5 Reasons to Eat More Sweet Potatoes

Great for eyes, hair, nails, cancer prevention, digestive system, lowering blood pressure, etc etc etc. READ BELOW!! Of course you can’t load them down with butter, sugar, & marshmallows 😉 Try a little olive oil & spices/herbs that enhance their natural flavor & sweetness. I drizzled EVOO, oregano, & garlic on mine. You could also do cinnamon with honey drizzled over top! Steam (or boil) & mash them… Or cut into wedges and bake! I put mine in the oven for about 30 minutes at 400 degrees, but it depends on the thickness.

Superior Fiber Content

Sweet potatoes contain almost twice as much fiber as other types of potatoes. Contributing close to 7 grams of fiber per serving, they make an excellent starchy addition to any meal. The high fiber content gives them a “slow burning” quality. This basically means their caloric energy is used more slowly and efficiently than a low-fiber carbohydrate.

Heart-healthy

They contain a large amount of vitamin B6. This vitamin is crucial in breaking down a substance called homocysteine, which contributes to hardening of the arteries and blood vessels. Vitamin B6 helps keep the walls of these important blood passageways flexible and healthy which allows blood to flow freely.

In addition, sweet potatoes contain high amounts of potassium. Potassium plays an important role in lowering blood pressure by ridding the body of excess sodium and regulating fluid balance. It is also an important electrolyte that helps regulate the natural rhythm of the heart, and maintains normal function of the brain and central nervous system.

Rich in Beta-carotene

Beta-carotene or vitamin A is an important antioxidant. One medium sweet potato provides your body with the complete recommended daily allowance of vitamin A and then some. Vitamin A is useful in the prevention of several different types of cancer as it is one of the most potent antioxidants out there.

Beta-carotene also helps to internally protect your skin from sun damage by both deflecting and repairing cell damage caused by excessive UV exposure. It also is an excellent nutrient for eye health and has been linked to prevention of vision loss and macular degeneration.

A Great Source of Manganese

Manganese is a little-discussed trace mineral that has some great health benefits. It is a pivotal component in the metabolism of carbohydrates which helps support healthy blood sugar levels. This can help stabilize the appetite for hours as opposed to the temporary satisfaction that comes with most other carbohydrates.

It also is a cofactor in enzymes that play an important role in the generation of energy as well as the efficient utilization of antioxidants. It is used for the treatment of anemia and is useful as a treatment for several premenstrual symptoms in women as well.

Rich in Vitamins C and E

As if being one of the top vegetable sources of beta-carotene weren’t enough, sweet potatoes are also rich in vitamins C and E. These are potent antioxidant vitamins that play an important role in disease prevention and longevity.

Both vitamins also play a huge role in the health and beauty of your skin and hair, making them popular supplements. The combination of beta-carotene, vitamin E and vitamin C in one food makes the sweet potato one heck of a “beauty food”. These nutrients all contribute to a healthy, glowing complexion and vibrant hair.

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/035739_sweet_potatoes_beta-carotene_nutrients.html#ixzz284nM2lr2

HELLO Green SUPERfoods!

 

There are a few different categories of superfoods… but too much to cover them all in one post. So this is just about the green ones 🙂

 

“Greens are good, green superfoods are even better! Green superfoods have the highest concentrations of easily digestible nutrients, fat burning compounds, vitamins and minerals to protect and heal the body. They contain a wide array of beneficial substances including proteins, protective photo-chemicals and healthy bacteria helping you to build cleaner muscles and tissues, aid your digestive system function and more effectively protect you against disease and illness.

Ridiculous “Reality” TV …Entertaining or Sad?

WARNING: Soapbox ahead 😉  I don’t even want to get started on the “Honey Boo Boo” disaster, but I will say that watching a child eat cheeseballs for breakfast is not a comedy.  I could probably write a book on this family… I just hope they’re acting & most of it’s not true.

