Archive for the ‘Food’ Category
Is your iced venti triple chocolate whipped cream everything but the kitchen sink making you pack on the pounds?
Check out these summer drinks from Starbucks so you can cool off without breaking the calorie bank.
1. Iced Skinny Flavored Latte
Size Grande
Calories 80
Fat 0g
Carbohydrate 12g
Protein 7g
2. Shaken Green Iced Tea Lemonade Unsweetened
Size Grande
Calories 45
Fat 0g
Carbohydrate 12g
Protein 0g
3. Coffee Frappuccino Light Blended Coffee
Size Grande
Calories 110
Fat 0g
Carbohydrate 27g
Protein 3g
Remember everything you put in your body adds up. Next time you hit the coffee counter know what is in that drink you’re about to order. Visit the Starbucks website for more of their nutrition information.
Photo Credit: http://starbucksorder.tumblr.com
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Healthy meal options can be very limited at the beach. Snack bars are commonly stalked with chips, ice-cream and fried food. Skip the chips and try one of these great snacks instead. 
1. Frozen Grapes
Place as many grapes in a zip-lock bag as you like. Place the bag in your freezer the night before your trip to the beach. The grapes should be frozen by the next morning. Pack this refreshing snack in your cooler for a sweet treat at the beach.
2. Tomato & Mozzarella Salad
Cut up fresh tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. Dress lightly with olive oil, salt and pepper. Store this in a Tupperware dish or bowl. This snack will keep you full and you won’t feel weighed down after eating it.
3. Fruit & Nuts
This time of year there are so many options for great tasting fruit. Cut up your favorite fruit and store it in a tupperware dish, sprinkle a handful of almonds on top and keep it cold in your cooler.
4. Yogurt
Pick a brand that has a lot of protein to stay fuller longer. My favorite brands are Chobani and Oikos. Bring a small container of almond or peanut butter to add to your yogurt for a balanced and delicious snack.
5. Hummus and Veggies
Sabra Hummus comes in small snack size containers. Pack a few of these with a bag of your favorite vegetables. Cut up some peppers, carrots, celery and cucumbers for a nice vegetable medley.
Your best defense against unhealthy eating is to always be prepared. When you know you’re going into a situation like a day at the beach, take the time to plan some healthy options for you and your family.
Photo Credit:http://www.happykatie.com
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Advertisements are everywhere, and it’s your job to
pay close attention to what these products are promising and what they actually do, especially when it comes to food choices. Here are 5 common marketing strategies geared towards the average dieter.
1. “No High Fructose Corn Syrup”
High Fructose Corn Syrup is a type of sugar that is found in many food products in the American diet today. It has the same caloric value per gram that table sugar does. Products are now advertising that they do not have this ingredient to make their product seem “healthy”. Just because a product does not have High Fructose Corn Syrup, does not make it a good food choice.
Heinz has an organic ketchup that has no High Fructose Corn Syrup, does that mean that ketchup is good for you? If you happen to be buying a product that has no High Fructose Corn Syrup that’s a great bonus, don’t base a meal decision off of that one selling point.
2. “Same Amount Of Protein As An Egg”
This advertisement was recently put out by Kashi Cereal. True that the cereal they are promoting in this ad has as much protein as an egg in a single serving. Let’s compare the rest of the nutrition facts for these two food choices.
GOLEAN Crunch! Honey Almond Flax
Serving Size; 1 Cup
- Calories; 200
- Fat; 4.5g
- Carbohydrate; 36g
- Protein; 9g
Egg
Serving Size; 1 Large Egg
- Calories; 70
- Fat; 5g
- Carbohydrate; 0g
- Protein; 6g
This Go Lean cereal has more protein than an egg. It also has 36 more grams of carbohydrate and 130 more calories per serving. Between these two choices the egg a far better choice.
3. “Excellent Source Of Protein”
What makes an “excellent” or “great” source of protein. When you see a food label that has this slogan check the actual nutrition facts. Be a smart consumer and know what makes a product an excellent source of protein. The advertisement may be referring to the price or convenience of the product as being “excellent”. What you really want, is a product that will give you best nutritional value.
4. “30% Less Fat Than Regular Potato Chips”
The product Sunchips uses this selling point frequently. Sunchips do have less fat than it’s leading competitor, does that make it a wise food choice? This product still has 6g of fat and 19g of Carbohydrate per serving. This is a processed food that provides minimal if any good nutritional value. Skip the chips and go for a hand full of almonds if you’re craving something salty.
