Excerpted from Eat, Live, Thrive Diet: A Lifestyle Plan to Rev Up Your Midlife Metabolism. Copyright © 2019 by Danna Demetre & Robyn Thomson. Used by permission of WaterBrook, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.
Danna Demetre first appeared in Faith & Fitness Magazine in 2007 when she authored Mirror, Mirror , which provides a Biblical perspective for women on self-image. A few years later I asked her to write an “open letter” titled Dear Oprah – One Woman’s Dieting Thoughts For America’s Favorite Female Mentor. She talks about doing “more than dieting” by renewing your mind. Now, she returns to Faith & Fitness Magazine. This time Robyn Thomson, an advanced clinical weight-loss practitioner, joins her. Together they’ve authored Eat, Live, Thrive Diet a lifestyle plan to rev up your midlife metabolism.
They outline a three-phase nutritional journey that makes it possible for everyone to create a midlife diet strategy that strengthens physical and spiritual health and wellness. They present powerful God-centered principles that when applied can really make a sustainable difference.
The style of this feature is much different from Danna’s 2007 article. It includes some book excerpts, a few fun videos, recipes AND immediately below our podcast interview with both of them. So get reading, watching, listening and cooking. Midlife is the time to eat, live and THRIVE!
PODCAST
Listen to the full Faith & Fitness Magazine podcast with Danna Demetre and Robyn Thomson hosted by Kimberly Bloom. PLAY IT NOW!
Restaurant-Tips-Faith & Fitness Magazine from Danna & Robyn on Vimeo.
Although ideal nutrition is the goal, it’s important to be realistic about how much change you can effectively take on all at once. Don’t fall into a perfection mind-set in which your attitude is “all or nothing.” Many studies show that even improving your nutrition by 10 to 20 percent consistently can significantly enhance your health and promote weight loss.
Don’t fall into a perfection mind-set – you will see each small change begin to add up in big ways over time.
Keep coming back to the basics of this plan and what you’ve learned. If you do what you can each day to improve your nutrition—not to mention other positive lifestyle habits such as good sleep, regular exercise, and stress management—you will see each small change begin to add up in big ways over time.
We completely understand the challenge. Both of us have had our own obstacles to overcome regarding food and body issues (see our stories in the introduction!). If we can lock in permanent changes, so can you. If you don’t give up, you will gain victory.
CREATING A SUSTAINABLE LIFESTYLE EATING PLAN
Now comes the important part: developing a sustainable eating plan that will work for you. We define sustainable as something you can do most days and still enjoy your life!
That does not mean that you will give yourself permission to eat tons of empty calories; it means you will find the balance between excellent nutrition and just enough fun foods to keep you happy and following your plan steadily.
We define sustainable as something you can do most days and still enjoy your life!
It is in the daily consistency that we realize our greatest and lasting benefits. As those benefits increase, you will look and feel better. That will become your new motivation rather than the desire for immediate “taste gratification.”
Take the time necessary to create and modify your eating plan over the weeks and months ahead until you’ve landed on something you truly believe you can do regularly. In our personal journeys, our own lifestyle diets have continually evolved as we learn new things about our responses to certain foods and are enlightened about new nutritional science.
THREE EAT, LIVE, THRIVE RECIPES
Let’s do this! The Eat, Live, Thrive Diet book features an entire chapter with all kinds of “recipes that satisfy”. Danna and Robyn have organized the recipes into three categories: meals, sides and snacks. We’ve selected one from each category and included here in Faith & Fitness Magazine so you can get started today while you’re waiting for your own copy of the book to arrive. After you have prepared and eaten you way through all three be sure to post a Facebook comment on this page below so others can read about your experience.
GET THE BOOK TODAY
Order your copy of Eat, Live, Thrive Diet for individual use or your small group at your church or gym. Access even more resources from their website.
Busy-Woman Greek Chicken [MEAL]
1 whole pre-roasted chicken
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
4 teaspoons chopped fresh garlic
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Zest of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt
Dash of freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons herbes de Provence, Italian seasoning, or other green-herb seasoning, plus additional for sprinkling
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Carve the chicken breast and thigh in thick slices, and place them in an 8 x 13-inch baking dish. Add the wings and legs to the baking dish alongside the other chicken pieces.
In a bowl or jar that has a lid, place oil, lemon juice, garlic, vinegar, zest, salt, pepper, and herbs. Mix well.
Sprinkle some additional dried herbs over the top of the chicken, and then pour the marinade over the top to cover the chicken. Cover the baking dish with foil. Bake it in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until chicken is heated through and sauce is bubbling.
Serve with a salad and/or roasted veggies and maybe a few roasted potatoes. Opa!
Serves 5. Per serving: approximately 350 calories, 23g protein, 28.5g fat.
Quick Roasted Veggies [SIDE]
4 multicolor carrots, chopped (blanched, if desired)
1 cup chopped brussels sprouts (blanched, if desired)
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 bell peppers (any color), chopped
2 tablespoons extra-virgin coconut oil, melted
Herbes de Provence (or any other herbs you love)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Optional Glaze
1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons raw honey
If you want firm veggies, such as carrots or brussels sprouts, to cook more quickly, you can blanch them for about 3 minutes in boiling water and then drain them.
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
In a large ziplock baggie, shake the carrots, brussels sprouts, onion, peppers, and oil. Spread the vegetables one layer deep on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle them with herbs, salt, and pepper. Roast vegetables in the oven for 10 minutes, and then reduce the heat to 350°F and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes.
For the optional glaze, in a small bowl mix together the vinegar and honey. Drizzle over veggies during the last 10 minutes of cooking.
Note: Use any “roast-able” veggie you have on hand, including asparagus, mushrooms, zucchini, squash, eggplant, and broccoli.
Serves 4. Per serving: approximately 125 calories, 15g carbohydrate, 3g protein, 7.5g fat.
Energy Bites [SNACK]
1/2 cup almond butter
1/8 cup raw honey
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut, plus extra for coating
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1/2 cup chopped pumpkin or sunflower seeds
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 cup cocoa powder (optional, for rolling)
1/16 to 1/8 teaspoon pure monk fruit extract or sweetener of your preference to taste
In a medium bowl, add the butter, honey, coconut, chia seeds, pumpkin or sunflower seeds, and salt. Mix well. Form rounded tablespoons of the mixture into balls, and then roll them in a little shredded coconut or cocoa powder and refrigerate.
Modification: L2/L3—Substitute unsweetened sunflower butter for almond butter.
Makes 16 bites. Per bite: approximately 100 calories, 5g carbohydrate, 3g sugar, 3g protein, 8g fat.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Danna Demetre (66), RN, is an author, speaker, and cofounder of Lean Healthy Ageless. She has been a guest on a variety of national and local shows, including Fox News Dallas, The 700 Club, ABC News NOW, and Moody’s Midday Connection.
Robyn Thomson (52), an advance clinical weight loss practitioner, has worked with cutting edge nutritional companies and received training from some of the top doctors and scientists in the industry.
