New Health Food!!

7 Good Reasons To Start Eating Chia Seeds

Help weight loss. Chia seeds are popular for weight loss. They reduce food cravings by preventing some of the food that you eat from getting absorbed into your system. This blockage of calorie absorption makes them a great diet helper.
Feel fuller faster: They can also help your diet by making you feel full. This is because they absorb 10 times their weight in water, forming a bulky gel.
Hydration for athletes: They are also great for athletes because the "chia gel" can hydrate the body.
Reduce your blood pressure: There's evidence to suggest they can reduce blood pressure.
Omega-3: They are the richest plant source of Omega-3 (the vital fats that protect against inflammation—such as arthritis—and heart disease). In fact, they contain more Omega-3 than salmon!
Benefits for diabetes: Because chia seeds slow down how fast our bodies convert carbohydrates into simple sugars, studies indicate they can control blood sugar. This leads scientists to believe chia seeds may have great benefits for diabetics.
They are easier to digest than flax seeds, and don't need to be ground up.

Doing It Big!!

New Trainer
I found this trainer on Facebook and I'm not sure how long she has had a fb page but she is the bomb.com!! She has DVD collections coming out in June and I am waiting on my copies because she does not hold back on giving you a workout that gives you awesome results! Until then check out her website for loads of information and her YouTube for previews of what will be in her DVD collection. I added a paragraph below from her website on how you should start your fitness journey!! ~Juantoria 



 

Big-Boned Basics

Nov 18, 2010 31 Comments by Miss Anowa

Hello my lovely ladies, Ive been receiving a lot of emails on the “How To” in losing weight. In response, I felt the need to share what I DO instead of WHAT EVERYONE ELSE DOES!!Currently I am 5’9/5’10 give and take my bowleggs lol and between 203-206 pounds!! Therefore here is my recommendations to you: 1. WRITE DOWN YOUR CURRENT WEIGHT AND YOUR GOAL WEIGHT!! When I say GOAL, I mean a realistic number you are comfortable with. When I was 217 pounds, I wrote 180 pounds but then as I started losing the weight I realized 200 pounds was “A BETTER LOOK” for me!
2. GIVE YOURSELF A TIMELINE!! My timeline was 6 weeks because I was still trying to find the perfect formula that worked best with my body. I realized over time 1-3 pounds in a week wasn’t A FAR CRY and it won’t be for you if you are CONSISTENT!! THEREFORE, I recommend no less than 2 pounds for you!!
3. JOIN A GYM!! Being Brutally Honest, if you want to lose weight THE RIGHT WAY!! Which means diet and fitness. YOU NEED TO JOIN A GYM!! If you just lose the weight with diet, the pounds will come off BUT your skin has a risk of losing its firmness and elasticity!! You definitely want to maintain a toned physique, on your way to greatness!!
4. DIET!! Im not a big fan of DIETING but Ive realized that something in my diet had to be limited or cut off in order to reach my goal weight. Lets face it, I used to eat what I wanted…POINT BLANK !! I grew up participating in sports and dance performance and never encountered the GAINING WEIGHT” syndrome. Then one day EVERYTHING caught up to me lol!! I had to come to terms with it, WHICH WASN’T EASY”! The first thing I did was limit my carbs, YES, LIMIT MY CARBS!! It was hard at first but I made myself eat a BIG HEALTHY BREAKFAST.(Ex: Western Omelette, NO CHEESE, Wheat Toast and Oatmeal!! I love Tea, so thats what I would drink along with Cranberry juice or seltzer water!! Lunch would consist of a salad, then dinner was (ex: Fish, or chicken with greens(broccoli, or spinach)and *small* rice! Ok Im NOT GOING TO LYE! I LOOOOVE WHITE RICE!! lol Maybe its an African thing!! So I just limited my portion of rice!! No meals after 9pm. I usually went to bed by 1am. “I know terrible”!
5. STOP ASKING EVERYONE’S OPINION!! When I did it, I left everyone out of it except my partner! Some of the people around you can indirectly influence you with their own personal situations. Take everyone’s opinion in stride but DO YOUR OWN THING!!!
* LOOK OUT FOR MY NEXT BLOG ABOUT “CLEANSING YOUR MIND” (SOMETHING I DID) to help my chances in obtaining my physical goal!! Thank you for taking the time to read my blog and I ADORE feedback!! Talk to Me!!!
(c) 2010 November Anowa Adjah

Fruit & Veggie Overload

Cake, Cookies & Pies

I was never a cake, cookie nor pie girl of course I like sweets but my weight gain or loss was because of my portion amounts. I use to pile on gravy, use too much butter when cooking, eat large amounts of pork or red meats with UN-trimmed fat, and the use of fruit or veggies were cooked wrong taking away all the good things they have to offer. I found new ways to implement fruit and vegetables into my everyday meals that are not boring and I get all the vitamins and nutrients I need to eat clean.

