my intake for today

7:00am- 1cup (cooked) oats with 1 whole egg and 4 egg whites scrambled

10:00am- 1cup plain non-fat greek yogurt (my favorite is FAGE) mixed with 1/2cup mixed berries, 1 packet stevia

12:30pm- 5 oz grilled chicken, 1/2 cup brown rice or 1/2 cup sweet potato, and 1cup steamed or grilled veggies ie; broccoli, asparagus, or green beans

3:30- ¼ cup almonds and small protein shake (blend 1cup unsweetened almond milk,1 scoop protein powder, ice)

6:30- healthy soft tacos: 4 oz extra lean ground turkey, 1/2 cup black beans, 3 small corn tortillas, 1 grilled bell pepper, salsa or pico, 1/3 cup avocado or guacamole 

tip* use plain non-fat greek yogurt as a substitute for sour cream 



total calories: 1,600
total carbs: 145g
total fat: 43 g
protein: 150 g
fiber: 36 g
sodium: 1,540mg
cholesterol: 355mg

food & you

“ T H E   F O O D   Y O U   E A T

C A N   E I T H E R   BE

T H E   S A F E S T

&

M O S T   P O W E R F U L

F O R M   O F   M E D I C I N E

O R

T H E   S L O W E S T

F O R M   O F   P O I S O N ”

        - Ann Wigmore

When it comes to our overall health as it relates to the foods we consume- her words are brilliantly insightful.

Making healthy choices is something that I work on each and every day. There are tons of opportunities for me to reach for the less healthy option and those few little words help keep me on track. I try to pay attention to how foods make me feel, not emotionally, but physiologically. My body seems to have no problem telling me what it does and does not like. I encourage you to try this as well. 

Do the foods you eat upset your stomach? Do they make you feel lethargic and sleepy? Do you have enough energy to get through your busy day? Are you sleeping well at night? Does your skin seem to look dull or grey? How are your digestive habits? How is your overall mood most of the time? No one can answer these questions

when it comes to your body, but YOU.

Here are a few concepts that will help you get started; 

Focus on consuming natural whole foods that come from the earth and minimize your intake of those that are highly processed. Consuming whole foods will provide your body with quality nutrients and nourishment.

Minimizing the consumption of man-made or processed food items will create an internal environment free of inflammation and in turn, decrease your risk of numerous chronic diseases. 

Ignore any diet or meal plan that encourages you to “cut out” any of the following: fat, protein, or carbohydrates. Each of these macronutrients serves a very important purpose in your body. 

As I mentioned above, focus of how foods make your body feel. This is going to take some trial and error, but eventually you will start finding foods that satisfy your appetite as well as your physiological needs

Create a positive and healthy relationship with food. Eating something unhealthy should never make you feel guilty. It should not leave you feeling like you have failed yourself, or anyone else for that matter.

If you do make a poor choice, it’s OKAY! You are only human and guess what? There is always tomorrow so you will get another try! Love yourself and be patient and you will see that these changes will start to come easier. Make the changes become a new lifestyle for you- not a diet. Diets are not permanent.

Take baby steps toward your goal and know you are going to have days that aren't so great along the way. Be proud of yourself when you make even the smallest change toward the new healthy you!

Convenience is Key

Who Says "Convenience Foods" Can't be Healthy?

Let's face it, when it comes to healthy eating, though we mean well- we all fall off the wagon every once in a while. We are only HUMAN and it's OKAY! Life gets messy and things get in the way of our great intentions and motivation to make good food choices. 

Plus, you owe it to yourself to splurge every once in a while! I sure do! 

When it comes to fueling your body with the proper nutrition, the best way to stay on track is to PLAN and PREPARE.

I know.... it's kind of inconvenient to cook a bunch of food all at once. But, the ONE day of INconvenience makes for a whole week of sheer convenience!!! 

3 EASY STEPS to HEALTHY "Convenience Foods" at your finger tips.

1. Buy glass or plastic tupperware-  (I'm sure you probably already have some) 

2. Choose a protein, carb and fat source (enough of each to get you through the week) and cook everything all at once!  

chicken, lean beef, ground turkey, etc...  You can bake it, grill it, or use the crock pot. 

mixed veggies, brown rice, sweet potato, oats, blue corn tortillas, quinoa, etc

almonds, eggs (yolk), avocado, coconut oil, olive oil

3. distribute your food into the tupperware into portions that fit with your caloric intake and macronutrient distribution.  

Mine is as follows;

  4oz meat

   1/2c starch- sweet potato or brown rice, 1c steamed veggies

   1/4 cup almonds, 1/4 c avocado....etc. 

