Paleo Diet: Fad Diet or Life Style Change?

 Part 2 in the “Fad Diet or Lifestyle Change?” series is the Paleo Diet!

The paleo diet is when an individual eats foods that basically a caveman would eat, such as meat, fish, fruit, and veggies. This type of lifestyle has gotten a lot of publicity through popular sites like Pinterest and Facebook with in the past few years, although there are research articles dating back all the way to 1997 for the Paleo diet. There are also many celebrities who swear by it (such as Jack Osborne, Jessica Biel, Megan Fox, Matthew McConaughey, etc.) However, just because a celebrity endorses a product or diet/lifestyle doesn’t always mean you should hop onto the bandwagon.  Be smart and do your research first (which is what you’re about to read!)

The Paleo lifestyle is one that can be altered. Some individuals prefer to go extremely low carb (higher protein and fat diet), while others need those carbs in their diet such as potatoes, rice, or extra fruits and veggies. 

There are two main rules I found while doing my research with the paleo diet. 

First, eat whole and nutrient dense foods at all times. No, you do not have to act like a caveman, that’s just the “mascot”. You want to eat foods that are more healthful than harmful to your health. For example, your diet should consist of grass-fed meat and eggs, fresh veggies and fruit, as well as nuts and seeds in moderation.

Secondly, avoid all the processed and sugar added foods out there. Really try to stay out of the middle isles (however- I always like to get my beans, corn, and some other canned veggies that I just rinse under water).  You also want to avoid gluten, dairy, and other sugar or white carb type of grains while on this diet.

You may be thinking to yourself, this sounds great! Or you may be thinking, “this sounds terrible”… either way, here’s some of the benefits and consequences of going paleo.

Benefits:

•        Adapting an extremely clean lifestyle
•        Rich in nutrient-dense food
•        No calorie/macro counting, no grey area.
•   Paleo-style eating emphasizes whole foods, lean proteins, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, and other healthy fats, which is a massive improvement over the average Western diet.
•      You may end up losing weight, gaining clearer skin, and overall feeling better. This is simply because you are eating right and getting rid of processed foods. However, you may feel fatigued at first when you switch over to a Paleo Lifestyle. This is why I always recommend to switch SLOWLY! 
•        The paleo diet truly shows you how awful packaged and processed foods are

Consequences:

•       You eliminate entire food groups, making yo more likely to binge eat them or develop intolerance to it, as well as lacking in a certain mineral. For example, you cannot eat dairy. This may work well for some, however this means no yogurt, cottage cheese, or milk! These things that contain protein and calcium are vital to your diet, and you must find these nutrients elsewhere. Another example is that if you give up dairy for an entire year, you could develop intolerance to it.
•        It may be harder to eat out, although most of the time restaurants are more than willing to accommodate your needs.
•        This is not a “one-size-fits-all” diet. Some people need dairy and legumes in their diet more than others. Find what works for YOU! Personally, I need some type of starchy carb (sweet potato, quinoa, or couscous) in my lunch or else I will be a hangry monster looking to feast the rest of the day.

Overall, what do I think? I think this is your choice! Paleo is such a great way to get acclimated in the clean eating world, or it's a great way to spruce up your diet! However, I choose to just eat clean. I believe that there are no good or bad foods when it comes to legumes, quinoa, couscous, dairy, etc. The only “bad” foods I try to stay away from are processed junk food like chips, baked goods, candy, etc. Remember that if you do want to go on a paleo diet, you MUST start phasing out all your processed foods for at least a week! You need to slowly phase these bad foods out so you do not put your body into shock and develop headaches, stomachaches, fatigue, etc. And if you feel the Paleo Lifestyle isn’t right for you, adjust slowly. Start phasing foods back into your diet to avoid bloating, headaches, stomachaches, etc.

Tip: Although I am not following the paleo lifestyle, (I feel that other than eating dairy, I follow it loosely) I love to search paleo recipes. These will typically be the cleanest and easiest recipes! Below is a chart that I feel represents the way I eat vs. Paleo. Tell me what you think! 

Avoid Holiday Weight Gain

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Lingering Halloween candy, Thanksgiving dinners, Christmas and other holiday Parties, and New Years parties all happen within 1.5 months of each other. This means cookies, festive drinks, party trays, and too many parties to count on one hand! How do you survive and have a great time during holidays without having to loosen a few belt buckles? I've got you covered!

