My Eating and Diet Regime

I usually get asked this question a lot "How do you stay in great shape?" "What do you eat?" Especially with the holiday's coming up, it is important to make the right decisions when it comes to living a healthy lifestyle.

Well here it is folks - all my secrets! But really, there are no secrets. It's just a matter of choosing the right foods (protien and fiber-rich foods vs sodium and sugar filled catasophes) and exercising at least 30 mins a day.

It's always important to get a good nights sleep, at least 7-8 hours. If your job or day-to-day schedule doesn't allow that many, try this little tip: try going to bed at least an hour earlier every night then the previous night. You'll be getting plenty of zzzz's before you know it.

A very great quote to always remember "Eat more often and you'll avoid binging at lunch and dinner" Each mini-meal should have a good comboniation of protien and fiber: It takes longer for your stomach to digest, which keeps you fuller for longer.

With a little help from my wonderful Womens Health and Eat This, Not That

Breakfast: Since you may not have a lot of time, mix protien and quality carbs " when protein is included in a meal, not only does it help prevent overreating at other times of the day, but it also sustains energy levels and improves concentration"

110 calories: latte with reduced-fat milk

200 calories: 1 cup reduced-sodium cottage cheese with fresh peaches and cinnamon

250 calories: Any-way-you-like-it egg on a whole-grain English muffin with melted cheese

300 calories: Peanut butter and reduced or no sugar jelly on whole-grain English muffin (my go to favorite! Dont like English muffin, go for whole grain toast)

300 calories: scrambled-egg burrito with turkey suasage and salsa

Morning Snack: Since the calorie and sodium-ridden vending machine snacks may surround you during the day, buy only what you need and keep a stash at your desk: string cheese (buy the big pack at Costco), granola bars(not the Nutri Grain or Nature Valley, please! they are filled with sugar and HFCS and have no nutritional value) or trail mix.

80 calories: string cheese (me and Chris' favorite!

100 calories: hardboiled egg with a handful of grape tomatoes

275 calories: 2 or 3 small handfuls of trailmix

300 calories: slice of whole-grain bread topped with peanut butter and banana (if I know it might be awhile for lunch or till I have time for my morning snack, I usually have this has my breakfast too) the protien from the peanut butter keeps you full!

Lunch: Be careful here, if you've already had a heavy calorie breakfast, keep lunch light. Remember it's about balancing out your calories compared to how active you are.

175 calories: Canned tuna with balsamic vinegar on whole-grain crackers or bread

350 calories: Half an avacado, sliced, or 1/2 cup prepared quacamole with tomator and onion in a whole-grain pita

400 calories: 1/2 cup of hummus with roasted veggies

400 calories: Small ham, turkey or roast-beef and Swiss wrap with veggies and mustard, in a whole-wheat tortilla or you can have it on a sandwich and try leaving off the top slice.

Afternoon Snack: say to yourself "No candy that the assistant has!"

160 calories: Reduced-fat Cheddar melted on apple halves

175 calories: 5 Laughing Cow cheese wedges

250 calories: 1 cup reduced-fat yogurt

260 calories: Apple, pear or banana smeared with peanut butter

350 calories: 1 cup each fat-free milk and frozen yogurt blended with a spoonful of peanut butter

Dinner: The key words here are portion control! The majority of restaurants now serve on a much larger plate, therefore giving you larger amounts of the food, which you don't need. "Portion control is crucial, whether you're looking to control weight, manage blood sugar, or maintain energy levels."

275 calories: 3 or 4 large handfuls of greens sauteed in olive oil with a handful of walnuts and 1/2 cup of raisins

300 calories: 6-piece sushi meal with a cup of miso soup (so yummy!)

325 calories: Buffalo burger topped with coleslaw, onion, and tomato

350 calories: Quesadilla made with a small corn or whole-wheat tortilla, cheese, beans, shredded chicken or lean ground turkey, onion, and jalapenos, dipped in salsa

400 calories: Slice of pizza toped with cheese and ground beef or ham

550 calories: Lentil, minestrone or tomato soup with a grilled-cheese sandwich on whole-grain bread

550 calories: 1 cup pasta tossed with ground turkey breast, black olives, diced onion a drizzle of olive oil, and 1 1/2 tablespoons crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

Evening Snack:

150 calories: 5 cups Jolly Time light microwave popcorn sprinkled with hot sauce and or 1 tablespoon Romano cheese; 1 cup rice pudding; 6 or 7 strawberries dipped in yogurt and drizzled with chocolate sauce; 1 cup cocoa made with skim milk

175 calories: Sliced sweet potato(with skin), tossed in olive oil and baked

200 calories: Root-beer float with 2 scoops frozen vanilla yogurt; 2 handfuls olives

275 calories: 2-ounce Snickers bar

ENJOY AND HEALTHY EATING!!

