Creating a Foundation For Your Health  

30 days of defining YOU!

January 2- 30 

Join us for these 30 days of learning how to eat for your health.

Weekly lectures, cooking classes and newsletters that support overall health.

You will:

Reestablish your understanding of nutrition.

Get a  clear picture of optimal health that will make you feel and perform your best.

Get weekly recipes and kitchen techniques that are easy and approachable

Learn how to source high quality foods

Learn about outside influences that can affect your overall health.

Define Your Metabolic SetPoint

5 lectures,  5 cooking classes

Lectures and Cooking Classes will take place on ZOOM  and each class will be recorded. You will be sent the link to the recording the day after the class.

Each Thursday a handout and recipes and link for the following week will be sent to you to prepare for the upcoming week.

Lectures will take place with John on Saturdays with exact times TBA.

Cooking Classes will take place on Tuesdays 3-4pm

Kick-Off Overview will take place on Saturday, January 2  3-5pm

We will cover nutrition, foods, sourcing and outside influences that affect our overall health such as sleep, stress, and physical activity. Commit to 30 days and see how far you will go in upping the quality of your health!

Each week the cooking class, handout and recipes will support the lecture.
Thirty days of health with a diet that is rich in fiber protein and potassium. Foods allowable: Vegetables, High Quality 100% Grass-Fed Meats and Wild Fish, High-Quality Fermented Dairy and Eggs

You will learn how to track fibre, protein, potassium, and carbohydrates and why they are important and the role they play in your diet.

COST 

$349.00 register before 12/24

$399.00 After 12/24

Register Now

The post Jan and Johns January Immersion appeared first on The Diaeta Way.

3 medium onions, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces

5 cloves garlic, minced

4 medium beets, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice

4 to 5 medium carrots, cut into 1/2- inch dice

3 stalks celery, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

½ medium celery root, or 2 parsnips peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice

1 cup chopped dill plus several teaspoons for garnish

2 quarts chicken stock or vegetable stock

2 # tomatoes diced  or 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes with their juice

Finely grated zest and juice of 1 orange

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Sour cream,  or strained full fat yogurt or creme fraiche for garnish

Over low heat, heat a heavy bottom soup pot,  Add butter or butter-oil mixture. Add onion and garlic; sauté until soft but not browned.

Increase heat to medium-high and add beets, carrots, celery, celery root and half the dill. Sauté, adjusting heat as needed, until vegetables are cooked, but not brown, about 20 minutes.

Add stock and tomatoes with their juice, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook until vegetables are soft, about 45 minutes.

Blend 3/4 of the soup with an immersion stick or blender. Add orange zest and juice, and remaining dill. Season with salt and pepper to taste. To serve, ladle into bowls and top each with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of more dill.

The post Beet & Carrot Soup appeared first on The Diaeta Way.

Creating the Healthiest Thanksgiving Ever

Sunday November 1

 8:30 – 3:30

$149.00

Virtual Cooking Class and Lecture  

This Thanksgiving it’s time to enjoy both an amazingly flavored and incredibly healthy dinner.  It can still have all of the familiar dishes and flavor, but without those ingredients most responsible for the bloating, distended waistlines, and next day hangover effect.  Modest alterations of classic Thanksgiving recipes can provide the best of both Worlds.  Discover how to eliminate the use of flour, sweeten pies and cranberry sauce without the mountain of sugar, and make stuffing without the bread.  We will send you a shopping list prior to the class.  It will consist of: 

• How to identify a healthy turkey or duck
• The butter or oils to choose for your no-flour pie crust
• The mushrooms, vegetables, and herbs best for the stuffing
• The best fruits to combine with stevia for taste and health
• The no flour, anti-inflammatory gravy
• Unique spices to transform an ordinary pumpkin into something else
• The egg nog-like beverage that is sure to become a family favorite after this year

This will create the foundation for a new way of looking at this Holiday!

Low Glycemic

Gluten-free

Anti-inflammatory

Organic

Microbiome-friendly

Family and friends friendly….they will return next year with pencil and notepad

Come cook along side with us as we create the healthiest Thanksgiving EVER!

