Whole vs. Processed Foods 🍎🥦🍌- Four Quick Tips for Eating MORE Whole Foods 🍎🥦🍌

Whole foods provide nutritional value (vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fiber, water), are naturally occurring, and are free from additives or other artificial substances.

Processed foods are pre-packaged items you typically find in the grocery store that have been modified from their original, whole-food form. Preservatives have been added and the original natural food has gone through some kind of process to make it last longer and/or taste better. 

Processed foods are highly cravable, immediately gratifying, and easy to over-consume quickly (and often cheaply).

Refined sugar is also found in MANY processed foods. Which is what makes them taste so delicious! 

A few good examples of whole vs. processed foods:

• Oranges vs. OJ

• Steel cut oats vs. Cereal

• Peanuts vs. most peanut butters

• Strawberries vs. store-bought strawberry jam 

• Whole wheat grains vs. whole wheat bread

Here are a few tips for identifying and eating whole foods:

• Ask yourself: How was the food made?

• Found in nature and has gone through little or no processing

• Free from additives or other artificial substances

• If bought in the store, has just a few ingredients and you can actually pronounce all the ingredients

I believe in teaching people to eat better and MORE whole foods, not restricting and eating less. If you would like to work together, I’d love to chat with you more about your health goals. Send me an email or leave a comment and I will reach out!

What is the deal with artificial sweeteners?

Artificial sweeteners are food-like products designed to mimic the taste and flavor of sugar and other sweeteners… with minimal amounts of sugar and calories.

For a very long time, it was believed that because these “fake sugars” added zero-calories to our diet, they were a better choice.

You’ll often find artificial sweeteners in foods labeled as “sugar free,” “no sugar added,” or “diet”. 

Research continues to show an association between increased consumption of artificial sweeteners and certain health conditions, such as cancer and diabetes.

Also, most artificial sweeteners are several times sweeter than traditional sugar. 

For example, Splenda is almost 600x as sweet as sugar. That’s just craaazy.

This can cause your taste buds to get used to overly sweet foods and make you MORE addicted to sweet foods.

Do you use artificial sweeteners?

What is the difference between whole wheat and whole grain?

Whole wheat and grains rains are not bad for you. 

They have plenty of nutrients and offer a variety of health benefits (reduced risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease).

Whole wheat is one kind of whole grain, so all whole wheat is whole grain, but not all whole grains are whole wheat.

When buying whole wheat bread - or any whole wheat or whole grain product - Aim to eat carbohydrates with at least 3g of fiber (25-35g of fiber per day is ideal – the average American eats about 11-13g of fiber).

All grains start life as whole grains. 

In their natural state growing in the fields, whole grains are the entire seed of a plant. This seed (also called a “kernel”) is made up of three edible parts – the bran, the germ, and the endosperm – protected by an inedible husk that protects the kernel from assaults by sunlight, pests, water, and disease.

A grain is considered to be a whole grain as long as all three original parts — the bran, germ, and endosperm — are still present in the same proportions as when the grain was growing in the fields.

How to make a grain bowl!

Step 1: Choose a grain and cook it.

Brown rice

Buckwheat

Bulgur (cracked wheat)

Oatmeal

Rolled oats

Quinoa

High fiber cereal

Whole grain barley

Whole grain cornmeal

Wild rice

Step 2: Choose a protein 

Grilled chicken

Marinated tofu

Hard-boiled eggs

Nuts

Beans

Step 3: Throw in your favorite vegetables and fruit

Step 4: Dress it up. 

Any vinaigrette will do, whether it’s homemade or store bought, so go ahead and use whatever you have on hand. 

If you’re making your own, we recommend a ratio of one part vinegar to three parts oil. For a creamier dressing, mustard or tahini make a great addition, and we like adding a few dashes of hot sauce for a little extra kick. 

Have you ever had or made a grain salad/bowl?

Don’t Be Fooled By Nutrition Buzzwords!

