Fat Free... It's a big Fat lie!

I used to be one of those people who would buy fat free milk, fat free yogurt, fat free butter (seriously what was I thinking? No good can be in that?!), fat free salad dressing, fat free sour cream and so on. It doesn't surprise me that so many people think it's the 'healthy' thing to do. In my job I talk to so many people who tell me they eat healthy and start telling me about the fat free and whole wheat (that's for another day) products that they eat. I don't want to be discouraging, because at least they try to be healthy, but I sigh on the inside. What has the food industry done to make us believe we should eat all this man made fat free junk?

Why should you not eat artificially made fat free dairy products? 
- It often has more sodium in it 
- It often has more sugar in it
- It has a bunch of added ingredients in it to give it the right consistency (fat free yogurt would look like watered down cottage cheese without it)
- It doesn't keep you full like a full fat product does and you'll reach for other snack shortly after to fill you up again
- Full fat tastes better
- Your body needs fat to run properly
- And many, many other reasons...

Fat is not bad! This doesn't mean you should eat ice cream, cookies, or cake to get healthier. You still want to steer away from sugar (and fake sugars) and also the higher your fat intake the lower your carb intake needs to be. Make sure you get a good amount of fats from nuts, avocado, olives, olive oil, fatty fish etc. 

Chocolate dusted almonds

I've been slacking off! Maybe the wait makes you more excited to read the blog again :)?

Well I've been experimenting in the kitchen. I saw the chocolate dusted almonds they have in the store and wanted to get them until I saw the price. They're 12 dollars per pound, while I buy my raw almonds at 12 dollar per 3 pounds. So it only made sense to make it myself plus that way I can control what's in it.

Don't get me wrong though, raw almonds are better for you than chocolate dusted almonds. This is just my version of eating a healthy yummy snack. There's only a few people I know who don't like chocolate and in my humble opinion they're crazy (if you are one of those people, it's nothing personal :)). Almonds are a great source of healthy fats and dark chocolate is a source of anti-oxidants. The maple syrup in this recipe... well that's just good for the taste buds.


You need:
2 cups almonds
2 tbsp of organic maple syrup (or you can use honey or agave syrup)
4 tbsp of unsweetened dark cocoa powder
coconut oil for pan

The Result

Preheat oven at 275. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and cover it with light coat of coconut oil. Put almonds in bowl and pour maple syrup over top. Stir and make sure each almond is covered. Add cocoa powder and stir until all almonds are completely covered. Spread out on baking sheet and stir after 10 minutes and after 20 minutes. Bake for a total of 25 minutes.

PB chocolate ice cream

Peanut Butter Chocolate ice cream... what?!?! Yes that's right I just got done with dinner and had some delicious ice cream for dessert. I absolutely love chocolate and I know I'm not the only one. When you want to live a healthy lifestyle you don't have to miss out on good tastes! So I figured you all (sorry I just can't do the "ya'll", doesn't sound right coming from me) would like a healthy chocolaty dessert.

Here's what you need:
- 3 frozen bananas
- 3 tsp of dark chocolate powder (unsweetened!)
- 3 tbsp unprocessed peanut butter (you know the kind you have to stir before use)
- whole milk (preferably organic) Lactose intolerant? Use unsweetened almond milk or coconut milk
- food processor

Mix all the ingredient in the food processor and add milk only enough to make it spin. It'll become a gooey texture. Freeze it for about 3-4 hours and enjoy! Couldn't be easier right? As you can see you can also make a smaller batch by using 1 of each :)

After workout option: instead of using chocolate powder use chocolate protein powder.

Carbs or no carbs?

I changed my mind, no recipe today, because I found this info more important.

A lot of people think carbs are evil, and they can be, but they don't have to be. It's very important what kind of carbs you eat and when you eat it. When it comes to carbs it's all about TIMING. There is a difference between people who want to lose fat and people who want to gain muscle however (I'm assuming not many people have the goal of gaining fat or losing muscle so I'm leaving those two out :)). So I decided to give you two scenarios; carb timing for fat loss and carb timing for muscle gain.

Fat Loss:
You have to earn your carbs. Do you want to have some bread or pasta? You can, but mostly within 1-2 hours after exercise in combination with a good source of lean protein (watch out for fat intake after your workout it'll slow down your metabolism during that time). Another time to have carbs would be with breakfast, but make sure you eat it in combination with protein. Always try to go for the least processed, organic food. So you don't have to eliminate your carbs, you just have to control it. 

Muscle gain:
When you're looking to gain more muscle you want to have an exercise drink (good guideline is 20-30g carbs + 15-25 g protein + 600 ml water) during and after your workout. Have a meal with unprocessed carbs within 3 hours after your workout and depending on how well your body tolerates carbs you can have some (generally 30% of your meal) with every meal too. Just like with fat loss try to go for the least processed, organic food. 

Next time you will for sure get a recipe though! Have you bought coconut oil and quinoa yet?

Detox 'Diet'

Watch out! I'm on my soapbox today!