To keep your body fueled and avoid insulin spikes it's a great idea to eat small balanced meals every 3 to 4 hours. 

  

A SWEET POTATO FOR DESSERT?? YEA!!

Okay- I know what you all are thinking. 

"Ewww, I never even so much as TASTED those weird goopy sweet potatoes with the marshmallows on top that someone ALWAYS brought to Thanksgiving- why would I start now?"

Well, first of all- I never tried those either and can totally understand that thought process. I just recently started eating sweet potatoes. They are a slower digesting carb (lower glycemic index) which basically means they will not cause insulin spikes which can lead to fat storage. 

Plus they have a ton of vitamin A and C

I make mine in the microwave!! 

(If it isn't convenient, I'm not taking the time to make it) 

You shave off the bad spots with a peeler, poke it with a knife a couple times, and wrap it in a paper towel to cook for about 4-6 minutes depending upon the size. I usually go for the ones that seem like they would equal about a cup/8oz if they were cooked and mashed.

Let me just say, I LOVE THEM! 

My personal favorite way to eat them is with a "laughing cow" cheese wedge. They come in TONS of flavors. If I am using the potato as one of my sides, I like to use the swiss wedge.

 If I am eating it for DESSERT, I use the cream cheese wedge and then sprinkle cinnamon over the top! 

It is absolutely delicious. 

Each cheese wedge is I think 35 calories and only a couple grams of fat.

*You can also stir a wedge in with steamed veggies for a creamy texture and a little added flavor!

Nutrient density vs. caloric density

ANNOYING NEWS COMING YOUR WAY....

Guess what?

Unless you have crazy good genetics and 

an extremely exceptional metabolism... 

you CANNOT "exercise away" a bad diet.

.....I don't care if you spend an hour on the treadmill every night, if you are eating pizza, cheeseburgers, and chocolate chip cookies by the handful you will need to multiply that hour by about 5..... you cannot "exercise away" that many calories every day- it just isn't practical, who wants to do several hours of cardio every day? 

I SURE DONT! 

*Not to mention, these foods just aren't good for us. They are calorically dense (high in calories) and lack the key nutrients we need to maintain good health.

I'm all about feeling satisfied after I eat, not full, but satisfied. 

I don't like to feel hungry all the time- that's just no way to live! 

This is why we want to search for foods that are not calorically dense but that are nutrient dense and have a lot of volume. Foods that carry a lot of water and fiber will provide a fullness sensation without the over consumption of calories.  

There are tons of different things you can eat that will essentially take up more space in your stomach and make you feel full for less calories! Do not think that I am telling you to drastically decrease your caloric intake, I'm telling you to exchange the calories you are waisting on junk and start substituting some nutrient dense foods into your diet. If you add good things, the bad things will slowly fall by the wayside.

Think about this...

If you eat 3 Oreos as an afternoon snack you're looking at about 160 calories, 7g fat, and 14g sugar

 Plus, you probably won't feel satisfied after eating only 3 Oreos...who just eats 3 Oreos?

INSTEAD...

You can consume 2 apples for the same amount of calories, no fat, and a little less sugar (plus it's natural sugar) and trust me, you will feel very full!! Have you ever tried to eat 2 apples? They are very filling!

Apples have a high nutrient density and are relatively low in calories (low nutrient density). They also provide a lot of volume due to their water content. This is why as a snack or part of a well balanced meal they help provide satiety. This is only one little example! There are tons of foods that provide these same benefits...

Fruit (2 servings per day it still has sugar!)

Veggies 

Greek yogurt (nonfat plain)

Chicken, Fish, Beans

quinoa, oatmeal, brown rice, sweet potatoes

protein shakes 

And my personal favorite......
EGGS!! 
Particularly scrambled egg whites which are the perfect "filler".
 When I say filler, I mean you can add these to anymeal to "bulk it up" (add volume and nutrients) without adding very many calories. To give you an idea, one egg white contains about 18 calories give or take a few calories depending on the size of the egg! That's great news for you because you can add them to just about anything!!
**My favorite meal** (I eat this almost every night) is sauteed fresh spinach and bell peppers (in coconut oil) with egg whites poured over the top and cooked and a microwaved sweet potato with a "laughing cow" cheese wedge. BEST.DINNER.EVER (especially for someone like me who loves a quick and convenient meal!) So incredibly filling and so full of nutrients.

BODY COMPOSITION- MUSCLE VS. FAT

Have you ever worked out for several months and drastically changed your diet only to find that the scale hasn't budged or even worse, it's gone up? Bust out the calipers and take some measurements... STOP WEIGHING!!! 

