How to make cultured (real) buttermilk video tutorial

Made a 5-minute video tutorial today for how to make real, fermented, probiotic-rich buttermilk quickly and easily at home.

Any local peeps who would like to get some buttermilk starter from me (for free), please just let me know.

Milk can be curdled with any acid (such as lemon juice or vinegar) to mimic the consistency of buttermilk, but that is not real buttermilk. In a pinch, that will work for a recipe, but you are getting none of the health benefits that fermented foods such as real buttermilk offer.

This is the starter culture I am using: https://amzn.to/2Nm1FC7

2-quart mason jars: https://amzn.to/2NfrbbR

(affiliate links)

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Check out my new cookbook at http://bit.ly/2RsX7av.

If you sign up for the newsletter, you get Week 1 FREE as a PDF download so you can give it a try.

Order the cookbook here: https://store.framingtheworld.com/products/cookbook

Read more at http://www.stevenandersonfamily.com

"I can't afford to eat organic"

Regular readers of this blog might know that our family eats 95% organic. This is not driven by religious conviction, nor a case of being food snobs, but the knowledge that garbage in = garbage out, and that every dollar saved on food that is not just inferior, but toxic, translates into many more dollars spent in doctors' offices.

Oftentimes, the objection is raised that organic food is too expensive to afford, because organic ingredients cost four times as much on average as conventional. I am here to propose that most people could afford to eat all organic, if they wanted it enough to make sacrifices in other areas to afford the increased food expense. 

Now again, this is not a question of "right or wrong," so if your priorities are different than ours, more power to you! But if eating organic is a high priority to you, I am here to assure you that chances are, you could make it work, at least gradually and more and more over time. As the saying goes, "When you find a destination, you find a way." 

The three biggest ways to afford eating organic are:

- Stop eating out

- Cook from scratch

- Save in other areas

1. Stop eating out

By this, I literally mean stop eating out altogether. This is a radical idea to most Americans, where eating out is a regular staple, and drive-thru is a critical component of feeding the family. But what if I told you it doesn't have to be this way? The whole rest of the world functions just fine eating every meal at home. Growing up, it was a very rare occurrence for us to eat out. We packed a snack for school, and got out of school in time every day (1 p.m.) to have lunch at home. If we went on a trip, we packed a sack lunch or picnic. On vacation, my mom cooked. I didn't feel like I was missing out, because I wasn't. 

Obviously, any home-cooked organic meal is going to be a lot cheaper than any food purchased at any sit-down restaurant. But I am here to prove that even the cheapest drive-thru off the Dollar Menu costs more than cooking from scratch with organic ingredients (see end of this post, where I do a price breakdown).

How do you prevent eating out? Plan to be home for mealtimes, teach kids not to expect to eat between meals (no snacking), make a weekly menu so you have a plan for every meal of the day, and remind yourself of the financial and health costs of eating out.

For me, there is zero temptation to quickly drive through somewhere when our errands took longer than expected, and hungry kids are growing impatient. When you eat well at home, eating out has far less appeal, and McDonald's and the like has zero appeal. We have not eaten there (or any other junky fast food place like Burger King, Taco Bell, Wendy's, Jack in the Box, etc.) in at least a dozen years, and short of a survival situation, I have no plans to ever go there again. I wouldn't even eat there if they offered free food. It's not just expensive, but also tastes gross and is incredibly unhealthy. 

Recently, while we were displaced from our home for 4 months, we were forced to eat out far more than usual, and by the end of it all of our health was suffering. After just a month back home, we are all feeling much better again. The quality of what you eat really does make a noticeable difference. 

But what about those special occasions, when you just want to eat out to make it more special? Well, chances are, there are times when you receive gift cards for restaurants, especially if others know you prefer quality family time over more stuff and clutter. When we eat out, it is virtually always from such gift cards. You can look forward to those times as even more special when they are less frequent, and you won't feel like you are being wasteful since it was a gift. 

2. Cook from scratch

By "from scratch," I mean with as basic of ingredients as possible. That means as few boxed, canned, and jarred ingredients as possible, such as making your own spaghetti sauce instead of buying it ready, buying large blocks of cheese instead of pre-shredded and sliced, etc. 

Along with this goes shopping sales, buying in season, stocking up on bulk items when they are at their lowest price, and off-setting recipes that are more expensive with those that use cheaper ingredients. There are many posts on this blog with ideas how to save money by shopping sales, through co-ops, online such as Azure Standard, etc. Basically, you want to cut out as many middlemen as you can, each of whom adds their own profit margin. 

Resources vary greatly depending where you live. In Arizona, "99 cents only" stores always carry organic produce, some more than others. Alpine Valley Bakery sells direct to the public in a little outlet store in Mesa, where loaves of organic breads that sell for $6 at Whole Foods are anywhere from $.50 to $1.50 each. Superstition Ranch Farmers Market in the east valley has some of the lowest prices on produce in the area, including on organic items. There is a produce program operated by Borderlands Foods Bank where they sell 60 lbs of rescued produce for $12 at locations throughout the Valley, which funds are then used to operate their food banks. Sprouts has double-ad days on Wednesdays, which means both the previous as well as the upcoming week's sales are valid. Costco is the largest seller of organic foods nationwide, with prices that often rival conventional at supermarkets. On and on - to find resources in your area, you might want to join a local "crunchy" Facebook group. Each area has these resources, you just have to find them, rather than shopping over the counter for everything at a supermarket like Whole Foods. Not to knock Whole Foods, as they do have some great prices and sales in their stores, but it's the exception not the norm. 

Purchased this week at Superstition Ranch Farmer's Market in Mesa for $26.88 total - 6 x 3 lbs gold potatoes ($1.49 each), 4 x cherry tomatoes ($.99 each), 2 lbs mini peppers ($1.99 each), 8 orange bell peppers ($.79 each), bean sprouts ($1.79), Romaine hearts ($1.89)

Proper planning will prevent much frustration. If you are shopping with kids, the best time to go to the store is after breakfast on a weekday. Stores are at their emptiest, kids are fed and rested, traffic is a breeze - basically, you are setting yourself up for maximum success at minimal risk of frustration. Better yet, if you live in an area that has Instacart or a similar grocery delivery service, use it! In our area, for most stores, prices are the same as in-store. You will save time, effort, gas, and not run the risk of impulse shopping. 

Another area of planning is menu planning. Menu planning and shopping accordingly will prevent trying to figure out at 5 p.m. what to serve for dinner, only to make a run for pizza (again). Of course I am biased, but I LOVE my "Busy Family Menu Planning" cookbook I published a few months ago. I myself use those exact menus and recipes every week. It saves time, mental energy, and money. I have received nothing but rave reviews. You can now even purchase a printable version of the weekly menus and shopping lists (not the recipes), which makes it a snap to add ingredients or notes, and to pin each week's menu to the fridge for easy reference. In the back, the cookbook contains a long section of staples that can be purchased ready, or made yourself for a fraction of the cost, such as homemade bone broth. 

Finally, not buying foods that offer only "fun factor" and zero nutritional value can save a lot more money. This includes all soda, juices, and other "diabetes in a bottle" beverages (alternatives: water, unsweetened fruit and herbal teas, kombucha, etc.), unhealthy snack foods such as chips, crackers, ice cream, cookies, etc. (alternatives: no snacking, fruit, cheese sticks, yogurt, etc.), and last minute impulse-purchases to appease tantrums and bribe kids.

