Eating healthy can be tricky, there are so many mixed messages out there and sometimes it is easy just to give in to the junk foods out of frustration. Time to get down to business; I'm going to give you my secrets on how your plate should look at every meal. Lose fat without being miserable dieting. Focus on what you should consume rather then what you should not. Every meal should consist of copious servings of non-starchy vegetables, 3-8 oz of protein and 2-4 servings of heart healthy fats (1 serving of fat is 5 grams). Notice I left out grains, carbs, starch, etc. Limit the consumption of those to right after you exercise, this is the only time our bodies process starchy carbohydrates efficiently. Get most of your carbohydrates from beans, fruits, vegetables, and yogurt.
Protein options: fish, steak, chicken, shellfish, eggs, pork, nitrate free bacon or sausage, lamb, protein powder, etc.
Non-starchy vegetables: cabbage, spinach, asparagus, green beans, brussel sprouts, carrots, green beans, kale, onions, peppers, mushrooms, etc.
Heart Healthy Fats: Extra virgin olive oil, sesame oil, coconut oil, organic butter, raw or dry roasted seeds and nuts, all natural peanut butter, almond butter or cashew butter, etc.
Remember heart healthy fats have different temperature tolerances. Here are some things to keep in mind about fats.
. Fats and Oils: choose healthy types of fats and cook them appropriately
• Butter: preferably organic to avoid pesticides, hormones, and antibiotic residues
• Flaxseed oil: salad dressing; limit heating at high temp
• Extra virgin olive oil: salad dressings, light sauté, or drizzle over cooked veggies; limit heating at high temps
• Coconut oil: great for stir-frying due to stability at high temps
• Macadamia nut oil: tolerates high heat; higher in monounsaturated fats than olive oil
• Grapeseed oil: good for salad dressings
• Walnut oil: salad dressings; limit high temps; great source of omega-3’s
• Ghee (clarified butter): make sure it is made from butter not vegetable oil; tolerate high temp; great flavor
• Other oils: almond oil, avocado oil, sesame seed oil
• Olives, black or green
• Unsweetened almond or unsweetened coconut milk
Enjoy your meal makeovers!
Protein options: fish, steak, chicken, shellfish, eggs, pork, nitrate free bacon or sausage, lamb, protein powder, etc.
Non-starchy vegetables: cabbage, spinach, asparagus, green beans, brussel sprouts, carrots, green beans, kale, onions, peppers, mushrooms, etc.
Heart Healthy Fats: Extra virgin olive oil, sesame oil, coconut oil, organic butter, raw or dry roasted seeds and nuts, all natural peanut butter, almond butter or cashew butter, etc.
Remember heart healthy fats have different temperature tolerances. Here are some things to keep in mind about fats.
. Fats and Oils: choose healthy types of fats and cook them appropriately
• Butter: preferably organic to avoid pesticides, hormones, and antibiotic residues
• Flaxseed oil: salad dressing; limit heating at high temp
• Extra virgin olive oil: salad dressings, light sauté, or drizzle over cooked veggies; limit heating at high temps
• Coconut oil: great for stir-frying due to stability at high temps
• Macadamia nut oil: tolerates high heat; higher in monounsaturated fats than olive oil
• Grapeseed oil: good for salad dressings
• Walnut oil: salad dressings; limit high temps; great source of omega-3’s
• Ghee (clarified butter): make sure it is made from butter not vegetable oil; tolerate high temp; great flavor
• Other oils: almond oil, avocado oil, sesame seed oil
• Olives, black or green
• Unsweetened almond or unsweetened coconut milk
Enjoy your meal makeovers!
Happy New Year!
I love the New Year there is nothing like the feeling of a clean slate, fresh start and new hopes, dreams and goals. I am not a huge fan of New Year’s resolutions because I see too many people set unrealistic expectations and end up feeling depressed when they cannot meet those unrealistic expectations. What I do love is helping people find peace in a balanced healthy lifestyle. With relationship, financial and work stressors we can become very unbalanced resulting in unhealthy stress levels which leads to serious medical problems over time. There is nothing better than hearing success stories of people who become more active with their kids, spouse or parents, they enjoy preparing healthy meals for their family, and they have found ways to relieve stress outside of prescriptive medications. Stress management could include daily meditation, incorporating quality time in with family and good friends, exercise or simply changing the overall outlook of stress all together.
Achieving balance is difficult without proper attention. It is natural for us to channel all of our energy into our stressors, especially if you have a “micro-manager” as a boss or excessive bills and debt. I used to be so hard on myself when I did not get in all of my workouts every week, or when I had an extra glass of wine with friends, and this irritability would affect my relationships with my loved ones. When I realized that the pounds would not pile on and my endurance would not fade after missing a workout life was not as stressful. I do not encourage anyone to skip exercise I just encourage them to avoid overtraining or neglecting loved ones in the process. Anyone who has competed in Ironman distance triathlon knows that this is a challenge.
So rather than making lofty New Year’s resolutions strive for balance and stress relief for ultimate health!
Incorporate the family into 1-2 workouts per week: If you have a toddler take them for a walk/run in the jogging stroller, if you have older children take them to a local track and do sprints, and stadium stair climbing.
Make a grocery list and weekly menu as a family. Everyone loves to talk food! I personally was shocked at how much my kids enjoyed helping me plan out dinners for the week.
Do a 5k run/walk as a family. There is nothing like training and achieving as a family.
Cheers to a New Year full of balance!
I love the New Year there is nothing like the feeling of a clean slate, fresh start and new hopes, dreams and goals. I am not a huge fan of New Year’s resolutions because I see too many people set unrealistic expectations and end up feeling depressed when they cannot meet those unrealistic expectations. What I do love is helping people find peace in a balanced healthy lifestyle. With relationship, financial and work stressors we can become very unbalanced resulting in unhealthy stress levels which leads to serious medical problems over time. There is nothing better than hearing success stories of people who become more active with their kids, spouse or parents, they enjoy preparing healthy meals for their family, and they have found ways to relieve stress outside of prescriptive medications. Stress management could include daily meditation, incorporating quality time in with family and good friends, exercise or simply changing the overall outlook of stress all together.
Achieving balance is difficult without proper attention. It is natural for us to channel all of our energy into our stressors, especially if you have a “micro-manager” as a boss or excessive bills and debt. I used to be so hard on myself when I did not get in all of my workouts every week, or when I had an extra glass of wine with friends, and this irritability would affect my relationships with my loved ones. When I realized that the pounds would not pile on and my endurance would not fade after missing a workout life was not as stressful. I do not encourage anyone to skip exercise I just encourage them to avoid overtraining or neglecting loved ones in the process. Anyone who has competed in Ironman distance triathlon knows that this is a challenge.
So rather than making lofty New Year’s resolutions strive for balance and stress relief for ultimate health!
Incorporate the family into 1-2 workouts per week: If you have a toddler take them for a walk/run in the jogging stroller, if you have older children take them to a local track and do sprints, and stadium stair climbing.
Make a grocery list and weekly menu as a family. Everyone loves to talk food! I personally was shocked at how much my kids enjoyed helping me plan out dinners for the week.
Do a 5k run/walk as a family. There is nothing like training and achieving as a family.
Cheers to a New Year full of balance!
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