The whole "Muscle weighs more than fat" thing is a true statement, SORT OF.... a pound is a pound so 1 pound of muscle weighs the same as 1 pound of fat. However, muscle is more dense and takes up MUCH less space than fat.  

See for yourself!! 

Here is a great example of body composition in women. Take a look at how different 150 pounds can look depending upon diet and exercise. The woman on the far right clearly trains with weights and eats a very clean diet yet she still maintains 150 lbs. This is because she is muscular and dense. 
See.... when you are doing all of the right things, what the scale says does not matter!!! 

***There is always an exception so I will say this...

 If you are someone who only diets and does not resistance train or do any cardio, the scale CAN be an accurate measurement of your progress... This is because you are not doing anything that will change your body composition ie; lifting weights, running, etc... you are merely changing your eating habits which may help you lose some fat, but will not necessarily help you gain any muscle. 

Proud trainer :)

My wonderful client of two years came in for measurements and in 40 days she had lost over an inch in her waist and various other areas!! She has always been consistent with her work outs and she always works very hard. She really wanted to take things to the next level so we drastically changed her diet, she stuck to it and it worked. I couldn't be more proud of her hard work and dedication! She made huge lifestyle changes and she is going to continue to see awesome results! Yes, working out will do countless amazing things for your body, both inside and out. However, don't under-estimate the power of your plate. Keep those portions in check so you refrain from negating all of your hard work! And hey, splurge when you truly feel like it, your body knows what it needs. Listen to it.

BANANA NUT COOKiE MUFFiNS

EASY BANANA COOKiE MUFFiNS

These help curb my sweet tooth at night, they're quick and easy! 

only 4 ingredients...

1/2 cup of quick oats & 1 packet of stevia

or 

Quaker Oats Weight Control Banan Bread Oatmeal

1 medium (organic) banana

Dark chocolate chips (Try Sunspire Grain Sweetened Dark Chocolate chips)

You can also add a few slivered raw almonds or walnuts...or try 1 tbsp or natural peanut or almond butter 

********************************************

DiRECTIONS

Using a fork, mash oats and nuts or nut butter in a bowl with the banana until they are mixed and doughy. 

Form into 1.5 inch dough balls and place on cookie sheet (use nonstick spray) 

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes! 

Makes 3 small cookies- 

1 serving!! (I eat all 3!)

 

Came across this little gem at the local health food store today...

SPECTRUM ORGANICS

Decadent Blend

CHiA & FLAX SEED

with Coconut & Cocoa

Great to add to shakes, oatmeal, yogurt, and dozens of other things!

*I used it in my protein pancake this morning and it added great flavor and texture. 

Chocolate pancakes

CHOCOLATE PROTEiN PANCAKES!!!!!

YES, they're HEALTHY...

HiGH in FiBER and PROTEiN.

..............::iNGREDiENTS::................

1 scoop chocolate protein powder

2 tbsp coconut flour

2 tbsp ground flax

1 tbsp cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

1 packet stevia

4 egg whites

*** 1/4c Walden Farms calorie free syrup!

or... any sugar free syrup will do

<><><>DiRECTiONS<><><>

Mix all dry ingredients and egg whites in bowl, stir until mixed thoroughly- no lumps!

Spray a pan with non-stick cooking spray, (I use coconut oil) cook on each side on medium heat for about 1 to 1.5 minutes.

GUilTLESS BLACK BEAN TACOS

In the mood for MEXiCAN FOOD but don't want to splurge on the crazy high calories and saturated fat?

 Try these guiltless Black Bean Soft Tacos!

iNGREDiENTS:

1/2 an Avocado

2 Corn tortillas (Mission brand)

Spicy black bean burger (Morning Star brand)

1/2 cup of salsa or pico de gallo

DiRECTiONS:

cook burger in microwave, heat tortillas for 15 seconds, place 1/2 burger and avocado slices on each tortilla, dip in pico- enjoy!

My New Favorite Dessert!!

SKiNNY PUPPY CHOW

This is truly guilt free... It's actually healthy!

Ingredients:

Fiber One Honey Squares or Fiber One Chocolate Squares

Smucker's Natural Peanut Butter, Creamy

Jello brand- sugar free, fat free cheesecake pudding mix

Jello brand- sugar free, fat free chocolate pudding mix

Directions:

Heat 1 tbsp of peanut butter in microwave safe bowl for 25 seconds

pour 1cup of cereal into bowl (chocolate or honey squares, whichever you prefer) and mix until peanut butter is evenly coated on cereal. This can also be done in a ziploc bag. Once the peanut butter is mixed with cereal, sprinkle 1 tsp of cheesecake and chocolate pudding powder and stir until evenly coated.

ENJOY!!!