NUTRITION

Why Counting Calories Can Be Misleading !

Posted in NUTRITION , April 23rd, 2018

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Caloric values for foodstuffs are often given for the raw or uncooked food. However, cooking a food can significantly alter its nutritional profile and the number of calories present in the same quantity by weight. If you are watching your calories for purposes of weight loss or weight control, it is important to consider how the method of cooking your food may alter its caloric content.

Calorie Comparison

To use the example of chicken — breast meat only, no skin — you can see the difference in caloric and nutritional values with different modes of cooking. According to the USDA nutrient database, 100 g of raw chicken contains 114 calories — in a single chicken breast with no skin or bones this equates to roughly 270 calories. When the same piece of chicken is fried, its caloric value increases to 187 calories per 100 g, or 322 calories per breast. If roasted, this chicken has 165 calories per 100 g; stewed, there are 151 calories in every 100 g.

Cooking in Oil

Cooking a food in oil, butter or another fat will add to the foods caloric content. This happens because you are adding calories to the food through the addition of fats, batter or breading. The concentration of calories in fats and oils is very high, so even a small weight amount of oil or fat used in cooking can have a significant impact on the caloric value of your food. Using the example of the chicken breast, frying the raw breast adds 73 calories per 100 g — a 64 percent increase.

Grilling

When food is grilled or broiled, fat and water from the food typically drip and drain away from the food so that they are not consumed in the cooked foodstuff. MayoClinic.com recommends baking, braising, grilling, broiling, poaching, roasting and steaming as healthy cooking methods which do not add calories through cooking fat. Returning to the chicken example, roasted chicken has 165 calories per 100 g; stewed chicken has 151 calories per cooked 100 g. This is a smaller caloric increase from the raw chicken than is seen with frying.

Water Weight

You might wonder why, even when foods are cooked without additional fat, their caloric values per 100 g nevertheless increase slightly. One answer to this question is that water present in the raw food is often lost during cooking, and this increases the density and therefore the caloric value of the cooked food. For example, 100 g of raw chicken contains 75.8 g of water and 21.2 g of protein. When this chicken meat is cooked through roasting, water is lost so that there is 65.3 g of water and 30 g of protein present in every 100 g of roasted meat.

Source: livestrong.com

This doesn’t mean you should not track what you are eating however be aware of things that can change the calorie intake. Perhaps investigate other options as well , try , test and see whats working for you. See us next week for additional alternatives to calorie counting.

Your friends at Shinobi

POTATOES !!!

Posted in NUTRITION , March 27th, 2018

Potato-Starch

Potatoes are high in starch so they’ve developed a bit of a bad reputation due to the popularity of low-carb diets and fad Palaeolithic diet. But, carbohydrates aren’t bad for your health as long as you watch your portions. Potatoes can easily be part of a healthy diet and if you include the skins, they’re a good source of fiber and vitamin C.

One plain potato is a good source of both vitamin C and potassium and has less than 160 calories. Although potatoes are high in carbohydrates from starch, they’re low in sugar, fat, and sodium.

Health Benefits

Potatoes are high in potassium, which works in opposition to sodium to help regulate blood pressure and fluid balance. It’s also essential for normal muscle and nerve function. Vitamin C is needed for normal immune system function, blood clotting and strong connective tissue and blood vessel walls.

Common Questions

Isn’t the starch in potatoes bad for me?

It’s true that potatoes are high in starch, which is where most of the calories come from. The thing with starch is that it’s a storage form of sugar and your body’s good at digesting it and absorbing it. If you only eat a plate full of potatoes with nothing else, you might see a substantial impact on your blood sugar levels. But, I mean, eating nothing but a big plate of potatoes for dinner seems weird.

 Just like it would be weird only to eat a loaf of bread for a meal.

You can combat that blood sugar rush by serving your potatoes as part of a balanced meal. Like maybe a piece of salmon with whipped potatoes and a side of green beans. The addition of protein from the salmon and fiber from the green beans slows down the digestion and absorption of the starch.

Aren’t potatoes high in calories?

