Coconut Milk: Can vs. Carton

With the marketing of products being healthy and nutritious, it is our job to be vigilant on which foods we consume. Let’s take coconut milk (not to be confused with coconut water or coconut oil) for example: Carton coconut milk has become quite popular and not going to lie, I also used to be a fan couple of years ago. Over the last year I have decreased my intake of Almond milk and Coconut milk in a carton because the ingredients list is TOO long! Isn’t it supposed to be ground almonds, water, and maybe one other ingredient?!

Check out the list of ingredients for:

SO DELCIOUS Brand Coconut Milk              

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coconut Dream Coconut Milk

As you can see – the list of ingredients for Coconut Milk in the box cartoon is 11 ingredients long [Water, coconut cream, evaporated cane juice, inulin, cocoa, carrageenan, guar gum, and more].

Prevention Magazine: The Natural Ingredient You Should Ban From Your Diet

So what to use? Well dairy milk isn’t all that great for you either with the cows shot up with hormones, and the milk being pasteurized – there really isn’t anything good in there for you.

I chose to bring it back to the basics – in my shakes/smoothies I use good old fashioned water – along with fresh fruit, protein powder, etc.

In my coffee I have started trying to drink it black, but when I need a little creaminess I add a teaspoon of canned coconut milk.

Check out the list of ingredients for AROY-D

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients for canned coconut milk: Coconut extract 60%, water

60% of a real coconut and water. I know what both those ingredients are!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nutritional Value

170 calories for 1/2 cup and 17g of fat.

I am not saying this coconut milk will help you lose weight but what I am saying is that our bodies are meant to consume real, whole foods. Real whole foods as you can see SOMETIMES are higher in calories so a) be aware of this and b) either avoid it and it’s alternative if you are trying to lose weight or c) practise portion control.

Ironically with the explosion of “healthy foods” on the market we are also seeing a rise in diseases – ulcers, cancers, and mental health diseases.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Workout Tips to Tone Your Arms

Workout Tips to Tone Your Arms

Arms are like the cover of a book: if the cover of the book is attractive, the book instantly becomes more appealing. The author/artist of the book feels confident and proud of his masterpiece and rightfully so. Though I strongly believe in being fit and healthy from the inside first, why not sculpt your arms in the process to give yourself something extra to feel good about! So here we go, let’s get into exactly how to tone your arms! Read tips!

Healthy, High Protein Breakfast for You (& the Kids)

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day so I always make sure I eat breakfast at home. Being a busy professional I have an early start so I need a breakfast that is quick,  nutritious, and since I won’t get to eat again for atleast a few hours I need a high protein!

These healthy breakfast pancakes are perfect. They’ve even been kid tested and approved!

High protein breakfast

Here is what I do to help make the morning breakfast a little faster:

Night before:

1. In a bowl: Mix 1/4 cup oats, 2 tbs raisins, 1/2 scoop protein powder, 1 tsp ground flax

Morning:

2. Add 4 egg liquid egg whites to the bowl and mix it all up, couple splashes of water so its not lumpy but still congeals

3. Heat a pan over medium, spray with coconut oil spray, spread the oat/egg white mixture in the pan evenly

Then I go get changed (Note: I can do this because having done this recipe for so long I know how long it takes and don’t have to watch it. For YOUR first few times may be good to just be on standby).

4. About 4 minutes later when the sides are cooked (not liquidy) take a flipper and flip it over. When you lift it up it will all lift as one piece and is easy to flip. Then let it cook for another minute.

I then take the pan, flip it on to a plate and while its hot put a tablespoon of peanut butter on. As the pb softens, it’s easy to spread.

If I’m in a rush I’ll fold it up and eat it, but if I have 5 minutes I will sit down and eat it with a fork.

