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Did you try yesterdays recipe yet?

Well, I have one faithful reader who did.

And he actually got the calculator out and figured out the macros for the recipe.

I am glad he did - because the ones I gave you yesterday were wrong.

Turns out the original recipe I was using called for “Carb Countdown”, and this has a slightly different macro breakdown than the reformulated “Calorie Countdown”.

We reformulated it slightly, and I think it’s better than ever!

I’m sure Danno will let me know!

Ingredients:

1 Cup 2% Chocolate “Calorie Countdown”
90 Kcal, 8g protein, 5g carbs, 5 grams fat

2/3 Cup Rolled Oats
401 Kcal, 17g protein, 68g carbs, 7g fat

2 tsp. Natural Peanut Butter
70 Kcal, 2g protein, 2g carbs, 5g fat

Totals:
561 Kcal
28g Protein
75g Carbohydrates
17g Fat

(P.S. - This is a great recipe for breakfast or after resistance training, but if you are trying to lose bodyfat, eating this at midnight will NOT be helpful!)

If you have been reading our newsletters for awhile, you know that part of our nutrition philosophy is to eat lean protein - with EVERY meal.

Not too hard - right?

Some options might include:
2 whole eggs + 2 egg whites prepared as you like (scramled, in an omelet, etc.)
Steak and Eggs
Lean turkey sausage…just to name a few

For me it’s pretty simple. I eat our own free range eggs nearly every day- because I love eggs.

But what if you DON’T like eggs?

Besides the fact that you are weird I mean. (just kidding Danno)

Here is one of my all time favorite breakfast recipes.

It is really, really, really good.

And it’s even easier (really) to make. Takes 5 minutes, tops.

Give it a try and fall in love with breakfast all over again.

Ingredients:
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup chocolate 2% “Calorie Countdown” dairy beverage
2 tsp NATURAL peanut butter (take it easy on the peanut butter - 2 teaspoons means 2 teaspoons)

Put all the ingredients into a bowl and microwave on high for one minute. Stir, then microwave for another minute. Stir it up, and you’re done!

This will provide you with 30 grams of protein, around 60 grams of carbs, and only 5 grams of fat.

This is a GREAT way to start your day.

Chocolate and Peanut Butter for breakfast - Not Bad!

Give it a try and let me know what you think…

Have you seen those new “100 Calorie Packs”?

You know, the ones that are designed to help with portion control?

You may have seen them on shows like “The Biggest Loser”.

Now I’m all for portion control, but does eating less garbage change the fact that it is still garbage?

Yeah they taste good, and rally, what’s the harm of such a small amount?

Well for starters, at least if you’re anything like me, what’s the likelihood you can eat only one of these packs at a time?

And will 100 calories of sugar and fat really help your hunger?

So what’s the alternative?

Our friend Jayson Hunter, a registered dietician, has put together a report that offers some healthier choices.

From the Intro:

“We are always looking for that low calorie snack that won’t k*ll our diet or ruin our fat loss goals. Yet, there are so many options out there we get confused and just don’t know what to choose.

First, what is a low calorie snack?

Second, how do I know how many calories a food has in it?

This report is broken down to 0-99 calories snacks/foods and 100-200 calories snacks/foods. The 0-99 foods you would choose if you just needed a quick pick me to get to your next meal that is maybe 1 hour away.

The 100-200 calorie foods is where maybe you have 1-2 hours before you can eat again and need something that will sustain you a little longer and provide more satiety.”

These snacks are perfect not only for those looking to lose weight and eat healthier, but are great choices for our kids as well.

To find out what foods Jayson recommends, read the rest of his “100 Calorie Snack Report” (pdf format), here

I’ll admit it.

I don’t like throwing ANYTHING away. (My wife will confirm)

So when I read some articles on the potential dangers of teflon coating, I noted it with some interest, but didn’t really do anything about it.

In general we cook with cast iron, glass and stoneware.

But there are still a few relics of other types of cookware hanging around.

