Category: portion sizes

Boost Your Metabolism Eating Whole Foods

Eating Whole Foods - Blueberries - Jennifer Ledford - Certified Personal Trainer

When I first entered the fitness industry over twenty eight years ago, we used to believe that a “calorie was a calorie” and that as long as you were burning more than you consumed, you would lose weight.  You should have seen some of my lunches back then.  After eating a box of Cheez Its and some salami I’d hit the gym and teach two back-to-back aerobics classes.  At least I was getting my carbs and protein.  🙂

I still eat salami (quite often actually) and I will occasionally eat Cheez Its. However, over the years, I’ve learned that not all calories are created equal.  Based on solid science, I now focus on a health-driven approach that includes eating whole foods as much as possible and recommend that my clients take this approach to meal planning as well.

Current research continues to prove that a whole food driven diet (eating food in as close to its natural state as possible) is one of the best ways to fuel your body mentally and physically.  In fact, recent studies have shown that a whole food driven diet can actually boost your metabolism compared to a diet made up of processed foods which can cause your metabolism to slow down dramatically.  Just one more reason to avoid heavily processed low calorie diet food.  Thank goodness!

Please understand, I’m not suggesting that you should never eat anything processed.  One of the biggest flaws in the diet industry today is that they usually have too many rules and restrictions.  I want you to always feel free to live your life the way that you want to live it.

However, eating “whole foods” as much as possible can help you feel better and look better without ever having to diet in the first place.

Here are five simple tips to help you add more whole foods to your daily meals

Cook as much as you can.  One of the top reasons I encourage meal planning and cooking your own food is that you have more control over the ingredients.  You can modify recipes to suit dietary needs and have 100% control over what goes into your body.  Magazines like Cooking Light are a great place to find healthy recipes that  won’t skimp on taste or ingredients.

Buy fresh.  Shop around the perimeter of the store for as much of your food as possible.  The perimeter is where most of the fresh food is stored.

Not all processed food is unhealthy.  Food that is deliberately changed before it is made available for us to eat is considered processed.  It’s usually packaged in boxes or bags and contains more than one item on the ingredient list.

Some processed foods are actually healthy for you and can be great time savers.  Foods like precooked whole grains, greek yogurt, nut butters, frozen fruits and veggies, organic soups, and canned beans are all great examples of healthy processed foods.

Take a quick look at the ingredient list before purchasing processed food.  Ask yourself if it’s something you could make at home or if it can only be made in a lab.  If you see things like high-fructose corn syrup or partially hydrogenated fats (transfats), the food has undergone a chemical process.  I recommend avoiding these chemicals in your food as much as possible.

Load up on fruits and vegetables.  Choose recipes like stir fry’s that include a lot of vegetables.  Try adding a side salad with your dinner or lunch or including a piece of fruit with your snack.  If you like to keep it simple, fill up half of your plate with fruits and veggies and then add your protein and carbohydrate.

Know where your food comes from.  Ask your market where the food you are buying came from.  Look for meat that is grass-fed and raised without antibiotics or hormones.  Produce that travels a few hours to get to your plate is less likely to have artificial preservatives than the fruits and veggies traveling 1500 miles or more from other countries.  Buy produce that’s in season and shop weekly.  If spoilage is a concern, buy frozen organic fruits and vegetables.  They will last  longer and can be more budget friendly.  I like to buy a combination of fresh and frozen every week and then focus on using the foods that have a shorter shelf life first.  Freeze meat and defrost it as needed.

Eating whole foods is really nothing new.  It’s simply the way of life my great-grandmother would have understood living on their farm.  Food that comes directly from the farm to the table is usually about as whole as you can get.

I think my grandmother would have approved  🙂

Here’s to your health!

Shared with love,
Jennifer

Ten Tips To Cooking Easy Healthy Meals

Ledford0416-7655

Eating at home is one of the key ingredients to maintaining a healthy diet. When you know what’s in your food, you have more control over the portion sizes and the quality of the food you consume. However, with today’s fast-paced lifestyles, it can be difficult to carve out the time to cook.

