When in the pursuit of a healthy body, protein, carbohydrates and fats are all important macro-nutrients to consider but all the calorie counting and portion sizing are useless unless you are actual digesting your food properly. I do numerous nutritional intakes and one of the most common things I come across is symptoms of an under-active stomach, this usually isn't an issue with young people (but they are not reading this).

As we age our production of HCL (hydrochloric acid) decreases, as does our digestion in general. If you are concerned about body image and muscle mass you should be concerned about HCL. Why? This is because protein digestion starts in the stomach and it makes no difference how much of that stuff you shove down your gob if you are not breaking it down. You must be extracting the amino acids you need to build muscles, support immune function and create neurotransmitters or else you are destined for a weak body, both when it comes to physical capacity and immunity as well as a plethora of mental issues that include the all too common depression.

So what to do?  Ingesting lemon juice and/or apple cider vinegar prior to meals wakes the digestive system up and also alkalizes the body as an added bonus, but here comes the money shot are you ready for it?  Chew your food 20-30 times and assure that what goes down your throat is thoroughly masticated. Did I lose you? Did you wanted some fancy enzyme or trick that was going to appear on Dr.Oz next week?  Well that’s not going to happen because they are no dollars to be made here. When we chew our food numerous times we allow for pre-digestion in our mouth, and it also warms up that big old tank of a stomach for the protein. Do you know that no carbohydrate or fat digestion takes place in the stomach?  Well it’s true, so by chewing you are at least allowing salivary enzymes a chance to help you out.

For you horror buffs, think of this! If you are trying to dissolve a body and you put it in acid (your stomach) it's going to go faster in small pieces. Now that's just gross but the food you eat and your stomach are the same so you have to chew that crap. Start digesting and you will benefit from the nutrients. Too many people have now become ducks and take a bite and swallow, that’s just another problem with our fast paced world. Food is our fuel and supports everything we do yet we treat it like a red headed step-child. If you want to function well eat slowly, eat methodically and stop eating in the car or on the run.

I challenge you all to try and count to 20 chews before swallowing, believe me it’s harder then it sounds but can benefit you more than you can imagine.

EXTRA CREDIT- The art of chewing stimulates the parasympathetic system (the one responsible for relaxation and repair) could you benefit from any of that?








Tags- Calgary Personal Trainer, Calgary Personal Training, Nutrition, Precision Fitness and Nutrtion, Fitness, Health, weight loss

A GREAT WAY TO START YOUR DAY

 

Chia lemonade

1-2 tablespoons whole raw

1-2 tablespoons of fresh squeezed lemon juice

In a large glass of water

Why Chia? These seeds have been used for thousands of years and are an excellent source of protein as well as omega fatty acids. Chia is also chalked full of valuable minerals and vitamins and most importantly an excellent source of fibre. Fibre helps decrease blood sugar spikes and is extremely important for detoxification and proper bowel movements.

Why lemon juice? Fresh squeezed lemon juice is a great source of antioxidants including but not limited to vitamin C. Lemons stimulate the stomach to produce hydrochloric acid which is needed for proper metabolism of protein and is also imperative for the production of intrinsic factor. Intrinsic factor is needed to assimilate B12 in the body which is extremely important to prevent fatigue and depression. Lastly lemons although acidic have a polar effect and actually help keep the body in a more alkaline state which is important for the prevention of many disorders and disease.

There are two ways to enjoy this drink: #1. You can add the ingredients and drink immediately if you enjoy the crunchy taste of the seeds or #2. You can add the ingredients and allow to sit for 20 minutes, this will give the chia seeds time to absorb the water and become very soft (my favorite).





Tags- Calgary Personal Trainer, Personal training, Calgary Nutritionist, Precision fitness and Nutriton

Calories-80
Fats-2 grams
Carbs-4grams
Protein- 11 grams

INGREDIENTS:

2lbs ground turkey (or chicken) You know we advocate organic free ranged!
3 egg whites
1 cup quick oats (sorry slow cooked oats which are better don't work here)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp dry yellow mustard
2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp chipotle pepper spice
1 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp garlic powder
1 small onion (finely chopped)
2 celery stalks (finely chopped)
4 tbsp of hot sauce (as you like)

DIRECTIONS:

#1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
#2. Spray muffin pan with olive oil
#3. Mix all ingredients together in one large bowl
#4. Roll the mixture into balls and place in muffin pan. Muffins should be about the size of a racquetball.
#5. Bake for 40 minutes

Makes 12 muffins.