Like the teflon coated muffin tins.

Pretty harmless, I thought, and handy once in awhile.

Or maybe not.

I baked (yes, me) some protein muffins the other night.

Very handy for a quick snack, and good for you. (Contact me if you would like the recipe)

Even though the pans are teflon, I always use some oil  to help prevent sticking. (Someone will probably tell me I’m not supposed to - but who doesn’t?)

Even so, I had some trouble with the muffins sticking.

But I eventually got them out.

They look pretty good from the top, heh?

I even ate one, and it was pretty good!

The next day I was bagging some up to put in my lunchbox.

And I turned one over.

And promptly threw the rest of them, plus the muffin tin, in the trash.

Why?

Here’s the answer:

No, I didn’t spray paint the muffin silver.

That’s what my muffin tin decided to deposit on my culinary creation. 

I don’t know why this happened, and I don’t care.

Bottom line is I wanted a muffin - without the metal.

How many times did I eat that garbage - without even knowing it?

Even if you can’t see it, doesn’t mean microscopic particles aren’t there.

A couple take home lessons here.

Just because something is new, improved, makes life easier, and promises great results doesn’t mean it’s good for you.

Goes for the latest “foods” that are being marketed as healthy, or the latest fitness gadget that you can lounge in and have a great body.

Stick to the basics.

Regular demanding exercise.

Sensible nutrition habits.

Plenty of sleep.

Oh, and you might want to consider ditching the teflon.

I wrote last week about the importance of not only eating breakfast, but gave some specifics on the types of food that are good choices and why. (http://www.cr8health.com/2008/03/31/break-that-fast/)

Now I want to know.

Did you make any changes to the way you prepared that important first meal of the day?

Maybe you already eat a good balanced breakfast, and no changes are necessary. Awesome!

But if you read it and saw some changes would be helpful, did you actually make those changes?

If not, why not?

You must take action if you want to lose those extra pounds.

Being a web warrior and just reading about it never changed anything.

Besides, web surfing doesn’t burn very many calories.

Here’s what I want you to do, today.

Download this handy breakfast planning worksheet and print it out.

(right click link, then choose “save target as…”)

I’ll wait a second.

Got it?

Good!

Now I want you to plan out your breakfast for an entire week. 7 days worth.

Using the guidelines in the last article, write down the food and quantity for your protein, complex carb and vegetable choices.

Now tally it up and make your shopping list.

After you’ve completed your shopping, set aside some time to cook a few days ahead.

It’s an important part of staying on the plan. If you are not prepared, you will grab what’s quick, and usually that’s not the best idea.

If steel cut oats is your choice for complex carbs, you could cook enough for 3 or 4 days. Same thing goes for most veggies.

You’ve probably heard it before - Failing to plan is planning to fail.

Set yourself up to succeed.

You have the tools.

I want to hear how it’s working for you.

Now go do it!

Most of us know that breakfast really IS the most important meal of the day.

The very name “break-fast” gives us an idea of why we shouldn’t skip this important meal - we are breaking a fast - our body needs nutrients after we sleep and have not eaten for 8-12 hours.

Pretty simple. Or is it?

For years I ate pretty much the same thing for breakfast.

A (BIG) bowl of cereal with milk
A couple slices of toast with butter and/or jelly
A glass of orange juice

Doesn’t sound too bad, right?

First of all, the serving size for cereal is 1 cup. I don’t know of anybody (I’m sure I’ll hear from you) that eats only 1 cup of cereal at a time. So in the interest of being somewhat realistic, my typical breakfast above consists of:

2 cups oat cereal
1 cup 2% milk
2 slices of bread
1 Tablespoon of butter
1 Tablespoon of jelly
1 cup of orange juice

Probably less than many of us can (and do) eat.

Here’s the breakdown:

Total Calories: 748
Fat: 22 grams
Protein: 21 grams

Here’s the real kicker - There are a whopping 124 grams of carbohydrate and only 7 grams of fiber!

