TotalFit with CoachAbc

Last week I touched on signs, symptoms, and a little insight into dementia. This week I will go into a little more detail including exercises you can do to help you physically and cognitively. I will also explain what you can add or remove from your diet to try and prevent this terrible illness.

Of course everyone wants to keep their amazing figure and stay healthy. But now with all of the pesticides being added to our food, and the unhealthy conditions our food (meats) are being raised in you really need to be mindful of what goes into your body. You always want to have a hefty amount of vegetables and proteins in your diet, but try your best to go organic. Some say it is a little more costly but if you shop at your local farmers markets and look around at you neighborhood grocery stores it really isn’t that much more. Some foods that you really want to incorporate EVERYDAY are not too different from what you might already eat.

There are 10 main (brain) foods:

1. green leafy vegetables
2. other vegetables
3. nuts
4. berries
5. beans
6. whole grains
7. fish
8. poultry
9. olive oil
10. wine

And…I know what you’re thinking, WINE… really? But yes a little wine is good for the brain. (Only one glass a day)

Now I will list 5 foods you want to avoid that are doing more harm than good to your brain:

1. Red meat
2. Butter and margarine
3. Cheese
4. Pastries and sweets
5. Fried food and fast food

You also need to exercise your brain to keep your gears moving. Incorporating some cognitive exercises on top of your physical full body workout is a great way to stay in a routine. Like they always say “a moving body is a healthy body” and the same goes for your mind.

Here are some great cognitive exercises:

1. Stay curious and involved — commit to lifelong learning
2. Read, write, crossword or other puzzles
3. Attend lectures and plays
4. Enroll in courses at your local adult education center, community college or other community group
5. Play games
6. Garden
7. Try memory exercises

Notice anything strange about these activities? They look like some things you may do on a daily basis. But try to make them more challenging, really make your brain work.

With anything in life you have to work for it, but in this case don’t you think it’s important to work a little harder at this. Keep your body and your mind strong, live your life to the fullest.

Look at Carbs to Protein ratio

        OK, first thing’s first. If it’s a “protein” bar, it should have at least 15 grams of protein per bar. Less than that and you really aren’t getting much bang for your buck. Also, you want be sure the protein content is higher than carbs. Remember, the protein content is what makes a protein bar a “protein bar.” So if there are more grams of carbs than protein, or even worse, more grams of sugar than protein, you’ll definitely need to upgrade.

Look at the source of protein

            Choose bars that contain high-quality sources of protein, such as hydrolyzed whey, whey isolates and micellar casein. Whey or soy concentrates are fine but not the best. Also, gelatin (or collagen) is often added to protein bars to improve texture. You will find the protein type or types in the ingredients, from highest to lowest concentration. So check the ingredients and ensure that proteins such as hydrolyzed whey, whey isolates and micellar casein are high up on the ingredients list. Everything else is going to be suboptimal, and as a result, should not be listed high up on the ingredients.

Look at sugar

            Bottom line: Too much sugar in your diet will make you fat. And ironically enough, many protein bars are loaded with sugar. So avoid protein bars that contain refined sugars, such as sucrose, corn syrup, and high-fructose corn syrup in the ingredients. These types of ingredients will make your protein bar no better than a candy bar.

Next let’s talk a bit about artificial sweeteners and sugar alcohols. To make a protein taste good (because plain protein actually tastes pretty nasty), manufacturers often add things like artificial sweeteners (i.e. Sucralose) and sugar alcohols (i.e. xylitol, maltitol and sorbitol, also found in gum). Sugar alcohols will be listed along with sugars and dietary fiber under the Total Carbohydrate section on the nutrition label. Sugar alcohols have gained popularity as sweeteners because they have fewer calories, don’t affect blood sugar as much as sugar, and also don’t cause tooth decay. However sugar alcohols do have a downside because they may cause bloating and intestinal discomfort in some people. Also, because sugar alcohols do contribute calories and affect blood-sugar levels to variable degrees, they will need to be accounted for by the low-carb dieter.

Here’s my stance when it comes to sugar (artificial, alcohol or otherwise): If you have a lot of weight to lose, I’d stick to protein bars with no more than 6g net carbs per serving. Net carbs are your total carbs minus fiber. The only exception to this is if you’re using the bar immediately after a workout. In this case you can allow more carbs since your muscles will be more primed to absorb and burn those carbs quickly.

Look at fat

            It’s a good idea to find a bar that does contain some fat since this will slow digestion and the release of the carbs into the blood stream. However you want to avoid any bar that contains trans-fat, and watch out for bars with palm oil and palm kernel oil- which are types of saturated fats. Note: Not all saturated fats are associated with an increased risk of heart disease, but palm oil is.

Look at fiber

            Look for bars that contain at least 6 grams of fiber. Fiber will help promote regularity, control blood sugar spikes, and help you feel full longer.

Look at total calories relative to the size of the bar

            Last but not least, if you’re restricting daily calorie intake as a means to lose weight, downing a tiny sized, high calorie calorie protein bar isn’t exactly going to make fat loss easy. Think about it, you could be consuming a chunk of your total daily calories in just 1 protein bar that may not even fill you up for a few hours. So pay attention to the total calories of your bar, as well as the overall size of your protein bar.

The choices that coachabc uses are Kind Bars, and Power Crunch bars (chocolate mint is her favorite)

Have you ever wondered if the fat free version of your favorite salad dressing is really fat free???? What really is the difference? Well… this week we are going to look into if it really is a good idea to buy that fat free version for a few more cents, or does it make sense to just be more mindful of your portion sizes?

When the food and marketing companies look into their sales and what sells more they look at numbers not the health of the customer. They want to make money. Most low-fat or fat-free foods will have more sugar and chemicals in them then the original version to make up for the taste which causes them to be poor nutritional choices. The labels don’t always tell the truth make sure you take a little time to read the ingredients. People don’t realize that they gain more fat on low-fat diets.

You are better off buying foods that are labeled reduced fat, or lite, because they take out the unnecessary fats and sugars.

And while it may taste a little different than what you are used to, you aren’t getting all the added chemicals and sugars just for taste. Your body NEEDS healthy fats while you are working out and being active because it helps build more muscles and keeps your muscles strong.

When trying to live and eat healthier it is all about portions and everyone knows processed foods are not healthy for you to begin with.

So…

If you have the option, making your own salad dressings and preparing your own weekly meals is better than buying those 100 calorie items just because they are in the frozen healthy eating section. It’s all a ploy from the big box retailers they want your money and with a lot of us it works because we are so crunched for time. But if you want amazing results and to feel good about what you are putting into your body then make the time to know your ingredients. If you must pick up that bottle of salad dressing or that TV dinner just grab the regular one and portion yourself it will save you money and your body from unwanted and unnecessary chemicals.

See you next week!!!

Coach ABC