Happy Wednesday folks!
This week I want to talk about healthy food choices. What's good and what's NOT so good for our bodies.*Whole foods vs Processed foods*
I think we all know that whole foods are more desirable to good health than processed foods But these days, in light of busy lifestyles where most families see both parents working, time is of the essence when it comes to preparing meals. Between carpooling kids from one activity to another, juggling chores and grocery shopping, it's so easy to pick up the fastest and easiest food to prepare. The "fastest and easiest" aren't always the best choices though.
Whole foods are natural and contain no artificial additives or preservatives. They have gone through little or no processing. Since the beginning of time, whole foods have been a staple in the human diet.
If you're unsure of whats considered a whole food, the next time you shop for groceries, shop the outer perimeter of your grocery store. Fresh produce and meats are most often located in these areas. Personally, I like to buy the fresh cuts of meat from my grocery store!
When it comes to fruits and vegetables, I buy mostly frozen. I live alone and loading up on fresh veggies is not economically viable for me. They usually spoil before I get them all consumed. I only buy fresh veggies I know I'm going to eat a lot of (salad fixings mostly). As for fruit, I buy very little fresh fruit. Being a diabetic, I keep my fresh fruit consumption to a minimum. I do however buy lots of frozen, low sugar fruit such as avocado, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries and cranberries. I add those to my delicious Nutracelle smoothies in the morning. Mornings are the best with NUTRACELLE!
Lets talk about processed foods...
Processed foods are those which have had their natural composition altered in some way. They have added unhealthy fats, sugars, and sodium. They have been altered to excite your taste buds with artificial flavours and dyes and they contain preservatives that enable them to have a longer shelf life. They are usually high calorie and contain little or no nutritional value, thus rendering them to be "empty calories". Those foods are found in the centre aisles of your grocery store in boxes and cans, with pretty packaging that is designed to appeal to the eye as well as the taste buds. I'm learning to limit my buying in those areas. I eat nothing from a box or can anymore and I cook all my food from scratch. It takes a little longer but I KNOW what's going in my body now, for the most part. My eating habits are far from perfect, but I'm learning more about nutrition and how to make healthier food choices since becoming a Nutracelle girl!
Since I've started the Nutracelle lifestyle, I've had to completely change how I think about nutrition. I've spent a lifetime battling my weight and have lost and gained my body weight a couple times over. I am still considered clinically obese, so it just goes to show that conventional "diets" just don't work for me.
Let me elaborate on just a couple of changes I've made since starting Nutracelle:
1) About 3 months ago, I would never have considered using coconut oil in my cooking and baking. What? Double the calories and fat? No way! BUT, the fat in coconut oil is an MCT (medium chain triglyceride) that can help lower bad cholesterol and aid in weight loss. It can also help stabilize blood sugar levels which is a bonus for me.
2) Avocado, another awesome source of healthy fats that I absolutely couldn't stand, I now add it to my smoothies in the mornings and I'm loving the creaminess it adds to them. It makes me happy to know I'm doing something healthy for myself!
For me, it's all about changing my way of thinking about nutrition because my old way of thinking just wasn't working for me. Those are just two of the healthy food choices I've made in the last couple of months.
I've lost a total of 18 pounds in 8 weeks since using Nutracelle.
Its a gluten free, nut free, low carb, no added sugar, high fiber (prebiotic) and high protein powder (100% whey) that I absolutely love! I have always been a bread lover with a serious "sweet tooth" as well. One of the things I love most about this protein is that I can cook and bake with it. I can still have a sweet Nutra-treat and healthy low carb, gluten-free bread. I LOVE that!
This week I'm sharing the recipe for the Crispy Chicken Fingers. I made these a few days ago and I absolutely LOVED them!!
