Category: Nutrition

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Stabilize Your Blood Sugar with These Healthy Foods

Maintaining healthy blood sugar levels is essential for overall health and well-being. Unstable blood sugar levels can cause a wide range of symptoms, including fatigue, headaches, mood swings, and even serious health conditions such as diabetes.

Fortunately, one of the best ways to stabilize healthy blood sugar levels is by eating a healthy diet that consists of whole, nutrient-dense foods. Here are some of the top healthy foods that can help you maintain stable blood sugar levels:

Non-Starchy Vegetables

Vegetables like spinach, kale, broccoli, and cauliflower are low in carbs and high in fiber, making them a great choice for keeping blood sugar levels steady. These vegetables provide essential vitamins and nutrients that promote overall health and well-being. They can also be conveniently made into a super green power shake.

Whole Grains

Whole grains like brown rice, quinoa, and oatmeal are also high in fiber, which helps to slow down the absorption of glucose into the bloodstream. This results in a more steady release of energy, promoting stable blood sugar levels throughout the day.

Lean Proteins

Lean proteins like chicken, fish, tofu, and legumes are considered good options for stabilizing blood sugar levels. These proteins help to slow the release of glucose into the bloodstream, preventing sudden spikes or drops in blood sugar levels.

Healthy Fats

Foods like avocado, nuts, seeds, and olive oil are excellent sources of healthy fats that can help maintain healthy blood sugar levels. These healthy fats slow down the digestion of carbohydrates, which helps to prevent sudden spikes in blood sugar levels.

In addition to eating these healthy foods, it’s essential to avoid processed foods and sugary drinks that can cause sudden spikes and crashes in blood sugar levels. Instead, focus on a balanced diet consisting of whole, nutrient-dense foods that promote stable blood sugar levels and overall health.

In conclusion, maintaining stable blood sugar levels is crucial for overall health and well-being. By incorporating these healthy foods into your diet, you can help promote stable blood sugar levels and reduce the risk of serious health conditions.

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How To Gain Muscle Mass Fast

If you want to gain muscle mass fast you need to be in a positive energy balance. This means that you need to consume more calories than you burn. In other words… YOU NEED TO EAT!!

In general, there are 700 calories worth of energy in one pound of muscle. You need roughly 2800 calories to actually build a pound of muscle. This is largely to support protein turnover,  which can be elevated with training. 

You need protein!

Protein is a macronutrient that is essential to building muscle mass. It is commonly found in animal products, but it is also present in other sources such as nuts and legumes.

The amount of protein that you need depends on a few factors including your weight, age, sex, and health status. 

Why is protein important?

It helps you build muscle mass and repair muscle tissue. 

Amino acids are organic compounds that form protein which produces muscle mass. Amino acids are classified into three groups. 

  1. Essential
  2. Nonessential 
  3. Conditional

Essential amino acids cannot be made by the body and must be supplied by food. 

Nonessential amino acids are made from the body from essential amino acids or in the normal breakdown of proteins.

Conditional amino acids are needed in times of illness and stress.

Proteins are the “Building blocks” of muscle mass. Proteins are made of amino acid molecules. Imagine amino acids as Lego pieces that connect to each other to form protein.

Where do I get protein?

Protein mostly comes from the food that we eat. It’s mainly from animal products, but also in plants, nuts, and legumes. Protein can also be supplemented from protein powders. 

Foods that contain protein are:

  • Lean Beef– 22 grams of protein per 3-ounce serving of 93% lean ground beef.
  • Chicken– 27 grams of protein per 3-ounce serving of skinless chicken breast.
  • Salmon– 19 grams of protein per 3-ounce serving. 
  • Eggs– 6 grams of protein per 1 large egg.
  • Peanut Butter– 7 grams of protein per 2 tablespoons.
  • Pasta– 6 grams of protein per 1 cup cooked penne.
  • Cottage Cheese– 12 grams of protein per ½ cup seving.
  • Lentils– 18 grams protein per 1 cup cooked lentils. 

Conclusion

If you want to gain muscle mass fast, you need to add more protein to your diet. There are plenty of organic food sources that you can get protein from. If you need to supplement there are also plenty of options of supplements like vegan protein shakes or whey protein. The bottom line is that…  You need to feed your muscles if you want them to grow!

