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...

banana berry protein muffin

Berry Banana Protein Muffin

1 small container of liquid egg whites

1 cup low fat cottage cheese

1 scoop of non-flavored protein powder

2.5 cups uncooked oatmeal

2 fresh bananas

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

dash of cinnamon

Instructions:

preheat over to 350F

In a blender mix in everything

Spray muffin tins with pam or use liners

Pour in mixture and top each muffin with berries of choice

Bake for about 30 minutes

Freeze well - but allow to cool first.

Now you have a healthy, protein packed, low fat muffin!

200 calories and 15-20g of protein per average size muffin

MSG vs HVP

If you read your nutrition labels you may have noticed a mystery ingredient Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein (HVP).  It is especially common in soups. What is it? Well its basically MSG in another form.
Wheat, corn or soy is boiled in hydrochloric acid and then neutralized by sodium hydroxide.  (yummm right??)
Is it dangerous? Not necessarily - if you aren't already sensitive to MSG then HVP wont likely make you sick. However, there is not any information about what additives like this can do in the long run.

To read more about this check out the Glamour blog Vitamin G - link below
http://www.glamour.com/health-fitness/blogs/vitamin-g/2010/09/ingredient-label-sleuth-ive-he.html

After a Work Out

Drink Chocolate Milk

Maybe you have seen the commercials, or maybe this is the first time you are hearing this.

But here is why:  After a work out, your body craves both carbohydrates and protein.

Chocolate Milk contains the perfect ratio of carbs:protein that your body needs.

Plus its yummy.! So drink up!

Fight Fatige continued...

Make a sandwich or salad with these 5 ingredients and you will be getting all of the 7 nutrients mentioned in the previous post

Spinach ( potassium, magnesium, iron, complex carbs)
Avocados (potassium, complex carbs)
Carrots (beta-carotene, complex carbs)
Red Pepper (vitamin C, complex carbs)
Chicken/Cheese/Beans/Egg (protein)

Add a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing

Fight Fatigue

Here are 7 Nutrients that Fight Fatigue
1. Protein:  eat protein at breakfast to maintain energy throughout the day.  People who skip protein at breakfast are more likely to be depressed, stressed and less physically fit.

2. Iron:  deficiency is a common cause of anemia which leads to a decreased volume of red blood cells causing you to feel tired. Iron is most easily absorbed from meat sources, but you can boost how much is absorbed from your dark leafy greens by combining it with vitamin C

3. Complex carbs (vs. simple sugars):  They are found in fruit and vegetables and break down much slower than simple sugars (ie white sugar, white bread, ect) They break down slower leading to a steadier source of energy that is released into your blood stream over a longer period of time.  Sources of complex carbs are also a good source of fibre and B vitamins which help with energy.

4. Vitamin C: Helps with adrenal health. The adrenal glands release cortisol (stress hormone). So if you increase your vitamin C intake, you can decrease fatigue caused by physical and emotional stress

5. Magnesium:  essential for the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) - the molecule that is used in the body for energy. Magnesium also relaxes muscles and aid in sleep.

6. Beta Carotene: Vitamin A precursor. This helps boost depressed immune system and with chronic fatigue. It also helps promote healthy cell membrane, protecting against viruses, bacteria, fungi, and allergies. Its necessary for healthy red blood cells.

7. Potasssium. Deficiency causes muscle weakness and exhaustion. Helps transport nutrients to the muscles, regulates muscle contractions and maintains a healthy nervous system and heart rate.

3500 calories

Yesterday I mentioned that you need a deficit of 3500 calories to lose 1 pound of fat. So what exactly does that mean?
Everyone has a unique daily recommended calorie intake. This is based on age, weight, activity level and whether you are male or female.  Lets say your daily recommened intake is 1500 calories.
This is how many calories you need to eat in order to maintain your weight.
So lets say you eat 2000 calories a day, and burn 500 calories a day at the gym. Your net intake equals your recommended intake and you will maintain your current weight.
If you eat 2000 calories a day and burn 700 calories exercising every day after 7 days you will have a deficit of 4900 calories, or 1.4 pounds.
If you eat 2000 calories a day and don't exercise at all you will be in excess 500 calories each day. After 7 days you will have accumulated 3500 calories or 1 pound of fat.
How exactly do excess calories become jiggly thighs?
Anytime you have an excess of any food group - carbs, protein or fat - the body coverts it to fat and stores it in your adipose (fat) tissue.
So the trick is to not consistently take in more calories than you need.

Trying to lose a bit of weight? Don't fall for the latest fad/product/diet ect that promises "lose 7lbs in 7 days" - instead aim for slow and stead. A deficit of about 500 calories a day is a safe number to aim for. Try to cut out 250 calories a day from food, and burn 250 extra calories a day through exercise.
Trying to gain a bit of weight? Increase calorie intake through complex carbohydrates (ie. whole grains, fruit and vegetables), lean proteins (chicken, turkey, salmon, tofu), and unsaturated fat (ie avacados, salmon, almonds).  Avoid the unhealthy versions like simple sugars (ie. white sugar, white rice, and white bread), too much red meat or cured meats (ie. deli meat, bacon, steak), and saturated fat and avoid Trans Fat whenever possible.