Six Rules: Eating Healthy Everyday

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/food/6-rules-how-to-eat-right-on-the-job-1307786/

Ok, I know this article was titled How to Eat Right On The Job, but after reading it, I thought all of the advice applies to your everyday life. For those who don't have time to read the whole article right now, I will keep it short (as short as I can) to get all the important and fun! information for ya!

Things you will need:
A new food attitude: Carbs are not the enemy. Neither is fat. Eliminating certain food groups may help your waistline, but it will hurt your brain functioning.
A stash of snacks: To keep your brain well fueled, you can’t let yourself get too hungry. Have a ready supply of trail mix, peanut-butter crackers, or Snickers bars (yes, but only half a bar) at work. The combination of carbs and protein in these snacks will stabilize your blood sugar, fill you up, and keep you energized.
Some willpower: Big meals actually reduce the supply of energy to your brain and leave you feeling sleepy for hours. Eat half of what you order, and take the rest home.


1- Balance What You Eat, Whenever You Eat
Besides the basic four food groups meat, dairy, grains, and vegetables we should be having, nutritionist today about a different set of food groups "proteins, carbohydrates (which produce glucose), fats, and fiber — and a different way to combine them." I know it may sound hard, but they recommend having a little serving from every group every time you sit down to it - that's where the new attitude come in :) And yes including the carbs, which some diets normally restrict. "Why? Because the combination of carbs and protein (and to a lesser extent, fats and fiber) regulates your glucose levels and keeps your mood and mental ability on an even keel." If you cut back on either group, you’re missing half the benefits that food can offer.

2- Neglect Carbs at Your Own Peril
Brain cells require twice the amount of energy needed by other cells in your body because they never rest. And high-carb foods like pasta, bread, fruit, and rice produce the brain’s favorite fuel — glucose. “Your brain only wants to burn glucose,” says Shawn Talbott, a nutritional biochemist and author of A Guide to Understanding Dietary Supplements: Magic Bullets or Modern Snake Oil. It can burn protein if it has to, Talbott adds, “but it’s like trying to run a gasoline engine on diesel.” Shawn Talbott is a nutritional biochemist and author of A Guide to Understanding Dietary Supplements: Magic Bullets or Modern Snake Oil Long story short: CARBS ARE NOT THE ENEMY!

3- Pack in the Protein
This is SO important! Because protein (and fiber) keeps you fuller for longer, thereby eliminating big meal times and grazing. Proteins such as meat, fish, dairy, eggs, beans, and nuts slow the absorption of glucose so your brain gets a long and steady flow of fuel, rather than the brief blast you get from eating carbs and sugary foods (fats and fiber also help with this). And protein also brings its own set of brain boosters to the party. Great snacks are FiberOne bars which contain 35% of your daily value of fiber, have one along with your breakfast or as an afternoon snack; and toast with peanut butter and bananas - delish!!

4- Eat Smaller Amounts, and Eat More Frequently
A lot of people, especially people that are close to me, always scoff when I say this advice. But I eat 3-5 meals a day including snacks, I exercise daily and don't drink ANY soda (I swear!) and I would like to consider myself has healthy. "Too much food — even if it’s well balanced — is going to make you drowsy because it introduces too much glucose for your body to handle at one time." When was the last time you ate so much you wanted to take a nap as soon as you were done? Yea, not a good feeling. Eat well-balanced meals (and yes even tasty) and that feeling will soon subside. “Five to six small meals tend to make people perform much better than three squares.”

5- Fat Is Beautiful ... for Your Brain
You probably know that omega-3 fatty acids are good for your heart. But they’re great brain food, too. The fats found in salmon, walnuts, and kiwi improve learning and memory and help fight against mental disorders like depression, schizophrenia, and dementia, according to a 2008 report from the Brain Research Institute at UCLA. The fats support the synapses in the brain where much of our cognitive functioning occurs. Enough said

6- How to Keep Things in Proportion
This is such an EASY and great way to measure food servings, and all you need..... YOUR HAND! Your fist is the size of the carbs; your palm is the size of the protein. Make an OK sign with your thumb and index finger, and that’s how much fat you should have. Open your hand as wide as it can go; that’s the amount of fruits and vegetables. That’s going to be a well-balanced mix.”

I know that was probably a little longer than you would like to read, but I like to include everything that is important and super easy to incorporate into your life. Trust me 5-10 mins of reading is worth adding extra years to your life. Sounds good to me!

ENJOY AND HEALTHY EATING!