I started to what they call "See Rainbows In Every Meal" which means to have a serving of fruit and veggies with every meal everyday! It became fun trying to make sure that happen, then I noticed that my sides and meat/fish were still on my plate when I finished eating...well most of it anyway. Fiber is filling and you are not as hungry during the day when you've had that recommended amount. Your fruit and veggies has so much fiber in it and you need that on a daily.

I am having fun with my eating clean lifestyle and look forward to learning many more recipes and sharing them with you.  (Top Photo: Sliced apples with peanut butter and/or almond butter granola & dark chocolate shavings)!!! Dark Chocolate is good chocolate but not too much of it:-) 

Happy Eating!! 

Stress Adds To Weight Loss & Gain!

Stress Matters
Lately I have been doing a lot of thinking about my future and how I want to change things around & kick it up a notch. I am a mother of four and two of them are teenagers, a toddler and a infant so to say I do a lot everyday is a under statement. Thinking about their future and how I prepare them for the future is a stress factor no matter the level of how it effects you. Between preparing healthy meals, making sure the time limit is set & upheld on electronic devices, checking home work, making bottles, changing diapers, and having time for yourself outside of your workout is a stress factor some days low some days high. How you deal with it all is the main thing that will set you apart from going crazy or becoming "SUPERWOMAN" lol. I have found that if I workout before my family wakes up or when they go to bed I can deal with anything better.You are balanced in your mind, body and soul when you meditate stretch and burn some body fat. Getting that metabolism up gives you more focus needed to deal with daily hits or misses. I am not so tired when those late night feedings happen or some extra loads of laundry needs to be done. I can get up earlier and have some extra morning time to myself to plan meals, have that cup of coffee in peace, and workout harder and better.If you do or do not deal with different stress factors whatever the levels it does have a positive and/or negative on your weight loss and/or gain. Prayer, meditation, and getting that workout in for me is a must to decrease anything that effects my journey with this weight management. Deal with things and stay on top of your goals to continue to climb and achieve your goals daily, weekly and or monthly! Happy Eating to you!! ~Juantoria

Getting Back On Track After A Weekend!!

I had a couple of indulgent days. A weekend away with a best friend, free from counting points and watching what I ate. Also full of lots of sunshine, a little too much wine, and more amazing conversations than I can count. Nothing is better than catching up with an old friend who has moved far away for the weekend. However, coming back I am definitely feeling like I need to cleanse for a few days. Not a full on cleanse, just lots of greens and the occasional cookie in all likelihood. In my opinion, days or weekends like this are actually a healthy part of any diet as long as they don’t happen too often. We all need them to not feel like we are missing out and sometimes they actually help me stay on track in the long run because it helps me realize how much food really does affect my energy levels. This salad is perfect on it’s own – have a few servings for a few meal, or great as a side dish, appetizer, or tossed with some chicken or shrimp.

Weight Watchers Get Your Greens Salad
Points: 2 Weight Watchers Points plus
Servings: 4
Serving Size: 1 1/4 cup
Nutritional Info: 104 calories, 4.7 g of fat, 14.2 g carbohydrates, 6 g dietary fiber, 9.4 g of protein

Ingredients
1 Persian cucumber
3 cups baby kale, sliced in think strips
8 asparagus
1 small zucchini
1 cup green beans
1 tbsp sunflower seeds
2 boiled eggs, diced
2 tbsp fresh dill
2 tbsp fresh tarragon
2 tbsp chives
2 tbsp parsley
1/4 cup Balsamic Dressing (recipe follows)
1/4 cup sprouts

Instructions
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch the asparagus, zucchini, and green beans for 2 minutes and then rinse under cold water. Chop into smaller pieces.

2. In a large salad bowl combine all the vegetables, including the fresh herbs. Add the boiled eggs and sunflower seeds.

3. Add the dressing and carefully mix together. Taste and add salt, pepper, and red chili flakes if you want a little spice to taste. Top with sprouts and serve.

Ingredients for Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 – 1 minced garlic clove
1 tbsp minced shallots
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tablespoon honey
3 tablespoons nonfat Greek yogurt
1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
1. Mix everything together well in a small container or bell jar.

