SPEAKER_01: 0:00

Um, let's not forget we have an enemy who does not want us to serve and he's gonna strive to keep us down and out, right? And and poor physical health is just one way he can do that. Yes. So let's not give him that opportunity. Whatever lies you're being told by the enemy about why you cannot do this, zero in. And I know that's off the topic of what you asked me.

SPEAKER_04: 0:22

No, I love that. So important.

SPEAKER_01: 0:25

Yeah. Just clearer thinking, better health overall.

SPEAKER_05: 0:29

Hey sister, welcome to the Power on Plants podcast. Are you tired of staring into the fridge wondering what to eat so you can just feel better? Do you want to avoid spending hours in the kitchen making complicated meals in the name of health? Would you love to leave fatigue behind and finally have the energy to do all the things you want to do? Hi, we're Sheridan and Eatery Self-Christ followers, healthcare professionals, parents of four, and big fans of great tasting food. We too tried exercising more, eating natural and clean foods, but we still found ourselves struggling with what we thought were changes that come with age or bad genes. And we weren't finding answers to traditional routes, so we dug into the research and created our secret nutritional weapon, sustainable plant-based living. The truth is you can eat more whole plant foods, and it's not hard. You just need the way that's realistic and delicious so you never feel deprived. If you're ready to enjoy your meals, no longer be held back by your health struggles, and actively live your life, then you're in the right place. So grab your favorite plant-based cup of a happy pop in those earbuds and let's get started. Hello and welcome to the Power on Plants Podcast. Today we are diving into a conversation that sits right at the heart of what we teach. That's God's original design for food and how it still works and is the key to fueling your body optimally so you can finally feel good to fully live the calling that God has given you. Our guest, Syd Nodder, is a faith-filled nutrition educator. She's a speaker and author of the Plan A Diet: Combining Whole Food Plant-Based Nutrition with the Timeless Wisdom of Scripture. We absolutely love this title because Plan A perfectly aligns with Genesis 129. You know how much we love that verse around here. God's first and his best plan for nourishing the bodies he's created. What Jared and I admire most about Sid's work is how she connects biblical truth and practical real life tools for thriving physically, mentally, and spiritually without the confusion or the overwhelm of modern diet. So if you've ever wondered how do I eat in the way that truly honors God and optimally fuels my body to live according to my purpose, you are in the right place today. Sid, welcome to the Power on Plants podcast. It is a joy to have you here.

SPEAKER_00: 2:55

Thank you so much, Anita and Jared. It's a pleasure to be here today.

SPEAKER_05: 3:00

Yes, we love having you join us, sister. You know, when you meet somebody and just right away, you know, that is my sister in Christ.

SPEAKER_02: 3:08

And so we oh, it's amazing.

SPEAKER_05: 3:10

And we have other things in common too. And I don't even know if you know this or not, but I grew up in a barbecue restaurant in the deep south eating all of those kinds of foods. And I seem to recall hearing that you grew up in a similar way.

SPEAKER_01: 3:24

I did. My parents owned a lounge, which was a bar and a pizza kitchen in one building. So as a child, I had all the pizza and root beer floats that I could handle because my dad had ice cream behind the bar to make those uh uh those ice creamy drinks, yes, grasshoppers and all those things. So I'd fill up a frosted mug with ice cream and then go to the pop thing and get the root beer. And oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_05: 3:52

Yes, I did that, and I got on the back of the Lance Man's truck. So he would come with all the candy bars and all that stuff. So yeah, I'm sure that didn't have anything to do with the problems I landed in at 40 years old. Yeah, but you know, we didn't know. And the thing is, you have so many things that you face in life, but you don't know until you know. That's what Jared always says. You don't know what you don't know, but when you know, you can do better, right? Absolutely. That's why we all love teaching what we're teaching. So we have a lot of busy believers that are listening to us and they feel like healthy living is just out of their reach. How do things first begin to shift for them? Do you think what are the best things they could do? And how do they begin to shift for you? Maybe we'll start there.

SPEAKER_01: 4:38

Well, they shifted for me, not until my mid-30s. Um, when I went, we my husband and I both visited some vegetarian friends, and we thought, well, this will be interesting, going to a vegetarian's house. So we went to dinner there, and um they were into that way of eating for animal reasons, and we loved animals too, and we thought, well, let's go vegetarian, but we were still eating dairy and hostess cupcakes, you know, we weren't eating healthy at all, but I thought we were just because we had given up meat.

SPEAKER_02: 5:09

Right.

SPEAKER_01: 5:10

So that went on for a couple of years, and then I was at a women's business networking group because I owned an art and frame store for many, many years. So I belonged to the chamber and all that, and they had a presenter come to this networking group, and she was actually representing the wellness forum from Columbus, Ohio. That's Dr. Pam Popper, who teaches appointments doctor.

SPEAKER_05: 5:30

Wow. What a divine appointment.

SPEAKER_01: 5:32

I know. And so her name was Arlene, and she said, I'm having a four-week class at my house. And I signed up thinking just thinking it would be something fun to do with my girlfriends. I was not thinking it was going to change me and impact me as much as it did. Because during that class, this was 37, 35 years ago now at least, I learned that I was not eating healthy at all. And so at that point, I switched over to an unhealthy vegan diet where I was eating all the vegan processed foods. That went on for a while, and then I finally went whole food plant-based about 16 years ago, is when we gave up the dairy for good. Right. But uh yeah, so it was Arlene's class that opened my eyes, and she said to me, I kept having her come to my frame shop to do classes for the public. And she said, Why don't you just become certified? You know the material as well as I do. You're always piping in with things. So I did. I went on to become a certified health educator for the wellness forum and did that for many years. So that was my start.

SPEAKER_05: 6:36

Wow, that's amazing. So you didn't you came about this way of living a little bit more slowly? It was over the course of years, and a lot of people try to do that intentionally. They say, okay, well, I don't want to go all in. I'm just gonna take it one step at a time. Would you recommend after going through what you went through, which Jared and I came into this way of eating much the same way, would you recommend this longer term route? Or is there a simpler way to start, do you think?

