In the fitness/nutrition work there is always a new great idea, workout, or diet popping up almost every day. Within the past year shaking or juicing has become very popular, and there is many different ways to do either.
Juicing machines extract the juice and of the fruit and vegetable and leaves behind the pulp, which has all the nutrients and fiber. If you don't want to miss out on the fiber, you can add some of the pulp back into the juice or use for cooking purposes. Personally I don’t think juicing is all what it’s cracked up to be. If you want to lose weight eating less and drinking a ton of sugar really doesn’t make sense to me, but don’t get me wrong there are positive and good things that come juicing just make sure to read up before you juice.
Blending is what I do almost every morning, and is where the entire fruit or vegetable is turned into a drink, and acts as a meal. There are many different flavors you can make and it is super simple. It can act as a meal replacement and a great way to get most of your vitamins and minerals in one serving.
Here is a list of my favorite things to blend together, which not only taste amazing but are amazing for you:
1. Spinach, Kale, Swiss Chard
2. Berries Galore- Blueberries, Raspberry, Strawberries, and Black Berries
3. Bananas
4. Carrots
5. Beets
6. Avocados
7. Walnuts & Almonds
8. Chia & Flax Seeds or oils
9. Maca Root Powder (very potent flavor)
10. Vanilla Whey Protein Powder
11. Peanut or Almond Butter
12. Coconut or Almond Milk
The biggest questions is why those 12 items and how much? First, you need to make sure you get a blender that works well enough to grind everything up. Personally, I love my magic bullet. It blends everything so there aren’t large pieces and comes with easy to go cups and lids.
Now for the why, obviously there are the simple reasons why certain foods are good for you such as Bananas=Potassium, but there are many other reasons why these items are great for you. Such as, Leafy greens, which are high in many vitamins and minerals, and over half the mixture when blending should consist of leafy greens. Leafy greens can help with everything from calcium, magnesium, manganese, cholesterol, B vitamins etc… the list goes on. 2-3 Carrots are great for your skin as well as eyes. Throw a half a beet in there for inflammation and detoxing, and they also taste good. Vegetables should be the main ingredient in your shakes.
Fruits are also very important when shaking. Berries have many different nutrients, and are the easiest thing to add due to flavor. I promise you won’t’ taste much of the leafy greens or beets with enough strawberries or raspberries in them. Typically a cup of fruit or a whole banana will do the trick. You can try to add other fruits such as Kiwi or Peaches, but personally am not a fan.
Fats are another important ingredient during weight loss, but make sure it’s good fats, avocados, walnuts, almonds… these are all great examples of good fats that you should be consuming daily.
Omegas are probably one of the hardest nutrients to get directly and purely. Unless you want to eat Salmon every day, try adding Chia seeds (which tend to make the shake thick in nature, and are also great to add to yogurts) or flax oils for your omegas. They don’t have a distinctive taste either!
Something strange I enjoy adding is Maca Root, but not all the time. It has a very strange taste but is great for balancing out hormones that deal with menstruation and giving you more energy besides just B-Vitamins. Watch out Garcinia Cambogia there’s a new sheriff in town in aiding in weight loss.
Now on to proteins, my favorite, this can be peanut butter, milk, or protein powders. Proteins are extremely important when losing weight, and are easy to add to shakes for a great meal replacement. You should be consuming 1 gram of protein per 10 calories consumed. This means if you are on a 1200 calorie a day diet you should consume 120 grams of protein a day. This is for helping to aid in losing weight or to help in building and gaining muscle.
The last ingredient is water. You can never have enough water, and helps to keep the shake not as thick. Make sure you are drinking at least half your weight in ounces of water a day. Putting a lot of nutrients in something is hard on your kidneys, so giving your body as much water is important to help in cleansing the body.
If time is an issue with making your shake or you don’t want to buy all the produce for the shakes there is one substitute, which I use and that is Shakeology from Beach Body. It tastes great and has all of your fruit and veggie servings for a day in one shake. Contact myself or any Beach Body coach for more information.
There are many health food trends and diets, but make sure to consult a nutritionist and read up on any diet or nutrition changes before taking the big leap. You want to help your body not hurt it.
