Super Shakes! Shake it Your Whey!
Looking for Low Calories without Low Flavor? Here are two shakes that are sure to satisfy! Super Berry Blast and Banana Peanut Butter Passion!
Super Berry Blast – 196 Calories 26 Protein 10 Carbs, 1 Fat
8oz Light Cranberry Juice sweetened with Splenda,1/4 Cup Blueberries, 1/4 Cup Strawberries fresh or Frozen, 1 Scoop High Five Vanilla Protein, 1/2 Cup Ice
Blend and Enjoy!
Banana Peanut Butter Passion
213 Calories, 29 Protein, 18 Carbs, 4.5 Fat
8-10 oz Water, 1 Scoop Vanilla High Five Protein, 1/2 Banana, 1tbsp Natural Peanut Butter, 1/4 to 1/2 Cup Crushed Ice. If you are looking to add a little more protein and make a meal replacement out of it sub the water for 8oz 1% Milk!
Blend and Dee-Lish!
Posted in Healthy Recipes, Nutrition on July 23rd, 2012 by admin | | 0 Comments
How much Protein Do you Need?
Protein has been deemed by the World Health Association as “essential for optimum growth in children.” They also suggest that newborn infants require complete dietary proteins that contain about 37% of the weight in essential amino acids, while adults on the other hand, require about 15%.
Amino Acids are the building blocks of protein and can be broken up into two different groups; Essential and Non – Essential. Essentials are not produced by our bodies so we must get them in the form of food or supplementation whereas the ” Non-Essential” can be produced by the body are no less essential than the “Essential.”
Protein is often a “Hot Topic” with all of the fad dieting going around; Atkins, South Beach, Medi -Fast and even Smoothie Diets to name a few. A lot of these diets are very high protein, low carb and high fat. Some are so extreme as to tell you not to eat Fruits and Vegetables, while others swear that no protein is the way to lose weight! While you may lost weight it will probably be water, gastrointestinal bulk and lean muscle tissue which should not be your goal…..
Tsk, tsk, tsk! Even if you aren’t an athlete your body still needs Proteins - aka (amino – acids), Carbohydrates - aka (Glucose) and Lipids – aka (Fat) These are your major Macro – Nutrients your body (including your brain) need in the right amounts to optimally function.
Now the that being said the nutritional requirements of any individual are directly based upon that person’s activity level, conditioning and goals. We could throw a few more variables in there, but you get the picture - your specific needs will be different from your neighbors and so on.
So how can you tell if you are gettting the right amount of Protein? Nitrogen! The answer lies in the structure of the amino acids. In addition to their composition of carbon and hydrogen atoms, amino acids have the unique characteristic of containing nitrogen as part of their molecular structure, which gives us the ability of measuring the nitrogen balance of an individual.
Rule of thumb is if you are looking to maintain the body mass you have you want equal nitrogen in and equal out. If you are looking to add lean muscle mass (such as an athlete) you want a nitrogen surplus. If you are deficient - you may want to bump up your protein intake.
Nitrogen can be measured by testing urine and there has been a test developed to test the amounts to give individuals and athletes a rough idea of their nitrogen balance. While it may take some time and tracking every day to measure, it should allow you to combine and test different protein sources and come up with your own individual protein regimen that is right for you.
Posted in Nutrition, Your Body on October 18th, 2011 by admin | | 0 Comments
There’s an App For This and an App For That!
These day’s there are so many different tools available for people to help them achieve their personal fitness goals, from workouts to calorie counters that can all be easily downloaded to your newest latest and greatest mobile device!
There is definitely a benefit to having all these apps available for ammunition in your nutrition tool box! If nothing else I want people to learn to really be aware of the quality or lack there of in the things they choose to eat. Being able to navigate successfully through the grocery store and actually put healthy things in the basket is a daunting task for most. With the sly creativity of today’s marketing gurus its no wonder today’s consumers are as confused as ever. I mean look at all the choices; there’s fat free, sugar free, gluten free, low carb, high protein….. the list goes on and on. Having these tools can help people decipher what’s in those 100 calorie packs and if that high fiber bar isn’t also high in sugars and carbohydrates…. Hint Hint Wink Wink
So I would like to share with you, a couple of fitness apps that have been tried and true and come recommended by my clients along with the pros and cons of each.
The first one I chose to feature is Spark People, this is more than just a calorie counter application, it offers total health and wellness tools from daily inspirational sayings, workout and calorie trackers to online support teams!