1.) First thing is first- plan ahead!! If you are going to a party in the evening, make sure to keep it healthy all day, just like you would any other day. Eat a filling breakfast, light but protein filled lunch, and a small snack before the get together. When you eat a small healthy snack before a big festive get together, you're less likely to keep skimming the food and more likely to just enjoy yourself! 

2.) Drink half your body weight in OUNCES of water per day. For example, if you weigh 145 pounds, that means you need about 70-75 ounces of water per day to stay hydrated. Staying hydrated will help your body metabolize food faster, make you feel fuller and more awake, and will also help the next day (you know... in-case you had a few drinks the night before). Stray away from sugary and carbonated drinks as much as possible! These will bloat you and will not help hydrate you.

3.) Do not restrict. Enjoy yourself! However, do not go overboard either. We tend to have a bad case of FOMO this time of the year, meaning Fear Of Missing Out. SO many holiday flavors that only come once a year! This is where the 80/20 rule comes into play. You've eaten well all day, so let yourself pick 1-3 treats to eat! One big treat (such as a slice of pie), two medium treats (maybe a decorated holiday cookie), or three smaller treats (smaller pieces pieces of holiday bark, chocolate pretzels, smaller cookies, etc).

4.) Bring a tray of fruit that is cut into fun shapes using a cookie cutter. This will make everyone enjoy eating the fruit just as much as the treats! Or, try to bring a few healthier options, such as the fruit and maybe some steamed veggies for dinner. 

5.) If this is a dinner party, opt for lighter and more healthy options. For example, at thanksgiving choose turkey, salad, sweet potatoes, and other healthy options. Enjoy stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy, and other heavy foods in smaller amounts. Make your plate 80% healthy and 20% (or less) of the not-so-great foods. If you are still hungry after dinner, wait a few minutes, and then grab seconds of salad! Try filling up on salad before enjoying your main course so that you won’t be temped to fill up on stuffing and pie!

Building Endurance

Whether you are just beginning to workout, or you have been working out for a while, building endurance is something all physically active people need and want to do. Sometimes workouts may seem long and grueling at first, but little by little you will begin to start building up stamina as well as endurance by following the steps below. Soon, the 1 mile run becomes a 4 mile run, and you start trimming down and toning up little by little. 

(This is my all time favorite quote. Print it off, and hang it up somewhere you'll see it everyday. This is the best motto of life- whether you're religious or not!)

1.) HIIT it up with interval training. Short bursts of intense exercise spikes your heart rate making your body use more energy (burn more calories) to repair itself. The more HIIT style workouts you do, the faster you will build up endurance. Want more facts on how effective HIIT is? Not only is this one of my favorite websites, but this article explains everything you need to know about HIIT training. Find it here!

2.) Eat. Sleep. Relax. Remember to eat healthy meals and sleep at least 7-9 hours a night as well as setting aside time to relax and connect with yourself. Nothing will hurt your road to fitness more than stress, malnutrition, and lack of sleep. Cutting your recovery time and pushing yourself during a workout are great steps toward having more stamina, however, don’t forget that your body still deserves some R&R paired with a balanced lifestyle to function at its fullest potential.

3.) Get out of the gym as much as you can. Take up hiking, yoga, biking, or swimming instead of going all out at the gym 24/7. As you do more outdoor activities, you will be training your muscles to climb natural hills and use different amounts of energy vs. just steadily being on a treadmill, stationary bike, or elliptical. For example: you do not eat the same food each day… you typically change it up. You want to do this with your workout schedule as well, and a great way to do this is to take your workout outside, or trying something new that you have never done before.

4.) Strength train. Strength training helps build up our bones, muscles and ligaments. Not only does this help you in the future to keep up your bone and muscle health, but it will also help you gain stamina and endurance over time. Strength training also increases your calorie and fat burn, making you a lean, mean, fighting machine. So get out there and life some weights! However, make sure you are practicing proper form. If you are unsure about this, talk to your nearest personal trainer or look up some videos of proper form to ensure safety and quality.

Meatless Monday

If you have eaten in a restaurant or a cafeteria, or even visited the doctor within the past two years you have probably seen many campaigns to stop eating meat on Monday’s. This campaign is called “Meatless Monday”. You may be thinking to yourself… “Okay, so if I don’t eat meat for one day, what good is that really going to do…?” Or, if you’re like me, my first thought was “How the heck do I even get my protein in then?! Guess they want us to carb load that day…”. I finally did some research to see what all the hype is about and the statistics were pretty shocking.