SPEAKER_01: 7:07

Well, I certainly wouldn't recommend the way that I did it, which was too, too long. And um, we do know that studies show that those that jump in with both feet have the most success. However, I know that there are people that are not ready to jump in overnight and they want to make gradual changes. My advice to that is that you've got to have a set date on the calendar. Give yourself five weeks. Okay, I'm gonna, or six weeks is gonna be the most I'm gonna transition. And so you'll keep moving forward. You just have to keep moving forward until you're fully on board. And six weeks is plenty of time to do that. So if you do make gradual changes, make sure you have an end date in mind or you'll drift as I drifted for way too long.

SPEAKER_05: 7:53

That's such a great tip, Sid, to have the end date in mind. I love that because you could say, I'll do it over a course of time, and then you just never do anything, or you do things so slowly that you're really not getting a lot of results. But we know that one change, even one change, can make a difference. So just start doing the things, getting the changes, get building that momentum, but that end date is key. I love that. And then we have discovered though, I mean, just even for ourselves, like once we saw it and really the light bulb moment just happened for us, and it was, oh, this could be the answer. This is it. And we jumped in at full force and did it. I mean, it that's when everything started to change for us. So we always say if we could go back, we would if, you know, I don't want to despise the journey, so to speak, because we know that God uses all those things for our benefit over time. He takes, you know, what the enemy meant for evil and turns it for good, so to speak. But I'm just thinking, like, if you could, if you knew what you know now back then, would you jump all in and go in faster? Or would you have just kind of taken the same path, do you think?

SPEAKER_01: 9:03

I think we would have jumped in with both feet. Um, I grew up in an Italian household with lots of rich foods and cheese and cream sauces and all of that. So it may have been a in olive oil and everything. So it may have been a little difficult for looking back for me to jump in with both feet. Yes. But I if I would have transitioned, it maybe would have taken a week or two, I think, you know, because I really had no idea what I was doing. And without planning, you're not going to be very successful. You have to have a plan in mind, especially with your meals, your meal planning, and all of that.

SPEAKER_05: 9:39

Don't you feel like having a community too? Surrounding yourself with like-minded people who are on the same path makes such a big difference. That's one of the reasons we had started our community. And I think you see the value in community too. Haven't you seen that in your life as well?

SPEAKER_01: 9:52

Yes, absolutely. Yes. Um, right now I host an inflammation support group once a month for a website called Plant-Based Support. And that's what kind of what you're offering. It's a place for community. And um, yeah, it's very important to be with like-minded people and share your struggles and share your victories.

SPEAKER_03: 10:11

To see that you're not alone. I know so many of our people say that they feel alone, that nobody else in their families is eating this way. Sometimes they may be even a little bit adversarial. Like, why would you do that? Where are you going to get your protein? So knowing that you are not alone is huge.

SPEAKER_05: 10:27

It is huge. And then I think too, when we get together in our communities, we see people talking about how just the ideas, like you're there in your family, and you feel like this is where somebody understands, but then the ideas that you get and then the things that you share with people and they get ideas too, it can make such a big difference. Just these little things of seeing someone, what they're doing, how they're putting their plates together, how they're reusing certain ingredients and things. It's just inspiring.

SPEAKER_01: 10:56

It is. I I can't imagine because my husband went along with me on this journey, but if he hadn't, you know, I've never had to face that obstacle where there's there are things in the house that would trigger me to, you know, eat badly. Yes. And I just feel for the people that are in that situation. It's not easy.

SPEAKER_05: 11:14

Yeah, absolutely. So it is important to have a family around you, not just at home, because a lot of people don't have that, like you're saying, but just that support network. But and you now I know, I know your book, The Plan A Diet, reflects God's blueprint according to Genesis 129. So, what does the plan A diet, or just plan A as you would call it, look like in real life today? And why does it still work so powerfully, do you think, today?

SPEAKER_01: 11:46

Yeah. So God's plan A diet was a plant-based diet, as we know from Genesis. And um yeah, it was designed to provide the optimal, optimal nutrition to man at that time, the ideal food and an ideal world at that time. And um it works today because number one, we are just not created to eat the foods that the standard American diet is. From the from the movement of our jaw, we're not created, we are created to eat plants. Um, from our long intestinal tract to digest fiber, all of that, the way we are physically created. Um, even the salivary glands that um help break down starches. I mean, there's just so many things about our body that indicate we are plant eaters, and that's why God gave us plants as our food.

SPEAKER_02: 12:35

Yes.

SPEAKER_01: 12:36

And so for today, what that would look like would be a whole food plant-based, um no added oil diet. Um, do you agree with that? Or absolutely 100%.

SPEAKER_05: 12:47

Yes. So so the question is, Sid, but what about your protein? Well, believe that. You know I had to do that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 12:59

Plants are the source of protein. Plants are the source of protein, not the meat. They're the middleman, right? The cow is the middleman for dairy, for everything. Yes, cows get their calcium from dairy. Cows get their calcium from dairy. Cows don't make dairy. I mean, um, cows don't make calcium. Right. They don't make protein.

SPEAKER_03: 13:21

Cows aren't drinking milk. Right. So where are they getting the calcium that goes into milk? A calf drinks milk, but a grown cow does not drink milk, nor are they eating beef. So where are they getting the calcium? Where are they getting those amino acids?

SPEAKER_05: 13:36

Yeah, where are they getting the protein, right?

SPEAKER_03: 13:39

And when I asked that question of my patients and others, that and that was a light bulb moment for us. So oh my goodness. And when I asked my patients that, I I not universally, but frequently get that. Wow, you're right. Yes, they had never thought about that. We're never presented with that question.

SPEAKER_05: 13:58

Yeah, sometimes it's in the questions you ask. I mean, you look at Yeshua in the Bible, he asks the best questions. Yes. And I think for us, you have to start asking these things like, where do cows and gorillas and elephants and all these things, where do they get their protein? Right. And so those things are so 100% herbivore. Yes, absolutely. So, what one or two barriers keep believers, do you think, Sid, from thriving in life? So there are a lot of things, and let's talk about nutrition. So, what are some things you think stand in our way from fully living our calling? And what's the simplest way to overcome those gracefully?

