Nutrition is essential in order for you to stay fit, healthy and well balanced internally. Your body uses over 45 different types of nutrients, each nutrient is used in a separate way; from creation of new cells and tissues to helping create energy. In order to optimize your muscle and fitness levels it is important to understand how nutrients work and affect your body as well as your everyday life.

Nutrients can be taken in many forms from, fruits, vegetables, meat, some drinks and in the form of supplements. Good nutrition is accountable for treating many illnesses found in the body as well as support the body to stay healthy. Plant compounds (phytochemicals) which are found in such things as soybeans and tomatoes have been seen to have disease battling properties. Zinc supplements have been found to reduce the duration of the common cold and decrease acute diarrhea. You do not have to eat a variety of foods either to ensure you get the correct amounts of nutrients, there are, of course, supplements. You can buy supplements from any major supermarket, online, or on some occasions, from a knowledgeable specialty shop.

Supplements have received a lot of attention from the media about being bad for the body. However, the media failed to mention the fact that they are only harmful to the body if they are taken over the recommended daily amount. Even with good things, everything is about moderation. Too much of a good thing is still not healthy.

Vitamins and minerals play an essential and crucial role in our body’s basic growth, metabolism and development. As you may already know a vitamin in itself is not a source of energy for the body but it does aid in the production of energy and helps to burn fat when carrying out everyday activities such as walking to work or to your corner shop. A better metabolism also helps to burn fat and reduces weight as food is passed throughout the body at a better rate and the essential substances needed are also better absorbed, hence making you feel less hungry and less likely to eat snacks in-between meals. A lack of vitamin such as vitamin A can lead to night blindness and this is linked with zinc as zinc is used in order to absorb the vitamin.

Vitamins and minerals play an important and essential role in our everyday lives and you should take care of your body by making sure you take in the correct amounts of vitamins daily. It can reduce the risks of heart attacks, reduce obesity and make your skin look healthier and hair healthier as well.

Growing old gracefully is something we are all looking to do. Some go under the knife to get that youthful look while others opt for a more natural way to maintain that healthful glow. The way to make peace with age can be found in the types of foods that we eat and the miracle ingredients they contain.

One hidden “miracle” is called antioxidants. They have graced the pages of magazines, medical journals and every product from hand cream to supplement pills. It’s spouted how great they are, but what are antioxidants and what can they do to keep you looking your best?

Antioxidants are substances that fight the aging process that goes on in your body. They are not produced by the body so to get the benefit of these power-packed substances you must ingest them. A variety of foods contain antioxidants.

Let’s go back to the beginning. The body continually replenishes its cells. Through a process called cellular metabolism, the body produces energy, more cells and repairs any damage. One by-product of cellular metabolism is unstable molecules called free radicals.

Free radicals are molecules that damage your body. They are unstable because they are missing an electron. To get another one and become stable, free radicals will steal electrons from cells. That theft damages the cells in a variety of ways.

The results are visible and invisible changes to our bodies. The development of diseases like cancer, diabetes, arthritis and neurological deficiencies may begin to affect you as you age. Also, skin wrinkles and brittle bones are a problem. Free radicals enter our body from outside sources as well: cigarette smoke, radiation and the sun’s UV rays. The more free radicals we encounter, the greater the damage that can be done.

Antioxidants have been shown to be of great help in the free radical issue. Antioxidant substances combine with free radicals and neutralize them. Once they are neutralized, they can no longer do any damage. Scientists don’t have any idea of a recommended daily dose of antioxidants to correct free radical damage and the diseases that come with age, but they do know that eating foods rich in antioxidants makes a huge difference in how we live.

Where do you find antioxidants? They are all around us. Look no further than your local farmer’s market or produce aisle in the grocery store. Fruits and vegetables contain the principle sources of antioxidants.

Examples of antioxidants include:
* Vitamin C
* Vitamin A
* Vitamin E
* Lutein
* Lycopene
* Beta-carotene

Certain minerals like zinc and selenium also function in the body. They are not antioxidants but they boost the immune system to fight against free radical damage.

Antioxidants are also found in nuts, legumes, cold water fish, seafood and red meat. So, eating a varied diet of fruits, vegetables and the foods just named will increase the amount of antioxidants in your system and help reduce the incidence of disease. Eating fruits and vegetables in their natural form instead of juices brings the benefit of other nutrients found in the foods. Juices also contain a lot of sugar that is not needed by your body.