“People who eat fewer animal products have lower rates of obesity, dementia, arthritis, high blood pressure and other serious medical conditions. Nutrition experts worldwide are on board; the American Heart Association, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and Kaiser Permanente are among the leading public health organizations that support reducing meat consumption to improve health and prevent disease.” – The Humane Society

So what can going meatless for one day do for you?

• Start out on a good foot. Typically we start everything on a Monday. We say that our diets start next Monday, or that on Monday we will start to get up at 5am, workout, eat a healthy breakfast, and conquer the world. Well… how many times have you fallen short of your “conquer the world starting Monday” promise? By going meatless on Monday’s you’re actually starting your week out on a positive start! Meatless Mondays are there to say, “Hey, lets have some veggies and a great salad with healthy fats, carbs, etc. and maybe an Iced tea with a lemon instead of our Coca Cola”. This isn’t meant to starve you and have you reaching in your pockets for vending machine money. Meatless Mondays make you think differently. It switches your mindset to having a healthy egg and veggie omelets for breakfast, fruits and veggies as snacks, and some great salads and vegetarian meals (listed at the end of this blog) for lunch and dinner.

• Great for your heart. Okay, so before I did any research on this I kept thinking to myself “I don’t eat red meat so I’m okay. I only like chicken, and that fat free, so it’s heart healthy, right?” Wrong. Although chicken is a great source of lean meats, it is always good to take a day or two off of eating meat. Cutting back on meat decreases your risk of heart disease, can lower cholesterol, and can decrease blood pressure. Studies have found that vegetarians have a 32% lower risk of dying from coronary heart disease than omnivores. Studies have also shown that eating more leafy greens and less red meat can help you live longer.

• It reduces your environmental footprint. Have you ever taken an online quiz to see how large your footprint is? According to EarthDay.org it is a resource that measures how much biologically productive land and sea is used by a given population or activity, and compares this to how much land and sea is available. Basically, how “green” are you. Eating less meat makes you greener! Eating vegetarian, once a week, is using less oxygen and water to produce the meat you love to grill out!

• Lastly, going meatless is fun and easy! Make it something you look forward to. Try out a new recipe once a week! How fun would it be to skip the drive through on Mondays (or any other day of the week if Monday won’t work for you) and stay at home to cook up something really nutritious with a loved one? You don’t have to eat tofu and rice every Monday in order to become vegetarian on Monday’s. Linked below are some really great Meatless Monday recipes!

Try it out, and I know you will not be disappointed. After all, what do you have to loose? Click here for more information and recipes! Give it a go J

http://www.meatlessmonday.com/favorite-recipes/

Simple Changes, Big Results!

Okay, so we all want that “quick fix” to get fit, right? There’s no denying in the fact of how nice it would be to have one simple solution to get rid of unwanted body fat and those awful pounds we all want to loose. But if there were such an easy way, then what would be the point of healthy food and fitness centers? We have to work hard to achieve our goals, obviously. But here are some very simple switches for a healthier and leaner lifestyle. You can start today you will already feel more energized and happier with yourself by next week! So lets start of with the first step…

Starting out…

So how exactly should you start? Do you go to the store and buy every single healthy thing you see on the shelf and eat it? Do you spend 2 hours a day at the gym sweating your butt off? No!

1. First set your goal and make it small. Why do you want to start becoming healthier? Do you want to loose weight? Gain muscle? Gain energy? Once you have the reason of why you want to start becoming healthier go from there.
2. How will you obtain it? Remember the saying “calories in does not equal calories out”. If you eat 500 calories worth of junk food do not think that burning 500 calories on the treadmill will compensate for it. All calories are different; try to eat 500 calories of fruits and veggies and whole grains vs. 500 calories of high sugar junk food. Back to obtaining your goals though.. How will you do it? Keep reading for simple switches you can make to help YOU obtain your personal goals.
3. Stay motivated! Get friends together on this. It is a great way to stay on track, have support, and even become closer as friends. This isn’t a race to see who can loose the most weight. This is a fun support group to help plan healthy meals together, people to go on walks with and help you through the time when you truly want to give up. After all, what are friends for?
4. Do not make excuses! Everyone can live a healthy lifestyle in his or her own way. If you are always at work, try to pre-pack your lunch with enough protein and fiber to help keep you full. Get a cute and fun water bottle that you can take with you to drink lots of green tea and water! Stretch every hour; even do a few desk exercises or yoga moves at your desk to get oxygen flowing! Too busy with the family? Take walks together, do family time at the park and stay active. Not only will you start being healthier, but you will introduce your children to a healthier lifestyle that will help better their lives Physical Activity will reduce your depression, help you think and sleep better, and most importantly improve your health.