SPEAKER_01: 14:39

Yeah, so in my book, I have a chapter called The 12 Barriers to Change. And most of them would apply to anyone, and there's a spiritual component too that it would apply to us as believers. But physical food addiction is a big one for everyone because the manufactured foods are designed to hook our brains, you know, by feeding that pleasure center in our brain. So physical food addiction is one. Emotional eating is another one, a very good fear of change. You know, when you are gonna change your diet or thinking about learning a whole new way of cooking and shopping, and it may affect your friendships, and you're gonna read labels and you're not gonna eat out as much. There's fear behind that. That's a whole new lifestyle. And so, fear of change is another one. Um, the avoidance of pain is one too, and I don't mean physical pain, but all learning all those new things can be seen as a big hassle, right? So people are gonna avoid that, they don't want to do that, even though their health is at stake. So there are many, many reasons why the whole boy, all of us as a society struggle. But for believers, um, and I've had this conversation with believers, they believe that um the earth here is temporal. So we're just going to eat what we want and enjoy what we want because it's temporary. But no, that's what God's word says he does care about our health and wants us to take care of our bodies, to steward our bodies well. Well, it just makes sense.

SPEAKER_05: 16:10

I mean, if the Bible says our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, and so, like you said, we are to steward them well. It's where he has taken up residence and wants to make his ways known and his love known to people. And how can we function well when we're sick? That's one of our big things. It's like you have a kingdom calling, you have a purpose that God wants to fulfill through you. You know that because you have God given dreams and things that you want to do and accomplish in this life. How can we do that when we're sick and we're just trying to survive?

SPEAKER_03: 16:41

And the deception is that being sick is normal and that I'm only going to live until 65, 70. My uncle had a heart attack at 50, so that's just what is going to happen to me. And they don't realize our bodies need to last our entire lives, and our lives are meant to be longer than 50 years. Right. And God has a plan. And we take better care of our cars than we do our bodies because we see that if I take care of my car, it will give me all the hundreds of thousands of miles that it should give me, but never ever once think about our bodies in that same way.

unknown: 17:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05: 17:14

And we need to think about our society, like the the language, even the lingo that's built in, Sid. I mean, what are some of the common ones that you can think of? I'm thinking about things like, you know, oh, we just know how it is when you get old, you know, things start to break down. I mean, even built into the birthdays, like, you know, you have certain milestone birthdays where people are putting gravestones in their yard and stuff like that. And I'm thinking, we don't need to be aligning our lives with those types of thoughts and and words and things because God's word is what we need to be speaking of over ourselves. It brings life.

SPEAKER_03: 17:50

Um, have power.

SPEAKER_05: 17:52

Yeah. Can you think of any other ones? I mean, there's so many things that are deceptive about genetics.

SPEAKER_01: 17:57

You mentioned age, you know. I think a lot of people have misconceptions about aging. It's not the number of years, it's that everything's catching up. You know, all the poor lifestyle choices are catching up at a certain point. That's what it is.

SPEAKER_02: 18:09

Yes.

SPEAKER_01: 18:10

Rather than age. And I'm going to be 70 next month. And so I don't think of that as, oh, I'm 70. I think of it as the start of the next decade where I can continue to grow and serve. And it's a mindset thing too. And I think it might be a way of escape for a lot of people. They just think it's normal to get heavier and sicker with age when it is not normal. I mean, there's so many, of course, we can get sick. I'm not saying we can't, but there are so many preventable illnesses that we do to ourselves. And I believe that grieves God to see his kids making themselves unnecessarily sick.

SPEAKER_05: 18:45

Absolutely. I don't believe that he wants us to be sick throughout his word. All you see, if you just look at the life of Jesus and nothing else, although it's all throughout Old Testament scripture as well, that he healed them all. I mean, you look at what he did, and you see he says, You see me, you've seen the Father. So he wants us to thrive. He wants to bring his kingdom come through us into this world. So there's so many things, I think, in this society that people say and believe. And we really need to look more at like what does his word say, and maybe aligning our words with his thoughts. What do you think about that?

SPEAKER_01: 19:24

I think that is an excellent idea. Of course, you've got to have the Holy Spirit, you know, in order to do that. Yes. So, um, but yeah, I I totally agree what you said about the body too. Like we cannot serve when we're ill or you know, we can't serve to our fullest.

SPEAKER_05: 19:40

Yes.

SPEAKER_01: 19:40

And I just believe our bodies, yeah. I believe our bodies are the most intimate gift that we've been given on this side of heaven because it's how we pray, it's how we communicate with God, it's how we serve him. So why would we want to damage this vessel, you know, that is like you said, the temple of the Holy Spirit?

SPEAKER_03: 20:01

And that's how we present him to the world around us. I mean, we are his hands and feet. And if our hands and feet are shackled and bound, we can't go and do that.

SPEAKER_01: 20:10

Yeah, that's a great point, too. Absolutely. And God just loves us so much. I, you know, he he says, I delight in the welfare of my servants in Psalm 35. So God delights in our welfare, he wants us to be healthy and you know, especially as we serve him.

SPEAKER_05: 20:26

Yes. And we're his kids, we're his children, right? We've been adopted into his family. So the Bible talks about how what earthly father would not get want to give good gifts to his children, how much more the father is in heaven. So he wants us to have good gifts. And I've been studying that lately, the gifts and things all throughout the scripture. And I do believe that one of his very good and most delicious gifts is whole plant foods. They taste so amazing, but we believe these lies that could never taste good. How could I ever eat this way? And we talk to ourselves about these things because we're talking from a framework of man-made ways, I feel like, where it's diets and all we know is restriction and it's if it's going to be healthy, it's got to taste bad. Because we've kind of been set up for that throughout our entire lives. And then, like what you were talking about as well, they put the things into the junk foods, and there actually are people who are hired with the jobs where they make these things cravable. They're called cravings experts. They have different names for them, but that's one that I've heard. And so it's just amazing when we can break free from that, the freedom that we find.

SPEAKER_03: 21:37

And I'll share that with people, and you can see that look of that I have trouble believing that. So they're actually putting stuff in the food to make me crave it more. Yes, I mean, these companies are in the business of making profit, which there's nothing wrong with doing that. If you're bringing value to the world for that profit, but they make money either by charging a lot more, and people only pay so much for a Twinkie, they're not gonna pay$20 for a Twinkie, or they sell more Twinkies. Right. Yeah. And they make you crave it and then you buy more. That's a good point. It's just I think once people know that, and you're talking about the physical addiction of food, which I think is an insidious problem, because we we don't think of ourselves as necessarily being addicted. Right. Oh, I must have food to survive. Yes, you do. So then it flies under the radar, and if you don't realize that they're doing these things with the food to manipulate it, to hijack your taste buds, now that's all you want. And then all the other foods just seem bland. Like broccoli. Ugh. Well, once you kind of detox from all that, broccoli is sweet. Who knew? Yeah.