Serving size- that one is up to you!

Pair with a mixed green salad and you styling!

2.7 million Canadians that have diabetes, 90 percent of those are type 2 which is the type we create through poor diet and lifestyle. 1 out of every 10 people are expected to have diabetes by 2020, 1 million Canadians are living with undiagnosed diabetes, 5.4 million living with pre-diabetes! These statistics are absolutely alarming and very sad because diabetes can have some very unfortunate consequences. 

Here is a crash course in diabetes:

We have all heard of insulin, cells, the liver and the pancreas and these are all key players when it comes to blood sugar regulation. When we eat a meal the food digests and enters the blood stream and then elevates your blood sugar levels. The brain sensing the raised levels sends a message to the pancreas to release insulin; this insulin will help transport the sugar that all food is broken down in to into the cells of our body.

Our livers (assuming you have not lost yours to organ thieves!) have the capacity to store a few hundred calories worth, our muscles also store sugar (slowly), but guess which cells are very proficient at storing sugar? You guessed right if you said “fat cells” these little guys especially the ones located around your belly and ass love to store sugar! This fact is important for other reasons of course and unless you are trying to develop a spare tire or junky trunk not what you want. 

Ok back to diabetes!

So the above process is normal and is meant to happen to maintain homeostasis in our body. Here lies the problem; we all know that if we are overworked we become burnt out and this process is exactly the same when it comes to digestion. When we eat smaller meals and more healthy options low on the glycemic index our digestion takes longer because real foods take longer to be processed in the body before they get to the blood. The problem is we now have a population who eat garbage, nutrient void foods daily.

Fruit juices with added sugar, processed breads, cereals, fruit roll-ups, pizza pops, chips, chocolate, fruit, granola bars, bagels etc. the list is endless and unfortunately misleading marketing campaigns from greedy food companies exploit us and our children. Ever seen or heard these words:

Did you get your fruit today?
NO, well have some V8.
Did you get your fibre? 
NO, well have some special K, nutra grain bars etc. because they are great sources of fibre.
Studies show that after a workout our body needs protein and carbs…..well guess what chocolate milk is a good source of both.
(JUST A FEW OF THE NUMEROUS FALSE AD CAMPAIGNS WE ARE BOMBARDED WITH DAILY)

What are we telling people? So the truth is when we eat these processed foods the above process of quick blood sugar spikes occurs repeatedly and eventually your cells say enough is enough. Of course usually weight gain around the mid-section accompanies this process but slow down skinny because one does not have to be overweight to develop diabetes. So essentially what is happening is little doors on your cells start to close and do not allow the sugar in which of course is why we have higher fasting blood glucose levels. Then to make matters worse the brain tells the pancreas to send out more insulin and eventually the Beta cells, the ones responsible for insulin production in the pancreas become burnt out too and now you are headed for DIABETES.

SO what to do? 

#1. Eat a diet which contains plenty of good quality vegetables.
#2. Eat good quality cuts of meat.
#3. Keep your fruit consumption to a few pieces per day (less for weight loss).
#4. Stop eating from boxes, packages, take away restaurants.
#5. Exercise! (This is a fitness site!)
#6. Stop eating white foods – sugar, rice, bread, flour, pastas, bagels, muffins.
#7. Chew your food thoroughly.
#8. Don’t eat when on the run or stressed.
#9. Eat smaller more frequent meals.
#10. Supplement with Chromium. 

There are more but start here and remember even if you are pre-diabetic or already diabetic the same rules apply. There are varying levels of distress associated with diabetes and the key is to be the best you can be. 

LET’S REVERSE THOSE STATISTICS.

