Quote of the day Eat Clean

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Tip of the week by Gloria Averbuch Protein for Your Sports Diet

The Women’s Professional Soccer season is in the thick of the battle for statistical standings, with an eye toward the WPS All-Star Game presented by the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve, on June 30^th in Atlanta and on Fox Soccer Channel.

In the meantime, soccer fans are glued to the substantial action (both on and off the pitch!) of the World Cup.

Here is this week’s Nutrition Tip, an enlightening look at the topic of protein, which often seems to be surrounded by as much controversy as the World Cup!

Protein for Your Sports Diet

Like carbohydrates, protein-rich foods are also an important part of your sports diet. You should eat a protein-rich food at each meal. Some soccer players tend to either over- or under- consume protein, depending on their ideas about healthy eating and lifestyle. While it is true that young athletes have an increased need for protein due to the demands of their sports and the fact they are growing, most tend to consume more than they require.

Whereas high-protein eaters may frequently choose cheese omelets, fast food burgers and other meals filled with saturated fats, others bypass these foods in their efforts to eat a low-fat or vegetarian diet—but they neglect to replace beef with beans, or other appropriate substitutes. Or they equate healthy eating with low-cal protein like skinless chicken breast and avoid important carbs and good fats.

To meet your protein requirement, you should consume one or two protein rich foods per day.

 Recommended daily protein intake:

5 to 7 ounces (or ounce-equivalents; 140 to 200 g)

Here are some examples of protein-rich foods:

Tuna 6 oz (170 g) can, drained

Chicken   6-ounce breast

Peanut Butter    2-4 tablespoons

Kidney Beans   1 cup  

 Excerpted from Food Guide for Soccer—Tips & Recipes From the Pros, with Women’s Professional Soccer, by Gloria Averbuch and Nancy Clark, RD. Available on www.amazon.com or www.nancyclarkrd.com

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Power Green Smoothie Recipe

This is a very simple recipe to make enough smoothies for 3-6 days, depending on how much you like to drink. I make mine in 48oz batches and store them in 16oz glass bottles, that I recycle after drinking kombucha.

Before I do anything, I wash all of my greens, even when they say triple washed.

Recipe

8oz spinach

6oz power greens (pictured below)/kale

2 green apples, cores removed

Juice of 1 lemon

Chlorella powder (1/2 tsp per smoothie but can increase)

Water (among depends on how thick you like your smoothie, I use 8oz)

I just add the ingredients in small bunches, blend, and then add more until its all in. Pretty easy! I use a funnel to put my funnels in 16oz glass bottles, and then grab them when Im ready for them. Sometimes I split one between me and my husband, sometimes I drink a whole one myself. 

Green smoothies are a great way to get your greens in! I dont like fruit smoothies, because blending fruit makes the sugar hit your liver faster.  This can make your liver produce more fat cells, but fiber slows this process. So its important to eat your fruit whole, but I do like the added bite the green apple gives this smoothie.  So if you are having trouble losing weight, then dont blend your fruit and stay far away from fruit juice! 

Follow me on Instagram @ebcangel

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Living Without a Sense of Smell

Image courtesy of graur razvan ionut / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I lost my sense of smell when I was about 7 years old, and to be honest, for most of my life I didnt notice a huge distinction between myself and other people. It wasnt until I started reviewing products and watching people on YouTube that I noticed how much people talk about how things smell. I mean I worry how things smell, but I think I handle it the same way the average person does. However, it honestly never crossed my mind that everything had an odor, like makeup primers or plain lotions. It just didnt cross my mind at all. So Ive been thinking lately about what makes my experience different and how its dictated the way I do things in life.

I lost my sense of smell after I walked into a double swing my dad was pushing my sister on. It knocked me clean off my feet and I was totally out. I can remember the ride to the hospital, a little, and actually being at the hospital, because Im pretty sure that was my first big trip there. Surprisingly I didnt have a concussion but after that my dad said I just stopped smelling flowers. I dont remember the transition and having not smelt anything in 20 years the idea of smelling flowers sounds weird. Now I do remember how a few things smell. As a result my brain will play tricks on me every once in a while, which is extremely annoying, and possible inaccurate given that I think honey, butter, and peanut butter all smell the same, and maybe even chocolate. 

