Yes you CAN eat healthier!

Hi guys,

Here is a quick tip to help you eat healthier.

Laying out your workout clothes at night for the next morning is a great visual reminder that you have a commitment to your exercise every day!

Do the same thing with your healthy foods, create visual reminders.

For example, leave a beautiful, colorful bowl of fruit on your counter instead of the fridge will help you achieve eating more fruits.

Research identified that healthy eating habits can be boosted simply by using the acronym CAN:

Convenient: Make your healthy foods easy to see, simple to reach and ready to eat

Attractive: Make your healthy foods look enticing by mixing colors, flavors and types

Normal: Make them the obvious choice in your kitchen

Start today and start eating healthier immediately!

Ciao for now!

Follow me Facebook Instagram

Eat this to kill stomach fat!

Hi guys,

Blasting calories at the gym doing the right combination is imperative and so is a good nutrition plan in order to lose belly fat.

But did you know that adding these foods might help reduce belly fat?

Dark chocolate:

Make sure to choose dark chocolate that has 70% or more cocoa which means less sugar and fat.

The healthy fats on the dark chocolate will prevent blood sugar spikes helping you burn fat more efficiently.

Peanut butter:

Peanut butter contains mononsaturated fats that promotes a healthy cardiovascular system and will keep you full longer. Some studies also suggests that peanut butter is a metabolism booster that keep you burning calories throughout the day.

Omelets:

Eggs have been shown to have important vitamins and minerals that regulate your hormones and are rich in protein. Add some healthy veggies and healthy fats like avocados and stay full longer.

Wild salmon

Salmon has Omega-3 fatty acids that keep your hormones balanced, especially the weight regulating ones.

Omega-3 also contribute to blood sugar balance which keep belly fat away and may help break down the belly fat that you already have, that’s a WINNER.

Berries

According to studies by the University of Michigan, the chemicals (phenolic compounds) that give berries their beautiful colors also do a great job at eliminating belly fat..and they are delicious!

Avocados:

Avocados are rich in healthy fats that will keep you full longer, help regulate hormones and also fight inflammation (therefore higher cortisol levels) that ultimately prevent you from losing weight especially in the midsection.

Cinnamon:

Cinnamon has the ability to burn fat and to help reduce blood sugar levels. Start adding it to your healthy recipes without adding the calories.

Ciao for now, happy belly fat burning!

2015 IS YOUR YEAR!!!

Hi guys,

Bring on 2015 with a bang and this fat burning, calorie torching 20 minutes workout!

Remember how you said you were going to lose weight and live a healthier lifestyle in 2015??

Well here are the first 20 minutes of the new you!

All you need is a timer, a towel and water!

2 rounds of 10 minutes with 1 minute rest in between rounds.

3 exercises per round, performed for 20 seconds (at high intensity without stopping) in a row for 5 TIMES with 1 minute rest in between.

Ready, set , GO…

First warm up 3-5 minutes by doing jumping jacks, running in place, high knees, shuffle side to side, squats..

ROUND 1:

High knees 20 sec

Jump lunges 20 sec

Burpees 20 sec

REST 1 MINUTE and REPEAT 5 TIMES…

ROUND 2:

Mountain climbers 20 sec

Squat jumps 20 sec

Plank jacks 20 sec

REST 1 MINUTE and REPEAT 5 TIMES…

Cool down and stretch!

Happy workout and Happy 2015!

Ciao for now

Follow me on Facebook twitter and Instagram

Pumpkin spice latte!

Hi guys,

I know you love your pumpkin spice latte especially when the weather starts getting cool!

Look at what they put in your latte and therefore what you put in your body!

There is a better way!

Read this homemade recipe and enjoy!

Happy Monday!

Ciao for now!

Why you should NOT use bleached four!

Hi guys,

Make the switch today from bleached flour to organic coconut flour, you body will thank you.

Here is why: courtesy of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flour

Bleached flour

“Refined flour” has had the germ and bran removed and is typically referred to as “white flour”. “Bleached flour” is any refined flour with a whitening agent added.