Protein Black Bean Brownies

(Makes about 12, or 6 servings)

1 can Black Beans (rinsed and drained)

3 scoops Protein Powder (vanilla or chocolate)

6 packs of Stevia (or liquid to taste)

1/2 cup Cocoa Powder

1/4 cup Almond or coconut milk

2 Eggs (for those with egg allergies use silken tofu -1 quarter cup for each egg and blended very smooth)

2 tbsp melted coconut oil

For Flavour: 1 tbsp Ground Coffee OR 1/2 tsp peppermint extract OR 1/2 tsp coconut extract

Top with a few chocolate chips or unsweetened coconut flakes before baking.

Directions: Preheat oven to 350F. Blend all ingredients except chips/ coconut flakes in a blender. Pour mixture into muffin baking cups until 3/4 full. Top with chips or flakes and bake for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool and enjoy!

MSG (a slow poison)

The food additive MSG (Mono-Sodium Glutamate) is a slow poison. MSG hides behind 25 or more names, such as “Natural Flavoring.” MSG is even in your favorite coffee from Tim Horton’s and Starbucks coffee shops!

John Erb, a research assistant at the University of Waterloo in Ontario , Canada , and spent years working for the government. He made an amazing discovery while going through scientific journals for a book he was writing called The Slow Poisoning of America.

In hundreds of studies around the world, scientists were creating obese mice and rats to use in diet or diabetes test studies. No strain of rat or mice is naturally obese, so scientists have to create them. They make these creatures morbidly obese by injecting them with MSG when they are first born. The MSG triples the amount of insulin the pancreas creates, causing rats (and perhaps humans) to become obese.

Go into your kitchen and check the cupboards and the refrigerator. MSG is in everything — the Campbell’s soups, the Hostess, Doritos, the Lays flavored potato chips, Betty Crocker Hamburger Helper, Heinz canned gravy, Swanson frozen prepared meals, and Kraft salad dressings, especially the “healthy low-fat”ones…

The items that didn’t have MSG marked on the product label had something called “Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein,” which is just another name for Mono-sodium Glutamate.

It was shocking to see just how many of the foods we feed our children everyday are filled with this stuff. MSG is hidden under many different names in order to fool those who read the ingredient list, so that they don’t catch on. (Other names for MSG are “Accent, “Aginomoto,” “Natura l Meat Tenderizer,” etc.)

But it didn’t stop there..

When you go out to eat, start asking at the restaurants what menu items contained MSG. Many employees, even the managers, swore they didn’t use MSG. But when you ask for the ingredient list, which they will provide, sure enough, MSG and Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein were everywhere.

Burger King, McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Taco Bell, every restaurant — eventhe sit-down eateries like TGIF, Chili’s, Applebee’s, and Denny’s — use MSG in abundance. Kentucky Fried Chicken seemed to be the WORST offender: MSG is in every chicken dish, salad dressing. and gravy. No wonder why you  loved to eat that coating on the skin????– their secret spice was MSG!

So why is MSG in so many of the foods we eat? Is it a preservative, or a vitamin?

Not according to  John Erb, in his book The Slow Poisoning of America , he said that MSG is added to food for the addictive effect it has on the human body. Even the propaganda website sponsored by the food manufacturers lobby group supporting MSG explains that the reason they add it to food is to make people eat more.

A study of the elderly showed that older people eat more of the foods that it is added to. The Glutamate Association lobbying group says eating more is a benefit to the elderly, but what does it do to the rest of us?

“Betcha can’t eat [just] one,” takes on a whole new meaning where MSG is concerned! And we wonder why the nation is overweight!

MSG manufacturers themselves admit that it addicts people to their products. It makes people choose their product over others, and makes people eat more of it than they would if MSG wasn’t added.

Not only is MSG scientifically proven to cause obesity, it is an addictive substance. Since its introduction into the American food supply fifty years ago, MSG has been added in larger and larger doses to the pre-packaged meals, soups, snacks, and fast foods we are tempted to eat everyday.

But what can you do about it? What can you do to stop the poisoning of our children, while our governments are insuring financial protection for the industry that is poisoning us?