Before you go on, here is a quick recap.

1.)  Set your goal. Start of small.

2.)  Figure out how you will obtain it; use the tips below to help you get started!

3.)  Stay motivated with family and friends.

4.)  Sneak in small exercises and stretches to prevent fatigue while at work, or even get people from work to do a 30-minute stretch session with you!

Now, here are some very simple switches you can make in your life to help you get started!

–       Greek yogurt for sour cream. Sour cream is always a must have for taco or burrito night. To get that same “must have” taste, add a scoop of plain Greek yogurt to add the protein and reduce the fat! Also, swap out plain yogurt for Greek yogurt! It offers about 2x the protein and half the sugar, with the same amount of calories, or even less in some cases. Not crazy about the taste? Get a flavored version or mix it into a smoothie!

–       Frozen grapes for Popsicles. Weird idea right?  Pre-wash your grapes and put them in individual Baggies. Stick them in the freezer overnight and the next day you will have your own bite-sized snack vs. a sugar filled Popsicle.

–       Oatmeal for sugary cereal. Admit it. No one actually measures out a serving of cereal to eat. Admit it, you have packed that bowl full of your favorite cereal and added all that milk to get the yummy taste that you love. But… are you actually full after that bowl of Frosted Cheerios (even though you thought they were healthy…?). Try to make some oatmeal and add in healthy fruit, some cinnamon, or even raisins to add the flavor you love. Oatmeal provides high levels of fiber, low levels of fat, and high levels of protein to help keep you fuller!

–       Lean meats for fatty ones. For a boost of protein when watching fat intake, go after lean meats like turkey and chicken over pork and beef. Buy fresh meats and try to grill or bake them. Frying chicken will add the calories and fats you don’t want. Instead of bacon in the morning try turkey sausage, or if bacon is a must have in your house you can switch it out for turkey bacon!

–       Food Prep on Sundays for the week instead of eating out. Fire up the grill or the oven, even the crock-pot! Make some chicken or turkey (lean meats) and freeze it for the week. Right there, you are cutting out the preservatives in the already frozen packs of meat and you know it is fresh lean meat. All you have to do is de-thaw the meat and add it to a salad, egg white omelet, or even use it as the main dish! Also, cut up all your veggies and fruit and put them away in organized containers. You are more likely to snack on the food you pre-made vs. having to wash the produce each time you eat. Make sure your fruits and veggies are always fresh vs. being frozen.

–       Add in vegetables whenever possible. Just like above, prep out your food for the week and add in your veggies! They are great in soups, casseroles, pizzas, smoothies, omelets, and sandwiches. If available, juicing veggies is also a great way to get in your veggie servings! Try to stray away from the high sugar “fruit and vegetable” drinks. More than likely you will be getting more sugar than you bargained for.

–       Choose lighter versions of your favorite coffee drinks. Starbucks Vanilla Latte is 250 calories alone, 6g of fat and 35g of sugar. A “Skinny” version (non-fat milk, sugar-free syrup, and no whip crème) is only 180 calories, 0g of fat and 16g of sugar) if you get a Starbucks drink Monday-Friday every week this will cut back 350 calories, 30g of fat, and 95g of sugar per week! Do the math yourself by looking up nutrition facts of your favorite drink from your coffee place you go to.

–       Yoga instead of Facebook. Got a spare 30 minutes? Instead of hoping on Facebook or Twitter, hop onto a yoga website and get some good yoga moves. This is a great way to get some stretching and exercise into your day. This also gets oxygen pumping into your body and makes you feel more alert and awake!

–       Self-love for self-criticism. Last but certainly not least (this may be the most important!) People often focus on their negative features rather than their positive features. Become aware of your thoughts and actions and take small simple steps to change it. Becoming healthier and more active with family and friends is a great place to start!