Chia Seed Recipes

Looking for a new super food to improve your health and energy?

Well believe it or not, one of the newest super foods to gain popularity is chia seeds. That’s right, the same seeds that gave way to the Chia Pet are being eaten for their incredible health benefits!

Chia seeds are healthy for a number of reasons. First, they’re low on the glycemic index, which means they’ll help you control your blood glucose levels and prevent unexpected cravings.

They’re also packed full of protein and fiber, both of which will help you feel full and satisfied throughout the day. This means your energy levels will be better maintained. The high omega-3 fatty acid content also supports mental functioning and gives your body’s fat-burning ability a boost, so you really can’t go wrong!

I prefer Nutiva Organic Chia Seeds, a high-quality, organic brand which is not highly processed or drenched in toxic herbicides and pesticides.

But what exactly can you do with chia seeds? And how can you cook with them? This article reviews some simple and tasty ways to add chia seeds to your diet.

Raw Chia Seed Recipes

Raw chia seeds can be added to a number of dishes, making them a simple and hassle-free option. Let’s look at a few…

1. Chia Seed Yogurt Bowl – You can’t get any simpler than this. Sprinkle a handful of chia seeds on top of plain, low-fat or non-fat yogurt. Top with your favorite fruit, and you have an energizing breakfast or snack option.

2. Cucumber Chia Seed Salad – This one makes a great side dish! Slice up 1 large cucumber and half of a yellow sweet onion. Add to this 4 tablespoons of rice vinegar, ½ tablespoon of sugar, and a pinch of salt. Mix these ingredients, and sprinkle with ½ tablespoon of chia seeds.

3. Chia Seed Chocolate Smoothie – My favorite! In a blender, add 1 cup of almond milk, 1 scoop of Milk Chocolate flavor Gaspari Nutrition Myofusion protein powder, 1 cup of frozen strawberries, ½ a frozen banana, and 1 tablespoon of chi seeds. Blend on high until smooth.

Cooked Chia Seed Recipes

Chia seeds can also be added to a number of cooked foods, for easy (and hidden) health-promoting diet solutions. Here are a few to get you started…

1. Banana & Chia Seed Loaf – This is a healthy spin on the classic banana bread. Simply add 1-2 tablespoons (depending on the desired amount) to any traditional banana bread recipe. Use whole grain whole wheat flour to keep things healthy.

2. Whole What Chia Seed Pancakes – These are delicious. Heat your griddle or pan to medium heat and spray with cooking oil. Beat one egg, and add 1 cup of milk and 1 tablespoon of canola oil. In another bowl, combine ½ cup of oats, 1 cup of whole wheat flour, 1 and ½ teaspoons of baking powder, and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Stir dry mixture into wet mixture, and add 2 tablespoons of honey and 1 tablespoon of chia seeds. Pour ¼ cup portions of batter onto pan or griddle and cook as desired, making sure to flip halfway through.

3. Soy Glazed Salmon with Chia Seeds – Looking for a savory option? Marinate your salmon in this yummy sauce. Combine 3 tablespoons of brown sugar, 2 tablespoons of reduced sodium soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of rice wine vinegar, and 1 teaspoon of chia seeds. Let salmon marinate for at least 15 minutes before placing on a greased cooking sheet and broiling for 10-15 minutes. The chia seeds will give your salmon a beautiful crusted texture.

Have any questions or feedback about these chia seed recipes? Please leave a comment below…

Healthy Recipes for Lean Muscle

Feel like you could do more to gain lean muscle mass?

Well hitting the gym is the first step, but eating right is just as important.

If you’re trying to gain lean muscle, you need to pay attention to your diet. The truth is, diet is a key factor in supporting lean muscle growth.

The main reason for this is that a balanced combination of protein and amino acids (the building blocks of muscle fibers), carbohydrates, and vitamins and minerals are needed in order to continuously gain muscle.

A general rule of thumb is to eat 1 gram of protein for every pound of body weight every day to keep gaining muscle. That may seem like a challenge, but these recipes should help you get a bit closer to that goal.

So let’s get to it. Here are 3 healthy (and tasty) dinner recipes to help you pack on the lean muscle and get you through the next week!

Healthy Recipes for Lean Muscle

Ultra-Lean Bacon Cheeseburger

Ingredients:

4oz 96% lean ground beef
pinch of salt
1 ½ slices center-cut bacon
1 whole grain hamburger bun
½ oz light Swiss cheese
2 tsp barbecue sauce
1 slice red onion

Directions: Shape meat into patty. Sprinkle with salt. Cook patty on grill or stove top. Cook bacon strips in skillet until crispy. Toast the bun for 30 seconds on upper rack of oven, and top burger with cheese, onion, bacon, and barbecue sauce.

Lamb with Rosemary and Port

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 lamb leg steaks, boneless, center slice
1 tbsp butter
1 sprig rosemary
1 large clove garlic
1/4 cup ruby port

Directions: Heat a heavy skillet on high and cook the steaks for about 3 minutes per side, depending on the thickness. Mix oil and Worcestershire sauce, then smear over the steaks. Wrap the cooked lamb in aluminum foil and place on a warm plate while preparing the sauce.

With the pan on low heat, add butter and let it melt. Finely chop the needles from the rosemary sprig and add to pan. Crush or mince the garlic clove into the pan, then pour in the port, letting it sizzle, and reduce slightly. Unwrap the steaks and add any juices from the foil to the sauce. Put the steaks onto plates and cover with sauce. For a side dish, consider green beans or asparagus.

Grilled Chicken Pita Wrap

Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, sliced lengthwise
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp cayenne
3/4 tsp kosher salt, divided
2 tsp canola or vegetable oil
1/2 cup fat-free Greek yogurt
1 tbsp fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1 large garlic clove
2 plum tomatoes, cut up
1 cup loosely packed parsley
2 whole-wheat pitas

Directions: Use a small bowl to prepare the spice rub. Combine the cumin, paprika, coriander, oregano, cayenne, 1/4 tsp of the oil. Coat the chicken with the spice mixture, then set aside to marinate for 10 minutes. Remove the chicken from the fridge and pat dry. Make the yogurt sauce by combining the yogurt, 1/4 tsp kosher salt, and lemon juice; cover and set aside. Then whip up some tomato relish. In a food processor, combine the garlic, plum tomatoes, parsley, and remaining 1/4 tsp salt and pulse to coarsely chop.

Heat a grill pan over medium heat and brush with the remaining tsp of oil. When the pan is hot, cook the chicken until the meat is cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Warm the pitas on the hot grill, about 1 minute per side. When done, fill each pita with a chicken breast and top with tomato relish and yogurt sauce.

Healthy Recipes for Lean Muscle – Conclusion

Trust me, these are some tasty recipes and they’re great options for maintain lean muscle mass. If you’re looking for a good protein supplement to ensure adequate amounts of protein in your diet, I highly recommend Optimum 100% Natural Whey.

Have any questions or feedback about healthy recipes for lean muscle? Please leave a comment below…

Six Pack Abs Diet

There’s a lot of information out there about ab workouts, but when it comes to getting six pack abs, diet is key!

In fact, diet may be the most important factor. Most of us have some ab muscles hiding under there, because our abs are involved in so many things we do. But the right diet is needed to show them off!

In this article, we’re going to look at some general tips for eating right and showing off your six pack abs, as well as a diet plan to give you some specific options.

Ready to start doing things right?

Six Pack Abs Diet – Some General Rules

The basic rules are to eat more protein, veggies, and healthy carbs, and to cut down on the fat and sugar. Not all fats are bad for you. Avoid trans fats and saturated fats whenever possible, as they are stored directly as fat deposits in your body.

But other fats, like omega 3/6 fatty acids and unsaturated fats, will help you maintain a healthy weight and keep you feeling full. Foods like salmon, nuts, extra virgin olive oil, and avocados are all great options.

Go for whole food options as frequently as possible. This means cutting out canned foods that are high in sodium (which will add to your weight by retaining water) and frozen foods that are full of preservatives. Buy fresh ingredients that are high in vitamins, nutrients, and antioxidants. Avoid starchy veggies and potatoes, and always choose whole grain and whole wheat options over white bread and pasta.

There are a number of foods that actually burn more fat. Lean protein, for example, requires your body to burn more calories during digestion. Adding a whey protein supplement to your diet is a great option, and can also help curb your cravings. I recommend the creamy yet low calorie Gaspari Nutrition Myofusion. Other effective fat-burning options include Nutiva Organic Extra-Virgin Coconut Oil and NOW Green Tea Extract.

Six Pack Abs Diet – The Plan

Here’s an example of some daily meal options that will help you show off those six pack abs in no time!

Breakfast:
Option 1 – banana, 2 egg whites, plain oatmeal with stevia all-natural sweetener and cinnamon
Option 2 – grapefruit, protein shake, 1 slice of whole grain toast with all-natural peanut butter

Mid-Morning Snack Options:
veggies with hummus, rice cakes with all-natural peanut butter, almonds, low-fat plain Greek yogurt with blueberries, apple with low-fat mozzarella cheese

Lunch:
Option 1 – turkey chili, spring mix salad, slice of whole grain toast
Option 2 – chicken wrap with whole wheat tortilla and spinach

Mid-Afternoon Snack Options:
protein bar (click here for some great protein bar options), almonds, cottage cheese, low-fat plain Greek yogurt with honey, baby carrots with hummus

Dinner:
Option 1 – skinless chicken breast, whole grain rice or quinoa, veggies, spring mix salad
Option 2 – turkey meatloaf, veggies, couscous salad with raw veggies

Evening Snack Options:
egg whites with low-fat mozzarella cheese, raw veggies, almonds, protein shake, cottage cheese with berries, grapefruit

Six Pack Abs Diet – Conclusion

So there you have it, some great options for eating right and getting six pack abs. Remember to eat often – this will keep your metabolism revved up throughout the day!

If you’re looking for a good ab workout, check out this Total Ab Workout in 30 Minutes.

Have any questions or feedback about this six pack abs diet? Please leave a comment below…

Healthy Cereal Bar Recipe

When you’re trying to lose weight and get in shape, snacking can be really frustrating.

The truth is, healthy snacking is totally possible. You just have to be smart about it.

Watch the carbs, sugars, and fats and aim for snacks that are high in protein. This will help keep you satisfied longer.

Snacking is important for keeping your metabolism revved up so that you burn more calories and fat. It also helps prevent drops in blood sugar levels, which can lead to cravings and unhealthy binges.

So here’s a great, tasty recipe for a healthy cereal bar. This makes a fantastic snack when you’re living a busy lifestyle and trying to get in shape.

Healthy Cereal Bar Recipe (Makes 24 bars)

What You Need:

• 2 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
• 1 cup whole grain whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 scoop vanilla whey protein (mixed with a bit of water) – try Gaspari Nutrition Myofusion Delicious Vanilla
• 4 oz unsweetened applesauce
• 1/4 cup unpasteurized natural honey
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 1/2 tbsp flaxseed
• 3/4 cup shredded coconut
• 2 oz chopped pecans
• 2 oz slivered almonds

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly coat a 9×13″ pan with vegetable oil or light butter.

ombine the oats, baking soda, whole wheat flour, vanilla whey protein, applesauce, honey, flaxseed and brown sugar in a large bowl. Blend in coconut & pecans/almonds.

Take the entire mixture and lightly press into the pan (don’t press too hard). Bake at 325 degrees F for approximately 20 minutes. Allow it to cool for 10 mins, then use a pizza cutter to cut into squares or bars. Before removing or serving let the bars cool down in the pan for a good 10-15 minutes.

These healthy cereal bars can be wrapped in plastic wrap and kept in the fridge for easy access. Add them to your lunch or grab one at home when you need a healthy snack!

Should make about two dozen servings whereby each serving has about 120 calories, 14 grams carbs, 5 grams fat and 10 grams protein.

Some healthy cooking tips:

Vanilla whey protein, like the tasty Gaspari Nutrition Myofusion Delicious Vanilla, can be a great substitution for vanilla extract and adds a great protein boost to your baking. Unsweetened applesauce can replace egg or add extra moisture to any dish, offering a great option for Vegans as well.

Flaxseed is an easy, healthy addition that helps keep your heart and mind in top shape. You can also add flaxseed oil to your diet with a supplement like Optimum Flaxseed Oil Softgels. Another great fat-burning oil that can be used in cooking is extra virgin coconut oil.

For baking, oats and whole grain whole wheat flour should be used whenever possible. This will help you cut down on carbs and calories and increase the nutritional value of your diet. Nuts also make a great addition to baked goods – they’re packed full of nutrients and protein, and will help satisfy your cravings.

Have any questions or feedback about this healthy cereal bar recipe? Please leave a comment below…

Protein Drink Recipes

If you think protein drinks just taste chalky and completely miss the mark in exciting your taste buds then you are in for a surprise.

We’re going to look at 5 tantalizing protein drink recipes that will blow you away and will be a perfect substitute to a snack that just won’t provide the same punch in the amino acids that will feed your muscles.

Remember protein drinks are a fantastic way to allow your muscles to get stronger and grow and at the same time increase your metabolism to burn fat faster even during rest state. I even have my mom taking it so that she can overcome waist-damaging cravings and the results she has gotten has been quite amazing even though she is over 60 (sorry mom for giving your age away!).

First thing is first, if you’ve had the unfortunate experience with grainy protein powders then you most likely have tried a low quality version that hasn’t been filtered properly. Top quality whey proteins create a very nice rich and smooth texture.

Protein Drink Recipes: The Top Protein Powders

I think user experience reviews talk for themselves and proteins that are of the highest quality will have the best reviews bar none. From my extensive research these are the top protein powders in the industry and most of them have a wide spectrum of flavours that will please any taste!

• Optimum 100% Natural Whey – no artificial sugars, colors or preservatives and it tastes great. My top pick!
• Gasapri Nutrition’s Myofusion – the milk chocolate flavour is by far the best tasting in the market!
• Optimum Platinum Hydrowhey – lactose-free for those of you who are lactose intolerant.
• Sequel Naturals Vega Complete – a completely vegan protein source.
• Muscle Pharm Recon – awesome protein for after your workouts as it includes BCAA’s for advanced muscle recovery.

Take it from me, order one of the above because you are going to get a great tasting high quality protein that will last you months. Perfect for fighting cravings of junk foods, helping you grow stronger leaner muscle and at the same time helping you burn fat faster. If you need more convincing check out my article on whey protein powder.

Now let’s get on with the recipes…

Protein Drink Recipe #1: Cheesecake Delight

2 scoops Vanilla Protein
1 cup water or unsweetened Almond Milk
1 oz fat-free Cream Cheese
1/8 cup crushed Graham Crackers

Protein Drink Recipe #2: Peanut Butter Reeses

2 scoops Chocolate Protein
2 tbsp reduced fat whipping cream
1 tbsp Peanut Butter
12 oz Water
1 tbsp Flax Meal
4-6 Ice Cubes

Protein Drink Recipe #3: Strawberry Banana Energy Blast

1 scoop Vanilla or Fruit Flavoured Protein Powder
1 cup nonfat Milk or Apple Juice
1/2 fresh Banana
3-4 fresh or frozen Strawberries or 1/3 cup Blueberries or Peaches
1 tsp Wheat Germ or Bran
A few Ice Cubes if fruit isn’t frozen

Protein Drink Recipe #4: Caramel Protein Machiato

2 scoops Chocolate Protein
1 cup unsweetened Almond Milk
1 tsp instant Coffee
1 tsp sugar-free Caramel Creamer

Protein Drink Recipe #5: Coco Bongo

2 scoops Vanilla Protein
1 cup unsweetened Coconut Milk
2 tbsp Orange Juice Concentrate
1/2 frozen Banana
2-3 ice cubes

Protein Drink Recipes: Conclusion

Yum! You’ve got 5 very delicious protein drink recipes that you can now look forward to. Be creative with these and try different fruits, protein powders and even spices like cinnamon or nutmeg to give it a punch.

