The Diet Fitness Blog

I keep reading that a person needs to eat 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. That's kind of a lot! How does one get that much all in one day?

2010-03-09T21:00:50Z

First of all, a serving tends to be smaller than most of us think. For example half of an apple, orange, or banana is one serving. A half a cup of berries or grapes is one serving. I make a protein shake almost every morning for my family and this is how we are able to get many of the fruits and vegetables we need each day. Frozen or fresh fruits or vegetables work equally well. Here is a great recipe for a fruit & veggie shake!

Ingredients:

½ cup fresh frozen strawberries

½ cup spinach

½ cup frozen peaches

½ an orange

½ cup carrots

½ pear

½ apple

½ plum

2 scoops of vanilla protein powder

½ cup ice

½ cup water

1 egg (optional)

¼ tsp coconut oil

Blend in a blender until smooth, pour into a glass and enjoy! Makes two servings.

I love and enjoy taking your Wednesday and Saturday Barbell class. My question is on losing weight; I work out at least 4-5 hours a week, a mix of cardio and weights for over 3 years now. My goal is to lose 30 pounds and so far have lost and gained 10 pounds. I seem to be stuck at this weight. I tried South Beach and lasted 1 month on it. What else am I missing?

2010-03-07T23:12:16Z

Thank you for the compliment about my classes. I enjoy having you as a participant! One thing you are missing is patience! (I know, I should talk!) You want to lose 30 pounds but you only gave South Beach one month! To lose the weight the healthiest way, you should expect to lose 1-2 pounds a week. So it should take at least four months and probably more like six or eight months to lose 30 pounds, not one month. Since you exercise, you may also experience a shift in your weight. As you exercise, you will gain muscle mass and lose fat mass. This will lead to a smaller body but at the same weight.

It’s also important to understand how you are fueling your body when you exercise. To burn fat and get the best results, you need to exercise in the aerobic zones most of the time. Invest in a heart rate monitor and hire a personal trainer to calculate your RMR (Resting Metabolic Rate) and set up your aerobic and anaerobic zones. This will help you keep track of how you are training and what your calorie burn is.

You mentioned your exercise routine but not your diet routine. Changing your diet to lose weight needs to be a permanent lifestyle change, not a temporary change like diets often are. Since you mentioned losing and gaining weight, I suspect you lost weight and perhaps resumed old habits thus regaining the weight you lost. Many times this happens because most of us underestimate how much we eat during the day. To lose weight, you should try to eliminate about 250 calories from your daily diet and increase your daily activity by 250 calories. This adds up to 500 calories a day or one pound of weight loss a week. One of the best ways to track what you eat and how much you eat is to keep a journal. For the first week, eat as you normally would and don’t try to “be good.” You need to see what you are really eating and what you need to change. After the first week, try a site like www.calorieking.com to journal your diet, add up the calories and make the necessary changes. Most women who workout at your level need to eat between 2000-2300 calories/day. A personal trainer can help you find the right amount.

I am a vegetarian and I eat hemp and soy in order to get my protein. I was wondering if you could supply a list of plant combinations other then hemp and soy that will provide the right amount of proteins in the diet.

2010-03-03T21:23:21Z

Protein is made up of chains of individual amino acids and they are the building blocks your body needs to rejuvenate, rebuild and maintain your muscles, organs, and immune systems. Protein can also be used for energy when you don't have enough carbohydrates in your diet. Your body can make some amino acids, but there are some, called essential amino acids, that have to come from directly from your diet.

Animal protein sources provide all of the essential amino acids so they are called complete proteins. Each time you eat eat meat, fish, dairy products, or eggs you get all of the essential amino acids. Vegetarians and vegans rely on plant proteins to get their amino acids. Soy and hemp are the only plant sources that contain all of the essential amino acids. All other plant protein sources are incomplete proteins, meaning that they don't provide all of the essential amino acids. However vegans and vegetarians who eat a variety of plant proteins throughout the course of the day should get all of their amino acid needs met.