Note: The dressing has 60 calories per 2 tbsp and 2 points plus per serving

Protein Matters!

WHEN TO DRINK PROTEIN SHAKES FOR EFFECTIVE WEIGHT LOSS
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Anyone who is trying to lose weight should include protein shakes into their arsenal to fight weight loss. You can even maximize the results if you do not treat it as “the” solution. It must be a part of a complete holistic weight loss solution. In this article, we address when to drink protein shakes for effective weight loss.

Firstly, what’s in protein shakes?

Protein shakes are usually a blend of whey protein isolate and concentrate. Whey protein is entirely natural since it is a by-product of cheese and it has the highest branched chain amino acids of any natural food source. Protein shakes have become an increasingly popular supplement for both people trying to lose weight as well as those trying to build some muscles.

Do protein shakes help with weight loss?

There is not much scientific research to prove that meagerly drinking protein shakes can help you lose weight. This is especially true if your weight loss strategy is based solely on using protein shakes as a meal replacement. Many people use this strategy by replacing one or two of their meals with a protein shake.

When a dieter does this, he could inadvertently be putting his body into starvation mode as the calorie deficit may be too large. While there may be substantial early weight loss, it is seldom sustainable.

Weight loss should be approached from a holistic point of view. When you have a holistic approach to weight loss, you can definitely include protein shakes into your diet and it will help your weight loss efforts. It acts as a high quality source of protein. When coupled with a healthy diet and exercise, it is an ample source of protein for your body to build much-needed muscles.

When to drink protein shakes if you want to lose weight

You can optimize the benefits of taking whey protein if you know when to drink protein shakes. The best way to supplement with protein shakes for weight loss is by having them in between meals. Your metabolism is at its highest when you are eating meals every few hours. It is also recommended that people who are trying to lose weight should have 5-6 small meals each day.

If you have bought a protein shake which is low in carbohydrates, one shake could be approximately 150 – 200 calories. This is a great way of having a low calorie snack which will help keep your metabolism high throughout the day, and let you burn away your fat.

Protein shakes can also be an emergency meal for people who have busy schedules. Rather than missing the meal completely, you can very quickly prepare a protein shake as an emergency meal replacement.

You can use this same idea when traveling. You may find yourself having irregular meals while traveling and you can use protein shakes to fill in the void.

You could also add the protein shake into your oatmeal. This makes a very nutritious breakfast that has high quality protein as well as high quality carbohydrates. Many people suffer from abdominal bloating after eating oatmeal. Adding protein can help prevent this.

A lot of people who are on strict diets will find themselves hungry at bedtime. This can be quite a torture. A protein shake can be taken at bedtime to suppress the huger pangs. The amino acids in the protein shake may even help you get better sleep and help the release of fat burning growth hormones.

Protein shakes can be useful to those who do their exercises in the morning. This applies especially to weight training. Weight training is one of the most effective exercises for men and women if they are serious about sustainable weight loss. Having a protein shake before you start weight training can help avoid muscle catabolism which can happen when you exercise the first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. This is where your body breaks down muscles instead of fat to feed your energy requirements during the exercise.

As you can see, knowing when to drink protein shakes can definitely help in getting the most out of your weight loss efforts.

What to look out for

If you are trying to lose weight it is very important that you buy the right kind of protein shake. Many shakes have an abundance of carbohydrates in them. These are usually designed for those looking to build muscles.

You should be avoiding protein shakes which are high in carbohydrates and calories, but look out for shakes which are very low in carbohydrates. The one downside about most whey protein brands is that a lot of them contain lots of additives. It may be a good idea to look for “natural” whey protein without additives.

Protein shakes as a supplement to a healthy lifestyle

As you can see, protein shakes do have some significant benefits for people trying to build muscle or lose weight. However, it is no substitute for a good diet. You can definitely lose weight or build muscle without the help of any supplements, but supplements make life a bit easier.

There’s no need in spending a lot of money on shakes since some of them are really overpriced. If you do buy a tub of protein, avoid the expensive ones and go for one in the medium price range, you won’t notice the difference. It would also help to look for whey protein that is labeled as “natural”. These do not have additives and are sweetened with natural sweeteners such as stevia.

Protein shakes definitely have its place in a weight loss diet. You just need to know when to drink protein shakes. When taken according to the above recommendations, it can definitely boost your weight loss efforts.
(REPOST NOT WRITTEN BY JUANTORIA)