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Category: Nutrition 101

Apps and Gadgets to Help Lead a Healthier Lifestyle

Apps and Gadgets to Help Lead a Healthier Lifestyle

 

~ Jawbone UP is a wristband that tracks your movement and sleep patterns.  Currently the ap only works with iPhone 3GS or later, iPod Touch 3Gen or later, iPad.  The cost is $130.00 and can be purchased online or at Best Buy.  Here is a list of things it will track for you:

–          Sleep and nap tracking.  Intelligently tracks hours slept, light vs. deep sleep and waking moments.

–          24/7 activity tracking. Tracks every move, including distance, calories burned, active time, and activity intensity.

–          Food & drink tracking.

–          Mood tracking.  Log your moods and discover connections that affect how you feel.

–          Insight engine.  Discover hidden connections and patterns in your day-to-day activities.

–          Idle alert.  Reminds you to move when you’ve been inactive for too long.

–          Smart alarm. Wake up feeling refreshed—at the right moment in your sleep cycle.

–          10-day battery.  Track every last step (and nap) without running out of juice.

–          Water resistant design.  Able to withstand thousands of showers, and the occasional snowball fight.

–          Day and night form factor.  Designed for comfort. Because the more you wear it, the more you’ll track.

–          Power nap.  UP will wake you up at the optimal time (around 26.5 minutes) after you fall asleep.

–          Simple sync.  Simple and easy connectivity. Just plug it in.

For more info click the link below:

https://jawbone.com/up#design

~ Body Media Fit is an armband with a patented body monitoring calorie counter.  It is connected to my fitness pal (see below), so when you update what you eat in my fitness pal the app and armband will track your food.  The cost is approximately $120 and can be bought online or at Best Buy.  Here is a list of what the armband will track:

–          Steps

–          Calories burned

–          Calories consumed

–          MET’s

–          Sleep duration

–          Will summarize the types of food you ate and will let you know what % came from fat, protein and carbs

For more info click the link below:

http://www.bodymedia.com/explore.html

~ Fitbit One is a clip you can wear on your clothing and comes with a wrist band to wear while you sleep.  The cost is approximately $100 and can be bought online or at Best Buy.  Here is a list of what it will track:

–          Steps taken or stairs climbed

–          Calories burned

–          Sleep patterns

It will sync your stats automatically to your computer or select smartphones.  For more info click the link below:

http://www.fitbit.com/one

Calorie Tracker for your phone, tablet or PC

~ Tap and Track:  http://www.tapandtrack.com/home/index

~ My Net Diary: http://www.mynetdiary.com/

~ My Fitness Pal: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/

~ Calorie Count: http://caloriecount.about.com/

 

What will you choose to eat during the Superbowl?

What will you choose to eat during the Superbowl?

The Superbowl is just around the corner and parties are being planned.  I wanted to help prepare you with some recipes and show you a list foods being compared so you can make the best choice!  For more of an analysis on these Superbowl party foods, click the link below to view the whole article.

http://www.eatingwell.com/nutrition_health/weight_loss_diet_plans/what_is_the_healthiest_super_bowl_food

Chicken Wings vs.
3 = 150cal
2g sat fat
Baby Back Ribs
1 = 170cal
4g sat fat
Choose the Chicken Wings

Tortilla Chips vs.
14 chips = 140cal
Potato Chips
14 chips = 150cal
Choose the tortilla chips and even better, go for baked if their available

Guacamole vs.
1/4 cup = 85cal (healthy fat)
Black Bean Dip
1/4 cup = 60cal (fiber and protein)
Both are a good choice, but if you want lower in cal go for the Bean Dip

Mixed Nuts vs.
1oz = 168 cal (healthy fat and protein)
Pretzels
1oz = 110 cal
Choose the nuts even though they have more calories

Beer vs.
16oz = 140-160 cal
Cola
16oz = 142 cal (way too much SUGAR)
Choose the Beer.  If you don’t want the alcohol but still enjoy beer, try Erdinger Weissbier or Kaliber by Guiness

Benefits of Coconut Water

Benefits of Coconut Water

Have you tried coconut water?  I read this great article on www.homeremediesweb.com describing in detail the many benefits of coconut water.  Below I’ve summarized some of the benefits I feel are most important.  Coconut water is the clear liquid found inside the coconut fruit and is usually taken from younger coconuts because there is more of it.  As the coconut matures the clear liquid turns into the white flesh.  If you haven’t tried some yet, I would encourage you to after reading about some of the amazing benefits :).

