CHALLENGE OF THE WEEK

CHALLENGE OF THE WEEK!

SQUAT JUMPS or SQUAT CALF RAISE! I want you to start out with 10, then add 10 to each day ending the week with a total of 70 squat jumps or squat calf raises. Squat jumps include cardio and encourage your body to build muscle and tone the areas we all want to be toned in - our legs and our glutes! If you would like to avoid high impact, do a squat calf raise. You can do these anywhere. Encourage your family to join! Let’s make it a competition!! You better send me videos, and challenge other people!

TIP OF THE WEEK

TIP OF THE WEEK!

Get rid of soda! I promise you, there is no real benefit to drinking soda. One simple thing you can do to maintain a much healthier lifestyle is to just plain get rid of it. Soda is sugar calories. Sugar drinks are among the most fattening items you can put into your body. This is because your brain doesn’t measure calories from liquid sugar the same way it does for solid food. Therefore, when you drink a soda you end up eating more total calories. Sugary drinks are strongly associated with diabetes, heart disease and many other health problems. Keep in mind that fruit juices may be almost as bad as soda in this regard, as they sometimes contain just as much sugar. The small amounts of antioxidants do not negate the sugar’s harmful effects. Take a look at the article below that breaks down the science of it.

Why does sugar hit your body so hard?

The answer is simple: insulin.

Foods containing a lot of sugar but little protein or fat are said to have a high glycemic index, meaning the sugar rapidly releases into your bloodstream. Pure processed sugar (i.e. the stuff in most name-brand soda) is about as high as you can get on the ranking. A 12-ounce can of Coke contains 39 grams of sugar, according to Coca-Cola, while a can of Pepsi contains 41 grams.

When you eat or drink something with a high glycemic index, your pancreas starts cranking out insulin to help process the sugar and control your blood sugar levels. But a sugar surge like that from a soda causes a big spike in insulin, which causes your blood sugar levels to hit rock bottom, potentially leaving you shaky, weak, and, yes, hungry.

It also has debilitating long-term effects on your health: If your intake of excess sugar—in the form of sodas, candy, junk food, etc.—makes up 25% of your daily calories, you have twice the risk of dying from heart disease someone whose intake is just 7%, a study of more than 30,000 Americans found.

It’s not just soda, of course: Plenty of foods are sneaky sugar bombs, from barbeque sauce to some sports drinks.

On the other hand, natural, unprocessed sugar in fruit is accompanied with nutrients and fiber, which control the release of sugar into the bloodstream and prevent the insulin dump. But without those stabilizing factors, sugar hits the system hard.

MEAL + snack ideas

INDUSTRY NEWS

5 Foods to Help Conquer Your Cravings

These foods not only satisfy, they also provide great nutritional value and may help with weight loss.

By: Katherine Brooking for U.S. News

Fighting the Urge

Ice cream or cookies? Chocolate or chardonnay? French fries or potato chips?

Nearly everyone gets that “gotta have it” feeling at some point. In fact, a survey published in the journal Appetite, found that 97% of women and 68% of men experience food cravings – often for high-calorie sweet, salty or fat-rich snacks.

The good news is that instead of caving to your cravings, you can fight back! Here are five foods that will fill you up, quell your hunger and keep you from blowing your calorie budget.

Eggs

When it comes to cravings, the simple egg may be your best friend. That’s because eggs rank high on the "satiety index," a scale that scores foods based on how full they make you feel.

A large egg has just 78 calories, but packs 6 grams of filling protein. What’s more, research shows that adding eggs to your diet may help you lose weight and feel fuller for longer. One study found that eating a turkey sausage and egg breakfast sandwich instead of a low-protein pancake breakfast helped people control their appetite and eat fewer calories at lunch.

Oats

If eggs aren’t your best friend, oats can help you battle your cravings. Oats have a type of fiber called beta-glucan that research shows can slow digestion, boost satiety and suppress appetite.

It’s not surprising that oatmeal was ranked as the most satiating breakfast food on the satiety index. Enjoy oats by keeping them simple: Skip the added sugar and instead pump up the flavor by topping with nuts and fresh fruit.

Apples

An apple a day may keep the doctor away – but one study found that three small apples a day can lead to significant weight loss. With just 75 calories and 3.5 grams of fiber, the mighty apple can keep hunger at bay. A study reported in the journal Appetite found that women who added three small apples to their diet each day lost a little more than two pounds in 10 weeks.

Apples also contain a compound called ursolic acid that may help to boost lean muscle mass. Researchers from the University of Iowa found that animals given ursolic acid supplements increased their muscle mass and burned more calories.

Pistachios

Pistachios are a powerful ally in the quest to beat cravings. They may be tiny, but they pack both fiber and protein in each shell – 49 pistachios have just 160 calories and 6 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber. Pistachios contain fewer calories and more potassium and vitamin K per serving than any other nut.

Studies show that they top many traditional snack foods such as pretzels, chips, cereal bars and chips for satiety and nutrition and can help control weight and appetite.

If you’re a vegan, there’s even more good news about pistachios. A recent study found that pistachios are one of the few vegan sources of complete protein – meaning they contain all nine essential amino acids for building protein.

Next time you feel the urge to munch, crack open some pistachio shells. You can even find seasoned nuts, if you're craving chip flavor. Pronutz, for example, offers seasoned pistachios with added probiotics.

Mangoes

Juicy and delicious, mangoes don’t just satisfy your taste for something sweet, they can also help you stay slim. Their diet-friendly power may be due to one of their bioactive compounds, mangiferin, which studies show may help control blood sugar and reduce body fat.

Mangoes are not only delicious, but they're also diet-friendly. A study in the Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences suggests that mango-eaters weighed less and had better diets than those who missed out on mangoes. This stone fruit contains many bioactive ingredients, including mangiferin.

One cup of mango has just 100 calories and 3 grams of filling fiber. For a perfect filling snack, top a half-cup of non-fat Greek yogurt with mango cubes.

HEALTH & WELLNESS