The post Creating the Healthiest Thanksgiving Ever appeared first on The Diaeta Way.

Learning about common nutritional influences that can mitigate the inflammatory response.

Inflammation is a major driving force behind chronic diseases: cancer, diabetes and obesity, Alzheimer’s disease, and atherosclerosis. 

There are many factors that contribute to inflammation. In this workshop, you will learn key nutrients and lifestyle that can extinguish the inflammatory responses.

Targeting inflammation, learning how to increase health, and eating delicious meals will all be benefits of the retreat!

Virtual Retreat 

Saturday, October 10 8:30- 3:30

Sunday, October 11 8:00- 10

Reduced Rate $149.00

Two days of recipes and shopping lists

Resources and lecture notes

A link to the recorded video of the 2-day event.

Join us for a virtual weekend as we identify symptoms of inflation. 

Lectures will cover the detection of inflammation and how to reduce inflation in your body. Cooking classes and nutritional guidance are all part of this 2-day offer.

Inflammation is a major driving force for most chronic diseases and presents differently in each of us. We can turn around the inflammatory response with the foods we eat. 

Many individuals unknowingly have significant levels of inflammation, which undermines the quality of their daily life and contributes to many conditions.  The presence of chronic inflammation is associated with specific symptoms and biomarkers.   Identifying these symptoms and understanding how they reflect the presence of inflammation is critical for both detection and efforts to reduce.

While it can be caused by different factors, such as infection and autoimmune activity, diet is the predominant source of chronic inflammation for most Americans.  These lectures will help you identify the most common nutritional influences and will explain how substitution with numerous foods can mitigate the inflammatory response.  Additionally, those foods with the highest level of anti-inflammatory activity will be discussed.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion, participants will be able to:

• Identify those signs and/or labs that indicate systemic inflammation.

• Understand the mechanisms by which specific nutrient imbalances and foods influence the inflammatory and immune pathways.

• List those foods most often associated with or that contribute to patient inflammation.

• Explain how specific substitutions with non-inflammatory  foods can be made as part of a dietary inflammation intervention (DII).

• Learn several recipes that can be easily included in your daily life that will mitigate the inflammatory response.

John Bagnulo MPH, PhD

Jan Buhrman M.S. Ed

Recipes will be included and available one week prior to the class for participants to get ingredients for the cooking class. Participants will be encouraged to follow along and cook in their own kitchens. The Video recording link of the event will be sent to you following the retreat.

Reduced rate  $149.00 

The post Extinguishing Inflammation with John Bagnulo and Jan Buhrman appeared first on The Diaeta Way.

Cucumbers are good sources of phytonutrients (plant chemicals that have protective or disease preventive properties) such flavonoids, triterpenes and lignans, have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer benefits.
2-3 Coarsely chopped Garden Cucumbers ( about 2 pounds) (reserve half of one cucumber to be chopped for garnish on top of the soup at the end)
Use peels and seeds: The peel and seeds are nutrient-dense. They contain fiber and beta-carotene. And…Beta carotene is an antioxidant that helps with immunity, skin, eye and the prevention of cancer.
1 1/2 cups Plain 100% Grass Fed Yogurt *
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 small shallot, chopped
1 garlic clove
1/3 cup loosely packed dill and 2 tablespoons tarragon or or basil or cilantro ( if you love cilantro)
1/4 cup loosely packed flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling
Salt to taste
1/2 leek thinly sliced or onion, finely chopped

Place all in a blender: chopped cucumber with the yogurt, lemon juice, shallot, garlic, herbs ( dill, parsley, basil, cilantro or tarragon- but not too much tarragon (2 Tablespoons, as it is strong) and the 1/4 cup of olive oil. Blend until smooth. Season with salt and white pepper, cover and refrigerate. This actually tastes best the following day as the flavors meld. Season the soup again just before serving. Pour the soup into bowls. Garnish with the finely diced cucumber, red onion and a drizzle of olive oil and serve.
* Yes, grass fed yogurt makes a difference! Cows that are outside eating grass and soaking up the sun are healthier cows than cows living in a barn eating silage and corn. You are contributing to a healthier work and a healthier life when you eat products form grass fed cows! We recommend straining the yogurt with a fine mesh strainer to produce a thick authentic greek yogurt. This will give your cucumber soup a thicker richer consistency.