No, not really. One medium plain potato has about 150 to 160 calories. The excess calories come from the beastly ways consumers torture the poor things, either by deep frying them (you know: French fries or potato chips) or burying them under globs of cheese or gravy.

If you’re watching your weight, you need to be careful about what you put on your potatoes. Better toppings include salsa, green veggies, or reduced fat sour cream.

Picking and Storing

You’ll find fresh potatoes in the produce section of the grocery store.

The most common types are white, yellow and red potatoes and you might find blue ones too. They’re all similar nutritionally, but they have slightly different textures so it’s important to choose potatoes based on how you are cooking them.

Choose potatoes that have a firm texture, with no cuts or discolorations. Store them in a cool, dry and dark place. You can refrigerate them but it changes the flavor a bit. Potatoes can be stored for a few weeks, but they may sprout. If that happens, just cut the sprouts out before cooking.

Most grocery stores carry premade mashed potatoes, hash browns, frozen potatoes and French fries that you heat in your oven. Look at food labels to check out the calorie counts when you shop for these items.

Cooking Methods

The main problem with potatoes is how unhealthy they can become when they’re fried, turned into chips, or slathered in heavy sauces, butter, or cheese. Compare the calorie counts for one serving of potatoes when they’re prepared in less healthy ways:

  • 1 cup potato salad has 358 calories
  • 1 medium order of French fries has over 300 calories
  • 1 cup hash browns has 470 calories
  • 10 Tater Tots have about 180 calories
  • 1 cup mashed potatoes has about 240 calories (that’s without gravy which can add 100 to 200 more calories)
  • 1 ounce of potato chips has 155 calories (but a whole bag can have well over 1,000 calories)

Potato Recipes

These recipes are all tasty, easy to make, and retain the healthy goodness of potatoes:

Source: verywellfit.com

Baked Potato Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 Medium Baked Potato with Peel
Per Serving % Daily Value*
Calories 159
Calories from Fat 2
Total Fat 0.22g 0%
Saturated Fat 0.1g 0%
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.1g
Monounsaturated Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 17mg 1%
Potassium 919mg 20%
Carbohydrates 36g 28%
Dietary Fiber 4g 15%
Sugars 2g
Protein 4g
Vitamin A 0% · Vitamin C 22%
Calcium 3% · Iron 10%
*Based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Foods to Boost Your Mind

Posted in NUTRITION , March 1st, 2018

brain-food

Brain Foods

Just like the right diet can prevent heart disease, high blood pressure, or cancer, health experts are finding that certain foods may boost your mind. Although there is no current treatment proven to cure Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, there are foods that play a positive role in overall mind health. The Alzheimer’s Association refers to a “brain-healthy diet” as “one that reduces the risk of heart disease and diabetes, encourages good blood flow to the brain, and is low in fat and cholesterol.” Stay on top of your mental ball game with these 10 foods.

1. Blackberries

Whether it’s a new dance or a foreign language, the older you get the harder it is to learn new things. The reason? In order to process new information our brain cells need to “talk” to each another. Yet, as we age those cells become inflamed making it harder for them to communicate with one another. Blackberries can get the conversation flowing again. They provide potent antioxidants known as polyphenols that zap inflammation and encourage communication between neurons, improving our ability to soak up new information according to a 2009 Tufts University study.

2. Coffee

If you’re trying to kick your java habit you might want to reconsider. A recent Finnish study of 1,400 longtime coffee drinkers reveals that people who sipped between three to five cups of coffee a day in their 40s and 50s reduced their odds of developing Alzheimer’s disease by 65% compared to those who downed fewer than two cups a day. Researchers believe that coffee’s caffeine and ample antioxidants are the keys to its protective affects.

3. Apples

Here’s a new reason to munch on an apple a day: Apples are a leading source of quercetin, an antioxidant plant chemical that keeps your mental juices flowing by protecting your brain cells. According to researchers at Cornell University, quercetin defends your brain cells from free radical attacks which can damage the outer lining of delicate neurons and eventually lead to cognitive decline. To get the most quercetin bang for your buck, be sure to eat your apples with their skins on since that’s where you’ll find most of their quercetin.