Marketers do a really good job of making the general public think that they are eating healthy by slapping nutrition buzzwords on a processed food label.

Where do we see this?

Boxed crackers, macaroni and cheese, and cereals will come out with organic versions.

Pastries, cookies, and cakes will offer gluten-free and vegan options.

Chip bags will add “prepared with avocado oil.” 

Sugary cereals will add a healthy item and advertise “made with flaxseed” all over the box.

While all of these claims may be true - and there is definitely a benefit for vegans or people who avoid gluten to choose these options - IT DOES NOT MEAN THAT THEY ARE HEALTHY!

These nutrition buzzwords and trendy ingredients just make us perceive them as healthier.

Here is an interesting tidbit:

Whole foods require about 25 chews per mouthful.

Processed foods, on the other hand, tend to be broken down in 10 chews or less per mouthful. 

That means that the delicious, comforting, satisfying experience is over quickly, and you’re left wanting more!

However, when you eat whole foods, you eat slower and give your brain a chance to realize you are full before you overeat. 

Your brain was built to seek comfort and pleasure. Understanding this allows you to understand WHY you want those colorful packages of delicious processed foods and you can then use that understanding to decide if you want to buy it or not.

Knowledge is POWER.

If you want to learn more about foods and how they work on the human body, I invite you to join my upcoming round of the FASTer Way to Fat Loss starting on Sept 16th.. For more details click HERE.

September is your new January!

Can you believe the year is half over and we are in the final stretch!?

September is like your new January.

It is a great time to reflect back on goals + plan for the rest of the year.

I challenge you to write down three things you did well and three things that you could do better.

Research has proven that writing your thoughts and goals on paper is more effective than typing. It flips a switch in our brains, so to speak, and we begin to problem-solve and make decisions.

You Cannot Hate Yourself Skinny

It is so easy to feel like we are “supposed” to look a certain way in order to be worthy and lovable. 

We think that if we were thin, we would be happy and everything would just fall into place.

Here is the crazy thing… those crazy feelings of unworthiness and self-loathing don't go away, even when you lose a lot of weight, if you don’t do the mind work.

And the reason is because thinness and happiness have nothing to do with one another. 

Skinny has to do with your physical body. Happiness has to do with your thoughts and beliefs.

We cannot create happiness from something external - it never works.

This is why rich, thin, beautiful, and/or famous people can still be very unhappy with their life.

The number on the scale that you feel will make you happy is a number that YOU created. So, when will you be happy with that number? 

Until you decide that you are going to love yourself and start thinking positive thoughts, you will never feel happy with your body - or anything external.

We must learn to accept and love ourselves - no matter what we weigh. 

In order to choose these positive self-image thoughts, you have to talk to your brain. 

Your brain will sometimes think self-sabotaging thoughts. Your brain wants to seek comfort and it is easier and more comforting to sit on the couch than to workout.

Choose not to listen to your primitive brain in these circumstances.

Talk your brain into what you want to think.

As humans, we are the only species that is able to use our brains to make decisions. 

You are capable of deciding to love yourself and be happy and content in who you are.

Here is a little script to say to yourself as you look in the mirror:

“This is you today. There are other bodies/bellies/ butts/whatever like mine in the world and I love my body for how it is now. I deserve happiness and I am worthy.”

If you want to lose weight or just want to be happy and content in your current body, be sure to check out my FASTer Way lifestyle program before you embark on that journey. ;) Learn more HERE.

Love Who You Are And Where You Are Now 💓

Oh, the infamous love handles.  

So, let me just start by saying we are SUPPOSED to have some fat on our bodies.

The essential body fat percentages (meaning you won’t die) are 3–5% for men and 8–12% for women. 

To be considered fit, men will have 14-17% body fat and women will have 21-24%. Anything over 25% for men and 32% for women is considered obese. (ACE Fitness) 

I think the first, and second, thing we (women especially) have to realize about our mid-sections is that..