Spark People – www.sparkpeople.com
What We Like Most – It’s Total Wellness and It’s Free! Dislikes – I tried the customized menu planning tool and wasn’t impressed,the protein to carb, fat ratio wasn t right for active individuals who actually want to maintain lean body mass – however you can choose not to use that and the rest of the service was great – you can’t leave it to a computer program to plan your nutrition it just doesn’t work.
Fit Day.com is a must for those serious fitness buffs that are motivated and need the visual affirmations the multitude of graphical reports this site has to offer! “I really like being able to see in the charts exactly what I put into my body!” - client TC
What we liked about www.fitday.com – That it focuses on just one thing – Total Nutrition - and does it really well. The reports are second to none and it’s free. The only not so hot feature is that the food list was almost too excessive and just about everything we normally ate had to be set up as a custom food with us doing the data entry.
My Fitness Pal can be downloaded to the Droid or the I phone and is a Calorie Counting King! I went to go join this site today and found out just how user friendly it really is! “I like the fact that I can scan it with my phone and know exactly what I’m putting in my body – it even calculates the sodium and compares it to what my individual RDA should be!” client TW
What we like about My Fitness Pal is how easy and simple it was to set up an account and enter our fitness goals along with the fact that its free! The other super cool features are that if you have a smart phone you have the power to scan and break the monotony of data entry! I also loved the fact that the interface is just super user friendly – there is that saying Less is More – So True! Not much we could not like about this app! Even if you don’t have a smart phone this app is still great tool if you prefer tracking your progress online.
As for me the best fitness app I have found to date that is tried and true is a pencil and paper! It is the least expensive and I don’t need a smart phone or a PC to use it. By writing down what I put into my body it reinforces it in my brain and helps me to track my nutrition and make healthy choices. I have a basic one page calorie sheet of what is in most normal foods like meats, vegies, fruits and grains posted to my fridge and what ever I have in question I can find online…. It all comes down to what works for you; whatever tool you choose to track your fitness and nutrition progress give yourself a pat on the back for incorporating healthy habits into your lifestyle!
Posted in Nutrition on August 12th, 2011 by admin | | 0 Comments
Want Results in the Gym? You Are What You Eat!
Posted in Nutrition on October 20th, 2009 by Melissa | | 0 Comments
My New Favorite Energy Drink!
I was working out the other day and my workout partner suggested I try this new energy drink, he told me it was something he had been using for a while and it really gave him sustained energy but without the jitters, or that shaky feeling you sometimes get with other energy drinks. What he had me try was called FRS Healthy Energy. It contains a ton of good for you antioxidants and vitamins like your typical B’s, A’s and E’s. But the Mega Antioxidant in this product is called Quercetin. Apparently Quercetin is a naturally occurring antioxidant in some of the foods we eat such as blueberrie, red onions,apples and cocoa- YUM! What it does is actually increase the amount of mitochondria in your cells helping you function better on a cellular level! Ladies this stuff is awesome for your skin too – especially if you work out because of all those free radicals being produced as a by product of your workouts. Okay so enough of the scientific stuff, this is by far the best energy drink I have ever tried and really lives up to its hype, awesome clean energy and focuss! Did I mention Lance drinks this stuff too? For more information or to order click on the link below!
Posted in Nutrition on September 2nd, 2009 by Melissa | | 0 Comments
Enhance Your Diet With Antioxidants!
Recently a client of mine came to me very excited about a new product she tried – being an extreme fitness enthusiast and having allergies to things like soy, wheat, gluten and dairy she has to be very careful of the food choices she makes. Earths Promise is a supplement powder that contains vitamins and minerals and is super high in antioxidants and fiber. Working out is great for you but a lot of people don’t know that while you are excercising your body is realeasing extra Free Radicals. Free Radicals are basically unbalanced oxygen molucules inside your cells that have split and don’t have the right balance of electrons. In order to find that balance these free radicals will latch on to healthy cells and try to steal those electrons to bring itself back to balnce – thus doing damage to your healthy cells. Antioxidants carry with them extra electrons and fix the free radicals by bringing them back into balance without harming your healthy cells! Now don’t get me wrong if you already eat a great balanced diet – your body actually produces its own anti-oxidants, however if you are working out regularly and are finding it hard to get in all those fruits and veges – some extra antioxidants could be just what you need to fill in the gaps.
Being the skeptic that I am – I made her bring me some to sample! Wow Bernadette THANKS!!!! This stuff is awesome – I tried the purple packet wich contains your whole daily allotment of vitamins and nutrients from 5 of the fruits and veggies that are purple. I mixed it in with my Vanilla High Five Protien Shake and not only does it taste great but it really provides a huge increase in my energy! Their line also has other colors like green, red and orange. For all of you out there who don’t care for veggies – this is the product I would highly reccomend. You can make popsicles with it, add it into pancake mix for the family, muffins…. the possibilities are endless! You can purchase it online through the link above or pick it up locally here in Lodi at Healthy Ways on Kettleman Lane.
