When it comes to getting enough nutrients in your diet, one bit of information is pretty clear-cut: Everybody should be eating 5-10 serving of fruit and vegetables daily. This includes a variety of all sorts of fruit and vegetables on the lower GL scale. Yet according to research, fruits and vegetables are less nutritious than they used to be dating back 50 years ago. We believe there are several reasons for this. One reason is that crops are growing in given spaces. This will result in a lower nutrient level. The crops are over harvested in the same location. The soil has been depleted of it s nutritional content, ranging from 5 to 40 percent, with similar declines in vitamins and protein levels. Poor farming practices are leading to sick plants, depleted soil, and a need to use higher and higher doses of pesticides and herbicides to ward off what healthy plants would naturally ward off .
The 5 most effective ways of getting maximal nutrients from your fruit and vegetables are:
Go with locally grown. The key to getting more nutrients is eating food that spends less time traveling from the field to your table. The way to accomplish that goal is with locally grown produce, either from your own garden or from a local farmer’s market. “Buy fresh, whole, and locally grown seasonal produce.
Choose frozen. Your natural instinct when eating produce is to think that fresh is always better than frozen. This is not always the case. Sometimes the veggies frozen right after harvest have retained more nutrients than those ‘fresh’ veggies that have taken forever to get to your plate.
Never judge a book by its cover. Big, shiny fruits and vegetables sure look good and grab your attention in the supermarket, but are not always the best choice. The best example I can use is the apple. Understandably, organic apples may be smaller and not quite as pretty, but their pesticide levels are likely to be lower.
Keep them rough. When the time comes to prepare your fruit and vegetables for eating, bigger, rougher pieces of produce may have the nutritional edge over finely chopped and sliced options. “Keep chopping to a minimum. Keep all your fruit and veggies in topper ware containers in the freezer and fridge, covered to prevent loss of any nutrients.
Minimize cooking time. The less fruits and vegetables are cooked, the more nutrients they retain. Try to eat your fruits and vegetables raw whenever possible. When you do cook them, keep the cooking time to a minimum and avoid too much contact with water. Some cooking methods that are quick, with a minimum amount of liquid, will help to preserve nutrients such as, steaming, blanching, and or stir-frying are all great ways to cook vegetables quickly and retain valuable nutrients. Keep veggies crisp — never overcook or boil in water until soggy.”
Written by Jason Ferreira
1. Sleep. Excess storage around the midsection is usually as a result of too much cortisol, which is your body’s stress hormone. One of the best ways to bring your cortisol levels under control is to get a good night’s rest. Being well rested will also help you cope with the demands of your workout program and leads to better food choices. They call it “beauty rest” for a reason. Make it a priority to get enough sleep.
2. Use interval training. Long periods of sustained activity (e.g. jogging) teaches your body to hold more fat in those “hard to lose” areas. Short bursts of high-intensity exercise with intermittent periods of active rest have been shown to be helpful in mobilizing fat stores from “stubborn” areas like the belly. Ever seen an elite sprinter with a flabby waist?
3. Experiment with Green tea extract. Green Tea extract is stimulates the metabolism during weight loss phases. Be sure your Green Tea extract is high in EGCG, the most active component. A recommend dosage is 400mg 1-2x per day. Do your research on what dosages are safe and work best for someone of you gender and bodyweight. WARNING: If you suffer from hypertension or diabetes, or any other health concerns, check with your doctor first.
4. Do AM cardio workouts. I like the mornings for burning belly fat because of the elevated growth hormone levels you experience upon waking. The time of day doesn’t matter, just how recently you woke up. Don’t eat before the workout. Eat a complete breakfast when you’re done. Try combining this with #’s 2 and 3.
5. Choose anti-inflammatory foods. Too much inflammation in the body can interrupt hormones which are important for regulating metabolism and burning belly fat. People with excess belly fat tend to have more inflammation. A leading cause of inflammation in the body is Glycation. Gylcation occurs when there is a high amount of sugar in the blood and causes the binding of sugar molecules to protein molecules. The Gylcation of proteins causes decreased biological activity of proteins and has been linked to premature aging, altered vision, Kidney disease, joint pain and arthritis. Bit of a vicious cycle. Replace red meat with fish, 2-3 times per week, cut down on starches and grains (replace with sweet potatoes or yams), get plenty of green veggies, nuts, mixed berries, and a extra virgin olive oil; you will begin to see a difference in the fitting of your clothing.
Written by Jason Ferreira (Mayfair East’s Fitness Manager)
Primary:
Protein is the greek word for “primary” or “ holding first place”. This shows the importance of protein in our daily food plans. Every cell and enzyme in the body needs protein. The immune system is reliant on adequate protein to stay strong. The bare minimum requirement is 25-30 grams a day, and the RDA doubles the bare minimum (50 grams for a 150 lb person). Studies have shown endurance athletes, like marathoners require even more, over half their lean body weight in grams of protein (i.e. 150 lb runner needs between .55 and .8 grams of protein per lb of body weight ; 83-120 grams). Body builders have consistently made claims that in order to maintain muscle mass and tissue repair a pro bodybuilder needs at least their body weight in protein grams, and most likely more. The amount of protein required is a huge controversy with questions of stress to the kidneys and liver, and loss of bone density if over consumed.
