Smart Snacking

We get asked all the time for suggestions on healthy snack ideas.  Having snacks in your diet can help to curb cravings and keep you from overeating at meal time.  Snacks can also help to maintain energy and blood glucose levels within normal limits between meals.

It is important to snack with intent, not mindlessly.  Eating while distracted or taking a piece of candy out of the candy dish each time we pass by can lead to all day grazing and intake of extra calories.  Planning ahead by having snacks prepared and carrying them with us will keep us from reaching for those unwanted items.

Here is a list of some of our top snacks.

    Veggies & Hummus

    Zucchini & Cucumber Slices

    1 Piece  or 1 Cup Fresh Fruit

    1/4 Cup Unsalted Nuts

    Baked Apple with Cinnamon

    1/4 Cup Unsweetened Raisins

    Greek Yogurt

    Flavored Rice Cakes

    Low Fat or Fat Free Cottage Cheese

    Cherry or Grape Tomatoes

    1 Slice Sprouted Bread with Nut Butter

    Unsweetened Dried Fruit

    Homemade Trail Mix

    Frozen Grapes

    Part Skim Mozzarella String Cheese

    Homemade Snack Bars

    Smoothie with Leafy Greens

    Watermelon & Jicama Salad

    1 Cup Air Popped Popcorn with 1/2 Tablespoon Omega Butter

We hope you will enjoy these snacks and incorporate some of them into your diet.  We would love to hear what your favorite healthy snacks are too!

Stay healthy friends.
-Julie

The Incredible Edible Egg

You can fry them, boil them, bake them… we’re talking about the incredible edible egg of course! However you like your eggs, these inexpensive, versatile, protein-packed staple, cooks up into a perfect meal any time of the day!

Unfortunately they also have gotten a bad rap in the past because of their cholesterol content. One large egg contains 213 mg of cholesterol, accounting for two-thirds of the recommended daily limit of 300 mg per day. But over the last 25 years of study, scientists have found that cholesterol in food is not the problem, but instead, saturated fat, which has a much bigger effect on blood cholesterol. Full-fat dairy products and fatty meats are examples of foods that are loaded with saturated fat and which trigger the body to produce cholesterol.

Eggs are jam-packed with health benefits and along with milk, contain the highest biological value for protein. Just one egg contains 75 calories, 7 grams of high-quality protein, 5 grams of fat, and 1.6 grams of saturated fat, along with iron, vitamins, minerals, and carotenoids. According to numerous studies, this combination of protein and fat will you leave you feeling satisfied and can help ward off unhealthy snacking later in the day.

Try out this recipe for egg salad that was recently inspired by a trip to the store where I found a dozen eggs for 0.99 and large avocados for a $1 each! Whether you have reason to be concerned about your cholesterol levels or not, this recipe replaces some, but certainly not all of the fat found in the yolk, with cholesterol lowering - heart healthy avocados! Try it out and let us know what you think! 

Ingredients:

•     4 large hard boiled eggs - chopped

•     4 large hard boiled egg whites– chopped

•     1 large avocado – diced

•     3 tbsp non-fat Greek yogurt

•     2 tbsp chopped red onion

•     ½ tsp black pepper

•     ½ tsp salt

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, combine the hard boiled eggs and egg whites, avocado, Greek yogurt, and red onion. Mash with a fork. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Serving suggestions: Spread between two slices of bread for an Avocado Egg Salad Sandwich. Eat with crackers, cut up veggies, on toast, or in a wrap. This salad is best eaten the day it's made.

- Michelle and Leslie 

Fueling Your Workout: Pre & Post Workout Snacks

I would venture to say that everyone knows that working out has a ton of health benefits, but did you know that what you eat before and after you workout could really make or break your workout? The way you fuel your body can be just as important as the actual workout itself. 

First of all, if you're an avid gym goer you should be consuming enough calories throughout your day to support your workout. This is probably the biggest nutrition crime I see out there. Working out a lot and not eating enough doesn't necessarily mean weight loss, and it certainly doesn't mean healthy. If you're wondering more about calories read my previous blog post here.

There's debate about whether working out on an empty stomach is more beneficial blah, blah, blah. Here's what the science says: eating before a workout as opposed to not eating before a workout (the fasting state) has been shown to improve exercise performance. So, I guess if you don't really care about improving your performance then you don't really need to eat before you hit the gym... but honestly, does anyone that works out not care about improving? It's recommended that 1-3 hours prior to your workout you eat a meal or a snack. I know 1-3 hours seems like a big time gap, but that's where individualization comes in. Experiment and see what works best for your body... one hour might be too soon and you'll end up with stomach cramps, three hours might be too long. Play around with it and figure out what your body needs. 

So what should you eat before your workout? Carbs!! You want a little protein too, but carbs should be your main focus. Here's why: carbs fuel your muscles and your muscles fuel your workout. Lets talk about the science for one tiny second (I promise I'll try not to get too nerdy and boring). Carbs are glucose, glucose gets stored as glycogen in your liver and muscle cells. Why does this matter to you? Well, glycogen is the energy source your body uses for exercise. For longer bouts of exercise your body will start using fat for fuel, but it still needs glycogen to help break the fat down into something it can use. Maybe the most convincing argument for needing carbs preworkout for some of you is the fact that without them... your body will use protein to get what it needs, aka you won't see much improvement in your muscle growth. Bottom line: carbs are your friends. 

Pre-Workout Snack Ideas:

- whole wheat bread with nut butter and a banana

- greek yogurt with berries

- oatmeal with fruit

- apple or banana with nut butter

Alright, your workout is over and you're super impressed with how much you killed it at the gym thanks to your preworkout snack, but now what?! Replenish, replenish, replenish! After your workout it's important to restore fluid, electrolytes, muscle fuel (aka glycogen, aka carbs), and protein for muscle building and repair. It's best to have a snack with a 3:1 ratio of carbs and protein within 15-20 minutes after your workout, followed by a balanced meal 3-4 hours later. 

Post-Workout Snack Ideas:

- protein shake (need advice on protein powders? click here)

- low fat chocolate milk

- greek yogurt with berries

Questions? Preparing for a race? Wanting more info on how to up your gym game? E-mail me!

Leslie