4. Chocolate

You’ve heard the good news that chocolate can lower your blood pressure. Now researchers have discovered it can also keep your mind sharp. A 2009 Journal of Nutrition study found that eating as little as one-third of an ounce of chocolate a day (the size of about two Hershey’s kisses) helps protect against age-related memory loss. They credit polyphenols in cocoa with increasing blood flow to the brain.

5. Cinnamon

Beta-amyloid plaques are one of the trademarks of Alzheimer’s disease. The other is tangles in the brain made of tau proteins that can cause brain cells to die. Emerging research from the University of California at Santa Barbara reveals that two compounds in cinnamon – proanthocyanidins and cinnamaldehyde – may inactivate these tau proteins. While this research is still in its infancy, a sprinkle of cinnamon on your oatmeal or yogurt certainly couldn’t hurt.

6. Spinach

This leafy green is packed with nutrients that prevent dementia like folate, vitamin E, and vitamin K. Just one-half cup of cooked spinach packs a third of the folate and five times the amount of vitamin K you need in a day. Maybe that’s why a 2006 Neurology study reveals that eating three servings of leafy green, yellow and cruciferous vegetables a day can delay cognitive decline by 40%. Of these three, leafy greens were found to be the most protective. Try your spinach drizzled with a little olive oil. Its healthy fats boost absorption of fat-soluble vitamins E and K.

7. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

You may not have heard of them before but ADDLs (or amyloid B-derived diffusible ligands) are Alzheimer’s-inducing proteins that are toxic to the brain. In the initial stages of the disease they attach to brain cells rendering them unable to communicate with one another and eventually leading to memory loss. Extra virgin olive oil may be a potent foe against ADDLs according to research conducted at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, PA last year. It’s rich in oleocanthal, a compound that disables dangerous ADDLs.

8. Salmon

This swimmer isn’t just good for your ticker, it’s good for your grey matter too. Salmon is a top source of DHA, the predominant omega-3 fat in your brain, believed to protect against Alzheimer’s disease, an illness that affects over five million Americans. It’s also nature’s number one source of hard-to-get vitamin D, a nutrient recently shown to ward off cognitive decline. A study published in the July 2010 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine reveals that older people who are vitamin D deficient are 40% more likely to suffer from age-related memory loss.

9. Turmeric

Turmeric, a cousin of ginger, is one of the principal spices in curry powder. Turmeric is especially rich in curcumin, a compound believed to inhibit Alzheimer’s disease in multiple ways according to experts at the University of California Los Angeles Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. Not only does it block the formation of beta amyloid plaques, it also fights inflammation and lowers artery-clogging cholesterol which can reduce blood flow to your brain.

10. Concord Grape Juice

Alzheimer’s researchers like to say what’s good for your heart is good for your brain. Now they’re finding that the same heart-healthy polyphenols in red wine and Concord grape juice can give your brain a boost. When researchers at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine gave 12 older adults with declining memory a daily drink of Concord grape juice or a placebo drink for three months, they found that the volunteers who drank the grape juice significantly improved their spatial memory and verbal learning skills. Researchers believe that – just like blackberries – grape juice polyphenols improve communication between brain cells.

Best Ways to Boost Your Metabolism

Posted in NUTRITION , February 12th, 2018

Lose weight faster by tricking your body into burning more calories ? Is that possible?

Here’s welcome news: You may have inherited your mom’s slow-mo metabolism, but you’re not stuck with it. New research shows you can trick your body into burning calories more efficiently, especially if you hit the gym. By strength-training just a couple of times a week, for example, you’ll reverse 50% of the seemingly inevitable metabolism slow-down that comes with age ,s o take control of your metabolism by making these boosters part of your routine—and (finally) stop sweating every cookie.