SPEAKER_05: 22:45

Absolutely. I I think it's interesting too that these, and I want to know if you find this to be the same thing, Sid, that these foods are not cravable. The foods that we, when we are truly eating whole plant foods, even if we mix them up and put them together in different ways, like food has lost its hold over me. I used to think, sit and think about and dream about meals and different things. And it's not that I don't find the joy in what I eat anymore. It's truly amazing. I mean, Jared and I sit around and we talk about constantly. Actually, we laugh, like, oh yeah, we feel so deprived. And we don't at all. And that's why we're laughing about it because these are the most delicious foods, but they're also life-giving. So we love it, but they we let it loves our body back.

SPEAKER_03: 23:29

So it almost sounded like you were about to say we don't crave the foods, but we desire them. We enjoy them, but there's not that craving. Oh, I must have good. Because we used to be finishing up lunch, already talking about what we wanted for dinner. We hadn't even started digesting our meal, and we're already talking about the very next meal. And we just don't do that anymore. So we enjoy these things. If there's a dish we haven't had in a while, we'll say, Oh, what do you want to eat? Like, oh, we haven't had this one dish in a while, that would be really good. It's not I gotta have recipe. And that's the way it used to be. Exactly.

SPEAKER_05: 24:01

Did you have the same experience, Sid, with foods when you started eating more whole plant foods and just kind of felt like, yeah, I don't I don't crave them the same way?

SPEAKER_01: 24:10

Right. Yeah, it's true. I'm I've had many previous carnivores that switch over to this way, say they're eating more variety and flavors and textures than they ever did when they were eating the standard American diet. So this way of eating provides an abundance of flavors and textures and different foods. It's just, yeah, it's exciting.

SPEAKER_04: 24:32

Yes, we eat or something.

SPEAKER_03: 24:34

It tastes like a chicken breast. Of course, you could put some marinades and spices on it, but it's still chicken. I mean, there are thousands of different beans in the world. So many we have yet to even discover. Different flavors, and like you said, textures. Some are firm, some are creamy. It's just, it is not boring.

SPEAKER_01: 24:52

I think Dr. McDougall used to say that meat and chicken, if without the salt and without the flavorings that are added to them, nobody would want to eat it. It would just be a bland piece of animal flesh, you know.

SPEAKER_05: 25:03

Yes. I don't remember ever sitting around and really enjoying eating it. I remember my mom eating a plain chicken breast sometimes when she was doing certain diets. I don't think she found it very enjoyable, from what I recall. But it's interesting because we're talking about the um also the cravability and how it's built into a lot of junk foods. But we what we don't think about a lot of times when we start eating whole and natural, like Jared and I were eating clean whenever we um first started trying to eat healthier.

SPEAKER_03: 25:35

Started making a transition.

SPEAKER_05: 25:37

And it was it was when I hit my sickest. I mean, we were not doing very well at all. We overall, we've lost over 70 pounds together now and kept it off. We don't have to try and count calories and portions and all that. Um, but I just think it's interesting because we're talking about the cravability of things that's built in, but there's some natural cravability that God has placed into certain things, such as cow's milk to bring the calf back to the cow. And that's why I was so addicted to dairy. I know you talked about dairy a minute ago. Um, what are your thoughts on that?

SPEAKER_01: 26:13

Well, dairy has a property called quesomorphins, which is an opiate to keep a baby cow close to the mother when it's weaning. And we are consuming those quesomorphins, and especially in cheese where they're concentrated. And so we become addicted to dairy. It's one of the biggest addictors. So it wasn't just that you don't have willpower, it actually is a physically addicting thing.

SPEAKER_03: 26:39

Celberating pizza and having that first bite and having that response of, yeah, absolutely. And that's exactly what was driving that.

SPEAKER_05: 26:48

So, with physical addiction being one of the barriers that we're talking about, and you had mentioned also fear of change. How have you seen people's lives change as a result of taking on a healthy plant-based diet in those areas of the different barriers that you mentioned?

SPEAKER_01: 27:06

Yeah, well, once they identify their barriers and habit is another big one. Entrenched habits are really hard to break sometimes. So it's, you know, it's been said that plant-based eating is 80% mentality and 20% skill. And I kind of agree with that because it's the limiting beliefs that we tell ourselves, I can never do that. It's too expensive, blah blah. I call it the blah blahs. Yes, yes. So the people that have success can overcome those things, not fully. I mean, and maybe not all right away, but they're determined because they feel their health is worth it. They don't want to be sick, they're sick and tired of being sick and tired. They want to be there for the grandkids. So if you're big why, you've got to have a why that makes you cry. So if your big why is your motivator, I've heard the big why, but I haven't heard the why.

SPEAKER_03: 28:01

It makes you cry.

SPEAKER_01: 28:04

Yeah, it's it's your motivator, is what's gonna help you get over all of those barriers and a plan. I mean, it's not just gonna happen by, oh, I want to get over that. And when you make your reasons, here's another mental tip. I want to lose weight. Add the words so that to whatever your reason for why is that. I want to lose weight so that I want to improve my bone health so that.

SPEAKER_05: 28:30

So that's gold, Sid. You're dropping gold. I love it. That is gotta have that reason. Yeah, yes, absolutely, 100%. That's good. All right, so I know that a lot of purpose-driven leaders and entrepreneurs hear plant-based, and like we were talking about, you know, you're used to eating the cheese and you were a dick. I was I was the dairy queen. I call myself the dairy queen because Jared went to the store one time and he was checking out with the groceries, and the woman actually, the cashier, actually made a comment about how much dairy. Wow, that's a lot of dairy.

SPEAKER_03: 29:05

I know I should just buy a cow, it'd be cheaper.