5. “Gluten Free”
There has been a lot of buzz lately for Gluten free products. There are more items available today that are Gluten free which is good news for someone that is allergic to Gluten. For the average consumer that is not allergic to Gluten this should not be a selling point for you. Most ice cream is Gluten free, do you think that’s a good food choice?
Here are 6 tips to help you avoid falling for these diet marketing schemes
- Make a shopping list before you go to the grocery store
- Ignore the captions on the front of a food box or bag
- Read the nutrition label of any product you’re not familiar with
- Stick to the peripheries of the Super Market, most processed foods are in the middle isles
- Be a smart consumer, if there is a product you want to try do some research on it
- If it’s too good to be true, it most likely is. Don’t let these advertisements be your excuse to put junk in your body.
Photo Credit: http://www.dailymail.co.uk
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Weekends can be kryptonite to your weight-loss program. Many of my clients find it easy to eat well during the week due to the structure of their schedules. When Saturday comes the change in schedule can make it difficult to stay on the right track.
Read these tips to help you make it through your weekend with out racking up
excess calories.
1. Stick to your eating schedule
Just because your daily activities are different on the weekends doesn’t mean your eating times have to be. If you normally have a snack between breakfast and lunch continue to do that. Eat every 3-4 hours to prevent yourself from over-eating at your next meal. You don’t have to plan your whole day of meals, just know what is coming next. When you’re done with breakfast, figure out what you will eat in three hours. Preparation will be one of your best defenses.
2. Mix It Up
It is fine to eat out or try something new on the weekends, just don’t go overboard. If you want a slice of pizza, go for it. Pick a thin crust with vegetables and pair it with a salad. If you’re craving a sweet treat like ice cream, then indulge. Pick a kids size dish or if you’re at home eat it out of a ram-kin and never out of the carton.
3. Two Wrongs Don’t Make A Right
When you find yourself overstuffed and feeling guilty the best thing you can do is learn from it and move on. If you make a food choice that wasn’t beneficial for your weight-loss program, then use the rest of your day to make better decisions. Don’t let one unhealthy food choice lead to ten unhealthy choices. Just because you blow breakfast Saturday morning you don’t have to stay on the junk food wagon until Monday morning. Start making better choices that day and you will be in much better shape.
4. Party Time
Weekends are also the time that many people consume alcohol. Here are a few better choices to make when you choose to drink.
- Watch your mixers. Those drinks from the cocktail list are usually packed with sugary juices and syrups.
- If you drink hard alcohol pair it with soda water and ask for it in a tall glass. Your drink will last longer and it will be diluted with water and ice.
- If you prefer wine try a spritzer with soda water. Again your drink will last longer.
- If you do choose to drink beer pick a light one like MGD 64.
- Make sure you eat dinner before you go out, you don’t want to end up hungry at the end of the night and feasting on bar food.
Be aware of your weaknesses. If the end of the week is a challenge for you, just being conscious of it can make a difference. Remember to take it one meal at a time.
Photo Credit: http://candlefind.com
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A good smoothie can be a great meal replacement if it has the right ingredients. Most restaurants or fast food places have way too much sugar in their smoothies and not enough protein. Be cautious when ordering, just because it says health smoothie does not mean it’s good for you.
Here is an easy recipe for a delicious smoothie with a balanced mix of Protein,
Fat and Carbohydrate.
Ingredients
1 Scoop Vanilla Protein Powder (My favorite is Pro Complete 40)
1/2 Cup Plain Non-Fat yogurt (I use Dannon)
1/2 Cup Skim Milk
1/2 Cup Frozen Blueberries
1/2 Cup Frozen Raspberries
1/2 TBL. Almond Butter
Mix in a blender and enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
Calories: 319
Fat: 6.5g
Carbohydrate: 33.5g
Protein: 30g
Let’s compare my recipe with smoothies from two popular food chains.
McDonalds Small Wild Berry Smoothie
Calories: 210
Fat: .5g
Carbohydrate: 48g
Protein: 2g
- You will notice there are less calories in the McDonalds Smoothie than in my recipe. Those calories are mostly coming from sugar, however.
- It is very likely that you would be hungry again in an hour after consuming this beverage.
Starbucks Grande Strawberry Vivanno Smoothie (made with 2% milk)
Calories: 280
Fat: 2g
Carbohydrate: 54g
Protein: 15g
- Once again, the calories are lower than my recipe, but that doesn’t mean it’s a better meal choice.
- The protein content in this beverage is better than the McDonald’s smoothie, however the Carbohydrate content is way too high.
Take ten minutes out of your day to make your own smoothie, it will be more beneficial for your diet and your wallet!
