Trim Healthy Mama Chapters 3, 4, 19 and 32

This week's discussion covers Chapters 3, 4, 19 and 32 of Trim Healthy Mama by Serene Allison and Pearl Barrett.

Chapter 3 - Raw Green Colleen

Although this is nowhere near me, I do know of someone who would fit into this category. Honestly, the nutritional deficiencies passed onto the children is what scared me the most about this chapter. All raw foods with the only proteins being in the form of nuts and sprouting vegetables is problematic, to say the least. This chapter explained how important animal protein is to our bodies, and how our bodies were actually created by God to consume it. A strictly raw foods diet does a great job of cleaning out the body, but it fails to refuel it with what it needs.

I found this paragraph to be very interesting:

"Colleen's distended stomach and constant bloat is due to living on an herbivore diet without the four stomachs needed to digest this constant barrage of roughage ... Meat eating mammals (humans included), all contain hydrochloric acid in their stomachs. Herbivore mammals do not have this acid. There is no need for it since its purpose is to digest animal foods. We need this acid, we are actually born with a small amount of it in our stomachs. It increases quickly as we grow and we are usually able to maintain healthy levels of it all our lives. However, it can be completely depleted after years of trying to live like an herbivore. The body stops making it if it no longer has to digest animal foods. This causes major digestive problems since it's a natural component of the human digestive process."

I think this diet and the Whole Grain Jane diet are the two trendy diet problems that look so healthy but are actually destroying our bodies.


Chapter 4 - Farm Fresh Tess

This one is the meat and potatoes diet, the diet of farms days gone by. Lots of meats, starchy side dishes, breads, and desserts. It causes high blood pressure and diabetes. But, it's not all bad! In fact, it's pretty good with some tweaking. As learned from Chapter 3, the animal protein from the meat is a necessity. But it's the side dishes that cause the problems. Sugars and starches create bigger appetites. And all of the carbs in the starchy side dishes brings on that over-working insulin problem again. The key to adjusting this diet is to replace many of the starchy side dishes with fresh vegetable sides and natural sugars.


Chapter 19 - Muffins, Breads, and Pizza Crusts 

Now this is the chapter I was excited to read! I mentioned last week that I am a carb addict. I can't do no-carb diets because I can't do without my breads! This chapter has recipes for breads, sandwich buns, pizza crusts and more. And they all seem pretty easy and use ingredients that I have on-hand. Just gotta pick up some almond flour from the Amish store.

But the recipe I am most excited about is the first on in the chapter: Muffin in a Mug. I shared my coffee cup egg recipe last week. I am not a huge sweet eater, but my one weakness is a molten chocolate cake. Here is a recipe for one that you make in a coffee cup in the microwave!! There are several variations to it in the book, so I'll share the one I plan to make.

Chocolate Muffin in a Mug (molten style) ~ I haven't tried this yet, so I may have to tweak the measurements of golden flax, almond flour, and cocoa, but this is what I think will work.

1. Crack one egg into coffee cup and whisk it well with a fork.
2. Add 1 T golden flax meal.
3. Add 1 T almond flour.
4. Add 2 heaping T unsweetened cocoa powder.
5. Add 1 T water.
6. Add a couple squirts of liquid Stevia. (The recipe calls for 2-4 tsp. Truvia or a few shakes of Nunaturals, but I like liquid Stevia.)
7. Add 1/2 tsp. aluminum free baking powder.
8. Ad 1 flat TBS. coconut oil, extra virgin or cooking style.
9. Stir vigorously and microwave for 40 seconds.

There is also Bread in a Mug (that you can even use for grilled cheese), Trim Healthy Pan Bread, Country Biscuits. Speedy Thin (pizza) Crust sounds yummy!

It even has a recipe for a tortilla pizza that Dawson already makes all the time. You just use a low-carb tortilla, add pizza sauce and toppings, and bake at 400 until the bottom of the tortilla crisps and the cheese bubbles.

Chapter 32 - Mama's Wise Choices (Natural versus Synthetic Hormones)

There's not much to say here other than the authors of this book are completely against synthetic hormones, like premarin and provera, and birth control pills for regulation of hormones and acne.

The "How" of natural hormone replacement begins in Chapter 33.


My overall comments about the chapters I have read so far ... our diets should consist of high proteins, low carbs, balanced sugars, salts, and healthy fats. We should have a large emphasis on low glycemic foods.

Sounds good!


Next week we are reading Chapters 5, 6, 20, and 33.