Bragg's, anyone?

[channlluv]

I have been using their apple cider vinegar mixed with cold water and a packet of stevia in an effort to help me lose weight. In the week I've been using it, I've gained four pounds and my face is breaking out. Both may be due to the detox effects of the ACV, or that my period is due in a few days, or a couple of dietary lapses. I'm wondering if any of you use Bragg's products, and how. Maybe I'm not doing it right.

I bought some of their liquid aminos, too, with the intention of making salad dressing with coconut oil and balsamic vinegar. Do any of you use it? I read that it's good for thicker hair and weight loss, but I'm not sure how that works.

I also picked up one of their books - the one on ACV-- but it reads with the fervor of religious propaganda and most of their evidence is anecdotal. I'm not sure I trust it. Plus, it's rife with grammar errors, which bugs me. If they didn't take the time to consult a professional editor, would they consult nutritionists and other medical professionals?

I'm new to these products. I'm hoping to get some input from you all. You, I trust.

Thank you!
Roxy

[KnottedYet]

I have Bragg's apple cider vinegar. Good stuff.

Lose the stevia. Mix a teaspoon of honey into the tablespoon of vinegar and the cup of water. (I prefer mine hot).

ACV works great for weight loss if you drink one cup of the mix every evening, after substituting all sugary and artificially sweetened drinks with water the whole day, eating 2 servings of fresh fruit or veges 30 min before every meal that day, and getting at least 1 hour of exercise that day.

It's a miracle!

Ok, I'm being a little sarcastic... read too much of that Bragg literature and you too will become a bit off like me. I like Bragg's because it makes my tummy happy. Any cider vinegar will do that for me, but Bragg's tastes so much better. It makes a nice salad dressing, too.

Use it, enjoy it, but don't expect it to make you lose weight.
(and the only way to detox is to go to the bathroom, whether or not you consume vinegar)

[channlluv]

Thanks, Knot.

What is your favorite salad dressing recipe?

I was using the stevia instead if honey because my doctor tells me I'm prediabetic. One of the reasons I'm trying so hard to lose weight.

I'm reading a book now by Dr. CW Randolph and his wife, Dr. Genie James. He's the one who discovered the benefits of bioidentical hormones and they've written this book, From Belly Fat to Belly Flat. Nowhere in this book do they mention ACV. It made me wonder about the acid level--maybe this is contraindicated for someone who may be dealing with estrogen dominance.

I feel like I'm facing one of those 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzles, and when I get it all put together, I'll be healthy and fit, and maybe it won't be too-too late to have another baby, but I'm growing less and less confident about that.

Roxy

[KnottedYet]

I just sprinkle it on the salad. Nice perky-tart effect, much like when you just sprinkle on some lemon juice. Goes well if you have walnuts in the salad.

Sweetness (real or artificial) is an appetite stimulant. Stevia is just as guilty of that as sugar or aspartame or saccharine. If you want to lose weight, you need to stop stimulating yourself. Real sweeteners at least have some calories associated with them, which satisfies some of the appetite they stimulate.

I'm hypoglycemic and gotta watch the pre-diabetic excitement, too. I got out of the habit of sweetening things and a whole new world of taste opened up. It's rare that I sweeten anything, but when I want sweetness I use something real like sugar or honey.

And honestly, if you load up with some plain fruit or veges at the start of a meal it makes a huge difference.

[Trek420]

What is your favorite salad dressing recipe

Not a recipe so much as theory/techniques. I've started making my own. We find if I buy commercial I end up with a collection of dressing odds and ends, some expired, some just plain odd ("But the wasabi blue cheese bacon dressing's was on sale!") in the fridge

First the way my Mom does salad dressing:on the salad. Fill a big beautiful bowl with greens, colorful combos, edible flowers from the garden, be creative, have fun. Drizzle green bits with oil, nice local olive oil or any good olive oil is what I like. Now use your hands to lightly toss the salad. I said hands, not tongs. Every nook and cranny of leafy green bits must be covered. Use a little more oil if you need to. Fresh ground pepper, dried herbs, toss toss toss.

