Why Sugar is Killing You
Sugar. We all love it. Chocolate, candy, cookies, etc. It's all yummy and I'll be the first to admit it. But, it's terrible for you. Now I know many people may be thinking...'well duh,' but let me elaborate. First, look at how much the average person consumes today- approximately 1 cup. Our ancestors only averaged about a tablespoon per day (westonaprice.org). Quite the difference.In addition, eating sugar:
1) Throws off your blood-sugar levels and in short, goes straight to your stomach (ahem, tummy fat)
2) Feeds cancer cells, ulcerative colitis, and multiple other auto-immune diseases
3) Interferes with your absorption of protein (which you need MOST in your diet)
4) Can make you hungrier
5) Contributes greatly to what most parents/Dr's deem as ADD and ADHD
6) Can result in mineral imbalances
7) Causes a field day for bacteria and viruses
8) Is addictive. The more you eat, the more you continue to crave it
9) Truly contain NO nutrient value. It is actually depleting your body of nutrients
10) Increases bad cholesterol and triglycerides
Need more reasons to stop eating sugar? I could keep going, but I won't. And sadly, I don't even find the above 10 facts to be what's most disturbing... Really, what kills me is what sugar is in. It's in cereal, yogurt, juice, frozen meals, fast food, canned fruit, energy drinks, bread, instant oatmeal, pasta sauce...again, I could keep on going. Truly, if it isn't a 'whole food,' it probably has sugar.
If you need some alternatives for cutting out sugar but still 'baking', here are some decent options (keep it to 2TBS per day TOTAL):
-raw, local honey
-dates
-organic maple syrup
-stevia
-molasses
My favorite sweet tooth recipe:
1-½ scoops Chocolate Shakeology (or protein powder)
1 ripe avocado
1 large banana
1/2tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
PREPARATION:
Mix all ingredients in a Vitamix with 3 ice cubes and serve. If you don't own a Vitamix, blend, pour into small individual dishes and refrigerate for an hour.
Top Fitness Tips For Women
I am often asked by my Beachbody 'challengers' why they aren’t seeing results.
Well, this varies of course, but here are a list of my ‘tips’ to help
ladies tone and get in shape. Follow these and you’ll be well on your
way to a Beach Body 
1. When you workout. Make sure it’s a time when you have energy.
Typically any time is fine, except for right before bed because then
you’re heart rate will be up and good luck sleeping! Also, make this
time your usual time. By making it a habit, you’ll be more inclined to
keep it up.
2. HIIT it. Meaning high intensity interval training. You NEED this
in your life, trust me! In a nutshell, it is short bursts of work at
your max capacity. Don’t do 100 pushups and think that’s a workout. Do
10 pushups followed by 1min of sprinting and repeat until you hit those
100 pushups. Trust me, the results will be much quicker if you add HIIT
into your workouts. And remember, a 25min workout can be more effective
than a 60min one, so use your time wisely.
3. Change up your workouts. Don’t do the same thing every day or your
body/muscles will get used to it. You need to cause muscle confusion.
This will get you better, faster results. I usually go a week without
doing the same moves.
4. Don’t train spend a lot of time on your abs. I made this mistake
for years…my tummy had a pooch so I did a bazillion crunches a day. Such
a mistake. I only formed the muscles underneath the fat which made my
pooch even bigger! You need to blast the fat first…cardio, high knees,
butt kicks, etc. Plus, research has shown that crunches really aren’t
all that effective. Ask any of the top trainers and they’ll tell you
that they don’t even do them.
5. Drink water!! This is huge. You should be drinking half of your
body weight in ounces each day. If you are working out, you can go with
even more. Not only will it help you feel full, but you’ll have more
energy for your workouts and it’s a natural detox.
6. Have patience and be consistent. It took me more than a week to
put fat on, it’s taking more than a week to get it off. I know at times
we can all feel discouraged, but know that your hard work and
consistency WILL PAY OFF. It just won’t happen over night
7. Eat clean. Seriously. I cannot stress this enough. If you fill
your body with crap, well…you’ll look and feel like crap. Sounds brutal
but it’s true. Our bodies weren’t meant to digest pink slime from
McDonalds or ultra-processed Cheetos. Bodies run on veggies, fruits,
whole grains and lean protien.