Today I caught the end of that Wife Swap show on Lifetime… this episode was an extremely health-conscious family swapping with a family who ate only junk food. I know they beef up the details and the script for entertainment purposes, but it was obvious the family knew nothing on the subject of nutrition (stating they’d fry up a salad if they could). At the end of the show they’re supposed to talk about how the swap helped them and the positive qualities they took from the other family.  The junk food mom stated that she was going to try to cook at least 2 healthy meals a week.  (If you eat 21 meals a week, that’s about 10% healthy food… not gonna cut it.) They then showed a scene where she had ONE grape and ONE baby carrot stick lying on the table in front of a mountain of chicken nuggets. She said “if you eat that grape and that carrot you can have all these nuggets.”   The little boy said no of course, because he had obviously never been told what to eat before, and she said “oh well, at least you tried.” Smh. The poor little boy was overweight, along with his entire family.

Power Pancakes

Morning fuel… 1 packet of blueberry Quaker oatmeal, 1/2 scoop of whey protein, 1 egg, flax seed, a splash of water, & chopped walnuts… served with a fresh peach. A combination of 22g protein, along with good carbs & fat. Feel pretty ready to get my workout on! 🙂

Nashville, Protein, & Recent Eats

I went to Nashville, TN this past weekend for a best friend’s bachelorette party.  These girls are great & we always have a fun time. We were all sorority sisters & 4 of us lived together during college. It was my first time going out in “Nashvegas” & I loved it!

 The first night out, we had dinner at a place called Cabana… each table gets your own private area with a tv, & speakers with an iPod hookup. So naturally, I was DJ.  The bars were fun… we saw everything from honky-tonk, to techno, to dueling pianos.

On Saturday, we spent the day shopping in a little town called Franklin. This was my second time visiting Franklin, TN and I am in love.  It is definitely on my list of potential future hometowns.  All the locally owned restaurants and boutiques… the definition of “quaint”.

 I had a GREAT time, but I was very eager to get back to my normal clean eating & week 2 of insanity.

Now for the recent eats:

Breakfast – Today I had 1 organic egg mixed with some Egg Beaters (the egg whites).  The reasoning behind that is to get as much protein as possible, without all the fat and cholesterol from the yolk of the egg. All the breakfast meals in the Insanity meal plan call for 1 egg, and 2 egg whites…. I hate wasting food. So I decided to just mix an egg with the egg beaters.  It turned out great. I also added spinach (superfood) and purple onion. I had 2 “Al Fresco, All Natural Apple Maple Breakfast Chicken Sausage” links (120 calories, 2 g of saturated fat). These are ridiculously delicious.  I usually do not eat any processed meats, but these are an all-natural option with 70 percent less fat than pork sausage, without nitrates, preservatives and artificial ingredients. They also come in 14 different varieties and are sold at Publix and Whole Foods… not sure about Wal-mart. Anyway, I also had a few slices of white-fleshed peach and a pear. This seemingly large breakfast only clocked in at around 350 – 400 GOOD calories, which is right on track.

 For a midmorning snack, I had some Chobani Greek yogurt with granola. Then for lunch was a salad I made from whatever I had lying around. Spinach, grapes, peach, walnuts, & almond slices. I used Brianna’s Rich Poppy Seed Dressing… the “rich” part is true, so I try to just drizzle it over the salad.  It’s sweet so it goes perfectly with any type of fruity salad. I threw a few turkey slices on the side, just for a little protein.

For dinner, MorningStar Grillers California Turk’y burgers.. soy-based with pieces of avocado and tomatoes mmmmm 🙂  90 calories per burger, 9 grams of protein & .5 grams of saturated fat.  I heat these in the microwave for 1 minute to thaw, then throw them on the George Foreman. I loooove them. I also split a slice of Veggie pepper jack cheese between the two. “Veggie Slices” can be found at Publix… they melt down just like real cheese, without all the fat.  To top them off, mixed ketchup & mustard, purple onion, & a little relish… served with a side of Green Giant “Tuscan Seasoned Broccoli”. These come in a microwave steamer package & this was my first time trying the seasoned kind.. I think they may be new. Anyhow, they were VERY flavorful and I will definitely buy them again.