3. Save in other areas

Many frugal families already cut costs in all possible areas, such as not having cable TV, having an affordable home and vehicles, etc. so I won't belabor those points here. 

The only area I would like to point to, because it is directly related to the quality of food, is healthcare costs. Every penny saved by eating inferior foods will be spent (and then some) on higher doctor bills, whether that be for chronic health conditions, allergies, cancer, behavioral issues, etc. that are triggered by toxins in conventional food.

Most families, if they took the total cost of what they spend on all food (eating out included) and health care (health insurance plus bills not covered) would find they spend at least as much per capita as we do in our family. We have been members of Samaritan Ministries for years, and absolutely love it. Due to our family size and coverage level, we are in the most expensive tier, at $495 per month. Add to that about $2,500.00 per month for food, for a total of $3,000.00 per month for a family of 12, or about $250 per month per person. I am certain that factoring in all food and healthcare costs, the average family spends as much or more than we do per capita each month. 

(Side note: our dental insurance is covered through my husband's job. Checkups and cleanings are free, and while we have a copay for additional work done, we have not had to have any fillings in any of the kids in years since cutting out whole grains, so dental insurance is not an additional expense.)

While our food cost might seem astronomical to those with smaller families, even including all our healthcare spending, it works out to just under $50 per person, per week, which is slightly less than the national per capita average of $51 per week for food alone (source), and that's in spite of the fact that the vast majority of people eat conventional food and spend far more than we do on healthcare.

Consider also that back when our family size was the norm, in 1900, people on average spent 40% of their income on food, vs. just 6-10% now. The same is true for our family. The largest budget item by far is our food spending. Income-wise, considering that the "National Poverty Guidelines" for a family our size is shockingly a whopping $65,530 per year, we would definitely not be considered well off or even above average income. We save a lot of money each month by living in a modest home (about 1,600 sq ft) at rock-bottom interest thanks to impeccable credit. (Side note: We do not, nor have ever, used any government welfare programs.)

During this same time frame (1900 to today), the percentage for healthcare spending has skyrocketed, right along with rates of chronic conditions and cancer. You get what you pay for. Modern pesticides, fertilizers, and GMO foods have drastically reduced food costs, but the quality of such food is greatly diminished, and this "savings" shows up in the form of medical bills. We for one would rather spend the money on groceries than doctor bills. 

And now, just for grins, let me break down tonight's dinner, homemade Chick-Fil-A sandwiches with fresh fries.

The picture dwarfs it, but this is a 10" dinner plate with standard-size hamburger buns. In other words, A LOT of food. 

This is a pretty typical meal at our house and definitely not one of my "budget meals" because it's heavy on two expensive ingredients (chicken breast and palm oil). Also, I always make enough food for dinner one night, and lunch the next day, so the ingredients listed here will feed all 12 of us two meals, for a total of 24 servings. Every single ingredient was organic, expect for the tomatoes which were free (I had ordered organic on Instacart, they delivered conventional by mistake, and refunded the purchase price.)

6 lbs chicken breast ($5.50/lb) - $33

1 lb Einkorn flour - $3

seasonings and spices - $1

4 eggs - $.60

3 packs hamburger buns ($1.50 each) - $4.50

1 head romaine - $.63

1 lb tomatoes - free

12 lbs potatoes - $6

4 lbs palm shortening for frying - $7.24

condiments (ketchup, honey mustard) - $4

Total cost: $59.97 or $2.50 per person, per meal 

Please consider that this includes one grown man (my husband) and three teenage boys (who each eat twice as much as my husband does - literally, no joke), which more than averages out the fact that the little kids eat less. 

(If you liked this price comparison, I did another one a few years ago that you can read here, with a follow-up here.)

Now tell me, could you feed a family of 12 for $30, even at McDonald's? Who can fill their family members with $2.50 worth of items off the Dollar Menu? 

As the old saying goes, "Where there's a will, there's a way." Like I said, eating healthy is not a matter of right or wrong (unless you are grossly gluttonous), so this is more of a personal conviction. This post is intended to inspire you to find ways to make it work if eating healthy and organic is a high priority of yours. We can't imagine eating any other way. It's just too expensive not to. 

Caveat: I know there are countless families out there who already observe all tips mentioned above, and their budget is maxed out buying conventional. If that's you, please don't feel bad. You can only do what you can do with what you have been given. God can bless you with excellent health if you are good steward of the things you have been provided, no matter your circumstances. This post is intended for the average American, who spends twice as much money each month on fun drinks and snacks than they do on fresh fruits and vegetables. 

P.S. No hating on the paper plate. I can only run the dishwasher so many times per day. Dixie paper goods are what Amazon now labels "attractive modern romance." So in our house now, we eat a lot of food off the "romantic," rather than the "real" dishes. I mean, what's more romantic than not having to do dishes, right??!?

Whole grains, folic acid, MTHFR, and morning sickness

I had promised in my previous post about whole grains that I would share about one other, huge improvement I had noticed since cutting whole grains out of my diet. That last post dealt with dental decay caused by demineralization, in turn caused by whole grains.

Today's post will focus on morning sickness and hyperemesis, and how whole grains play a part in that, as well as the role of folic acid and MTHFR gene mutation. I believe these to be the final pieces in the puzzle of solving the morning sickness mystery for me.

21 weeks pregnant

Hyperemesis is a topic I am sadly all too familiar with, having been pregnant more than a dozen times and suffering miserably through the majority of those pregnancies. You can read a detailed account of my hyperemesis history here, but I'll give a brief recap:

I have suffered varying degrees of severe morning sickness (NVP) to hyperemesis (HG) with all of my first seven full-term pregnancies. 

By the time I became pregnant with what is now my 8th child in 2013, I had made a major breakthrough in finding a connection between gut health (more specifically H.pylori colonization) and NVP/HG. By aggressively going after the H. pylori and consuming foods that build gut health, I went from throwing up 20-30 times per day with my first seven pregnancies, to only throwing up a handful of times per pregnancy with #8 and #9. In addition to the handful of times I threw up, I did also have all-day nausea, but it was manageable and I was able to keep up with my daily responsibilities as a mother of a large family (cooking, shopping, homeschooling), which in the past had been near impossible to accomplish during the first three months. Going from hyperemesis to 'only' all-day manageable nausea with minimal throwing up was a HUGE improvement!

During my pregnancy with baby #9 in 2015/16, I stopped using all wheat, even though I had only used non-GMO, organic varieties for years by that point. When I say 'wheat', I mean the grain wheat, as opposed to rye, barley, oats, etc. In the US, whole wheat is often confusingly referred to as just 'wheat' as in: would you like wheat or white, when in fact both are made from wheat (one from all-purpose white flour, one from whole grain flour). I had noticed that during pregnancy, eating wheat became an asthma trigger for me, when I had never before suffered from asthma. I also would get an angry rash on my forearms anytime I ate wheat. Since I then noticed that wheat was also an asthma trigger during allergy season for two of our kids with seasonal allergies, I stopped using it for our entire family. All modern wheat, over time, will cause damage to the gut due to the compromised gluten found in it. So even the kids who were not yet showing symptoms, would still compromise their health over time. All wheat grown after the middle of the 19th century is heavily hybridized and genetically compromised as a result. More on that in another post. 

Not willing to give up our 'daily bread,' and knowing that bread in and of itself is a good food the Bible speaks highly of, I instead switched to using only einkorn for our family, mostly in the form of sourdough. Einkorn is an ancient form of wheat that has not been cross-bred, and only has 14 chromosomes instead of 42 like modern varieties (which are accompanied by a far greater and more harmful array of those pesky glutens).