SPEAKER_05: 29:08

It was so bad. The dairy habit, and people talk about how expensive whole food plant-based eating is. I oh no, it didn't hold a candle to what our bill would be back in the day. But um, you know, people think about plant-based and they think it's gonna be boring, it's gonna be bland, all they can think about is salads and restriction. So, what do you say to someone who believes that eating God's original way means giving things up?

SPEAKER_01: 29:37

It does not mean giving things up except being ill. You know, you're gonna give up being, yeah.

SPEAKER_05: 29:43

Yes, you know. Um that's so true. You're gonna give up, but you're gonna give up the stuff you don't want, right?

SPEAKER_01: 29:49

Right. Yeah. Yeah. This way of eating is anything but bland and boring. Take it from an Italian that grew up with all the rich, you know, lasagnas and stuff. Skinning rabbits in the basement. I mean, the whole thing, you know.

SPEAKER_04: 30:03

Yes.

SPEAKER_01: 30:04

Yes. And so, yeah, it's not bland and boring at all. That's a misconception. There are so many misconceptions about this way of eating, and that's one of them. They think, you know, oh, are you eating twigs and rabbit food? You know, I've heard that from family members all the time.

SPEAKER_05: 30:18

No.

SPEAKER_01: 30:18

We're eating lasagna and burgers and stir fries and stews and you know, just the whole gamut. Anything you can make, I can make better.

SPEAKER_05: 30:26

Oh, sister, say it again. You're speaking my language. Say it again. I want to hear that one more time.

SPEAKER_01: 30:34

Yeah. Well, think about it. I mean, if somebody steaks, they can see you can, there's plenty of uh soy curls, there's other meat alternatives that we can flavor just as well. Yes, they're supposed to, yes.

SPEAKER_05: 30:47

Absolutely. But even in the whole food plant-based realm, like we're not against using some of those other things, but think about just mushrooms and beans. And we use walnuts. I mean, we grind up walnuts and make the most delicious pasta sauce, bolognese sauce. And you can do so many different things. You just think about the textures and the flavors. That's what we love teaching people. How do you get those textures? How do you get the flavors? If I ate meat then, like what do I eat now? If I eat this then, what do I eat now? And I love getting them to the place where they can take almost any recipe, like you're saying. I mean, you're just speaking, you're singing our songs. It's like, how do you get to the place where you can take almost any recipe and make it even better? Or just as good. I say just as good because sometimes people have the idea of there's no way it could be better, but oh, it can be so much better. Not only can it taste better, but it makes you feel good. That loving your body back, once you have that winning combo, like why would you ever feel deprived or even think about a cheat day or wanting to go back? Because that's that's the winning combo to me.

SPEAKER_01: 31:52

Yeah.

unknown: 31:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 31:53

Cheat days. Um, I remember I was at a conference last year and one of the doctors talked about cheat days. He goes, There's no such thing as a cheat day. If you're in the pantry hiding, eating potato chips, yes, your cells know what is going on. You know, your body is not so good. That's so good.

SPEAKER_05: 32:09

You're not hiding it from your body or yourselves, right?

SPEAKER_01: 32:11

Your body knows, yeah.

SPEAKER_05: 32:13

Yeah, the consequences will shine forth the same day.

SPEAKER_03: 32:16

I know that I know this is gonna be a ridiculous analogy, but would you go into your marriage scheduling cheat days?

SPEAKER_05: 32:24

Oh, that's a good analogy.

SPEAKER_03: 32:26

No, you would not.

SPEAKER_05: 32:27

It's a very good analogy. Yeah, and we don't want to do that with our relationship with God or food.

SPEAKER_03: 32:31

Exactly.

SPEAKER_05: 32:32

Yeah. So we want to eat what's better. Why would we not want to eat what was best for us, especially if we can make it taste as good or even better than what we ate before? And that's we love setting up life like that. And I know you're the same way.

SPEAKER_01: 32:45

Exactly.

SPEAKER_05: 32:46

Yeah. So in your book, another thing you talked about that I just love is gratitude. It's powerful, especially it's for powerful for everybody because it's a principle of God's word. But especially when you're a believer and you have something to do, you know, you have this mission that God's put on your heart and you're a leader. So you're, but the problem is you're constantly in go mode. Like a lot of people are just go, go, go, and they can't see how they could make this work, but they we also get busy and we don't take time for gratitude and thankfulness. So, how do you think that makes a difference around the food and the motivation and our lifestyle that we're living today?

SPEAKER_01: 33:27

Well, I think we kind of just mentioned how people have the uh wrong conceptions about plant-based eating. But if you think um I get to cook a different way, thank you, God, that I get to shop. Everything I need to eat healthy is at the store. Thank you, God, for that. Yes. Thank you that I have the mind to learn how to make easy recipes, right? I can I have thank you, God, that I can make easy recipes that are going to nourish my body well. So when you frame things about not what you're giving up, but what you're getting when you switch to a healthy diet and you're grateful for that, that's like a winning combination.

SPEAKER_05: 34:04

Sid, you keep bringing the gold. I love that so much. And that is beautiful when you think about all that we have to be thankful for, even just in this space alone. I mean, there's so much, but just being intentional about being grateful to God for all that he's put into these foods and the ability that he's given us to learn these things. It does not have to be hard. It does not have to be complicated. And the other thing that gets me is we believe the lie that we're going to be somehow limited. I mean, we have never had so many unending options for food. We even eat beyond the things we used to eat before. Like you were saying, we want to know in the beginning, and this is one thing we focus on on teaching people, and I'm imagine you do as well. How do you make those replacements for your favorites? Finding your new favorites. That's one of our big things. You need to find those things that you absolutely love. Now and get them replaced with the whole food plant-based option that makes you feel amazing, and so that you can start healing and you can break free from the health struggles that you're having or never have them in the first place, which is even better, right?

SPEAKER_03: 35:11

Maybe. Maybe instead of calling them your new favorites, because I think that implies a different favorite, maybe we should say find your renewed favorites. Because take your favorites and then make them plant based so you're still enjoying the same meal, the flavors, the textures, but in a way that loves you back. So maybe it's really your renewed favorites.

SPEAKER_05: 35:30

Yes, that's good. I like that. Yeah, so it's nice to be able to just stop and take time intentionally and even maybe having a journal place or something. Do you find that there's a good way, Sid, to remind, like what have you found are good reminders to bring more gratitude into our life?

