Apple Cider Vinegar vs. Lemon Water

Blow are 5 reasons to drink both Apple Cider Vinegar and Lemon Water. They are essential to having great looking skin, healthy digestive system, and increased metabolism. It is strongly recommend to consume it first thing in the morning on an empty stomach.

 

5 reasons to drink Apple Cider Vinegar

1.    Alkalize the body. – If your body is in an acidic state that is where disease forms. (For example this is where cancer (in very acidic states of the body) forms and ulcers) helps your body to get rid of disease and toxins of the body.

2.     Removes Lactic Acid from the body.

3.    Natural energy booster.

4.    Clears sinuses

5.    Good bacteria = healthy gut (kills bad bacteria, fungus and yeast.

 

5 reasons to drink Lemon Water

1.     Alkalizes the body. (balances your pH)

2.    Wakes up the digestive system.

3.    Keeps the skin clear and glowing

4.    Natural energy boost.

5.    If you combine the lemon water + cayenne pepper it increases the rate of detox, opens up the circulatory system and helps speed metabolism. (Recommendation once to twice a week.)

 

Healthy pH balance

The pH balance scale is from 0 to 14. Healthy range is 7 or just slightly be above. Anytime the body is in acidic state and falls below the 7, you will get skin reactions like acne, eczema, and dull looking skin.

 

How to reverse?

1.    Eat more avocados, green smoothies/drinks, eat a lot of raw vegetables mainly green. Whole wheat grains, cut of the white rice and white bread these are all very acidic because during the process of being bleached they lost their nutrients.

 Since they both prove to have great health benefits, why not give it a 14 day trial and see how your skin and digestive system responds. You can always add a little bit of raw honey to sweeten it. I personally like to switch it up every 7 days.

Major Food Groups

The major nutritional food groups are Carbohydrates, Protein, Fats

Carbohydrates

Major source of energy for activities such as running and respiration (breathing)

Carbohydrates can be broken down into three groups:

1. Sugars

2. Starches

3. Fiber

 

Sugars are made of monosaccharaides/ disaccharides (one/two sugar units) easy to digest.

 

Sources:

Fruit	Milk	Yogurt	Table Sugar
Brown Sugar	Honey	Syrup	Molasses

 

Starches Polysaccharides (many sugar units) slower to digest and they provide sustained energy

 

Sources:

Starchy Vegetables (Potatoes, Peas, Corn)	Bread	Grain	Pasta
	Cereal	Rice	Beans/Lentils

 

 

Fiber part of plant foods that can’t be fully digested or absorbed by the body

Sources:

Fruit

Vegetables

Whole Grains

Beans/Lentils

 

Protein

 

Protein maintains muscle, heart, kidneys and lungs. Helps form red blood cells and create antibodies that fight infection.

 

Protein takes longer to digest therefore, it provides more satisfaction. Lean protein is the best option.

 

Sources:

Lean Protein                                              High fat protein

 

Lean Beef	Beef (prime grades)
Lean Ground Beef	Ground Beef (full fat)
Egg Whites	Cheese (regular)
Fish/ seafood	Fried/breaded fish/ seafood

 

Fat

Source of long lasting energy

-         Transports fat-soluble vitamins like A,D,E and K through the blood

-         Main storage form of energy in the body and preserves heat

 

Fat falls into two categories: Saturated or Unsaturated

 

Saturated Fats:

Responsible for raising blood cholesterol

 

Sources of Saturated Fats:

High fat meats	Whole milk	Cream	Creamy salad dressing
Full fat ice cream/ cheese	Butter/Lard	Coconut/Palm kernel oil	Cookies, Crackers, Chips

 

Subgroup: Trans fats:

Responsible for raising blood cholesterol

 

Sources of Trans fats:

Cookies

French fries

Shortening

Crackers

Donuts

Cakes

Margarine

 

 

Unsaturated Fats:

Help reduce blood cholesterol. They are only poly/mono-saturated and considered “heart healthy”

 

Sources of Poly-saturated Fats:

Safflower oil

Sesame oil

Corn oil

Sunflower oil

Soybean oil

Fish oil

Trans fat-free margarine

 

 

Sources of Mono-Saturated Fats:

 

Olives/ Olive oil

Canola Oil

Peanut Oil

Avocados

Almonds

Walnuts

 

Side Note: Coconut Oil is a great source of fat because it is rapidly broken down and less likely to be stored as fat.

