Calories vs. Chemicals Part 1

Happy Monday everyone! Welcome to Calories vs. Chemicals part 1. 

In an effort to not gain the freshman 15 in college, I survived off of diet coke and lean pockets.  I thought diet coke was the most amazing thing since sliced bread and the lean pockets had way less calories than actual pizza... If I only knew what I was putting into my body! Once I stopped obsessing over calories and actually started to look at the ingredients in the food I was eating, (along with juicing) I then became successful in losing 30+lbs. 

 Throughout my year long journey as an avid juicer, I have learned so much about food and the myths behind what the food industry has had us eating up for years.  The biggest lesson learned has been that calories are not scary... the toxic chemical overload in food is.  Toxic chemicals are constantly accumulating in our bodies because the industry has had us obsessing over calories for years with labels like: "Low Calorie" "No Calorie" "100 Calories" 

Let me ask you a question... When you are purchasing your groceries and you turn your food or drink item over to check the calories, protein, fat etc.  How often are you checking the ingredients? 

   

When we focus only on the calories, we miss the fact that in exchange they are filling our food with toxic chemicals.  

& the scariest part about this is 

The more we fill our bodies with nutrient dense foods & empty calories, the harder we make it on ourselves to lose weight and the more we put our health at risk.  

Here is a short 2 minute video on chemicals in our food! I love this video and the way it describes what science and technogoly is doing to our food.

Let's take a look a protein bar.  Most of us think a protein bar is an optimal healthy snack.  They have protein, tons of delicious flavors, they're portable... something we can keep in our car or purse.  In hindsight, it's perfect! Not to mention that it comes off as a healthy alternative. 

At a first glance we see 20 grams of protein 

Flip it over and read

Calories: 280 

Fat: 10g 

Carb: 29g 

Protein: 20g 

Ingredients: 

Soy protein, isolate, beet juice concentrate, organic brown rice syrup, organic dried cane syrup, palm kernel oil, organic peanuts, cocoa, organic rolled oats, vegetable glycerin, soy protein concentrate, natural flavors, peanuts, peanut flour, rice starch, organic sunflower oil, unsweetened chocolate, inulin (chicory extract) sea salt, organic oat fiber, soy, lecithin, calcium carbonate, organic vanilla extract, cocoa butter, vanilla extract, natural vitamin E, calcium, carbonate, magnesium oxide, ascorbic acid, DL-Aplha tocopheryl acetate, thiamine monoitrate, beta carotene, niacin amide, D-Calcium pantothenate, riboflavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride, erocalciferol, cyanocobalamin, potassium iodide.  

Can you pronounce that last sentence?  I know I had a hard time with it.  I am not in any way trying to discredit protein bars or say that you should never eat them. I am just simply trying to bring awareness to the chemical overload in foods we think are better than others.  

3 Rules of Thumb

 If you can't pronounce it, Don't eat it 

Try to stick to prepackaged or frozen foods that have 10 ingredients or less 

If it has a long shelf life, put it down 

If anything, I encourage you to start reading the labels on the back of food.  When you can, buy local. Food should always come from the farm and go straight to your table.  Ditch the diet and just be the healthiest, happiest version of yourself that you can be! 

Stay tuned for part 2 later this week, where we will compare and decode labels! 

XoXo

-Ashley 

For Daily Tips and Recipes follow me on: 

Instagram: ashleynicolemora1 

Twitter: MissAshleyMoora 

Meal Prepping 101 with Natalie Durham

Meal Prepping 101

 by:

 Natalie Durham

Hi, my name is Natalie Durham and today I am going to be sharing with you the basics, benefits and overall 101 of meal prepping for beginners. But first, I want to share a little more about my fitness and health journey within the past year.

After spending the last 15 years of my life active and athletic, I spent a semester studying and traveling abroad. I found myself enjoying mass quantities of beer, delicious food and not working out the way I use to (AKA… I was packing on the pounds to say the least). After about three months of being home, I looked in the mirror and realized I had gained weight. Shocked and disappointed with myself, I decided enough was enough. I began to workout religiously and cleaned up my diet. I started my journey on May 2013. A year later, I am down 35 pounds and a little over 11% body fat. Today, I can look in the mirror and smile right back at myself. However, most of that progress was made during Nov 2013-May 2014, when I started properly meal prepping all of my meals. 

Before getting started, I want to stress that not only is everyone’s body different but also our LIFESTYLES!  Everything that I will be sharing today is from my own personal experiences. Taking the time to learn what has/has not worked for my own body and lifestyle. I STRONGLY encourage you to do the research, and even more importantly, listen to how your mind and body feel/respond.

What exactly is meal prepping?

Meal prepping is cooking, making and storing a few days or a full week worth of food. Having all your tasty meals and snacks ready to eat or take on the go when needed!

Why should I meal prep?

