Salt Lick
Salt.For some people, it's a far more tempting ingredient than sugar.
While table salt, chemically known as sodium chloride (NaCl), might not have the same impact on your caloric intake as sweet treats, salt can definitely have a bad effect on your health. It can increase your blood volume as well as cause your body to retain excess fluids, both of which put more stress on your heart. Overtime this can increase your overall blood pressure, damaging artery walls and making them vulnerable to atherosclerosis (plaque buildup in the arteries) and increasing your risk of heart attack and stroke. In fact, experts estimate that excess sodium kills 150,000 people yearly, prompting the American Medical Association (AMA) to advocate adding warning labels to foods high in sodium.
The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that healthy people eat less than 2300 mg of sodium per day (less than 1500 for African Americans, middle-aged and older adults, and those with high blood pressure). Unfortunately, however, 75 percent of the sodium in the average American diet comes from salt added to processed or restaurant foods. So, even if you don't add any salt to your food, chances are high that you're eating way more than you think if you eat processed foods.
Foods to beware of:
1. Asian foods (Main Culprits: monosodium glutamate (MSG) and soy sauce)
2. Pizza (Main Culprits: cheese, meat toppings like Canadian bacon and sausage)
3. Starbucks (Main Culprits: drinks like the Java Chip Frappuccino contain 300 mg sodium and Propel Fitness Water contains 104 mg)
4. Baked goods like cookies, muffins, bread and doughnuts (Main Culprits: Baking soda, which has 1259 mg sodium per teaspoon, added salt)
5. Cold and instant hot cooked cereals, pancake and waffle mixes, canned vegetables and snack chips (Main Culprit: added sodium and preservatives like sodium nitrite)
FYI -
Table salt is approximately 40% sodium and 60% chloride.
Here are some serving equivalents to help you control your intake:
1/4 teaspoon salt = 600 mg sodium
1/2 teaspoon salt = 1,200 mg sodium
3/4 teaspoon salt = 1,800 mg sodium
1 teaspoon salt = 2,300 mg sodium
Sources:
www.webmd
www.heart.org (American Heart Association)
Post Exercise Fueling
Congratulations! You made it through your fat burning, muscle toning, strength building sweat fest!Now what?
After all that effort, it would be a shame not to get all you can out of the workout and the results you want, right? Unfortunately, however, many people fail to realize that the hours after their workouts are extremely important to making the most of their efforts and giving the body what it needs to recover well.
Last Monday we chatted about what to eat before you workout. Here are some key tips to keep in mind in the magic 2 hour window after you exercise.
1. Re-Hydrate.
Drink water! While you'll likely need at least a cup or two, how much you truly need depends on how much you sweat. One way to estimate your need is to weigh yourself before you workout and then weigh yourself right after to see how much water you've lost. When you exercise, you loose moisture via sweat (the obvious) and via respiration (the less obvious) so you can actually end your workout a bit dehydrated if you aren't putting it back during the workout. Keep in mind that if you exercise for an hour or less and don't live somewhere hot like Arizona chances are low that you need to rehydrate with sports drinks.
2. Put carbs and protein in right away.
There's a reason why you're probably a bit hungry after you exercise. Your body is primed and most receptive to these key nutrients at that time. The sooner you start your refueling, the better your recovery and possibly the less muscle soreness you'll experience. Eating a fist-sized snack (or a meal depending on your timing) within 15-60 minutes after your workout can give your body what it needs when it needs it most. What should you choose? Low fat chocolate milk is a popular choice right now (probably in part due to its heavy promotion by the dairy industry) but a peanut butter sandwich on whole grain bread can work just as well. I like to nosh a serving of a cranberry, almond, cashew nut blend from good 'ol Trader Joe's when I leave the gym. Truly, the choice is up to your taste buds and your body. You just want to choose an easily digestible healthy carb to quickly balance your blood sugar and some protein so it doesn't have to steal it from your muscles.
3. Put back what you've used and give your body what it needs to rebuild and remodel.
Even if your goal is weight loss you still need to time your meals so that your body has the fuel and nutrients it needs to make the most of your workouts. Skipping meals or failing to fuel afterwards can mean a longer recovery time and increased muscle soreness in the hours following. In order to boost your metabolism and build shapely muscle your body needs the proper tools. That means giving it the right nutrients. Big picture, that means carbs, protein and the right fats. Where can these tools best be found in the hours after your workout? Foods like leafy greens, broccoli, brown rice, quinoa, legumes, fish and chicken. Whole foods from the ground and, as much as possible, not from a box.