  1. Kick it up a notch – The next time you run, swim, or even walk, ramp up the intensity for 30-second intervals, returning to your normal speed afterward. Using this strategy will help you consume more oxygen and make your cell powerhouses, the mitochondria, work harder to burn energy,
  2. Get Your Omega 3’s – Why does eating lots of fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids (salmon, herring, and tuna) help amp up metabolism? Omega-3s balance blood sugar and reduce inflammation, helping to regulate metabolism. They may also reduce resistance to the hormone leptin, which researchers have linked to how fast fat is burned.
  3. Gain some Muscle – Not only does muscle weigh more than fat, but it uses more energy, too. The average woman in her 30s who strength-trains 30 to 40 minutes twice a week for four months will increase her resting metabolism by 100 calories a day. That means you’re resetting your thermostat to keep running at that rate even on the days when you don’t make it to the gym
  4. Green Tea – Green tea has long been heralded for its antioxidant polyphenols. But new evidence shows the active ingredient, catechin, may crank up metabolism. Researchers conducted a series of studies in dieters and found that those who went green lost more weight than those who didn’t, suggesting that catechins may improve fat oxidation and thermogenesis, your body’s production of energy, or heat, from digestion. But how much do you have to drink? According to one study, if you drink five eight-ounce cups of green tea a day, you can increase your energy expenditure by 90 calories a day. Sounds like a lot of tea, but it’s not hard to do if you also drink it iced.
  5. Don’t drastically decrease calorie intake – It’s one of the most frustrating realities of dieting—if you cut out too many calories, your metabolism thinks times are lean and puts the breaks on fat-burning to conserve energy. Here’s the trick to keeping your metabolism revved up while dieting: Eat enough calories to at least match your resting metabolic rate (what you’d burn if you stayed in bed all day). That’s about 1,330 calories for a 5-feet-4-inch, 150-pound, 40-year-old woman. Calculators found online
  6. The Afterburn – Exercise is a gift to yourself that keeps on giving. In a phenomenon known as excess postexercise oxygen consumption (EPOC), your body can take hours to recover from a robust workout (one intense enough that you can’t hold a conversation) and return to its previous resting metabolic rate. The windfall: Your body is actually burning more calories than it normally would—even after you’ve finished exercising. There’s a catch, though. The better shape you’re in, the less benefit you’ll get, because your fit body replenishes its energy stores efficiently. You can improve your burn by increasing how often or how hard you work out (think intervals)
  7. Go Organic – If you’re on the fence about whether to buy organic, this news may sway you: Fruits, vegetables, and grains grown without pesticides keep your fat-burning system running at full-tilt because they don’t expose your thyroid to toxins. Nonorganic produce, on the other hand, “blocks your metabolism mainly by interfering with your thyroid, which is your body’s thermostat and determines how fast it runs.
  8. Protein – Your body digests protein more slowly than fat or carbs, so you feel full longer (this is especially true when you have it for breakfast). Plus, it may also give your metabolism a bump. In a process called thermogenesis, your body uses about 10% of its calorie intake for digestion. So, because it takes longer to burn protein than carbs or fat, your body expends more energy absorbing the nutrients in a high-protein diet. Another bonus: One recent study from Purdue University found that diets higher in protein may help preserve lean body mass, which is the best fat-burner of all.
  9. Trim the Trans Fat – You’ve heard they’re bad for you. But trans fats also slow down your body’s ability to burn fat. “They have an altered shape and make your biochemistry run funny,” , trans fat binds to fat and liver cells and slows metabolism. Eating trans fat can also lead to insulin resistance and inflammation, both of which cripple metabolism and can cause weight gain.
  10. Get it going in the A.M. – Make sure you eat breakfast. Eating a nutrient-rich morning meal (like oatmeal with almonds and berries, or a spinach-and-feta omelet with a slice of whole-grain toast) shortly after getting out of bed literally wakes up your metabolism.

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Common Meal-Prep Mistakes

Posted in NUTRITION , February 4th, 2018

Meal-Prep is supposed to help you eat healthier and lose weight, right? Well, not if you make these mistakes — you could actually gain! Whether you’re new to the meal prep life or you’ve been meal prepping and not seeing results, make sure you avoid these mistakes.