Stay Active. Keep Positive. Be Strong.
Juicing machines extract the juice and of the fruit and vegetable and leaves behind the pulp, which has all the nutrients and fiber. If you don't want to miss out on the fiber, you can add some of the pulp back into the juice or use for cooking purposes. Personally I don’t think juicing is all what it’s cracked up to be. If you want to lose weight eating less and drinking a ton of sugar really doesn’t make sense to me, but don’t get me wrong there are positive and good things that come juicing just make sure to read up before you juice.
Blending is what I do almost every morning, and is where the entire fruit or vegetable is turned into a drink, and acts as a meal. There are many different flavors you can make and it is super simple. It can act as a meal replacement and a great way to get most of your vitamins and minerals in one serving.
Here is a list of my favorite things to blend together, which not only taste amazing but are amazing for you:
1. Spinach, Kale, Swiss Chard
2. Berries Galore- Blueberries, Raspberry, Strawberries, and Black Berries
3. Bananas
4. Carrots
5. Beets
6. Avocados
7. Walnuts & Almonds
8. Chia & Flax Seeds or oils
9. Maca Root Powder (very potent flavor)
10. Vanilla Whey Protein Powder
11. Peanut or Almond Butter
12. Coconut or Almond Milk
The biggest questions is why those 12 items and how much? First, you need to make sure you get a blender that works well enough to grind everything up. Personally, I love my magic bullet. It blends everything so there aren’t large pieces and comes with easy to go cups and lids.
Now for the why, obviously there are the simple reasons why certain foods are good for you such as Bananas=Potassium, but there are many other reasons why these items are great for you. Such as, Leafy greens, which are high in many vitamins and minerals, and over half the mixture when blending should consist of leafy greens. Leafy greens can help with everything from calcium, magnesium, manganese, cholesterol, B vitamins etc… the list goes on. 2-3 Carrots are great for your skin as well as eyes. Throw a half a beet in there for inflammation and detoxing, and they also taste good. Vegetables should be the main ingredient in your shakes.
Fruits are also very important when shaking. Berries have many different nutrients, and are the easiest thing to add due to flavor. I promise you won’t’ taste much of the leafy greens or beets with enough strawberries or raspberries in them. Typically a cup of fruit or a whole banana will do the trick. You can try to add other fruits such as Kiwi or Peaches, but personally am not a fan.
Fats are another important ingredient during weight loss, but make sure it’s good fats, avocados, walnuts, almonds… these are all great examples of good fats that you should be consuming daily.
Omegas are probably one of the hardest nutrients to get directly and purely. Unless you want to eat Salmon every day, try adding Chia seeds (which tend to make the shake thick in nature, and are also great to add to yogurts) or flax oils for your omegas. They don’t have a distinctive taste either!
Something strange I enjoy adding is Maca Root, but not all the time. It has a very strange taste but is great for balancing out hormones that deal with menstruation and giving you more energy besides just B-Vitamins. Watch out Garcinia Cambogia there’s a new sheriff in town in aiding in weight loss.
Now on to proteins, my favorite, this can be peanut butter, milk, or protein powders. Proteins are extremely important when losing weight, and are easy to add to shakes for a great meal replacement. You should be consuming 1 gram of protein per 10 calories consumed. This means if you are on a 1200 calorie a day diet you should consume 120 grams of protein a day. This is for helping to aid in losing weight or to help in building and gaining muscle.
The last ingredient is water. You can never have enough water, and helps to keep the shake not as thick. Make sure you are drinking at least half your weight in ounces of water a day. Putting a lot of nutrients in something is hard on your kidneys, so giving your body as much water is important to help in cleansing the body.
If time is an issue with making your shake or you don’t want to buy all the produce for the shakes there is one substitute, which I use and that is Shakeology from Beach Body. It tastes great and has all of your fruit and veggie servings for a day in one shake. Contact myself or any Beach Body coach for more information.
There are many health food trends and diets, but make sure to consult a nutritionist and read up on any diet or nutrition changes before taking the big leap. You want to help your body not hurt it.
Stay Active. Keep Positive. Be Strong.
The notion that to be fit and healthy you need to eat good food.