While I used both whole grain einkorn as well as all-purpose (white) einkorn flour for the first year, I stopped using the whole grain in 2016 after making the connection to tooth decay resulting from the phytic acid in whole grains. I had at this point already been using mostly sourdough, but the souring was clearly not doing the trick in breaking down the phytic acid. Supposedly, soaking grains, sprouting them, and/or making them into sourdough greatly reduces those harmful anti-nutrients like phytic acid. Not only was this 3-step process too much bother for me since I get the nutrients found in whole grains from plenty of other sources in my diet, but I also did not want to take a chance and ingest any phytic acid if I could help it. Even as a whole grain, einkorn is naturally lower in phytic acid than modern wheat, but I wasn't taking any chances. I knew our teeth were a reflection of our bone health, and seeing how much cutting out whole grains had completely improved our teeth, I was ready to kiss them goodbye for good, sourdough or not. 

The only major differences between my current pregnancy (#10) and the two previous 'good' ones (#8 and #9) was that 1) I switched to einkorn, and that 2) I cut out any and all whole grains (even brown rice, whole oats such as rolled or steel-cut, etc. I do still use some quick oats because they are precooked and dried to make them 'quick cooking,' which greatly reduces their phytic acid content) and 3) I had stopped taking prenatal vitamins about 6 months before becoming pregnant.

The result? This is huge! This has bee my best pregnancy yet, by far! I only felt nauseated for a total of approx. 2 hours per 24h period from weeks 8-12, typically only if I waited too long between meals or got too tired. I only threw up 2 or 3 times this entire pregnancy, and I think it was always after getting too hungry, and then eating too much, too fast. I felt so good, I didn't even know or suspect I was pregnant until I was almost 8 weeks pregnant - in the past, being miserably sick had been one of my first signs of pregnancy. 

Between the three points above, point 1) switching to einkorn is just an amplifying factor to point 2) cutting out whole grains as well as point 3) because the einkorn flour I use has not been 'fortified' with synthetic B vitamins.


On cutting out whole grains:

Don't despair if you are not ready to switch to einkorn (it's expensive and a huge pain to learn to bake with), just cutting out whole grains will most likely do the trick for you and greatly reduce HG/NVP. If you do want to give it a try, Jovial Foods has a 20% off sale on their flour (and all other products) right now through Sept. 8th with coupon code BACKTOSCHOOL. I have never seen them offer a discount like that before, so don't miss it! I like to buy 2 or more of the 10 lb bags of all-purpose flour, which brings down the price. With the 20% off, it is only $24 per bag (or $2.40/lb, about $1/lb cheaper than at the store).

Why would whole grains have anything to do with morning sickness? Again, I blame phytic acid. It is an antinutrient that must bind to minerals it leeches from bones and teeth in order for the body to be able to rid itself of it. Minerals like calcium and magnesium, which go 'hand in hand'. While calcium deficiency leads to to tooth decay and loss of bone density, being deficient in magnesium is a major aggravating factor for morning sickness. Mommypotamus has blogged on this connection. 

I knew from past experience that in addition to the gut-healing measures I was taking, using topical magnesium spray and taking Epsom salt baths would bring a measure of relief for my morning sickness. But just the spray and baths alone were a drop of water on a hot stone for me. Eliminating the root cause of being magnesium deficient (whole grains) brought a whole new level of relief and normalcy to my pregnancy.

By the time I found out I was pregnant, I had been following Weight Watchers and tracking all my food daily for 9 months. Part of the program includes eating lots of fresh produce, lean proteins, and healthy fats. I knew I was getting the best possible nutrition for myself and baby from that in spite of not eating whole grains. The main benefit of whole grains is fiber and vitamins, all of which I was getting plenty of in the form of fresh, abundant produce.


I have learned that anytime the USDA or FDA widely promotes and touts health advice (such as fake fats, fake sugars, low salt, fluoridated water, vaccines, and yes, whole grains) we should take a second look and investigate if their advice is really intended to promote public health. 



On not taking folic acid in the form of prenatal vitamins:

By the time I found out I was pregnant, I had for months NOT been taking my usual whole-foods-based, raw, natural prenatal vitamin because it made me nauseated. I felt confident I was getting everything I needed from my diet of abundant, fresh produce, grass-fed meats and dairy, healthy fats, etc. 

As a result, this has been my first pregnancy in which I have not taken any multivitamin supplements for months before becoming pregnant. Ironically, I have never felt better with any pregnancy, and I have not had the severe charlie-horse muscle cramps I would get during previous pregnancies if I forgot to take my daily calcium-magnesium supplement. Clearly, I am no longer deficient in these minerals (thanks to no whole grains), and actually feel nauseated if I try to supplement with more.

Why could prenatal vitamins contribute to morning sickness? I am not certain on this, but have been reading a lot in recent years about the MTHFR gene mutation. It is suspected that 1 in 3 people have this mutation. Those who are affected by it are unable to absorb folic acid and convert it into folate, which is what food naturally contains and what our bodies need. This is a great introductory article on the topic of folic acid and MTHFR. You can search google for a ton more info.

Unfortunately, most vitamins contain folic acid, not folate. Grains, cereals, and flours that are 'enriched' are full of synthetic folic acid. Not only does this not do any good to those with the gene mutation that prevents them from converting this into folate, it actually does them harm as the folic acid blocks their folate receptors, making it impossible to absorb even the folate they are naturally getting in their diet.

I have not been tested for the MTHFR gene mutation, but suspect I might have it. By removing all sources of folic acid from my diet (in the from of vitamins, fortified grains, cereal, 'enriched' flour, ready bread products etc.), and instead consuming lots of fresh foods that are natural sources of folate and only eating breads made from non-fortified einkorn flour, I am no longer deficient in this vital nutrient. It has long been known that being deficient in B vitamins (including folate) is a major contributing factor in morning sickness.

Interestingly, I have been craving the following folate-rich foods with this pregnancy: arugula, asparagus, Brussel sprouts, avocados, tangerines, beets, peppers, beans (soaked), lemon water, and the like.

Side note: the prenatal vitamin I was taking is labeled as containing 'folate' (not folic acid), but I don't know that I believe that. It made me feel sick just as folic acid does, so maybe their labeling is somehow deceptive.* Or maybe only folate from fresh food sources can be absorbed by people like me. In any case, I'm done taking it. 

Edited to add: One of my readers on Facebook commented that while Garden of life prenatal vitamins start out with folate, the way it is processed converts the finished product to folic acid. That would explain why they did not agree with me, in spite of being labeled as containing 'folate'.  

Another side note: As far as gut health during this pregnancy, I found no improvement from taking cocolaurin. During weeks 9-12, when I was nauseated for about 2 hours each day, I added sauerkraut or kombucha to most meals, and took capsules of baking soda (about 1/2 tsp, 3-4 times per day) to combat h. pylori. A couple of times, I followed the baking soda with some colloidal silver. This was enough to keep the h. pylori and nausea well under control, so that I did not need to supplement with any other gut-fortifying or cleansing supplements.

So there you have it - the end of my journey from hyperemesis, to nausea, to near-normal, all through adjusting my diet. It has only taken me 16 years and 15 pregnancies to figure this out and share my anecdotal experience with you. Please remember, I am not a medical professional, only a clueless stay-at-home wifey and mother who has gone from feeling like I was dying to enjoying even the first trimester of pregnancy.