When she says covered, not drenched, just light coating.

Now take a light vinegar; Braggs, balsamic, Japanese rice wine vinegar, any of our wonderful local sourced flavored balsamics .... drizzle, toss again.

Voila! Your salad just made it's own dressing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The way I make dressing, not a recipe either:

Pick a bowl, glop in a little mustard; brown, dijon, pick a mustard. Depending on the mustard choice sometimes I use a bit of honey. Add vinegar, usually balsamic. Whisk till very smooth.

Take the French whisk in your right hand, olive oil in your left (reverse if you're lefty) and pour a constant light drizzle of oil into the mixture while feverishly whisking with your other hand. Continue drizzling and whisking till it looks right.

[channlluv]

You two are so fabulous. Thank you both.

Knot, thanks for the tip on sweetness being a stimulation. I hadn't considered that with stevia, since it's supposed to be natural and not sugar, hence a healthier choice. Thanks, too, for the tip on veggies and fruit before the meal. I'll try that.

And Trek, thank you for sharing how you and your mom make salad dressing. I'll give that try.

This book I'm reading, From Belly Fat to Belly Flat, recommends lots of veggies, too, but what's a bit disheartening is that all the estrogen-balancing food they're recommending, or a lot of it, anyway, I'm already doing. We have broccoli, cauliflower, or spinach with just about every meal. Always lean meats, wild-caught fish two or three times a week, fruit at least once a day, lots of green salads, boiled eggs, brown rice, all of that. I need to look, then, at the dietary stuff that's not on the list and start eliminating it. I do eat out for lunch a lot. Usually Panera or Rubio's, which always seemed like healthier salad options, but maybe a month on this Fat >> Flat diet will shake out all the bad eating habits. Or most of them, anyway.

They also recommend bioidentical hormone treatments. I'm just getting into this chapter. Seems a bit pie-in-the-sky that some cream made out of wild yams will help me drop the pear-shape, but probably no more than thinking ACV drinks three times a day will do it.

Argh. My brain is a-swim in too much information.

Roxy

[KnottedYet]

Throw away the diet books.

Seriously.

Buy cookbooks instead.

Go to the library and check out every Moosewood cookbook you can find (especially the later ones which are lighter on the cheese). Also any Alice Waters cookbooks, and any cookbooks from Greens restaurant. Mollie Katzen's "Sunlight Cafe" is another good one.

Pack your own lunches, and only eat lunch out once every couple weeks.

Drink water when you are thirsty. Eat fruit or raw veges (good ol' carrot sticks and pickled olives are handy and easy to pack) when you need a snack.

Cut down on the sweetners and extra salt. (appetite stimulants) If you want a piece of chocolate, have a square of extra dark. Very satisfying and you won't be left craving more.

And get the blood test for celiac disease. (infertility, weight problems, pre-diabetic, endocrine issues

[Thorn]

Awash in too much information? Let me help with more....

You mention Braggs...my latest favorite cooking show is the raw cooking show on public television (http://www.mptv.org/local_shows/?s=12) While her personality is muted on the show, Caroline is an amazingly upbeat, positive and contagious personality. She supplements a lot of her cooking with Braggs aminos (http://www.mptv.org/local_shows/recipes/?s=12)

Her thesis is that by keeping the nutrients in your food high, you will eat less because the body has found the nutrition it needs. She's a walking example, having lost significant weight by switching to a raw food diet.

That said, I'm not a raw food nut, but living without air conditioning in this extremely hot summer, we've been using her recipe bases a lot--and they're just that, starting points for you to expand upon. (whisper) just don't let her know that we use her taco mix in whole wheat wraps (/whisper).

[Trek420]

Another great cookbook:

http://www.greensrestaurant.com/disp...?catid=7&pid=4

[arielmoon]

Throw away the diet books.

Seriously.

Buy cookbooks instead.

