What About .... The 17 Day Diet Cookbook?

What about Dr. Mike's Cookbook?

Some of you know that I have Dr. Mike's 17 Day Diet Cookbook and have gone through it for inconsistencies and non-compliances and asked me to post the information that I have.

The following is a list of all the recipes in the cookbook.  Those that are non-compliant, for whatever reason, are shown at the end.

Also, keep in mind for any snacks that if they have fruit in them, they are to be eaten by 2 p.m. or at least 8 hours before you go to bed.

This is not all-inclusive; this list was put together during a basic "skimming" of the book. If you know of any other inconsistencies or errors, please let me know and I will update this listing.

The number before the recipe name is the cycle that it is first allowable cycle for the recipe.

3 Amaranth Polenta
3 Arroz con Game Hens
3 Baked Bananas
1 Balsamic Artichokes
3 Banana Chocolate Smoothie
3 Beef Barley Soup
1 Berry Frozen Yogurt
3 Better Migas
1 Blackened Catfish
3 Breakfast Pizza Bagel
3 Brie and Mango Quesadilla
3 Broiled Miso-Glazed Salmon
1 California Tuna Salad
1 Chicken Vegetable Soup
3 Crab Cakes
3 Crab Gaspacho
2 Crab Tabouleh
1 Creamy Smoked Salmon Rolls
1 Curried Poached Halibut
2 Dr. Mike's Power Cookies
3 Easy Cioppino
2 Eggs, Lox, Onions
2 Falafel Salad
1 Green Tea-Spiked Applesauce
3 Grilled Pineapple with Vanilla Ricotta & Pistachios
1 Grilled Tuna Nicoise Salad
2 Italian Shrimp and White Bean Salad
3 Jerk Chicken
3 Kale Chips
1 Kefir Smoothie
3 Lamb & Sweet Potato Stew
1 Lemon Pepper Salmon in Tomato Cups
2 Microwaved Mashed Potatoes
2 Mushroom Barley Saute
1 Mushroom Spinach Frittata
1 No Fuss Eggplant Parm
3 Open Faced Ruben
1 Oven Roasted Cauliflower & Broccoli
1 Oven-Barbequed Chicken
3 Oven-Fried Pork Chops
1 Peach Melba Smoothie
3 Peach Raspberry Granola Chips
3 Popcorn Spice Mix: Cajun Spice
3 Popcorn Spice Mix: Curried Cheddar
3 Popcorn Spice Mix: Parmesan & Herb
2 Pumpkin Polenta
2 Roasted Shrimp and Broccoli
3 Roasted Trout Almandine
3 Shrimp Soba Noodle Salad
3 Shrimp Vindaloo
2 Slow Cooker Cuban Ropa Vieja
3 Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
3 Snapper Veracruz
1 Snappy Eggs
1 Spanish Omelet
2 Spiced Edamame
1 Spiced Plum Soup
1 Spicy Green Beans
3 Spinach Mushroom Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing
2 Stewed Mussel
1 Stir Fried Chicken and Cucumbers
3 Stuffed Acorn Squash Halves
3 Stuffed Figs
1 Super Salad
1 Tandoori Chicken Breasts
3 Tex-Mex Millet Salad
1 Tilapia Baked in Packets
3 Turkey & Mushroom Sloppy Joes
1 Turkey Picadillo Lettuce Wraps
2 Tuscan Pork Tenderloin
2 Warm Curried Quinoa Salad
3 White Bean & Oat Burgers
2 White Bean & Red Pepper Dip
1 Yogurt Cheese
1 Yogurt Fruitshake
3 Zucchini, Lemon & Parmesan Saute

Incorrect Cycles or Meals and/or Non-Compliant Items

1 Bavarian Chicken Breasts
This is listed as Dinner, but with Apples in it, it should be eaten before 2 pm.

2 Brown Rice Biryani
NOT Cycle compliant. Cilantro is Cycle 3 Also, mixed vegetables usually includes corn; along with the rice, this becomes a before 2 pm/8 hours before bed recipe.