There are four groups of plant foods. The first group is made up of bread, rice, whole wheat and whole grain products. These include cereal, pasta, bread, and noodles. Group two is the legumes and includes peas, beans and lentils. The third group is vegetables and fruits and the fourth group is nuts and seeds. To get a complete protein, combine any food item from group one with one, single food source from any one of the other three groups.

Here are some sample combinations of plant proteins that will provide you with all of the amino acids you need:

Grains plus legumes. Try black beans and rice.
Wheat crackers, nuts and legumes. Lentil soup with a serving of almonds and crackers on the side.
Corn plus legumes. Try pinto beans in a corn tortilla.
Whole grain pasta with peas, almonds, and your favorite sauce.
Whole wheat toast with peanut butter.
Bean soup with whole grain crackers.
Corn tortillas with refried beans and rice.

What is cod liver oil and can it really help oil the joints?

2010-02-26T01:48:27Z

Cod liver oil is a supplement that is derived from the liver of a cod fish and is a good source of the essential fat omega-3 which has a positive effect on everything from mental illness to the health of your heart. Certain advertisements give the impression that cod liver oil will literally oil your joints. While this isn't true, cod liver oil is very good for your joints. It contains anti-inflammatory substances called prostaglandins that have been proven to help those suffering from painful or swollen joints. Cod liver oil is equally beneficial for your bones due to its high content of vitamin D.

Are there foods I should avoid during pregnancy to protect my unborn child?

2010-02-26T01:47:14Z

What you eat can have a direct impact on the health of your unborn child. There are foods you should try to eat during pregnancy to help your baby grow and develop in your womb. You need whole, unprocessed foods that are good sources of healthy fats, proteins and carbohydrates. However, there are key foods to stay away from:

1. Mackerel can contain high levels of mercury which can be harmful to your unborn baby. Shark and swordfish should be avoided for the same reason.

2. Liver and liver products contain very high levels of vitamin A which research has shown can cause birth defects. Similarly, any supplements with high levels of vitamin A should not be taken during pregnancy.

3. Soft, mould-ripened and blue veined cheeses such as Brie, Stilton and Camembert should be avoided because they can contain the potentially poisonous listeria bug.

4. Anything unpasteurized such as eggs, milk, or cheese can lead to toxoplasmosis which is an infection caused by a microscopic parasite that can live inside the cells of humans and animals, especially cats and farm animals.

5. Underdone or lightly cooked eggs, meat or poultry; or raw or uncooked eggs, meat and poultry can contain a variety of bugs that could seriously harm your unborn baby.

You can still enjoy your favorite drinks during pregnancy but only in moderation. You should drink no more than three cups of coffee a day and ideally only one. You should drink no more than one or two glasses of wine a week. However, to be safe you shouldn't drink any alcohol at all until after your baby is born.

I go to GNC and they have vitamins and stuff that are supposed to increase metabolism. Does chromium picolinate boost metabolism. Are they at all effective?

2010-02-23T18:56:37Z

Don't bother taking supplements unless you eat less than 1200 calories a day, and then take a multivitamin. The supplement chromium picolinate is being touted as increasing metabolism but to date there is no supporting evidence for that claim. Chromium is necessary to make insulin, which is used to move glucose from the blood into cells.

Supplements that claim to boost metabolism are not regulated and the distributors are not required to provide any product history of their performance or side effects. The main ingredient in these supplements is caffeine which may increase the heart rate slightly and only momentarily. That is not enough to make a significant or lasting impact on a person’s metabolism.

Because of all the misinformation being given out over the checkout counters, some states regulate who can provide nutritional advice. Take a look at Nutrition Today magazine, which should be available in your local library or bookstore.

I was told that asparagus has cleansing abilities. If so, how does it do it and what is it exactly cleansing or detoxifying?