  1. Not Following the Correct Formula – Each meal you prep needs to have healthy carbs, fats and protein. While it may be quick and easy to prep an enormous dish of baked lasagna, you don’t want to just eat carbs for lunch. Same with mason jar salads While veggies are low in calories and high in fibre, you need to include healthy fats and protein to make your salad filling enough so afternoon cravings don’t drive you to hit the local bakery. Well-balanced meals are the key to weight loss.
  2. Huge Containers – Having the right-size containers will guide your portion sizes, so make sure you have different containers on hand. A 24-ounce mason jar would be great for a salad, but that would be four portions of soup!
  3. Not Prepping Enough – While one piece of grilled salmon with a little rice and a few steamed broccoli florets may be enough for one person, it might leave you famished an hour later and reaching for three granola bars from the staff kitchen. Know your body and what fills you up so you can prep an appropriate size meal that will satisfy your hunger without going overboard on calories.
  4. Prepping Too Much – Slow cookers are a meal prepper’s best friend, but you’ll want to adjust your recipes to guide how many meals you’re planning ahead for. There’s no need to make a child recipe that serves eight if you only need lunch for five days. If you do, freeze the extras — don’t spread out eight servings into five containers!
  5. Making it Too Strict or Too Healthy – Prepping meals and snacks that keep your macros and calories in check all week will definitely yield the results you’re after, but if you feel depressed about how strict your diet is, it could drive you to break down and give up. When meal prepping, leave a small amount of wiggle room. So say you’ve planned to have lentil soup on Tuesday, but you don’t feel like it; you can just grab Wednesday’s prepped ingredients for burritos instead. It’s also important to prep some treats, because indulging a little each day can give you that little taste you’re craving so you don’t feel like you’re missing out

MORESaladInAJar

How Food Affects Your Moods

Posted in NUTRITION , January 21st, 2018

Can your diet help put you in a good mood (or a bad one)?

While certain diets or foods may not ease depression (or put you instantly in a better mood), they may help as part of an overall treatment plan. There’s more and more research indicating that, in some ways, diet may influence mood. Science doesn’t have the whole story yet, but there are some interesting clues.Basically the science of food’s affect on mood is based on this: Dietary changes can bring about changes in our brain structure (chemically and physiologically), which can lead to altered behavior.

So how should you change your diet if you want to try to improve your mood? Here are some things to keep in mind:

  • Eating too much sugar may make you depressed. One large study on subjects from six different countries found that eating a lot of sugar and feeling depressed were closely related. This may be from chronically elevated insulin — the body’s continuous attempt to clear the constant onslaught of sugar from the bloodstream may cause mood crashes.
  • Having enough omega-3 fatty acids seems to put us in better moods. Include more nuts, fish, and seafood (like salmon, sardines, mackerel, crab and oysters) in your diet to get these happy healthy fats. (Bonus! Oysters are a great source of zinc too.)
  • Consuming too much vegetable oil, hydrogenated fats and trans fats may worsen our moods. These omega-6 fats make it hard for our body’s to process omega-3 fatty acids. Low levels of omega-3s are linked to symptoms of depression, being crabbier, and even being more impulsive. (Which can mean poor food choices — a vicious cycle.) Omega-6s may also increase inflammation, which can affect our brains. Many neurodegenerative disorders and mental health issues are linked to brain inflammation.
  • Eating lean proteins including chicken, turkey, and fish increases your consumption of tryptophan. Tryptophan is a building block of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that helps us feel relaxed and happy.

 

Brain food to boost brainpower nutrition concept as a group of nutritious nuts fish vegetables and berries rich in omega-3 fatty acids with vitamins and minerals for mind health with 3D illustration elements.

Ways to Make Vegetables More Appealing

Posted in NUTRITION , January 11th, 2018

One of the simple truths out there is that being without the right nutrition to support your training, in real terms you are essentially just wasting your time. There is also one nutrition subject that almost all the experts agree on. You need to eat more vegetables. It’s a simple concept, but one that many of us struggle with. Whilst we would all love to eat more vegetables, very few of us actually pull it off. For most people, it’s all too easy to replace the space on the plate with tastier (and less nutritious) alternatives. It happens to the best of us.

Lets look at some ways you can make vegetables more appealing and get more of them into your diet today.