SPEAKER_01: 35:48

Well, one trick is to I get to use those words. Yes. I get to go pull weeds. Who wants to pull weeds? Not me, but I get to do that. I have the ability to do that, and a lot of people don't that would would love to have the ability to pull weeds. So when you reframe that you get to eat this way, you get to um have delicious food. Um the words I get to are powerful when it comes to gratitude because it reframes something you might not want to do, right? Yeah, into something that you're grateful you can do.

SPEAKER_05: 36:24

Yes, something you actually have the opportunity to do. And I love how you shared their a focus on there are people who can't do those things right now. Like I remember, I mean, you right, I don't remember what health struggles did you have before. Were there certain ones that you were having?

SPEAKER_01: 36:41

They were. And um, I had high cholesterol and my bones were thinning, and I had constant colds all winter. So my immune system was pretty much in the tank when I started. All those have cleared up. That's so good. Cleared up right away. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05: 36:57

Yes. It's amazing how things can shift. And I remember when I was my sickest and I was standing in the shower washing my hair, and I didn't almost didn't even have the strength. I mean, my fingers hurt so badly. I was constantly in joint pain, exhausted all day long. And I was crying, frozen shoulder, crying in the shower. Like there are people right now washing their hair, and they're not even thinking about that. They're washing their hair. I mean, just doing it and not even thinking about it. So I think that's so important. Like what you're saying, that gratitude of I can, I get to do this. It's not I have to or I should, but it's that I get to. I love that so much. Um, time is another thing that we see our clients struggle with a lot. It's one of the biggest hurdles. And so, what are two or three time-saving habits that you think keep whole feed plant-based eating really simple without having to live in the kitchen, just spend your entire life in there all that time?

SPEAKER_01: 38:00

Well, I think planning your week, your meals for the week is huge. And then you can batch cook a few of them at once. You know, if you can make three meals on a weekend that's going to last you for a couple days. Planning is the key, I think, to making this work. Because if you come home and there's nothing healthy in the fridge, you you know, that's when we might be calling DoorDash or doing something that we shouldn't be doing. Um, so keep the meals very simple. Um, make rice and use it for a stir fry one night. You could use it in a burrito the next night. So when you batch cook ingredients, not just recipes, yes, make a batch of potatoes and have cheesy potatoes with broccoli, or make a potato stew out of some of them, or have gravy, you know, with your lentil loaf. So you have to just think it through batch cook recipes or batch cook ingredients and just planning. So my husband is not a big fan of leftovers night after night. So each week when I go to the store, I have to pick five meals for the week. And so my personal trick is I pick one Italian dish, one Asian, a Mexican, a burger, and a super stew. So I've got those all categorized in my meal recipe folder, and I just pick one from each recipe, and that's what we're gonna have that week.

SPEAKER_05: 39:21

That is so good, Sid, and it makes it so easy. If you're listening to this, definitely try that. Because if you think just one type of cuisine, a type that I love, and within that type, there's so many different things that you can eat, right? And then if you take what Sid was saying before that and you batch cook some things, and I love how you were sharing it, does not have to be hard. Like when I thought about batch cooking years ago, I have nightmares. I used to have nightmares about it because it was when when it was really popular to do the all-day batching. So you would go maybe go to a party or something and you would all day batch all these things. And I'm thinking, I don't have a day. How am I supposed to batch? And I know a lot of our listeners are very, very busy and have a lot going on in their lives, and we just don't have time for that. Like it's got to be quick and easy. So that tip you shared right there about the five, was it five different cuisines, right? Yes, for the week.

SPEAKER_01: 40:21

Can be very easy, like no bother black bean soup, which is on my website. You don't even have to chop, you know, anything if you buy the pre-chopped onions in the produce section. I mean, you're just opening cans, you don't even drain the beans, you're pouring the cans, you know, right in, and it's delicious. Or there's instant pot uh vegan pasta that you throw the stuff in with your penne pasta, and what in 20 minutes you have a really good pasta dish. So there are simple things that can be done. I mean, if you want to get into more gourmet cooking, that's always your choice. But most people want very simple chilies, very simple burgers. In fact, there's places where you can order burger mixes, even like from Plant Strong, you know, the the Rip Besselston burgers, and we use those when we're traveling sometimes. You add water to it and make burgers, and there you go. Yes. So things can be done very simply.

unknown: 41:14

Yes.

SPEAKER_03: 41:15

I love the batch cooking the ingredients though. Maybe if you can, like you said, you might have potato for chili one night, or potato soup. And in that way, you don't have to spend because if you're spending the time to cook a few potatoes, just put more in there is not going to take you any more time. Yes, but it will save you a lot of time later.

SPEAKER_05: 41:35

It's life-changing.

SPEAKER_03: 41:36

A strategy we've used a lot.

SPEAKER_05: 41:38

Yeah, repart we call it repurpose your ingredients. It's huge. Just think of all the different ways you could repurpose that one thing. And then if you add what Sid said, the cuisines, how can now that makes it easier to even think of because there's so many different things you could do, but once you narrow it down to cuisine, boom, it targets things like you need it for your busy schedule, and you're off to the races and you're going, okay, so if I batch cook this rice, like Sid says, and I batch cook some potatoes very quickly. I mean, how long does it take us to make a pot of grains? Let's be realistic. If you have an instant pot, it is fast. You don't have to stand over the stove anymore. There's no reason for that. Right. It's water and grains start. I mean, who can't do that, right? Or we just tell ourselves these things that just aren't even true. It's so hard. You can micro microwave a regular potato, a sweet potato. You can put a whole tray of them in the oven when you're home and within an hour they're done. And so you have them backed for the week, right?

SPEAKER_01: 42:37

I always wonder, you know, people say, I don't have time to cook, and I'll ask, well, what are you cooking now? I mean, they're obviously cooking something at home or they're ordering everything out, you know. I don't know. Right.

SPEAKER_05: 42:48

But even when you're ordering cook at home. Yes, that's such a good question. And the other thing is, so if you're going out, like you're just saying, if you're if they're even if they're going out all the time, um what how long does it take them to get there or to sit in line at the drive-thru if it's on your way home? I mean, there's so many meals that we make that we can have done in five to ten minutes. I mean, literally, like you're saying, a dump and go, or you have all the things made up because you've just taken five minutes to make five different things that you can use throughout the week. I can have that done before I can even think about going through the drive-through. Yeah. So that's a huge shift.