Have any other recipes you’d like to include? Please leave a comment below…

Weekly Diet Plan

When it comes to a successful weight loss plan you most likely will need a little help developing the right strategy that will work for specifically for you.

The fact is that most of us have been given incorrect or incomplete information about what is healthy for our bodies and what is not. This is why we have developed a weekly diet plan to help you on your road to weight loss and to give you an idea of what a healthy diet looks like.

Weekly Diet Plan: Breakfast
It’s the most important meal of the day! Any healthy weekly diet plan will include a good-for-you breakfast to start your day off right. Why is breakfast so important?

Because your body has been fasting while you sleep and if you ignore breakfast you will throw your body into starvation mode, which will slow down your metabolism causing your body to cling to the calories it receives for the rest of the day.

If you find that you aren’t hungry in the morning this is most likely because you ate too late the night before so try eating earlier in the night.

Great Breakfast Ideas

• Oatmeal: 120-160 calories a serving, great with fruit and a glass of milk.
• Whole Grain Toast with Preserves: 120–240 calories per serving, depending on how many slices you have.
• Scrambled Eggs with Salsa: 100-200 calories for 1-2 eggs
• Grapefruit: 110-140 calories depending on size
• Yogurt and fruit: 120-200 calories

Breakfast Splurge: Add two slices of turkey bacon (or even reduced-fat regular bacon ) to any of your breakfast options or make some whole grain pancakes and top them with reduced-fat whipped cream and strawberries. This can be your splurge once or at the most twice a week to keep things fun, just make sure to really enjoy it and look forward to this during those times when you are working out hard!

Weekly Diet Plan: Lunch
Lunch can be tricky. If you work then you need something that you can take with your or you need guidelines for eating out or ordering in. If you are a student or a stay at home parent you are probably just as busy and on the go as the rest of us.

Lunch is an important meal because what you eat in the midday will determine how much energy you will have for the rest of the day. The 3 o’clock slump doesn’t happen because 3 o’clock is an evil hour. It happens because lunch choices aren’t what they should be because you have had too many carbs or fat.

Just add some veggie or fruit slices to any of the options below…

Great Lunch Choices
Turkey Wrap (whole grain tortilla and veggies): 200-300 calories
Green Salad with Chicken or Tuna: 250-400 calories
Deli Turkey, Ham, or Chicken Sandwich on Whole Grain Bread: 300-400 calories
Chicken and Noodle Soup with Crackers: 150-250 calories

Eating Out Options:
A general rule is that cream based soups are calorie dense but broth based soups are normally much more diet friendly. Green salads are great; add grilled chicken and vinaigrette dressing.

Weekly Diet Plan: Dinner
Most people think of dinner as a big meal. Actually dinner should be our smallest meal of the day because we are settling into a more rested and inactive state. This doesn’t mean you can’t eat; it does mean you need to watch portions and not overdo it. This will also help your sleep cycle, as giving your body too much food to digest in the evening may contribute to insomnia.

Great Dinner Choices
This is really where your decisions can make a difference for how you feel the next morning.

Baked, broiled and grilled entrees such as chicken, pork or turkey are great with vegetables and salads. There are lots of marinades that are low in calories and high on flavor. It would be worth looking into black bean or chickpea burger recipes, which mimic the higher calorie beef burgers with a much healthier approach.

Remember to avoid liquid calories by limited your soda, beer, and juice intake.

Healthy Snacks for Lean Muscle Building

There are a ton of snacks out there that have been brilliantly packaged to look healthy and most of these deceiving products even have words that lead you to think they actually are. However, if you take a closer look at the ingredients and nutrition listing you’ll be more often unpleasantly surprised than you will be pleasantly surprised.

We’re going to take a look at three healthy snacks that you can put together yourself and will be devoid of high fructose corn syrup, artificial preservatives and other ingredients that really shouldn’t be in our foods.

Before we get into these healthy snacks how do we classify them as healthy in the first place? In my humble opinion a healthy snack should contain some protein, fat and hopefully some fiber as well. This combination will make you feel satisfied with what you ate as a snack and help fight off any other unhealthy cravings which often are saboteurs of our smart eating plan.

Healthy Snacks #1: Peanut Butter Protein Bars

Ok, you might right away think of peanut butter protein bars as something you buy in a store, but I’m going to give you the quick and easy home-made version that is a much healthier variety.

These will be high on the calorie side but great for keeping you satiated and definitely great for helping you build lean muscle mass.

It’ll just take 10 minutes of your time so set this up on your weekend so that they will last for the week to come.

Here are the instruction: Combine about 3/4 cup of natural peanut butter along with one scoop of protein powder (I recommend the chocolate flavour of Gaspari Nutrition Myofusion) and 1/2 to 1 cup of any high fiber cereal (should have more than 3 grams of fiber per serving). Finally add enough honey or maple syrup to get it to stick all together so you’re easily able to form bars.

Once you have it all mixed, press into a pan and then place in the fridge for thirty minutes to an hour until set. Cut into snack-sized bars and wrap in tin foil or saran wrap to store.

Healthy Snacks #2: Low-fat Swiss Cheese and Green Apple

Cheese too often gets a bad rap, but in reality it is a great source of protein and calcium and packs much more vitamins/minerals than say a cookie or chocolate.

Try a few slices of low fat swiss cheese and sliced green apple and you have a very healthy and satisfying snack. The apple will bring in Vitamin C and fiber which will help you meet your fruit quota for the day.

Healthy Snacks #3: Trail Mix

This is one I always forget myself until I see it in stores. The thing that I always find though is that the store bought ones never have the right amount of my favorite nuts or dried fruit in them. So why not make our own?

Pretty simple cause it is easy to switch around the macronutrients until you have something that fits your current nutritional needs.

Try your favorite nuts, seeds, dried fruits, and even whole grain cereals like Shreddies to boost the fiber content.

Since this will be a high calorie snack this is great for those of you who struggle with putting on lean muscle mass, just remember to split up a carton into appropriately sized snack portions (which should be about one handful).

Conclusion: Healthy Snacks for Lean Muscle Building

I hope you enjoyed this article and try these 3 healthy snacks to help you build lean muscle mass. Remember that although they are calorie dense snacks in the long term these actually prevent you from falling through with your healthy eating plan by curbing your cravings for junk foods which over a weeks time can cause a lot more harm.

Have any questions or suggestions on other healthy snacks? Please leave a comment below…

Healthy Diet to Lose Weight

Most of us have tried the fad diets but even if we lose weight it comes right back once we stop eating the crazy boring diet meals these diets enforce. So what is a healthy diet to lose weight and keep it off?

Well, you probably know the answer or at least part of it. The healthy diet to lose weight is and always will be smaller portions or sensible foods. It sounds so boring but it is simply the undeniable truth.

The key to making this lifestyle chance work for you is by understanding what separates a healthy choice from an unhealthy choice. It will also be helpful for you to realize that not all health food is boring!

Actually our flavor palates begin to change according to the food choices we make and you will find a ton of your healthy friends will confirm that changing to a healthy diet to lose weight eventually changed their opinion on what tasted good and what didn’t.

But that is all in time. For now we need to figure out what is a healthy diet to lose weight and how to incorporate it into our lives.

The Essentials of a Healthy Diet to Lose Weight

First of all you should be eating vegetables and/or fruits with most meals. There are lots of ways to add veggies and fruits into meals and doing it can bulk up a plate and help you to feel fuller longer.

Eating fruits and veggies isn’t just important because they are low calorie but also because they are super high in nutrients that your body is craving especially if you are exercising in any form!

Read this one carefully! One of the best ways to bust cravings is to meet your vitamin and mineral requirements. This is because a lot of times when we are craving certain junk foods what we are actually craving, from our bodies perspective, is the trace amounts of minerals or vitamins we get from the food itself even if it is junk food.

For example, most of the time when we are craving chocolate what we actually need are the minerals like calcium and potassium. It seems crazy but next time you want a chocolate bar, try a banana instead and give it twenty minutes. Chances are your craving will be totally gone.

The next tip is to eat foods that are rich in fiber. Foods that are high in fiber have a tricky component to them because they expand in the stomach making you feel fuller for a longer amount of time. You also get full faster. Try this…

Adding kidney or black beans to recipes where you would normally add a significant amount of meat is just one way to cut back on calories while maintaining flavor and giving yourself a natural appetite suppressant! The great thing about beans is not only their high fiber content but also that they are high in protein and vitamin B’s which are great for your metabolism.

Carbohydrates & Healthy Diets to Lose Weight

Now let’s talk a little about carbs. Low carbohydrate diets have one major problem at hand. They don’t provide you with enough readily available energy so you can go extra intense in your workouts. This was a mistake I used to make in my early 20′s and couldn’t figure out why my energy levels were so low. But now you know better!

With that said we want to eliminate the bad carbohydrates and keep the good ones. Whole grains & oats are great. Over processed white breads, pastas, and pretty much all baked goods are not.

Furthermore, watch your starch intake. Don’t overdo the corn and potatoes and substitute yams or brown rice in their place as they take longer to digest and will keep you satiated for a much longer amount of time (oh and plus they are much richer sources of vitamins and minerals).

Lastly we’ll want to focus on high quality protein foods so we make sure we get adequate amount of muscle-healthy amino acids. Stick to lean meats like fish or skinless chicken and extra lean beef. Additionally make sure to include a great tasting whey protein smoothie or two as your snack foods throughout your day. The top tasting whey proteins in the market include: Optimum Platinum Hydrowhey, Cellucor IsoPro Ultra Lean, and Gaspari Nutrition MyoFusion.

Conclusion: Healthy Diet to Lose Weight

I hope this article brings a little more focus back into your healthy diet plan. One thing you should also never forget is that you should also remember to relax when things get a little off track. If you eat a little more at lunch then scale back some at dinner. There is no need to go off the deep end. It’s about balance and smart choices.

Have any questions or further feedback about your healthy diet to lose weight? Please leave me a comment below…

Fat Burning Compatible Foods

Let’s rev up the metabolism engine and burn you some extra calories by including a killer list of fat burning compatible foods. The cool thing is that you don’t have to do any extra work but do the shopping in advance so you are all ready to go.

With that said, I’m not going to let you off that easy right? You’ve got to do the other part of the muscle pie and work on adding a little extra challenge to your workouts each day in what ever style you like, as long as it is different.

Variation is key in success to fat burning and with that said hopefully these foods will keep things interesting in the kitchen and with you trying something different.

Fat Burning Compatible Food #1

Say hello to hot peppers! Fresh is always best like chili peppers, habaneros and jalepnos but cayenne pepper is also a wicked secret weapon.

The reason?

All these hotties have the secret ingredient known as Capsaicin. With ingestion your body will experience an increase in temperature and burn carbohydrates at an accelerate pace which is why it has been known to regulate blood sugar levels and current studies are being done on using it for diabetics.

After looking into this more I found some other very cool studies which show its ability to kill prostate cancer cells, leukemic cells and even lung cancer cells! It is also in a phase 2 trial to help treat osteoarthitis and post surgical pain.

Basically it’s pretty impressive and I don’t know how much you have experimented with cayenne pepper in your cooking but it is awesome on all meats, yams, potatoes, and even yogurt or nuts. Buy lots of it and use it as much as you can, you’ll get a kick out of it!

Fat Burning Compatible Food #2

It may be an acquired taste, or it just may be the fact that you haven’t really had high quality sashimi, but fish is a wicked way to lower your body fat. If you find an authentic Japanese restaurant try some sashimi which should not taste fishy and basically melt in your mouth (that is when you know you have found quality sashimi!).

Ok, so it doesn’t have to be raw but the omega 3 fatty acids found in raw fish can be arguably better than cooked fish. The link here is that Omega 3 fatty acids aka fish oil has been known to lower leptin levels in our bodies.

What are leptin levels?

The lower our levels of leptin in our body the faster our metabolisms are which means our bodies are burning calories just by including fish oil. In fact, a study by french researchers shows that men who replaced just 6 grams of fat in their diets with 6 grams of fish oil lost an average of 2lbs in just 12 weeks.

The good news is that you can also do this much easier by having a fish oil supplement and preferably one that is comprised of wild fish which are less exposed to toxins in our seas. One of the best in the market is AllMax Nutrition Omega 3 a or if you’re on a more serious budget you can try NOW Ultra Omega-3.

Fat Burning Compatible Food #3

Good old natural oats. You got love the oats since they are a complex carbohydrate and high in soluble fiber.

What this means is that our bodies have to expend a whole lot of calories just to break it down and the soluble fiber means that it slows down our absorption of the carbs by our digestive tract meaning less chance that they will be stored as fat and more chance that we will be expending them quickly when we exercise.

So simple and yet so effective including oatmeal as part of your morning ritual is worth gold.

Fat Burning Compatible Supplements

We all want the most effective supplements and we definitely don’t want any side effects so these are the best of the best for fat burning and providing your body with a whole bunch of other benefits:

Vitamin B – NOW B-100
Green Tea Extract – Irwin Naturals Green Tea Fat Metabolizer
Whey Protein (with no lactose) – Optimum Platinum Hydrowhey
Antioxidant rich Coconut & Acai – VPX Coco Fit

Fat Burning Compatible Foods

I hope you enjoyed this quick, simple and super easy list of fat burning compatible foods. All you have to do is aim for at least one of these a day or two and several weeks later you are going to see that it’s not that hard to keep that midsection of yours in check. Whatever makes it easier right?

Have any questions or comments about these Fat Burning Compatible Foods? Please leave a comment below…

Corn Sugar – Health Alert!

This is a serious news alert that I thought I should bring to your attention and it’s all about corn sugar which is also known as high fructose corn syrup. Basically it’s all about the bottom line of some of the most powerful and profitable corporations in America – the soda drink companies.

You have probably heard about high fructose corn syrup and how hazardous it is to your health. The obesity epidemic is rampant in North America and the wisest scientists and doctors have stated that the #1 factor is the large amount of high fructose corn syrup found in our foods.

You’ll find high fructose corn syrup in everything from soda pop to low-fat ice cream to yogurt and of course most baked goods including whole wheat bread. High fructose corn syrup aka HFCS is a sugar substitute because it is extremely cheap to produce and significantly sweeter than table sugar.

But this is not breaking news, here is what is…

High Fructose Corn Syrup is now known as Corn Sugar

You got to be kidding me right? In an attempt to battle the dropping profit of soda pops and other products which use high fructose corn syrup the manufacturers of HFCS have decided to pull a huge marketing scam on all of us. They have decided to label HFCS as corn sugar from now on.

This may not seem as alarming to you when you read it this way, but the disguise really comes into play when a few years down the line the labels are blurred even further when manufacturers start labeling items with natural sugars since they consider corn as being a natural food item, or in the case where the name is changed again and the association is completely lost.

As a consumer I find this outrageous and feel very strongly that the FDA should not be allowing this. But unfortunately it gets worse even yet…

The manufacturers of corn syrup are now doing a huge media blitz campaign which use quotes by “experts” that high fructose corn syrup is just sugar like table sugar and not any worst for your health. But the reality is that “corn sugar” is not just sugar derived from corn but is chemically processed and altered to create corn syrup.

The reason this is concerning is that history proves that as corn sugar (or high fructose corn syrup) was introduced to North America and manufacturers like Pepsi and Coca Cola started using it there has been a direct correlation with rising obesity epidemic.