Food does more than stave off hunger. Natural substances found there can cause us to live longer and stay free of disease as we age. As you can see from the above list, there is a big reason why we’ve been taught to eat fruits and vegetables from all colors of the rainbow. Our bodies thrive on multiple sources of nutrition and science is now able to show us many more reasons why.

Top Ten Power Packed Foods

What is the secret to a long and healthy life? The answer can be in the food that we eat. As you well know, all foods are not created equal. Choosing and eating the right foods may help increase your life expectancy as well as the quality of your life.

Here are ten of the top power packed foods designed to give you energy, vitality and all around good health!

1. Beans – If they give you gas, take precautions before you eat them. Soaking them first can help. Beans of all kinds (kidney, navy, lentils, chickpeas, Northern) are high in protein. This is plant protein so it contains very little fat, carbs and calories. If fiber is a problem in your diet, eating a healthy portion of beans each day can keep your digestive system healthy.

2. Oatmeal – Oatmeal has become popular as a food that lowers blood cholesterol. You can make it yourself with rolled oats or eat the instant kind if you are in a hurry. Oatmeal is a filling grain that also provides much needed fiber to keep hunger at bay and your blood sugar constant. For maximum health benefits, choose the old school rolled oats. Instant oatmeals in packets contain a lot of sugars and have extra processing breaking down their natural fibers.

3. Fruits – Fruits are filled with antioxidants such as Vitamin C and A. Antioxidants fight free radical damage in the body and reduce the risk of cancer. Berries such as blueberries and grapes have the highest amount of antioxidants. But choose an array of fruits in a wide variety of colors for maximum health. The antioxidants in fruit boost the immune system to fight the effects of aging in the body.

4. Allium foods – This class of foods includes garlic, onions, leeks and shallots. Garlic is known for lowering cholesterol. Allium vegetables help guard the body against the risk of cancer and many other ailments. They also help lower blood pressure and prevent blood clots. Eating these power packed vegetables in their natural state especially garlic increases their health benefits.

5. Salmon – Eating foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids reduces the risk of heart disease and other conditions like atherosclerosis. Wild salmon is a fatty fish but it contains good fats that have been proven to improve health in children and adults. Salmon is rich in protein which is of great use after an exercise session to build muscle tissue.

6. Flax seed – Like salmon it contains omega-3 fatty acids. These seeds also contain omega-6 and omega-9 fatty acids. You get a lot of power to fight high cholesterol, heart disease and diabetes with this seed. Ground flax seed can be added to fruit smoothies, sprinkled in yogurt, eaten with cereal or added to pancake mix to name a few.

7. Peppers – Peppers are colorful. They contain antioxidants like beta-carotene and Vitamin C. Peppers range from mild and sweet to so hot you’ll be calling the fire department. All peppers contain a substance called capsaicin. Capsaicin has the properties of an anti-inflammatory, a pain reliever, lowers cancer risk and heart disease. They are good in salads, salsa and all sorts of healthy dishes.

8. Nuts and seeds – Nuts are high in fat but those fats are the good kind. Peanuts, almonds, Brazil nuts, walnuts and pistachios are all providers of good fats and protein. Crush them into a fine powder and use as a coating instead of higher carb bread crumbs. Nuts help to lower cholesterol. Eat them right out of the shell with no additives. Just be aware of your portions.

9. Açai – This berry has been in the news lately. It is rich in antioxidants and increases energy. You can get more done and look better while doing it. You can get Acai juice and supplements in your health food store.

10. Yogurt – The fat free variety is good for you. Yogurt contains calcium, Vitamin B, and protein. If you don’t drink milk, yogurt is an alternative to get your calcium in to build strong bones and teeth. Live yogurt also contains friendly bacteria to help promote a healthy digestive system.

Building a better healthier body begins with what you eat. Try these super foods to get started on the right foot.

Our house goes through a good amount of chili. It’s so versatile and easy to freeze for later meals as well. Chili definitely doesn’t have to be full of fat. Use a lean ground turkey and no one will be the wiser with how much flavor you are adding.

