What to eat for breakfast? / Healthy Food Swaps

Wondering which are the foods you eat that are a no-no to your diet? do you feel they are just so delicious (yet terrifying) you cannot give them up? Well I whipped up some easy food swaps here, and also a quick Healthy Breakfast list idea. Remember, there are healthy foods out there that suit your taste buds, and you WILL find them!

 

Quick Healthy Breakfast Ideas: (this is usually the hardest part for the majority, what should we eat for breakfast? a question that comes up thousands of times every morning all over the world. )

 

• Oatmeal- (….with some sugar!) See Oatmeal has tons of health benefits, plus, it’s the right way to start off your day. Oatmeal carries the right source of fiber you need. Not to mention that eating Oatmeal will slow down the digestion of starch. Apparently, multiple studies show that those who eat more oats are less likely to develop a bad heart disease. And of course, Oatmeal (or oats, to put it that way) contain a really good source of Vitamins and nutrients. (like zinc, vitamin E, copper, iron, selenium, and it’s a good source of protein)

• Cereal- nothing better than an old classic bowl of cereal. Some recommended brands of healthy yet yummy cereals are Kellogs, Honey nut cheerios (which helps lower cholesterol), Healthy Valley, Whole Grain cheerios, and even General Mill’s too. What do you have to say now? I just listed 5-6 delicious healthy cereal brands. If you want to spice things up, add some fresh cut fruit to your bowl of cereal. Another twist? Skip the milk, combine yogurt, cereal, and some fresh fruit- you got yourself a scrumptious parfait.

• Fresh Fruit- Yummm!! you know why I love fruit? because it adds color to your plate. If your plate does NOT have color, you are not combining (or eating) correctly. Your plate should always have color. Anyway, what fruits can we go with for the morning? hmm…let’s see: Oranges, Bananas, Pine apple (I love pine apple, great source for fast metabolism) raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, pears, pomegranate, infinite fresh fruits! Oh and here’s a good tip for the morning: You can always make a good natural homemade fruit smoothie.I promise it should not take more than 10 minutes, and it’ll whip up a filling delicious amount. You can use ordinary fruits like strawberries and bananas, add some milk, some sugar, blend and voila! Obviously you could vary the amount of each ingredient, and add as many fruits as you’d like, until you find the right combination that suits you

• Yogurt- Don’t forget the deliciousness that is yogurt! Extremely fresh, comes in all sorts of fruity and tasty varieties. And if you are lactose intolerant or sensitive like me, you should try some Soy yogurt- now wait a minute! Don’t cringe like that! While there may be some horrid brands that taste like cardboard, I guarantee there are soy yogurts out there that are worth it. My favorite brand is O’Soy, I always choose the strawberry flavor, and I love it! :) So don’t be scared, buy one or two and try it out.

• Scrambled Eggs: Prefer something salty for breakfast? Try some scrambled eggs (you could choose to use egg whites instead of yolk if you’re on a serious diet) and mix it up with some fun ingredients, like spinach, tomatoes, cheese, mushrooms, salmon, or chicken- you want to add some flavor to it to wake you up and prepare your body and energy for the day

• Sandwich: You can go crazy with sandwiches. I like mine simple in the morning; cheese, ham, and mayo- and it doesn’t get boring- because it’s all about finding the right brand of ham, brand of mayo, brand of bread, and even cheese, it turns out exquisite. Try substituting white bread for wheat, or rye bread (definitely recommend rye bread). Experiment between butter and mayonnaise, or perhaps sour cream or cottage cheese. Throw in some lettuce, even scrambled eggs if you’ve got the time, chop some tomato slices and you’re in for a bite of flavor.

 

And there you have it, I’ve listed some very good examples of healthy nutritious breakfast foods. Most of the time we forget of the simple, yet when done right, amazing, foods that are easy to make in the morning. And because with most of these suggestions, you can always combine and mix different ingredients, you shouldn’t be getting bored anytime soon!

 

And like I said here are some great food swaps:

