Friday, April 19, 2013

It's immune boosting time!!!

Vitamin- C and Zinc both help with immune support! 


It's that time of the semester when stress is raising, and homework is the last thing we want to do! It is important to fuel your body with the proper nutrients to boost your motivation and mood to end the semester strong!! 

Making sure you are fueling your body throughout the day will help those hours of crashing during your study or work time. 

Try to plan your snacks ahead, so you don't grab a bag of chips, or a bar loaded with ingredients and high sugar. Those not so healthy snacks will  leave you feeling even more tired, because they will spike your sugar levels really fast, and bring them down rapidly causing you to crash. 

Try some healthy snacks rich in Vitamin-C and Zinc:








Immune Power Yogurt:

-Non-fat plain Greek yogurt (4-6 oz.)
-1 mini kiwi 
-1-2 Tbsp. of sliced Almonds

Calories: 120 Or 150 (if you add more almonds)















Strawberry Madness:

-4-6 oz. of non-fat plain or Greek yogurt
- 4 strawberries
- 1 Tbsp. of sliced almonds 











Strawberries and Kiwi are food sources rich in Vitamin-C which acts as an antioxidant! As individuals under a lot of stress, we need more antioxidants to fight away those free radicals forming (from stress) which can cause weakness. 


Also, try dipping red bell pepper slices into hummus, or a non-fat plain Greek yogurt homemade jalapeno dip! Red bell peppers contain the highest amount of vitamin-C (more than an orange)! 





Friday, March 8, 2013

Can you stick to a diet, or make it a new way of life?


Do you ever feel like you just can't stick to a diet, or you start a diet and never gain results? 

Two problems:

1. Looking healthy and feeling healthy does not mean you need to deprive yourself from foods, you need to learn a well-balanced diet with moderation, variety, and poritons. 

2. DO NOT deprive yourself from the foods you love, because you will end up binging on them later on. It's one thing to have ice cream every night, but when you go on a diet or start eating healthy treat yourself once a week to a portioned out serving of ice cream or whatever is your weakness! 

There is so much research that explains the relationship of dieting and weight gain, because people go in with the wrong mind set. --------to LOSE WEIGHT as fast as possible!

 We need to think of feeling healthy, and being healthier internally. The losing weight part is a consequence of discipline and learning healthy habits. If you don't learn your balance of a healthy diet, you will always be trying to find a new diet out there. It is important to actually change your lifestyle factors for life, rather then 2 months. Figure out where you can balance a healthy diet, and treating yourself to the "not-so-healthy," food your craving. 

Tips to consider when following the meal plan:

-          Eat breakfast within one hour of waking up to start and kick up your metabolism.
-          Eat Snacks (100-200 Calories) about 1.5 - 2 hours after breakfast, and 2 hours before dinner.
-           Measure out your meals with measuring cups for the first week to see how big of portions you eat.
-          If you are hungry after your meal, you can eat carrot sticks, celery, but try to drink a cup of water when you feel hungry; sometimes, your body just needs more water.
-     Always prep for your meals one day a week; therefore, you wont over eat or pick unhealthy options for meals and snacks
-          If you don’t know calories in certain foods, you can use https://www.supertracker.usda.gov/foodtracker which will calculate the calories for the portion you eat. 
-    Keep a journal of what you are eating. (see below) 

Below is a table you should try to keep track of your meal patterns, poritons, and times you are eating. Use the layout to create a week journal of what you are eating. See if you are snacking more then you should, or left hungry after meals. This will help you see what type of meal plan you need to organize for yourself. 


Day 1:
Calories:
Type of food:
Portion:
(1 Cup, 1 Tbsp. etc.)
Breakfast:



Snack:



Lunch:



Snack:



Dinner:



Fluids: (Water)



Extra:


















I have posted a meal plan for one day to see the moderation, variety and balance in foods that would keep you full longer, and help you lose weight. 




Breakfast: 
Om-which:

Ingredients:
-          ¼ cup of Spinach
-          1 scallion
-          5 cherry tomatoes
-          1 whole egg, 2 egg whites
-          1 tbsp. of salsa (optional)
-          1 slice of 100% whole wheat bread or a 100% whole wheat English muffin
-  1 cup of Almond milk
Directions: Spray a frying pan with cooking spray, and place chopped mushrooms, scallions, tomatoes in the pan and cook for about 2-4 minutes on medium heat. Then scramble the eggs, and add them into the pan.



 Snack: 
My Mineral Machine Protein Shake:

 Ingredients:
-          1/3 of a medium banana
-          1 scoop of vanilla whey protein
-          1 tbsp. of flax seed
-          ½ cup of kale
-          ½ cup spinach
-          ¼ cup blueberries (optional)
-          1 cup of Almond Milk (or non-fat milk)
-          ½ cup of ice
Directions: Blend all ingredients to fine perfection! 







Lunch: 
Chicken Pita:
Ingredients: 1 serving size.
-         6 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breast
-         1 whole wheat pita
-         1-1/2 oz. low-fat feta cheese, crumbled
-         1/4 cup tomato, chopped
-         1/4 cup cucumber, peeled and chopped, and a Squeeze of lemon
Directions: Grill or bake chicken breast at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. Cool chicken and cube into one-inch pieces. Place in pita and add all other ingredients. Squeeze lemon over top. 




Snack (2 hours after lunch): 
Option One:
- Have 2-4 Protein MINI bars 


Pumpkin Protein Bars:
Ingredients:
-          15 oz. of natural pumpkin puree
-          2 cups of Quaker Oats (processed or blended)
-          ¼ cup coconut flakes, and ¼ cup for the top
-          3 egg whites
-          4 oz. of apple sauce
-          ½ cup of chopped Walnuts (Raw)
-          2 tbsp. of cinnamon
-          1 tsp. ground ginger, and 1 tsp. of nutmeg
-          1 tsp. of baking soda
-          1 tsp. of baking powder
-          2 scoops of vanilla protein powder
-          3 tbsp. of brown sugar
-          12 packets of stevia
-          ½ cup of Unsweetened Almond Milk
Low Sugar Option, instead of brown sugar and stevia packets: ½ C Xylitol Brown Sugar Blend

Directions:
1.       First, Pre-heat the oven to 350.
2.       Spray a 9 X 13 Pyrex dish with non-stick spray.
3.       Combine all of the ingredients and stir well.
4.       Makes 24 squares—1 square= 65 calories!


Option 2 for a snack:


Ingredients:
- One Small Apple with 1 Tbsp. of natural peanut butter or Almond Butter














Dinner: 
Extra-Lean Turkey (or firm tofu)Taco Salad:


Ingredients:
-         4 oz. of extra lean turkey burger, or 5 oz. of Firm Tofu 
-         ¼ yellow pepper
-         ¼ green pepper
-         ¼ cup brown rice (Male: ½ cup)
-         1 tbsp. of non-fat Greek yogurt
-         10 cherry tomatoes
-         1 tbsp. of salsa
  




Directions:
1.       Cook one pound of lean turkey burger meat with 1 packet of low-sodium turkey burger meat.
2.       Sautee the vegetables in a pan with 1 tsp. of olive oil and water.
3.       Place ½ cup of turkey burger meat over romaine lettuce, and top with vegetables! 


OR 

Basil Tilapia with Broccoli and Sweet potatoes

 Ingredients:
-         4 oz. of tilapia
-         1 Cup of Broccoli
-         4 oz. of sweet potatoes (VERY small)

Directions:
-         Steam the broccoli with minced garlic
-         Cut the sweet potatoes into thin slices and steam.
-         Spray a frying pan with canola oil, and cook the 
      Tilapia with basil and fresh herbs.