2 Cantonese Stir-Fried Shrimp
This is listed as dinner incorrectly. Corn is to be eaten before 2 pm/8 hours before bed.

3 Chicken & Apricot Saute
This is listed as dinner incorrectly. Apricots are to be eaten before 2 pm/8 hours before bed.

1 Chocolaty Frozen Yogurt
This is NOT cycle compliant. Buttermilk is not permitted until Cycle 3.

2 Easy Chicken Posole
This is listed as dinner incorrectly, as hominy should be eaten prior to 2 pm/8 hours before bedtime.

2 Easy Succotash
Note that this should be eaten by 2 pm/8 hours before bedtime due to the corn and edamame

2 Fast and Easy Chili
This is listed as dinner incorrectly, as corn should be eaten prior to 2 pm/8 hours before bedtime.

1 Greek Egg Scramble
Cheeses used in this recipe should be fat-free, not low fat.

2 Grilled Spiced Peaches
Incorrectly calls for sugar-*free* yogurt (there is no such thing). Also, raspberry flavored yogurt will probably have *added* sugar (unless it is CarbMasters brand)

1 Low Carb Primavera Delight
NOT cycle compliant -- spaghetti squash is Cycle 2

2 Mexican Chocolate Pudding
NOT cycle compliant -- Tofu (made from soy) is Cycle 3

3 Polynesian London Broil
Incorrectly listed as dinner; this is a by 2 pm/8 hours before bed meal due to the pineapple.

3 Slow Cooker Brown Rice Congee
Calls for dry roasted salted peanuts; salted peanuts is not a good idea (water retention)

2 Smoked Turkey and Lentil Salad
NOT Cycle compliant -- deli turkey is not allowed until Cycle 3.

2 Super Strawberry Smoothie
This calls for sugar-*free* yogurt--this does not exist. Strawberry flavored yogurt will probably have sugar *added* to it, which is not allowed.

2 Turkey and Bulgur Meatloaf
Bulgur is a starch and should not be consumed for dinner in C2

2 Weekend Morning Grits Casserole
This is NOT Cycle compliant; soy is not permitted until Cycle 3.

Doctor, every time I do *this*, it hurts!

The correct response is either:-

1) Go to hospital and get that broken finger fixed, or
2) Stop doing *that*!

There seem to be a lot of people out there who are having problems with wheat gluten (gliadin), casein and other proteins. As Matt Lalonde said in The Science Behind the Paleolithic Diet, some proteins are harder to digest than others.

Here's a hard to digest protein:-


It's raw albumin (egg white protein). As mentioned in As sure as Eggs is Eggs....., raw albumin is poorly absorbed, compared to cooked albumin. To digest the above protein requires peptidase enzymes (pepsin, trypsin and chymotrypsin) to break the peptide bonds. This has to be done from the outside inwards, so a large, heavily-folded protein takes a long time to break down into individual amino acids. Cooking albumin changes the 3-D structure - this is called denaturing. Cooked albumin digests much faster than raw albumin, which is why it's much better absorbed. Cooked proteins are generally faster to digest than raw proteins, unless they're burned to a crisp on a barbecue!

In a person with a healthy gut, partially-digested proteins are not absorbed, as the molecules are too large to pass through the tight junctions in the small intestine. They just ferment, producing malodorous wind. In a person with impaired gut permeability, partially-digested proteins pass through the loose junctions and get into the blood, provoking an immune response. This is not good, so Keep 'em tight.

People who suffer ill-effects after eating certain proteins may either have the wrong genes (e.g. coeliac disease), or have impaired gut permeability. The former isn't fixable but the latter may be. In the meantime, if eating "X" hurts, don't eat "X"!

Happy Easter!

HAPPY EASTER!!!

Wow, is this a great weekend. It was my 20th birthday yesterday, it's Easter today. How fun, how could this weekend be better?

Well, Harvard could give us Easter Monday off from classes.

I'm C'MON, guys!

Anyway, here's a cute Easter Sunday outfit I've put together.