The new media blitz is a clear attempt to hide this and say sugar is sugar, but when something is artificially produced then the most distinguished of scientists will agree that our bodies have a hard time figuring out what to do with artificial substances and the health consequences are in fact serious.

Corn Sugar Conclusion

What is the solution? Is HFCS really not as bad simply because it makes sense economically? That’s BS in my mind and as educated individuals we need to use our consumer power to let these guys know that this is just not cool with us.

Give us products that are made with natural cane sugar and just use less of it. Foods don’t have to be as sweet as manufacturers think we want them to be, and the better solution is simply to give us products that have less sugar in them period.

I’d like to open this up for discussion and really hear your opinion on this matter so leave your comment below…

I’m going to leave it at that

Healthy Eating Tips

While most of us are in a rush and often putting together the most healthy meals possible there are definitely some things that we do and don’t realize the impact it has on our overall nutrition.

I wanted to provide a healthy eating tip when it comes to how we cook our food based on some new research that was revealed. It discusses the nutrition value of food when comparing heating styles – for instance boiling vs steaming vs barbecuing vs frying vs baking.

You probably already know that steaming vegetables is one of the best ways to cook your food because it keeps the nutrients in. But what about the other methods?

New research was conducted on a group of participants to compare the benefits of vegetables that were cooked with the different styles and an interesting result was found.

People who used steam, low heat or ate vegetables raw after 4 months had lower levels of markers which indicate inflammation.

The theory behind the research is based on high heat and dehyrdation which occurs during grilling, broiling, frying or even baking produces byproducts which may trigger inflammation.

The issue with inflammation is that it is linked with many cardiovascular and chronic diseases such as arthritis. More research is being conducted to back this up but it is an interesting note to take when cooking your food.

Pay close attention to prevent your food from being overcooked or overly dehyrated so as to keep all the nutrients in. Steaming is one of the best methods for cooking vegetables and if you are wondering about the raw version, it actually has been said that some heat is good because it releases more nutrients so raw isn’t necessarily a better option.

After reading this article I used lower heat on the bbq for the vegetables to prevent any burning or dehydration and actually found that they tasted way better too, what a nice bonus!

Try this tip with veggies especially if you are not so fond of them…try mixing a bowl of red onions, red peppers, broccoli, carrots and portabello mushrooms with some light olive oil and sprinkle with cajun and cayenne spice and bbq them on low heat for under 10 minutes. Yum!

Have any questions, feedback or other ideas of cooking food on low temperatures that create really good results? Please leave a comment below…

Super Foods for Athletes

Lately I’ve been highlighting a ton of articles on nutrition and even supplementation because when it comes down to it, diet is such a critical component of the results we get when our focus is on reducing abdominal fat and increasing lean muscle mass.

When training at high levels our diet really becomes even more important simply because our muscles grow through the action of micro-tears and rebuilding with stronger more dense muscle fiber. If we were to only go for a limited diet with very low calories then there is no way that we can provide all the essential nutrients our body deserves.

With all this in mind you may want to re-evaluate the foods you consume and in this case maybe make sure to include some super-foods.

What Are Super Foods?

What are super foods and do they really exist? Well it’s somewhat of a catch-phrase which media loves to jump on but let’s investigate this a little further.

If we were to define a super food we would look at it in the sense of providing special nutrients that accelerate and enhance the efficiency of cellular repair and promote longevity. We want to stick to our high protein, low fat, moderate carb diet but make sure to add as many super foods as we can so we can supercharge our health, performance and over all energy.

Super Food #1: Tomatoes

Tomatoes are very high in the antioxidant known as lycopene. Lycopene is found to fight off cancer cell growth and boost our cardiovascular health. so it almost seems like a no brainer that both men and women should include tomatoes in their daily diet.

The best thing about tomatoes is that they are very versatile and unlike most super foods can be cooked without losing their nutritional benefits. In fact, cooking has been found to increase our body’s absorption of lycopene.

Super Food #2: Walnuts

You may have forgotten this nut lately but walnuts pack a power house of nutrients. From Omega 3 fatty acids to B Vitamins, magnesium, vitamin E and even protein, there are few nuts that come as close.

The best part about walnuts is that the combination of the omega 3′s and plant sterols they possess has been shown to lower the bad LDL cholesterol and elevate cardiovascular health. Grab a fistful of these walnuts per day for maximum long term results.

Super Food #3: Broccoli

This is one vegetable you have got to learn to love. Not only does it have more vitamin C per serving than an orange but also is high in Vitamins A and K as well as fiber. This combined with the nutrients diindolylmethane and selenium make it a potent anti-cancer veggie that boosts your immune system with anti viral and anti bacterial properties.

If that wasn’t enough research is being done on the benefits of brocolli with the prevention of heart disease.

Try it with a sprinkle of lemon juice and cayenne pepper….mmmm….

Super Food #4: Watermelon

Do I really need to explain how good watermelon is for you? Isn’t the yummy fresh taste enough? Well Watermelon again is packed with lycopene just like tomato but it also possesses a very important mineral which has been shown to maintain healthy blood pressure – this mineral is potassium. If you find yourself combating stress frequently then maintaining health blood pressure levels will really be something that should be of focus. Watermelon is packed with potassium and a single serving has more of this mineral than one large banana.

Add high water and fiber content and this means our body is able to eliminate waste products at a faster rate to really super-charge you for whatever training comes your way.

Conclusion: Super Foods for High Intensity

Although this list only includes 4 super foods, why not start with a little and try variations with cooking, grilling and even sprinkling these super foods in different ways. Walnuts with yogurt, walnuts & tomatoes in salads, grilled broccoli with lemon and tomato herb chicken, play with it and have fun in creative ways. This is how we will walk down the path to success with our training goals, by keeping it surprising and fun all along the way.

Have any feedback or recipes to make these super foods even more fun? Please share them by leaving a comment below…

Low Fat Diet Shopping List

Ok so now you have your high protein diet shopping list and your low carb diet shopping list so to round it off we’re going to look at the good fats that you need to make sure you include in your diet.

Although we all know that we want to control the fat content of our foods, the good healthy fats are essential to the functioning of our brain and all our organs. When we say healthy fats we means fats that contain essential fatty acids like Omega 3′s as well as those fats which include vitamins we can’t get much of anywhere else.

Lots of health nuts forget the fact that our brain is mostly composed of fat and uses fat as a primary source of energy so cutting down on all fat actually also limits your brain function and memory.

We’ll also look at bad fats that you want to avoid particularly trans fats which have been linked to heart disease, diabetes, obesity and Alzheimer’s disease.

Low Fat Diet A+ Shopping List

Since fats are high in calories it is best to limit service sizes. Generally one serving size is equivalent to a tablespoon so keep that in mind.

Olive Oil & Flaxseed Oil – Both are a great source of unsaturated fat, flaxseed oil is rich in omegas which help with cardiovascular function & reduction in muscle inflammation.

Nuts & Seeds – Raw unprocessed nuts and seeds are a great source of fat which act as a good snack since they cut into food cravings and keep you satiated for a long time. Tip: try adding your favorite spices and roasting them in the oven!

Natural peanut butter/almond butter – This means the variety which has no sugar or oils added, fantastic addition to add lots of flavour to a whey protein shake and again keeps you full until your next meal.

Avocados – About 75% of the calories from an avocado comes from fat which is the mono-unsaturated variety, they also contain potassium, Vitamin B’s, E, K and also high in fiber. Shown to decrease the bad LDL cholesterol.

Omega 3/Fish Oil Supplementation – Since Omega 3 fatty acids are so important to our cardiovascular health and have been shown to reduce muscle inflammation most dieticians recommend supplementing with Omega 3 or fish oil. The best variety are cold water wild fish oil since it contains all the essential fatty acids that we need in our diet, I recommend Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega.

Organic Butter – Although most information out there deems butter as unhealthy saturated fat, they forget one important point. Butter has Vitamin A which is only digestible when consumed with fat. Vitamin A is important for our skin, hair, nails and even eyesight. Remember one table spoon is a serving size and organic means less chemical residues.

Fats to Avoid

Anything deep fried – This includes chips, chicken, fries, etc. Just way too many calories and no real nutritional value.

Margarine – Chemically processed oil. Why consume something that doesn’t in nature, the science supports the negative health effects of most margarine products.

Coconut and Palm Oils – Both found mostly in processed low quality foods.

Low Fat Diet Shopping List: Conclusion

Focus on Omega 3′s, nuts/seeds and olive oil/butter for your primary source of high quality fats and remember the one tablespoon serving size. You’ve got it all now when it comes to essentials that you should include in your shopping list when it comes to proteins, carbs and fats. If you have any questions, concerns or feedback about fats please leave a comment below..

Low Carb Diet Shopping List

In succession to the series for staples foods you should include in your diet list (see last time’s article: High Protein Diet Shopping List), this list includes the best quality carbohydrates to allow you to eliminate excess carbs which have little to no nutritional value.

The important thing to note is that we all need carbohydrates in order to have maximal energy during our workouts. Carbs relate directly to the amount of sugar that we have in our blood which acts as the primary source of immediate energy when our muscles demand it. Although it is possible to break down fat and proteins as a source of energy these forms are not as quickly broken down.

So when is the best time to have carbohydrates and what kind of carbohydrates are best to include in one’s diet?

In terms of keeping body fat down the best time to eat carbs include the morning and shortly before and after your workouts. You will know when your carb intake it not sufficient enough particularly when you see that your feel your energy level drop and get tired during the day even though your previous nights sleep was adequate.

Let’s look at the low carb diet shopping list…

Low Carb Diet A+ Shopping List

Oatmeal – The slow cook variety is significantly less processed and has more nutrients than the instant oatmeal, but either way oatmeal is a power carbohydrate source because of its ability to digest slowly and provide a constant source of energy. If you go for the instant variety pay close attention to the sugar content as you want to make sure that there isn’t more than 40grams of carbs per serving.

Fruit – Although all fruit is great at the top of your list you want to include berries like blueberries & raspberries for their antioxidant & fiber content as well as bananas for pre and post workout energy supplementation. If you don’t buy organic at least aim for organic apples since they have been found to have the most pesticide residues.

Vegetables – Try and go for the widest spectrum of veggies as you can since all of them contain different benefits such as fiber, minerals and vitamins. Broccoli is at the top of the list along with garlic, spinach, peppers, carrots, cucumbers, beets, celery, etc.

Whole grain breads – Pretty obvious that breads which focus on whole grains are the best kind, just take a look out for glucose/fructose in the ingredient list, you want this as little as possible and aim for bread that has at least 3 grams of fiber per slice. Secret – look for rye loafs in your grocery store! Rye bread is usually lowest with preservatives and additives and yet contains a lot of fiber!

Yams/Sweet Potatoes – Full of vitamins and minerals and bonus of digesting slowly which means better possibility of your body burning it as energy rather than storing it as fat.

Brown and wild rice – far more nutritional than white rice, brown and wild long grain rice can sometimes be an acquired taste but you will notice a richer taste with vitamins and minerals like magnesium that is not found in white rice.

Quinoa – I came across this unique grain only several months ago and it has replaced rice in my diet simply because it tastes way better, has a good amount of proteins, fiber & magnesium and is super easy and quick to make. Search for it, you won’t regret it especially if you are one who is trying to have a gluten free diet.

High Fiber Cereal – I know these high fiber cereals usually taste like cardboard but there are some brands now that try and do a good balance of taste and fiber. Again look at the nutritional content and aim for at least 3-4 grams of fiber per serving and less than 40 grams of carbs. Kashi is definitely one of the best when it comes to taste and nutritional content.

Carbs to Stay Away From

Soda Pop & Most Juice You probably already know that soda drinks and most juices are full of sugar that you can really do without. Substitute with mineral water like Perrier (the one with natural lime flavour is awesome!) and any kind of tea (bonus for green tea).

Chips & Rice Cakes – Lots of simple carbohydrates that your body usually stores as fat.

Candy – Just sugar, stay away!

Ice cream/Frozen Yogurt – Although frozen yogurt seems like a healthier option than the cream in ice cream, they are usually very high in sugar content. I must admit ice cream is one of my weaknesses so I allow myself to splurge once or twice on the weekends.

Energy bars – Take a look at most energy bar content like Cliff Bars and Power Bars and you’ll see a very high carbohydrate/sugar content. Go for fruit smoothies instead, a much healthier option!

Low Carb Diet Shopping List: Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed this list for your healthy low carb diet plan, you will see a radical transformation in your energy levels and body fat ratio if you stick with this shopping list! Remember to focus on high fiber content and slow digesting varieties like yams instead of potatoes, or brown instead of white rice. I invite you to provide feedback, ask questions about this list by leaving a comment below…

High Protein Diet Shopping List

I think you’re going to like this article series, and hopefully you’ll like it enough to save it because I’m going to go into staple foods that you should try and include in your shopping list when your focus is to get better, stronger, leaner and keep that all good healthy feeling going.

This series is split into 3 since we want to look at the 3 main categories of foods – proteins, carbohydrates and fats. Your body can’t run optimally without all three and you shouldn’t even consider trying to cut one out completely because take it from me, it will not be sustainable and can lead to serious health problems.

I’m going to start with what you probably consider to be the most important just as I do – high quality protein sources. To take it further I’ll also include a short list of unhealthy protein sources you should also stay away from.

Let’s jump right in…

High Protein Diet A+ Shopping List

You will have to excuse me if you are a vegetarian as this list does primarily consist of meat products, simply because they contain all the essential amino acids which are necessary for optimal muscle recovery, growth and function. With that said I will also include high quality vegetarian sources at the end of the list.

Eggs - Eggs are simply one of the cleanest and easiest sources of high quality protein. Ignore all the hype about cholesterol, yes eggs have it but most research today shows that they help with elevating your good cholesterol and their effect is quite limited anyway.
Liquid Egg Whites – You can’t get more convenient then liquid egg whites, just make sure there are no additives listed on the container as there are a lot of impostors out there.
Skinless Chicken Breast – Fairly inexpensive, lean and very high quality protein, should be a definite staple in your diet.
Top Round Steak – The leanest cut of beef. Has a bit more fat than chicken but great source of protein along with creatine and glutamine which supports your muscle building efforts like none other.
Lean Ground Beef – Go for lean beef that is at least 90% lean. Great source of protein especially if your goal is muscle building for same reasons as above.
Lean Ground Turkey – Lean high quality protein. A little more expensive than chicken breast but awesome to make tacos with.
Turkey Bacon – This should be a treat for the weekends since leaner than regular bacon, but a great way to keep your diet fun and not a chore.
Buffalo – Lean gamey meat, very tasty and fairly expensive but great on the BBQ.
Cod, Halibut, Flounder and Pollock – Inexpensive lean fish.
Wild Salmon – Although wild salmon is a little fattier it contains the good Omega 3 fatty acids which help reduce inflammation and help with muscle recovery and cardiovascular health.
Tuna – Very lean and high quality protein fish. If canned make sure to get it in water and not oil, but fresh tuna is obviously more nutritious and you don’t have to worry about negative effects of chemicals used in canning.
Cottage Cheese & Greek Yogurt – Both are slow digesting forms of protein, try and find low fat varieties to save extra calories. Great for having when you have a long time in-between meals and also fantastic to have before bed.
Whey Protein Powder – You might find it strange to be part of this list since it is not a raw food, but whey protein is without a doubt one of the leanest, meanest forms of protein you can get which is devoid of almost any fat or carbs. It comes from the liquid byproducts during cheese production and is usually micro-filtered to only contain the highest quality amino acids. Recent long term research backs this up significantly with some new studies even showing reduction of diseases such as of the heart and even cancer. I recommend the Cookies & Cream falvour of Optimum Platinum Hydrowhey or the milk chocolate flavour of Gaspari Nutrition Myofusion for best tasting varieties.
Lentils – Red, green or brown lentils come in many forms and contain almost all the essential amino acids. Although in 100 grams of lentils 60% is carbohydrates, lentils are also a good source of protein measuring about 26 grams for that size of serving.
Beans – from pinto to soy and kidney to lima there are so many varieties to choose from making them a fun way to keep things interesting in the kitchen. Soak in water for several hours before cooking to reduce the awful bloating feeling and add as many spices as you like with even a little vinegar and you have found yourself a staple in Asian, Indian, & African countries.
Hemp – Yes it comes from the cannabis plant but it is very environmentally friendly since it uses few to no pesticides and herbicides plus it is one of the few plant sources that has all the essential amino acids as well as essential omega 3 fatty acids. You can get hemp in the form of milk, seeds, oil and even hemp protein powder (try this organic Nutiva Organic Hemp Protein)

Proteins to Stay Away From

This list might be a no brainer but it’s good to always bring attention to foods we should also stay away from…

Chicken with skin – Why have extra fat from the skin added to your food when you don’t need it?
Breaded Chicken – I know it tastes good, but there’s a reason KFC is going out of business, anything breaded simply adds way too much simple carbs and fat you really should avoid.
Fatty Ground Beef – Make a point to stay away from any ground beef that is below 85% fat free. Yes, they may be tasty but the extra saturated fat is a 6pack abs killer.
Fatty Cuts of Red Meat – Once again, most steaks you will find have this extra fat, if it’s on the side you can cut it off but just better to stay away from it all together.
Deli Meats – Most deli meats are full of preservatives and no good chemicals, aim for chicken or turkey breast and bonus points for organic.
Bacon & Sausages – Simply too fatty, just better to avoid all together.
Farmed Fish – Yes a lot more inexpensive than wild fish but farmed fish also contain less nutrients including Omega 3′s and usually have more toxins in their systems.

