Tag: snacks

SHAKE IT UP

I’m not much for meal replacement shakes but in my journey to weight loss I have tried them and like I said I am not a big fan but I have stumbled across some pretty delicious shake recipes, that I still enjoy. When it comes to shakes my advice is to replace a snack instead of a meal because in my experience with shakes, hunger was always around and it felt like I was starving myself even though I was meeting my calories for the day.

Here are some great recipes for shakes that not only taste great but will help give you a boost of energy.
Cacao protein shake 
one scoop of whey protein the one that I use is the optimum nutrition chocolate flavor
one medium banana 
one table spoon of chia seeds 
5 grams of organic cacao powder 
and 1 tablespoon of instant coffee I use nescafe you can use the one that is your favorite
add desired amount of water 
Throw all ingredients into the blender and enjoy 
the calories in this delicious drink is 308
vanilla coffee shake 
1 medium banana 
1 tablespoon of coffee 1/2 cup of almond milk
vanilla protein powder 
throw all ingredients into a blender and enjoy
the calories in this drink is 240
Green smoothie 
one scoop of vanilla protein powder 
1/2 of a large cucumber 
1 cup of spinach 
and 1/2 of a medium avocado
add desired water and blend together and enjoy
the calories in this drink is 321
green veggie drink
1 1/2 table spoon of chia seeds
1 large cucumber
1/2 cup of spinach
1/3 cup of strawberries 
add desired water blend and enjoy 
calories in this drink are 311
this drink is not for everyone it is kind of sour but I like sour my wife does not think it is very good she actuall thinks it is gross
berry shake 
1 cup coconut milk unsweetened
1 tablespoon of chia seeds
1/3 cup of blue berries 
1/2 cup of strawberries
Blend and enjoy
the calories in this drink are 142 

Refreshing AF!

Now that summer has fully hit us i would like to touch a bit on the subject of refreshing low calorie treats I have found a few products out there that can help beat the heat low cal style.

If you are into ice cream but don’t want all of the calories that come with it, you can always have something that is not made with dairy and made with either cashew, coconut or almond milk

My favorite type is halo top which which is made with coconut milk and only has between 280 and 380 calories per pint, that’s right PINT when I first heard of this it sounded too good to be true so I decided to give it a try. I went for the chocolate flavor because well chocolate is the king of sweets and to my surprise it was amazing I tasted similar to regular chocolate ice cream and the best part was that it only contained 320 calories this is a product that I would recommend to anyone that has a sweet tooth but also wants to lose weight.

Another great dessert that is low in calories and are delicious are the outshine fruit bars these only have 60 calories per bar making them a great snack for a hot summer day my favorite flavor is strawberry although the mango and lime ones are amazing as well the these do contain about 14 grams of sugar but I would still recommend them.

Both products can be found in any grocery store near you.

Gut feeling (kombucha)

Kombucha….. pretty nasty stuff I would have to say, but just like it is nasty it has its health benefits.

(Kom-boo-chuh) no it’s not koombaya this is beverage is a made of either green or black green tea which is fermented with bacteria and yeast, known as SCOBY the tea becomes carbonated as it ferments making it a fizzy drink

So my wife has been on a new kick about this drink and she claims that they are delicious and that the flavor makes a big difference but I swear they all taste like vinegar well, at least to me they do.

I know that there is a large amount of people that love the stuff and drink it casually and my question for them is as follows:

How long have you known you are a psychopath?

Haha just kidding haha

Apparently there are many health benefits to drinking the stuff, one of the benefits that I have experienced is the gut health and what I noticed the most was less bloating. It has helped improve the way I feel.

Here are the potential health benefits of kombucha

1. Gut health- the drink is rich in probiotic bacteria which is similar to eat healthful bacteria found in the gut, this may help improve digestion. Kombucha has been found to help treat diarrhea, ease irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) to strengthen the immune system.

2. Infection risks- kombucha has the ability to kill microbes and bacteria that may cause infections making it easier for the body to fight them off.

3. Mental health- no this might seem like the odd one out of all of the other benefits but it has been found out that depression can be linked to inflammation so the anti-inflammatory properties of the drink can help with some symptoms of depression.

4. Cancer risk- in studies done in both 2008 and 2013 they found the possibility of kombucha helping to help treat or prevent the risk of getting cancer. The studies suggest that kombucha helps by preventing cancer cells to grow.

-2008 kombucha study on cancer

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/.18979556/

-3013 study

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S221052391200044X

5. Heart disease- it has been found that kombucha can

6. Weight loss- Green tea is one of the main ingredients to kombucha, and green tea itself helps burn more calories, which suggests that kombucha has the same benefit for weight loss.

These are just some benefits of kombucha and there are still ongoing studies that I’m sure will uncover more benefits to drinking it.

There is also one other thing I want to add and that is that the suggested serving one should consume is no more than 12 oz in a day, one bottle contains 16oz which may lead to the consumption of excess sugars because well, (it contains fruit)as well as excess caffeine from the tea.

Before you decide not to try this drink based on my opening sentence, take a chance and give it a try I only wrote that based my experience who knows maybe you would like it.

The one and only brand that I have tried has been health-ade kombucha Pomegranate flavor .

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size:

8fl oz

Amount Per Serving

Calories from Fat 0

Calories 40

Total Fat 0g

Sodium 10mg

Total Carbohydrates 9g

Sugars 3g

Protein 0g

Snack attack!!

Switching to a healthier lifestyle does not mean you have to starve yourself and stop eating you’re favorite foods there are many foods that are high volume and low calories. These types of foods allow you to have a large amount at the same time as keeping you under your calories for the day. There is also a big list of healthy delicious foods that can be snacks and are filling as well.

Foods that help with fat loss:

1. Watermelon: 275 calories for 2lbs or a full 9 lbs watermelon=1355 calories

2. Pineapple: 453 calories for one that weighs 2lbs

3. Honeydew Melon: 162 calories for 1lbs

4. Strawberries: 302 calories for 2lbs

5. Grapes: 306 calories for 1lbs

6. Broccoli: 153 calories for 1lbs

7. Spinach: 104 calories for 1lbs (1lbs is a lot)

8. Cucumber: 136 for 2lbs with the peel

9. Nopales (cactus leaves): 70 calories for 1lbs

10. Egg whites: 17 calories for 1 large egg

11. Grey squash: 73 calories for 1lbs

12. Zucchini: 76 calories for 1lbs

13. Celery: 64 calories for 1lbs

14. Carrots: 186 calories for 1lbs

15. Bell peppers: 91 calories for 1lbs

16. Mushrooms: 101 calories for 1lbs

17. Dragon fruit: about 60 calories for a medium sized fruit

18. Water: zero calories

19. Sparkling water

20. Green tea always zero calories

21. Flaxseed

22. Oats

Great healthy desserts and snacks:

1. Halo top ice cream 280 calories for the pint (strawberry is the best)

2. Crunchy snap peas

3. Pea crisps

4. Banana chips

5. Dark chocolate

6. Larry and Lenny’s protein cookies

7. Jerky

8. Granola bars

9. Nuts

Best cheat day meals

1.pizza

2.pho

3.tacos

4.tortas

5. Donuts

6. Pizza

7. Burgers and fries

8. Ice cream

9. Fried chicken

The whole point of a lifestyle change is to live happier but how can you be happy if you are eliminating delicious foods out of your life, the key is to enjoy the foods you love but in moderation and do not over indulge. These foods combined with regular exercise will make you feel better in more ways than one.

One of the easiest exercises to do is running or walking it does not matter if you start off with a slow long walk or a short run start at your own pace as long as you start