Go to the library and check out every Moosewood cookbook you can find (especially the later ones which are lighter on the cheese). Also any Alice Waters cookbooks, and any cookbooks from Greens restaurant. Mollie Katzen's "Sunlight Cafe" is another good one.

Pack your own lunches, and only eat lunch out once every couple weeks.

Drink water when you are thirsty. Eat fruit or raw veges (good ol' carrot sticks and pickled olives are handy and easy to pack) when you need a snack.

Cut down on the sweetners and extra salt. (appetite stimulants) If you want a piece of chocolate, have a square of extra dark. Very satisfying and you won't be left craving more.

And get the blood test for celiac disease. (infertility, weight problems, pre-diabetic, endocrine issues

This is the best advice I have seen in a long time!! This is exactly how I eat except that I am also vegan. The only other thing I would add is to avoid processed foods.

[Groundhog]

And get the blood test for celiac disease. (infertility, weight problems, pre-diabetic, endocrine issues

Knot, you are my hero!

Roxy, I haven't kicked my weight issues (yet!) but I cannot believe how much healthier I am since I was diagnosed with celiac and started eating gluten free.

And I frequent a celiac message board with tons of women who had infertility issues, PCOS, prediabetes, etc., and who are now much healthier.

Of course, not everyone will have celiac who has the symptoms that Knot lists above, but since celiac disease is so underdiagnosed, I like to help get the word out. Of the 100 people who have celiac, only THREE know that they have it.

Best of luck to you.

[channlluv]

Okay, I just pulled out a cookbook that a very fit marathoner/mud runner friend recommended to me a few months ago that I bought, but haven't used yet. It's from the Earthbound Farms people: Food to Live By. I'll try some of these recipes this next week and see how they go.

I looked at a site about celiac disease and the only weight problem they mention was losing it. I do have some of the other symptoms, but not that one. Can you have celiac and be 100 lbs overweight?

Roxy

[KnottedYet]

"I looked at a site about celiac disease and the only weight problem they mention was losing it. I do have some of the other symptoms, but not that one. Can you have celiac and be 100 lbs overweight?"

Yup.

Your body can't absorb the nutrients it needs while it is being ripped up by the whole gluten-thang. So it keeps telling you it is hungry, and you eat and eat and eat. Desperately trying to get minerals and vitamins, your body only manages to absorb a ton of calories and it's still starving!

A lot of folks with celiac will lose excess weight very quickly once they get the ALL the gluten out of their menus. Their intestine heals, and suddenly (within a couple weeks) they can absorb nutrients again. They aren't starving for trace elements any more, so they aren't as hungry. Some are still very difficult to absorb (vit D and vit B12 especially) but some over-the-counter supplements take care of that. (sometimes in massive doses, but that depends on what your doctor recommends)

[badger]

it's interesting you mention celiac disease and how so few people know they have it. I was at a party tonight and one of the women there was just diagnosed this February with celiac. How she went on for a few years without realizing she had it, and once she knows she feels SO much better.

One interesting thing she mentioned regarding celiac is how if one is predisposed but don't show symptoms, one of the triggers can be surgery. She had surgery on her ankle to repair a torn achilles tendon 4 years ago and she said that's when she started having problems.

Anyways, this is neither here nor there regarding ACV, which I also use as part of my simple salad dressing: my current oil (rice bran oil), ACV, and a sprinkle of raspberry balsalmic vinegar. Sometimes I'll also throw in a bit of Bubbie's Horseradish (OMG, so good!!)

[channlluv]

I also just ordered the Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook by Elana Amsterdam.

I looked at one of the Moosewood books. It seems pretty similar to the one I already have - Food to Live By - so I'm going to hold off on that for a bit.

I wish these books came with shopping lists.

I think I may try gluten-free just to see how it is. I found another thread about gluten free substitutes and it seems there are a lot of options out there for a sandwich lover.

I've got a follow-up appointment with my endocrinologist in September. I'll ask him to run the celiac blood test since he's already running a full panel of hormone tests.

Thank you for all the support and the wealth of information.

Roxy