High Protein Diet Shopping List

How’s that for a list for your high protein diet shopping? Keep this in mind often since it will really help you steer your overall healthy eating plan in the right direction. If you have other foods that you would like to add or even challenge please leave a comment below and also let me know if this series of articles is what you’ve been looking for!

Diet Meal Plan

Lately I’ve been asked a lot about writing a diet meal plan that is not only healthy but full of the nutrients that our bodies need when it comes to defining and toning muscle.

In this diet meal plan I will be focusing strictly on fat loss and getting a nicely carved midsection. In order to keep it basic it will be just one day of a diet meal plan, but if you guys provide enough feedback in the comments section below I will make sure to make this a series of articles which will include many other options for other days of the week.

Remember one thing when looking at this diet meal plan, portions will vary depending on your height, weight, age, metabolism and overall health. Instead of me giving out portions and calories which I find steers my clients in the wrong direction, you will be the judge for yourself. Test these recipes and then play with portion size to see how your body responds.

Diet Meal Plan: Breakfast

Breakfast parfait:
1/2 cup fat-free vanilla yogurt
1/4 cup flax cereal
handful of blueberries
4 hazelnuts or walnuts (skip if allergic to nuts)
2 strawberries sliced

Diet Meal Plan: Snack (2hrs later)
1 banana or apple

Diet Meal Plan: Lunch

Asian Chicken Wrap:
1 whole wheat tortilla
1/2 chicken breast grilled
1 teaspoon peanut butter
1/2 lime juice
1/2 red pepper
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
sprinkle of sesame seeds

Directions:
Grill the chicken with the peanut butter and lime juice using 1 tablespoon of olive oil
Heat tortilla wrap
Place chicken into wrap and garnish with other ingredients

Diet Meal Plan: Snack (3hrs later)

1 fruit smoothie (view fruit smoothie recipes)

Diet Meal Plan: Dinner

Mediterranean Fish:

1 tspn oil, olive, extra virgin
1 small onion, sliced
1 cup fresh tomatoes, diced
2 tablespoons white wine
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/8 teaspoon oregano, dried
4 olives, Kalamata, pitted and chopped
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Sprinkle of sea salt
2 halibut fillets, thick-cut

Directions:
Set oven to 450°F.
Warm oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until lightly browned for 3 mins.
Add wine and garlic and simmer for 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes, olives, oregano.
Season with salt and pepper.
Arrange the fish on a baking pan.
Spoon the tomato mixture over the fish.
Bake, uncovered, until the fish is just cooked through, 10 to 20 minutes.
Divide the fish into 2 portions and place over rice and then add sauce on top

Diet Meal Plan: Night Time Snack (1-2hrs later)
1 orange

Diet Meal Plan

Sounds pretty good doesn’t it? This is a full day diet meal plan which includes 3 major meals and 3 healthy snacks, keeping your metabolism high and feeding your muscles with all the nutrients they need to recover and work at optimal levels. Remember this diet meal plan is intended for fat loss so you will need to watch the portion sizes and remember that since there are frequent snacks you shouldn’t be felling starving at any one time.

One other component to remember is drinking a full glass of water at about once an hour especially if you are going to be exercising that day. Water will help drive nutrients, keep you from dehyradation and feeling of being hungry when you’re not supposed to be and best of all keeps your metabolism engine working at full force.

Did you like this diet meal plan? Would you like to see more like this? Please leave me a comment below so I know to keep this series going!

3 Foods You Should Eat After a Workout

You may have had some problems where you are working out like crazy and not seeing the best results even though you keep trying different variations with your exercises and even your diet. This article is aimed at providing you with 3 foods you should eat after a workout so you get the most out of your workouts.

The science behind this article is based on re-supplying your muscles with the nutrients and energy they need to recover and grow. With many of you who don’t eat for sometimes an hour after your workout this is a pretty big mistake which you may not have really paid attention to in the past.

A lot of the times the problem is timing and being in a hurry to get somewhere after your workout or simply needing to shower and attend do chores, etc. With this in mind I’m going to include easy to prepare or raw foods to take as minimal time as possible.

After a Workout Food 1: Protein Smoothie

Like you probably have noticed in so many other articles on this site I stand strong behind having a whey protein smoothie after your workout. The reason behind this is because whey protein provides your muscles with essential amino acids which they need in order to recover.

During a workout we often go into a catabolic state which means that our muscles are broken down and even incur micro tears. Although this may sound like a bad thing, it actually isn’t. This is a necessary process which needs to occur in order for our muscles to get stronger and grow. There have been many many supplements which promise to take you out of a catabolic state or minimize that from happening, but in my perspective nothing comes close to whey protein powder.

Regardless of whether you want to increase muscle size or lean out and increase definition the essential amino acids whey protein provides is a fantastic resource for both men and women.

Lucky for us as consumers there are many different brands and many of them have some pretty fantastic flavours.

If you haven’t tried Gaspari Nutrition Myofusion yet I don’t think I’ve ever tasted anything as good as their milk chocolate flavour. It’s like my favorite chocolate desert, I just can’t get over it. Here is a link for you on all the flavours they provide – Gaspari Nutrition Myofusion.

Another one that is highly rated and is getting a lot of buzz for the high quality ingredients it contains is – Optimum Platinum Hydrowhey.

After a Workout Food 2: Any Fruit

Since we use sugar as our primary source of fuel for all our muscles, after a workout we are quite deficient in the amount of sugar we have in our systems. While it may seem like a good idea for this to be the case so that maybe we can get some weight loss happening a pretty strong argument can be made against this.

Much research on athletes has shown that although weight loss can occur with some starvation of sugar after an intense workout the problem that occurs is that your muscles are not able to regain and store that sugar for energy next time you workout. In other words, your muscles are starving for sugar especially within 30 to 60 minutes post workout. If you don’t supply this sugar then they are not able to completely fill up and have you completely energetic for your next workout.

I’ve taken this principal and applied it to both my workouts and many of my clients and we have been shocked at the results. You have to try it for yourself to see how much this can affect your next workout.

Brilliant idea and bonus points is that you mix in some fruit with your whey protein. I like berries especially blueberries and bananas, they make a very tropical flavour!

After a Workout Food 3: Salmon or Omega 3 Supplement

Hopefully you saw my recent article on the health benefits of Omega 3′s. If you have time to make a meal with salmon or another one of your favorite fish then even better, but the Omega 3 fatty acids that fish contains is excellent because Omega 3′s are linked with reducing inflammation.

This is fantastic news for sore muscles because with reduced inflammation we can have less pain and faster recovery times.

If you don’t have time for a fish meal then you can find a high quality Omega 3 supplement which is known for not having any toxic metals like mercury which most fish are found to have these days.

Without a doubt the most renown and consumer reviewed Omega 3 supplement is Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega.

Have any questions or comments about the 3 Foods You Should Eat After a Workout? Please leave a comment below…

Weekend Cheat Food: Protein Peanut Butter Balls

This has got to be one of the best weekend cheat foods on the planet! Protein peanut butter balls are quick and easy to make, extremely nutritious and will pack on muscle power like almost nothing else!

Just think, melted peanut butter with whey and oats in the oven and the yummy smell perforating throughout your home….seriously….

Need I say more?

Protein Peanut Butter Balls Recipe:

2 scoops chocolate or vanilla whey protein powder (Try Optimum Platinum HydroWhey which is lactose free)
1/4 cup honey
3/4 cup raw oats
1 cup peanut butter

Protein Peanut Butter Balls Directions:

Mix all these ingredients in a large bowl.
Powder your hands with some flour (to prevent stickiness).
Form into small 1″ balls and place on a bake sheet.
Place in oven at 375 degrees for 5-10 minutes.

This should make a serving which will last you at least a couple weeks. Store remainder in a tupperware container in the fridge…yes they are good cold too!

Remember this is a weekend cheat food, these peanut butter balls are rich in calories but the whey gives you high quality protein, the oats give you fiber and low glycemic carbs, the honey will help boost your immune system and the peanut butter will provide you with healthy unsaturated fats and antioxidants.

Another idea is to freeze them and have them as a killer treat. So next time you’re working out think of this as your motivator and go extra hard!

What do you think of this weekend cheat food? Please leave a comment below…

Weekend Cheat Food: Fruit-Melon Sorbet Blast

This article series is blasting away any notions that healthy food can’t taste good, and you’re definitely going to want to bookmark these ones! The last weekend cheat food created quite a stir, cause it was so freakin yummy…if you didn’t get to read it check it out here – Strawberry-Vanilla Hazelnut Banana Split.

If you’re tired of the same old fruit, day in and day out then this Fruit-Melon Sorbet Blast is going to shake it up for you, and remember you can’t really go wrong with fruit! Sure it has fructose sugar, but it also is packed with antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, fiber and everything else that will keep you looking and feeling young and energetic.

Check this out…

Fruit-Melon Sorbet Blast: Instructions

Makes 2 servings:

1. Melon Sorbet: Take half a cup of watermelon and blend really well with half a cup of ice. Add a splash of fresh vanilla if you please. If it’s not blending well add 1/4 cup of ice water or some club soda to give it some fizz.
2. Cut up one peach, a dozen grapes, several strawberries and a couple fresh figs.
3. Pour melon into two cups or martini glasses
4. Add the cut up fruit
5. Add a few fresh raspberries to each cup
6. Garnish with some fresh mint

How easy was that? Alright, now get ready for the fruit blast! Doesn’t this just make your mouth water thinking of this?

Remember this is a weekend cheat food but in reality it’s not really a cheat because it has so much healthy goodness in it. And if you incorporate a killer workout and diet plan with this the rest of the week you are going to see some pretty sweet results when you look in the mirror… (Ultimate Fitness & Diet Plan for Women or Ultimate Workout and Diet Plan for Men.

Please leave me some feedback on this series of articles for weekend cheat foods, are you liking these?

Weekend Cheat Food: Strawberry-Vanilla Hazelnut Banana Split

As I was getting ready for bed last night I had a great idea for an article series on the Fridays before the weekend – healthy weekend cheat foods. It’s funny because I’ve noticed most people tend to not think about being healthy on Friday or Saturday, they simply want a break and that’s not a bad idea actually!

My philosophy for healthy eating and working out is a little bit different than most health nuts. I like to relax on my weekends too, and you know what? I’ve found it to work really well for me and my clients. I love food, and really enjoying being creative with meals even though I honestly have little time to make them. If it’s gong to take longer than 30 minutes to prepare I generally don’t do it! Nevertheless, cut yourself some slack and think creatively too and you may find that you will be able to live a healthy lifestyle for life and it won’t be such a battle anymore.

With that said sorry for repeating the plug for the healthy meals series I have prepared for you again but I took quite a while preparing the numerous breakfast, lunch and dinner ideas, so if you haven’t had time to read them or even print them out here are the links again – Healthy Diets for Men & Healthy Diet Plan for Women. These are great for you to try this weekend!

But how about a healthy and extremely awesome weekend cheat snack?

Here’s my latest invention…

Strawberry-Vanilla Hazelnut Banana Split

1/2 banana
1/3 cup strawberry yogurt (try finding one that doesn’t have added sugar)
2 Tablespoons Oats (or your favorite high fiber cereal)
1/3 scoop vanilla whey protein powder (my favorite for this idea is the Optimum 100% Natural Whey since it’s made with Stevia sweetner)
3 plain hazelnuts on top

So how good does that sound? You basically have a fruity & nutty vanilla flavour explosion in your mouth and it’s all good! The yogurt and whey protein powder provide protein & calcium, the banana and oats provide high quality fiber and carbohydrates, and the hazelnuts provide high quality fats.

This really is a super cheat snack food and if you’re feeling tired at any time during this weekend, all these nutrients will give you a huge natural energy boost.

What do you think? Would love to hear your feedback if you try this!

Healthy Diets for Men – Dinner

How is your eating plan going now? You got some pretty tasty breakfast ideas (Healthy Diets for Men) & some killer lunch recipes (Healthy Diets for Men – Lunch), but now we need to take our eating plan to the next level with dinner ideas that will not only keep you lean but also pack on crazy muscle.

You’ll notice that I have given the regular 3 big meals idea…but I should mention again that you should also have some hearty snacks in between like protein smoothies. I recently came across one of the best tasting whey protein powders I’ve ever tasted you got to check it out – Gaspari Nutrition Myofusion. Try the milk chocolate flavour with a tablespoon of natural peanut butter and half a banana, mmmm it’s better than any milk chocolate you will ever taste!

Remember, don’t be shy, if you have any questions or feedback about any of this leave a comment below. I would like to get more feedback from you guys!

That aside let’s get into these kick-muscle-butt dinner ideas….

Healthy Diets for Men: Dinner Recipes

Healthy Dinner Idea 1: Chimichurri Muscle-Pumping Steak

Ingredients:
12 oz flank, skirt, or sirloin steak
1 bunch scallions
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
3 tbsp red-wine vinegar
2 tbsp water
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried red-pepper flakes
1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. To make the chimichurri sauce, mix the vinegar, water, garlic, salt, pepper flakes, and black pepper. Whisk in the oil. When everything’s blended, whisk in the parsley.

2. Preheat a grill or grill pan on high. Season the steak with salt and pepper and place it on the hot grill. For medium rare, cook it for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 140°F. Trim the roots from the scallions and add the entire bunch to the grill just after you’ve flipped the steak.

3. Cook the scallions until they’re lightly charred, about 4 to 5 minutes.

4. Drizzle the steak with the chimichurri, and serve it with the grilled scallions.

5. Enjoy with half a cup of pinto beans or black beans and hot corn tortillas. Makes 2 servings

Healthy Dinner Idea 2: Garlic Lemon Hearty Sea Bass

Ingredients:
1 lemon
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp red-pepper flakes
4 6-ounce sea bass fillets
1 1/2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp cumin
2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil

Directions:
1. Squeeze the lemon juice into a zip-top plastic bag large enough to fit the fillets. Add the garlic and red-pepper flakes, give the bag a shake, and add the fish.