So what does it change in my life? A lot more than I realized when I lived at home. I always thought it was an advantage not smelling stinky diapers when I worked at a nursing home; but its a big disadvantage when you have a baby. I cant smell when something is wrong with my car, like leaking gas or when it gets too hot, but I oddly enjoy working on my own car when the opportunity presents itself. If something is burning anywhere Im none the wiser, gas leaks have almost taken me out a few times, or if something has gone bad in the fridge. I mean Im not complaining, I could really care less because its not going to change, and I dont envy those of you who can smell bad odors. I get that there are a lot of good smelling things in this world, but there are enough pretty things to look at and hear that I figure I could have it a lot worse. My grandfather and all his siblings, parents, aunts, and uncles were all deaf; so if I was bound to have a genetic defect Im glad it was my smell, and not my hearing. My grandpa could hear until he was like 7 or 10 and his siblings werent born deaf either. They lost it after either getting a knock to the head or a very bad infection/cold. So that tells me there is a genetic weakness in the family and mine could have been a lot worse.

Yet Im not gonna claim its all roses all the time. It does effect my taste to a degree. I cant taste wine (its just putrid awful alcohol), herbs, extracts, zest/fruit oils, or subtle notes/flavors. However, I still cook with all of those things. Why? Well I was raised by people who can smell and taste just fine, so I was taught to cook with these things, and I still add them because other people tell me how they taste. The taste ordeal is more frustrating than the smell thing to be honest. Over the holidays I made lemon, rosemary, thyme, and parmesan bread which I was very excited about. Sometimes I forget, not very often but here and there, and couldnt wait to taste it. I did and it tasted just like the plain white bread I made the day before. I was really bummed, which to be honest is an understatement, when my husband told me how fragrant and favorable the bread was. Yet I still make it and cook lots of things that call for herbs. I can taste certain spices as well as sweet, sour, salty, and bitter but I have to rely on the actually juices of lemons or an excessive amount of an ingredient rather than a pinch. Most of the time I just cook like everyone else because Im cooking for my family and I want my daughter to have a wide range where her pallet is concerned. Im a very picky eater because I rely heavily on texture so I honestly dont eat a lot of the fancy stuff I cook, because it does not interest me or the flavor is lost on me. There are a lot a dishes I will never fully appreciate, but I can still eat a peach right off the tree and tell you why its 10x better than the one in the store. Its weird but the simpler the food is the better off I am when I try to tell you what it taste like. 

So when it comes to fragrances, if the bottle cant tell me what it smells like, and comes up with clever name like "How Love Makes You Feel," or something like that, you wont see this girl buying it. I gravitate more toward body sprays like Moonlight Path by B & BW because they tell you all the notes, like lavender and rose, and they even go so far as to explain which notes sit on top and which ones are very subtle. I have to go entirely on description, so companies that explain that stuff are more likely to get my business. For some reason I love lavender. I cant smell it or taste it, in my tea, but I really love it. I think its a combination of how it looks and its soothing and calming properties but if I could only wear one scent for the rest of my life it would be lavender. 

In the future I suppose it will pose more problems than it does now. I cant smell alcohol or smoke and will have to rely on my husband during my daughter teenage years. If her friends do it Ill never know and theyd be able to sneak a lot of things past me. so Ill have to adjust, cause lord knows I would have never made it past my mom. While shes young though I enjoy watching her learn what things smell like and how she reacts to things. She smells, or comments on smells, more things than I would have ever imagined had smells. It just doesnt cross my mind but Im glad she enjoys the world around her and gets to experience all of her senses. So I guess the point is to just appreciate the gift of smell and taste. Most people are thankful they can see and hear but for some reason smelling doesnt come across as something you can lose or never have. 

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Amazing Method to Hack Your Fat Away!

The 3 WEEK DIET !!

Click Here

?#?The3WeekDietPlan?
http://tinyurl.com/nj8m3el
As you would know, the human body is highly adaptable. If you cut your finger, the body would
heal itself in a matter of days - regenerating new cells as soon as the change is noticed.
Well, if you make a big enough change to your diet, the body can adapt right away too by burning
fat in your body at a rapid speed. 

But what you need to do to kick start this change? Is it exercise? Cutting certain foods out of your
diet? Drinking a special tea? Eating certain berries? No, its none of those things.
In fact, it is much more simple than youd think. Checkout the Simple Way to "Hack" Your Fat Away
at:  

Click here for more...... http://tinyurl.com/nj8m3el

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Goals and Menu

We’ve got some new goals around here.  I was super happy to see that Michelle Obama introduced My Plate this summer to replace the old Food Pyramid.  She is a big health advocate and this is definitely a step in the right direction for our country.  Also, I love using this plate as a visual reminder and am trying to teach this to my children too.

Balancing Calories

? Enjoy your food, but eat less.

