Nutrition
How do you know who you can trust?
- The supposed Greek health yogurt, Activia, by Dannon, has 29 grams of sugar (think soda).
- Snapple, you know, the best stuff on earth, had high fructose syrup until recently.
- Kellogs special K is not a whole grain and has high fructose syrup. Not so special.
- Power Bar’s first 5 ingredients are sugar.
- Vitamin “water” has 13 grams of sugar. Hello, it’s water.
I spoke recently and when I told the audience the sugar content of Activia, one man rolled his eyes and said they had a case of it in the fridge because he and his wife are trying to be healthier.
So who can you trust? If you’re a member of my online club you can feel sure that everything I share with you, I share with my 3 children. Next, educate yourself. Be your own best advocate and ask me questions when you’re not sure.
Delicious and healthy
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Many of my clients have been telling me how much they love the fall, and I agree, great time of year. Except, there’s just one problem; along with changing leaves, cooling breezes and crisp apples come an unwanted intruder.
Have you noticed and increase in your appetite recently? That’s because as the season changes and the weather cools, our bodies crave more calories to store as winter approaches. Yes, we actually crave more calories when the weather turns cold. This is when we should track all our food so we don’t gain any weight.
Club members, write down everything you eat and send it to me at the end of the week. It will help you stay focused and keep you accountable. Also, very soon you’ll have access to 8 new breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack menus based on your BMR. Stay tuned.
2 young clients recenlty asked me about whey protein for building muscle and recovering from workouts faster . If you do a google search for whey protein you get 1000′s of hits by whey product manufactures. That tell’s us there’s big money in it, so proceed with a healthy skepticism. Consumer reports reported a discrepancy regarding ingredients manufactures reported for their whey products. Can we really trust what’s in these products? more »
A friend told me about Honeycrisp apples last year and I couldn’t believe the crunch and flavor. I recommend you try one this year. Apples are perfect as part of a breakfast as well as a snack and after school treat for the kids. These are so sweet you don’t need to dip them in honey. Make one part of your menu today and start your fall off healthy.
- Health benefits of apples = lower rate of cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
- Honeycrisps have about 80 calories which is less than a red delicious. Some honeycrips are huge so their calorie content will be higher.
- They’re a good source of fiber; 3 grams per serving.
Think the yogurt above is healthy? Think again.
I was coaching a client recently and asked what she had for breakfast. She replied, “a glass of chocolate milk and a breakfast bar”. After I picked myself up off the floor, I asked for the brands and looked up the ingredients with her. The chocolate milk had 220 calories and 31 grams of sugar; the amount found in soda. Her cereal bar had artificial flavors, red #40 and blue #4 and refined sugar instead of whole grains. Another client excitedly showed me her new Greek lemon flavored yogurt. It had 18 grams of sugar. Way too much.
Here are 4 foods that can be super healthy, unless their not:
- Breakfast/cereal bars- the first ingredient should be a whole grain and the sugar less than 10 grams per serving; see my previous post for more info >
- Greek Yogurt- buy plain with no added sugar. The sugar content should be 5 grams or less. Add your own berries or banana.
- Nuts: I had a client who ate almonds everyday, one of the healthiest nuts. (the almonds, not him
. Instead of 10 almonds- 80 cals, he was consuming a large handful- 300 cals, several times per day.
- Milk- Serve fat free milk and skip the chocolate. It’s the same thing as drinking a soda for breakfast.
It always confuses me when I see people eating delicious meals while they’re children eat french fries and fried chicken fingers of sub-quality. Some say, “That’s all they’ll eat”, or, “It’s just easier”. The good news is we can direct our children and families toward better choices with subtle persuasion and influence.
Dining out recently with my family I observed that we ordered 4 meals that were all healthy while in a pizzeria/cafe. They were:
- Whole wheat penne with grilled chicken and broccoli with garlic and oil
- California turkey club- whole wheat hero, turkey, avocado, lettuce, tomato with mustard
- Cold seafood salad over lettuce with peppers and onions
- Grilled shrimp and avocado salad over spinach with raspberry vinaigrette
We enjoyed delicious meals without sacrificing any flavor and subtly highlighted the good nutrition. Everyone was satisfied without any complaints and we walked out feeling good. We stopped next door and got frozen yogurt
I did it. I survived a 2 day delay, ate healthy and worked out, and learned several new things. I already told you about finding your quiet time. My final lesson, Ethiopian food rocks. The best part, aside from it being mostly fresh vegetables, you can eat with your hands. That’s awesome! I enjoyed a delicious meal with a good friend, Alison. What can be better? See you back home.
Confession: I devoured a coconut mango pie with fresh creme in front of Alison’s astonished eyes. She promised not to tell
You don’t have to wait to learn the secrets of dining out. Join the Fit Friends’ Revolution and start right now >
90% of FFR members and clients tell me they eat a healthy breakfast and lunch. Dinner is when all h### breaks lose. When I was in Texas I made sure I had a steak while sticking to my healthy eating plan. How?
- I tracked all my food for the day and knew I had 800 calories left for dinner
- I ordered an 8 oz petite sirloin (425 cals), plain sweet potato (125 cals) and salad with oil and vinegar (100 cals) and a beer (175 cals). This meal was not on the menu, I asked them to modify.
Don’t ruin a good day of eating and working out with a calorie laden dinner. Do some planning and you can have your steak and health too. Come on, I know you can do it. Master dinner, master health.
Try this fast and healthy grain dish to break up the same old pasta or rice you make. Quinoa is a complete protein, which means you don’t have to serve meat with it, and is ready in 15 minutes. When you use frozen, pre-cut veggies this recipe will come to the table fast and full of nutrition. I made this dish while staying with a cousin in Boston with whatever we found in her fridge and pantry. We prepared a crudite and dipped the veggies in a rich balsamic vinegar as an appetizer.
Nutrition: 2 cups = approximately 400 calories
Ingredients:
- 1 box quinoa
- 1 bad frozen, pre-cut peppers and onions
- 2 patties frozen veggie turkey burgers
- soy sauce to taste
Recipe:
Prepare quinoa as indicated on the box. Microwave defrost veggie turkey burgers and set aside. Preheat skillet and saute frozen veggies until they are heated through. Break up veggie turkey burgers and saute for 1 minute with veggies. Add quinoa to the skillet, toss and heat through. Add soy sauce to taste and serve. Enjoy with a crudite for added crunch and nutrition. Bon Appetit.
