Healthy Lunch: Salad in a Jar

What a great idea.

Im going to make this for lunch on Friday!

7 Days to Skinnies Day 3

Its Monday. And Day 3 of the plan

Today was the real test. I started my work term today and I had no idea what the day would bring.
The university website going down around noon was not a good start to the semester for anyone!!

I started the day with the Breakfast Smoothie - its really yummy and has oatmeal in it, I use greek yogurt which has tons of protein so its really filling.

For lunch I packed a pre-made Bruschetta Chicken  and a salad.
I baked a bunch of chicken on the weekend so I would be prepared for the week. I Put each breast in a separate tupperware, topped it with bruschetta and BOOM lunch in the fridge.

A couple hours later I had 1/4Cup of almonds for snack

Once my first day at work was done I headed to the gym - possible the busiest place on campus at 4:30 the first day back to school in January...
I managed to get an elliptical and did 30 minutes at a moderate pace.

I went home and had Chicken Salad on Toast.  With granny smith apple, and red grapes it was yummy and fresh.

Create healthy Habits

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Breakfast in the Blender

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Lately I have been making lots of smoothies....

I put them in the fridge or freezer and have them for a convenient breakfast or when I get home late from work or soccer.

Heres what I've been putting in them...

Oats... put the in the blender first, blend until powdery

Greek Yogurt, just a tablespoon or two (can be frozen in ice cube trays!)

Frozen blueberries

Frozen Strawberries

A big handful of fresh, rinsed spinach

A ripe banana 

Orange Peach Mango juice with plant sterols 

-the oats and spinach blend up so good you don't even notice them but Hello nutrition!!

Fun fact... people who blend their smoothies for longer time - think 2-4 minutes - feel fuller for longer!

If you eat what you've always eaten...

Food for your Tummy

Its important that you get adequate nutrition even if you are trying to lose weight.

Make sure you are getting healthy fats and proteins with every meal

They take a long time to digest

Keep you feeling fuller longer

Provide you with essential nutrients

Protein is essential for proper cell development... including building muscles.

Below are 12 foods to try to add into your diet...

ontario schools junk free

Ontario schools are removing Junky food from their cafeterias and vending machines

Things like chocolate, french fries, energy drinks, candy, chips and pop will no longer be available for students to buy while on campus.

This is huge step forward in the fight against obesity in Canada.  Currently, 28% of kids between 2 and 17 are either overweight or obese.  This is leading to higher levels of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, ect...

"Fully 80 per cent of the new school menu must include products with the highest levels of essential nutrients and the lowest amounts of fat, sugar and sodium."

There is still a lot of work to be done in the fight against obesity but this is a step in the right direction.  Managing portion control, calories, and further reducing calories are just some of the things that still need to be address..

But I hope that more provinces and school districts will follow along and re-evaluate the food they are serving the countries youth.

Size it right

Sometime its hard to know what a serving looks like.

How much of something should you be eating?

Check out the photos below for a little help!!

5 foods to limit or avoid

1. Soda... Pop... Soft Drinks... what ever you call them they aren't good for you.  Women who drink 2 or more cans a day have 86% greater chance of kidney failure.  Drinking 2 or more a week increases you chance of pancreatic cancer by 87%

2. Sugar..... excess sugar can accelerate aging, causes high cholesterol, can lead to type 2 diabetes.  Restrict your intake to a maximum of 3tbsp or 18g a day.

3.Oil...... avoid oils high in saturated fast - like palm oil, they increase LDL or bad cholesterol. Using good oils, high in unsaturated fats -like olive oil - these can actually lower LDL

4.Cereal.... most of them have as much sugar as glazed donuts.  Check the ingredients and if the first thing listed is Sugar... throw it away.

5.White rice....  plain.old.empty.calories.  Replace white rice with brown rice or quinoa.

Healthy Food? Dinner Edition

Veggie Burger

Subsituting vegetables for beef isnt necessarily a bad idea.

But veggie burgers are often bound together with cheese, and packed with sodium for flavor.

