So What's This All About?

Everyone wants to lose weight, right? Or be their healthiest selves. That's why my mother, Lisa, started the Trim Healthy Mama eating plan. So far, it's been a great success. She's lost weight, feels full and satisfied after all the meals, and has fun with it. So why not take this eating lifestyle blanket and spread it out to encompass all of the world? That's exactly what we plan to do! With this fun project we're going to take all 197 national dishes, cook them, and transform them to fit the THM guidelines.

How long will the project take? We have no idea. It could be years, really. But that's the fun of it: not knowing. This is a fun mother/daughter project that won't just be over after one sitting, but one that will go on, and be something to always look forward to. I've always been one to be very interested in world cultures and countries. For fun, I have memorized all 197 countries and where they are on a map. I feel that it's important to learn about who you are sharing this planet with and one way is to look into each culture's cuisine. Although not every country has a "national" dish, every country does have a native dish. By making these meals, we are getting a glimpse of another culture even if we aren't actually there. 

But what is Trim Healthy Mama? Why not just make these dishes the way they were meant to be made? My mother is going to briefly explain what THM is and why we love it so much. 

Trim Healthy Mama (THM) is a way of life developed by two sisters, Serene Allison and Pearl Barrett.  After years of experimenting with fad diets and other eating plans, they have developed a way of eating that eliminates sugar and separates fats from carbs in your diet, by at least 3 hours.  Protein is always a part of each meal, and that meal can either concentrate on healthy fats, or it can have more carbs - but not both.  This helps our bodies to not have blood sugar spikes and to help use EITHER the carbs OR the fats in that meal for energy.  It does not concentrate on what you CAN'T eat, but rather teaches you what you CAN eat, and HOW to eat it the right way for your body to utilize the food most effectively.

I have struggled with trying to achieve, or maintain, a healthy weight most of my adult life.  I have tried low carb (or NO carb) diets, Weight Watchers, and simply trying to rely on portion control and self-control. (Ha!)  Although on most plans I would lose the weight, I would always gain it back once I had gotten to where I wanted to be.  I always went back to eating the way I used to eat, which is how I got to be overweight in the first place!  ANYONE can do THM and then maintain this lifestyle for a lifetime.  It's not about depriving yourself.  Steak and salad with ranch dressing with broccoli covered in butter?  Yes!  Baked oatmeal with fruit for breakfast?  Yes!   This is why I love THM.  

So there you have it. We don't know how often we will post but we will try for at least once a week. But hopefully many more. Each post will include the native country of the dish, interesting facts about that country, how to make the dish according to THM, and what we thought of it. 

We hope you enjoy this blog and that you might be inspired to make these dishes as well!