Easter Sunday by livelearneat featuring a high heel

Nina ricci dress
$1,210 - brownsfashion.com

Alexander McQueen high heel
alexandermcqueen.com

Stud earrings
$63 - pearlescence.co.uk

Kate Spade bracelets jewelry
katespade.com

Gorgeous Cosmetics pink eye shadow
nordstrom.com

Yves Saint Laurent yves saint laurent
yslbeautyus.com

Of course it's pastel pink. Why pass up an opportunity to wear pink?

I wish we had tomorrow off, so that I could visit my family and have spent my birthday with them (and watch my little sister go Easter egg hunting today)!

Oh well.

Do you have Easter Monday off?

What are you doing today?

What's your Easter Sunday outfit?

HAPPY 20th BDAY TO ME!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!

I turn twenty today!!

It's a national holiday!!!

Okay, maybe not. But in my world it is :)

And finally, for pretty much the first time in ever, my birthday is on a Saturday and I DON'T have a midterm exam on it.

WHOOT WHOOT!

So today I'm going to be a Diva.

As in capital D, drop dead FAB-U-LOUS.

If you care to join me in my diva-dom, here's a wardrobe suggestion.

Sparkle by livelearneat featuring chiffon dresses

Chiffon dress
$26 - selectfashion.co.uk

Leather jacket
indressme.com

Bridal shoes
alibaba.com

Box clutch
dia-boutique.com

Ileana Makri stud earrings
matchesfashion.com

Mimco matte red lipstick
$26 - mimco.com.au



I can't believe I'm twenty!

I'm no longer a teenager, I'm officially a young adult. I'm a twenty-year-old young woman with her own apartment, over half of my college education behind me, and (hopefully) so much ahead of me.

LIFE IS SOOOOOOOO EXCITING!!!!

And yummy!



Quest Nutrition is totally on a roll with their new flavors this year - first the Quest Cravings chocolate peanut butter cups (addicted!) and now a cookie dough bar?

People on Instagram and throughout the blogosphere have been raving about these, so I've been dying to try them. 

There's the same relatively short ingredients list...

That's pretty good for a protein bar.

and A+ nutrition as always.



I like Quest Nutrition products, but I didn't think that these could be as good as everyone said. How can a protein bar taste (and feel!) like cookie dough?

Only they do! 



Just like they nailed chocolate peanut butter cups, they've nailed cookie dough! 



And the most amazing part is that, if you bake it, it bakes into what's essentially a fresh chocolate chip cookie!



Talk about a lovely birthday surprise :)

Kisses,

The Birthday Princess

xoxo

The Comfy Chair?

Because nobody expects...


I'm writing this post lounging like a lounge-lizard on a comfy three-seater sofa. When I'm driving from A to B, I'm sitting in a comfy chair. Basically, I have a cushy life. I go for a walk in the evenings and I go to many music events, but as I'm (a bit of) an information junkie, I spend many happy hours on-line, lounging on my sofa. My bad.

Thanks to technology and energy, many of us have labour-saving devices and horseless carriages. Therefore, many of us don't burn much energy from doing hard physical work and from having to walk everywhere.

Therefore, to maintain energy balance, many of us have to eat little food energy to maintain a reasonable weight and body composition. To get all of the vitamins*, minerals, fibre/fiber etc required for good health from little food energy requires the consumption of foods with high nutrient densities. You know where this is going, don't you?

*Except for Vitamin D, which requires sensible sun exposure between the end of March and the end of September when your shadow is shorter than you are.

If you enjoy irony, see What Did You Expect? Coca-Cola's Newest Anti-Obesity Ad Blames Chairs, Not Coke.

P.S. According to the BBC TV series "QI", the Spanish Inquisition gave thirty days notice of their arrival. Therefore, according to "QI", everybody expected the Spanish Inquisition!

P.P.S. As a cushy life results in muscles burning carbohydrate at a low rate, sedentary people are better-off eating less carbohydrates. See 10 Rules New Low-Carb Dieters Should Follow.

Here’s to a Speedy Recovery? Not So Fast!