Also got my whey protein in today… I ordered it from BodyBuilding.com.  As you can see it’s low carb, zero fat, no aspartame, low lactose… it’s only 110 calories per scoop.  I’m not looking to get all big & bulky, but I do need to make sure my muscles are getting the fuel they need while I’m working out so intensely…. In general, by doing insanity, my goal is to become more fit and reduce my body fat percentage. I’ve never taken anything like this, so we’ll see. I mixed a scoop with a glass of vanilla almond milk & I thought it tasted pretty good. Just like a slim fast.

WOOO! Week 2, Day 2, complete. & I’m proud of myself. Totally worth it to treat your body well… when I eat clean & workout, I literally feel like a million bucks 🙂

Pancakes, Insanity, & a Weim….

Telling everyone you know about your workout goals should obviously increase the chance that you stick with it… I mean who wants to be a lazy failure to the general public? Ha so yeah, I’m doing that.

Today was day 5 of Insanity… IT. IS. INTENSE to say the least.  I’m really loving it so far though.  I’ve done Jillian Michaels and a few of the P90X dvds in the past, but this one is my favorite. I also feel like it’s the most challenging.  Today I did “Pure Cardio” and had to pause it a few times to catch my breath.  I assume this is a normal week 1 thing… maybe week 2 I’ll be able to go all the way with no breaks. They advise you to take “before” pictures. Did that. I’m not in bad shape, but standing against a white wall, with the flash on, while you’re staring straight ahead, looking all mug shot-ish… definitely not the most flattering picture for anyone. And not something I’d want displayed on a social network.  But if I make visible progress, best believe I will post it.

Insanity also comes with a nutrition guide and meal plan. I already eat pretty clean, but one thing I am going to work on is eating smaller amounts more often. They really stress the importance of eating 5 evenly spaced meals throughout the day while you’re doing a workout program like Insanity.  AND I can eat a little more in general, because I’m burning more calories… which is always nice. Because food is fun.

On to other highlights from my day…

Speaking of food, my new favorite breakfast is oatmeal pancakes. Ideally you would use raw oats, or a low sugar version… but I only had a packet of Quaker maple brown sugar. I put it in the blender, along with a banana, flax-seed, an egg, a little water, and a little almond milk. It’s also recommended to add whey protein (that’s on my grocery list).

I put fresh raspberries and chopped walnuts on top…. YUM! This meal has it all, good carbs, good fats, and protein.  Great start to the day and fuel for a workout.

Lunch was rolled in a whole wheat wrap with flax-seed. I used leftover chicken from dinner last night, with spinach, tomato, cucumber, grey poupon, and a tiny bit of light mayo.

Last, but most importantly, is my precious grey dog, prepping for fall in my new scarf 🙂  I just wanna squeeze her wittle face off sometimes.

The Power of Juice

This little health revelation began with a documentary called “Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead” (on Netflix or you can watch it for free from their website)… it was eye-opening to say the least.  In a nut shell, it’s about this guy who was 100 lbs overweight and had multiple health problems including an autoimmune disease. Doctors had him loaded down with medicines & steroids, but he only continued to get worse. (They were clearly only helping his symptoms, and not curing the problem.. like most docs. Anyway, that’s a whole other soapbox.) He decided that his only option left was to attempt to let the body heal itself through a healthy lifestyle.

Abs Are Made in the Kitchen

You can’t out-exercise a bad diet… Work hard in the gym, and even harder in the kitchen. Results are about 70% diet, and 30% gym time. It doesn’t matter how many crunches you do. If you’re not eating clean, you’re never going to see those abs!

Clean Eating 101

Basic rule… the less processed something is, the better. “Eating clean” means eating foods in their most natural state. I swiped these 5 steps from an article at Livestrong.com.

My Food History

Boring, but necessary 😉

I grew up in the middle of a cow pasture, right in the middle of Alabama. And yes, they were meat cows, not milk cows. I would eat whatever was in front of me, no questions, no concerns. This was me for the first 20+ years of my life… until about half-way through college.