SPEAKER_03: 43:30

I think it's an easy way though. It's an easy out.

SPEAKER_05: 43:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 43:33

I don't know how. So I don't know, I don't have time. But they never factor. Oh, it's gonna take me 15 minutes to drive to the fast food place. I'm gonna wait five minutes in line. It's gonna take them a few minutes to give it to me. 50 minutes home. Now they've spent 45 minutes, but stuff we make, you would have been already halfway through the meal, but it's just because they don't know. And that's why I like to tell patients and people it's not hard, it's just different. Right. And once you know, it's just what you do, it's not right, right, it's just your normal routine.

SPEAKER_01: 44:04

Yeah, and I love that expression. Either spend time on your health now or you'll spend a lot more time on it later.

SPEAKER_05: 44:10

So good. And that applies to money too, Sid. People don't think about that a lot, but it applies to your finances. It's going to be so you think these fruits, well, you think fruits and vegetables and grains and seeds are expensive, but I mean, I walk by the meat counter and it freaks me out. Sometimes I look over and I think, I forgot how much money we were spending on meat.

SPEAKER_03: 44:30

Well, it's gotten so much worse than whenever we were buying meat.

SPEAKER_05: 44:34

And eggs and dairy. That is expensive. But then that's not all though, when you think about the money, right? Aren't there so many different ways that that it adds up where the cost, the fit not just our cost of our life quality, but how much money it costs for all the doctor's visits and the time lost in the waiting room and the time you're Googling your symptoms. Isn't it amazing?

SPEAKER_01: 44:59

It just is. Yeah. We need to redirect our money back to our health rather than the junk foods. Um, and I've had two people tell me over the last two classes that it's too it'd be too expensive. And I say, you know, where I shop the most is Walmart. You know, you do not have to go find gourmet health stores to buy food.

SPEAKER_05: 45:16

No, there's so many things available today just at the regular stores or your farmer's market just down the road or a produce stand. So I love that you shared that. So for someone who is ready to start now, what's one easy first step they can take in the next 24 hours to begin living God's plan A?

SPEAKER_01: 45:42

Write it out. You've got to have a plan. Okay, if on from Sunday through Friday, here's what I'm going to make or have at home. Because if you don't have that initial plan and you just pick one recipe, and I've had clients tell me this: I pick a recipe, I go to the store and buy the stuff, but then I come home and I don't make it, and then I throw the produce away.

SPEAKER_02: 46:02

Yes.

SPEAKER_01: 46:03

Well, okay, what's missing there? Because they don't have it planned out, is what I feel is missing. And again, don't be overwhelmed that you have to find dozens of recipes at once. You don't find six or eight easy recipes to get started and focus on those. And maybe uh think about your breakfast. Am I gonna have oatmeal or uh Ezekiel muffins, you know, which are delicious, uh toasted, those are flourless, oil-free muffins that are very good. Um just plan out your snacks, plan out your fruit, make frozen fruit so you can have nice cream at night, so you can make banana nice cream, uh, maybe with some chocolate sauce on top. You know, just think about all the things you're gonna have this week, including the fruit and the snacks. But all of that has to be planned, thought about. So I would say take a week to think about it. Or not maybe not a week, take several days to plan it out before you do your okay. I'm jumping in. Right.

SPEAKER_05: 47:03

Get those ideas, get some books, check some books out at the library if you don't know which ones to buy first and start jotting down ideas. Listen to our podcast, get on Sid's uh her website. It's a wonderful resource. We'll tell you more about that in a little bit. Get the book, start getting in front of and around the people who give you those ideas. Sid, that is so good. You remind believers that neglecting health limits how fully we can serve. So, how have you seen people's restored health ignite their energy creativity and their ability to lead well? Maybe some of the testimonials and things you've seen.

SPEAKER_01: 47:41

Some people report a much clearer mind when they start eating this way in order to um think about things in their ministry. Others are more active just because they have more energy. Yes. Um, let's not forget we have an enemy who does not want us to serve, and he's gonna strive to keep us down and out, right? And and poor physical health is just one way he can do that. Yes. So let's not give him that opportunity. You know, whatever lies you're being told by the enemy about why you cannot do this, zero in. And I know that's off the topic of what you asked me.

SPEAKER_04: 48:16

No, no, I love that. So important.

SPEAKER_01: 48:18

Yeah, just clearer thinking, better health overall. You're not sitting on the bench when it comes time to serve, you're able to fully meet the call whenever, you know, what is it? God doesn't call the equipped, he equips the called. So when you're called, you're equipped.

SPEAKER_05: 48:35

Yes, and it's so good. And like you talked about, just being a good steward, don't waste time because we don't have time to waste. I mean, there are so many people that need the message that God's placed on your heart. And if you don't feel good and you think can't think clearly and you're constantly dealing with struggle after struggle, this mounting list of health problems. And, you know, a lot of times with our clients, they've already started business. They've had a lot of success in life, but they're just it's like we say their health is their bottleneck. You know, you just get to a place where you you have these bigger dreams and bigger visions, but you keep limiting yourself or holding yourself back, or you just physically aren't able to do it because you don't feel good, you can't show up. And so I love what you shared there, just being able to see the beauty in these foods and create a plan and getting around someone who is going to inspire you, surround yourself by those people who will inspire you and lift you up and give you the recipe ideas. And because there's not a lack of that. I mean, it's here for you. And we're both, you know, a lot of times as a believer, what makes me really sad is in this plant-based space, there's a lot of woo-woo stuff out there. And it's not biblical and it's not Christian. And we really need to align what we're living with our life and not get stuck into the spiritual things, but align it with God's word. What does God say about these things? And, you know, this is his original plan, like Sid named her book, The Plan A Diet is so beautiful. And every place and in every way you align your life with God's word, you see nothing but improvement and blessing. Now the enemy's gonna come at you when you start remembering and realizing these things. So things, it's not to say you're not gonna have challenges, right? But God is with you and he always is for you and wants your best. And I'll tell you what, when you start living this way and you go all in and you're seeking him and you're learning how to enjoy these foods, he will align you. He will align you with beautiful people like Sid that we've just met. And he brings the most wonderful uh relationships into your life that you would have never expected and could have never made happen, even if you tried because you didn't even know, you know, and all of a sudden he just boom, here it is, and he makes connections. So you're gonna have business connections, you're gonna have connections for your family and friends just by stepping into obedience and what he's calling you to do and getting your body to the place where you can live and thrive in him and walk out all that he has placed you here to do. And so I think that's really exciting.