Photo Credit: http://www.natures-health-foods.com
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Did you overindulge during the super bowl’s festivities? Well, depending on how much you consumed it can take at least a week to burn off the extra calories you racked up in one day.
Practice these tips this week to help shed those excess calories.
1. Move On
Don’t beat yourself up over the poor health choices you made. Recognize the way you feel and then move on. Don’t get stuck in a downward spiral of “well I blew yesterday, might as well keep going.” Don’t give yourself permission to stay on the junk food wagon and blow off your work-outs. The best thing you can do is forget about it and move forward.
2. Step Up Your Work-Outs
If there was ever a time to push yourself harder in the gym or add on an extra work-out, this is it.
- Add to your normal work-out duration. If you usually run, bike or swim add an extra mile or two to your session.
- Try a new Class. You will have an instructor to push you harder and you will burn more calories doing exercises that your body is not use to.
- If you normally work-out in the morning, add an extra walk after dinner each night this week.
3. Downsize Your Meals, Don’t Skip Them
Most people will think that they ate too much yesterday and they should skip today’s breakfast to help make up for it. This is a diet pitfall. Skipping breakfast is not going to help you shed those excess calories. Instead downsize your breakfast. Try This “downsized” breakfast:
- 2 poached or hard boiled eggs
- 1 cup of strawberries
The calories in this breakfast are under 200 and full of energy and nutrients. For Lunch and Dinner leave 1/4 of your meal on the plate. This will help to get your body back to its normal caloric deficit.
4. Plan Ahead
Remember how hard you worked this week to burn off these excess calories. Next time you attend a weekend party think about how much effort goes into working off those cookies. It’s perfectly fine to indulge in something sweet. Just don’t make a whole day out of it.
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Photo Credit: shadesofhope.com
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Breakfast can be a challenge for many people. Here are four easy recipes that are low in calories and high in nutrients.
1. Sweet and Salty
1/2 Cup 1%Fat Cottage Cheese
10 Almonds
1 Small Apple
Slice the apple into small pieces. Pour the cottage cheese on top. Garnish with Almonds
Nutrition Facts
Calories 238
Fat 8g
Carbohydrate 27g
Protein 17g
2. Banana Nut Bread
1/2 Thomas’ Light Whole Grain English Muffin
1 TBL Teddy’s Peanut Butter
1/4 Banana
Toast English Muffin. Spread peanut butter after toasted. Slice up banana and place on top of muffin.
Nutrition Facts
Calories 170
Fat 8.5g
Carbohydrate 22g
Protein 7g
3. Not Just For Kids
3/4 Cup Special K Protein Plus Cereal
1 TBL. Almond Butter
1/2 Cup Skim Milk
Mix cereal with milk and almond butter.
Nutrition Facts
Calories 241
Fat 12g
Carbohydrate 23g
Protein 16g
4. Beat It
1 Egg
2 Egg Whites
1 Slice Sargento Reduced Fat Swiss Cheese
1/2 Small Tomato
Beat egg together with two egg whites. Spray non stick pan with cooking spray and pour egg mix in. Slice tomato and add to pan. Place swiss cheese on top. Once bottom is cooked fold egg over in half, omelette style and flip.
Nutrition Facts
Calories 174
Fat 11g
Carbohydrate 4g
Protein 21g
Set your day up for success by making these meals part of your morning routine!
Photo Credit: http://hubpages.com
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Should you eat breakfast?
According to the New York Times Article, “Diet: Bigger Breakfast, Bigger Daily Calorie Count”, it’s a meal to keep skipping.
The NY Times’ study discussed in this article followed 280 obese adults and 100 adults of normal weight for two weeks. Through this study the author has concluded that eating breakfast does not aid in weight loss.
1. “For both groups, a large breakfast simply added to the number of daily calories they consumed.”¹
You could say this about any meal throughout the day. Of course breakfast is going to account for some of your daily caloric intake. With this argument you could also say, “skip dinner, it will just add to the number of daily calories consumed anyway.”
Trainer’s Tip: By eating breakfast you’re giving your body energy to start your day. Never skip meals, especially not breakfast!
2. “Whenever someone comes to me for dietary advice and says, ‘I never eat breakfast,’ I say, ‘Keep doing what you’re doing,’ ” said the senior author, Dr. Volker Schusdziarra¹
If a client comes to you for dietary advice clearly what they are doing now is not working. That is the equivalent to someone wanting to get in shape and approaching you with the comment “I never work out” and replying “Well, keep doing what you’re doing.” How is that helpful to anyone?
