Carbohydrate Substituting

     Carb substituting is something that my roommate and I have started to do recently. There are many “new” carbs that people are eating that are full of protein and good nutrients and vitamins (quinoa, barley, millet, etc.) which are all good for you. When I talk to people about their eating habits, or if they want an eating plan I almost always tell them to limit their carb intake to 2 servings a day then take that down to just one. It seems like a lot, but if you think about having oatmeal and fruit for breakfast, a salad and protein for lunch, you can then have a carb with dinner, or switch dinner and lunch around.

     One big thing we have started doing is buying lettuce and using it as “bread”. We made tofu tacos and used romaine lettuce as the taco shells, we sis the same things with veggie burgers. We built the tacos and burger as we normally would, just with lettuce as the bun/shell. It was just as good and even better for us.
     Another thing I have made is lasagna with zucchini instead of pasta. You layer it and make it just as you would with regular lasagna. IN line with that is the spaghetti squash (I put the recipe on here before). The last thing I have not tried personally yet, but I have heard it works well and tastes good is making pizza crust out of cauliflower. That is defiantly on my list to try soon.
     I hope with these ideas in your head you can carb substitute with ease and manage to try one of the ideas I gave, or come up with your own.

Live Healthy,
    Nadia

The Time Is NOW!

    The time for you to get healthy is NOW! It doesn’t matter if you are closer to 16, or 60. Everyone has the will and opportunity to get healthy; you just have to make the decision to do so. There is no magic pill or diet that is going to change your health in a certain amount of days. It takes hard work, dedication and a lot of time. I believe everyone has that will power in them; you just need to find the right reason/motivation to get you going. It may be your kids, family, an event, or just yourself. The day you finally wake yourself up and say” I’m making the healthy me a priority” you will never look back or regret it.

    There is always one part to getting healthy everyone struggles with, for me its exercising. I can eat healthy every day, but it’s so much harder for me to actually get active like we should every day. Knowing that’s my issue I put more effort into it, I go outside when it is nice because I love being outdoors. My roommate gets me motivated to go workout when she does. The same can be said if you love to workout but don’t like to cook/eat healthy. Find ways to make what you like a little bit healthier; add vegetables and fruits to every meal and drink lots of water. Share the part that’s hard for you with someone you know can help you get through it.  Once you start to do these things it will become habit and you will not only start to change your lifestyle but you will see how much better you feel about yourself and your outlook on life.

The time to make changes for yourself (your family) is NOW. Do not wait you won’t regret it.

Live Healthy,

         Nadia

“The food you eat can be either the safest and most powerful medicine

Or the slowest form of poison”

                                                              -Ann Wigmore

10 Healthy Foods That Boost Energy

       During the day we all have periods where we are lacking energy.  Coffee, soda and sugary snacks are the go to, I’m even guilty it. It can be so confusing to know what will actually give you energy and not just fill you with sugar and make you crash even worse an hour later. I have a list below of 10 foods that you can snack on or add to your meals to help you have more energy throughout the day.

-          Apples

-          Peppers (hummus is also great for energy, pair them together and its even better)

-          Pineapple

-          Granola (with yogurt is even better)

-          Quinoa

-          Salmon (the ultimate  protein, the right mix of protein, carbs, and healthy fats is what provides you with long-term energy)

-          Edamame

-          Melons

-          Broccoli

-          Water (not getting enough water is the main reason people feel sluggish and tired)

For an instant burst of energy try these 10 foods                                                           

-          Blueberries

-          Bananas

-          Almonds

-          Popcorn (homemade not the microwave kind)

-          Dark Chocolate

-          Trail Mix (you could mix some of the other  things on this list and make your own trail mix)

-          Pumpkin Seeds

-          Coconut

-          Avocado

-          Goji Berries

When that 2pm struggle hits reach for one of these options and try to make it through the day!

Live Healthy,

     Nadia