Low carb tolerance

Ok so there's a host of diets out there and if you're wanting to lose some weight/body fat you probably have tried several of them. Some of them worked for a while, but at some point you just gave up and went back to the 'normal'. Or maybe it worked for somebody else, but not for you. Well here's the thing, every single body is different, therefore there is not one cut diet that works. It takes a while to figure out what your body responds best to, but there are some pointers that'll help you figure it out faster. Today I want to focus on those people who probably have the hardest time losing weight. People with low carb tolerance.

Do you carry most of your extra fat around your midsection and lower back? Are you naturally broad and kind of thick? Is fat loss you main priority? If this is you you probably to respond well to carbohydrates. If you recognize yourself in this, you want to be careful with carbohydrates and have most of your carbs shortly after your workout.

Make sure you have plenty of protein from lean meats, fish, dairy, eggs, and legumes. Most of your carbs have to come from vegetables, which are fiber rich and some fruit. 9-11 servings and only 1-2 of those servings should be fruit. Healthy fats you can get from avocado, olive oil, variety of nuts, fish oil, flax oil. Don't be afraid of saturated fats either, coconut oil, eggs, grass fed beef, palm oil, and some cheeses are perfectly healthy. Just make sure your fats aren't processed.

Next time a recipe with low carbs, but lots of flavor!

No hassle mango smoothie

I love smoothies any time of the day, but with a bunch of fruit added and possibly juice it's easy to get lots of sugars in a smoothie that the body doesn't actually need. This doesn't mean that I shouldn't have any smoothies (yay!), I just have to be smart about the timing of it. So I have my smoothie right after my workout when sugars are absorbed faster and can actually help with recovery and muscle building. No I'm not looking to become bulky or anything, but ladies for the majority of us it's difficult to get bulky anyway (unless you're on something).

So here's my super easy no hassle mango smoothie with only 3 ingredients since after a workout I don't feel like making a complicated smoothie.

Ingredients:
- 1 cup of frozen mango 
- 1 cup of buttermilk
- 1 scoop of vanilla protein powder

Well do I need to write directions? Just blend it all together in a blender or little 1 serving blender. Add more buttermilk if you like it thinner. I like using buttermilk because it makes it tangy, creamy, and is low in calories. 

Vegetarian diet yes or no?

More and more people choose to eat less meat, become vegetarian, or even vegan. From an environmental standpoint I totally understand and respect this choice. From a health standpoint though I don't really understand this choice. Instead of going straight to being a vegetarian or vegan I would suggest to get free range and grass fed meat. It is so important to get lean protein at every meal and although there are plenty of protein-containing foods these are often higher in calories, carbs, and soy for example has to be consumed in moderation. So rather than avoiding meat you can achieve all the health benefits of a plant-based diet by just eating more veggies, legumes, nuts, seeds and fruits.

Going for a plant-based diet? You hopefully know that you need to get protein from other sources, but what you might not know if that you're also short on other nutrients. Here is the list and what you can do to balance your intake.

Vitamin B12. Mostly found in animal foods so make sure you get a supplement or get it from fortified foods like grains or non-dairy milks.

Calcium. Found in leafy greens, tofu (large intake can compromise thyroid function and raise estrogen levels though), fortified non-dairy milks, legumes, and nuts. 

Iodine. Kelp and other sea veggies, asparagus, leafy freens, iodized salt/sea based salt.

Omega-3 Fat. Flax, hemp, walnuts, seaweed and other marine-based supplements. Make sure it's high in both DHA and EPA.

Vitamin D. Get some sun! Around noon is the best source for Vitamin D. No sun? Get a supplement, about 1000 IU/day should do it unless a test tells you otherwise.

Zinc. Zinc absorption from plant food is lower than from animal foods. Have calcium in between to help zinc absorption. Good sources of zinc are quinoa, wheat germ, lentils, chickpeas, tahini, almonds, pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, goji berries, dried apricots, cocoa powder/nibs.

So if you do choose to give up animal foods make sure that you plan carefully. Your body could miss out on essential nutrients such as protein and other vitamins and minerals plus it's often not beneficial for fat loss, but that's another subject :)


Article on grass fed beef
http://www.lifetime-weightloss.com/blog/2010/3/14/5-reasons-to-choose-grass-fed-beef.html