1️⃣ we are all built different

2️⃣ chances are, unless we are professional bodybuilders and/or eat a ridiculously clean diet (or don't eat enough, which is a whole other issue), we may have a little extra cushion in our bellies or sides or booty - and that is a beautiful thing!

There is an amazing movement going on in the online fitness community that focuses on accepting who we are and loving our bodies for where they are now. 

And it is AWESOME. EMPOWERING. AND LONG OVERDUE.

We don't have to workout seven days a week to prove that we are dedicated. We don't have to run marathons to be considered a runner. We don't have to have a six pack to be called fit.

We don't have to (and probably never will) look like a movie star.  We don't have to have a "bikini body" by summer. And we don't have to get rid of our love handles!

We have to find exercises that we enjoy, or at least can tolerate, and make working out work for US.

It's that simple.

While this whole "love your body" movement is taking the internet by storm, it by no means should allow individuals to accept an unhealthy lifestyle or body.

I think loving your body not only means accepting it, but taking care of it! 💓💓

Strengthening the abdominal muscles, especially the obliques in order to hone in on those love handles, is part of an overall approach to a healthy and happy mid-section.

Let's be honest, we feel better when we fit into our jeans and don't have a muffin top hanging out - I mean, aside from maybe not looking very appealing, tight jeans are just plain uncomfortable!

Love handles or no love handles, let's give a virtual high five to the women in the fitness industry (and YOU!) who aren't afraid to give a big “screw you” to stereotypes. 

Women who aren't a size two and those who are a size two, who like to lift heavy things and those who don’t, whose bodies aren't perfect, who put other important things before fitness, and who love their bodies as they are.

At the end of the day, I'd rather have a smile on my face and a little extra love to pinch than neither!

Low Carb Friendly White Chicken Chili

As the Fall weather turns cooler and the leaves begin to change color, is there anything more satisfying than a hot and savory bowl of White Chicken Chili??? Try out this delicious, low carb friendly, White Chicken Chili. It will warm you up from the inside and also stoke up your body's fat burning furnaces with this low carb take on the classic! This is a quick and easy meal, and it reheats well to enjoy for lunch throughout the week.

INGREDIENTS:

4 servings

Macros

Fat: 17.3

Carbs: 10.9 and Net Carbs: 7.8

Protein: 27.2

1 lb chicken- I use rotisserie chicken!

32 oz carton of chicken broth- Pacifica is my preferred brand.

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

1 4.5oz can chopped green chiles

1 diced jalapeno

1 diced green pepper

1/4 cup diced onion

1 tbsp grass fed butter or preferred cooking oil

1 can of unsweetened full fat coconut milk

4 oz cream cheese *optional

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp cayenne (optional)

1 bag riced cauliflower.

Add any of your favorite spices to your taste. I added Trader Joe's Lime Chile Seasoning and brought the heat with Sriracha.

Add in any of your favorite vegetables to bump up the nutrients.

DIRECTIONS:

1) In a large soup pot, melt butter and toss in onion, green pepper, jalapeño, green chilies and garlic. Cook for 3-5 min.

2) Add in chicken broth, chicken and seasonings.

3) Let simmer on medium heat for 10 min.

4) Add in riced cauliflower, can of coconut milk, and cream cheese.

5) Stir and cook until well melted together and serve.

Forget about what you want to lose and focus on GAINING happy, healthy, habits! - Lindsey K.

Adapted from "Hey Keto Mama".

New Changes, New You

One of the key areas I like to address with Clients is that of a healthy mindset. In our tribe, we go to work daily to inspire and support the creation and growth of a positive, and healthy mindset. A healthy, happy life begins on the INSIDE with our intentions and mindfulness.

Daily habits of self love and care, ground us and create a successful life. Personal development tools such as meditation, prayer, hypnosis, reading, listening to podcasts, affirmations, yoga, stretching, and more. I encourage you to explore realistic daily rituals and goals that improve your inner resilience, mindfulness, and peace.

I’ll be sharing more regularly favorite, books (thank you Audible!), podcasts and resources that I rely on.

Love,

Linds