Alan came in yesterday and he put it right out there. “I was really disappointed with our visit last month.”, he shared. “I expected to lose more that the 6 pounds given all the work I had done”. More than a pound per week achieved through his modest dietary changes and his move from a sedentary activity level wasn’t enough. Sure he was feeling better—sleeping better, less heartburn, more energy—but still the weight loss wasn’t enough.

Thinking this portion should satisfy? Maybe not!

I wish I could say this was an atypical occurrence. Rather, many a patient, and a parent, present painfully honest about their dissatisfaction. Not with me, I’ll add, but with themselves, their child, their spouse. Really, they struggle to make sense of the reality of changing behaviors with their vision of what shouldbe.

And if you’re like them, it’s not your fault for struggling with this. Ever watch The Biggest Loser? Those who get thrown off the show for not losing fast enough lost 7 or so pounds—in only one week! How about those Jenny Craig and other diet program ads—the ones with those alluring before and after photos with the oh-so-tiny-print revealing for legal reasons, that “results are not typical”? (For the record, losing rapidly will ultimately result in rapid weight increase, preoccupation with food and weight and a host of other consequences).

Perhaps you’re dealing with an eating disorder. These past 2 weeks I’ve watched as my patient’s insurance company repeatedly rejected her pleas for treatment. Alison long struggled with anorexia and bulimia and after much work on the part of her providers (myself included) had agreed to enter a program. I thought that was the hard part. But then the tables turned and she became the one who had to fight for coverage for appropriate care; in the eyes of the insurer, 15 or 20 years entrenched in her eating disorder should surely be remedied in a couple of weeks in a program! Even her providers at the treatment center—no doubt influenced by the regulations and coverage struggles they’ve come to accept—seemed to take that stand, despite her recent slip when left on her own.

You just might encounter some obstacles.

Your difficulties in recovery may be influenced by your unrealistic expectations of the process of recovery or of changing behavior. Like Alan, you may take a “why bother?” approach and throw caution to the wind, sabotaging your progress because you sense you’ve already failed.

Sarah’s parents recently emailed me concerning their anorexic teenage daughter whom I’ve been working with. “She’s been making a point of going out more for dinners and she’d stopped keeping a food record”. Potentially cause for alarm? Maybe. But in Sarah’s case it was anything but. She had make remarkable progress with weight restoration over the preceding months and had been forthcoming about her difficulties—when they occurred. The dinners out? Now that she was more comfortable eating in restaurants and having others prepare her food she was stepping out; it was not an attempt to avoid parental mealtime supervision. And the lack of record keeping? Sarah was working on moving toward more intuitive eating at this point, and we had agreed to move from the daily food logs and exchange list accountability. I am not faulting involved parents in the least. But sometimes change is a good thing, as in Sarah’s case.

Some families expect recovery to be like ER treatment—you come in in a crisis, you get emergency treatment, like surgery or a new medication and you’re discharged to home and fixed. Unfortunately, eating disorder recovery is nothing like this.

So what to do when you live in a world filled with outrageous messages and your unrealistic timeframe for change is far from attainable? Focus on the immediate benefits of the positive changes you’re making, versus dwelling on the disappointments and frustrations. Consider not just the shoulds, as in “I know I’m supposed to be eating better, so that’s good” or “I know that this will help me down the road to prevent heart disease”. 

Don't expect to feel so positive all the time!

Consider the benefits many of my patients shared this week:

• my energy level is so much better

• I’m thinking more clearly

• I’m less preoccupied with what, when, how much to eat and I’ve stopped counting calories!

• my worst fears haven’t come true, in spite of my resistance to making the changes

• it’s getting easier to do the tasks I initially struggled with

• I’m seeing the impact of my role modeling on my young kids

• I was able to have a scoop of ice cream and trust that it would be there if I wanted more later!

• I baked and ate what I baked for the first time in years! (from Food to Eat, I’ll add!)

I also saw improved blood sugars in diabetics—with less than Biggest Loser amounts of weight loss, and I heard from both patients and families about improved mood and decreased irritability.