HERE ARE TEN QUICK AND EASY COOKING SHORTCUTS FOR HEALTHY EATING

These tips come straight to you from my personal kitchen.

As a wife, homemaker, fitness coach, and doggie mom, I have a limited amount of time I can spend in the kitchen. Here are some shortcuts I use to help streamline the meal preparation process.

1) Use cookers that need no supervision.  I use my rice cooker all week long.  I make rice, quinoa and steamed vegetables in it.  While one part of the meal is cooking, you can prepare the rest.  Slow cookers and crock pots are perfect appliances for the  busy person that wants to cook healthy meals.   The food is cooking while you are doing other things like working, running errands, exercising, or spending quality time with friends and family.

2)  Choose recipes that take twenty minutes or less.  I recommend choosing simple recipes for busy weeknights.  Save the longer “project” meals for nights you can take your time.

3) Use pre-made sauces.  I usually make my own pasta sauces and salad dressings but there are times that I will substitute healthy pre-made sauces in recipes instead of making them all from scratch.

For example, I make lamb burgers that call for a “raita” sauce. The recipe isn’t hard. However, Trader Joe’s sells a yogurt cilantro sauce that works well in place of it. If you add up the time and cost of buying the ingredients and making the sauce, it is worth the few dollars I paid for Joe’s version. Just be sure to check labels when buying pre-made sauces. Make sure you recognize each ingredient and avoid things like partially hydrogenated oils, soybean oil, and high fructose corn syrup.

4)  Become a great assembler.  Years ago I complimented one of my friends on what a great entertainer and cook she is.  Her response to me was “I don’t really cook, I just know how to assemble food well.”  That stuck with me.  If cooking seems like too daunting of a task, try grilling a piece of meat or buying a pre-cooked chicken and add some healthy sides like a salad made with pre-washed lettuce, frozen veggie combos,  or precooked organic grains.

5) Speed up the veggies.  Pre-washed and pre-cut organic vegetables are a great way to save time.  Check the frozen section for a great variety as well. Frozen veggies are better than canned because they preserve more of the nutrients without preservatives.

6) Prep well. Do all of your cutting, chopping, and mixing before you start cooking, including a side salad. This will save you time, and your meals will come together seamlessly.

7) Recruit in-house.  My husband and I have a lot of fun cooking together. We open a nice bottle of wine, turn on some music and enjoy quality time. The families I work with turn cooking into family time. The kids look forward to working in the kitchen, and mom and dad get to teach their children while getting a little help.

8) Create a meal plan.  Plan your meals one week in advance with the groceries in the house. If you have to stop at the store multiple times per week, you will lose a lot of time shopping. And this can tempt you to eat out. If you are not sure how to meal plan, check out Meal Planning Helps You Lose Weight for detailed steps.

9) Have a back up.  I always keep a few easy meals in our freezer and pantry just in case the day does not go as planned. Frozen organic pizzas and a fresh salad make a great last minute dinner. By making your own pizza, you have more control over the ingredients than if you went to the local pizzeria. Dry pasta and minced canned clams make an amazing linguini and clams dish. Add a salad on the side and your family will think it’s gourmet all the way!

10) Buy freeze dried herbs.  Freeze dried herbs become “like fresh” when they are moistened. Use these to avoid all of the chopping without sacrificing flavor. They are great in the winter when your herb garden isn’t producing, and it saves having to buy an entire bunch of herbs just for a couple tablespoons.

Please let me know which strategies are the most helpful, or share your own time-saving tip below.  I love to hear from you!

With Love,
Jennifer

Six Ways To Lose Weight And Still Have A Blast This Summer!

shutterstock_388797451 - summer time fun

Summer has arrived! This means vacations and lots of outdoor festivities!