Pure:
A pure protein contains 8 essential amino acids responsible for building and repairing red blood cells, enzymes, and other tissues in the body. Pure protein is easily found in eggs, beef, fish, and poultry. Vegetarians will find it a bit trickier to get all 8 amino acids but can succeed by combining grains and legumes (e.g. natural peanut butter and whole grain bread or brown rice and black beans). The only grain containing all 8 aminos is quinoa.
Preparation:
Broil, bake, stir fry, or boil your proteins without added extra fats or sugars to help in fat loss goals. Rotate protein choices daily to create variety and provide a full spectrum of nutrition to the body. Stick to portion sizes (size and thickness of palm), eating small quantities more often if possible.
Best choices: organic free run omega 3 eggs and egg whites, organic beef, and wild pacific salmon.
Stay tuned for: Facts about Fats…….
Written by Rachel Nir, Mayfair Parkway’s Personal Trainer & Nutritionist
Not all carbs are created equal.
Most complex carbohydrates, whether they are unrefined (good, like whole grain brown rice, steel cut oats) or refined/processed (bad, like white bread, white rice) still contain 4 cals/gram. Alcohol (ugly !!!) contains a whopping 7 cals/gram!
The refining or processing of the complex carbohydrate is really what causes the problem in terms of weight gain. The refining process often removes fibre and nutrients from the carbohydrate, adding other refined simple sugars and preservatives to improve taste, sales, and shelf life.
A slice of white bread has the same 100% glycemic index value as that of a piece of red licorice. When a person eats a piece of white bread, the blood sugar level rises rapidly, causing an immediate release of insulin into the blood stream to remove the high level of sugar and store it in the fat cells. There is an immediate drop in blood sugar, causing the body to desire more carbs to raise blood sugar levels again. Eating refined complex carbohydrates can begin a vicious cycle/craving for more of the same.
Moreover, the brain does not register satiety upon ingestion of refined carbs. In other words, it’s very easy to down an entire bag of potato chips in one sitting, and not feel full. This does not occur with broccoli or steel cut oats.
Alcohol presents a triple threat to fat loss. Not only does alcohol carry more refined cals/gram, the effects of alcohol lower inhibitions and resolve to make healthy, moderate food choices. In women, it increases the secretion of the hormone oestrogen, increasing cravings for carbohydrate or sugar.
Bottom line, the good carbs are the best choice for long term health and fat loss. Stick to proper serving sizes per meal (about the size and thickness of your hand). If your lifestyle allows, eat every few hours, to keep your blood sugar levels stable, lowering cravings for sugar, keeping energy and mood swings at bay, improving nutrient levels and elimination processes .
Best good carbs? Steel cut oats, whole grain brown rice, quinoa, spinach, broccoli, and berries.
Coming soon: The Three P’s In Picking Protein……..
Written by Rachel Nir, Mayfair Parkway’s Personal Trainer & Nutritionist
Ok, so it’s 2011 and every diet that could ever be created has come and gone. At this point just about everyone knows that diets don’t work right? And we all know how to make healthy food choices right? Everyone knows what it takes to lose weight and look and feel great right?
Well……………..
Over the last decade or so, there has been an explosion of new and varied dietary information, but a significant percentage of the general population is still unaware of what food choices to make to keep fit and stay healthy. Many are still confused about the three basic building blocks (aka macronutrients: carbs, proteins, and fats) that make up the food we eat. Many still do not even consider the nutritional aspect of their lifestyle, or place enough importance on its’ role in the way they look and feel. For the minority that does care and value proper nutrition the information can be overwhelming and confusing.
Should I be eating, high carb, low carb, low fat, or no-fat?
Is it better to cut out all red meat and become a vegetarian?
Nuts are healthy but fattening, should I eat any, which ones, how much?
Which are the good carbs, and which are the bad carbs?
Should I drink skim milk, soy milk, rice milk, almond milk, lactose free milk, or no milk at all?
To be organic or not to be organic? Now that is a huge question.
Antioxidants anyone? Red wine, dark chocolate, olive oil, green tea , and berries!! Acai berry,golgi berry, blueberry, blackberry, strawberry, huckleberry—-oops, that was a boy not a berry- sorry………
AAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHHH!
Ironically, there seems to be a direct correlation between the expansion of dietary information and that of the collective waistband of North America. Approximately 60% of the population is overweight, and in the US the level of obesity is creeping up towards 50%.
On such a global scale, this health dilemma may seem insurmountable. Taking a tiny cross section of the North American population, aka the Mayfair Parkway, a solution, or rather, solutions may be easier to come by.
First off, looking around the club, one can see a wide range of individuals engaged in a wide variety of fitness activities (and kudos to them all for their commitment to fitness!). The personalities are as varied as the body types in which they are contained.
Taking these variables into account, it seems logical to suggest that the right food plan or “diet” is a specifically individual challenge. Just as the personal trainer designs, educates, and “clicks” for and with each client on an individual basis, the same must go for any nutritional program.
Over the next month, Mayfair is excited to be introducing a new client-centred nutritional program; aimed to bring awareness, education, and aid, in a one-on-one manner, to the individual truly wishing to succeed in their fitness, health, and wellness goals.
Stay tuned for the next blog on nutrition coming next week….Carbohydrates: the good, the bad, and the ugly”……
Written by Rachel Nir, Mayfair Parkway’s Personal Trainer & Nutritionist
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