Read your labels. Eat whole foods. Stay away from packaged foods.

Protein powders can provide an excellent source of protein in our diets. If you are a conscious eater attempting to balance healthy carbs, proteins and fats at each meal, you are probably aware of the fact that finding lean sources of protein can sometimes be challenging. This is especially true if you are a vegan, a vegetarian or a pesco-vegetarian (consume fish, eggs and dairy).

Protein is essential for immunity,  maintaining healthy body composition and  balancing blood sugar. It is also invloved  in the healing and growth of tissue and muscle, as well as  the production of hormones, chemical messengers and digestive enzymes in the body.





How Much Protein Should You Eat?

Without getting too technical and avoiding the need to weigh or measure your foods, use these simple guidelines.

• Include a serving size of protein roughly the size and width of your palm with each meal three times a day.
• Include a serving the size of half of your palm size and width with each snack twice a day.
• If you are training at high intensities and more than 4 days per week more protein may be required depending on your metabolic type.

Protein Deficiency

I often see vegetarians or vegans displaying symptoms of insufficient protein because they have not made a conscious effort to properly combine proteins or simply have not consumed enough protein to meet their daily requirements. Signs of insufficient protein include poor wound healing, dry skin, hair loss, gas and bloating, poor digestion, frequent colds and flus, prolonged soreness after exercise, mood swings, insomnia and depression.

Without protein, your body cannot properly make collagen to heal the skin; serotonin, dopamine and melatonin to boost mood and improve sleep, growth hormone for repair of body tissues and to slow down aging, digestive enzymes to prevent bloating and indigestion and antibodies to prevent infection.

Protein Powder Options

Since you require protein with every meal and snack, finding readily available sources can be challenging. Protein powders are a useful option. You can choose whey, soy, bean or rice protein powder options. The benefits of these alternatives are outlined below.

• Whey Protein: Whey is superb for weight loss. It has been proven to cause loss of fat and to maintain muscle. Whey also maintains healthy immunity and increases glutathione levels (a potent antioxidant). Out of all of the protein powders, whey is my favourite for both its taste and beneficial effects on the body. When choosing whey read your labels carefully and purchase an isolate form.

• Soy Protein: One of the extra benefits of soy protein is hormone balance as it is mildly estrogenic and can assist with PMS, menopause, prostate health and healthy bones. But, too much of a good thing can also be bad for you. If the soy in your diet comes from sources such as tofu, tempeh or soymilk, it may be best to choose an alternate protein powder other than soy.

• Rice or Bean Protein: Rice or bean protein powders are a good choice for individuals with intolerance or sensitive to dairy (whey protein is made from dairy) or to soy. Vega sport and Mediclear are good options.

Powders can be added to smoothies, yogurt, baked goods and oatmeal. Always buy protein powders that are free of sugars and artificial sweeteners such as aspartame.

Successful weight loss is all about oxidizing (or burning), more calories than you eat. When they go on a diet, many people choose low-calorie alcoholic drinks, mainly because they contain fewer alcohol calories than their regular counterparts.

However, drinking too much has a far more damaging effect than you can predict simply by looking at the number of alcohol calories in a drink. Not only does it reduce the number of fat calories you burn, alcohol can increase your appetite and lower your testosterone levels for up to 24 hours after you finish drinking.

Alcohol calories

According to conventional wisdom, the infamous “beer belly” is caused by excess alcohol calories being stored as fat. Yet, less than five percent of the alcohol calories you drink are turned into fat. Rather, the main effect of alcohol is to reduce the amount of fat your body burns for energy.

Some evidence for this comes from research carried in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Eight men were given two drinks of vodka and sugar-free lemonade separated by 30 minutes. Each drink contained just under 90 calories. Fat metabolism was measured before and after consumption of the drink. For several hours after drinking the vodka, whole body lipid oxidation (a measure of how much fat your body is burning) dropped by a massive 73%.

Rather than getting stored as fat, the main fate of alcohol is conversion into a substance called acetate. In fact, blood levels of acetate after drinking the vodka were 2.5 times higher than normal. And it appears this sharp rise in acetate puts the brakes on fat loss.