They also tend to be huge throwing your portion size out of wack

Add a white bun, sugary ketchup, and some mayo and you just might be getting more than 1000 calories

Juice

While 100% juice is an easy way to one of your daily servings of fruit

a 16oz glass or apple or orange juice contains about 55g of carbohydrates... mostly sugar.

(about 12 spoonfuls!!!)

And juice lacks the fibre that is in fruit that fills you up.

Try to stick to one 8oz glass of 100% juice a day or less (thats one fruit serving)

Frozen Diet Dinners

When you take out high calorie fat and sugars... you also take out flavor

To make these dinners taste good they replace this lost flavour with sodium

Which means major water renetion for you

Skip the prepackaged dinners and instead, freeze home made meals into single-portion size dinners.

Use glass containers to avoid any harmful chemicals that can leach out of plastic when it gets heated.

Tip of the day

Bounce back the next day after you eat junk food.

- Celebrity nutritionist Lisa DeFazio

Don't beat yourself up about a bad day.

Making yourself feel bad wont help anything.

So instead, grab your shoes and go for a walk, walk up and down your stairs a bunch of times, hit the gym, or head out for a bike ride

and get back into the swing of things!



Healthy Food? Part 2

Dried Fruit

It can have 5-8 times as many calories as the fresh kind.

The sugar becomes concentrated and many brands add extra sugar.

One cup of grapes = 60 calories

One cup of raisins = 460 calories.

And all the sugar and the sticky consistency makes dried fruit a major cause for cavities.

Granola

Sure its full of healthy oats and nuts

But Do you know why its so crunchy?

Because its cooked with oil. 

And there is a ton of added sugar.

One bowl can be 500 calories.

If you like granola, portion control is really important, try just sprinkling it on top of yogurt.

And make sure you read the label and choose the healthiest brand.

Healthy Food?

Over the next few days I will be posting about some foods that might appear healthy but aren't

1. Sushi

 The veggies and seaweed wrap are low-cal

but a lot of the most popular rolls are slathered with cream cheese or mayo

(e.g., in that spicy sauce that comes on many options),

and the seafood inside may be tempura-battered and deep fried

Not to mention the white rice, and often they are filled with imitation crab - not even real fish so you can say good-bye to any potential essential oils benefits

a standard roll can clock in at 500 to 600 calories.

Then you add the tempura battered seafood and veggies side

And dunk everything in a huge dose of Soy Sauce - hellllo sodium

Try to make sushi healthier by skipping the sauce and anything tempura battered,

Asking for brown rice instead of white,

And instead of soy sauce, up the flavour with wasabi or pickled ginger


[from cosmopolitan.com]

Tip of the day

Salad first.

For one week, try eating a big salad before your regular meal. The fiber will help to cleanse your system and fill you up faster so that you eat less calorie rich foods.

- Cory Brusseau, co-founder of Dynamics of Motion

Skip the rich dressing and dried fruit though

Go for a light home made oil and balsamic vinegrette

and add fresh fruit instead.

Guacamole

Thinking of picking up some guacamole at the supermarket tonight to celebrate Cinco De Mayo?

Check the label first.

Most store bought brands don't even contain avocados

Shocked? Yeah so was I.

Why not make your own.

Here's a recipe I use.

Its sooo tasty and super quick and easy.

(pictured above)

Ingredients

3 large avocados

2 tbsp minced scallions or onion

1 small chopped tomato

juice of 1/2 to 1 lime (use half, taste it, and add more if you like more acidity)

1/2 tsp minced garlic (one very small clove)

1/2 tsp salt

Directions

Peel and pit the avocados. Scoop out the flesh with a spoon and mash it with a fork in a bowl. Stir in the chopped tomato, minced scallions/onion, garlic, lime juice, and salt.

Makes about 2 cups, for 2-4 servings

 

the recipe is from Eggs on Sunday



Happpy Cinco De Mayo

Diet Plans

I left this "top searched" fitness trend for last...

because I am most wary about it.

I don't necessarily think diet plans, restricted eating, eliminating food groups ect... is healthy.

When you decide to do a diet plan that focuses on a certain food, or food group you need to really do your research, make sure you will be getting all your essential vitamins, nutrients and minerals.

My advice to you....