2.Refrigerate the bag for 30 minutes.

3. In a small bowl, mix the paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper; rub this spice blend on both sides of the fillets.

4. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the fillets, flesh side down, and cook them for 6 minutes. Flip and cook them another 6 minutes. Makes 4 servings

Healthy Dinner Idea 3: Taco Recovery Salad

Ingredients:
1 pound extra lean ground beef
1 package taco seasoning, plus water as directed on the package
2 cups red bell pepper strips
1/4 cup salsa of your choice, plus more for serving
8 cups shredded romaine lettuce
2 cups diced tomatoes
2 cups shredded low-fat pepper jack cheese
1 cup low-fat sour cream

Directions:

1. Cook the ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat until browned.

2. Add the taco seasoning and water, peppers, and 1/4 cup salsa and simmer until the vegetables are all slightly cooked.

3. Arrange the lettuce and tomatoes on salad plates and spoon the taco mixture on top. Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, and additional salsa. Makes 2 servings.

Healthy Dinner Idea 4: Hawaiian Muscle Regeneration Pizza

Ingredients:
3 tbsp marinara sauce
1 piece packaged flatbread, such as Flatout
3 thin slices low-sodium deli ham, chopped
2 1/2 tbsp crushed, thoroughly drained pineapple
3 tbsp shredded low-fat cheddar cheese
1 tsp red-pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

2. Spread the marinara sauce on the flatbread and top with the ham, pineapple, cheese, pepper flakes, and salt and pepper.

3. Bake for 6-10 minutes. Makes 1 serving.

Healthy Dinner Idea 5: Acuity Testing Mustard Crusted Salmon

Ingredients:
1 fillet of skinless salmon (6 oz)
fine sea salt and freshly ground white pepper
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp panko (ground bread crumbs)
1 tsp chopped chives
2 tbsp reduced-fat sour cream
juice of 1/2 lemon

Directions:
1. Remove the toaster oven tray and line it with foil. Turn the heat to broil.

2. Season the salmon with salt and pepper, place it on the tray, and spread the Dijon mustard on top.

3. Sprinkle the panko over the mustard.

4. Bake the fish for 7 to 9 minutes, or until it becomes opaque and the crust is toasted.

5. While the salmon is cooking, stir the chives into the reduced-fat sour cream. Add lemon juice, mix well, and season with salt and pepper.

6. Serve the salmon with your lemon-chive cream sauce. Makes 1 serving.

Conclusion: Healthy Diets for Men – Dinner

Wow, I must admit these are looking pretty damn tasty! The best thing is that they are healthy and a great compliment with the new workout plan that I have made you guys (if you missed it go here – Workout Plan for Men ).

Remember you need to be training at least 3 days a week to have meals this hearty and if you include at least another day of high intensity interval training then you are going to see some incredible results with your lean mean muscle production.

As always, add as many veggies, herbs/spices you like, and if you’re finding that it isn’t leaving your hunger satisfied for long, then increase the portion size slightly and split it into two small meals, ie. 45mins apart.

Please give me feedback and leave other healthy dinner ideas by leaving a comment below, appreciate it!

Healthy Diet Plan for Women: Dinner

It’s time to round up the healthy meals section of the healthy diet plan for women series before we get into smart snacks and in depth supplement suggestions, how is your diet going so far? Have you enjoyed the healthy breakfast ideas and the healthy lunch ideas?

Hopefully by now you are noticing some great results and feeling great after eating healthier meals, but the dinner is also an important part to keep your metabolism burning on the most nutritious and beneficial foods of the day. We usually have a little more time to prepare our dinners but again this really depends on preparing a little beforehand and having all the right veggies, herbs, spices and lean meats.

A reminder that this meal plan is to go hand-in-hand with the fitness plan that I created for you women specifically, you can catch up on that starting here – Fitness Plan for Women.

Ok, ready for the healthy dinner ideas? One thing to remember is to include as much veggies as you like and have fun with spices! Let’s go…

Sample Healthy Diet Dinner Plan for Women

Healthy Dinner Idea 1: Red Curry Jacked Snapper

Ingredients:
2 Fillets (6 oz) red snapper (salmon or tuna will also work)
1 Tbsp red curry paste
1 Cup light coconut milk
1 Cup sliced shitake or cremini mushrooms
1 small head bok choy (or 4 baby bok choy)
1/2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 lime juice
1 tsp canola oil
Ground Pepper

Directions:
1. In a small saucepan, combine the coconut milk, curry paste, and brown sugar. Cook over low heat until it thickens slightly, about 10 mins. Add half of the lime juice.

2. Chop the bok choy into bite-sized pieces and boil them until they’re slightly tender but still firm, about 5 minutes. Drain.

3. Heat the oil on medium in a sauté pan or cast-iron skillet. Salt and pepper the fillets and place them, skin side down, in the pan. Cook 4 to 5 minutes, until the skin is crisp and golden. Flip and cook 2 to 3 minutes, until the fish flakes with gentle prodding from a fork.

4. Remove the fillets from the pan and immediately add the shiitakes, bok choy, and remaining lime juice. Cook for 3 minutes. Divide the vegetables between two plates, place a fillet on top of each, and drizzle the curry sauce around the fish. Makes 2 servings

Per Serving 390 calories: 45g protein, 23g carbohydrates, 14 g fat (7 g saturated), 5 g fiber, 700 milligrams sodium

Healthy Dinner Idea 2: Hearty Seafood Penne

Ingredients:
2 oz penne pasta
12-14 medium precooked, peeled shrimp
2 tbsp crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
3 cups chopped baby spinach
1 tomato, chopped
2 tbsp chopped walnuts
3 tbsp ready-made pesto

Directions:
1. If you’re using frozen shrimp, defrost them by running warm water over them.

2. Cook the pasta according to package directions; drain and transfer it to a large bowl.

3. Add the shrimp, cheese, spinach, tomato, walnuts, and pesto, stirring well to help wilt the spinach and mix in the pesto.

Per Serving: 240 calories, 10g protein, 16g carbohydrates, 16g fat, 6g fiber, 340 milligrams sodium

Healthy Dinner Idea 3: Chile Basil Chicken

Ingredients:
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 Thai bird chilies or serrano chilies
1 tsp soy sauce
2 cups loosely packed fresh basil
1 Tbsp fish sauce
3 cloves garlic
1/2 Tbsp peanut oil or canola oil
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp fresh cracked pepper
1/2 Tbsp red-chili paste

Directions:
1. Chop the garlic and chilies finely. Then use the side of your knife to press them together into a rough paste. Add a pinch of salt.

2. Preheat a wok or stainless-steel sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the oil and the garlic-chili paste you just made, and fry for 2 to 3 minutes, being careful not to burn the garlic. Chop the chicken into small pieces and add them to the pan, cooking them until they’re lightly browned, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the soy sauce, fish sauce, chili paste, and sugar, and continue to cook until the chicken is done all the way through, another 3 to 4 minutes.

3. Add the pepper and basil and cook until the basil is just wilted, about 2 minutes. Serve immediately.

4. Serve with: 1/2 cup each of steamed bok choy and prepared brown rice Makes 4 servings.

Per Serving: 160 calories, 24g protein, 3g carbohydrates, 5g fat (1 g saturated), 1 g fiber, 490 milligrams sodium

Healthy Dinner Idea 4: Red-Vino Grilled Salmon

Ingredients:
1 shallot, minced
1/2 cup red wine
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 stick salted butter, softened for an hour at room temperature
1 1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
Salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
2 fillets of salmon (preferably wild), 6 oz each
Olive oil

Directions:
1. Combine the shallot, wine, and balsamic vinegar in a saucepan over medium-low heat and cook until the liquid is reduced by half, about 10 minutes.

2. Allow the wine reduction to cool and then add the butter, along with the thyme and a few pinches of fresh cracked pepper. Use a spatula to thoroughly mix the ingredients, and then scoop the mixture onto a sheet of plastic wrap. Roll it up, twist the ends to form a log, and store that in the freezer while you cook the fish. (You can do these first steps ahead of time. The wine butter will keep for 2 weeks in the fridge.)

3. Preheat a grill or grill pan on medium high. Rub the salmon with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and lay the fish, skin side down, on the grill. Cook it for 4 to 5 minutes, flip, and cook it 2 to 3 minutes longer for medium.

4. Serve the hot salmon with a slice of the red-wine butter melted on top. Makes 2 servings.

Eat with: Grilled asparagus.

Per serving: 440 calories, 44g protein, 8g carbohydrates, 20g fat, 150 milligrams sodium

Healthy Dinner Idea 4: Seared Tuna Mandarin Tataki

Ingredients:
2 tuna steaks (roughly 1/2 pound each)
1/2 cup of chopped onion
1/4 Tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 Tsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp of balsamic vinegar
1 Tsp of brown sugar
2-3 mandarin oranges chopped
1/3 cup of chopped avocado
1/3 cup of chopped tomato
Vegetable oil spray

Directions:
1. Rinse off the tuna steaks and pat dry. Set them aside.

2. Heat a medium saucepan on medium-high heat. Spray with a light coating of the vegetable spray.

3.Saute the onions and garlic for about 5 minutes, until the onions are tender.

4. Add the brown sugar, vinegar, and pepper flakes. Allow to cook until the sugar dissolves, or about 2 to 3 minutes.

5. Remove from heat and add the rest of the ingredients, except the tuna. Cover the pan with a lid to keep hot.

6. Spray a large skillet with the vegetable spray and heat up on medium-high heat.

7. Saute the tuna steaks for about 5 minutes per side until fish easily flakes with a fork.

8. Cut the 2 steaks in half to make 4 portions, and pour the mandarin orange mixture over the steaks to serve. Makes 4 servings.

Per serving: 205 calories, 24g protein, 13g carbohydrates, 7g fat, 73 milligrams sodium

Conclusion: Healthy Diet Plan for Women Dinner

There we go, you’ll notice a I concentrated a ton on seafood so you can have hearty meals full of Omega 3 fatty acids which help keep your heart and aerobic system working at the best efficiency they can which will help you when exercising.

Adjust the portions accordingly to make sure you are feeling almost but not totally full so you can have some space for a healthy snack afterwards before dinner. I will be including healthy snacks in an upcoming article as well as supplements you should include in your diet.

As always I appreciate it if you give me feedback and leave other ideas on this article by leaving a comment below…

Healthy Diets for Men – Lunch

Your breakfast is the most important meal of your day as it fuels your body after a night of sleep (aka fasting) and you should have gotten some great ideas from the several recipes I gave you in Healthy Diets for Men. And now? Well the time most guys usually fail in their diet plan is a healthy lunch, mostly because they didn’t prepare enough the night before.

Should you have had a good hearty snack between breakfast and lunch? The answer is an absolute YES! Without a doubt you should have had something like a protein smoothie to keep your hunger in check and continue supplying essential amino acids to your muscles. For a recommendation on whey protein check out the top selling protein in the market – Optimum 100% Whey Gold Standard.

But I digress, I will include an entire article on healthy snacks for men in the near future that not only taste good but will definitely keep you on track for building lean muscle.

By the way, have any questions or feedback about any of this? Please leave a comment below, I would like to get more feedback from you guys!

Let’s get right to it and look at some killer healthy lunch ideas:

Healthy Lunch Idea 1:

Flaxseed wrap
Low fat ham slices (5 or 6)
Reduced fat cream cheese
1 whole egg sliced
Red Pepper slices
Organic greens
1 tbsp dijon mustard
Ground black pepper

Healthy Lunch Idea 2:

Spinach wrap
Lean turkey slices (5 or 6)
Low fat Mozarella
1 tbsp honey mustard
Organic greens
Yellow pepper slices
Cucumber slices
Rosemary flakes

Healthy Lunch Idea 3:

Whole wheat wrap
Lean chicken slices (5 or 6)
Low fat cheddar cheese
1 tbsp reduced fat mayo
Organic greens
Tomato slices
Black pepper

Healthy Lunch Idea 4:

Flaxseed or Tomato wrap
Lean chicken breast chunks (5 or 6)
2 Tbsp hummus
Organic Greens
4 Strawberries sliced
12 soy nuts
Lemon juice
Ground Black pepper

Healthy Lunch Idea 5:

Spinach (3-4 cups)
Handful of crushed walnuts
5-6 dried cranberries
Lean chicken breast chunks (6 or 7)
1/4 cup black beans
Broccoli (as much as you like)
2 tbsp low fat cottage cheese
2 tbsp ginger soy dressing
Lime Juice

Healthy Lunch Idea 6:

Organic greens (3-4 cups)
Handful of plain peanuts
1/2 green apple sliced
Smoked salmon
Sesame seeds (plain)
Red pepper slices
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Lime juice
Black pepper

Healthy Lunch Idea 7:

2 slices whole grain or flaxseed bread
1 can white tuna
1 tbsp low fat mayo
Handful spinach
2 small carrots sliced
Fresh lime juice
Black Pepper

Conclusion: Healthy Diets for Men – Lunch

These are some pretty sweet and super healthy lunch ideas for you guys. If you find you are short on time in the morning get everything prepared the night before. Add as much veggies as you please to keep your hunger in check and be creative with different types of mustard, herbs and nuts/seeds. If you’re finding that it isn’t leaving your hunger satisfied for long, then increase the portion size slightly and split it into two small meals, ie. 45mins apart.

The next article in this series looks at Healthy Dinner Ideas so give it a go, I have to say these are pretty awesome!

Please give me feedback and leave other healthy lunch ideas by leaving a comment below, appreciate it!

Healthy Diet Plan for Women: Lunch

Ok we’re well on our way in Phase 3, and you should have had some pretty healthy breakfasts this week (if not please read Healthy Diet Plan for Women).

Today we’re going to look at some super healthy and yummy lunch ideas. Some of you may ask about calories but I want to get you out of that head state because I think it leads to too much stress when eating and leads you down a wrong path. A much better idea is to try these ideas and see how your body specifically changes.

In other words, increase or decrease your portion size according to how your body feels. If you’re not fully satisfied after eating then add some more veggies and make sure to drink lots of water so you get more minerals and nutrients and allow the water to also satisfy any dehydration (which may be disguised as hunger).

If you are wondering if you should have had a snack between breakfast and lunch, the answer is a definite YES! But let’s take everything a step at a time and first focus on your staple meals. Of course, I will be including an article dedicated specifically for healthy snacks, but in the meantime I would suggest ordering yourself some Whey Protein powder. The benefits are completely overwhelming and I even have my mom enjoying the benefits from including it in her diet. I highly recommend Optimum Nutrition Complete Protein Diet as it includes riboflavin and folic acid which has extra benefits for women.

Have any questions or feedback about any of this? Please leave a comment below, I would love to get more feedback from you ladies, don’t be shy!