Don’t get me wrong, morning is one of the best times to get your carbs, as your body is ready to utilize them. The challenge is keeping our blood sugar in check. This plan ain’t gonna cut it.

Looking back now, I realize the fact that I was hungry an hour or two after breakfast was because my blood sugar was going wild after eating all those simple carbs. So I ate again, and again, and again…well, you get the picture.

So what’s the alternative?

Here is one that I personally enjoy -

Omelette made with:
2 whole extra large eggs
2 extra large egg whites
1/4 cup salsa
1/4 onions
1/4 cup green pepper
1/4 cup red pepper

1 cup oatmeal
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 cup strawberries

So what’s the breakdown?

Total Calories: 490
Fat: 15 grams
Protein: 30 grams
Carbohydrate: 62 grams with 9 grams of fiber (a much more ideal ratio)

This breakfast meets the criteria we have talked about in the past:

Lean protein with every meal
Vegetables with every meal
Complex carbohydrates at breakfast and workout time

Meal #2 will help you feel full longer because of the blood stabilizing effect of complex carbs combined with higher protein.

This is just one of many simple changes to your nutrition that can make a huge difference in how you look and feel.

A little more work? Absolutely!

Aren’t you worth it?

Cr8Health and Fitness, Dean Carlson, diet, fat loss, health, Nutrition, weight loss, wellness

Due to inconsistent findings from observational studies, there is controversy over the effects of dietary glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) on the risk of certain chronic diseases. A recent meta-analysis showed that diets high in GI and/or GL increase the risk of certain chronic, degenerative diseases.

Meta-analysis of glycemic index and glycemic load effects on chronic disease

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition recently published a meta-analysis to evaluate the association between GI, GL, and chronic disease risk.

A total of 37 prospective cohort studies of GI and GL and chronic disease risk were included. In 4 to 20 years of follow-up across studies, a total of 40,129 incident cases of degenerative diseases were identified. For the comparison between the highest and lowest quantiles of GI and GL, significant positive associations were found for type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, gallbladder disease, breast cancer, and all diseases combined.

Low-GI and/or low-GL diets are independently associated with a reduced risk of certain chronic diseases. Relating to cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, the protection is similar with that seen in diets high in whole grains and fiber. The findings support the hypothesis that higher GI and GL diets, and their resulting increases in postprandial (after meal) blood glucose levels, increase the risk of several chronic, degenerative diseases.

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 87, No. 3, 627-637, March 2008

Source: USANA Health Sciences

My newsletter and blog post titled “Food Label Lies” hit a nerve.

I got feedback (boy did I ever).

Actually some was very positive, but others must have thought I was attacking them personally.

It’s not personal - it never is.

My mission is to cut through the garbage, not to offend, but to wake people up and get them to take a look at the habits that may be contributing to less than optimal health.

Some people think we go too far with the “healthy stuff.” That’s ok. We try to eat whole and unprocessed foods, as close to their natural state as possible. I think the evidence is clear this is a healthier way to eat than getting everything out of a box, bag or carton.

When my family goes to dinner or a party at someone else’s house, we eat (and drink) what our host has graciously provided. Granted, if there are “better” choices, we gravitate toward those.

As I said in the first letter, our friends and family are very kind in trying to accomodate our “weirdness”.

We do NOT take that for granted.

The title of this letter is ”You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know”. 

If you don’t have the info, you can’t make an informed choice. Simple as that.

Now you know.

health, Nutrition, wellness

Our friends mean well, they really do.

Most of them respect the fact that we eat try to make healthy food choices, for ourselves and our kids.

We really appreciate it, it is very kind of them.

Last Friday one of Nancy’s good friends was so proud of herself. She brought her kids over for a visit, and as a treat for the kids (we normally only have water and sometimes milk) she brought some ****** **** Berry Punch.

She was so proud of herself for bringing a “healthy” choice.

Nancy didn’t have the heart to tell her the truth.

It was junk, just total garbage.