In a nutshell, my advice for those suffering from hyperemesis or morning sickness is to:

1. address gut health (specifically h. pylori)
2. remove antinutrients like folic acid that leech the body of vital minerals
3. consume plenty of B vitamins, especially folate, in the form of fresh food.

I will do a follow-up post soon that puts all the puzzle pieces in one spot, summing up all my HG and NVP resources in one post, with links to all previous posts, for easy reference.

Coffee Alternatives

People often ask me, do I drink coffee? As a matter of fact, I don't. 

It's not that I think it is wrong to drink coffee (there are some people who make that argument because caffeine is a stimulant, such as the 7th Day Adventists and the Mormons). It's not because I think coffee is terribly unhealthy or addictive. It is because if I started to rely on coffee to get me going in the morning and through the day, I would quickly become so dependent on it, that I would no longer be able to cope without it. In other words, in the quantities in which I would need to have coffee if I were to start down that road, it would not be healthy or advisable for me. 

Still, I like to have a steaming hot cup of creamy and - yes - slightly sweet goodness in the morning as much as the next person. Especially, because that is often my first breakfast, holding me over until I have more time to make myself something later in the morning.

So, here are my favorite beverages that make great stand-ins for coffee.

1) Vanilla rooibos (redbush) tea

Rooibos has been my favorite tree ever since I discovered it many years ago. You can find it in all sorts of flavors, but even just plain, it tastes very rich and earthy. My favorite kind is the vanilla flavored one, and since I drink a lot of it, I typically buy it in bulk. My favorite brand is Davidson's Organic Red Vanilla tea. You can also buy smaller packages with individual tea bags. This tea is great hot as well as iced, with or without sweetener, and with or without cream added. 

2) Caro/Pero Instant Beverage

This hails back to my childhood, when we would drink what we called "kids' coffee." It is made from barley, barley malt, chicory, and rye. It has a slightly bitter taste like coffee, so I like mine with some coconut sugar or honey added, and about half milk.

3) Teeccino herbal coffee

This right here is my current favorite, and a breakfast staple. There are many flavor choices available on their website as well as on Amazon. The one I drink is "Vanilla Nut," which I buy in bulk from Azure Standard. I typically sweeten it with 1 tsp of coconut sugar per pint, and add about 3 or 4 tablespoons of cream. So good! 

If you are looking for a caffeine-free beverage to add to your repertoire, I hope this blog post gave you some new ideas. Please feel free to add your own recommendations in the comments below.

Trim Healthy Mama - Facts and Fiction

To read my previous posts on all things THM, please click here.

- This is just another low carb diet. - Fiction

The plan is about separating carbs and fats, as well as eliminating unhealthy versions of these. So no sugar, sodas, juice, and other simple, empty carbs. Healthy carbs are encouraged in the right proportions and settings.

- You have to buy a bunch of specialty ingredients. - Fiction

It doesn't take any special ingredients to keep your carbs and your fats separate. Anyone can get started on plan with simple foods they already have in the house, such as eggs, cheese, butter, oats, etc. The more "exotic" items can be purchased over time as the budget allows. They are only for making the plan funner and easier, but not necessary. I personally know several people who have lost large amounts of weight on plan without ever buying hardly any of the specialty items.

- You are required to eat processed junk food. - Fiction

Just not true. We eat virtually only whole foods around here (please ignore my post on Krispy Kreme below...), and the plan works just fine for me. To join my Facebook group of THM - whole foods style, please click here.

- You have to use only zero-calorie sweeteners. - Fiction

While the book may insist on using only stevia, xylitol, or erythritol, the plan works just as well with whole, low glycemic sweeteners. Again, if you join the THM - whole foods style Facebook group, you will find lots of others who are having success on plan, minus questionable sweeteners.

- You will gain the weight back immediately after going off plan. - Fiction

This plan does, in fact, reboot your metabolism for the better. I have gone off plan for months at a time without gaining the weight back (except for during pregnancy) or suffering any other ill effects.

- The THM principles are based on the Bible. - Somewhat true

Personally, I don't really find that it goes against the Bible (except for making honey off-limits), nor that the principles in the book by and large come from the Bible. I do agree that bread, butter, salt, etc. are all foods the Bible speaks highly of as being important and healthy, and THM incorporates these, so I guess that could be considered as "biblically sound"

- The book is poorly laid out. - Somewhat true

Yes - but there are lots of great resources online, both for how to "tab" the book, as well as oodles of recipes and other tips/tricks. I wish the ingredients for recipes were listed better (with amounts would be a great place to start!), but none of that makes the book unusable. For being self-published by two SAHMs, they certainly did better than I could have done.

- The book is wordy and long. - Somewhat true

If you are the chatty kind, you might like their style. If you just want the straight dope on the plan, you may find the book to be a bit slow-going. In spite of having lost a combined total of 50 lbs on plan, I have never yet finished reading it because I just haven't had the time to do so. But - who cares. Even reading over select parts is doing the job for me.

- The book is full of sound nutritional advice. - Fact

Except for the funky sweeteners, yes, the book has much to teach in the way of sound nutrition. I think for most of us, the revelation that fat does NOT make us fat is an important one. Realizing that juice is not a healthy food, and that it's simple carbs that are growing the obesity epidemic, is monumental. There in an emphasis on fermented food, sprouted/soaked grains, etc.

- The plan is easy to follow. - Fact

Yes. Is it ever! No calorie counting. No starving and depriving yourself. No daydreaming about food while your stomach grumbles on and your metabolism tanks. The authors like to talk about "food freedom," and it's so true. Once you learn the basics of separating carbs and fats, and have a feel for how to "THM-ify" recipes, it's a cinch.

- The plan works. - Fact

Just go to the official Facebook page or the website for lots of testimonials. A friend of mine has lost almost 50 lbs in the last 7 months, without using the sweeteners recommended in the book (her sweetener of choice is coconut sugar). I am currently scratching on 30 lbs lost in 5 months while exclusively breastfeeding, a time during which I usually could never even attempt to lose weight without ruining my milk supply. 

Update on "Zero Spending" March Challenge

A week and a half into my "spending zero in March" challenge, I must report things are going exceptionally well. If you remember, my only exceptions to the "zero spending" rule were:

milk, cream, cheese
produce
animal feed
essential toiletries
any medically indicated expenses
gas, vehicle repairs

To be honest, it has been so easy that I have hardly even noticed any difference yet. As far as groceries, dairy and produce is all I have bought so far this month: milk, some bananas and ginger from the store, plus my weekly produce co-op I organize. 

2 bunches of chard, 2 pink grapefruit, 10 Granny Smith apples (about 3 lbs), 1 bunch asparagus, 9 avocados, 3 heirloom tomatoes (about 1 1/4 lbs), 2 pints miniature heirloom tomatoes, 10 oranges (about 3 lbs),4 mangoes, about 4.5 lbs mild Hungarian peppers - all certified organic

Can you believe all that came to only $23/share?? The avocados were beautiful and just perfectly ripe. We had 4 of them with guacamole and homemade corn chips for an appetizer that night. The rest, I pureed, mixed with lemon juice, and froze to have on hand for whipping up guacamole in the future.

In other exciting produce news, the warehouse had sweet Hungarian peppers last week. This may not mean much to anyone but me, but this is a very, very rare treat, and even more so in organic. In all my years of living in the US, I have only found these Hungarian peppers less than a half dozen of times, and only for the second time in organic (peppers tend to be sprayed heavily, so it's definitely worth it). They made me equally homesick and happy. Nothing brings tears to the eyes of an expat like smelling Hungarian peppers! You think I'm kidding, but I'm not. 