The post Cold Cucumber Soup with Yogurt and Dill appeared first on The Diaeta Way.

Get plenty of herbal teas Like elderberry, ginger, dandelion, turmeric, green and chamomile. Green tea is a powerhouse of health boosting phytochemicals for anti-inflammatory compounds and health boosting polyphenols. Ginger is an anti-inflammatory ‘superfood’ that helps enhance digestion and assimilation. And the best part: ginger is antibacterial so it helps support the immune system. Lemon is high in vitamin C. Elderberry is packed with antioxidants and vitamins that helps boost your immune system and can help tame inflammation, lessen stress, and help protect your heart. Chamomile tea is loaded with antioxidants and aids in sleep and digestions and stress. Dandelion tea is loaded with Vitamin A and is good for anti-inflation.

The post Ginger & Lemon Elixir appeared first on The Diaeta Way.

Shawarma*
Similar to Kitchen Porch’s Raz El Hanout, Shawarma has garlic, fenugreek, cardamon, oregano and chili powder. Raz el hanout and Shawarma both have cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg.
This week I made cauliflower and rice and creamed Spinach and we sat at the table devoured it. It truly is the ultimate in comfort food. So simple and so quick to make and we had left overs for 3 more meals!

Eggs and Spinach – This serves 2
Here is an “over easy” breakfast recipe with an explanation on why each ingredient is critical to our health. We make sure we get one onion a day (raw or undercooked in our diets*)
1 onion, cut into half and slice 1/2 of it thinly, and cook. Chop the the other half and serve it raw on top of the eggs.
For extra fat and potassium, save this dish with 1/2 sliced avocado.

2 Tablespoon butter or olive oil
1 one whole onion, peeled and cut in half
1/2 cup water
1lb of spinach (you could easily replace with kale, beets, dandelion)
4 organic eggs from pastured hens
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Your favorite spice blend to top- I love za’atar (sesame, thyme, sumac), but you could use curry, or shawarma or cumin….

In a heavy pot, over medium heat, add butter or olive oil.
Add 1/2 the sliced onion and allow to cook for one minute. Then add 1/2 cup of water and return to a simmer. Add 1lb of spinach and mix well and put a lid on the pot for about 30 seconds. As soon as the spinach wilts, crack 4 eggs over the spinach and put a lid on it for 6-8 minutes depending on if you like a soft boiled egg or a more firm egg. A well cooked egg will take 8 minutes. Scoop the spinach and eggs out and serve on two plates. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar on each dish and sprinkle your favorite spice.

Onions are an excellent source of healthful chemicals: vitamin C, flavonoids, antioxidants, and sulfur compounds. Onions are nutrient powerhouses, whether eaten cooked or raw; however, raw onions have higher levels of sulfur compounds. Onions have antioxidants and compounds that fight inflammation, decrease triglycerides and reduce cholesterol levels — all of which may lower heart disease risk. They have potent anti-inflammatory properties and anti-bacterial activity(1) (2) Are raw onions more nutritious than cooked onions? Onions form sulfur compounds through an enzymatic reaction when cut or crushed which may protect against cancer, help lower blood sugar, and reduce the production of unhealthy cholesterol in the body. Eat your onions raw for maximum sulfur content, as cooking onions significantly decreases the quantity of the compound. It’s the sulphur that gives the onion its strong odor and causes you to cryyou slice it.
Add raw onions wherever you can: sliced on salads or cooked vegetables or onto of cooked meats. If you can’t handle (the pungent taste of raw onions, lightly cooked onions still provide a myriad of health benefits.