Here are the benefits of making this breakfast

1. Very high in protein (this should actually be #1)

2. Low glycemic (sugar)

3. High fiber (oats, flax)

4. HEALTHY & Easy

5. It’s DELICIOUS

 

If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to leave a comment and I will get to it ASAP

Workout Tips to Lose Weight

Workout Tips to Lose Weight

Image from Torontocaribbean.com

Losing weight requires effort, diligence, and persistence. Often time’s people expect to see results but they’re not following the right steps. My career as a fitness professional is greatly rewarding when I see clients busting through plateaus, hearing how energetic and alive they feel while losing the weight they don’t need.

Follow these 5 tips closely and you too will be on the road to losing weight.

 

 

 

 

 

Workout Tips to Build Muscle

Image from ownbond.com

 

Building muscle is a term that can be easily misconstrued because automatically the vision of a hulk-size man with bulging muscles and popping veins comes up. In reality, building muscle means increasing the amount of lean tissue–which is associated with longevity and being fit. Though snaking on vegetables and eating a lower carb diet is the majority of what we read and hear, it’s not necessarily the best when it comes to building muscle.

Read these workout tips to help you build muscle and preserve your fat-burning capacity!

Bootcamp March 2015!

Our bootcamps are run circuit training style to maximize fat-burning and muscle strength endurance.

 A group of 15 come together for hard work, sweat, and bonding as you all work towards improving your fitness!

Burnaby Bootcamp March2015

Email Us to Register

Top 10 150-200 Calorie Healthy Snack Ideas for Weight Loss

Here is a list of snacks that will keep your blood sugar levels stable and help you eat a contained size portion at your next meal:

– 2 Rvyvita toasts OR Plain rice crackers with Almond/ natural peanut butter

– 2 Ryvita toasts with Almond/PB and 1/2 a sliced banana

– 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt with 2 tablespoons of nut/seed mix

– Small apple/orange/pear with 10-12 almonds OR walnuts

– A slice of sprouted grain bread with 1/4 avocado and slices tomatoes

– 1 scoop of protein powder mixed with water or almond/rice/coconut milk

– 1/2 cup cottage cheese with cherry tomatoes and black pepper for seasoning

– Carrot/celery/cucumber sticks with 2 tbsp hummus. (See my Pumpkin Hummus Recipe)

– A slice of my guilt-free, gluten-free Banana Bread

– 3 egg whites w/ 1/4 avocado

– 3 scrambled egg whites on a rice cake topped with Trader Joe’s Salsa

Healthy Snacking to Lose Weight

Having a healthy snack or 2 throughout your day will help keep your blood sugar levels stable. Avoid going more than 4 hours without eating as this is what happens:

– Blood Sugar levels drop

– Energy levels drop

– Cortisol levels increase 

– Body starts craving a quick source of energy providing foods (i.e. SUGAR)

– Portion control goes out the window and we consume more than necessary

The snacks you choose could easily be the downfall and be the reason you are having trouble loosing weight. The problem I often hear is people snacking on fruit, granola bars, cheese & crackers. I can’t say these are the best choices for weight loss unless you are cautious of the portion.

Fruit is great as it contains nutrients and vitamins that help nourish our bodies. Assuming you are trying to loose weight, fruit alone does not make for a great snack because of the large ratio of sugar. A banana for example spikes your blood sugar and unless you are going to go for a long run or workout after, it will be stored in your liver and turned into fat.

Read my blog on the benefits of a Low Sugar, Low Glycemic Breakfast

Similarly, granola bars are high in sugar.

Cheese & crackers, by now most should know this is not the best snack. Cheese is high in fat & sodium and should be eliminated/minimized if your goal is to lose weight. 

Aside from these snacks being high in sugar or fat is there is little or no protein in them. Protein helps to:

– Keep you full & satisfied

– Feeds your muscle metabolism *Muscle tissue is what keeps us lean!

Another piece of advice when it comes to snacking is that snack options vary with what time in the day it is.

For example, you will see in my list of 150 Calorie Snack Ideas, there are snacks with fruit. These snacks are best consumed before noon (OR before a workout).