I realize that the positives, like those described above, may also occur side by side some negative experiences. For those starting to eat more as instructed, the physical sensations can be challenging. And anxiety, for many, is a real challenge and may need to be tackled with support from your therapist and MD. I don’t want to paint an unrealistic rosy picture, suggesting that all you need to do is adjust your thinking!

We’d all like a speedy recovery, as the expression goes. But in order to move there, we just might need to adjust our expectations.

Remember Patience?

Your thoughts?

Event Recap: Sparkle Spa Party at The Green Spa!

I had the absolute pleasure of hosting a "spa-rkling" ladies night out at The Green Spa in Brooklyn, NY last week. The Grand Courtage bubbles were flowing, I signed copies of Sparkle, and guests were treated to deliciously dazzling spa services all night long. What could be better than a night of pampering and getting glam?

Check out the photos and stay tuned for the next event!

Let's sparkle!

Ready to get glam!

Beautiful pink bubbles provided by Le Grand Courtage!

Makeup Artist Tyler giving the ladies a lovely glow!

Books ready to be signed!

Can this spa be any more gorgeous?

Thank you to Sheila, Maria, and the rest of The Green Spa team for hosting a fabulous night! 

Food Reward Friday

This week's "lucky" winner... milkshakes!

Read more »

Fruity Friday

I'm forgoing the Friday Foodie Finds this week in favor of a fruity Friday instead!

Today's review is of Fruit Bliss all natural, non-GMO, preservative-free fruit snacks.

I tried their Dried Apricots, Dried Figs, and Dried French d'Agen Plums (aka: fancy prunes).



They come in big packs for snacking at home, as well as smaller, individual-sized packs that are perfect for workday brown bags or school day lunchboxes.



Instead of adding sugars, Fruit Bliss uses high quality fruits, partially rehydrated with a bit of water to achieve optimal juiciness, and lets their natural sugars shine. That makes it an "A+" snack for kids and adults alike!



They fruits really are sweet and juicy, as promised, and there are no hard or dry pieces at all in any of the packs - even the prunes!



Don't you just hate when you get hard prune? That used to be one of my snack time pet peeves as a kid.

Yes, I may have been the only seven-year-old snacking on prunes.

Seven going on seventy, I know - but I still love prunes! And my little sister (who just turned eight earlier this month) loves them, too. Give them a shot! In addition to keeping you regular with all their natural fruit fiber, prunes are just super delicious (especially paired with some nuts and dark chocolate - dooo itttt).

But my favorite of the three was probably the soft dried apricots.

I don't know what it is, but somehow I never really got into apricots - until recently! I discovered a love for dried apricots towards the end of last summer. If you haven't given them a try, I highly recommend trying some ASAP. You might be surprised!

They're very underrated, they're delicious! 

I was a bit surprised by the Fruit Bliss ones, though. Dried apricots are usually orange (generally pale orange), but these?

Brown! 

It turns out that dried apricots are naturally brown if they're prepared without preservatives. I'd rather eat mine brown, like these Fruit Bliss ones, and keep the unnecessary preservatives out of my body. Why would something as delicious as dried fruit need extra additives? 

Especially because the brown color did nothing to change the sweet apricot flavor of these yummy dried fruits! These were actually even a bit yummier than most apricots, because they were nice and juicy and not at all tough. The texture is a delight!

What's your favorite dried fruit?

Have you tried Fruit Bliss?

What's one NEW (to you) snack that you've been enjoying lately?

Use and abuse of technology and energy.

Take a look at the picture below.

Samsung Galaxy S vs iPhone 4

Using technology and energy: Oil, ores, minerals and sand are turned into plastics, metals, ceramics and glasses. The latter cost and are worth more than the former. Using more technology and energy: Plastics, metals, ceramics and glasses are turned into smart-phones, computers, TV sets, cars, planes, musical instruments, w.h.y. The latter cost and are worth more than the former. Creating gizmos creates wealth and increases value.

Take a look at the picture below (hat-tip to Beth Mazur).