References

https://www.livescience.com/53044-protein.html

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-reasons-to-eat-more-protein#TOC_TITLE_HDR_3

https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002467.htm

https://www.eatingwell.com/article/7938628/high-protein-foods-list-according-to-a-dietitian/

https://thestrongkitchen.com/blog/post/how-many-calories-does-it-take-to-build-a-pound-of-muscle#:~:text=Calories%20in%20a%20Pound%20of,as%20opposed%20to%20body%20fat.

“All About Muscle Growth.” Precision Nutrition, 11 Feb. 2013, www.precisionnutrition.com/all-about-muscle-growth.

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Nutrition 101: How To Read and Understand Nutrition Labels

Nutrition labels allow you to make educated choices about what you eat.

They include: 

  • Serving size
  • Calories
  • Percentage of daily value
  • 13 core nutrients

The serving size is at the top.

All of this information is based on this amount.

So you need to make sure that you compare this to the amount of food that you actually eat. 

For example- eating a whole bag of chips when the serving size is only for 10 chips.

SPOILER ALERT!

The serving size on the label is usually a much smaller amount than most people would eat.

Moving on to calories.

The number of calories listed is based on the serving size.

If you have more than the suggested serving size the calories will be higher, if you have less the calories will be lower. 

Remember…

Not all calories are created equal.

Empty calories void of nutrition and full of chemicals and preservatives wear down the body and add up quick.

Clean, whole foods are lower in calories and much higher in nutrients and fiber.

We need to take other things into consideration when choosing foods like the percentage of daily value.

This tells us how much of a nutrient a food contains.

5% of less is considered a little amount of a nutrient.

And 15% or more is considered a lot.

Nutrients to look for include:

  • Fiber
  • Vitamin A
  • Vitamin C
  • Calcium
  • Iron

On the flip side, nutrients to consume in moderation include:

  • Trans fats
  • Sodium
  • Sugars

Let’s take a look at nutrition labels for two similar products and see how they stack up.

By comparing these two cereal labels, let’s figure out which option is the healthier choice.

First, check the serving size.

Is it the same for both products?

Moving on to calories…

Product 1 has 110 calories per serving while product 2 has 120.

Now look at the percentage of daily value and see which nutrients each product is high or low in.

Product 1 has:

  • 16g Sugar per serving
  • 1g Fiber
  • 2g Protein

Product 2 has:

  • 7g Sugar
  • 3g Fiber
  • 10g Protein

Even tho Product 1 has ten less calories, Product 2 is the healthier option.

It has 5x the protein (10g vs 2g)

It also has triple the fibre which will aid in digestion and help you feel full longer.

Product 2 also has less than half the amount of sugar.

There are some foods that don’t require a label including:

  • Fresh fruits and vegetables
  • Raw meat
  • Poultry
  • Fish & Seafood
  • Foods made in stores like bakery items or store made salads.
  • Foods that contain few nutrients like tea, coffee and alcohol.

Ultimately, the information on a nutrition label is there to help us make informed decisions about what we eat.

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Making Healthy Food Choices In Our Busy Lives

Making Healthy Food Choices In Our Busy Lives

You already know how important it is to make healthy food choices for you and your family. But how can you fit the best choices into your busy life?

You’ll be pleased to discover that a hectic life doesn’t mean that every meal has to be fast food on the run! Sometimes it’s difficult to make healthy changes, but with a little planning and know-how, it can be done.

Here are some strategies to help you and your family make healthy choices:

  1. Avoid temptation. It’s so easy to walk into the store with good intent, but walk out with bags full of unhealthy foods. Unfortunately, our wills are weak, especially if we’ve trained ourselves over the years to buy junk foods.
  • Never shop when you’re hungry. This way you won’t pick out unhealthy choices because they look good at the moment.
  • Get rid of the unhealthy foods in your home. If they aren’t around, you won’t be tempted to eat them. 
  • Think of healthier alternatives to your family’s favorite unhealthy foods. Rather than high calorie chips, try trail mixes or rice cakes. Low calorie puddings or frozen yogurts are better alternatives to higher fat ice creams.
  1. Eat fast and healthy meals at home. When you’re tired at the end of the day and you realize you still have to feed the family, it’s easy to go to a fast food chain and throw fast food on the table. It may save some time, but it won’t save your health – or your pocket book!
  • The great thing is that there are many easy, fast, and healthy foods you can make at home. This takes some planning, but you’ll be more satisfied, save money, and be healthier as well.
  • Look online for quick and easy recipes made with all natural ingredients. Many recipes can be made in 30 minutes or less and only have 5 ingredients. Taking the time to research recipes will save your sanity in the long run. Then once you find a “hit” with the family, store the recipe in a book or on your computer.
  1. When you cook, make large batches and freeze the leftovers. This way, you’ll already have meals in the freezer that you can just thaw, heat, and serve. This is the opportune way to enjoy “fast” food at home.
  2. Eat Slower. Since the brain takes about 20 minutes to get the signal that the stomach is full, if you eat too fast you’ll pack in a lot more food than you need. When you’re still thinking you’re hungry, it’s easy to make the wrong choices about food. If you slow down while you’re eating, you’ll eat less and you’ll still feel full.
  • Set a calming mood before sitting down for a meal. Avoid having the television on or eating as you’re rushing the kids out the door to another activity. Sitting calmly at the table will allow everyone to relax and enjoy their meal.
  1. Make dinner time a social experience. Dinner should be about enjoying your company and taking pleasure in the foods you’re eating.