Sample Healthy Diet Lunch Ideas

Healthy Lunch Idea 1:

Flaxseed wrap
Lean ham slices (3 or 4)
Yellow Pepper slices
Organic greens
1 tbsp organic mustard (organic mustard has been proven to have more nutrients)
Sprinkle of ground black pepper
Side of celery

Healthy Lunch Idea 2:

Spinach wrap
Lean turkey slices (3 or 4)
1 tbsp honey mustard
Organic greens
Cucumber slices
Sprinkle of ground thyme or corriander
Side of carrots

Healthy Lunch Idea 3:

Whole wheat wrap
Lean chicken slices (3 or 4)
1 tbsp reduced fat mayo
Organic greens
Tomato slices
Sprinkle of black pepper
Side of green pepper slices

Healthy Lunch Idea 4:

Tomato wrap
Lean chicken breast chunks (4 or 5)
2 Tbsp hummus
Organic Greens
4 Strawberries sliced
12 soy nuts
Lemon juice
Ground Black pepper

Healthy Lunch Idea 5:

2 cups fresh spinach
Handful of crushed walnuts
5-6 dried cranberries
Lean chicken breast chunks (4 or 5)
2 tbsp low fat cottage cheese
2 tbsp ginger soy dressing

Healthy Lunch Idea 6:

2 cups organic greens
Handful of crushed almonds
1/2 green apple sliced
Smoked salmon
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Fresh lime juice
Sprinkle of ground pepper

Healthy Lunch Idea 7:

2 slices whole grain bread (or gluten free)
1/2 can white tuna (or fresh tuna gets major bonus points!)
1 tbsp low fat mayo
Handful spinach
2 small carrots sliced
Fresh lime juice

Conclusion Healthy Diet Plan for Women: Lunch

I don’t know about you but this list of lunch ideas has made me pretty hungry, and the great thing is that they are all very tasty and extremely healthy. Be creative with this and add different herbs and spices to really bring out the flavour. Also remember to add as much of your favorite vegetables as you like, it’s hard to go wrong with that.

When you’re ready for your healthy dinner ideas go here – Healthy Diet Plan for Women: Dinner

Please give me feedback and leave other ideas on this article by leaving a comment below, I appreciate it very much!

Healthy Diets for Men: Phase 3

You guys already have a kick ass workout plan which is taking you back to the basics and building your muscle foundation from the ground up. Make sure to read through from Phase 1 as this is going to set you up for much quicker results as we get into the advanced weeks.

You should be following this workout for the next several weeks and stay tuned to the web site as I will be updating with new variations and advances every week until we hit the beginning of summer.

Many of you have expressed that lower belly fat is a problem as well as gaining muscle mass in your back/shoulders, chest and arms, so please leave me comments below if you want me to bring focus to anything else as well.

To keep things simple and doable I’m going to direct this article to healthy breakfast ideas and then lunch and dinner will be continued in upcoming articles. Remember if you’re not waking up hungry make sure to stop eating earlier on the night before. After an hour 8 hour sleep your body is extremely concerned about getting food as soon as possible.

Now for men we’re going to go a little heartier with the breakfasts because our larger muscle mass requires more amino acids, vitamins, minerals than women.

For those of you who workout first thing in the morning make sure to slam down a couple glasses of water and half a banana or some other sweet fruit so your blood sure doesn’t drop too much and cause you to be light-headed. You’ll also have a little more energy to go extra intense so it’s definitely worth having something small.

Let’s get started…

Sample Healthy Diet Breakfast Ideas

Healthy Breakfast 1:

High fiber cereal (watch out for higher than 3 grams fiber per serving as well as high fructose corn syrup, enriched flour in the ingredients).
Glass of skim milk
Half a banana
1/3 cup egg whites scrambled eggs

Healthy Breakfast 2:

2 eggs scrambled
1 slice whole grain or flaxseed toast (watch out for high fructose corn syrup in ingredients listings)
1 tablespoon natural peanut butter
1 orange

Healthy Breakfast 3:

Oatmeal pancakes:
1/3cup raw oats
1/3 cup skim milk
1/3 cup cottage cheese
blend together and then cook on a pan until toasted on both sides
1 tablespoon natural peanut butter, 1/2 banana, 1 tablespoon reduced sugar fruit spread
this will make 2 servings!

Healthy Breakfast 4:

2 slices of ham
2 scrambled eggs
1 slice whole grain toast
1 tablespoon reduced sugar strawberry spread

Healthy Breakfast 5:

1/2 cup low fat plain or vanilla yogurt
Handful of strawberries
3 crumbled walnuts
1/2 teaspoon honey

Healthy Breakfast 6:

1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese
Handful of blueberries
5 crumbled plain almonds
Sprinkle of cinnamon

Healthy Breakfast 7:

1 cup plain oatmeal
1 teaspoon honey
Sprinkle of cinnamon
1 glass skim milk or almond milk

Healthy Breakfast 8:

1 flaxseed wrap (or slice of flax toast)
1 tablespoon natural peanut butter
1 tablespoon reduced sugar strawberry spread
1/2 banana

What About Supplements in the Morning?

I’ll be writing up an article specific to essential supplements and do a complete run down of what you should include on a daily basis. For now, you may want to get some high quality whey protein powder ordered online because whey protein is a must staple for any guy wanting to gain lean muscle and recover quicker from their workouts. You can get the best deals for the top selling whey proteins by following these links:
Optimum 100% Whey Protein
BSN Syntha-6
Pure Isolate Whey Protein

If you would like more info read my article on whey protein isolate vs whey protein concentrate

Healthy Diets for Men: Conclusion

I’ve given you some of the best healthy breakfast ideas to help you guys with your diets so that in the following months as we increase your workout intensity your body will be able to cope and take these nutrients to enrich your muscles. Be creative and mix and match some of these ideas to see how your body responds. You want to make sure your hunger is satisfied and can keep you full for at least a couple hours. In the next article I will speak about healthy lunch ideas (go here – Healthy Diets for Men – Lunch Ideas, and follow that with another article on healthy dinner ideas. If there’s anything you think I should include please leave a comment.

Have any questions or concerns about the healthy diets plan for men? Please leave a comment below…

Healthy Diet Plan for Women: Phase 3

Recently I asked on Facebook whether lower belly fat was the biggest issue facing most people today and got a resounding “yes” by many of you. Over the past couple weeks I have given you a Phase 1 and Phase 2 of this fitness and diet plan so keep on that for the next few weeks and stay tuned to this website as I will be modifying the workouts and adding exciting variations to keep giving your body a very nice challenge so that you can continue with impressive results.

Now it’s time to look at beginning a healthy diet plan that all women can follow. It may take a bit of getting used to, but the real message here should be that even if you are doing an hour of intensive exercise every day but you’re eating plan is crap then you will not see outstanding results. In this article we’re going to focus on breakfast and morning snacks so we can keep things simple and doable!

I should comment here that one of you expressed to me that we should all be happy with our body type and shouldn’t always stress out about how much body fat we have. I completely agree with this point and at the same time think that we also need to know that we’re worth it. We are worth eating the healthiest foods and exercising with a killer fitness plan that suits our goals. You should never get tired of the same old routine when it comes to exercising and eating healthy, there is just too much creativity that can be added to keep things interesting and hopefully I can help show you the way…

Healthy Diet Plan for Women: Breakfast Ideas

Let me give a little intro here for breakfast. Some of you workout first thing in the morning and ask whether you should have breakfast before you go to the gym. Well the answer is yes, if you can! We all digest food at relatively different rates and there is also another factor that comes into play, which is that it depends on what you are eating.

Here is what I recommend. Wake up, have 1-2 glasses of water as soon as possible. And if you’re in a hurry to get to the gym have a ripe banana or another sweet fruit. The sugar in these fruits will help fuel your workout and allow you to increase your intensity far greater than if you were at the gym with an empty stomach.

Some may find that they can also have some cereal with milk plus half a banana or some blueberries to give them even more energy.

How can you gage what you should eat?

If you’re working out and you feel light headed this is a clear indication that your blood sugar is quite low and that you should have eaten something before your workout.

What if you feel a little nauseous? This could be because you ate too soon before your workout. I recommend to have eaten something at a minimum half hour before your workout and hence why a banana is a good idea, because it digests rather quickly. Most fruits are actually pretty quick with digestion, it’s when you add protein and fats that really slows down your digestion.

Ok so you are able to test this out and see what works best for you. Now what about after your workout? Well this is a good time to add some protein as the protein helps provide essential amino acids to repair and recover your muscles. Healthy protein ideas include eggs, low fat cheese, smoked salmon, low fat ham or natural peanut butter to give you a few examples.

What if I’m not hungry in the morning?

This is the biggest issue with a lot of women struggling with their weight and excess belly fat. If you’re not hungry in the morning then you clearly ate too late in the night before sleep. Adjust this so that you wake up with a pretty big appetite because your breakfast fuels your energy level for the entire day.

In other words, no matter what it takes make sure you have a breakfast even if it’s a small cup of fruit yogurt, but let’s look at some real examples…

Sample Healthy Diet Breakfast Ideas

Healthy Breakfast 1:

High fiber cereal (watch out for high fructose corn syrup, enriched flour in the ingredients as well as anything higher than 35 grams of carbohydrates per serving).
Glass of skim milk
Half a banana

Healthy Breakfast 2:

2 eggs scrambled
1 slice whole grain or flaxseed toast
1/2 a grapefruit with some Stevia (ready my article on the natural sweetner stevia )

Healthy Breakfast 3:

1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese
Handful of blueberries
5 crumbled plain almonds
Sprinkle of cinnamon

Healthy Breakfast 4:

1/2 cup low fat plain or vanilla yogurt
Handful of strawberries
3 crumbled walnuts
1/2 teaspoon honey

Healthy Breakfast 5:

2 slices of ham
1 scrambled egg
1 slice whole grain toast
1 tablespoon reduced sugar strawberry spread

Healthy Breakfast 6:

1 cup plain oatmeal
1 teaspoon honey
Sprinkle of cinnamon
1 glass skim milk or almond milk

Healthy Breakfast 7:

1 flaxseed wrap (or slice of flax toast)
1 tablespoon natural peanut butter
1 tablespoon reduced sugar strawberry spread

What About Supplements in the Morning?

I want you to stay as focused as possible on eating healthy, that is what this fitness plan is about. However, I know many of you ask me about essential supplements that you should take, if any.

I’m going to address this entirely in it’s own article very soon, but one thing that some of you may want to add in the mornings is a green tea extract to help you with boosting your metabolism & burn fat a little faster. The three best green tea extracts in the industry are PrimaForce Lean Green & Higher Power Green Tea Extract and Irwin Naturals Green Tea Fat Metabolizer.

Healthy Diet Plan for Women: Conclusion

I hope I’ve given you a lot to think about for breakfast plans. Be creative and mix and match items to your liking, but these 7 ideas are a great start of tasty and healthy ideas. In the next article I will speak about healthy lunch ideas, and follow that with an article on healthy dinner ideas.

When you’re ready for your healthy lunch ideas go here – Healthy Diet Plan for Women: Lunch.

Have any questions or concerns about healthy diet plan for women? Please leave a comment below…

Nutrition Facts Label – How to Read

Turn over any packaged product and you are faced with a Nutrition Facts Label. But how do you read it, and what do you look out for? After reading this article you will be able to take 5 seconds and look at the Nutrition Facts Label and determine if this is the right product to keep your fat-reducing muscle-producing nutrition plan in place or not.

Nutrition Facts: Serving Size

The serving size is the first thing you’ll want to look at. Is the portion size indicated a real life amount that you would be consuming? A lot of times I see this number is a little off especially with cereals. Some manufacturers indicate that half a cup of cereal is a regular serving size when a lot of times it is actually a full cup (250ml size). So if that is the case remember to double everything listed below.

Nutrition Facts: Calories

Although I’m a strong advocate of eliminating the focus of counting calories (many people lose track of how good they feel after exercising when their entire focus becomes calorie counting) it is essential to have a higher daily calorie expenditure than intake in order to lose fat weight.

With that in mind it’s a good idea to have a quick glimpse of the calories per serving and making sure it is not abnormally high (very generally a snack should not be higher than 200 calories per serving and a meal should not be more than 500-600 calories if you’re aiming at 5 meals/day).

Note: You will want to take a quick look at the ingredients list to see the top ones listed. A little more on this later but if the list of ingredients is whole grains, low fat dairy, veggies, fruit, or beans/legumes then we know that at least we’re getting most of our calories from something healthy.

Nutrition Facts: Total Fat

Several years ago there was the low-fat fad but we know better now. Some fats are healthy and essential to our diet and also keep us feeling full longer, so here are a couple tips to help you with your decision. Generally you want to have the fat be less than a third of the calories and/or below 20% of the Daily Value. This number should be lower if you’re adding healthy oils like olive oil, or omega-3′s from fish, flax or even hemp into your foods.

Although I believe media has really sensationalized the fact that all saturated fat is bad for us, it’s ideal to have the saturated fat percentage low in comparison to the amount of unsaturated fat we should be getting from healthier Omega 3′s.

Note: Stay away from Trans fats. You want to see a 0 next to Trans fats which have been shown to increase bad LDL cholesterol levels in our blood and increase risk of coronary heart disease.

Nutrition Facts: Cholesterol & Sodium

Shouldn’t be a surprised that you want to keep cholesterol and sodium levels low. In North American diets our levels of cholesterol and sodium are generally way too high so keeping this in check is great for your health.

Nutrition Facts: Protein

I generally like to see the protein value higher than just a few grams as I’ve indicated in many articles on this site (Whey Protein Powder, Whey Protein Isolate vs Concentrate) that protein has been shown to help fight hunger, provide essential amino acids to our muscles and organs and just make us stronger overall.

It’s a good idea to have at least 30% of your daily calories from protein.

Note: you’ll generally notice that more expensive products are the ones that have higher protein concentrations. That’s because filler products like sugar, flour, water, oil are all inexpensive to produce but they also have the least nutritional value.

Nutrition Facts: Vitamins/Minerals

If our foods have higher concentrations of vitamins and minerals than this is a good sign right? Absolutely! Unless you are taking excessive supplements having more vitamins and minerals is pretty much a great thing.

Ingredients Listing

Although this is not part of the Nutrition Facts label I thought I’d also include a few tips when looking at your ingredients list. Manufacturers are required to write the list of ingredients from the greatest amount to the lowest amount in the product. So the first ingredient listed is also the one that is most present, and the last ingredient is the least present.

Watch out for: high fructose corn sugar/syrup, corn/palm/coconut oil, enriched or processed flour, starch, sugars, maltodextrin and anything you can’t pronounce.

Conclusion:

I hope this article has helped you in the decision making process for picking healthier food items. Just take a few seconds to quickly glance over the back of any product and you’re going to be on your way to being more successful with reach your health goals.

Have any questions about reading Nutrition Facts Labels? Your comments are always appreciated!

Pre Workout Energy Foods

Earlier this week I wrote about Post Workout Nutrition and got quite a bit of feedback from many who realized how important it is to have something even as simple as fruit within 60 minutes after their workouts. Now in this article I’d like to share with you my knowledge gained from studying advanced exercise nutrition for athletes.

How many times have you gone to do some exercise and have felt either tired or even nauseous just a few minutes into your workout? I think this is something experienced by everyone and although there are several factors which tie in to your energy (obviously sleep is a big one!), we’re going to look specifically at your nutrition pre-workout and even when to eat to get best results.

So what is the time span that is used when we are referring to pre workout nutrition? Well researchers in this field refer this as one to four hours before exercise begins.

What are the goals that we want to achieve pre exercise? The most important is to consume foods that provide glucose, prevent dehyration, delay fatigue and minimize gastrointestinal upset.

Let’s first address those who feel nauseous or get a bloated feeling when beginning to exercise. The fact is that we notice the most gastrointestinal discomfort when we eat too close before we workout. This problem is amplified if our foods are too rich in protein and/or fat. The reason is because fat and protein take longer to digest than simple carbohydrates.

What are simple carbohydrates? Examples would be cereal, white bread, white rice and fruit like bananas, mango and apple. Although fiber is critical to the health of our digestive system it is important to realize that carbohydrates that are high in fiber (considered complex carbohydrates which are usually those that contain whole grains) are also slower to digest.

So what does this all mean? Research has proven that pre-exercise simple carbohydrate meals are best because because they delay time to exhaustion and improve performance. Now this statement is especially important for those in long endurance sports and those who are focusing on cardio activity in the 45 minute plus range.

