also resolving most other hormonal imbalances, including those leading to breast cancer. Xylitol is a natural insulin stabilizer. There are no sharp rises and falls in insulin levels such as occur with sugar.

Cocoa Pebbles and Kids Breakfast Nutrition

Do you send your kids off to school with a bowl of cereal, skim milk and a banana? This type of a breakfast is setting them up for array of issues, not just weight problems. Even so called "healthy" cereals such as SMART START will create a lot of problems (I use to eat this thinking it was a great "diet" food...which was also why I was so overweight). Let's look at the math... If you consume 1 cup of Smart Start cereal with 1 cup of skim milk and banana sliced on top, that is: 472 calories, 105 carbs, 4g fiber. This becomes 25.25 tsp of sugar in you blood. Do you know what a "normal" blood sugar is? It is 1 tsp of sugar! No wonder our kids are diagnosed with ADHD and attention issues. It is hard to focus when our blood sugar is so high. AND what goes up, crashes down. So low blood sugar also happens, which causes brain fog and shakiness...I remember these days, no one wanted to be around me just before lunch because my blood sugar was too low and I was cranky!

One of my favorite cereals as a teenager was Cocoa Pebbles. Checking the ingredients, yeah, it is "gluten free," BUT it contains trans-fats (click HERE to learn more on trans-fat and weight gain). It also contains food dye which is known to cause attention disorders and cancer. Cereal in general, no matter if it is labeled as a "whole grain" or not, is just a big sugar bomb.

Ingredients in POST Cocoa Pebbles: Rice, Sugar, Polydextrose, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (Coconut and Palm Kernel Oils)Cocoa (Processed with Alkali)Salt, Caramel Color, Artificial and Natural Flavor, BHA, Vitamins and Minerals: Niacinamide, Reduced Iron, Zinc Oxide (Source of Zinc)Vitamin B6, Vitamin A Palmitate, Riboflavin (Vitamin B2)Thiamin Mononitrate (Vitamins B1)Folic Acid, Vitamin B12, Vitamin D.


1/2 cup vanilla whey or egg white protein
3/4 cup peanut flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp Celtic sea salt
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup coconut oil OR NATURAL almond/peanut butter*
4 TBS Just Like Sugar (or erythritol)
1 tsp stevia glycerite
2 TBS water (just enough to hold dough together)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). In a medium bowl, stir together the whey, nut flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Cut in the peanut butter using a pastry blender or your fingers until the butter lumps are smaller than peas. Stir in the water and sweetener to form a stiff dough. On parchment paper (lightly greased), roll the dough out to 1/8 inch in thickness. Cut into small diamond shapes with a pizza cutter. Place parchment onto cookie sheets. Bake for 7-10 minutes in the preheated oven, until edges are lightly browned (I broke up pieces and baked another 3 minutes to crisp up the pieces). Remove from oven to cool. Makes 4 servings.

***You could also use coconut oil in place of the peanut butter. This would allow you to store longer since coconut oil is shelf stable and doesn't need to be refrigerated.

Serve with Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk! YUM

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (1 cup with 1 cup milk)
POST Cocoa Pebbles with 1 cup skim milk = 240 calories, 42 carbs, 3g fiber
"Healthified" Pebbles with 1 cup almond milk = 220 calories, 8.8 carbs, 4.6g fiber
1 serving of "Healthified" Cereal = 197 calories, 7.8 carbs, 3.6 g fiber

Cream of "Wheat" cereal

Oh, my goodness! This adaptation of Cream of Wheat tastes awesome! I liked it better than B&G Brand! And it was fast and simple to make. What an easy way to send your kids off with a healthy protein-filled breakfast!

1 cup of B&G instant CREAM OF WHEAT, prepared with water is 128 calories and 27 grams of carbs, and very little protein. If you prepare it with 1 cup of skim milk...it totals 218 calories and 39 grams of carbs; which turns into 9.75 tsp of sugar in our bloodstream, increasing insulin fast because there was no fat consumed. Fat is the only macro-nutrient that can slow an insulin spike from happening. Why is this important? Insulin is a fat-storing hormone and can cause a bunch of different health issues including an increase in triglycerides!



Healthy CREAM OF WHEAT:
¾ cup of warm unsweetened vanilla or chocolate almond milk
2 TBS freshly ground golden flaxseeds (or more for a thicker "cereal")
1-2 tsp psyllium husk
1 scoop vanilla or chocolate egg white/whey protein
1 TBS vanilla extract
1 drop of stevia glycerite
½ tsp of nutmeg
½ tsp cinnamon
Optional: you can add some coconut flakes, nuts or peanut butter to this recipe.

Combine warm milk, flax, whey, stevia, cinnamon and nutmeg (and other toppings) in a bowl. Stir well and let sit for a few minutes until the “oatmeal” thickens. Enjoy!

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per serving):
Traditional Cream of Wheat with Skim Milk = 230 calories, 39.6 carbs, 1.3 fiber, 12 protein
“Healthified” Cream of Wheat = 230 calories, 5g carbs, 4g fiber, 29g protein


You can’t hide a lot of super-healthy foods...I don't think I could disguise salmon in an ice cream and my nephew will never try "KALE CHIPS" again:) But flaxseeds have an agreeable flavor and texture for kids. Flaxseeds are great sources of omega-3s (proven to help with improved learning capacity as well as many other health benefits), they are also affordable and tasty. Flax is important because it contains lignans that have been shown to be effective for cancer treatment. It also aids immune health, fights inflammation and is great for brain health. This breakfast is also helpful for constipation.