kick it to the Carb!

I had my two week check in today and I am still rocking this challenge! I also noticed something this week.  Though I am pretty good with being consistent I usually have at least one unplanned snack or meal when I am trying to win a competition or hit a goal. It is one the reasons why I can get close to my goal but never quite there UNTIL NOW! This week I had several changes to eat kitchen mess ups, homemade cookies and birthday cake and each time it was an easy no! I think this is for two reasons. 1. I really want to win that trip to Cabo so anytime I was tempted I would just tell myself I could indulge now or I could stay consistent for 28 days and win a kick ass vacation. My reason why for doing this challenge is helping me say no but it's two fold. 2. I have accountability. I am sharing my goal like crazy with my friends, co-workers, family, social media followers and even random strangers. If I don't go all in I won't win. I mean how cool will it...

Building meal plans can be confusing with all the contradictory diet advice out there. There are however six key elements every meal plan should include. Today we are diving deeper into element number one, protein. Protein is one of three macronutrients are body needs to perform at its optimal level. Of the three macronutrients protein is the most filling and can help curb appetite and hunger cravings because it takes your body longer to digest. It also helps build and repair muscle. This is important if  you are lifting weights to get shredded or trying to lose weight. Sustaining and growing muscle helps keep your metabolism high and helps keep your body strong. Eating enough protein has also been shown to help maintain bone mass making it a great component to healthy aging. Protein can also temporarily boost your metabolism thanks to the thermic effect of food. High Protein intake has been shown to both boost metabolism and increase the number of calories your body burns in...

New Orleans has been on my travel bucket for almost as long as I can remember thanks to Anne Rice and Sherrilyn Kenyon. I mean what 90s goth/punk/alt kid didn't dream of wandering the French Quarter in search of vampires? So when my company announced our conference was in New Orleans I knew I needed to stay a few extra days and take a real vacation in the city I knew I was going to love.  I had three rules for my 10 day getaway, the same three rules I always have when I am traveling.  1. Have at least one nutrient dense, protein shake once per day  2. Hit my protein numbers 3. Drink a gallon of water I hit all my goals, only missing my water intake on one of the days but something about New Orleans did not agree with my body. I spent most of the trip feeling lethargic, dizzy and nauseous. Many of these symptoms stuck with me even after getting home. My best guess is that the combination of food I wasn't used to and the different climate wreaked havo...

Building meal plans can be confusing with all the contradictory diet advice out there. There are however six key elements every meal plan should include. We will dive deeper into each one in the next few weeks but for now here are the six pieces  you meal plan should include regardless of your goal. Protein: Everyone is going to need a different amount depending on several factors but protein is the building blocks to our muscles and helps us stay fuller, longer. Vitamins and minerals: The micronutrients are super important. Being deficient in one or more of these can impact your health, energy levels and weight.  Fats: Help with maintaining blood pressure and triglyceride levels and also helps with normal functions of your vision, brain and heart.   Fiber: Important for digestive health Plants: Number four and five are fancy ways of saying carbs which are vital for digestive health, energy levels and phytonutrients.  Hydration: Helps with digestion, sk...

Soy is always a hot button issue when it comes to protein consumption. For years we were told to avoid soy because it contains isoflavones which can have estrogen like activity that some people worried could increase cancer risks. There is also concerns with how it interacts with thyroid medications. But there is good news for those of us who love tofu and edamame. Yon can still enjoy your favorite foods! Elizabeth Huggins, RD, of Hilton Head Health says that you just have to avoid consuming within four hours of taking your medication. For those of you worried about the cancer risk recent research shows that eating more plant based proteins actually lower your risk of certain cancers and that soy protein can reduce LDL cholesterol (bad kind) and has been shown to aid with fertility and menopause symptoms in women. Soy intolerances and allergies are fairly common so be sure to listen to your body and note if you see any adverse effects. As with most things in the health and nu...

Protein is an important component of our diet because it helps build our tissue, muscles, skin and hair. It is also the only macronutrient not readily stored in our bodies so getting an adequate amount is important. It is important to note that your protein goals will vary and that some people have conditions that make taking in large amounts of protein dangerous and life threatening so if you start feeling off, fatigued or experience brain fog talk to your doctor immediately. People who are more active may also require more protein as they break down their muscles faster through exercise. The general rule of thumb is .36 grams per pound of body weight for a sedentary person up to 1 gram per pound of body weight for active individuals. I like to make this simpler so if you know your daily calories allowance your day should be broken down into: 40% carbs, 30% Protein and 30% fat. These are simple terms and again some individuals may not be able to ingest these amounts of macronutrie...

A few weeks ago I made the switch from meat eater to my own strange combination of vegetarian, flexitarian, vegan (ish). Honestly I was kind of scared it would wreck all my results and be super hard to hit my protein numbers. I have been pleasantly surprised by the results. The back story. Years ago in high school I was a vegetarian for the all the wrong reasons. I wanted to be skinny and saving animals seemed like a noble cause. I didn't lose any weight but I did eat mostly plant based for five years. I say mostly because I still ate meat on occasion in private but didn't tell anyone. Communities around diets and ways of eating can be very mean if you don't follow the plan exactly and even people who didn't eat how I ate would make comments. *Side note if you do this to people stop. It isn't cool or nice. Let people eat how and what they want without comment because these comments can be damaging and create food and public eating aversions that can be harmful.*...

If you have been following any of the diet trends the last few years you know that protein has taken center stage in the diet world and for good reason. Protein: Helps are body build tissue and muscle Helps with hormone production Provide enzymes to help the body break down carbs and fats Aid the immune system Helps you feel more satiated and fuller longer Protein can be found in animal sources like meat and dairy products and plant sources like beans, nuts and seeds.  It is recommended that proteins make up 30% of your daily calories or to consume one gram per pound of lean body mass.  Protein can also help boost your metabolism by helping your body create more muscle which it turns increases your daily metabolic rate, or the amount of calories you burn a day of rest. 

It's not me, it's defiantly you! This past week was brutal. I didn't feel well Wednesday morning but figured it was the gyro's I had Tuesday after hiking. Ate my homemade turkey chili Wednesday afternoon for lunch and suddenly my symptoms were worse and I realized for the second time in a little over a month I was sick and it was tied to my food. As any rational person would do I flushed the rest down the garbage disposal and flipped it the bird! Six days later even thinking about eating a bird makes me queasy, it could still be my digestive system trying to recover but being the rational person I am I decided to look into some vegetarian options for meal prep this week. As a previous vegetarian I had some ideas of where to start but don't know why I didn't realize how much time I would save preparing meat alternatives instead of cooking up all those juicy animals! We are talking less than 10 minutes, I have "chicken patties" and some steam-abl...

I am always a little confused when someone tells me they don't eat carbs, because fruits and vegetables are a key source of vitamins and minerals. Usually after several questions I find they mean they don't eat grains which while still a carb is not the sole inhabitant of the name carb. I am here to clear up the confusion. First some background. I remember when we had a food pyramid. I may be dating myself but this is important. The food pyramid created a hierarchy of food and a misconception about how much of each food group we should be eating. The Base of the pyramid was grains (bread, pasta,rice etc) and we were told 6-11 servings of these a day aka the bulk of your diet. Next up was fruits (2-4 servings) and vegetables (3-5 servings) topped  by meat, beans eggs and nuts (2-3 servings) and dairy (2-3 servings) and at the very top was fats, oils and sweets with the suggested serving of sparingly. What this pyramid did was give us a very confusing way to create our ...