Pre Workout Energy Meal

If your goal is primarily to enhance performance in your sport or training then a killer example of a meal would be:
one glass orange juice
one 8oz gatorade drink (you can skip this if you are training with weights)
one small bagel with tablespoon of light cream cheese

This meal if taken 2 hours before exercise will supply approximately 100 grams of carbohydrate and has shown to help athletes training longer than an hour. Now you’ll notice the carbohydrates are quite high and this is specifically for endurance sports, but what about someone who is going in to train with weights?

Well obviously if your training is pretty quick paced and you’re doing a lot of supersets (one after another) then a good amount of carbs pre exercise is smart. Here are some other ideas to have 1 hour before exercising:

Banana/Apple/Mango/Watermelon
Yam/Potato
Trukey sandwich
English muffin with tablespoon of honey
2 Crackers with natural peanut butter
Corn Flakes with raisins and skim milk
Carrots
Air popped popcorn

You can now be consciously aware of what you eat pre-workout and see how you feel during your workouts. If you’re feeling gastro discomfort you can try reducing the amount of protein/fat or just eat it a little earlier and then concentrate on something more simple carb focused closer to your workout.

Hydration:

Although this is not a pre-workout food it is important to state that scientists have found that athletes who consume approximately 2 cups of water 2-3 hours before exercising are less likely to get dehydrated once they have begun an endurance sport lasting for longer than an hour.

If dehydration is specifically of concern to you then science has shown that carbohydrate drinks like Gatorade which contain electrolytes (specifically sodium and potassium) will help prevent dehydration. This is obviously most important for marathon runners and individuals who participate in long distant cycling.

Pre Workout Supplementation:

While researching the topic of pre workout energy foods I had a lot of you guys tweet back and let me know that you also wanted to know about supplementation, so I thought I’d add that in here.

Here is what I’ve found from real experience with myself and my clients. Creatine pre-workout is one of the best supplements hands down. It can give you that little extra bit of energy you need to push your training to the next level. Although some consider the bloating as a side effect with creatine it can also be argued that the extra water retention can help with flushing out wastes from your muscles (including lactic acid build-up), so it can have some extra benefit.

Now some of the best creatine I’ve found includes: Fusion Bodybuilding’s Purple-K or for those wanting a full energy drink mix including creatine and NO then Gaspari Nutrition’s SuperPump250 is one of the hottest supplements in the market right now (and it tastes pretty damn good too!).

Other supplementation which is smart especially if you want to have a liquid form mini-meal is a whey protein shake. Obviously because this is high in protein you want to add some fruit such as a banana and make sure to have it at least an hour before your workout. The best selling top quality protein is Optimum 100% Whey Protein (Bodybuilding.com Protein Powder of the Year -5 years in a row)
.

Conclusion Pre Workout Energy Foods:

Everyone will need different amounts of time to have their pre-workout energy foods, but this article should help you develop a guideline which you can test and discover to see what works best for you. Experiment with the amount of protein and fat as well, some of you may find that high protein drinks an hour before your workout will work wonderfully and having that extra essential amino acids in your diet will help your muscles recover and grow.

Do you have any other Pre Workout Energy Foods you’d like to add? Please leave a message below…

Healthy Meal Plan: Day 1

I get asked quite a bit about healthy meal plan ideas, so you many of you will enjoy this article, and to be honest it’s quite fun for me too because it gets me to think about healthy meal plans that actually taste good and are satisfying. It’s no fun going through life eating cardboard-like food because you think it’ll make you look good, right?

Ok so, obviously it takes me a lot of time to sit down with a client and go over their needs and goals and help them develop healthy meal plans that they can stick to, but I thought I’d write articles of example days. You can try them out and see how they work for you and then hopefully mix and match from all the future articles on this topic..and by that I mean I will be writing many more healthy meal plans!

Now the overall objective of this meal plan is to help you lose fat, build muscle and never feel so hungry during the day that you lose focus of your goals. Remember to have water throughout your day aiming for 8 full cups/day.

Healthy Meal Plan:

7:45AM – 1 glass water

8:00AM – 1 cup skim milk. A medium sized bowl of instant oatmeal with a teaspoon of honey and frozen berries of your choice.

10:30AM – 1 apple. Handful of almonds or plain peanuts.

12:30PM – 1 glass water. Turkey breast wrap with greens, tomato, red pepper, cucumber and mustard. 3 stalks celery with low fat cream cheese.

3:00PM – 1 cup whey protein smoothie or yogurt with fruit.

5:00PM – Any fruit of your choice (optional whey protein smoothie)

7:00PM – Ahi Tuna steak lightly grilled on each side and marinated with light soya sauce and sesame seeds. 1 small yam with 1 teaspoon butter.

9:00PM – 1 orange

Mmmmmm…how about that now? I don’t know about you but that made me hungry just going over this healthy meal plan. Think you can stick to this for one day to see how it makes you feel?

Hint: Prepare everything for this meal plan the day before and then go over it in the morning. This will increase your chances of success ten fold!

Have any questions or comments? Please leave a message below…

Fruit Smoothie Recipe – Ultimate Parfait

One of the best ways to get on track with eating healthy is to introduce protein fruit smoothies into your diet. The benefits are simply exponential…

• Great way to introduce antioxidant rich fruit into your diet to boost immune system
• Adding whey protein boosts your amino acid intake which helps with muscle recovery & strength gains
• Can easily curb appetite for unhealthy junk food
• Boosts your metabolism if you combine one or two protein smoothies with three small meals throughout the day
• Taste great, no actually they taste fantastic! Mix your favorite fruits and yogurts

So what’s my ultimate fruit smoothie parfait recipe?

1/4 cup chopped frozen mangos
1/4 cup frozen mixed berries (blueberries, raspberries and blackberries)
2 tablespoons pineapple/coconut yogurt
1 scoop vanilla whey protein (read about different types of whey protein)
1 teaspoon L-Glutamine (read benefits of Glutamine supplementation here)
2 ice cubes
1/6 cup water
1/6 cup skim milk

Seriously, how good does that sound? It’s the ultimate fruit smoothie recipe and it’s full of all the benefits for anyone wanting to lose weight, gain muscle and get toned.

If you’re sensitive to dairy products you can try other types of yogurt and rice/hemp/almond milk or just lactose-free milk.

Have other fruit smoothie recipes that you can recommend? Please leave a comment below…

Healthy Snacks at Night

I had an interesting observation when thinking about the psyche of eating healthy during the day. Most of us do our best to be very health-conscious during the day and then at night we break down and think “I’ve been good all day, so it won’t kill me if I have…” substitute your junk food of choice here! It might be ice cream, popcorn, chips or even something high in carbs like cereal (by the way, why do a lot of women like to eat cereal at night?).

Something ringing a warning bell here? I hope this article exposes this problem, but first let’s look at why this thinking is what is causing all our hard work to go to waist…I mean waste!

Let me take a few steps back and state that I can’t think how many times I’ve heard of people saying to me that they’ve heard that they should not eat anything after 7pm, as if that’s the secret that all fitness models use to stay fit and lean. I can’t stress how wrong this thinking is. Let’s look at why…

First of all, this is an unreal expectation, our body requires cycles of energy when we are awake and starving yourself after 7pm is just going to make you fail and feel miserable about yourself. As I mentioned in the first paragraph, you may have been eating healthy all day but it may have lacked the calories, vitamins, minerals your body needed so you start getting hunger pains around 8 or 9pm. What’s the solution?

Well there are different solutions depending on the goals that you have. In this issue I’m going to talk about the solution for men and women looking to lean out. In the next edition, I’m going to talk about healthy night time snacks when you are wanting to increase your overall muscle size and strength (stay tuned that will come soon).

Healthy Night Time Snacks for Leaning Out

Ok, so snacks like popcorn, cereal and even ice cream are going to be the wrong choices at night if you are looking to lean out. Popcorn, cereal and most low-fat ice cream are all high in carbohydrates. Eating carbohydrates in the morning is great because your body is going to use that as a source of energy for you throughout the day. However, having these at night is a bad idea because you will be sleeping shortly thereafter and your body will just store them as fat.

So what do we replace these with? Fruit should be your number one choice. Especially fruits such as oranges, plums, cherries, and any other berries. These are lower in natural sugars (aka fructose) than fruits such as bananas, apples and melons. With that said, be creative! Make a fruit salad and have a small cup each night to keep things interesting.

Another great idea as healthy snack is to combine reduced-sugar vanilla yogurt with some fruit and a couple teaspoons of high fibre cereal (if you just can’t give cereal up!).

What about something salty? How about some low fat cream cheese on celery or broccoli? Nuts and seeds are another great idea even though they are high in fats, they are the good kind of fats (Omega 3′s). Just make sure to get them as plain as possible in the grocery store…but….at home take a handful of almonds, peanuts, pumpkin seeds and sprinkle some coarse black pepper, Cajun spices, or any other of your favourite spice/herb and bake them for 15mins. Trust me on this one, much tastier and healthier for you than microwaveable popcorn or even pretzels (which usually contain corn syrup).

Still not satisfied? try having non-caffeinated teas at night if you feel like fruits/veggies are not enough. You can get lots of great flavoured organic teas these days that not only taste great but also will help calm you down and prepare you for sleep.

One of the final things I will mention is about supplements you can take you at night to help you sleep and recover from your workouts better…

Recommended Supplements at Night:
 

• Optimum ZMA: ZMA is a scientifically designed anabolic mineral formula which contains Zinc plus Magnesium and vitamin B-6, and is an all-natural product. Clinical testing suggests that it may significantly increase anabolic hormone levels and muscle strength while cutting away at fat.
• AOR Ortho-Core Vitamins: Ortho-Core is formulated with a broad spectrum of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients whose role in supporting optimal health is backed by scientific research.
• Country Life Omega 3 Mood: Omega-3 Fatty Acids Support:Mood Regulation, Brain Function Related to Learning, Enhanced Energy Levels, Stress Relief.

Conclusion

Next time you’re at a grocery store pick up some your favourite fruit rather than popcorn, chips, ice cream. You may want to try some organic fruit to see if they have more flavour and keep you satisfied. Seeds and nuts or veggies are other great night time snacks that should keep you satisfied until morning which is when you should be have something like cereal or oatmeal to provide your body with lots of energy throughout the day.

Give these a try and let us know the results that you get. Have any other healthy night time snacks you’d like to suggest?

How Healthy is Your Salad?

Salads are a great way to add tons of healthy vegetables full of essential vitamins and minerals to your diet. Unfortunately, the salad dressing and other toppings can also add a large amount of fat and unwanted sugars. Some things to watch out for include: added sugars (such as high fructose corn syrup), ‘bad’ oils (such as soybean and canola oil), and serving sizes.

With this in mind if you look at the ingredient listing of almost any salad dressing today you’ll notice they contain a large amount of these bad-for-your-tummy additives. So why not create our own salad dressings with healthy fresh ingredients?

Try the following tasty and quick to make salad dressings which can actually be a positive addition to your diet. ‘Good’ oils such as olive oil not only add flavour, but can actually help make the nutrients in your greens more accessible to your body. These delicious dressings will add extra zing to your salads while helping you keep up with your healthy lifestyle.

Healthy Salad Dressing Recipes

Fresh Limon-Cilantro Dressing (2 tablespoons per serving)
1 cup reduced fat yogurt
2 tablespoons chives minced
2 tablespoons cilantro minced
2 tablespoons lime juice (fresh)
1 tablespoon lemon juice (fresh)
1 tablespoon fresh mint minced
Salt to taste

Directions: Whisk together and pour over your salad of choice.

Hold the oil French dressing (2 tablespoons per serving, 38 calories yield: 14 servings)
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) reduced-sodium condensed tomato soup
1 tablespoon grated onion
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions: Whisk together and pour over your salad of choice.

Tuna salad dressing (2 tablespoons per serving)
4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Directions: Whisk together and drizzle over tuna salad.

Healthy Ranch dressing (2 tablespoons per serving)
1 clove garlic mined
1/4 cup parsley chopped
2 tablespoons chives
1/2 cup low fat mayo
1/2 cup low fat sour cream
1/8 cup skim milk
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
Salt to taste
(makes 8 servings)

Directions: Whisk together, chill for an hour and serve over salad

Zesty Salad Dressing (2 tablespoons per serving, 20 calories, yield: 6 servings)
1/2 cup fat-free plain yogurt
1/4 cup chili sauce
1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon steak sauce
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Directions: Whisk all of the ingredients. Chill for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Shrimp salad dressing (2 tablespoons per serving)
1/2 medium onion, sliced
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons fresh basil chopped
2 tablespoons fresh dill chopped
1 teaspoon garlic finely chopped

Directions: Whisk together and serve over shrimp salad.

Conclusion:
These 5 salad dressing recipes are not only going to make your salads more tasty, but definitely more healthy than any processed salad dressing you buy in a store. Try making more of the dressings and store them in a container to use for the week. Also feel free to add your favorite herbs to give these recipes a huge amount of variety.

What do you think about these salad dressings? Have any other healthy salad recipes you’d like to add? Please leave a comment below:

The Fat Loss Diet

This article is written for those who are strictly looking to lose fat with their diet. It must be warned that you may also see a little loss of muscle size, however in the long run, the fat loss will also mean more definition. So the result may be that your muscles look bigger because there is no fat covering them!

This diet looks at restricting high Glycemic carbs to the morning only. If you are wondering why high Glycemic carbs are considered at all, the reason is because they help fuel your muscles and allow you to maximize the intensity of your workouts.

The other part of this diet looks at eliminating processed foods with the exception of instant oatmeal (although not as processed as most cereals), as the oats are a great source of fiber and carbohydrates which provide your muscles with the energy bursts they need to burn fat.

Lastly, high quality lean meats are essential to providing your body with amino acids they need to function, along with fruits and veggies to provide the vitamins and minerals. With all this in mind you will also notice that you will be eating 7 times a day and although you may consider some as snacks, let’s look at them as important meals that you don’t skip so you keep your metabolism high.

Try this diet for 4 weeks (you can have one cheat day a week to relax with what you eat, I like for it to be Saturdays when I’m out with friends and still try and moderate it a little). After 4 weeks you are guaranteed to see a noticeable reduction of body fat.

Ready? Here we go…

Meal 1 (as soon as you wake up)
1 cup instant oatmeal with ½ cup skim milk, sprinkled with cinnamon and microwaved for 90 seconds. Add a handful of frozen blueberries on top to give it some sweetness!

Meal 2 (2 hours later)
1 banana

Meal 3 (2 hours later)
2 slices whole wheat bread
1 tbsp mustard
8 oz turkey breast
½ tablespoon reduced fat mayo
As much spinach as you like
3 cherry tomatoes
Crushed black pepper to taste

Meal 4 (3 hours later)
1 apple/orange/nectarine

Meal 5 (2 hours later)
6 oz baked salmon with crushed garlic, cayenne pepper, lime juice, 1tbsp olive oil
1 cup brown rice
3 asparagus branches with your herb of choice and ½ tbsp butter
Small yam steamed with Cajun spice sprinkled on top

Meal 6 (2 hours later)
½ cup low-fat cottage cheese and 2 strawberries sliced on top

Meal 7 (2 hours later)
½ cup fresh pineapple

Now how about that meal plan? Not as bad as you thought right? Lots of fruits, veggies, lean meats and a good amount of protein and healthy carbohydrates. You can be creative with the fruits and veggies, and if you are feeling hungry still add more veggies of any kind (celery, carrots, peppers, onions etc.).

I want to hear your feedback about this fat loss diet plan. What do you think? Did you give it a try?