  1. Hide them: The easiest way to get more veggies in your diet? Sneak them in! This is a technique often used for fussy kids, but it works a treat for adults too. Big saucy meals are the best for hiding extra vegetables – think curries, chillies and casseroles. Use onions and a high quality tomato passata for serious flavour and two extra portions of veggies without even thinking it. You can then start being a bit more sneaky by adding finely sliced carrot, courgette ribbons, finely chopped broccoli, red and yellow peppers, or just about anything else to the mix!
  2. Smoothies: If you’re handy with a blender, why not try and sneak a serving of vegetables in your favourite smoothie? Easily masked by the natural sweetness of the fruit, you can blend one or even two different vegetables in your smoothie without even tasting them.
  3. Courgette/carrot cake oats: This may sound weird, but bear with us! When you next knock up a bowl of porridge, try adding some grated courgette or carrot ribbons into the mix. Believe it or not, it actually improves the flavour by giving it a really smooth consistency, whilst increasing the nutritional profile to boot. Top with your favourite nuts and berries for a simple superfood breakfast!
  4. Pan fry in coconut oil: All you need is a frying pan and some coconut oilto make your vegetables much more appetising. Onions, mushrooms, asparagus, peppers, courgette, tomatoes, spinach, and even kale taste delicious when fried in coconut oil and seasoned with a good helping of salt and pepper!
  5. Make a good dressing: If you’re whipping together a salad for lunch, the dressing can make all the difference. No one likes plain salad leaves, so bring them to life with a squeeze of lemon, a drizzle of olive oil, and a teaspoon each of raw honey and tahini. Combine these four ingredients to make the tastiest homemade salad dressing you’ve ever had!
  6. Add ‘partners’: Pairing your vegetables with a delicious partner will help make them much more appealing. No one really enjoys brussels sprouts on their own, but pair them with bacon, shallots and chestnuts and you won’t be able to resist going back for seconds! The same goes for kale – try it with toasted flaked almonds and a splash of soy sauce for a serious upgrade.
  7. Soup: Soup is brilliant in the colder months, and a great way to increase your intake of healthy vegetables. Try a spiced parsnip, butternut squash and carrot soup for three easy portions in minutes!

More vegetables

How To Get Your Eating Back On Track After The Holidays

Posted in NUTRITION , January 1st, 2018

Life would be so simple if there weren’t so many holidays (and office parties, and potlucks, and gift exchanges, etc.) squeezed into such a short period of time. Of course, it’s not a celebration without loads of booze and copious amounts of dessert, and your fridge practically stocks itself with leftovers. Here are few tips you can try to ensure you get back on schedule as soon as holiday season is over:

 

1. Don’t beat yourself up – You can’t take back the debauchery that happened at last night’s dessert table. (And truthfully, you wouldn’t want to — it was amazing!) Treat the day after as just another day of eating healthy and staying active.

2. Stock up on healthy foods – Yes, your fridge contains half a pecan pie and enough treats to feed an army. While it might sound crazy to buy more food, a fridge full of tempting treats won’t help you get back on track.Go for high-fiber veggies to fill you up, and lean protein (leftover turkey breast counts!) to keep you satisfied.

4. Organize your fridge strategically –  Put leftovers in the fridge towards the back and keep fruit and veggies in front. This way you’ll have to work to get the good stuff, and have easy access to the healthiest foods.

5. Don’t focus on trying to lose weight overnight-  It’s just not realistic.

6. Start Eating on Schedule – it may be tempting to cut way back, but starving yourself completely backfires. Eating too little forces your body to switch into conservation mode and burn fewer calories, which means you’re more likely to hang onto body fat. And undereating can cause your body to break down muscle mass for fuel, which also causes a metabolic slow down. Unless you want to wind up thinner but flabbier, eating enough and at regular times is key.

7. Drink More H2O – Water does support optimal metabolism and some research shows it may naturally curb your appetite, but it can also help you feel better fast. Drinking more water flushes out excess sodium to help you quickly de-bloat, and it gets things moving in your digestive system to relieve constipation. Aim for 2 to 2.5 liters a day (about 8 to 10 cups).

holiday dinner

Eating Healthy On The Road !