1. It’s used to regulate blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol
2. Effective treatment for:
stomach flu, indigestion, constipation, intestinal worms, cholera, malfunctioning kidneys, dry itchy skin, age spots and wrinkles
3. Great source of energy because of it’s abundance in vitamins, minerals and nutrients
4. Good source of potassium (helps with muscle cramps and spasms), calcium and chloride which makes it a great source to rehydrate with especially during strenuous exercise
5. Some studies show an increase in HDL (good) cholesterol which helps to maintain great cardiovascular health
6. Coconut water, milk and oil all contain lauric acid which our body converts into monolaurin.  Monolaurin has great antiviral and antibacterial activity which helps fight digestive problems
7. Naturally contains electrolytes which helps increase our body’s metabolism
8. It’s Alkaline!!  With much of America’s diet consisting of acidic foods we need more alkaline rich foods to balance our PH.  It’s biochemical composition is the closest to human blood.  (For more info about how our body reacts to acidic and alkaline food search “How diet soda causes weight gain..” on the grapevine)

10 reasons why you should kick sugar to the curb!

10 reasons why you should kick sugar to the curb!

I went to a mini seminar last week about sugar and wanted to briefly share some of the info with you.  It’s no secret that sugar should be consumed minimally.  Unfortunately sugar is in just about everything we eat including the obvious things like desserts and candy, making our consumption more than minimal.  Unless you are able to make everything from scratch, sugar is probably on the ingredient list.

At the seminar we were given a list with 124 negative affects sugar has on our bodies!!!  Slightly overwhelming 😉  I won’t list all 124, but here are 10 examples from the list:
1. Sugar can cause hyperactivity, anxiety, depression, difficulty concentrating and crankiness in children
2. Sugar can produce a significant rise in triglycerides
3. Sugar leads to cancer of the breast, ovaries, prostate and rectum
4. Sugar raises the level of neurotransmitters: dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine
5. Sugar can cause premature aging
6. Sugar can cause headaches, including migraines
7. Sugar slows food’s travel time through the gastrointestinal tract
8. Sugar increases estradiol (the most potent form of naturally occurring estrogen) in men
9. The body changes sugar into 2-5 times more fat in the bloodstream than it does starch
10. The rapid absorption of sugar promotes excessive food intake (even if your body isn’t hungry, the sugar will cause you to crave more food…yikes!!!)

It’s nearly impossible to cut sugar out of your diet completely and I’m not suggesting you should.  I am suggesting you really pay attention to the sugar content in the food you are eating and try to stay under 6g of sugar per serving.  You want to avoid any refined sugars and any artificial sweeteners.  Stevia is a great substitute!  I realize if you are a person who LOVES sugar and has no intention of cutting back then you probably won’t.  PLEASE just be aware of the ways sugar can harm you.

Here’s an example of one benefit that can come from cutting back on sugar (aside from losing weight).  A friend of mine was having a horrible time sleeping.  She would wake up 4-6x every night.  She went to go see Dr. Amanda Childress, the woman who gave the seminar on sugar, and decided to take her advice and cut back her sugar drastically.  She had immediate results!  After one day of getting rid of the refined sugar she was able to sleep the WHOLE night through!  For her, cutting out the sugar comes down to a simple question she asks herself “do I want to sleep tonight, or do I want to enjoy this piece of cake for 5min?”

Cutting back on the the refined sugar in your diet will be challenging, HOWEVER, the benefits you will experience will be worth it!  Let me know if you have any questions 🙂

Tea Drinker? Try some Yerba Mate!

Tea Drinker? Try some Yerba Mate!

Yerba Mate, jam packed with vitamins, antioxidants and can aid in maintaining or losing weight!  Many of us when choosing a healthy beverage (aside from water) will go for some green tea because of the antioxidants and small amount of caffeine.  Whether you are or are not a tea drinker I want to encourage you to check out some of the health benefits of Yerba Mate tea and them try some!  Check out the articles below and email me with any questions.  Have a wonderful afternoon:)

http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/healthy-eating/6-health-benefits-of-yerba-mate-tea.html

http://guayaki.com/mate/2931/Health-Benefits-of-Yerba-Mate.html