Remember these two acronyms and you’ll be
all set:
Avoid CRAP…
C- carbonated drinks
R- refined sugars
A- artificial sweeteners/color
P- processed foods
C- carbonated drinks
R- refined sugars
A- artificial sweeteners/color
P- processed foods
…and eat FOOD
F- fruits + veggies
O- organic when possible
O- only lean protein
D- drink water
F- fruits + veggies
O- organic when possible
O- only lean protein
D- drink water
Foods to Eat, Foods to Avoid
Whole Foods
Whole foods are natural, unprocessed, unrefined foods that
come straight from the earth and are identifiable by the fact that they do not
have nutrition labels on them and are highly perishable. This would include
vegetables such as lettuce, kale, broccoli, fruits such as bananas and apples, grains
such as oats and brown rice and even meat and dairy such as chicken or eggs.
Most of your diet should come from whole foods since they are the easiest for
your body to digest and the most nutrient rich. In fact, many studies have
shown that those who consume a diet higher in whole foods have a decreased risk
of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and type II diabetes. When possible,
purchase organic to reduce the amount of pesticides consumed.
Processed Foods
Processed foods
begin as whole foods but are then cooked or juiced which may reduce some of the
nutrients. For example, a tomato can turn into tomato sauce and some of the
nutrients will cook out. An apple and a stalk of kale may be juiced, and while
the vitamins may remain intact, the fiber is removed. These foods are found in
the inner aisles of the grocery store and often the main ingredient is a whole
food, although additional ingredients have been added.
Refined Foods
Refined
foods also begin as whole foods, but are then altered with chemicals or a
mechanical process, which reduces the nutrient value. These are foods such as
refined sugars, frozen meals and white (bleached) flour. These are the most
undesirable foods to eat since they offer little to no nutritional value and
can take the body longer to process. These foods are found in the center aisles
of the grocery stores and have nutrition labels on them. Many have
unidentifiable ingredients and added colors.
Organic vs. Natural
Foods
While many
people believe that organic and natural foods are the same, unfortunately they
are not. Sadly, the word natural is a misleading term used by the packaging
companies to make people believe that they are eating a “healthier” food or
something comparable to organic. Some ingredients within the food may be
natural, but certainly not all. Organic foods are the only ones guaranteed not
to allow growth hormones or antibiotics. The foods most recommended to consume
as organic would be: produce, meat, dairy and eggs. These contain significant
amounts of pesticides and/or hormones, and eating organic will eliminate these
toxins in your body. As a side note though, a box of organic macaroni and
cheese may contain fewer toxins than regular macaroni and cheese, but it is
still a refined food that should be avoided. Stick to whole foods for the
majority of your meals.
If you are on a
tight budget and organic foods aren’t always a possibility, follow the “dirty
dozen” rule. Each year the Environmental Working Group puts out a list of
twelve foods that contain the highest amounts of pesticides and fertilizers. It
is recommended that the below foods are bought organic:
ü
-Celery
ü
-Tomatoes
ü
-Cucumbers
ü
-Grapes
ü
-Hot
peppers
ü
-Nectarines/Peaches
ü
-Potatoes
ü
-Strawberries/Blueberries
ü
-Spinach/Kale/Lettuce
ü
-Bell
peppers
ü
-Milk/eggs
Healthy Choices
Eating
healthy does not need to be difficult and in fact can be quite rewarding. Here
are some tips to get you started:
· Drink
at least 8 glasses of water daily. This will flush toxins and keep your body
hydrated adequately. If you enjoy flavored water, squeeze some fresh lemon in
or add some sprigs of basil or mint.
· Avoid
sugary beverages. I believe the saying is “don’t drink your calories.” Drinks
such as sodas, Gatorade and espresso drinks contain high amounts of refined
sugars and excess calories. If you must have something caffeinated, stick to
black coffee with organic cream or black tea.
· Shop
the local farmers market. This is usually the freshest produce you will find
(keep in mind much of our produce is shipped in and takes weeks in transport).
Farmer’s markets are a great way to support local farms and offer many unusual
types of produce that may be hard to find in the grocery store.
· Plan
your meals. If you go to the grocery store, what usually happens? You buy junk.
However, if you take the time to plan out your meals for the week and write
down all ingredients needed, you will likely leave the grocery store with only
what you needed- meat and produce.
· When in
doubt, read the label. It is inevitable that at some point you will purchase a
refined or processed food. Read the
label and make sure that you can pronounce everything and that the list is
minimal (strive for 5 or less).