? Avoid oversized portions.

Foods to Increase

? Make half your plate fruits and vegetables.

? Make at least half your grains whole grains.

? Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk.

Foods to Reduce

? Compare sodium in foods like soup, bread, and frozen meals ? and choose the foods with lower numbers.

? Drink water instead of sugary drinks. 

To learn more about the government’s new guidelines, go here. 

 

Anyways, back to my goals.  I haven’t been feeling my best lately, and I have learned of some changes I need to make to get my strength back.

 

1.  Make at least half of my plate fruits & vegetables.  (Hard for me, but I feel so much better when I do and our Bountiful Baskets are definitely helping!)

2.  Eat more protein.  (Especially for breakfast.)

3.  Cut back on sugar and carbohydrates.  (Even organic sugar and whole grain carbs…waaaahhhh.  I am determined to keep all sugars under 25 grams a day, then work down.)

4.  Exercise.  Regularly.  Get stronger.  (Hard for me, again.  Thanks to my super awesome trainer who is getting me motivated!)

 

This inspiring quote is keeping me going as well.  Love it.

 

So, what are we eating around here this week?

 

Breakfasts

My Favorite Steel Cut Oats (protein powder added) & Peaches

Eggs and Veggies (Loving this high protein breakfast combo lately.  Thinking of trying this and this.)

Peach French Toast Bake

 

Lunches

Salad, salad, and more salad…

Seriously, what a great way to get lots of vegetables!  I also discovered that if you involve your children in the entire salad-creating process, they are much more likely to eat it!  This was Olivia’s very first bowl of salad and she was certain that croutons were vegetables! 

 

Dinners

Veggie Spaghetti Dinner 

Our Favorite Pork Enchiladas

Salmon Cilantro Grains Salad (Tanner’s dad gave us some freshly caught wild Alaskan salmon from their recent trip!  I haven’t had the best of luck cooking salmon, so we’ll see how this recipe turns out!)

 

Snacks

Best Granola Ever (My friend Brittany brought me some in a cute bag for my birthday and I’ve been dying to make more.  Recipe and my own pics coming soon.)

(Copied cute picture from here.)

 

Smoothies

(We have been on a smoothie kick again around here after a long break from them.  The one pictured below was some frozen mangoes and coconut milk.  Wow.  Our daily concoctions usually consist of… )

- some sort of liquid (almond milk, coconut milk, 100% juice)

- usually some organic plain yogurt or Greek yogurt (I just bought Kefir to try for the first time this week!  Yay for probiotics!)

- frozen fruit (pineapples are a must, berries, peaches, whatever)

- 1 T. flax oil (Read here.)

- 1 scoop fruit & veggie mix (trying to use up this super healthy powder I bought awhile back)

The girls are also having a blast sitting on the counter and choosing what will go into our daily smoothies, then we all get our glasses and enjoy!

 

Carrot Apple Muffins – I’m off to go make these right now to use up the carrot shavings that were leftover from my juicing this morning.  That is, after I go workout my legs and core…

 

And just one more picture that I took last week.  I can’t even tell you the excitement I had coming home with healthy goodies from my favorite store and getting a new issue of Clean Eating in the mail!!

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The Dangers of Smoking

Smoking is known be a dangerous habit and can cause a number of health concerns such as lung cancer and other lung conditions.

Some of the conditions that is caused by smoking include:

• Cancer: the types of cancer that can be caused due to smoking include lungs, mouth, nose, throat, oesophagus, pancreas, kidney, liver, bladder, bowel, ovary, cervix, bone marrow, and stomach.
• Lung diseases: lung disease such as COPD, which includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema can be caused by smoking.
• Heart disease: such as heart attack and stroke can also be caused by smoking. If the smoker is also overweight the chances of getting heart disease doubles.
• Poor blood circulation: poor circulation in feet and hands, which can lead to pain and, in severe cases, gangrene and amputation can be caused by smoking.   
• Asthma: The chances of getting asthma increases when smoking, which can lead to bronchitis and other complications.   
• The immune system becomes compromised and the smoker is more prone to colds and flu       

Smoking is one habit that can be hard to shake, but kicking the habit is worth it for the following reasons:

• The risks of getting the above conditions dramatically reduces once you stop smoking
• Breathing gets better 
• Taste and smell may improve 
• Immune system improves 
• Blood pressure decreases 
• Mucus production decreases 
• Lungs begin to repair itself by removing dust, tar and mucus.

 If you live in Australia and need help to stop smoking or for more information go on to the quit website: www.quit.org.au

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