Can protein help you lose weight????

One of my clients asked if she increased her protein intake, would it help her lose weight? So I thought I would answer that question here. I know many people think that they only need to increase their protein intake during bodybuilding or when trying to sculpt lean muscles. So can protein really help you lose weight???

 

 

Protein is a structural molecule assembled out of amino acids, many of which the body can’t produce on its own. Animal foods are usually high in protein, containing all the essential amino acids that we need.

If your diet consists of animal products like meat, fish, eggs, or other forms of dairy then you just might be getting the recommended amount of protein.

The recommended consumption of protein based on our diet is as follows:

·        56g per day for males

·        46g per day for women

If you are someone who consistently works out or into bodybuilding the recommended consumption is as follows:

·        0.8 – 1g of protein per pound of body weight

Someone who is exercising frequently and is focusing on weight training should consider consuming BCAAs post workout.

So how can consuming the right amount of protein help you lose weight??

Protein boosts your metabolic rate (calories burned) and reduces your appetite by keeping you full longer when compared to carbohydrates and fats. If you want to lose weight and maintain you should consider increasing protein consumption to 30% of your caloric intake.

To have 30% of your calories coming from protein you would need to take your caloric baseline and multiply it by 0.075. This will give you how many grams of protein you need to consume per day to lose weight. For example: someone whose caloric baseline is 1700 would need 127.5g of protein per day. Keep in mind that your body has the ability to absorb only 30g of protein per sitting. If you consume more than that, you are essentially wasting the protein and your body will just release excess protein through urine. To consume 127.5g of protein is not hard. You can easily divide that by 5 small meals a day. 127.5g divided 5 meals= 25.5g per meal.

 

 

 

 

Feel free to ask your questions in the comments!

 

 

Post Work

           

 

If you remember sitting in grade 11 or grade 12 Biology class you might recall a process called Glycolysis. Glycolysis occurs in the cytoplasm and through a series of chemical reactions, its end result is the production of ATP. ATP is used as energy in the body and its main source is carbohydrates. The muscles store a molecule of glucose known as glycogen and it is released when the body demands energy which is converted into glucose so ATP can be produced.

If you have read my pre-work out post, you’ll notice there was emphasis on eating complex carbohydrates at least 30 minutes before your workout. When you exercise, your body uses up a lot of energy. Most of the time; this is your muscles energy source (muscle glycogen). As you might have already guessed it – the purpose of the post workout meal to replenish your muscles glycogen levels. During your workout, especially during weight training on a cellular basis there are muscle tears that occur. This is why your muscles are sore when you’re done working out or the next day. Although you can’t see it physically, your muscles are bleeding on the inside so it is important to refuel immediately after your workout.

The debate of whether a post workout meal should predominately be protein based or carbohydrates continues. However, it is best to consume a combination of both protein and carbohydrates.

Please find below some of my favorite post workout meals.

1.       Chunky Monkey Shake

Directions: Combine 1 medium banana, 1 tbsp. of peanut butter, 1 cup of low fat chocolate milk and blend. **If you’re watching your calorie intake you can easily swap out the peanut butter for almond butter and change the low fat chocolate milk to 1 cup water and add one scoop of your favorite protein power. 

2.       Protein Bar

              Directions: Pick any protein bar that contains 16g of protein or more. My favorite is Builders protein bars and they have many flavors.

3.       Black Bean Omelette

              Directions: prepare four egg whites, 1 ounce of low fat cottage cheese, 1/4cup of canned    black beans and garnish as you please.