The snacks that should be consumed later in the day are typically lighter snacks that are low in sugar and higher in healthy fats and protein.

Lastly, watch the fat intake, healthy fats are good but keep an eye on the foods you combine. For example, cheese and avocado in 1 snack, no good since you are getting fats from both, so either have a very small portion of both, or my recommendation would be to just choose 1 so it is easier to control.

3 biggest takeaways:

1. Prepare 2 healthy snacks for each day ahead of time. Leave them in your bag/car/office to avoid going hours without eating

2. Keep them low in sugar/sodium

3. Some “snack foods” can be deceiving as they are high in calories, ensure your snack is ~150-200 calories. See my list of Healthy Snacks

5 minute Get Skinny Breakfast for Women – Protein Pancakes

Ingredients for Oatmeal Protein Pancakes

This morning I made one of the fastest breakfasts of all the breakfasts in my repertoire (healthy ofcourse)! With 25g of protein, these oatmeal protein pancakes are a great way to start your day to kick start your muscle metabolism, balance blood sugar levels, and fight cravings that would occur later in the day with a low protein breakfast or worse no breakfast.

You can definitely add things to spruce it up (i.e. blueberries, greek yogurt, banana, raisins or other dried fruit, splenda) but this is the base recipe.

I say this is for women because it is low in calories. If you a fitness person (man or women) you will definitely want to add things (see bottom for what I topped with) or even double the recipe.

(Nutrition Information is at the bottom)

– 4 tablespoons (just under 1/3 cup) plain oats

– 1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder

– 2 tablespoons almond milk (I used unsweetened)

– 1 egg & 1 egg white

– Pinch cinnamon

– Few drops coconut oil OR Pam Spray

1. Break the eggs in a bowl. Beat with spoon until mixed

2. Add oats, protein powder, almond milk, cinnamon

3. Heat pan to medium, grease with coconut oil or spray with pam. 

4. Pour batter into pan. Wait about 2 minutes until sides and top start to firm up. Once the pancake is ready to be flipped, flip it over and turn heat off. Let it sit in the pan for about another minute. 

(I spread PB, berries, and pumpkin seeds on top. If I had bananas I would have sliced one up on top of the PB)!

Nutrition information: Pancake, not including toppings:

Calories 245

Fat: 7g

Protein: 25g

Carbs: 18g

5 Reasons To Eat More Vegetables

We all know and hear “EAT MORE VEGETABLES.” We also know they are good for us, but sometimes we still need a little more incentive to partake in this rabbit-like behaviour. Read up and then eat up!

Peas

1) Vegetables are naturally occurring,  hence they go through no food processing or pasteurization. They can retain their high nutritional value.  Especially vegetables such a Spinach,  Bell Peppers,  and Kale are high in antioxidants.

What Are Antioxidants & What Do They Do?

2) Vegetables are dense and contain high water content. The high water content  is not only hydrating for our cells,   cleansing for our kidneys, but also for those looking to clean up their eating habits, incorporating vegetables before or  during your meal is a great way to keep you full and give you something to munch on.

3) Great for oral health. The fibrous texture of vegetables actually scrapes remnants that form on your teeth and in your mouth. Consuming veggies and helps avoid plaque build up and fights bad breath.

4) Vegetables add flavor. Instead of using sauces that are high in sugar, sodium and preservatives, use fresh herbs like parsley,  cilantro and mint and lemon/lemon rinds that not only add freshness to your foods but are also detoxifying and cleansing for our circulatory system.

5) Crunch factor : Instead of snacking on potato chips which are loaded with trans fats (and linked to Coronary Heart Disease) try things like carrot sticks, celery and peanut butter, and snap peas. Also kale chips which are crunchy and guilt-free and contain only a little bit of healthy fat from the olive oil to make them crunchy

There you have it, 5 Reasons to eat more vegetables! Find the ones you like & try new ones!