Nutrition

How to Overcome a Bad Food Day

We’ve all done it! Gone to a wedding or the movies or just out to eat with friends and had a few too many chips or the entire slice of cheesecake. Today let’s talk about what to do to overcome a bad food day.

Mindset

First let’s let go of the idea that health is a destination. Trust me…you will never “get there”. And just when you think you do…whammo there’s a vacation, or a pandemic, or something to knock you right back off your clean eating plan. No one eats perfectly all the time. So just let that one go!

My rule for my clients is to work to hit the 90/10 rule. 90% of the time your food choices are on target. When you do this, your body can handle that 10% that you might fall off. Now this is not a daily total….this is more a monthly total of 90% of the month you’re on target and 10% not.

Lifestyle Change

To take control of your health, you must make a lifestyle change. You must remove those temptations from your house and stop going out with the friends who encourage you to make unhealthy choices. Will power is a muscle and it can fatigue….and when it fatigues, you’re in trouble! But if you make lifestyle changes such as no chips or soda in the house, then you don’t need willpower because those unhealthy options just aren’t there.

Baby Steps

Baby steps count. The Annals of Behavioral Medicine published a research study that found that participants who made one small but permanent change in their dietary routine or physical activity lost double the amount of belly fat, four times the weight, and two and a half inches off their waistline compared to those who followed outdated guidelines of calorie control and increased physical activity during a four-month period.

Focus on Clean Eating

You want to maintain a balanced diet that includes leafy greens – and loads of them. If you start your day with 2 cups of vegetables, then you don’t have to worry about getting them in later! Aim for a diet of more fish, fewer animal products, loads of greens and colorful fruits and vegetables.

Remember portion sizes, too. What you eat and how much you eat of it can make all the difference. Update your shopping list to include healthy foods such as nuts, seeds, legumes, oily fish like salmon, and of course, plenty of fresh fruits and veggies.

Portion according to your plate. Start by dividing it in half and filling it up with fruits and vegetables. Fill the other half with one-quarter healthy protein and the other quarter with complex carbohydrates such as brown rice and quinoa or root vegetables such as sweet potatoes, beets, turnips, and parsnips. Make sure the quarters form the size of your fist.

Also try to include some intermittent fasting each day. Start with a 12:12 fasting/feeding window and try to work up to a 16:8 fasting/feeding window.

Don’t Throw the Baby Out with the Bath Water

We all give in to temptation once in a while. If you’ve been doing all the things I’ve mentioned above most of the time…you’re good…just as long as you get back on the wagon. Don’t throw away an entire day because you had a cheeseburger and fries at lunch. Take each meal on it’s own and get right back up on the clean eating horse.

Need Help?

Making changes to your diet can be very daunting. That’s why I’m here to hold your hand and coach you during this time of transition. Join my next 6 week FASTer Way to Fat Loss round where I’ll walk you through a proven nutrition and fitness program that will help you to establish your healthy habits for life. Click here to find out more and when my next group program will be starting.

What are some of your tips for overcoming a bad food day?

Your Health Coach,

What is Clean Eating?

Gut Health, Nutrition, Women's Health

Clean eating seems to be somewhat of a buzz word, but what the heck do I mean when I say clean eating?

Clean eating is not just about trying to lose weight. It’s about making better food choices that make you healthier.Most of today’s food is processed to some degree. When you consume one food product, you are often unknowingly introducing your body to so many other toxins and chemicals as well. These may be foods of convenience or flavor, but they are leaving your body and mind weaker and unhappier, and you don’t even know it.

What is Clean Eating?

Clean eating is a journey to making sure that you only allow natural things to enter your body. This ensures that you keep out as many harmful chemicals and preservatives as possible that can cause your energy levels fluctuate and impede the freshness of the food. It is a lifestyle shift that leaves you feeling better than ever. There are a few basic principles to keep in mind to get—and keep—you on the right path.

Shop Consciously

It is time to you pay extra attention to the kinds of things you are buying. This means knowing what fruits and vegetables are in season, what produce is sourced locally, and what produce is grown organically. It is important so you do not end up consuming pesticide residue or produce that is treated by hormones; that can be counter-productive, even if you are eating what you think you should be eating.

Start asking grocers and farmers where they get what you are buying to ensure that you buy the freshest and most top-quality produce, free of toxins.