Bleached flour is artificially aged using a bleaching agent, a maturing agent, or both. A bleaching agent would affect only the carotenoids in the flour; a maturing agent affects glutendevelopment. A maturing agent may either strengthen or weaken gluten development.

The four most common additives used as bleaching/maturing agents in the USA at this time are:

Potassiun bromate (will be listed as an ingredient/additive) – a maturing agent that strengthens gluten development. Does not bleach.

Benzoyl peroxide – bleaches. Does not act as a maturing agent – no effect on gluten

Ascorbic acid – (Will be listed as an ingredient/additive, but seeing it in the ingredient list may not be an indication that the flour was matured using ascorbic acid but instead has had a small amount added as a dough enhancer) – Maturing agent that strengthens gluten development. Does not bleach.

Chlorine gas – both a bleaching agent and a maturing agent, but one that weakens gluten development. Chlorination also oxidizes starches in the flour, making it easier for the flour to absorb water and swell, resulting in thicker batters and stiffer doughs. The retarded gluten formation is desirable in cakes, cookies, and biscuits as it would otherwise make them tougher and bread-like. The modification of starches in the flour allows the use of wetter doughs (making for a moister end product) without destroying the structure necessary for light fluffy cakes and biscuits. Chlorinated flour allows cakes and other baked goods to set faster, rise better, the fat to be distributed more evenly, with less vulnerability to collapse.

Cake flours in particular are nearly always chlorinated. There is at least one flour labeled “unbleached cake flour blend” (marketed by King Arthur) that is not bleached, but the protein content is much higher than typical cake flour at about 9.4% protein (cake flour is usually around 6% to 8%). According to King Arthur, this flour is a blend of a more finely milled unbleached wheat flour and cornstarch, which makes a better end result than unbleached wheat flour alone (cornstarch blended with all purpose flour commonly substituted for cake flour when the latter is unavailable). The end product, however, is denser than would result from lower-protein, chlorinated cake flour.

All bleaching and maturing agents (with the possible exception of ascorbic acid) have been banned in UK.

Bromination of flour in the USA has fallen out of favor and while it is not yet actually banned anywhere, few retail flours available to the home baker are bromated anymore.

Many flours packaged specifically for commercial bakeries are still bromated. Retail bleached flours marketed to the home baker are now treated mostly with either peroxidation or chlorine gas. Current information from Pillsbury is that their bleached flours are treated both with benzoyl peroxide and chlorine gas. Gold Medal states that their bleached flour is treated either with benzoyl peroxide or chlorine gas, but there is no way to tell which process has been used when buying the flour at the grocery store.

Some other chemicals used as flour treatment agents  to modify color and baking properties include:

• chlorine dioxide (unstable to be transported in the U.S.)
• calcium peroxide
• azodicarbonamide or azobisformamide (synthetic)

• Atmospheric oxygen causes natural bleaching.

KEEP THAT STUFF FOR YOUR POOL NOT YOUR FAMILY!

So if you don’t want to eat your pool and much worse, make the switch today!

Coconut flour is low carb and gluten free so you can’t go wrong there!

Coconut flour is a little trickier to use because it doesn’t rise so you might have to only substitute half of what the recipe calls with the coconut flour but make sure to use gluten free unbleached organic flours…almond, brown rice…

Have a great day!

Ciao for now

Easy swaps to cut calories

 

Hi guys,

 

Here is a list of easy swaps that will save you about 100 calories per swap:

 

• English muffin instead of a bagel

• Greek yogurt instead of low fat milk

• Orange instead of orange juice

• Wrap instead of bread

• Apple slices instead of crackers

• Corn tortilla instead of flour tortilla

 

 

• Trail mix instead of mixed nuts

• Dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate

 

• Raisin bread instead of a cinnamon roll

• Edemame instead of peanuts

 

 

Happy swapping!

Ciao for now, gonna watch soccer!

 

Protein crazy?

Hi guys,

 

Unless you live in a cave, you probably has seen it EVERYWHERE those days…Protein this, protein that…EVERYWHERE.

But do you really need that much protein all day long to be healthy?