· Vary
your produce. If you eat a banana every day that is fine, however if you find
that you are consuming the same 5 meals every week, your body needs a change.
By switching up your produce, you are allowing yourself to get additional
nutrients and health benefits.
· Eat
more produce. I’m not saying to become a vegetarian, but make half of your
plate fruits and vegetables. The more colors you have in your meal, the more
vitamins and minerals you are consuming.
Don't Eat That!
Yes, you caught me, I was browsing through one of their books
recently and it got me thinking…too many people are mislead by low-fat
labels or what they deem to be ‘healthy’ from a restaurant. Here are a
couple of items that may shock you, and some tips for switching them
out. Don’t eat this… Boxed instant oatmeal. It has 170 calories, 2g fat and 15g sugar.
Eat this… Regular instant oatmeal. It has 150 calories, 3g fat, and 1g sugar. Load it up with protein powder and berries and you’re all set!
Don’t eat this…Horizon organic fat-free vanilla yogurt. It has 80 calories, 0g fat, and 24g sugar.
Eat this… Greek yogurt. It has 110 calories, 0g fat and 8g sugar. Sugar is the bad guy- more so than the calories and fat because you’ll start craving it more. Stick to Greek which will keep you full longer.
Don’t eat this…Clif bars. They don’t even taste that good for starters. And on top of it, they average 240 calories, 6g fat and 20g sugar. Eww.
Eat this…Find a protein bar that has, well, protein. ThinkThin and Quest bars are good choices. Look for more protein than there is sugar.
Some OMG moments…
Ocean Spray grapefruit juice has 130 calories and 29g sugar. Make homemade fruit water and save yourself the sugar!Kraft Mac&Cheese has 410 calories and 19g fat. Yeah, believe me, I love that box of processed goodness just as much as the next guy…but it’s not even real cheese!! Have some string cheese and a piece of whole grain toast to satisfy your craving. I won’t even get into how much sodium it has.
Vitamin water has 125 calories and 33g sugar. You’ve heard it before and I’ll say it again- don’t drink your calories!! Make your own vitamin water which is better for you.
Starbucks frappuccino’s have an average of 510 calories and 59g sugar. Ugh, I won’t say anything else for those.
Muffins (yes, those cute little blueberry muffins you have for breakfast) have an average of 600 calories and 50g sugar. Make quiche or something that will keep you full longer AND that doesn’t have as much sugar as a candy bar.
Where Can I Get Protein?
Protein is a controversial, tricky topic. Some say that you need minimal protein while others conclude that people should be consuming 1g per pound of body weight, or even more. While I won't get into what is right or wrong, I wanted to give people some options of creative ways to get protein. If you're like me, you get sick of the same chicken and fish, so here are some new ways to get more protein in your diet.
1) Tempeh. That's a pic of it to the right. It's a fermented soy product that is super easy to cook. It is commonly marinated since it absorbs flavor well but I like it any way. You can eat it alone or throw on a salad like I chose to do. 1 cup has about 30g of protein in it. 2) Protein powders. Yup, simple and yet so many options. Not only do they come in all sorts of flavors, but there are now vegan options for those that shy away from whey. In addition, you can add protein to almost anything (mug cakes or protein cookies anyone?). They also vary greatly in the amounts of protein, making it easy to find one that's right for you.
3) Quinoa. I've used it in recipes in here before, and it is a fairly easy thing to cook. It looks similar to rice, but has about 8g protein per serving. It will also keep you full much longer than rice. Quinoa has a nice nutty texture and can be served as a side dish, or I've even made quinoa in replacement of oatmeal.
4) Greek yogurt. I'm not talking about the sugary stuff, but the plain Greek yogurt that can have as much as 20g of protein in it. Instead of gagging it down plain (can we say tart?), throw in some berries and honey. Yes, you're adding some sugar, but not nearly as much as the flavored ones in the grocery store, AND this is a more natural source.
5) Chia seeds. These bad boys deserve a blog post all of their own just because of their amazing qualities. Not only do they keep you full, but they offer more Omega-3s than salmon, more calcium than milk, and more iron than spinach. On top of that, they contain about 5g of protein per serving. I mix them in my oatmeal every morning and my good 'ol daily glass of Shakeology contains them as well. Talk about a super food.Magic Mineral Broth
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