 

Since my freezer stash of these peppers from last year was virtually gone, I sprang for an entire bushel of them, for an extra $17. John helped me wash, seed, core, and slice the peppers. In all, we ended up with 5 gallon-size freezer bags, plus left some fresh for eating right away. The kids kept snacking on them all morning while we were working with these.

In addition to getting a great deal on the produce basket, I scored a killer deal on some organic raspberries and blueberries by the case. I bought one of each, and the kids ate most of them (that's 12-6 oz clam shells of each) fresh, though I was able to get some of the raspberries in the freezer.

Plus, I have been gifted this week with homegrown turnips, carrots, beets, mustard greens, oranges, French baguettes (made by a real French person!), and extra raw milk and cream from a friend I don't ever even get our milk from. I have been busy making my own kefir, yogurt, sour cream, and quark from the extra milk. Later this week, I may try my hand at making fresh mozzarella - something I have been wanting to do for a while now.

In all, I have spent less than $140 so far this month on food, and neither our pantry, nor the fridges or freezers are even any leaner than they were last week, all while we have been eating just as well and as much as ever. At this rate, I will be able to keep this challenge going for a whole lot longer than a month - at least in the grocery category, which is our biggest expense each month.

Tonight, as I was putting in my (very minimal this time) order from Azure Standard for the aforementioned items that are excepted from this challenge, I learned that they started a program several months ago where they give their drop point managers a certain percentage of their drop point total in purchase credit. Talk about a pleasant surprise! Since I didn't know this credit had been building up for the last several months, I have enough to mostly, if not fully, cover whatever little I was going to order to keep me going until the May delivery.

My spending on things besides food has been minimal. I have gotten gas once, and also bought dog food. While I never recruited my husband to participate in this challenge, he has been mindful of how to help me with my goal of spending near-zero. For example, our kids typically participate in a weekly P.E. class for homeschooled kids. In March, there were only going to be 3 classes instead of the typical 4 because of spring break, and we missed one of those last week because of a different field trip we were going on. Not wanting to spend a full month's tuition for half as many classes as usual, we decided to skip the P.E. classes this month. Instead, he took all 7 kids on a bike ride this morning to make sure the kids still go their exercise, and I got my much-anticipated weekly break. Cost: free, and the kids had a blast.

God has really been blessing this challenge in exceptional and unlikely ways! If nothing else, it has been exciting and fun, but I am also very happy about the money we are saving. In addition, I am learning how to make some new things I have been wanting to try. For entertainment, we are pulling out crafts and projects that we already have in the house, or participating in free activities and field trips. My husband and I had an "at home" date night on Sunday night complete with a candlelit 3-course steak dinner.

It always cracks me up to see what blog posts of mine people will go all crazy over. Well, the March Challenge was definitely an unlikely candidate, but boy, did it draw some hateful comments! I guess saving money and using what one already has is a little-regarded skill these days. Some were suggesting my husband get a second job instead. Every economist will tell you that saving money is much, much more effective than earing more, because the latter always leads to people spending more, and having a bigger overhead in general. Others were accusing me of working too hard, when in reality I saved myself major time and trouble by hardly going to any stores all week. Making bread at home is a snap, and something I do all the time, not just this month. The kids are benefiting from the less-than-usual running around (on errands), and so is the house because I am here all day making sure boisterous little kids don't trash the place while I am at the store.

I am hoping to give you another update on this challenge in a week or so.


Honestly, it has been a great experience all around so far. There are definitely some changes I will keep incorporating even when this month is over, and I may keep the "eat your pantry" part going well beyond March since our stores are not even running any lower yet, at all.

Stevia is safe - OR ELSE!

As I knew it would, my review of the latest and greatest dieting craze, Trim Healthy Mama, has drawn the attention of many readers. I was just surprised how quickly it touched off an online firestorm, all because I dared point out flaws in the holy cow of "natural" sweeteners, stevia - while repeatedly making it clear that the principles behind the plan itself work exceptionally well, and can be followed without the use of stevia or the other plan-approved sweeteners.

Unlike the authors of the book, and the THM admins on Facebook, I have so far posted every comment, and have every intention to continue to do so. The vast majority of comments confirmed what my post was about: the program works, but stevia causes miscarriage and/or infertility. This is as sad as it is true.

My post ignited a firestorm on the main THM Facebook group the same day I posted it, when someone I do not know shared a link to it there.

When this was first posted, I happened to be stuck in the waiting room at my OB's office, surfing Facebook. I texted my husband and asked him to take a screen shot, because I knew it would soon be deleted. No gift of prophecy necessary - it's par for the course on any THM board.

Things quickly started to crash and burn after that, with post after post getting yanked from the board, other ladies expressing their anger over this, and many more yet going on there and pledging their undying support for the authors and the admins, who "work so hard." I guess working hard at something automatically makes it immune from failure. 

I have since been banned from all THM groups, in spite of the fact that I have repeatedly said the program works well, that I follow the program myself (minus the suggested Frankenfoods), that I did not post anything on their board that violates their rules, or any other such thing. I was banned because I dared share my experiences with stevia on my own, personal blog, which is not connected to THM in any way, shape, or form. It's kind of like when teachers get fired because they post on Facebook in support of traditional marriage. 

Here is my big beef with Pearl and Serene, the authors of the Trim Healthy Mama book: They have failed to do their due diligence in pointing out possible harmful effects of stevia. 

In fact, not only have they failed to do so, but they are making a concerted, aggressive attempt to never allow this issue to surface. 

The three defenses they have used to date are:

(1) They do not wish to "sow seeds of fear" in their members. This reasoning has been stated again and again. In other words, it might worry people - and unnecessarily so, in the minds of these self-proclaimed, infallible nutritional experts and scientists. By very definition, this would completely PRECLUDE them from being able to shed any light on the stevia controversy. Remember, they are trying to stay away from every "seed" of fear.

(2) They are trying to avoid all "drama" and "negativity" on their boards. Well, that is very sweet of them indeed, and a point I can certainly sympathize with. The only problem is, some issues, unpleasant though they may be, MUST be brought to light to prevent greater harm. I guess there is no entirely positive way in which to tell someone they are wrong, and attempt to correct them.

(3) They have already covered this subject extensively, so much so that all their members are more than well aware of the issue. In other words, people who keep questioning the safety of stevia are kicking a dead horse, tying up the board, boring other members, and somehow unduly burdening the FB group admins by doing so. Of course, point (3) completely flies in the face of points (1) and (2), but don't let that bother you. Also, the vast majority of THM followers are NOT aware of this, at all. If they are, they most likely did NOT hear it on any public THM outlet. Which is why, when the topic briefly surfaces before being shut down, people start following the thread, react with "what? is this true? I have never heard this before," and the like. I, for one, was completely unaware of any possible dangers of stevia, until someone outside the THM world brought it to my attention.

There are also many controversies surrounding the safety of vaccines, pharmaceuticals, water fluoridation, and other things the government deems not just perfectly safe, but actually health-promoting. Yet, in the interest of informed consent, all these come with more warnings than the THM authors are willing to give about stevia. They are so sure of its completely unverified safety as relating to human reproduction that in spite of their Biblical beliefs and pro-life position, they are willing to make the decision for all their followers to just shut up already and use stevia, because they said so. Disagree, even on your own website, and the boot you will get.

