Making Healthy Choices in Not So Healthy Circumstance

While on vacation with my family I was presented with a challenge. My parents attempt to eat healthy and in general are successful. But, it seams that I inherited the notion that "if you are on vacation that means lets eat out as much as possible"! So, that is what we did. While I didn't follow my meal plan the way I should have I feel that I made a valiant effort considering how often we ate out. I also think that Lipozmes ( coupon code: Kelsie20) and Active helped my body break down some of the "not so good" foods I was eating.
   

The Following are a few tips that I followed in an attempt to maintain my healthy lifestyle.
1.) Choose a protein
   I tried to make my initial choice for my meal based on a protein based meal.
2.) Stay away from carbs
   My family loves Italian food. My sister got a dish that seemed amazing. It was light with tomatoes and basil and chicken, however I knew I needed to try and stay away from the pasta. So, I chose a dish that i think was equally as delicious or perhaps even more. I got a stuffed pepper. It was amazing. This began a trend for me. Stuffed peppers are quite common on menus whether they are bell peppers or something spicier like a poblano pepper. Often times these peppers included rice but this is a better choice than pasta.
3.) Say no to appetizers
   It isn't rude. I promise. My family ordered flat bed pizzas for an appetizer. It is easy to refuse. Simply blame it on ordering a large meal. Let them know you are saving room for your meal. This is a good choice anyways since most servings at restaurants are far beyond the needs of one person.
4.) You do not need dessert
   Just say no to the waiter when they return to ask about dessert. I let the waiter take ALL the menus once we are done ordering our meal. This way I am not perusing the menu for dessert while I am hungrily waiting for my meal. I also have my card ready or method of payment ready when the waiter comes with the check. This gives me no time to second guess my "no dessert" decision.
5.) Drink lots of water!
   Most restaurants have amazing drink menus. I love a flavored lemonade but I know it isn't worth it. Look at it this way, is it worth the cost to not only your body but your wallet? Water will save you money on your meal and water will help fill  you up before your meal helping you to avoid over indulging.

You can enjoy a night out at your favorite restaurant. Just remember to make good ch-+*`ices and keep your goal in mind. A healthy life is within your reach don't let a bowl of fettuccine keep you from it .:)

Light Summer Salad/Wrap Recipe

I found this recipe about a year ago when I was eating Paleo and I fell IN LOVE with this dressing. It is delish!!! I recently made it again and was reminded of how yummy and easy this is, and is now becoming an easy go to lunch recipe.With this recipe you can either create it as a wrap, by using a big leaf of Romaine lettuce and putting all the goodness inside. Or if you prefer you can cut up the Romaine and add everything as a topping. I do both just depending on my mood!

Light Summer Salad/Wrap Recipe:

1/2 cup chopped chicken (I usually season my with black pepper and a pinch of salt)

1/2 chopped fuji apple (or apple of your preference)

1/3 cup of blueberries

1 Tbsp of slivered almonds

Dressing:

2 Tbsp Agave Nectar

2 Tbsp Almond Butter

**Sometimes instead of blueberries in my salad I will use grapes. Also, if you don't have Agave Nectar you can also use natural honey.

You will love this!! So YUMMY.

Nutrients in Food Fall Into 3 Categories: Proteins, Fats, and Carbohydrates.

The foods that we eat contain nutrients that provide energy and other substances that the body needs. Most of the nutrients in food fall into three major groups: proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. Crazy enough most of us have been taught wrong from the world about what category some of the food we eat really falls under.

For example, I have always thought that nuts were a protein..right? Anyone else think that? Now nuts DO have protein in them, but they are actually a fat. WHY? Because there is actually more fat in nuts then protein which therefore makes them fall into the fats category.

So lets dive in and let me share the information that I have learned from Veo Clinic.

What is a Carbohydrate?
Starches/breads, fruits, vegetables, fruit juices and milk products/dairy are all carbs. There is a difference between simple and complex carbohydrates.  Complex means they contain fiber (100% whole wheat pasta, 100% whole wheat bread, oats and brown rice). An exception to this rule is lactose found in milk, cottage cheese, yogurt are complex carbs. Complex carbs last in your body as energy for up to 30 minutes. Simple carbs such as fruit, white breads, white rice and white potatoes only last as energy for a maximum time of 15 minutes.

What is a Protein?
Protein is part of every cell, tissue and organ in our bodies.  These body proteins are constantly being broken down and replaced.  The protein in the foods we eat is digested into amino acids that are later used to replace these proteins in our bodies.  Protein is found in the following foods: meats, poultry, fish, legumes (dry beans and peas), tofu, eggs, raw nuts and seeds, milk and milk products, grains, some vegetables and some fruits.

What is a Fat?
Fats consist of a wide group of compounds that are generally soluble in organic solvents and generally insoluble in water.  GOOD FATS- (yes there are such thing:) ) Good sources of fatty acids are found mostly in fish, nuts, oils, seeds, dark leafy greens, flaxseed oils and some vegetable oils.  At the end of the day, a good fat is still a fat in terms of calories.  BAD FATS- These are artery-clogging saturated fats from meat and dairy products and are solid at room temperature.  Saturated fats have been shown to directly raise total and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels.  Any labels on cooking oil that describe the oil as "light" are referring to the taste or color, not the fat or calorie content.  All oils are 100% fat and are worth around 120 calories per tablespoon.

Hopefully you guys learned as much from this as I did. I think it is incredibly important to know the difference between these three so we can get eat the right portion of eat when we are making our meals.

**FYI all fresh seasonings are "free" zero calories. Such as, cilantro, parsley, ginger, chives, garlic, hot sauce, mustard etc. Any food item with 0 calories is a free food.