More helpful tips:
- Do be careful and watch your your portion sizes. Just because you worked out doesn't mean you should pig-out.
- Don't let yourself get so hungry that you make poor choices such as sugary, high calorie, high-fat, nutrient-poor treats (see next tip).
- Put a snack in your bag! Plan your post-workout snack and subsequent meal so that you don't pass that optimal workout window (2 hours or less) to maximize the food's affects and to control hunger. If you workout late break up your evening meal so that you have some of the fuel before you workout (remember, 1 to 1.5 hours prior) and then finish the rest of the fueling after.
CLICK HERE to check out the previously posted "20 Healthy Snack Ideas".
And finally, here's a recent study on eating after exercise: "What You Eat After exercise Matters".
Your bad mood could be thirst in disguise
Chances are you're very aware that you can feel a bit testy and out of sorts when you've missed a meal, but did you know that your mood is also affected by dehydration?A new study appearing in the Journal of Nutrition suggests that even mild dehydration can cause moodiness, increased fatigue, headaches and decreased concentration. The research was conducted by the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine and assessed 25 women under 3 levels of mild post-exercise hydration. The women completed questionnaires after their workouts to report their mood, fatigue level, mental clarity, etc. Interesting but not at all surprising, a separate not yet published study was also conducted on a group of men with similar findings.
Based on the the study, what's important to keep in mind is that hydration affects your mental as well as your physical health. When you're properly hydrated you're more likely to feel happier and to be in a better mood. In terms of physical performance, there is a higher level of perceived exertion when you're dehydrated, which could affect how hard you workout and certainly how you feel while working out. And remember that less effort also means less calories burned.
So how much should you drink?
While you do get some liquid from food, the Institute of Medicine recommends that women consume 2.7 liters, or 91 ounces, of water each day, and that men consume 3.7 liters (125 ounces) daily.
Click here to view the study: Mild Dehydration Affects Mood in Healthy Young Women
Pre-exercise fueling
You've heard it a thousand times I'm sure. Daily exercise is an important part of your fitness success, but you've got to eat right to get, and SEE I might add, the results you want. How should you eat to maximize your workouts, you might ask. While there have been some indications that working out early in the morning on an empty stomach could encourage weight loss, research has shown that most people have a hard time maintaining a hight level of intensity without a little fuel in their system.
My recommendation is that you experiment to find out what works for you. Whether you're training for a special event or just training for life, the MOST important thing to keep in mind prior to your workout is that you want your energy level up and your performance high so you can build shapely muscle and burn fat. Let your appetite and your performance tell you what to choose and when to do eat it.
That being said there are some things to consider when priming your body for optimal effort:
1. Eat 1 to 1.5 hours before your workout.
That way the fuel and nutrients will be available for your hard working muscles but you won't feel like you have a brick lying in your stomach. At the very least you may want to eat something a half hour before your workout.
2. Combine low fat, low fiber carbs and a little protein.
Carbs are your body's preferred fuel source so you'll need them in order to go hard. The protein can help you feel satiated so you can get through to your post-workout meal. More on that later. Also, the last thing you want is a full stomach so you'll want to choose something fairly light. One of my early morning pre-workout favs is sliced (just slightly green) banana topped with all-natural peanut butter.
More good choices -
~ Hummus and piece of whole wheat flat bread or raw veggies
~ Greek yogurt (Read your label though, many "popular" names include excessive sweeteners and fillers. Try Fage, Oikos or my fav Chobani)
~ Trail mix (preferably sulfite and sugar-free and raw)
~ Grapefruit and a hard boiled egg
~ Steel cut oatmeal with raw walnuts
~ Whole grain fig (or fruit) Newton-style bars
~ Smoothies
3. Hydrate!
It goes without saying that you'll work up a good sweat so you need to make sure that your body is topped up before you begin. Not only can even slight dehydration cause headaches, it can also decrease your aerobic performance and cause an increase in your body temperature, heart rate and your perception of how hard you're working. Drink at 16-24 ounces starting 2 hours out from your workout. Early morning exercisers, a cup of water with lemon is a good start to your day.
4. Fuel is good, gas is bad.
Some exercisers thrive on cruciferous veggies like broccoli and cauliflower with their hummus, for instance. For others, however, CVs are the devil. I have a client whose belly hates bananas before a workout while mine is often not fond of any type of pre-workout melon. In short, trying to workout when you feel bloated and full can keep you from giving your best effort and no amount of raising your arms above your head will get rid of the problem, leading to the wasting of a perfectly good workout opportunity. Made worse by the fact that your time is precious so every workout counts. Know your body and save yourself the grief.