4.       Scrambled Eggs

              Directions: 2-3 whole eggs and your choice of veggies.

5.       Chocolate Milk

              Directions: pressed for time? Then the best option is 1 to 2 cups of low fat chocolate milk

6.       Nuts

             Directions: Another quick and go post workout snack. A hand full of your favorite nuts is very filling. Continue to drink lots of water to stay hydrated.

 

                                                  

 

Pre-workout snacks/meals

Best Pre-work snacks/meals

 

 

The main purpose of a pre-work out meal/snack is to properly fuel your body with good carbohydrates to execute your exercises as intended.  Good carbohydrate are foods that contain complex carbs and fiber. You want to avoid foods that contain simple carbohydrates often referred to as bad carbohydrates. You can find the definitions of both Complex and Simple Carbohydrates at the bottom of the page.

Examples of good carbs are: brown rice, whole grain pasta, beans, whole wheat bread, whole oats, and buckwheat to name a few. These foods are rich in vitamins, fiber, minerals and phytonutrients. They contain low glycemic meaning the body takes a longer time to break the sugars down; causing you to maintain stable blood sugar levels. This is especially important when you’re trying to lose weight or if you have Type 2 diabetes. Foods that contain simple carbohydrates do the complete opposite.

Now that we know what is a good carb v. a bad one you want to focus on eating a good carb at least 30 minutes before a workout. Here are some examples of the best pre-workout meals that are in no particular order but your choice maybe be determined by the duration and intensity of your workout.

1.       Almond butter or peanut butter on a slice of whole wheat toast with slices of banana:

Purpose: the nut butters and whole wheat toast are great sources of complex carbs giving you steady energy for your workout and the banana which is an example of a simple carb which will give you extra energy burst for the beginning of your workout.

 

 

2.       Oatmeal with fruits:

Purpose: Great combination of complex and simple carbs. Steady energy and the oatmeal will keep you full throughout your entire workout. It will prevent mid workout hunger. This is great pre-workout meal for weight training days.

 

 

3.       Iced Coffee:

Purpose: when coffee is consumed without the sugar and cream it can accelerate fat loss. Coffee stimulates fat cells and causing the body to use it as an energy source. Drinking black coffee throughout the day proves to improve your metabolism. Be sure to not drink a lot of coffee or at least more than your body handle. You want to avoid the jittery feeling you might get from consuming too much it.

 

 

4.       Eggs & Toast:

Purpose: If you’re feeling hungry and you plan to workout in an hour your best choice would be two hard boiled eggs and one slice of toast. Great source of complex carb + protein.

 

 

5.       Hearty Salad + hard-boiled egg

 

 

Purpose: Fiber plus protein. It will keep you feeling full and the salad will aid in digestion and giving you vitamins and minerals.

6.       Smoothie:

Purpose: 1 cup water, scoop of whey protein, and your choice of fruit will keep your energy levels steady through your entire workout. This great for the days when you’re not feeling so hungry and its cardio day.

 

 

7.       Sports Drink + BCAA

Purpose: A sports drink that is under 10g of sugar with the combination of one scoop of BCAA (branched chain amino acids) is perfect pre-work out meal if you don’t have time. The BCAA will help maintain muscle tissue and provide additional fuel. I wouldn't recommend drinking a sports drink post workout unless you're a professional athlete and training everyday for long hours. If you are trying to lose weight you could do without the additional calories.

 

 

 

8.       Veggie Omelette:

Purpose: one whole egg maybe two if you’re starving with veggies. Protein + Fiber.

 

Some of these meals can easily be implemented as breakfasts as well. Happy training!

Complex carbohydrates: Foods that take a longer time to break down into glucose.

Simple Carbohydrates: are sugars found in foods such as fruits and milk products and to foods that have sugar added during food processing. White flour foods and sugar added foods are referred to as "bad carbohydrates"