If you are buying packaged foodstuff, make it a habit to read the nutrition label. Nutrition labels containing more than five ingredients or difficult to pronounce names should raise red flags and be avoided.

Check out this article: Do I Really Need to Buy Organic?

Cook Consciously

What you eat matters, of course, but so does how you make it. Make sure that you stay away from methods that take away nutrients from food that is inherently nutritious. This includes deep frying or stewing in animal or plant fats, or any methods that involve a high level of unhealthy fat. It is a better – also quicker and easier – method to just steam or bake vegetables.

Try substituting avocado oil for butter wherever you can to avoid the saturated fats. While olive oil, coconut oil and avocado oils are better choices than other oils, they are still a processed food and I would suggest limiting their intake. Try sauteing thing with just a little water. You’ll be surprised that sometimes it works just as well.

Try to avoid using salt in high quantities and try healthier, more interesting alternatives to salt such as spices, herbs, and lemon. Spruce up your meal as well as your health. Also, if you are debating eating out or cooking in, it is always better to be in control of how you make your food.

Choose Consciously

Be smart about what you choose to eat. Choose foods that are in their natural form. Ones that look as close as they can to how they came out of the ground. Get your fill of nutrients with 2 ½ to 3 cups of fresh fruits and vegetables to fight against the risk of developing illnesses such as heart problems, blood pressure irregularities, obesity, and cancer.

Try eating your vegetables raw or steamed to make the most out of the nutrients they carry. The safest methods of clean eating are steaming, baking, and sautéing in order to ensure that the natural nutritional value of the food is maintained. Do not be afraid to try out vegetables in places you have not before, in forms you have not tried before.

Need Help Getting Started?

Are you ready to step into your new clean eating routine?

How to Cook Tofu

Nutrition, Recipes, WFPB

Tofu seems scary to those new to clean eating. So I thought that maybe a post teaching you how to cook tofu would be beneficial…since my family LOVES tofu…I want yours to too!

What is Tofu?

Tofu is a condensed soy milk that is made into a block…kind of like a cheese. It comes in a variety of forms, but I tend to go with the extra firm because I find it holds the cube shape that we typically eat.

You can find tofu in the produce section of your grocery store. Here’s the one we have locally.

Tofu is packaged in water. So be careful not to tip the container as you’re opening (as I did while opening this one). Just cut a small opening in the top and drain the water before completely removing the top seal.

Then I place it on a cutting board and pat all edges with a paper towel to try and dry it off as much as possible. (I’d recommend turning on your skillet at this point so that it’s warm and ready for you. Also add a tablespoon of avocado oil or olive oil.)

Then I cut the tofu block in half horizontally…parallel to the cutting board.

Then I make 4 vertical cuts on the short side.

Then I make 3 vertical cuts on the long side.

You should have little squares of tofu at this point.

I dump all this into the pan and season it. I typically use garlic powder and onion salt as seasonings, but really you could use anything. I’ve used taco seasoning before too. It just depends on what type of meal you are making.

I continue to cook the tofu until it’s browned…or mostly browned depending on how hungry I am at that point and my level of patience.

Then I assemble my meal. This time I made a Pineapple Tofu Bowl. I used my rice cooker to make perfect rice, placed the rice at the bottom of the bowl and topped it with some lettuce, carrot, pineapple, tofu (obviously) and some chopped cashews.

Knowing me, I probably put some tahini (sesame seed paste) on top because I love the stuff!

You could really make a meal with tofu, rice and lettuce and then vary the toppings every day of the week and I would never get tired of it.

Hope this helped you learn how to cook tofu.

Are you willing to try it now?

Your Health Coach,

Sarah

PS – Did you know that the FASTer Way to Fat Loss program offers vegan and omnivore meal plans? Join me for the next 6 week round to help solidify your healthy habits for a long life.

3 Tips to Get Your Daily Water Intake In

Nutrition, self care, Women's Health

Every animal on Earth needs water to live, and that is especially true of humans. Depending on your height and weight, you could need more water than the average amount, but every person needs to focus on their daily water intake because dehydration causes cellular breakdown in the body.

The problem isn’t that you don’t understand you need more water, but trying to find time and circumstances to get your daily recommended amount. Here are some different ways to ensure you get plenty of water every day.