A veggie lovers dream

Hello my wonderfully delicious avocado! 

I love avocado. It adds a little something special to anything, like eggs & tomatoes shown here.  But it is it goes with so much that adding it to just about any meal is a easy. 

One serving is about one 5th of a medium avocado (or 1oz). A serving has 50 calories and contributes nearly 20 vitamins and minerals making it a nutrient dense choice. 

Don't be afraid of the fat in an avocado.  It's the saturated fat that we want to be concerned with.  Avocados, due to their mono and polyunsaturated fat content, are a great substitution for foods rich in saturated fat.  

Sounds like a winning veggie to me!  Read more about avocados here.  -- Written by Emily Collins, owner of OnTrack Fitness

Breakfast for a healthy body

Do you eat breakfast?  Do you know what you should be eating for a healthy start to your day?  Read on!

First you should know how many calories you need per day.  If you don't already know here's an easy way to find out. 

Now that you know how many calories you need per day, you can calculate how many you need for breakfast & that's simple.  Ideally you want to aim for 25-30% of calories for the day.  

I eat between 1,800-2,000 calories per day (depending on activity it may be more).  For ease, let's use 2,000.  That's 500-600 calories I should eat for breakfast.  That sounds like a lot, right?  Think of it like this.  How often, when you eat breakfast, do you feel absolutely starved mid morning?  

Let's talk about what we should be eating for a healthy breakfast.  

*Carbohydrates & fiber from fruit, veggies and/or beans.  

*Protein from dairy, eggs or beans.  

*Juice is fine but fruit is better because it still has the fiber.  But if your stomach is sensitive in the AM & juice is easy on it, go for it.

Donuts & pastries aren't the best option but every now and then we can enjoy them bit.  Remember that moderation is key.  

I made this pic smaller to remind you to eat less donuts :)

Here's a few comparison breakfast choices

Poor: donuts/pastries -- Better: muffin with extra fiber -- Best: oatmeal with fruit and nuts added

Poor: white bagel -- Better: whole grain bagel -- Best: whole grain toast with peanut butter, avocado or hummus

Poor: sugary cereal with milk -- Better: high fiber cereal with fruit with milk or soy milk -- Best: regular (or eggwhite) omelet with veggies or beans

Let's address the whole 'morning exercising on an empty stomach' thing.  That's something that some folks believe is going to help them burn more fat this way.  The problem is, it doesn't look at the big picture.  Exercising on empty, with no fuel, is going to decrease the intensity and endurance that you're able to put into the workout & therefore you'll end up burning fewer calories.  So please eat before morning workouts, even if it's just a piece of toast or a banana.

It may seem like a hard habit to get into but it doesn't have to be fancy. Have a supply of easy backups like breakfast bars (these would fall into the "better" category) or even raid the fridge for leftovers in the AM.  -- Written by Emily Collins, owner of OnTrack Fitness

Balanced meals don't have to be difficult

I was hoping it wouldn't happen, but I finally got the bug that's going around. I certainly didn't feel up to fixing anything for lunch but I know it's important. So I put together a few things, put it on my serving dish I like & was able to enjoy a small yet balanced meal. 

Here's the breakdown:
-1 whole grain (toast)
-1/2 dairy (cheese slice)
-1 protein (egg)
-1 vegetable (broccoli)
-2 1/2 fruit (large banana & half cup OJ)

Balanced meals. It's how we should eat. It doesn't need to be fancy, but it does need to be consistent - even when we're not feeling well! 

Look for ways to add healthy foods instead of what you feel you have to take out. I did this by adding low fat cheese to toast where I could have had butter, putting leftover (from last night's supper) broccoli on the plate where I could have left it empty (& gotten hungry soon after even though I'm sick), and a small serving of juice instead of the diet coke that I really wanted. 

By shifting the mindset of adding healthy to work toward a more balanced meal, we create a positive thought process. Just takes a little practice. Try it! -- Written by Emily Collins, owner of OnTrack Fitness