When you begin to look at mealtime as a social experience, it becomes easier to make the right choices about healthy foods. Suddenly you aren’t so worried about rushing through and making it quick.

Dinner becomes a great experience when you’re able to enjoy healthy foods together. Take time to eat as a family and enjoy a real conversation with each other. Talking will naturally slow down your eating pace, while also reconnecting you with your family members.

Using these techniques will bring all kinds of healthy benefits to your family and teach your children a healthy lifestyle. Healthy food choices are a possibility in your busy life if you take the time to plan ahead and make dinner time a priority in your home.

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Natural Health Benefits Of Drinking Hot Lemon Water

Natural lemon tea is so easy to make and has great health benefits! If you want to improve your immune system or boost your metabolism just follow these simple steps!

  1. Boil some hot water.
  2. Add some squeezed lemon juice.
  3. Enjoy your natural tea!

It’s that simple!

Lemon tea by mleejr05

Benefits of Lemons

Hot lemon water helps stimulate the body’s immune system and prevents illness in the most natural way possible. This is because lemons are rich with Vitamin C, which is an antioxidant that plays an important role in causing resistance against many diseases. Antioxidants can prevent or slow the damage that free radicals cause to the cells in our bodies.

Free radicals are waste substances that are generated from our bodies and are unstable and highly reactive to our cells. If the body becomes overwhelmed with it’s ability to regulate free radicals, a condition known as oxidative stress will occur.

Oxidative stress has been linked to inflammatory diseases, heart disease, cancers and diabetes.

The hot temperature of the water, along with the Vitamin C will help in reducing coughs and loosening the thickness of mucus forming bacteria. Another benefit to drinking hot lemon water is that it can be a natural aid to helping you regulate, or even lose some weight, if that is a goal of yours. 

The timing of your intake can help boost your results too, so it’s important to have a strategic approach to your consumption. Drinking hot lemon water in the morning is the best time for losing weight.

Why? 

This is because warm water raises your body temperature, which increases your metabolism. Your metabolism is naturally higher in the morning as opposed to later in the evening. So it’s best to begin your day with an extra boost and start burning more calories early.

I hope you found this information helpful. Enjoy!

Sources

Kumbhakar S, Verma R, Biju B, (2016) “Effect of warm lemon water drink on selected parameters among the overweight female nursing students of RIMS & R, UP”. International Journal of Nursing Research & Practice, Vol 3 (1)

Al-Juhaimi F, Ghafoor K, (2013) “Bioactive compounds, antioxidant and  physio-chemical properties of juice from lemon, mandarin, and orange fruits cultivated in Saudi Arabia” Pak. J. Bot., 45 (4): 1193-1196

Dhuique-Mayer, C., C.C. Veyrat, P. Ollitrault, F. Curk and M.J. Amiot. (2005). Varietal and inter specific influence on micronutrient contents in citrus from the Mediterranean area. J. Agric. Food Chem., 53: 2140-2145.

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What Are Carbohydrates & The Benefits Of Consuming Them

Probably the best way to understand what carbohydrates are is to see them as sugars, starches and fibers that are found in fruits, grains, vegetables and milk products.

Even though they are often maligned in the popular diets, carbohydrates (also known as carbs) are important for a healthy organism.

In a nutshell, carbohydrates are macronutrients which means that they are one of the three main ways through which our body obtains energy or calories. Carbohydrates are also the body’s main source of energy – and they contain carbon, hydrogen and oxygen – hence the name.