A car engine typically uses only one source of fuel. Your body, on the other hand, draws from a number of different energy sources, such as carbohydrate, fat, and protein. To a certain extent, the source of fuel your body uses is dictated by its availability.

In other words, your body tends to use whatever you feed it. Consequently, when acetate levels rise, your body simply burns more acetate, and less fat. In essence, acetate pushes fat to the back of the queue.

So, to summarize and review, here’s what happens to fat metabolism after the odd drink or two.

• A small portion of the alcohol is converted into fat.
• Your liver then converts most of the alcohol into acetate.
• The acetate is then released into your bloodstream, and replaces fat as a source of fuel.

The way your body responds to alcohol is very similar to the way it deals with excess carbohydrate.

Although carbohydrate can be converted directly into fat, one of the main effects of overfeeding with carbohydrate is that it simply replaces fat as a source of energy. That’s why any type of diet, whether it’s high-fat, high-protein, or high-carbohydrate, can lead to a gain in weight.

Appetite

The combination of alcohol and a high-calorie meal is especially fattening, mainly because alcohol acts as a potent appetizer. A Canadian study shows that an aperitif (an alcoholic drink taken before a meal to increase the appetite) increased calorie intake to a greater extent than a carbohydrate-based drink.

Researchers from Denmark’s Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University report similar results. When a group of men was given a meal and allowed to eat as much as they wanted, they ate more when the meal was served with beer or wine rather than a soft drink.

Not only does too much alcohol put the brakes on fat loss, it’s also one of the most effective ways to slash your testosterone levels. Just a single bout of heavy drinking raises levels of the muscle-wasting hormone cortisol and increases the breakdown of testosterone for up to 24 hours. The damaging effects of alcohol on testosterone are made even worse when you exercise before drinking.

The effect of alcohol on testosterone could be one reason that people who drink a lot carry less muscle. In fact, a 1993 study shows that alcoholic men have bigger waists and smaller muscles than teetotalers.

This doesn’t mean you need to avoid alcohol completely, but maybe these guys should.

So, what’s the bottom line?

Although an alcohol-rich meal does increase your metabolic rate, it also suppresses the number of fat calories your body burns for energy — far more so than meals rich in protein, carbohydrate, or fat. While the odd drink now and again isn’t going to hurt, the bottom line is that alcohol and a leaner, stronger body just doesn’t mix.

With all the breads, pastas and gluten in our lives it is sometimes hard to make good choices that also taste delicious. I have developed a couple of awesome recipes that include high amounts of easily assimilated protein that also happen to be very low on the glycemic index. Enjoy but easy on the syrup:)






Katie’s Kick Ass Protein Pancakes
I made this one up myself when I was avoiding carbs and really wanted a fun Sunday breakfast. Great for a day when you need the extra energy for a hike or snowboarding!

• Makes 2 servings
• Ingredients:
  • 1 scoop of protein powder (about 30g protein per serving)- my favourite is vanilla
  • 1/4 cup ground almond flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp vanilla or vanilla extract
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
  • 1 medium mashed banana
  • 1 tsp coconut milk
  • 1 cup mixed berries of your choice (frozen or fresh)
• Directions: Mix all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Mix all wet ingredients (except coconut oil and berries) in a separate bowl then pour into dry ingredients. Mix well. Heat a frying pan with coconut oil and cook pancakes until lightly browned on both sides. Top with heated or fresh berries and enjoy
• Nutritional info (per serving): 307 calories, 14.5 g fat (5.2 g saturated fat), 28.5 g carbohydrates (5.6 g dietary fibre, 15.2 g sugars), 19 g protein.

Cauliflower Pizza Crust
A great option when you are trying to avoid carbs but are craving pizza. Doesn’t hold together like the real thing but you will be amazed at the taste!!