• Croutons —> Nuts: You can swap Croutons in your salad for nuts, or even grilled or baked chicken. Do you know how much calories and carbs 1 single Crouton contains? you’ll blow up if you eat more than 10 croutons
• Soda —> Water & Tea: Soda can be delicious, but also a bad health factor, not to mention junkie. I gave up on soda 6 years ago!!! and I’m still living, haha. I swapped Soda for some good Tea and Water, and if you try the “soda ban” and swap it for Tea & water you’ll soon see why it was a great choice. Always remember that caffeine keeps you coming back for more and more, and people later on develop a caffeine habit, be sure to moderate. As for tea, there are literally hundreds, if not dozens, of flavors and different herbal kinds that you could find and try out, if you would like some taste or flavor in your drink.
• Canned Soups —> veggi soup: Canned soups contain high sodium, and what happens when you consume too much sodium? your body will retain water, bloat, and increase high blood pressure. You can swap Canned soups for Homemade vegi soups, it’s got all the nutrients and vitamins you need. And as for flavor? you needn’t worry about that, homemade vegetable soups are just as good as any other.
• White Flour Pasta —> Whole wheat pasta: No big difference in taste, but a big difference in the nutritional aspect, and it’s a healthier choice. Whole Wheat pasta contains the fiber you need for your body. 
• Candy & sweets —> Chocolate covered Bananas or Strawberries: Yummy! For the times you get a little craving for sweets, try out some chocolate covered Bananas or Strawberries (it is DELISH!) I really love it, swapping candy & sweets for fruits/ chocolate covered fruits is a great choice. Your health or diet gets a win and so does your craving.
• Fried Fish /sticks —> Shrimp! : Frozen shrimp has really good protein, comparing it with the Fried Fish or even fried fish sticks, Frozen Shrimp for the win!
• White bread —> Wheat Bread/ or RYE: Yes I know what you must be thinking “Ugh, this again? I’ve heard this a billion times” well yeah you heard it a billion times, but have you tried it once? Do you really want to wait until the billion and one comes along? If your answer is a No, then it’s time to swap White bread for Wheat bread, or Rye bread- Rye bread is such a great choice if you don’t like the taste of wheat (Remember you can always toast the bread)

Hope these ideas and suggestions help you out! :) Let me know

 

 

 

- Bria

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On Quest for Yummy Healthy Snacks!

Hey Everyone!!!

You know what's weird? I feel like it's been centuries since I published a post, Lol! But then again I did publish a post 2 days ago....Okay then! ;)

So Today I've got a special Health and Fitness post for all you healthy lifestyle lovers! I will be talking about yummy healthy snacks, super fitness secrets, and the Top 5 toning exercises for this Week :) So check it out and comment below telling me what you think

FIRST!! Before we get into the Delicious yummy yet healthy snacks, there is a secret: 3,500 Calories = 1 pound of fat (lb) :) there you have it, simple and laid out in front of you. Know you have more thoughts on what you eat. If you balance out your meals, say, 2,000 calories a day, that's great! but remember you also have to partner this up with some fitness during the week or weekends to stay in shape. 

It also depends on your height and weight. Here is a GREAT Calorie Intake Calculator (you just submit your data such as age, weight, height, and how much do you exercise every week [or little or no exercise at all] and it calculates what your calorie intake should be, thus, creating your new plan on healthy eating. NOT less eating :)

Now here is the Question everyone asks: "Okay, so now I know how many calories I'm supposed to consume per day to maintain, but I can't find any food that's good AND has a reasonable amount of Calories, Is there any yummy yet healthy food out there??" :(

:) Now this is where I come in. Yes! There is! Many, many, many delicious snacks out there! ;) Also Foods that you will Love that have a good amount of calories

• Green apples with Peanut butter is Great! (make sure to check the different brands of peanut butter and compare the calories, and fats.) Some people prefer Red apple with peanut butter, yet they've never tried the delicious taste of Green apples with Peanut Butter
• Homemade Smoothies!!! No, not the "fast smoothie" packets you can buy for $10 at a grocery store. Basically first you make sure you have a blender, then go out to the grocery store and browse the frozen fridges for those frozen bags of fruit, pick your favorite (such as peaches, raspberries, or maybe strawberries?) You can also mix in ordinary fruit. Add some milk, some sugar, blend. and Whala! ;)
• Need something sweet like chocolate? or vanilla? Be sure to try out the Jello 100 Calorie Pudding, they are DELICIOUS! I totally love em'! You can find them in any grocery store, usually where the dairy stuff is located at
• Don't forget there are TONS of 100 (and under) Calorie snacks out there, such as Nabisco cookies as an example. Also, If I remember clearly I used to buy these packets of completely chocolate cookies, that were Sugar free, had really low calories, and were/are so yummy! So before whining, always remember that those snacks are out there ;)
• Special K- one of the many brands who have dozens of products devoted to healthy eating. Such as Special K 100 calorie Granola Bars, and all different kinds of Special K cereals. 
• Also remember that Jello is also a great treat. I always eat Jello when I can, it's delicious, although I'm not very picky on Sugar or Sugar Free (which in this case I would go with Sugar free) 

Foods That contain High amount of Calories, carbs, that shouldn't be consumed too much:

* Pastries, tarts such as Zebra Cakes

* Canned Soups (contain super high sodium!! really bad)

* High Sugar and Carb snacks such as poptarts, snacks like cinamon apple bars, fruit rollups, gold fishes, 

* Yummy-yet-killing chips & candy such as doritos, ruffles, funions, bliss chocolates, snickers, butterfingers

* Packed Frozen Dinners such as kid cuisine, frozen packed pastas, chickens, pizza's, always be careful on how much you consume of these frozen packed dinners and lunches 

Remember not to consume too much of the Foods that are highlighted in Red (above) and try swapping it for the snacks (Highlighted in Blue) which are yummy yet healthy :)

And There you have it, I set out an entire Pantry-full Ideas, and foods to fill up an entire Pantry/ or Fridge. :)

Now, If you are looking for Foods such as Breakfast, Lunches, or Dinner ideas or special Recipes that maintain your calories, PLEASE Comment Below requesting for that post, and I'd be happy to write and publish that post ;)