But is sounded so good.

I mean, look at what it says on the FRONT label:

“All Natural”

“Premium”

It’s go to be good, right!

Not so fast!

I am about to give you the super secret, known only to a few select operatives in the whole world (ok, not really - but you would think so)

You have to look at the label on the BACK!

This is where you have to take some responsibility for what you are eating.

The food companies number one priority is NOT your health - it’s to get you to buy their product.

They will do it by any (legal) means necessary.

Just because it’s legal doesn’t mean it’s moral or ethical - words to live by.

Anyway, let’s look at the BACK label.

Here are the ingredients:

Pure Filtered Water, Sweeteners (high fructose corn syrup, sugar), Grape juice from concentrate, less than 1% of: Pear and Strawberry juices from concentrate, Natural flavors, Citric acid (provides tartness)

Remember the FRONT label - “All Natural”

I have been thinking for two days how something with high fructose corn syrup (as the second ingredient no less) is able to be listed as “All Natural”

If I squeeze a kernel of corn, is that what comes out, high fructose corn syrup? I don’t think so, bubba.

The stuff has no reedeming qualities whatsover. I think the evidence shows that is one of the key “bad players” in the obesity epedimic. It is used because it is cheap, bottom line.

Let’s look at the Nutrition Label.

At the very top: 5% Fruit Juice - yep, that’s it. Your “All Natural, Premium” product is 5% juice, 95% garbage.

No Fat

No Protein

A whopping 31 grams of sugar. That’s like shoveling 8 teaspoons of sugar down little Johnny’s throat. In fact it’s more sugar than in a Snickers bar, for crying out loud.

I think Johnny’s going to be bouncing off the walls.

He will drink water, I assure you. It may take time, but it will pay off.

If you want to make a real impact toward better health, you have to take responsibility.

It takes a little longer to read labels, I understand.

But once you get into the habit, it becomes easier and easier.

Don’t be fooled by fancy slogans and pretty words.

Next time you shop, just pick one item that you think is good for you. Turn the box around and take a look at the label.

You might be surprised by what you find.

It WILL be the first step to a lifetime of healthier choices.

It’s up to you.

 What did you have for breakfast this morning?

Why do I ask?

Because you can have the best training program in the world, but if you eat garbage (or the average American diet - same thing) you are going to have a hard time reaching your fitness goals, especially losing bodyfat.

Nutrition Matters! You really ARE what you eat.

I got a letter from Chris Mohr over at MohrResults.com this morning. Chris is a good guy and you can read his credentials on the site. (PhD, RD, etc, etc.)

Here’s what he wrote:

What are YOU putting in your body, Dean? You’ve surely heard that saying before–but did you ever really give it any thought? Driving down the road in Kentucky recently, there was a sign at a health department that read “You are what you eat, don’t be cheap, fast, and easy.” True–but particularly funny in Louisville, Kentucky, the birth place of many fast food restaurant chains (KFC anyone?)Here are some startling statistics:

1. Teens eat approximately 90 lbs of sugar every year!
2. Americans consume approximately 450 calories every day from beverages alone (remember, there are 3500 calories in 1 pound, meaning solely cutting out beverages with calories would equate to nearly a 1 pound weight loss per week!)
3. Diabetes in America is costing America more than the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the entire fight against terrorism — it also costs more than the damage done from Hurricane Katrina! Nearly 60 billion dollars is spent for lost productivity in the workplace from diabetes each year.

We could go on, but we’re keeping it short this week. Make it your mission to make one positive change EACH week for the rest of the year. It could be something small, like eating one MORE fruit or vegetable each day, every day. That may not sound like a lot, but at the end of the year, when all these positive behaviors are compounded, you can literally be a different person.If you need some help with your nutrition decisions, I recommend you visit Chris’ site and see what he has to offer.I didn’t lose 85 pounds by making poor nutrition decisions.Odds are you won’t either.

Take action today!

diet, food, health and wellness, healthy food, Nutrition