Posted in Nutrition on March 1st, 2008 by Melissa | | 0 Comments
Steam Your Vegetables! – Fast and Fresh!
If you’re like me and always running from here to there with the job, house and kids trying to get a healthy meal on the table sometimes can seem like an almost impossible task. I am always looking for something or some way to make my meals faster and better and so are my clients. These Steam Bags save time, dishes and let you prepare a healthy meal or side dish of vegies in one bag!!! They have super easy to follow instructions printed on the outside of the bag that tells you how many minutes to steam for per cup amount – so your food comes out perfect every time! How cool is that!!! Thanks Terrie!
Posted in Nutrition on February 12th, 2008 by Melissa | | 0 Comments
Thai Spices My New Favorite Healthy Restaurant In Lodi!
Going out to eat when you are leading a healthy lifestyle can definitely be challenging at times. Lets face it when you’ve had a hard day at work, the house is a mess and you haven’t had time to go shopping the last thing you want to do is cook! Trust me! We have all been there! Recently a friend of mine at the gym opened up a great Thai Restaurant here in Lodi called Thai Spices! I took a client of mine over there the other day to go eat and was shocked at how fresh and flavorful – not to mention healthy all of the menu items were. Don’t let me forget to mention how easy dining here is on your pocket book either. I ordered the Thai Scampi which is shrimp skewered and grilled in Thai Spices and then served with fresh steamed pea pods, carrots, letuuce and zuccini! Yumm – O the Pad Thai with chicken is also very flavorful and comes with these great yummy noodles, bean sprouts , cabbage and other tasty fresh veggies! You can get a full dinner for two plus dessert for about $20 and its healthy! If you haven’t tried this place you need to check it out! My reccomendation for dessert is the Mango and Sweet Rice which is absolutely heavenly. Thai Spices is located at 2401 West Turner Rd. Suite 224 Lodi Ca
(209) 369 – 8424 Yes they do Take Out!
Posted in Nutrition on July 30th, 2007 by | | 0 Comments
Healthy Food Fast and Cheap!
Okay so I was go through my magazines catching up on some reading when I saw an advertisement for a chicken breast that is pre – cooked and ready to serve in a pouch! I beleive it was a StarKist add, they are also a major tuna distributer for the pre packgaged chunk light tuna that comes in the pouch. This is a great fast and cheap source of protein and something you can pack up quickly on days when your pressed for time. I opt for the tuna in water instead of oil its lower in calories and fat and better for you. The only thing with the tuna is that it is higher in sodium because it comes in that convenient little package, so sodium sensitive individuals might not want to eat this all the time – but once in a while should be fine. The other great thing is you can find some tasty recipes on the back that don’t involve mayo! Pair it up with a salad and some fruit, or plain with a couple of whole wheat crackers and you have a quick cheap healthy snack! Check out www.starkist.com for more helpful tips.
Here is the breakdown of One StarKist package of Premium Chunk Light Tuna in Water:
Serving Size 2oz or 1/4 cup
Servings Per Container 3.5
Calories 60
Fat 0.5
Trans Fat 0
Cholesterol 20 mg
Sodium 210
Total Carbohydrate 0
Fiber 1
Sugars 0
Protien 12
Posted in Nutrition on April 2nd, 2007 by | | 0 Comments
Great things about Glutamine
Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in the human body. Amino Acids are the building blocks of protien which are needed for muscle growth and repair. There are two types of Amino Acids, Essential and Non – Essential. Glutamine is Non Essential because our bodies actually make it so we typically wouldn’t need to get this from our diet or supplement it. However strenuous activity such as weight lifting and working out can deplete our natural storages rather quicky, so quickly sometimes that our bodies cannot make it fast enough, leaving us in a deficit. There are so many positive things glutamine helps with:
1. Aids in muscle repair and recovery
2. Boosts immune system
3. Good for your digestive tract and intestines – works as a stool softener
4. Helps brain function
5. Helps increase natural growth hormone levels when sleeping
6. Glutamine helps you maintain your lean body mass and prevent muscle deterioration
I know when my stores are low I feel tired, run down, like I am just not recovering from my workouts the way I should be. When I do take it regularly I do recover faster from my workouts and I have more energy. I personally take it twice a day once in the morning and once at night before bed. IF you are training hard and not recovering within a week or two of the body part you are training you might consider adding this supplement to your routine.
Posted in Nutrition on March 19th, 2007 by | | 0 Comments
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