If the program works equally well with natural sweeteners that the Bible has nothing but good to say about (and it does), why be so adamant that everyone conform to a questionable new sweetener that many have misgivings about? Why aggressively go after and silence those who want to use the program, with their own tweaks to it? Must one also eat fat-free Redi-Whip, Dreamfields pasta and denatured whey protein for the program to work? (blech!) No, of course not, and the authors claim no such thing. They are only adamant about defending stevia. Why? Because they falsely believe it to be an integral part of their plan (it's not), so throwing it out would mean having to majorly overhaul their program. Not to mention that they are working on selling their own brand of stevia (ouch).  

Truly, the love of money IS the root of all evil. There is no reason whatsoever to ban any discourse on stevia, and to silence those who attribute their miscarriages and/or infertility to it, while the authors then go on to claim that they have never yet met anyone that put the blame on stevia. They may not have met them personally - but they have heard from scores and scores, and gone on silence them in an attempt to cover up any connection. This is just nefarious, which is why I am going to make such information available on my blog, and actually open the topic up to discourse.

Yes, it is indeed a tedious and time-consuming job to keep deleting all those pesky negative threads that ask about a connection between stevia and miscarriage. They are so common, one could almost make a full-time job of it. You know, because it is absolutely not founded in reality. Or, one could simply allow civil discourse, and for people to walk away having come to their own conclusions.

To claim that the admins do not have time to deal with these sort of topics is simply not true - they don't need to deal with them. Surely, THM readers could just have a thread discussing this without needing someone to hold their hands and play moderator. That would actually be less work for these poor time-constrained martyrs for the cause of public health and trim waistlines. There are plenty of ladies on there who will defend stevia, provide links to all the studies that supposedly support them in this belief, etc. If THM followers en masse will be scared and horrified to hear about a possible connection between stevia and miscarriage, maybe there is truth in it? Or maybe it's such an important topic that we should not be silencing it, as it is raised almost daily? Maybe some of us who call ourselves Christians would choose to err on the side of caution when it comes to the lives of our children, except that this information is intentionally being hidden from us?

Furthermore, to say that the authors have already repeatedly made all this information available is a lie. The book barely touches on it, in passing. I had to search up and down in it to find their brief reference to the safety concerns surrounding stevia, and that in spite of the fact that I own an electronic copy and could search for "stevia" specifically.

We are told that the main THM group on FB has a list of documents, which specifically answer these questions that are being raised repeatedly.

Let's see how that holds up:

(1) The Facebook group is a "closed" group. As such, one must be accepted to join.

(2) As of yesterday, their documents page contained 91 (!) articles. 

(3) After those looking into THM have joined a closed group and waded through 91 articles, they may stumble across the 1 (!!!) that addresses the concerns many have with stevia. I had a hard time finding this article yesterday, in spite of the fact that I knew what I was looking for, and where to find it. Of course, why would someone new to THM be looking for it in the first place, since the book never makes a point to warn them about potential controversies regarding stevia, but rather assures readers that all is fine and dandy.

Please also note that no threads relating to topics covered in the 90 other articles ever get deleted from public discussion, no matter how repetitive they are.

There is one reason, and one alone, why this topic is strictly banned on any official THM page: they don't like it. They want it to go away.

Any reasonable person knows that investigating a matter, and opening it up for discussion, brings MORE light to an issue. If stevia is safe, then investigating its safety will only confirm that. The authors have heard from enough women like myself to know that there is one reason why this issue keeps persistently popping up: it may be true. Even if it isn't, people may feel more comfortable to forgo using stevia, because they are more comfortable erring on the side of caution. And wouldn't that be terrible! They may not buy the book, or their new line of stevia. Let's keep people in the dark, so they will continue to buy our stuff. If we worry them, they might not do so.

This makes me sick, because we are talking about more than just money here. We are talking about the lives of the unborn, and the health of their mothers. The authors should be honest and repent. Instead, they are flustered and defensive, because people bringing this topic up touches a nerve. All I am asking is that they put a big, huge, visible disclaimer on their program that says that some ladies have implicated stevia in their miscarriage and/or infertility, and that there are no available scientific studies establishing the safety of stevia as relating to human reproduction. They have failed to do so, and are refusing to correct this.

In the meantime, I will put myself out there as one that at least brings light to the controversy, allowing people to make their own decisions that they can morally feel most comfortable with.

My review of Trim Healthy Mama (THM) - The good, the bad, and the ugly

The good: The concept of separating carbs and fats for weight loss is effective, sustainable, and healthy.

The bad: The Frankensweeteners and stevia recommended as "natural" sugar alternatives can cause serious harm, including miscarriage and infertility.

The ugly: The authors of the book and those running the THM  boards on Facebook and elsewhere do not want this information to become public.

Read on below for an in-depth review of the book, the concept behind it, its potential pitfalls, and how to actually make it work AND be healthy doing so.

Maybe you have heard about the latest "rage" in weight loss - the Trim Healthy Mama (THM) book by Pearl Barrett and Serene Allison. The book came out about 18 months ago, and has gained popularity especially over the past year. So much so, that Amazon regularly sells out of it completely. 

The good:

Most weight loss plans follow one of the following ideas: 

(1) Reduce overall caloric intake. This causes the metabolism to slow down, stalling weight loss. It is also hard to sustain, as the human body is not programmed to run on empty for extended periods of time. People struggling with weight in the first place likely will not have the will power to consume less calories than they are needing for months or even years to reach their goal weight. It's easy to fall off the wagon, and yo-yo dieting ensues.

(2) Cut out fats. Eating healthy fats is CRUCIAL not only for overall health, hormone balance, and brain function, but it is also an integral part of losing weight. People do not get fat from eating healthy fats. In fact, quite the contrary is true. Of course, modern, altered "fats" such as margarine, hydrogenated vegetable oils, and other denatured products are very unhealthy, but they should not be allowed to give fats in general a bad name.

(3) Cut out carbohydrates. While an over-consumption of simple carbs is the main culprit behind excess weight, carbs should not be cut out from the diet entirely. "Give us this day our daily bread" in the Lord's prayer should put that issue to bed for good. Again, as with fats, there is a huge difference between healthy carbs, and those that are, indeed, destructive to good health.

The basic weight loss concept underlying the Trim Healthy Mama book falls into none of the above categories. The authors recognize that healthy, traditional fats play a crucial part in achieving and maintaining healthy weight, and do a good job of explaining this. Likewise, they do not advocate for "low carb" or "paleo/primal" diets, because they know that carbs play an important role in fueling our bodies. 

They then go on to explain quite nicely how our bodies respond to both types of primary fuel - carbs and fats - and how the metabolizing of them interferes with one another. 

Their conclusion for weight loss, in a nutshell, is this: do not consume fats and carbs in the same meal. To be more specific, a fat-fueled meal (called an "S" meal in the book for "satisfying") should contain no more than 10 g of net carbs, while a carb-fueled meal (called an "E" meal for "energizing") should contain no more than 5 g of fat. 

Furthermore, not just any carbs and fats are plan approved. Denatured Frankenfats are out, while butter is promoted (rightfully so). Simple carbs, even in "healthy" forms such as juice, are not "on plan" - only complex carbs that have been properly prepared through soaking and/or sprouting and/or sourdough fermentation are allowed. 