2010-02-23T18:38:17Z

Asparagus is a good source of folic acid, as well as vitamins A and K. As far as detoxifying your body, it doesn't do that and neither does any other food. Your liver is the organ responsible for detoxifying your body. Fiber helps clean out your gastrointestinal tract and the lungs get rid of impurities through phlegm or by coughing. Furthermore, the immune system is prepared to act against foreign substances and the ingestion of good foods will help boost the immune system even more. The concept of cleansing or detoxifying your body is not a simple one-food silver bullet solution. There isn’t such a thing as a specific food that acts as a cleanser or detoxifier.

I was told that pumpkin seeds are sometimes called one of nature's superfoods. Why?

2010-02-21T00:39:37Z

Pumpkin seeds, like the majority of nuts and seeds, are exceptionally good for you because they contain a wide variety of nutrients. Pumpkin seeds are full of iron, zinc, calcium and magnesium, which are the four most important minerals our bodies need. Iron is essential for the generation of new blood cells, zinc is needed for the formation of protein, calcium is vital for strong bones and magnesium is used in nerve and muscle function. Pumpkin seeds are also a terrific source of protein and the essential omega-3 fatty acids.

Just a small handful of pumpkin seeds a day can really make a difference to your entire body, inside and out. Sprinkle them on yogurt, cereal, salads or just eat them plain.

What are antioxidants and why are they so important for a healthy body?

2010-02-21T00:36:35Z

An antioxidant is a nutrient that helps protect our bodies from harmful toxins that we're exposed to every day. These unwanted toxins are made up of oxidants, hence we use the name antioxidants for these special nutrients that protect us from these oxidants. Oxidants are released whenever something is burnt whether it be a cigarette, fuel or even the food our bodies burn for energy.

Oxidants are responsible for damaging the cells in your body. This ultimately causes aging and disease. Fortunately, these toxins can essentially be disabled by antioxidants. The most effective of these antioxidants come in the form of vitamins A, C and E as well as anthocyanins. Significant amounts of antioxidants are also found in berries and red or purple vegetables.

I'm getting married soon and I need to lose weight quickly. I have been exercising for weeks and can't even lose 1 pound. What am I doing wrong?

2010-02-14T23:22:51Z

The first thing you are doing wrong is trying to lose weight for a one day event, not as a lasting life style change. After the wedding, do you plan to go back to the life style that has caused your weight problem?

Weddings can be stressful even if they are happy events. You may want to wait until after the wedding to take on the challenge of reshaping your lifestyle. By that time, you will also have a supportive partner to share this with you. Remember, your fiancé fell in love with you and asked to spend the rest of his life with you just as you are now. Whatever your weight is now, you will make a beautiful bride. Start to clean up your diet by taking junk foods out and don’t replace them. Replace your current foods with healthier alternatives and cut down on your serving sizes. That’s enough to do for now. Once the wedding and honeymoon are over, you will be able to focus on reshaping your lifestyle. Also start to journal your food intake and consider using a site like Calorieking.com or Fitday.com to track your food intake. The number one problem with losing weight is that we underestimate how much food we eat. Track it for a week and see.

As a professional in the fitness field for many years, I see temporary lifestyle changes both in diet and in exercise to deal with a long term problem. Believe me, it does not work! The last thing you want to do is follow a crash diet and really mess up your metabolism. I recommend losing the weight slowly and correctly and with the help of professionals in the fitness field. A safe total weight loss per week is 1 pound. There are 3,500 calories in a pound, so in order to lose 1 pound in a week, you need to create a 500 calorie deficit per day. Over the course of a week, this equals 3,500 calories or 1 pound.

One good way to hit this 500 calorie number every day is to create a 250 calorie deficit through your diet and another 250 calorie deficit through cardio exercise or weight training. Remember, to fuel your body with high quality foods and keep yourself fueled throughout the day. Don’t limit your food intake too severely as that tends to cause your body to go into starvation mode and hold onto your fat reserves. This may be what you are doing since you say you are not losing any weight. I recommend eating at least 1,500 calories per day and make sure you're eating whole, unprocessed and nutritious food.