Let’s be honest here. When we are hungry… WE ARE HUNGRY! We want food right then and there, in front of our faces, in our mouths and are willing to do almost anything to make that happen as quickly as possible. Not ONLY does meal prepping make that happen for us but it stops us from resorting to food that will have negative effects on our progress such as fast foods, the vending machines in the office or not eating anything at all! Just remember…

How do I meal prep?

I like to store my food in reusable microwavable safe Tupperware that can be found at a local grocery store, Wal-Mart and/or Target or Ziploc plastic bags I can just toss after using. On Sundays, I plan out my meals for the week (Sunday to Sunday), write my grocery list, go shopping, cook, and then store all of my meals.  I buy most of my produce from Sprouts (fresh, organic and reasonable prices). My proteins (meats) I buy from my local grocery store, which carries an all natural selection brand.

I prepare every meal and snack for the day except for breakfast. Personally, I like having fresh oatmeal, protein pancakes or egg white omelets in the morning, so I am willing to wake up early enough to have time to cook it before I run out the house.

I eat anywhere from 5-7 (depending on how hungry I might be) “meals” a day every 2-3hrs. I say “meals” because 3-4 of those are actually a small snack. Typically, each container will have 3-4 oz. of protein, 1-3 cups of veggies and one serving of a healthy carb.

Tweaking your meal prep every few weeks is important when getting started. Start your meal prep and within the next two weeks pay close attention to how your body responds. You may need to add more protein, carbs, and veggies or vice versa, take some out.

Sample meal prep layout

Meal 1

4 egg whites with 1 cup of veggies

½ cup of oats (measured dry)

Meal 2

1 cup Greek yogurt w/ 1 scoop protein

Meal 3

4 oz. protein (chicken)

3 cups veggies

1 serving carb (sweet potato)

Meal 4

Same as above or:

8-12almonds, or1 green apple, or a protein shake, or 1 of Ashley’s fresh juice recipes, etc.

Meal 5

4 oz. protein (salmon)

1-3cups veggies

Grocery List

These are a list of foods that I rotate in and out of my meals all the time. In order to keep myself successful with meal prepping, I have to make sure I don’t get bored with my food. Keeping my taste buds guessing by constantly switching up my meals helps me not to “cheat”. 

Proteins:

·      Chicken breasts

·      97% lean ground turkey

·      Egg whites

·      Wild caught salmon

·      Tilapia

·      Tuna

·      Protein powder

·      Almonds

·      Greek Yogurt

(I personally only eat red meats on very rare occasions)

Veggies:

·      Spinach

·      Broccoli

·      Asparagus

·      Brussels sprouts

·      Baby bell peppers

·      Green beans

·      Mushrooms

Carbs:

·      Sweet potatoes

·      Quinoa

·      Brown Rice

·      Oatmeal

Fruits:

·      Grapefruit

·      Berries

·      Green apples

My Secret Weapons

For every meal I prep, I can guarantee that I will be using one or more of the following items that make prepping easier and/or tastier for myself without adding the extra calories. 

·      Cinnamon (I put it on EVERYTHING… well almost)

·      Mrs. Dash seasoning (No salt!)

·      Sweet Drops (Stevia)

·      Vanilla Extract

·      Walden Farms BBQ sauce and pancake syrup (No sugar AND zero calories)

·      Trader Joes Olive and Coconut Oil Spray (Zero calories)

Helpful Hands

Knowing where to start and staying on track can be tricky.  Thank goodness there is so much out there to help us. I suggest taking the time to consult with a professional or going to a website that can help you work out exactly how many calories you should be consuming a day for your body type.  One of my favorite apps and websites that can honestly do it all is: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/. I use it all the time to see how many calories a certain food contains, track my progress, my food diary and keep myself motivated. Check it out! 

Stay Motivated!

In my fitness and health journey, diet is HANDS DOWN the hardest part for me.  When craving starts getting the best of me I chew gum, drink water or find a clean and yummy recipe I can make instead.  At the end of the day, there are no excuses.  

I love the quote, “ You can have results, or you can have excuses. Not both.”  When it gets hard, remember why you started. I think back at how I felt when I looked at myself in the mirror and tell myself I never want to feel like that ever again.  30 minutes of satisfaction from a piece of dessert or junk food is not worth the set back from having the dream body you have desired your whole life.  These are things I say to myself and it works. Do I cave sometimes? YES! But… life is all about balance and happiness. Eat your prepped meals and every once in a while, treat yourself to something you deserve.

Lastly, always be proud of your journey in life. Regardless of what your goals are, do not let anyone steer you away from accomplishing them. Find something you are passionate about and RUN with it! At the end of the day, most people will still be talking about what they are going to do while you are out there making it happen.

We all deserve happiness and well being!

 

You can follow me on Instagram and Twitter @natalieedurhamm. I hope to chat with you all again!

Xo,

Natalie