Some others have criticized the program, saying it is incompatible with a whole foods lifestyle, but I have to disagree on that point. The plan can be as packed with whole foods as one wants it to be. Remember, the only critical underlying premise is not to mix carbs and fats in the same meal. One could easily make their own sourdough or sprouted bread, make their own almond milk, etc. Likewise, instead of using egg whites from a carton, one could simply separate their own, homegrown eggs, and use the yolks in another meal. There is nothing inherently "denatured" to the program itself, though some of the foods that are recommended or included in the recipes call for weird ingredients, such as "defatted peanut flour" or a highly processed type of whey protein. There is absolutely no need to choose those particular recipes. 

For the vast majority of people, even if they decide to use some of the stranger ingredients suggested, the "on plan" foods will still be a great improvement from the standard American diet. In fact, even just cutting out liquid carbs and other simple starches like pasta will do wonders for their waistline.

As far as the recipes in the book go - they are a good starting point for getting ideas, but taste-wise, they are mostly "meh" at best. The THM Pinterest page, however, is packed with wonderful recipe ideas from all over the web, as are numerous other websites such as Gwen's Nest.

Should you buy the book? Maybe. If you have never read "Nourishing Traditions," or books such as "Eat Fat, Lose Fat" that debunk modern food myths, Trim Healthy Mama will help teach you about nutrition. 

However, please be warned not to jump into the program both feet first until you read the rest of this post.

The bad:

I have already mentioned that some of the ingredient suggestions are a little fad-ish, but whatever - they are not integral to the program at all.

My one, big, huge, main problem with the THM program is with the supposedly healthy and safe sweeteners that are "on plan". While the authors correctly speak out against artificial sweeteners such as Splenda, aspartame, etc., they then go on to allow only two types of sweeteners for the THM plan:

(1) Hydrogenated sugar alcohols, i.e. xylitol and erythritol. These are about as healthy and natural as their names suggest. Their safety (or rather lack thereof) has already been covered in other articles readily available online, such as Natural News, Crunchy Betty, and The Healthy Home Economist. So for the sake of time, I will just point my readers to those resources readily available online.

(2) Stevia. This singular ingredient is really what is giving me a bad taste for the whole program, and why I am reluctant to recommend it to anyone without going into a big speech explaining why the on plan sweeteners are to be avoided, and how to substitute for them.

Before I go off on stevia specifically, I would like to address the problems associated with any zero-calorie sweetener, no matter how "natural" it claims to be, or even may be. From aspartame to stevia, and everything in between, sweet foods that are not accompanied by actual carbohydrates wreak havoc on human metabolism. Our bodies are programmed to expect carb-based fuels when we taste something sweet. Accordingly, the body prepares for this by releasing insulin, and getting ready to metabolize the incoming fuel. Which may never come, if we are really just downing a diet soda, or coffee sweetened with stevia. Again, this topic has been covered by others extensively, such as on Empowered Sustenance. It is a well-known fact that sugar-free foods cause weight gain, as evidenced by overweight people everywhere guzzling diet sodas.

But back to stevia. It's an herb, so it's natural, which automatically means it's healthy, right? WRONG. Arsenic is a natural substance, too. As are many other poisons, venoms, and toxins.

Stevia, like a number of other herbs, has traditionally been known to cause infertility in both men and women. So much so, that women in South America (where this plant grows) were known to drink it as tea as a form of birth control. 

But unfortunately, it doesn't end there. The reality is, that stevia, like a number of other herbs, can and does act as an abortifacient, or an "implantation preventer." I recently blogged about herbs of this type in my post "Sarah, the Healthy Home Abortionist." If one believes that life begins at conception (as we do), use of such herbs during the reproductive years of a woman's life should be out of the question. 

Will every pregnancy end in miscarriage if you use stevia? No. Will stevia cause all women to become infertile? No. Some women are affected by herbs more than others. In fact, ironically, the healthier you are going into it, the more effectively your body will respond to herbs. Some women are affected more than others specifically by stevia because of the fact that it is in the ragweed family. If you suffer from seasonal allergies, chances are stevia will affect you worse than those who do not suffer from these allergies. Since we cannot know exactly how it affects each of us individually, we should just stay away from it altogether, rather than playing Russian roulette with the lives of our unborn. Just because your cycles are starting on time, does not mean you didn't have a "silent" miscarriage due to the damage done to your hormone levels (an aspect well explained in the article on Empowered Sustenance), and thus your reproductive system, by stevia.

Another common, negative side effect of stevia stems from the fact that it lowers blood pressure. While this may be great for those suffering from hypertension, people with naturally low blood pressure such as myself may find that stevia lowers their blood pressure to the point where they experience headaches, start seeing black spots, have tunnel vision, or even black out. This in spite of the book's claim that: 

(Page 184)

The ugly:

I really was not looking forward to writing this part, but feel it has become necessary because of the growing popularity of the THM program. 

Time and again, the question comes up in various THM groups on Facebook of whether or not the plan-approved sweeteners are really safe. These type of discussions are always, without exception, quickly dismissed along the lines of "Yes, they are, and it's all covered in xyz the spot"

The fact of the matter is that the THM book only very briefly touches on the safety concerns regarding stevia, in a total of 2 paragraphs. The only source they point their readers to verify the safety of stevia is the website www.stevia.net - I am certain there is nothing partial on that site, right? By that same token, why not go to www.splenda.com and read all about how healthy and beneficial their artificial sweetener is, complete with "scientific studies" to prove their point. 

(page 183 and 184)

I have talked to a number of women who directly blame stevia for their inability to become pregnant, or for a miscarriage - myself being one of them. The authors' above claim to the contrary is either not true, or they are simply shutting these women down before giving them a chance to explain their point. 

The question specifically of whether or not stevia causes miscarriage is shut down and deleted from any public discussion almost immediately. Even on threads where members specifically ask, "Is this safe? What are everyone's experiences?" other members are not allowed to weigh in with any advice that contradicts the "stevia is safe" dogma, not even if they accompany it with saying something along the lines of "the plan is great, it works if you use raw honey or maple syrup, but I, too, do not feel that stevia is safe, and think it may be to blame for infertility or miscarriage." One of the administrators, who deleted all my comments on the thread (all of which repeatedly stated that the program itself is great, and effective, but that stevia should be avoided), wrote to tell me that: 

I will not allow any other posts like the ones I've removed to stay up on the board, because it plants unnecessary and unfounded seeds of fear in the minds of other ladies.

Hm, where have I heard that lingo before... Oh, that's right, it's the same line the pro-GMO companies use. "We can't label foods as containing GMOs, because it will unnecessarily frighten consumers." I guess the THM administrators do not think their readers are smart enough to be presented with both sides of an issue, and come to a conclusion for themselves. If stevia is so safe and harmless, there is nothing to fear. If I told you bananas cause infertility and miscarriage, the National Banana Board would at best get a laugh out of me, but certainly not go on a crusade to shut down all such claims by anyone. If doubts need to be hidden and scrubbed in a concerted effort to silence them, maybe there is a reason they keep "persistently popping up," as the authors themselves put it. Maybe, just maybe, there is truth in it? 

The same administrator also told me: 

The allegations you're making against the use of stevia are so far as I can tell based simply on anecdotal evidence alone.  