Apple Cider Vinegar can help kill pathogens, including bacteria (3) And some studies have shown that consuming vinegar after a high-carb meal can improve insulin sensitivity by as much as 34% and reduce blood sugar levels significantly ((4),

Spinach One cup (156 grams) of frozen spinach contains 540 mg of potassium (recommend 4500 mg) is also an excellent source of vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C and folate as well as being a good source of manganese, magnesium, iron and vitamin B2. It is difficult to find vegetables richer in vitamin K than spinach. Without a doubt, spinach is one of the most nutrient-dense vegetables around.
Good sources of Potassium are also avocado and sweet potatoes

Za’atar (thyme and sesame and sumac) has a good ability to improve the immune system, boost skin health, build strong bones, increase circulation, clear out the respiratory tracts, soothe inflammation, boost energy and improve mood.

These ingredients are all easy keepers and make for great go to meals.
Cauliflower Rice & Creamy Spinach the ultimate in comfort foods!

Cauliflower Rice

Photo by Eric Prouzet on Unsplash

1 head cauliflower
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons olive oil
Remove the outer leaves of the cauliflower and cut in half. Slice each half very thin. One sliced, rough cut in the opposite direction to end up with small pieces. These are not as small as recipe, but small.
In a large bottom pot, (like a lecrueset) add 1 cup water and butter and olive oil and 12 teaspoons salt. Bring to a simmer and then add the chopped cauliflower. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes. Stir well and serve with the creamy spinach!

Super Easy Creamed Spinach
1 pound ( feeds 2 people with lots of left overs!)

1 pound fresh spinach

3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
1 onion cut into 1/2 and sliced thinly
2 cloves garlic
2/3 cups water
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons salt

If using spinach that still has the crown on it, you will need to wash it well to remove the sand. Otherwise, baby spinach is well washed and will work perfectly.
Put 2/3 cup of water in a large heavy bottom pot with llid and add the olive oil and the butter.
Add the onion and the garlic and allow to cook until soft. Add the spinach and mix it well with the liquid and onion garlic mixture. Put the lid on the pot and steam the spinach until it is wilted. About 3 minutes. A blender works best, but you could use a food processor. Pour 1/2 cup cream into the bottom of the blender and transfer the spinach to the blender. Leave a tablespoon of the spinach onion mixture behind in the pot for garnish. Add nutmeg and salt. Blend. Pour and scoop into a bowl and place a few spoons of the spinach and onions from the pot on top as garnish.
Serve with Cauliflower Rice.

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The best Milk products are those that come from raw cultured dairy such as yogurt, kefir, cultured butter and sour cream.  The type of proteins in milk, varies depending on the breed of cow and the type of animal (sheep, goat, cow, etc.).

WHY RAW: The pasteurization of milk entails heating it to 145 degrees F for 30 minutes. This completely changes the structure of the milk protein and changes it into something far less healthy.

A major protein in cow’s milk is casein, the predominant variety of which is called beta-casein. In older breeds of cows, such as Jersey, Asian and African cows (called A2 cows), the beta-casein contains an amino acid called proline.
In newer breeds of cows like Holstein (A1 cows), however, the proline has mutated into an amino acid called histidine.
This is important because beta-casein also contains an amino acid called BCM-7, which is a powerful opiate linked to negative health effects. Well, the proline that exists in A2 cows has a strong bond to BCM-7, which helps keep it out of the cows’ milk. The histidine in the newer A1 cows, however, has a weak hold on BCM-7, which allows it to get into the milk, and also into the people who drink the milk.

NOTE: Look for A2 as 65% of Jersey and 80% of Guernsey cows tested in the US are pure A2

A2 and the BCM7 Peptide by   David Williams

Most of the milk consumed by humans throughout history has always come from goats or sheep, and it still does. The United States is one of the rare few countries where the milk consumption is almost entirely from cow’s milk. In his book, The Devil in the Milk, Keith Woodford, PhD, professor of farm management and agribusiness at Lincoln University in New Zealand, presents compelling research on the consumption of modern cow’s milk and the state of chronic disease.

The simplest way to explain Woodford’s research is that milk consists of three parts: cream/fat, whey and milk solids. The solids are composed of many kinds of proteins, which are made up of long chains of amino acids. One of these proteins is known as the beta-casein. Approximately five thousand years ago, a mutation occurred in the amino acids of this protein, causing it to produce a peptide called BCM7. The mutation occurred predominantly in cows from Europe but not those from Asia and Africa. Almost all Holsteins, commonly associated with dairy cows (the famous black and-white cows seen in milk commercials), carry this peptide.