First here are the daily recommendations for protein intake :

• Babies need about 10 grams a day.
• Teenage boys need up to 52 grams a day.
• Teenage girls need 46 grams a day.
• Adult men need about 56 grams a day.
• Adult women need about 46 grams a day

 

First let’s answer a few questions:

What is protein?

 

Protein is a macronutrient ( a chemical element or substance  required in relatively large quantities in nutrition) and is the building block of human and animal structure.

Proteins serve different functions in the body:

1. formation of the brain, nervous system, blood, muscle, skin and hair
2. the transport mechanism for irons, vitamins, minerals, fats and oxygen
3. fluid balance
4. formation of enzymes that speed up the chemical reactions to milliseconds that might otherwise take years
5. making of antibodies that fight infections
6. break down for energy in case of energy deprivation

 

Why is it important?

Well as stated below, it is the building block of human structure.

Resistance training and cardiovascular exercise induce muscular and structural damage and because protein helps the muscles and tissues repair and rebuild themselves it is a very important part of our daily nutrition.

So be mindful that unless you workout you do not need to repair your muscles so you do not need extra protein!

 

How much do we really need?

The recommended daily intake is :

56 grams for the average sedentary man

46 grams for the average sedentary woman

The way to figure it out for yourself is that we need at least 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight:

If you are a 140 lbs woman, you weight 63 kilograms (divide the pounds by 2.2) so you need at least 50.4 grams (63 x 0.8) per day.

50 grams of of protein is about 1.8 oz

You should get at least 10 % but no more than 35% of your daily calorie intake from protein.

 

How do I know how much I am getting?

You need to figure out YOUR daily need which should be right around 45 to 50 grams per day or 1.6 to 1.8 oz per day if you are a woman and figure the rest by reading the labels.

But let’s not be fooled, chances are you are getting enough per day!

 

Which proteins to choose:

Protein quality varies and professional use a complicated mathematical calculation to determine the quality of proteins.

Here is a list of the healthiest:

1. Casein, egg, milk, whey, soy
2. beef
3. black beans
4. peanuts
5. wheat gluten

Overall, with the exception of soy, the highest quality proteins typically come from animal sources such as egg,milk, meat, fish, and poultry. They all (soy too) contains all of the amino acids and are easily digestible and absorbed.

Fruits, vegetables, grains and nuts are incomplete proteins and must be consumed in complimentary combinations over the course of a day to assure intake of each of the amino acids.

 

Other considerations:

It is important to remember the other non-protein health and harms from consuming certain foods.

Beef for example is a very good protein source but it is also high in saturated fats and calories. a 6 oz broiled porterhouse contains 38 grams of protein but also has 44 grams of fat, 16 of them being saturated. That is almost 3/4 of the recommended daily intake for saturated fat in one piece of meat!

So the big question, do we really need all that protein stuff out there?

 

Well as every trend (gluten free, paleo…) the big companies definitely jump all over and try to sell you their healthiest craze.

But do you really need that 20 gram of protein that one candy bar will give you?

The real question is :

Do you really need those 25 grams of sugar that nobody notices because they are so obsessed with getting their protein to repair their muscles that they didn’t use?

Be mindful of the trends out there and always keep in mind what you are trying to accomplish.

If you are on a healthy lifestyle trying to lose weight, having one mega giant protein bar for your breakfast might not be the answer.

Always read your labels and know what you really need and unless you are a professional athlete, you do not need to worry about your protein intake and a healthy well balanced diet is plenty for you.

Do not spend extra $$$ on protein powder, protein drinks, protein bars or protein whatever, your body will most likely not benefit much from the extra sugar, fat or carbs!

1. KNOW WHAT YOU NEED
2. READ THE LABEL
3. KNOW WHAT YOU ARE GETTING
4. KNOW IF YOU NEED MORE OR LESS

THE MORE YOU KNOW, THE BETTER YOU LIVE!

 

Ciao for now!

 

 

 

Healthy breakfast ideas!

Hi guys!

Are you like me getting bored with oatmeal?here is 3 healthy alternatives available at all grocery stores 🙂

Just add fresh fruits on top and you have the perfect health low calorie breakfast that will leave you full for the whole morning!

Ciao for now!

Seek happiness

Seek happiness and happiness will seek you!