For many people, summer can be one of the easiest times of year to lose weight.  An abundance of daylight, outdoor activities, and fresh fruits and vegetables all contribute to easy weight loss.  However, long vacations and an abundance of picnics and parties can potentially hinder weight loss goals if we’re not paying attention.  Fortunately, a little awareness and some planning can help you stay on track with your weight loss goals and still have a blast this summer.

Six Ways To Lose Weight And Still Have A Blast This Summer

1) Pay attention to snacking.  With summer barbecues come lots of chips, dips, and appetizers. A serving of chips is usually between 9 and 16 chips; and a serving of dip is usually two tablespoons.  Go ahead and taste, but step away from the table to have a conversation.  Sitting in front of these yummy temptations can lead to mindless snacking.

If you’re really hungry stick to more of the lighter fare like fresh fruit, a portion of cheese, nuts, cold cuts, hummus, and yogurt dips.  Make sure to combine protein, fiber, and healthy fats to keep you from being hungry again in ten minutes.

2) Have a plan when you eat at buffets. Cruises and hotels offer wonderful buffets. However, when I have a choice between ordering from the menu or the buffet I will usually pick the menu. This helps me avoid overeating.

If the buffet is all you have to choose from, or you really want to try the food, then keep portion sizes in mind when filling up your plate.  Give yourself twenty minutes before going back for a second helping to make sure you are actually hungry.  Finish off your buffet with fruit for dessert which is a healthy way to satisfy your sweet tooth.

3) Consider having your own kitchen when you travel for longer than a weekend.  My husband and I like to rent timeshares or vacation homes with kitchens.  Over the years we’ve learned that eating every meal out in a restaurant when you are traveling can be a bit much.  If you are traveling for longer than a weekend, I recommend sticking as close to the way you would eat at home eighty percent of the time and enjoy treats for twenty percent of the trip.  Having your own kitchen makes it a lot easier to do this.  In the end, you’ll end up feeling less bloated and the chances of overeating are seriously reduced.

If you don’t have your own kitchen, try going to a deli or market and creating your own picnic lunch.  You’ll have fun shopping like a local and more control over portion sizes.

4) Watch for hidden calories in blended drinks.  Summer is the time for blended drinks with lots of fresh fruit. These “smoothies” can be loaded with calories.  Treat blended drinks like dessert if you’re not sure about the ingredients.

The same goes for the whipped drinks at the coffee shop.  A Starbucks Frappucino can be anywhere from 290-490 calories so best to keep these to a minimum.

5) Make sure to hydrate!  Watch your water intake even if you are spending the day by the pool. Water wipes the perspiration off of your body, yet your body continues to perspire in the pool.  When you are dehydrated, it can hinder your liver’s ability to metabolize fat.  Fortunately, keeping water close by is a nice easy fix.

6) Play a little more and sit a little less.  Recent research found that as little as a twenty minute reduction in sedentary time on weekends was tied to a loss of more than two pounds per year.  That may not sound like a lot but losing two pounds is always better than gaining two pounds!

Come up with some outdoor activities that you and/or your family enjoy or would like to try. Then, incorporate physical activity into your summer plans.

For example, I love to sit on the beach all day long! It’s so peaceful and I leave totally restored.  However, if I’m not careful too much sitting can pack on  a few extra pounds.  To counter the sitting, my husband and I like to go for a long walk and play in the surf with our dogs.

There are so many ways to burn calories while having fun outdoors. Some examples are Frisbee, Flag Football, swimming, boating, paddle boarding, kayaking, hiking, water jogging, and body surfing. It doesn’t have to be formal.  If it seems like a chore, pick something else.  It’s supposed to be leisure time.

This summer, make sure you take time to rest, play, laugh, and relax.  Reducing stress is one of the best things you can do for your waistline and overall health and fitness.  It really is about balance in every area of your life.

Here’s to a happy and healthy summer!

With Love,
Jennifer