Healthy Lunch Ideas

Probably the easiest time to fall of our healthy eating plan is lunch time. We’re usually running around and busy with work or errands so our body starts craving energy in the form of food and it’s not uncommon that we crave the worst of foods (deep fried, high carb, high sugar foods). Therefore it’s really important that we plan out our meals the night before or morning of to helps us get past this obstacle.

Let’s take a look at 3 healthy recipes that I’ve collected which will keep your metabolism high and your stomach flat…

Healthy Lunch Recipes

Lime Tuna Salad Extravaganza

½ can tuna flakes (in water)
½ lime
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ cup of diced bell red pepper
1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
¼ cup thinly sliced carrots
2 sliced black olives
1 stalk minced green onion
1 ½ cup mixed greens (or spinach)
½ teaspoon black pepper flakes
1 crushed rye Wasa crispbread

Asian Chicken Pasta Salad

4 slices chopped up Kentucky style chicken from deli
½ cup whole wheat pasta bows
1 large carrot finely chopped
2 celery stalks finely chopped up
¼ large cucumber cut into strips

Dressing:
1 tablespoon rice vinegar (or white vinegar)
1 tablespoon reduced sodium soy sauce
¼ fresh red chilli seeded and finally chopped
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon sesame seeds

Thanksgiving Turkey Wrap

1 whole wheat wrap
4 slices Turkey breast from deli
½ yam boiled and mashed
¼ cup mixed greens
1 tablespoon canned corn
1 tablespoon cranberry sauce
1 teaspoon coarse black pepper

Looks pretty easy and tasty hey? Start with these 3 ideas and substitute other vegetables in to keep them interesting. Of course you can also add any herb you have kicking around that you like to add some more flavour too!

Keeping You On Track

Now one other tip worth mentioning is to have a mid-morning snack to keep your cravings and energy levels in check.

Some great mid-morning snacks would include:
½ cup of vanilla yogurt with 2 tablespoons frozen berries
Your favourite fruit (orange, banana, apple)
Handful of almonds
Fruit smoothie (take a look at fruit smoothie recipes – http://weightlossandtraining.com/fruitsmoothie-recipes)

Conclusion

Hope you enjoyed these healthy lunch ideas. If you have others you’d like to suggest please leave a comment below…

It’s a new year and many of us have wanted to make healthier and wise choices when it comes to our eating, but we’ve found that these healthy foods can be quite bland. So I want to bring back some fun into our diets.

Remember when we were kids and we’d have peanut butter and jam sandwiches for lunch? We didn’t know it but those were probably the unhealthiest lunches are parents were packing for us. But they didn’t know better.

Let’s look at why the sandwiches they made were unhealthy for us and what we can do to turn it upside down and make it not only healthy but also just as yummy!

Old times (haha, this is a very relevant term).

• White bread
• Skippy Peanut Butter
• Strawberry Jam

Hope you see the problem already. First of all, our parents made these sandwiches with white bread. White bread which had bleached processed flours and tons of other ingredients including sugar.

Skippy peanut butter (or similar) whose second ingredient is sugar and third ingredient is partially hydrogenated oils.

Strawberry jam whose first ingredient was mostly sugar.

Ok, so let’s flip this sandwich to a healthy version.

• 100% whole grain flax bread. (look at the ingredients to make sure high fructose corn syrup is not one of them)
• Strawberry jam with no added sugar.
• Organic creamy peanut butter with no additives (the one I like does have sea salt added but nothing else). Side note: don’t exceed more than 2 table spoons of peanut butter in one meal.

Yum, these sandwiches really hit the spot especially because the flax bread has a bit of a nutty flavour already, and this is further accentuated with the peanut butter. On days when I work out I sometimes add half a peanut butter as well to really complete this as a satisfying meal.

Ok so now we have a healthy sandwich, but what are the real benefits of peanut butter?

First of all, peanuts contain monounsaturated fats which have been shown to lower the bad form of cholesterol known as LDL.

Peanut butter is also rich in antioxidants. Surprisingly, about the same amount of cell protecting antioxidants as found in strawberries!

Peanut butter may also help prevent Alzheimer’s disease since it contains Niacin. In a recent study, those who consumed 22mg of niacin daily had 44 percent lower risk of Alzheimer’s than those who only consumed 13mg. Two tablespoons of peanut butter pack 4mg alone, so it is a great way to supplement your daily diet to make sure you get enough.

Some pretty good news there. Now remember, my recommendation is that you don’t go overboard with your peanut butter intake, try and keep it to 2 tablespoons a day since it is very calorie rich. However, as a sandwich it is a great meal to add to your weight loss regimen as it will keep you satiated for a long time since it will help create a meal that is equal in fats, proteins and carbohydrates.

Do you have any favorite peanut butter recipes?

Broccoli Recipes – Healthy Edition
Well now that you know all the amazing health benefits of broccoli let’s get into some yummy ways to prepare broccoli.

Maintaining Highest Source of Nutrients:
Steaming Broccoli for a short period of time (about 5 minutes) is the best way to prepare broccoli hands down. Not only does steaming keep the nutrients within the vegetable (boiling is the worst as it leeches out the nutrients – see my video health tip) but steaming also makes the nutrients and minerals more absorbable by your body.

So now that we have it steamed what can we add to it other than an excessive amount of butter or oil to make it taste better?

Here are some ideas:
Cayenne pepper, black pepper, lemon juice, sesame seeds, herbs like basil or rosemary, Cajun spices or any other spice or herb that you like. These will all bring out the flavour of broccoli and make it not so boring.

If you’re going to add butter or oil try and use organic butter/or extra virgin olive oil to get some extra Omega 3’s in your diet (read Omega 3 Benefits).

Ok, now let’s get into some yummy and still healthy recipes with Broccoli…

Healthy Cream of Broccoli Soup

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons organic butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 large carrots, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 4 cups water
• 4 tablespoons chicken bouillon powder
• 1 lb fresh broccoli florets
• 2 cups skim milk
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup ice water
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 dash chili pepper

Directions
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat; add chopped onions, carrots, and garlic, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until softened.

In a medium-sized cooking pot, add 4 cups water and chicken bouillon granules and bring to boil. Add precooked onion mixture to soup pot. Add broccoli florets, reserving a few pieces to be added near the end of cooking time. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 15 to 20 minutes or until broccoli is just tender.

In a blender or food processor, puree soup in batches and return to pot. Stir in skim milk and remaining broccoli florets.

In a cup, mix flour with 1/4 cup cold water to form a thin liquid.

Bring soup to boil; add flour mixture slowly, stirring constantly to thicken soup as desired. Add soy sauce, black pepper, chili pepper and stir well.

Garnish with parsley or carrot curls. Serve soup hot or cold.
Roasted Broccoli with Garlic

Ingredients

• 1 head broccoli, cut into florets, stems peeled, and sliced or diced (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, sliced
• kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Toss the broccoli florets with the olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper on a baking sheet. Spread them out and then roast, without stirring, until the edges are crispy and the stems are crisp tender, about 20 minutes.
Serve warm.

Fetuccini with Smashed Broccoli and Pine Nuts

Ingredients:
2 cups broccoflower
2 cups broccoli florets
1 cup vegetable stock
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound fresh tagliarini or fresh fettuccine pasta
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese

Directions:
1. Cook the broccoflower florets in a large pot of salted water until they are very soft. Drain and reserve some of the cooking liquid. Pulse in a processor until almost pureed, adding cooking liquid if needed. Set aside.
2. Cook the broccoli florets in salted water until very soft. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a blender or processor and process until pureed. Add enough cooking liquid, as needed, for smoothness and liquidity.
3. Combine the two purees. Warm them over low heat in large saute pan with stock and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Cook the pasta until tender. Toss with broccoli sauce. Top each portion with toasted pine nuts, a grinding of black pepper and grated pecorino cheese.
Serving Size: about 2 cups

Broccoli Salad

Ingredients:
1 large bunch broccoli
3/4 cup seedless raisins or dried cranberries
3/4 cup celery, chopped
1 small red onion, chopped
1 Bell red pepper
1/2 cup sunflower seeds (optional)
1 cup reduced fat/non-fat mayonnaise
1/4 cup white vinegar

Directions
Cut the broccoli into small bite-sized pieces (including the stems) – you should have approx. 7 cups.

Throw the broccoli into a large transportable salad bowl (one with a lid so you may take it along to your picnic), along with the raisins, celery, onion, red pepper, and sunflower seeds.

In a smaller bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, vinegar.Pour over the vegetables and mix well.

Cover and refrigerate.

Do you have any other healthy broccoli recipes you can add? Please leave the recipe below:

Healthy Breakfast Ideas

Hopefully by the time you have read this section you already know that your breakfast is truly your most important meal of the day. My sister would always skip breakfast when she was feeling out of shape because she thought that it would make her lose weight. In fact, this seems like a psychological trick you play on yourself which almost feels like it works. You feel that hunger pain, or feeling of emptiness and you ignore it. It’s almost like your brain acknowledges that you have been bad and it’s ok to punish your body by not feeding it first thing in the morning.

However, in reality your have already fasted for 8 hours during your sleep and it’s important….no make that critical that you keep your metabolism elevated by feeding it first thing. But this isn’t supposed to be an article about why you should eat breakfast, but some really healhty breakfast ideas, so let’s get right to it.

Toast My Honey Baby
One Slice Toast (100% whole wheat grains or flax seed)
One Tablespoon organic butter
One Tablespoon Honey
One Cup Skim Milk or Tea

Directions:
Toast the bread, smother the organic butter on top and quickly add the honey before the butter has melted!

Yum, this is definitely one of my favorite breakfast ideas! It seems to be one I don’t get tired of, and it is quite balanced with fiber, protein, carbs, and fat. Plus there are many health benefits that real honey has been proven to provide so give it a try!

The Egg and Cheddar Beat
One Tablespoon organic butter
One Whole egg
1/4 Cup Egg White
One Scallion Finely Chopped
Two Thin Slices Low Fat Cheddar Cheese
One Flaxseed Wrap
One Cup Skim Milk/Tea/Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice

Directions:
On a non-stick pan throw on half a table spoon organic butter and quickly after it has melted throw on the eggs and scallions. Cook as you like. Put two thin slices of low fat cheddar cheese on the flaxseed wrap and put into a toaster until the cheese melts. Place eggs on wrap and serve. You can add fresh salsa or up to two tablespoons organic ketchup for some extra flavour.

Good Ole Cereal:
1/4 Cup of your favorite cereal (try and only buy cereal that has at least 3 or 4 grams of Fiber)
1/4 Cup of plain Oats (same as that for oatmeal)
1/2 Banana
1 Cup Skim Milk

For those on the go or in a hurry this is a no-brainer!

Fruit Smoothie Recipes
One of the fastest, healthiest and yummiest solutions to keeping excess weight off is to throw some fruit, yogurt and ice into a blender (I recommend the magic bullet) and make a quick meal to help boost your metabolism and ward off cravings. Here are some yummy fruit smoothie recipes…

Fuzzy Peach Fruit Smoothie
1 large peach, sliced and unseeded
1/2 cup of peach yogurt
1/2 cup of skim milk
6 ice cubes

Energy Boost Banana Black Berry Fruit Smoothie
1/2 medium banana
1/2 cup blackberries
1/2 cup non-fat vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup ice cubes

Mango Monkey Fruit Smoothie
1 large ripe mango
8 to 10 strawberries
1/2 medium banana
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt

Pre Workout Going Bananas Fruit Smoothie
1 medium banana
1/2 cup rasberries
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup ice cubes
5-10 grams Creatine Monohydrate (see below)

Tip: Adding nutritional supplements to your smoothies is a great idea. Try these…

• Optimum 100% Natural Vanilla whey protein powder (great for muscle repair and growth)
• Flaxseed oil (excellent source of heart healthy Omega 3′s)
• Now Green Phytofood (excellent source of vitamins)
• BCAA Powder (enhances muscle tissue recovery)
• Creatine Monohydrate Powder (great for muscle repair and growth)

Have any other tasty fruit smoothie recipes you would like to share? Please leave a comment below…

Healthy Recipes for Smart Women Who Want to Eat Well & Look Toned
I’ve put together a bunch of healthy recipes which are quick to make, tasty and very nutritious for you plus will allow you to shed excess weight and tone up your thighs, tummy, hips.

Simply enter your name and email below and you’ll get a link to download this Free Booklet. You will also get a Free Premium Membership to the Weight Loss and Training Newsletter which includes updates on the latest articles on new yummy recipes, supplements and vitamins every women should take, workout routines of the most talked about women (like Jessica Alba, Jessica Simpson, Janet Jackson), and some quick and easy tips to get you more toned and hit those thighs, hips, tummy and other trouble spots. (If you’ve already signed up for the mailing list to Weight Loss and Training, don’t worry, you will never get duplicate emails).

Privacy Note: I will NEVER, EVER sell, rent or give away your email address to anyone for any reason. I hate spam as much as you do and I will never be a part of it. You can unsubscribe at any time using the unsubscribe link at the bottom of the emails.

Healthy Recipes For Men Who Want to Impress Their Women
I’ve put together a bunch of super healthy recipes which are quick to make and definitely sexy enough for men who want to eat smart and grow stronger, plus having the added benefit of impressing their girlfriends/wives.

Simply enter your name and email below and you’ll get a link to download this Free PDF Booklet. You will also get free a Free Premium Membership to the Weight Loss and Training Newsletter which includes updates on the latest articles on new recipes, supplements to help you improve your performance naturally, workout routines of ripped men (like Brad Pitt, Gerrard Butler {from the movie 300}, Matthew McConaughey), and some quick and easy tips to get you stronger, bigger, faster. (If you’ve already signed up for the mailing list to Weight Loss and Training, don’t worry, you will never get duplicate emails).

Privacy Note: I will NEVER, EVER sell, rent or give away your email address to anyone for any reason. I hate spam as much as you do and I will never be a part of it. You can unsubscribe at any time using the unsubscribe link at the bottom of the emails.

Healthy Recipes for Busy Mothers
I’ve put together a bunch of super healthy recipes which are quick to make, very nutritious for you and/or for the whole family.

Simply enter your name and email below and you’ll get a link to download this Free PDF. You will also get a Free Premium Membership to the Weight Loss and Training Newsletter which includes updates on the latest articles on new yummy recipes, supplements and vitamins every mother should take, workout routines of celebrity mothers (like Gwenyth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie, Madonna), and some quick and easy tips to get you more toned and hit those thighs, hips, tummy and other trouble spots. (If you’ve already signed up for the mailing list to Weight Loss and Training, don’t worry, you will never get duplicate emails).

Privacy Note: I will NEVER, EVER sell, rent or give away your email address to anyone for any reason. I hate spam as much as you do and I will never be a part of it. You can unsubscribe at any time using the unsubscribe link at the bottom of the emails.

Healthy Recipes For Gay Men Who Never Have Enough Time
I’ve put together a bunch of healthy recipes for gay men who never have enough time but want to enjoy eating something tasty.

Simply enter your name and email below and you’ll get a link to download this Free PDF. You will also get a Free Premium Membership to the Weight Loss and Training Newsletter which includes updates on the latest articles on new yummy recipes, supplements to help you improve your performance naturally, workout routines of ripped men (like Chris Evans, Ryan Reynolds, Matthew McConaughey), and some quick and easy tips to get you more toned and help you reach your goals. (If you’ve already signed up for the mailing list to Weight Loss and Training, don’t worry, you will never get duplicate emails).

Privacy Note: I will NEVER, EVER sell, rent or give away your email address to anyone for any reason. I hate spam as much as you do and I will never be a part of it. You can unsubscribe at any time using the unsubscribe link at the bottom of the emails.