You know who is really leaning in? Little Debbie. We have enough crap to eat. Dial it back a little.

Using technology and energy: Produce are turned into crap-in-a-bag/box/bottle (CIAB). The latter cost more than the former but are worth less, as nutritional value has been reduced. Creating CIAB creates wealth but decreases value.

I would like there to be more production of gizmos and less production of CIAB.

Green Chile Egg Bake

This puffy golden egg bake is easy (and pretty enough for brunch guests).

Roasted Green Chiles + Eggs = Fabulous

This simple egg bake recipe flirts with being a souffle. She imagines herself in an Anais Nin novel, puffy and voluptuous, trembling on a sunlit, blossom strewn table, about to be devoured by a Henry Miller style character, an unknown writer, all bluster and Brooklyn guff, with a surprising, childlike glint to his laughter.

In a Kerouac novel she imagines herself liquid, a stream of golden beats syncopated in hot opposition to the heart's rhythm, strangely, vertigo defyingly more in tune with how the stars blink- on and off- cradling her humble, unassuming beginnings in feather injected hay, spinning cool and restless past the farmhouse windows lit yellow by a single lamp on the center of a wooden kitchen table strewn with cereal coupons and finger smudged newspaper and coffee cups stained not with lipstick but with infinite tiny cracks, scenting the air with morning that rushes into this author's highway memory like a distant train whistle crooning its tug toward reckless freedom, toward shed dreams and mockingbird awakenings that mimic the familiar just to confuse you, just to keep you anchored, just to clip you from flying in your own, crazy trajectory, your one chance at what might be possible.

Then again.

Maybe she's just an egg recipe.

With attitude.


Read more + get the recipe >>

Harvard Square Travel Guide

Just to mix things up a little, here's my first (I think) travel guide. Since I'm in the square almost every day, here's an introduction to Harvard Square!

Great For: High School Students and their families, Bibliophiles, Academics, Nerds

Don't Miss: Widener Library.

You can't go into the stacks without membership (so not unless you're a student, faculty member, or otherwise associated with the university) but they do offer tours of limited parts of the library.

Even if you can't get in for a tour, it's still great to just admire the architecture and spend a few minutes on the steps.

DO Miss: Dining hall food. 'Nuff said.

Where to Eat: If you're a vegetarian, you don't want to miss Veggie Planet.

I don't eat there as often as  I would like, but they always have really great vegetarian and vegan offerings!

The best burgers (veggie burgers included) in Harvard Square can be found at Bartley's.

But Felipe's, Pinocchio's Pizza and Subs (known just as Noch's), and Hong Kong (known just as the Kong) are student favorites for budget-friendly late-night fare.

Slices at Noch's are big and tasty, but budget-friendly. Slices start at around $2 each.

You'll find them full of tipsy coeds in the wee hours where Saturday night and Sunday morning intersect. When Mt. Auburn St. empties out, these eateries fill up!

If you're just a little peckish, stop by the Starbucks in the Harvard Coop Bookstore and people watch while you enjoy a frappe and a cookie. I like this Starbucks best of the several in the area because it's located on the second floor of the bookstore and offers a great view of the store.

While a Pinkberry has recently opened right by the T station and there's also a Ben & Jerry's in the garage, locals skip both to form long lines over at Berryline.

The queue for a sweet cup of froyo almost always spills out into the street, but the abundant topping options and rotating flavors keep us all coming back!

Shopping: Harvard Square isn't great for most shopping, but you'll definitely want to stop by the Coop to get your obligatory crimson sweater and you won't want to miss the big Curious George store, especially if you have a little one at home.

 It's a kid's dream!

Transportation: Harvard Square isn't too big of a geographic area (like everything in Boston/Cambridge, it's designed quite compactly) so you can get around on foot. To get here from the airport, your best bets are to come either by taxi (~$30) or by subway ($2.50).

The subway (known as T) station is right in the middle of Harvard Square, so that's actually a pretty good option!

Have you visited Harvard Square?

What would you like to know from a travel guide?

Disclaimer: Images taken from the internet.