Now, the classification of carbs includes many types and many groups. To better illustrate this, there are:

  • Simple and complex carbs (based on their molecule structure)
  • Monosaccharides, disaccharides and polysaccharides (based on their molecule structure and source)
  • Good and bad carbs (where good are the carbs coming from natural sources such as fruit, opposed to the bad carbs being found in processed products)

The function of carbohydrates is related to providing energy for the central nervous system and every working muscle. Below, we are listing their benefits.

The Benefits Of Eating Carbohydrates Before And After A Workout

As mentioned above, carbohydrates provide fuel for our central nervous system as well as energy for our working muscles. They also prevent the protein from being used as an energy source and enable fat metabolism. They are also important for proper brain function and are found to positively influence the mood, memory and other functions.

When it comes to the consumption of carbs before and after a workout, most of the experts would agree that it is before to consume carbohydrates before a workout as the main source of energy – and balance with proteins after the workout.

Still, carbohydrates can be a great source of glycogen after a workout (especially because your glycogen levels are low at that time).

So, if you want to have maximum energy while training, you can consume carbohydrates before your training. If, on the other hand, the purpose of your training is to bulk up (add muscle) rather than shred your body, carbing up before throwing on your kit is necessary.

The best-case scenario is to consume most of the slow-digesting carbohydrates before a workout – and leave the fast-digesting carbohydrates for after the exercise.

Examples Of Foods That Are Categorized As Carbohydrates

There are many different groups of foods that contain carbohydrates. Obviously, each food contains them in a different and relative amount. So, the best way to understand which food contains carbohydrates is through the following examples listed below:

  • Dairy products – milk, yogurt, ice cream
  • Fruit – whole fruit and fruit juice
  • Grains – bread, rice, crackers and cereal
  • Legumes – beans and other plant-based products
  • Starchy vegetables – potatoes and corn
  • Sugary sweets (processed carbs) – soda, candy, cookies and other desserts

What’s important to mention at this point is the fact that carbohydrates are not inherently bad. In fact, our bodies need the glucose sourced in them for fuel. However, it is always important to pick nutrient-rich food sources and pay attention to the size of your portions (if they include carbohydrates).

A Final Word

In the end, carbohydrates are best consumed in their healthy and unprocessed form – and at the right time. Usually, nutritionists advise to consume them in the morning or at least for lunch and leave the other nutrients for your snack and dinner choices.

Moreover, you should try to focus on the ‘good carbs’ which are essentially carbohydrates that are low or moderate in calories, high in nutrients, devoid of refined sugars/grains, high in natural fiber, low in sodium and saturated fat as well as low in (or devoid of) any cholesterol and trans fats.

 

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Organize Your Process

 

Have you started working towards the goals you have set for yourself? If you followed my advice on the Lee’s Fitness Unlimited Podcast, the answer is yes. As I’ve mentioned in the “Organize Your Process” episode, the first step of putting action behind your goals is to write them down. Ok, so now you have your notepad with your goals written down. Now next to each goal write down five key factors that will contribute to your success.

Consistency is the key to successfully accomplishing your goals. Every day the objective is to take one of the five key factors and focus on improving in that specific area. For example, if your goal is to lose some weight around your stomach and mid section, your five factors of success might look like this:

    1. Get with a workout partner
    2. Do more cardio
    3. Eat with a better diet
    4. Do more core strength training
    5. Focus on recovery




Let’s start the list by getting with a workout partner and having another source of accountability. It is good to have someone to train with to push you to go harder when you would normally consider giving up. Feel free to bring your training partner to one of my boxing or fitness classes!

Next is to start doing more cardio. Go for walks, jog, run, or try going on hikes. If you need extra motivation to get into your cardio training mode, this would be a great opportunity to include your training partner.

Day three would be focused on sharpening your discipline with your diet. It is important to educate yourself about your diet and understand the nutritional facts about the foods you eat. You can also use this day to remove a unhealthy food from your diet for that day. If you can successfully go without a certain food craving for one day, it can become a healthy habit for your lifestyle with repetition and consistency.

By day four you can start to focus more on building muscles, so you will focus on your strength training more. Try a new core strength routine or set a goal for the amount of sit ups that you want to rep.

On day five you should slow the pace down and focus on your recovery. Go get yourself a massage or spend some time stretching and soaking your muscles. It is very important for your body’s development that you understand how to allow it to recover from intense training sessions.

Do you see how productive you can be towards accomplishing your goals by simply writing them down?