 

 Top 2 Featured Toning Exercises for this Week:

 Ball Crunch: Not Painful, not that boring old crunch, big results, it tones and burns that baby fat in your stomatch (remember the slower, the better, the slower, the more you feel it burn.) All you need is a simple exercise ball which you can find for like $6 at any store like: Target, TJMaxx (they have tons of exercise equipment at low prices) walmart, Ross, Marshalls

Sand Bag Walk: (the sandbags used in this exercise, are those type of sandbags you would tie to your ankle, can be found in gym/workout equipment stores, and PROBABLY TJMaxx, Target, Walmart might have them) And basically you march back and forth (with the sandbags tied to each of your ankle/lower calf) from one point to the other, probably to start out 3 minutes, then to 5 minutes. And don't slack and drag your legs, be sure to keep up with that high leg march :) This is such a great exercise that tones your thighs and buttocks

 

And That was Today's marvelous Health and Fitness post ;)

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Staying Fit & Health Tips! (For Summer)

Hey everyone!

Today I'm going to cut the time of search for you, and share workouts and exercises that I have found to be effective and showed results easily. We've all been through that time period where we've searched for all sorts of workouts, tried out all sorts of new and hip exercises and fancy dance routines

 Well to start off. You need to be motivated, you can't start your workout when you're all "shlumpy" so the right time to kick-off your workout is when you are motivated.

Second, before exercising you SHOULD warm-up, it's easy, some recommended easy 5-minute warm-ups to get you in the "burning fat" zone are: 5min jogging in place, 5min jump rope, 5min treadmill, 5min jumping jacks, or even 5 minutes of just randomly dancing in place- anything to get the heart rate up.

By warming-up you are now getting in that burning fat zone, which is what you want, and what you need if you're moving on to the next part. Now what we all look for when we search for ways to get our figure back, is the ANSWER. I mean if we truthfully and honestly speak here, we probably all just read 5-6 introduction words then skip onto the exercises, to know WHICH ones will just burn that fat forever! Well one important thing is that it's not instant day and night, remember to keep weekly exercise, stay consistent, have a good accompanying healthy diet, and most importantly stay determined- do not forget the reason you started.


Now to kick-off the exercises, this a list of workouts that help a lot & you might want to consider:

• Dumbbell Side bends- I definitely recommend this one, works for waist, side fat, and love handles.
  
• Ab Crunch- Ball (A REALLY GOOD EXERCISE! Burns that tummy fat and helps tone. But be sure to keep doing this exercise! no cheating! And do not rush through it. You have to feel the pulse and burn.)
• Side Planks
• Leg Raise
• Side Leg Raises
• Wall Sit - This works the Thighs really fast, but keep holding on! Don't let go to easily!
• Step Ups
• Walking Lunges - this really tones and firms the thighs
• Calf Raise- (REALLY great workout, try doing 50, then advance to 75 the next day and so on.- you will feel the burn, and the pain the next day, but it feels great knowing that your working your calf!)

After Workout: Be sure to stretch your body, and stretch those muscles. Trust me, you wouldn't want to feel like fried bacon the next day.

NOTE: The trick is NOT to go quick and fast through these exercises, but to go slow and FEEL the burn.

Favorite Recommended Itouch/phone app: SixPackAPP

Also accompanied by the fitness: to help the fitness and support, here are some nutrition tips, and some tricks you can choose to follow

• Drinking Water & Apple Cider Vinegar (mixed) before Lunch or Dinner. (recommended serving: 1 cup of water, and mix in 1-2 tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar)
• Drinking lots of Lemon with water. (NOT Lemonade! Nice try! But real Lemon with water) You can also drink the Lemon with water before Lunch and Dinner. (Squeeze about two lemons in one cup of water for better results.)
• OR you can try drinking warm or hot water every meal, it aids quick digestion and cleanses the body- you can choose to add some lemon, or honey (believe it or not honey helps a bunch, check out the health and beauty benefits of honey)
• Switch your juices, sodas, and other drinks to Pure water. And be sure to drink lots of water each day! It helps clean out your Digestive system and keeps you slim, also proves to keep your skin clean and hydrated!
• Stretching or Yoga REALLY helps out after a good tough workout. So you can stretch your body & muscles. Stretching after a workout is effective since it molds your form into a much slimmer result, rather than keeping your bones and body tensed like fried curled bacon.
• Cardio Exercises before working out, really gets you in the fat burning zone (5 minutes of jogging, or running, or jump-roping, or even dancing are really great Cardio Warm-ups!)
• Make sure to avoid foods like: Pasta, Soups, artificial pop tarts, candy, chips & soda, foods that would contain high amount of Sodium, Carbs, Sugar, Total Fat, or Calories. [NOTE: 3,500 Calories is equivalent to 1 pound of Fat.] Consuming too much of these can cause some serious fat to appear in your tummy(metabolism) , arms, and legs.

Comment below telling me what you think about this post? And are you excited to see these type of Posts? Comment below :)

XOXO

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