Anecdotal - maybe. Sort of like the author declaring stevia as safe because both herself, as well as other ladies she knows, became pregnant while using stevia. People also become pregnant while taking birth control pills, or having IUDs in place, both of which are much stronger and more effective than stevia. All scientific research starts out with anecdotal indications for or against an issue, which is what then motivates a closer examination by way of a study. Seeing as we live in a society that by and large heavily promotes birth control, and does not think that life begins at conception, I do not think that there are any laboratories, universities, or research labs interested in spending time and money to find out just how stevia affects the uterine lining, and what percentage of women will suffer a "silent abortion," in a country where thousands of babies are consciously aborted every single day. This information is hard to come by for birth control pills, whose express purpose is the prevention and interruption of pregnancy - how much more so for an herb that few people care at all about?

The truth of the matter is that there is virtually no research available on how stevia affects fertility and the female reproductive system, either negatively or positively. We are, therefore, forced to come to a decision based on anecdotal evidence, rather than to simply assume it's safe. Shouldn't the burden of proof be on them to show that stevia does NOT negatively impact fertility, and cause miscarriage? There are only two publicly available studies that investigate the effects of stevia on fertility, and both came to the conclusion that it reduces fertility.

To be fair, I would like to mention that there are a number of women who follow the THM plan, lose large amounts of weight, overcome PCOS, and as a result, are able to become pregnant. Clearly, not all women miscarry every pregnancy if consuming any amount of stevia. Like I said, for the majority of women, overcoming their addiction to simple carbs, and adding healthy fats to the diet, will greatly improve their overall health. But this does not negate the fact that stevia is still harmful. It's just the least of a severely overweight person's health problems.

From my own anecdotal evidence, I used stevia very sparingly (every few days in small amounts) for about 4 or 5 weeks, before discontinuing its use because it was making my blood pressure drop dangerously low, to the point where I was on the verge of passing out every time I used stevia. In spite of my very minimal consumption of it, I suffered TWO early miscarriages in two consecutive cycles, once while still using stevia, and the second shortly after discontinuing it. I know miscarriages are common and occur for a number of reasons, but in all our married years (13 and counting), we had only suffered two other miscarriages, and one of those was caused by recently having come off birth control pills. It was not until the second miscarriage that I started to put the puzzle pieces together, mostly due to other people pointing out their "ancedotal" connection of stevia and miscarriage.

I have since talked to many other women who reported being unable to become pregnant while consuming any amount of stevia, no matter how small, and who got pregnant immediately after discontinuing it. The THM group on Facebook for pregnant and nursing moms is replete with stories of moms who report having a miscarriage, many of them habitually. One time, 5 of the 6 posts at the top of the wall were about a mom just having had a miscarriage while "on plan," which presumably involves stevia. While I am not at all claiming that all these are caused by stevia, or that the mothers are to blame, it definitely should give us pause. True, among a group of people who generally embrace fertility and large families, there will inevitably be more miscarriages, simply because there will be more pregnancies - but even accounting for that, the THM boards seem to have an abnormally high rate of miscarriage.This has been pointed out time and again by other people, not just me - but like mine, their comments always get deleted.

Why would the authors want to hide this controversy? In a word, because it's inconvenient. It would fly in the face of their religious belief that life begins at conception, so they would be forced to deal with it if it were true. Not being able to use stevia would make it much more complicated to explain and implement their plan. Just as there is a difference between good fats and bad, there is a world of difference between real, raw honey, and the stuff sold at grocery stores. Furthermore, it would be hard to come up with scrumptious, fat-laden desserts that only use minimal amounts of sweets (carbs). Stevia allows sugar-addicted American palates to "have their cake and eat it, too"

Their highly popular book, that they put so much time and work into, would need to be majorly revised, which may kill it altogether.

Plus, the authors are in the process of releasing their own line of stevia sweeteners. 

Ignorance is bliss in their situation. What they don't know CAN hurt them, and the ladies they lead on to believe that stevia is safe.

To click here to read "4 Reasons Why I'm not a Trim, Healthy Mama" by the Nourishing Herbalist. Lots of interesting info in that post, too.

The healthy alternative: real, whole, low-glycemic sweeteners in moderate amounts

Like I said at the beginning of this post, the basic underlying concept of separating carbs and fats is very effective. I have recommended the program to a number of people, all of which have seen great success with it, whether or not they use only plan-approved sweeteners. 

My recommendation is to use raw honey or grade B maple syrup for all E meals, and in moderate amounts (up to 1 tsp per serving) for S meals. This will not interfere with the effectiveness of the program at all, and you will be able to successfully and relatively painlessly lose weight following these basic principles. The biggest challenge are desserts - they need to be S to be tasty and decadent as one would expect a dessert to be, but that means they cannot contain too much honey or the meal will be carb-laden. Making S treats only occasionally (as in, every few days), even if they contain more than the 1 tsp of honey I recommend, will not throw you off plan. Also, your palate will adjust to needing less and less sweetness the more the sugar addiction is broken. Or, switch to E desserts, which are harder to find recipes for, but can be just as tasty.

I myself am currently on the program, not with the goal of losing weight, but maintaining my current weight for the rest of this pregnancy. When we found out I was expecting twins, I was told to gain 50-70 lbs. I typically gain about 25-30, so this was a shocker, but I followed the advice because our smaller baby was only getting a fraction of the food I was eating due to his poor cord insertion. Well, when he passed away at 20 weeks, I had already gained 40 lbs. There really is no need for me to gain any more. In fact, I find that when I follow the program, I end up eating way more calories than when I'm off plan, simply because being on plan makes my metabolism run in high gear, so I know baby is getting enough even though I am not gaining (as also evidenced by his excellent growth and health based on ultrasound exams). Actually, if I stay on program all day, every day, I quickly lose weight even while pregnant, and that while using raw honey and grade B maple syrup whenever I like. So every few days, I have to get off program and consume meals that contain both carbs and fats, even simple carbs, just to stay with my goal of maintaining rather than losing.

Another tweak that I have made while pregnant is to continue drinking fresh, whole, raw milk, which is always "off plan." Milk contains large amounts of lactose (which is a type of sugar, and therefore a carb), as well as fat. As such, it is by definition not compatible with the THM plan. However, not only does raw milk have a low glycemic index, I think that drinking it is important because I am pregnant, and milk is crucial for growing babies. My own "rule" for using milk and still losing weight is to use 1/2 cup or less for S meals, or count it as an E food if I have more than 1/2 cup. I also do not consume more than 1 cup at a time. Following these guidelines, like I said, has not stood in the way of weight loss for me. When I am not expecting, I do not drink fresh milk, but rather make my own kefir from raw milk. That way, all the benefits of drinking raw milk are preserved, while the lactose has been removed by way of fermentation. For people with digestive issues, drinking soured milk (i.e. kefir) rather than fresh milk is a much better option, anyway. 

In conclusion, the plan works. In fact, it works very well, it works fast, and going from being "on plan" to just a regular, whole foods diet (NOT the standard American diet) that contains both fats and carbs in the same meal will not make you regain the lost weight, but rather just maintain your current weight. You will be able to have bacon and eggs for breakfast one day, oatmeal the next, and all sorts of other satisfying foods that will keep you from feeling hungry or deprived. As such, it is the near perfect diet plan - just so long you stay away from the at best questionable "on plan" sweeteners. Your palate may need to adjust to not craving sweets and simple carbs all the time, but eventually, if the weight loss is going to be permanent, this is a necessary component anyway. 

Please do weigh in below with your experiences on the program, with the issues surrounding the sweeteners I mentioned, or anything else that would be valuable to this discussion. 

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Edited to add: Please see my follow-up post on this topic, "Stevia is safe - OR ELSE!"