This article has too many holes in its view point. They also only followed these people around for two weeks. It could be that the obese subjects overate at every meal, not just breakfast. There’s no discussion on how they got to their unhealthy weight. It may be that skipping breakfast in the past is what aided their weight gain.
Key Point: Start Your Day Off Right
A healthy breakfast can definitely aid in weight-loss, and healthy living overall. Be sure to start your day with a balanced meal of Protein, Fat and Carbohydrate. When you come across articles such as this one in The NY Times be sure to read it thoroughly before practicing any of its findings.
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¹”Diet: Bigger Breakfast, Bigger Daily Calorie Count” By NICHOLAS BAKALAR
Published: January 28, 2011, New York Times
Photo Credit: http://inews24h.com
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The Ultimate Skinnygirl Bethenny Frankel inspires greatly with her book
“Naturally Thin”.
I find myself using the tips in this book everyday, and in the coaching of my clients to living a healthier life. Bethenny gives simple, clear cut advice that can lead to big life improvements when applied. While the book is chock full of great ideas, these are the parts I use most often.
1. The Point of Diminishing Returns
“….what I call that point when a bite you take isn’t quite as good as the bite before it.”¹
This is by far my favorite tip, I love passing this one on to my clients. What Bethenny is explaining is to actually pay attention and taste your food. You can order chocolate cake, just split it with some one and taste each bite. When you stop tasting the food and put you’re mind on autopilot, you know it’s time to put the fork down.
2. The Differential
“….the difference between two choices, and whether or not that difference is worthwhile.”¹
The differential is all about your own personal preferences. For example, take a three egg omelet. Try substituting two of those eggs for egg whites. This is a healthier option and if it tastes the same to you, then the differential is not a big one. You have a healthier meal for the same amount of taste.
Now take something that has a big differential. If you love hamburgers, then a veggie burger is not going to fill that void of wanting meat. Instead go for the hamburger, only eat half of it and fill the rest of your plate with healthy options like steamed veggies. Make sure the fat content for the rest of your day isn’t too high to make up the difference.
The differential is going to be different for everyone. Play around with your meals to find out what yours are.
3. Cancel Your Membership In The Clean Plate Club
“Put the fork down already. They have dishwashers for that.”¹
This is a great tip for when you’re eating out. Portion sizes in America are out of control. A typical entree dish can easily feed two people. Either split a meal or take some of it home. If you’re having difficulty with this rule, start by leaving just one bite on your plate. Then gradually work up to saving half of your meal for later.
In “Naturally Thin”, Bethenny gives you ten rules that when applied will bring anyone to a healthy state of mind and being. This book is worth the read, and be sure to take notes!
Photo Credit: http://www.bethenny.com
¹ ”Naturally Thin” By; Bethenny Frankel © 2009 by BB Endeavors LLC
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How many times a week do you order out for lunch? Start replacing some of those lunches with ones that you prepare yourself. Brown bag lunches are a great small change that can help with your weight-loss plan.
Here are 3 simple lunch recipes to get you started.
1. Turkey and Cheese Avocado Sandwich
- 3 oz of Lean Turkey
- 1 Slice Sargento Reduced Fat Swiss
- 1 oz Avocado
- 1 Joseph’s Whole Wheat Pita
- 2 Clementines
Nutrition Facts
Calories=340
Fat=11g
Carbohydrate=29
Fiber=9g
Protein=40g
2. Chicken and Spinach Salad
- 1/2 Cup Purdue Chicken Short Cuts
- 4 Cups Baby Spinach
- 1/4 Cup Athenos Reduced Fat Feta Cheese
- 2 Table Spoons Dried Cranberries
- 10 Almonds
- Dress With 1/2 Tablespoon Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar
Nutrition
Calories=414
Fat=19.5g
Carbohydrate=33g
Fiber=8g
Protein=30g
3. Yogurt Parfait
- 6oz Chobani Non-Fat Plain Yogurt
- 1 TBL. Almond Butter
- 1/2 Cup Raspberries
- 1/2 Cup Blueberries
Nutrition
Calories=275
Fat=9.5
Carbohydrate=27
Fiber=7
Protein=21
Feel free to make adjustments or come up with your own recipes, just be sure to pay attention to the changes in the nutrition facts. Make sure you have Protein, Fat and Carbohydrate for a balanced meal. www.nutritiondata.com is a great website to find the nutrition facts in any food.
Take the ten minutes to prepare your lunch and save yourself some money and calories.
Photo Credit: http://www.makeityourproblem.ca