Cows that carry the BCM7 peptide are known as A1 cows.  Those that do not are referred to as A2 cows. In other words, the cows WITH the mutation are A1 cows.  What’s important to know is that BCM7 has pro-inflammatory, opiate-like properties and has been shown to contribute largely to a wide variety of chronic diseases, including autoimmune conditions, heart disease, autism, schizophrenia and various neurological disorders. Injecting BCM7 into animals caused Type 1 diabetes to occur. (Interestingly, the French in their culinary arrogance have always refused to use A1 milk in their cooking because they regard it as inferior. Some say the French have terrible manners, but no one disagrees that they make terrific cheese.)

As ominous as it sounds, there’s no reason for too much of an alarm here. BCM7 is not absorbed to any great extent into the human bloodstream of people with healthy GI tracts. However, as in the case of children with autism or those with poor GI function, BCM7 may indeed have a significant contributory role in worsening the disease process.  Having said that however, personal case reports, including my own personal experience, clearly show that milk produced from a cow that is A2A2 (meaning the mother and the father of the cow were BOTH A2 cows) has shown some interesting, if not shocking results.  For example, without any change in exercise routine or diet (other than drinking A2A2 milk and consuming A2A2 cheese), I have personally begun experiencing my body “leaning” out.  An unexpected bonus, my body is getting leaner by the day…not a typically associated benefit from consuming milk.  Of course, the A2A2 milk I’m consuming also is totally raw, completely organic, un-pasturized, non-homogenized, with no GMO grains fed to the cows, on a strictly grass and non-GMO alfalfa with supplemental hay.

Interestingly enough, BCM7 is not found in goat’s milk or sheep’s milk. Raw or not, goat’s milk has been shown to be much easier to digest than cow’s milk. The protein molecules are also much smaller, allowing for better absorption of the nutrients. If you can get goat’s milk, make the switch.  But for some, the taste is different.  A2A2 cow’s milk tastes no different than the A1A1 cows milk, but has the same benefits as drinking goat’s milk.  On a side note, the typical way to refer to a cow when describing BCM7 polymorphism, is by referring to them as either A1 or A2.  However, this is a genetic distinction and as such, the cow can be homozygous for A2 (mother and father both contributed the A2), i.e., no presence of the BCM7 peptide and thus, referred to us as A2A2.  Or, the cow could have had one parent that had the BCM7 peptide (A1) and one parent that didn’t, thus making it an A1A2 cow.  For more information on beta-casein, visit this fantastic link on beta-casein.

The best products of all are those that come from raw cultured dairy such as yogurt, kefir, cultured butter and sour cream.  Not only do these have all the necessary vitamins, good fats, proteins and enzymes, they’re also filled with beneficial probiotics excellent for your immune system and digestive tract. When you consume dairy of this quality, it really does do the body good.

Read more :Devil in the Milk: Illness, Health, and the Politics of A1 and A2 Milk by Keith Woodford, PhD
A 1997 study by Elliott published by the International Dairy Federation showed A1 beta-casein caused mice to develop diabetes

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Potassium is present in all body tissues and is required for normal cell function, and is one of the most important minerals. And naturally, a potassium-rich diet is linked to many powerful health benefits. It may help reduce blood pressure and water retention, protect against stroke and help prevent osteoporosis and kidney stones.
1 Effect of increased potassium intake on cardiovascular risk factors and disease: systematic review and meta-analyses.
2 Potassium, the most abundant intracellular cation, is an essential nutrient
What 5000 milligrams of potassium looks like on a daily basis
1 cup of full fat grass fed (A2 A2) yogurt = 600 mgs
1/3 cup almonds = 349 mg potassium
1 cup cooked beet greens = 1,310 mg s
1/2 avocado = 354 mgs
1/2 cup cooked Swiss chard = 961 mgs
4 ounces halibut = 590 mgs
4 ounces wild salmon = 360 mgsg
1 cup cooked spinach = 850 mgs
1 med sweet potato 694 = mgs

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