It's popular nowadays to do a detox, especially at the beginning of the year. Some people do it to lose weight, others to get rid of toxins in their body, and others just because it's the thing to do at the time. Dr Oz told you that it's good for you and somehow a lot of people think that whatever he says is true without doing any more research. I'm not saying doing a detox is bad, I actually think the opposite! I think it's a great way to get rid of toxins in your body or to kick start your weight loss again. The thing that I don't understand is that people think that it's a good idea to do a Lemonade Diet for a few weeks to lose weight. What are you going to do after that? You can't drink a mix of maple syrup, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper forever. Or even when you eat just veggies and fruit for 2 weeks you put yourself in trouble. Although veggies and fruit are both good for you, and have a lot of nutrients, they don't provide all the necessary protein. Know that when you starve your body like that it'll try to get nutrients from the most nutritious part of your body, which is muscle. You're not actually losing that much fat, it's mostly water weight that you lose. Now that your metabolism has slowed down, you're more likely to gain fat once you start eating your regular diet again. Here are some ideas for a good detox plan:

1. Prepare in advance. Don't go cold turkey, but slowly wean yourself off of coffee, soda, carbs, chocolate, or whatever you're addicted too. Start doing that 1 week before you're actually starting your detox

2. You're not using any animal products during your detox, but make sure you use a substitute protein. Rice and pea protein are a great option (no soy, too much of it raises your estrogen levels). You can get that at Whole Foods, Trader Joe's or I can get it for you too. Use it in a smoothie with some berries, unsweetened almond milk, and if you're into it put spinach or some other type of vegetable in it. A great breakfast of snack!

3. Don't starve yourself, simply have lots of vegetables, fruits, legumes (beans are a great source of protein when eaten in combination with other foods), and nuts (healthy fats).

4. Don't stop working out (if you work out that is), simply do less intensity. See it as a time of recovery.

5. Drink plenty of water. A rule of thumb is half your body weight in oz. You can have decaf tea (unsweetened!) as well.

6. No carbs (such as bread, rice, pasta, cereal etc), no added sugars (not splenda, aspartame etc eiter), no alcohol, no caffeine (no I'm not trying to ruin your life!).

7. Do it only for 2 weeks and start going back to a more sustainable diet.

Check in next time for another recipe!

5 eating habits

There is so much information about food out there that it's hard to see the three through the forest. Some sources say we should eat a low fat, low calorie diet. Others say we should eat plenty of fats, because it'll keep you full longer. Some say it's good to have a lot of protein, while other sources say to not have too much protein and more whole grains. Oprah said once that you shouldn't eat anything after 7 PM so that must the be truth right..? Some say nuts are a great source of protein, other sources will tell you that it's actually not significantly high in protein compared to the calories. Some say all saturated fats are bad, others say it's good for you depending on what you eat with it. Today I'm not talking about whether I agree or disagree with these statements (don't worry I'll get on my soap box another day), but I want to make it simple for you. Teach yourself these 5 eating habits and it will get you a long way:

1. Eat slowly and stop at 80% full. It takes a while for your body to notice that you're full so learn to listen to your appetite signals.

2. Where is the protein? Eat protein dense food with each meal (for women 20-30 gr, for men 40-60 gr). It helps to achieve the best health, body composition, and performance.

3. Where are the vegetables? This is an important source of vitamins and minerals that helps your body to function correctly. It also provides an 'alkaline load' to the blood, since protein and grains give acid loads to the blood.

4. Where are the carbs? If you're looking for weight loss you have to earn them. After exercise is the best time to have carbs and look for unprocessed carbs. (more on this when I write about body types)

5. Where are you fats coming from? Get it from whole food sources such as fish, nuts, olives, avocado, seeds. If your carb intake is high your fat intake should be low and vice versa.

Pack a Snack

I'm sorry about my absence the last few days. We moved to a different place so I've been busy packing, unpacking and all that good stuff. We're all settled now and I'm back online!

Today I'm giving you a recipe that I got from my brother. He is a great cook and makes the best healthy snacks. A few years ago he and his wife started eating more organic food and they've noticed the importance and benefits of it. Now they eat pretty much all organic! 

This snack is perfect for when you're on the run in the morning, doing endurance workout for longer than 1 hour, or when you just have no other option besides fast food. Remember though, don't let this be a replacement of your daily 8-12 servings of fruits and vegetables (2 pieces of medium sized fruit). Always try to make time to have fresh and real food! "Let food by thy medicine and medicine be thy food" - Hippocrates.

Ingredients:
- 4 ripe bananas
- 4 eggs
- 350 grams old fashioned oats (not quick oats!) + 150 grams almond meal
- dash of ginger powder
- zest from 1 organic lemon
- juice from 1 lemon and 1 orange
- 15 drops of stevia
- 2 tbsp melted coconut oil
- Optional 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
- 100 grams of dark chocolate (at least 72%), or use dark chocolate chips

Directions:
Mash bananas to a smooth paste. Whisk eggs, add bananas and add the rest of the ingredients. Taste to see if there is a good balance between sweet and sour. Add chocolate and mix it up. Spray the pan with either olive oil or use coconut oil, put mixture in pan, and make it into a big chunk of half an inch high. Use a wet spoon to press the mixture down so it's a solid square. Bake for 45 min at 300 F (150 C). Let it cool and cut into bars. You can even freeze the bars for later too!