SPEAKER_01: 51:17

It is, and I think I may have mentioned to you, I never wanted to write a book. That was never on my radar to write a book. I'm not an you know, not an author, never thought about it. God laid that on my heart so heavily one night that there was no doubt that I had to do it. I had all the chapters outlined, you know. My pen was flying off the paper. That was God telling me, here are your chapters.

SPEAKER_05: 51:40

Yes, I love that. I can see the smoke coming up off the pen as you're just writing away. Don't you love how he does that? I call that divine downloads. I love divine downloads. And the closer we get to him and seek him, the more he does that. And it's beautiful, Sid. I know he's gonna continue to just keep using what you're doing and how faithful you've been in writing this out. This is awesome. Every one of you needs to get this book, The Plan A Diet. I'm gonna hold up my copy. Sid has a copy too, but I'm not but you might be able to see hers better. But it is absolutely wonderful. It is full of scripture. There's nothing else out there that I've ever seen like it. And we highly recommend getting a copy and not just putting it on your bedside or your shelf. Read it, pray over it because there's a lot implement it. Yes, there's a lot of scripture in there that will change your life. God's word is medicine. He says, My word is health to your body, right? Right, and life to your bones. So that's our physical body. So his word is the bread, his word is the water. We don't just think, oh, eat whole plant foods and you're gonna be good. No, connect yourself to your maker because he is your food and you're gonna thrive when you align all of these things, when you're getting more of the whole plant foods, because we know that he's placed all these things in there that just make us thrive and that the nutrients, the phytonutrients, what they've only named. Like we worry about nine of them, and we know that they've identified tens of thousands that they haven't even named yet. And how many more are in there that they haven't even discovered? They don't even know they're in there. So that's why when we eat them together, right, Sid, when we eat them together, it makes such a big difference, not just pulling out ingredients.

SPEAKER_01: 53:22

Right. And I think God's word too will help you get over some of the hurdles. I mean, some of the scripture that I use and still use are, you know, anything you cannot say no to soon becomes your master. So if I'm looking at Twizzlers in the store, that used to be my thing, Twizzlers, and I'd say I'm gonna buy eat the bag and buy one or eat one, but of course I would eat, you know, 12. So I cannot eat Twizzlers anymore, can't bring them home, right? Even though they were vegan, they're a junk food. Of course, I don't eat junk food anymore either. But right, okay, so scripture that would help me would be, you know, anything I can't say no to soon becomes my master. Um, everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial. Right, you know, all the vegan junk foods are permissible, but they're not beneficial to me. So good. Or this one, um, I love the way the message puts uh Romans 12, too. Don't become so well adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Yes, that's the do not conform, you know, scripture in the message version. So good. I love that. Yeah, because many do just conform to what the culture is offering without thinking about it in so many areas, but yeah, particularly in how we're eating and feeding our bodies.

SPEAKER_03: 54:39

Yeah, oh yeah, it absolutely applies, yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 54:41

Yeah, and the other one I like to talk about in the book is the principle of sowing and reaping. Whatever actions we take, we're gonna see either the blessings or the consequences of our choices.

SPEAKER_03: 54:53

So if we continually our body knows, yes, I mean if you eat the junk, we can maybe can deceive ourselves, right? But our body knows.

SPEAKER_01: 55:03

Yeah, exactly. And our even though our choices don't just affect us either. That's another thing I point out in the book. Our choices affect our family, right? When we're sick or disabled and they have to take us to doctors and and manage our care, it affects other people, it affects your employer when you can't go to work, or uh, you know, when you're sick at work and you're not giving your all. It affects your ministries, it just affects many more things than ourself because people say, Well, it's my body, but no, your choices do affect other people to some degree. Yes.

SPEAKER_05: 55:37

So, is there anything else that uh you just have that you would love to share that we did not touch on today? You have shared serious gold nuggets. I love it. But is there anything else that you can think of that you'd like to share?

SPEAKER_01: 55:51

Just that life is too short to spend the last 20 years of it focused on preventable health problems. Yes, that's not God's will for your life, He does not want that for you. And so let's cooperate with what he says are is the best diet for us. Yes, and do the best we can to be good stewards of our bodies.

SPEAKER_05: 56:13

Yes. Amen to that. Absolutely. We have loved having you sharing your wisdom and your heart with us today. You've reminded us that God's plan A is not restrictive and it is redemptive. So when we align with God's original design, we gain the energy, the clarity, the peace. We call it shalom. That means completeness and wholeness. All those things that we need to fully carry out the purpose that he's placed in our hands. So, friends, if you're ready to experience the freedom for yourself that we've been talking about today, do be sure to grab this book by Sid. It is absolutely amazing and connect with her online. Sid, where is the best place that our listeners can find you and learn more?

SPEAKER_01: 56:57

My website is sidnotter.com. That's c y dn o t t e r dot com. And there you can get a signed copy of the book for free with free shipping, okay, you know, for a very reasonable price. Or you could get the book on Amazon. But I also have a free webinar called Free Food Mistakes That Lead to Painful Joints, Extra Pounds, and Health Problems the Doctors Aren't Solving. That's a free webinar on my website as well. Free recipes, a free 21-day meal plan is there. Lots of free stuff there. And also signed copies.

SPEAKER_05: 57:31

Run, don't walk. I mean, assigned copy with free shipping, run, don't walk. And then get into the recipes. Start making out your favorites like we always talk about because you're going to find new favorites on Sid's website as well. Sid, this conversation has been amazing. We have loved having you with us. And it's just been a powerful reminder that when we fuel our body that God designed with the optimal foods that He originally intended, we position ourselves to be able to max out our life in the most exciting way, faithfully and freely. We're so glad that you're able to join us and we can clean all these amazing nutrition nuggets that you shared with us today. We've loved having you, and until next time, we want everyone to remember that you are loved and you are prayed for.