Ingredients

1 lb lean ground turkey
1 small onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
2 cans S & W Sante Fe style chili beans
1 16oz can stewed tomatoes
1 small jalepeno, seeded and diced

1. In a large pot, start to brown the ground turkey on medium. While there is still a little pink left in the meat, add the onions and stir several times to onions do not stick to the bottom of the pan.

2. Once onions are starting to turn a little clear add the green peppers. Saute the green peppers for about 2 minutes.

3. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir together. Let simmer for an hour or more, stirring occasionally.

We love to serve this with a dollop of fat-free sour cream and maybe a little low-fat cheddar cheese. Add a couple of tortilla chips for some fun crunch or serve with warm cornbread.

This recipe can also be made in the slow cooker. Many times I’ll to the first 2 steps and then add all the ingredients into the slow cooker pot and set it in the fridge. Then before we leave for skiing in the morning I’ll put the pot on low and it’s nice and hot when we get home. Easily double the recipe and freezer for later meals.

Well it was brought to my attention that I had put up what doesn’t work, but no link to what DOES work for dieting.  I was referring to Exteme Dieting and how it doesn’t work.   But what does work?!

I have a lot of info and tips around here about what does work. Just hit the Eating Habits section for more info. But I’ll put some basics here in one post, especially since it’s the beginning of the year and on so many minds.

1. Be aware of what you eat! Keeping a journal is the best way to do this. Keep track of the times you eat and if you ate something you “shouldn’t” eat, write down what you were feeling at that time. What was going on? Did you argue, did you have a success? Check that emotional eating and be aware of it.

2. Balance carbs, protein, fat. It is truly about balance. Our bodies need all three to work properly. Did you know that every cell is made of fat? Did you know that your brain can only process carbs? There is no food group that is bad, it’s all about the portions. Now the portions will change and I’ve noticed a distinct difference in how we process these three main foods by sex. But the best place to start is with 40% carbs, 20% protein, and 20% fat. Generally we can get our 20% fat without trying, so don’t go thinking you need to load it in your diet. It’s the lower carbs and higher protein that most have issues with. Protein every meal and snack will help a lot with it. It’s much more than that, but goodness, I can’t hit it all in one short post. Read more of my tips around the horn or you just may need to pay for some specific stuff.

3. No Foods with No Nutrients! This one is a big help. Does it have vitamins or minerals? Then it’s probably not something you need to be eating while you are trying hard to lose weight. It’s a junk food for sure. Not to say it’s not awesome or within your calorie count, BUT if you are trying to lose weight, it’s just not in your ok zone.

There is a difference between needing to lose weight and eating healthy. If you are losing weight then you need to be very strict. You need to pay attention to what you are eating to a T. BUT, once you hit maintenance, you will get a lot of extra calories you can enjoy in the week as long as you keep exercising.

It’s a lot to push into your head I know. Believe me I do KNOW! I’ve been there over the years and my nutrition classes blew my mind when I was getting my degree. Info I ‘knew’ but didn’t know the behind the scenes of why. So please feel free to ask questions, I always LOVE questions. Again, there are quite a few differences between needing to lose weight and just needing to eat to be healthy.

Planning out your meals goes a long way in eating healthier.  Nothing kills a diet more than having to stop and pick up food a few times a week or grabbing that box of hamburger helper full of salt and preservatives.

Back in 2006 when I went back to school to get my fitness training degree I really learned this.  Here I was going to school to help others be healthier and my family and I were getting less and less healthier.  I was working full time, going to school full time and hubby was working a ton of extra hours.  Takeout became the new norm until I got it under control.

Freezer cooking and meal planning became my sanity saver.  There wasn’t a question of what was for dinner, the question was which meal from the list on the fridge did we want to eat tomorrow?  I made meals ahead of time, froze them and pulled them out the day before.  When hubby got home from work he easily popped it in the microwave or oven.  Once I started working as a trainer my daughter and the sitter would be able to make dinner for us because everything was planned out.

That’s why when Once a Week Cooking was up for sale I knew it needed to be mine. Cooking ahead is the only way I can get good dinners on the table without any guilt.  I don’t have time to cook every day and I definitely don’t want to spend the time worrying about what the family is eating on nights I have to work late.

At this time I have general meal plans. All meal plans can be adapted to be less fat as you make them. But just the homemade meals alone are much better than almost anything you will buy going through the drive-thru. In the coming months I will have specialized meal plans for less fat and for dairy free as well.  Other suggestions will be taken into consideration.