• Makes 2 servings 
• Ingredients:
  • 1 cup riced cauliflower
  • 1 cup shredded skim mozzarella cheese
  • 2 cloves minced garlic
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • any other spices you like
  • Make sure to add extra lean protein (such as chicken) and veggies as toppings!!!
• Directions:
  • Rice or finely chop the cauliflower. If you’ve never done this before- use a food processor and add chunks of cauliflower until it looks like rice. Don’t overdo it. Cook the riced cauliflower in the microwave for 8 minutes in a microwave safe dish. Do not add extra water, the moisture from the cauliflower will be enough. Beat egg, add the cauliflower, and shredded cheese. Mix, then press into a greased pizza pan then sprinkle with the spices. Bake at 450 for 12 to 15 minutes.
• Nutritional Information (per serving):
  • Crust only: 286 calories, 20 g fat, 10 g protein, 2.7 g carbohydrate (1.5 g dietary fiber)

When it comes to food in today’s society, we are bombarded with choices. Most of us know what is good and what is bad for us, but we sometimes gravitate towards the easy as opposed to the healthy. The best guidelines for eating are if you can’t kill it or grow it, likely is not good to put in our bodies. Obviously, chickens can be killed and therefore by this standard we should be able to eat chicken wings all day long, but this of course is not a healthy choice. When it comes to fruits, vegetables and legumes we really can do no wrong, but when it comes to animal products we must choose the parts that are lean in fat and high in protein.

So what does this mean? Can you kill a pizza pop? NO! Can you hunt a hot dog down? NOT!  Can we grow a fish stick? OBVIOUSLY NO! The closer to its natural state something is, the more “natural” it will be for our bodies to eat, digest and extract the necessary vitamins and minerals we need to live and grow properly.

Humans have been hunters and gatherers for thousands of years. Previously we lived in a feast or famine world and we were required to expend great amounts of energy (calories) to hunt and gather our food and survive. If the seasons were short and unfruitful we went without and if the animal population was lean we in turn ate very lean (famine). Conversely, in a plentiful season the opposite was true and we ate liberally.

A very short time ago in our history a movement called the agricultural revolution occurred and we began to manipulate our surroundings. We learned to plant gardens and keep livestock for food and the division of labor has compounded our reliance on this system. We no longer need to expel energy to find our food and typically the people in western countries live in the season of feast that never ends. To make the matter even worse, we are now given a plethora of processed and synthesized food choices that contain an entire alphabet worth of ingredients from preservatives to flavor enhancers to fat emulsifiers, many of which no human was ever meant to eat. Show me a monosodium glutamate tree!

So what do we do? Are we doomed? Of course not, but we need to consciously make good choices when it comes to what we put into our mouths, after all you wouldn’t put gas filled with dirt and oil in your car? So why do we become complacent with our own bodies? As I said before, most of us know what healthy choices look like but we make excuses, we take the easy way out, we buy prepackaged single serving meals, we hit the drive through and blame time for the reason why we make these choices. Perhaps some people really just don’t care. My guess is that if you have read this far maybe you do!

The Plan

Here’s what we need to do:

Our diets should contain 4 to 5 smaller balanced meals per day. As a rule, we should never go hungry, yet never be completely full. The body views digestion as work, but if we take in too many calories in one sitting, we overload the digestive and metabolic systems and we quickly begin to store calories in the form of fat. We should try to eat a diet that avoids high glycemic index foods, for example: candy, cake, ice cream, chocolate or highly processed foods. Instead these items should be replaced with complex carbohydrates which add fiber and phytonutrients to our diet. These can be in the form of vegetables, fruits, whole grains and brown rice. In general, simple nutrient rich foods with very little processing can help our bodies to function optimally!

We also need to consume plenty of water throughout the day (3+ liters). Water is not only involved in many bodily functions it also helps keep digestion regular and keeps feelings of hunger at bay.

So lastly, when preparing a meal try to have a high quality protein source, a complex carbohydrate and fruits and/or vegetables in each meal.

If you are having a hard time deciding how much to eat of each, divide your plate into four quarters.

The first quarter should be a high quality protein source. The second quarter should be a complex carbohydrate or starchy vegetable and the last two quarters should be comprised of vegetables and fruits . I highly recommend that vegetables take priority over fruits in most meals though.

-Be healthy, be happy!