Posted in NUTRITION , December 21st, 2017

Think eating healthy while on the road is impossible? Think again.

While the road does pose some problems, developing healthy eating habits while traveling is definitely achievable. The main thing is to be realistic about what you can do to change your eating habits. You don’t have to go overboard and eat only organic, gluten-free, sugar-free, low-fat diet cardboard.

Healthy road

 Instead, let’s look at these realistic things you can do to develop healthy eating habits:

1. Eat light before your flight
Air travel can wreak havoc on your digestive system. If you eat lightly before flying, your body won’t be overloaded before take-off. I avoid eating meat and dairy the day before I travel and instead opt for vegetable soups or lightly spiced dahls with rice.

2. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate
Flying and traveling in general can be very dehydrating, which in turn can make you feel tired and sluggish. To stay hydrated, bring a large water bottle with you—you can empty it when going through security. Take advantage of water stations in the airports and ask flight attendants to refill it on board.

3. Avoid plane food
Plane food tends to be heavily processed, salty, and sugary, so make your own meal to eat on the plane or eat at the airport where there are healthier food choices.

4. Eat when you land
Having a grounding meal when you arrive is one the best ways to beat jet lag. So eat some root vegetables, such as potatoes, carrots, and beets, and complex carbohydrates, such as rice or pasta, which will have a calming effect on your nervous system and help you sleep better.

Pack healthy snacks
Travel with a selection of protein and nutrient-dense foods such as nuts and energy bars, and stop at a grocery store when you arrive to stock up on firm fresh fruits that won’t get crushed in your bag such as apples or small, easy-to-peel citrus. Carry these with you so you aren’t tempted to reach for junk food when you are hungry.

6. Take care of your tummy
Your digestive system can go haywire when traveling, so pack probiotic supplements and some peppermint and ginger teas to keep your gut happy.

7. Stay somewhere you can cook
Cooking for yourself makes such a difference to how you feel, so when possible, book a place to stay with a small kitchen and commit to eating at least one meal a day that you have prepared.

8. Go green
Getting your daily quota of veggies can be challenging as the places you visit may not have a variety of vegetables on the menu. So bring along a powdered green supplement such as Macro Greens that you can buy in small packets and mix it into water, smoothies, or oatmeal.

9. Treat yourself
If you’re going to have a calorie-indulgent meal or sweet treat, have it at lunchtime so you can walk it off after. Heavy meals eaten late at night can be hard to digest and also interfere with your sleep.

10. Only eat when you are hungry
It may sound simple, but this is a game changer. Many of us can’t distinguish hunger from restlessness or just feeling like it’s the time for eating, so we should. Only eat when you have genuine hunger pangs and your body will thank you. Additionally, don’t feel the need to finish everything you order.

The Power Of Sleep

Posted in NUTRITION , November 27th, 2017

If your eating and exercise are on point, but you still don’t feel or look the way you want, poor sleep may be to blame.

Here are 3 signs that YOUR SLEEP HABITS Aren’t working for you:

  1. Your Mind Is Foggy: What we experience and learn gets cemented to memory while we sleep. Interference with this process causes: – reduced alertness and concentration , confusion, impaired judgment, forgetfulness
  2. You Are Struggling With Your Weight: Poor sleep is linked to excess body fat, as it can: disrupt appetite regulation, cause you to feel hungrier, lead to increased calorie intake ( also excess body fat can reduce sleep quality)
  3. You Are Getting Sick A Lot: When we don’t sleep enough, T-cells go down and inflammation goes up, resulting in: increased vulnerability to viruses and bacteria, acute increase in risk of getting sick, increased risk of hear disease and other inflammation-related illnesses

TIPS To Improve Sleep Habits:

  • Limit fluids before bed time
  • Stick to a reasonable bedtime routine
  • Sleep at least 7 Hours
  • Turn off electronics 30min before bed time
  • De-stress ( stretch or meditate)
  • Take a bath or shower
  • Set your room to an appropriate temperature – its better to sleep when its cooler ( around 67F)
  • Make the room as dark as possible

 

Now, go get some sleep !

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