This is a 12 month meal plan that is delivered weekly. Cook once and eat all week!

Eating is a part of life. Your body gets its nutrients from food. Sometimes we can go overboard with our eating habits and it can result in gaining weight. One issue with food is emotional eating.

The problem of emotional eating may end with the scale but it begins in the mind. Stress takes its toll on your life. When your defenses are compromised your health takes a hit and so do your emotions.

Everyone has good days and bad days. How we deal with the bad ones brings emotional eating into play. You look for comfort for your hurts. People who turn to food for comfort find a coping mechanism that won’t judge them, hurt them or tell them “no.” To complicate the issue, eating pleasurable foods can stimulate the release of endorphins just like exercise. So, after you eat, you feel better.

Emotional eaters use food to relieve stress. They hide behind the food instead of seeking solutions to the problems. This is not uncommon when the stressor is something horrible such as physical abuse or a death.

But, how do you know you are using food in this way? The first sign is obvious. You will gain weight if you eat too much. In light of the weight gain, examine other areas of your life:

* Have you been under stress lately at work or at home?
* Has anything traumatic happened in the last year?
* Are you dealing with a problem but haven’t found a solution?

Answering “yes” to any of these questions could mean that you are an emotional eater. You eat but you are not necessarily hungry at the time. The foods that you choose are what we term “comfort foods”:

* High fat foods like French fries, fried foods
* High carb foods like macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes
* Sugary foods like ice cream, donuts, cookies, cake

There is help for emotional eaters. The first step is recognizing that you have a problem. You’ll experience feelings of helplessness and guilt. The guilt is over potentially ruining your health and the helplessness lies in the fact that you don’t see a way out. Most of my clients come to terms with the fact they are emotional eaters by keeping a food journal. I tell them to be honest in what they are eating and not to change their diet in our first few days much. I then tell them that if they eat a “bad” food or overeat at a meal, they need to write down immediately in their journal what was going on around them or what they were thinking of. Associating it with the emotions is a major first step.

Secondly, seek counseling. There are many types of counselors out there that can meet your need. Emotional eating has nothing to do with dieting or changing your eating habits but gaining control over your emotions.

A counselor might suggest things like visualization, practicing problem solving skills, relaxation techniques and family support. Visualization helps you to see your problems in a realistic way and not blown out of proportion. You will also learn to see food as nutrition for the body and not an emotional crutch.

Thirdly, your family can learn your triggers for stress and be on the lookout for changes in your eating habits. They can help you be aware of the foods you are eating, assist you in making healthy food choices and exercise along with you. Proper diet and exercise increases immunity, blood flow and positive thinking. Yoga enhances the mind/body connection so you don’t eat when you aren’t hungry.

Finding new ways to solve your problems and deal with stress will push food out of the equation. You’ll feel good about finding solutions which will replace the dependence on food.

I’ve seen a lot of extreme diets out there. My Mom thankfully was never into the extreme, only eat grapefruit stuff, but she did just about every diet plan out there. So I grew up observing each plan and how well it worked while she was on it.

Now I am a fitness trainer and a lot of them hitting their goals has to do with diet. So again, I talk to people that have done a lot of the extreme diets they read about that they swear worked for someone they know.

Lets add in the crazy friends that have done the really, weird extreme diets and you can call me pretty well rounded in observing this issue.

As an observer I’ve seen why these diets don’t work.

1. No follow through. I touched on this with the very first paragraph. I observed how well each plan worked WHILE my Mom was on it. Once she got off of it, everything came back. Some times slower than others. But since these plans were not made to follow forever, there has to be an integration into real eating.

2. They aren’t balanced. Most extreme diets have to do with cutting one aspect of our nutrition out completely. Our bodies are more balanced than that. We don’t run on just one substance. When you take away one substance or even put too much of another in our bodies, we get sick. That’s all there is too it. Our bodies will try to find that substance any way it can or things will shut down.

3. Emotions aren’t dealt with. Let’s be frank. The real reason that 98% of people are doing extreme diets is to lose weight. By not dealing with why you put on the weight, nothing is going to keep it off. You have to figure out why your eating is so unhealthy before you can keep it off. So you will just go back into your old habits again if you have dealt with the issue.