Make sure you are filling up on healthy, fresh, nutritionally dense foods

Avoid eating nutritionally empty foods (junk, white bread pasta, processed foods ect....)

Everything in moderation... you can allow yourself to eat dessert occasionally..

And watch your portion size!! That one is Key!!

Measure out what a serving of pasta is sometime... and compare it to a restaurant serving - you are likely getting about 4 servings.

That being said..

I think the Mediterranean Diet is something to consider looking at.

It isn't a really restrictive "diet" intended to short term starvation...

It is more a healthy way of eating focusing on heart healthy foods

Lots of plant based foods, replacing fats and butter with health healthy olive oil

Limit red meat and instead focus of fish and seafood

Using spices to flavour food rather than salt

Get exercise

And have the occasional glass of red wine.

Read more about it Here

Summer Salad

Mango salad

I made this a couple times this week and it was delicous and summery.

I chopped up a bunch of whatever I had in the fridge...

I didnt measure or anything, just what looked good.

I thought I would share with you my salad "recipe" and some health benefits of all the ingredients!

Mango

(one cup contains 25% of your daily intake of vitamin A -thats good for your eyes)

Avocado

(eating avocados for only one week can lower cholesterol on average 17%)

Cucumber

(contains silica which is good for connective tissue, and can improve your complexion)

Red Bell Pepper

(linked to reduced risk of a number of cancers, and contains more vitamin C than oranges)

Red Onion

(contains a surprising amount of polyphenols.. phytonutrients which help protect agains disease)

Cilantro

(a powerful cleansing agent, chemical compounds in cilantro bind to heavy metals in the body and help eliminate them)

Lime Juice

(Anti-oxidant, anti-carcinogenic, anti-biotic and detoxifying properties, and can help get rid of ulcers)

So mix your self up this healthy summer salad and start enjoying the benefits today!! It would also make a great salsa if everything was chopped smaller and you added more juice.

Impress everyone by bringing it to your first BBQ of the summer...

(click on the ingredient to see more health benefits)



Trenta

4With spring coming you might be thinking about ice coffee

or perhaps a half sweet raspberry passion tea lemonade

And you might be thinking that the new Iced drink size at starbucks - The Trenta - sounds like a good idea

But is it really??

Its 916mL  - thats bigger than the average capacity of the human stomach!!!

and besides the size.....

think about allllll the sugar that is packed into this jumbo cup.

a venti iced espresso drink can range from 160calories all the way up to 600 calories

and have between 5 and 13g of carbs... or sugar.

The trenta is an additional 325mL... I cant even imagine.

Unfortunately the nutritional information isn't available on the site yet...

Fishy News

Think fish prepared in any way is healthy?

Think again.

The Boston Globe has reported that people who eat battered and fried fish

have higher heart attack risk

-just the words battered, and fried might have tipped you off - but heres some more detail

- Fish that are typically cooked this way, white fish such as haddock, and cod, are leaner - they have less or the good fatty acids to begin with

-the omega 3's they do have are diminshed by this cooking method - they are actually replaced by cooking oils

so instead: skip the fish n chips and opt for some omega-3 rich salmon or herring

read more here

Food Cravings

What is the best way to combate food cravings or late night snacking?
Distract yourself.  Even better - distract yourself by doing something active

The average food craving lasts about 4-12 minutes.  So the next time you feel yourself reaching for those salty crackers, or hidden stash of cookies try these things first

1. Drink a glass or water. A lot of the time thirst is mistake for hunger - so try this first, you may be dehydrated.

2. Go for a walk. Go for a brisk 15-20 minute walk, in the park, with your special someone, or take the dog out. By the time you get back - the craving should be gone.

3. Stretch - stretch out your hamstrings, your back, your neck. -click here for a 4 minute yoga routine

4. Do a 20 minute at home workout - try the one here

5. Brush your teeth - you are less likely to snack with minty fresh just brushed teeth


-if you try these tips and you still feel like you want to eat - keep healthy snacks easily accesible. cut up peppers, carrots, apples and leave them in single serving bags/tupperwear in the fridge. Or keep bags or quarter cup bags of unsalted almonds in the cupboard That way nutrient dense snacks ready when you are!