5. Nibble a snack, don't eat a meal.
Remember that the goal is to give you an energy boost. You may or may not need to eat depending on the timing of your other meals. If you eat a healthy lunch at noon, for instance, and your workout is scheduled for 3:00 PM you may not need to eat anything before. Again, let your appetite and your performance dictate your needs.
Detox jumpstart
Feeling a little bloated and low on energy?
A good detox drink may be just the thing you need to help you get a jump on your "clean eating" journey.
Not only can these tasty elixirs give you a healthy boost, they can also help you to focus on your health as well as your fitness goals.
1. Hot Water and Lemon.
Those who know me also know that this is my favorite drink. Lemon can help you burn fat, it can improve your digestion (especially good for those who have belching, bloating and heartburn issues) and strengthen you immune system as well as your urinary tract. It also promotes healthy skin, is a natural antiseptic and strengthens your liver, which is busy making protein, storing glucose and removing toxins from your body. Be sure to use the juice of a fresh lemon and not the bottled stuff because it's been suggested that pasteurization drastically reduces the "healthy-ness".
2. Green Tea with Mint
This is my next favorite drink. What makes this a winner is that green tea been shown to inhibit cancer growth and it's full of antioxidants. Mint adds a refreshing mental boost and, like green tea, is full of antioxidants and can inhibit cancer growth.
3. Green Detox Juice
I haven't tried this drink yet but it looks tasty. The ingredients are great for your healthy body, from helping your body get rid of toxins, and improving digestion, to helping alkalize your body and increasing your energy. For those of you who I've been harassing... ahem, I mean encouraging to eat more leafy green vegetables, this green juice can be a great way to include more servings in your weekly diet.
Green Detox Pressed Juice
From Michele Foley, FitSugar
Use a juicer for optimal results. If you don't have one, turn the recipe into a smoothie by using a blender instead.
Ingredients
1/2 bunch spinach
1 handful watercress
1/2 lemon, peeled
1 celery stalk
2 apples
1-inch slice of ginger
Directions
To make juice: In a fruit and vegetable juicer, juice all ingredients into a tall glass. Serve immediately.
To make smoothie: Prior to blending, chop apple and discard the core; peel and chop ginger; chop celery stalk; zest and juice lemon, throwing out remaining rind. Combine all ingredients, and blend on high until smooth. Add water or ice to help thin out the smoothie.
Eat fit to be fit!
"Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are." ~ Anthelme Brillat-Savarin
Want to be healthy? Then you need to EAT healthy.
Want to be fit? Then you need to EAT fit.
March is National Nutrition Month. This is a nutrition education and information campaign created annually in March by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Stay tuned in to the blog for posts about what and how to eat to make the most of your workouts and to encourage your good health. This year's theme is "Get Your Plate in Shape."
Here are some basic tips to get you started on your journey to nutrition success this month:
1. Make half your plate fruits and vegetables.
Be sure to eat fresh or frozen whenever possible and include lots of dark green vegetables to your daily diet. If you opt for canned fruit, steer clear of added sugar and high fructose corn syrup. While not ideal, canned veggies should be packed in water with no added salt.
2. Make at least half your grains whole.
Read your nutrition labels! Just because the product looks brown doesn't mean that it's good for you. Manufacturers regularly add coloring to make their products look more healthy and appealing. The nutrition label should say "100% whole grain" and the grain should be listed first on the label.
3. Monitor your milk intake.
If you include dairy in your diet, choose fat-free or low-fat milk, or calcium fortified milk alternatives like soy or almond.
4. Eat lean protein.
Choose from a variety of sources each week, including beans, nuts, poultry, seafood and eggs.
5. Cut back on sodium and empty calories from solid fats and added sugars.
The daily recommendation for sodium less than 2300 mg per day. That's less than 1 tsp per day! Again, read your food labels and monitor the amounts. Season your food with herbs and spices. Choose water instead of flavored beverages and sodas. Keep in mind that "sugar-free" beverages will still cause your body to react as though it received sugar, which is not good for your waistline or your health. Choose healthy fats like those found in avocados and olive oil.
Be sure to leave us a comment about your diet or to ask any questions you may have. We're here to help!
To YOUR fitness success!
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