My best friend Mel Kinnie wrote to me after i posted my last blog to give me some more insight about clean eating. She is also just as crazy about clean eating and working out as i am, and i know she has done her research. So here is what she has learned along the way.
She has discovered that egg whites are one of the best proteins for building muscle and after that there is also cottage cheese and protein powders. Mel is a cottage cheese fanatic. I wish i loved it as much as her...but i can only seem to have it with stuff, not on it's own. And by with stuff i mean on a sandwhich, or in a clean lasagna (with whole wheat noodles). I think it's just too creamy and milky for me. I have made myself love protein powder which can take awhile to get used to so maybe i just have to make myself eat cottage cheese too...As for eggs i can't really stomach them either. Totally a mind thing. I used to be highly allergic to them and would get sick as a child even if there was one egg in a batch of cookies. I can stomach them in quiche form and my protein pancakes as well which are mostly eggs! So that's my goal to make myself like cottage cheese and eggs.
Some other healthy fats she mentions are walnuts and egg yolks (one yolk for every 5 you eat). But remember with healthy fats you need to eat them in moderation because it is after all still fat. A common serving for almonds is 12 almonds. I get made fun of for counting them out as does Mel. Yes it is a little crazy...but hey it's just in our type A nature.
Another interesting fact she pointed out is that you should eat fruits on an empty stomach. If eaten alone it helps to detoxify your system. This is because fruit is digested a lot quicker than carbs like whole grain bread. So in order to reap the benefits from the fruit you should eat it before the carbs. Her research suggests eating it alone or before your meal or snack. While i do this for the most part i don't think there is any way i can give up my frozen berries, plain yoghurt topped with cereal. I have been having this as a snack for ages! Every morning at 10am this is what i have. I know i SHOULD switch up my snack and not have the same thing every day. But it's a treat to me and it's just so yummy. I seriously don't know how i haven't become sick of it yet, it's beyond me! You can also use greek yoghurt as an alternative to plain yoghurt. It has a ton of protein, more than any yoghurt and can be used to replace mayo when you make a tuna sandwich or any sandwich in general.
To spice things up try adding low sodium salsa to fish, chicken or pretty much anything you want. A snack you may want to try to substitute the crunch of chips or tortilla chips is to make your own pita chips...simply cut up a whole grain pita bread into tortilla chip shapes and bake in the oven at 350 F until browned. You can spray them with olive oil and sprinkle with spices to make them even better. I make them and then dip them in salsa!
Don't be afraid of spices they add a ton of flavour without calories. Make sure you choose ones with no sodium! Some good ones to add to your diet are cinnamon (i am obsessed and use a TON of it), tumeric and cumin. An added bonus is that they can speed up your metabolism and burn fat long after your meal.
No comments:
Post a Comment