How to Make a Healthier Smoothie: 7 Tips.

May 20, 2013 By 6 Comments

ingredients-for-kale-smoothieI’m the first to admit that I LOVE smoothies. Not only are they refreshing and satisfying, but they’re also a great way to fuel your body with a whole slew of nutrients.

The problem is, not all smoothies are created equal. And many of the smoothies that you might buy at a local mall kiosk are actually terribly unhealthy. They can be loaded with calories, sugar and unhealthy fats. For example, a medium strawberry hulk smoothie from Smoothie King has nearly 1,000 calories and 125 grams of sugar. Yikes!

To upgrade your smoothie, here are a few tips:

  1. Never use fruit syrups. If you’re buying a smoothie, ask if it’s made with real fruit. Many smoothie shops and cafes blend their smoothies with a sweetened, sugar-rich syrup that is anything but healthy. Only drink smoothies made with fresh or frozen (but unsweetened) fruit.
  2. Stay away from smoothies made with ice cream or frozen yogurt. Again, ask the cashier if the smoothie contains frozen yogurt or ice cream. You’d be surprised to learn that many do. Unfortunately, it turns your smoothie into a milkshake and dramatically increases calories, sugar and unhealthy fats. Don’t do it!
  3. Replace base with water and ice. Many smoothies are blended with either a dairy base of skim milk, almond milk, soy milk or fruit juice. For one, fruit juice is nearly as bad as soda. And while the various milks may be healthier, they’re still rich in calories and unnecessary for an enjoyable smoothie. As an experiment, try replacing whatever base you use for your smoothie with water. It sounds completely unsatisfying – but you’ll discover the exact opposite. The smoothie is still really good!
  4. Don’t add sweeteners. Many recipes call for a touch of honey, agave nectar, etc. When you’re already blending a smoothie with naturally sweet fruit, added sweeteners are really unnecessary. In exchange for a bit of sweetness, they crank up the smoothie’s calorie content. Avoid them.
  5. Nix unhealthy add-ons. Chocolate syrup, cool whip and the like are delicious. But they’ll sabotage your smoothie’s nutrition. Moreover, smoothies are still totally delicious without them. They’re definitely not needed.
  6. Try mixing in some vegetables. Though most people stick with fruit smoothies, add some vegetables into the mix. Vegetables are often lower in sugar and less calorie-dense, but still packed with flavor and nutrients. Kale is always a favorite! Avocados are also good – though technically they are a fruit.
  7. Pack in some protein. If you want to make your smoothie a bit hardier or if you need help meeting your daily protein requirement, add in a scoop of powdered protein. Though powdered protein isn’t typically known for tasting good, all the fruity goodness of your smoothie will drown out the protein’s undesirable flavor.

By putting these 7 tips into practice, you’ll never be tricked into drinking an unhealthy smoothie again! And if you have any additional tips, please share them in the comments below!

Filed Under: Nutrition, Tips Tagged With: , ,

How to Get Rid of Belly Fat in Skinny Guys: 3 Tips.

May 16, 2013 By 26 Comments

Dear Davey,

I’m a really skinny guy that can eat pretty much anything. I rarely eat fruits and vegetables and never seem to gain any weight. The problem is, I have a bit of a belly and really want to get rid of the fat. What should I do?

Sincerely,
Mario

twotypes

Two different types of skinny fat.

Hey Mario,

Being blessed with a fast metabolism is a great thing – but it’s not an excuse to live an unhealthy lifestyle. Even skinny guys are susceptible to diseases and ailments like heart disease, high blood pressure and the like. Skinny isn’t necessarily a synonym for healthy.

When it comes to reducing excess belly fat in skinny guys, there’s really no magic to it. It’s about eating smarter and moving more. To that end, here are a few helpful tips:

  1. Upgrade your diet. Cut out the crap. That means reducing or eliminating processed foods, added sugar, refined grains, butter, cream and fried foods. Opt for appropriate quantities of vegetables, fruits, whole grains and lean meats. By eating healthier foods, you’ll also supercharge your energy levels and dramatically improve the quality of your life.
  2. Get active. Being skinny doesn’t give you a free pass to skip the gym. Even skinny people should engage in regular cardio. I’d recommend short sessions of high intensity interval training. Beyond cardio, spend time strength training with machines or free weights. To really reshape your body, I’d recommend heavy weights, low repetitions and progressively overloading your resistance. A combination of cardio and strength training is a strategy for gut-busting success.
  3. Eliminate stress. Cotrisol is a stress hormone that, in part, causes people to retain fat around their bellies. Try yoga or even meditation. Spend some quiet time outside and take a walk. By reducing stress and cortisol, you’re less likely to retain stubborn fat around your body’s midsection.

Are you a skinny guy with belly fat? In the comments below, let me know what you’ve tried.

Love,
Davey

 

Filed Under: Ask Davey, Nutrition, Tips, Weight Loss Tips

Coca-Cola’s “Get The Ball Rolling” Fail.

May 14, 2013 By 7 Comments

sticker,375x360Earlier this week, Coca-Cola announced an initiative to help people get active and set a goal of inspiring 3 million individuals. According to the press release, Coca-Cola’s “Get The Ball Rolling” effort underscores the company’s global commitments to fight obesity and be part of the solution.

Oh, the irony.

Each year, the average American consumes 43 pounds of sugar from soft drinks alone. If Coca-Cola wants to educate people about health and nutrition, maybe they should publicize the links between refined sugar and violent behavior, fatigue, stiffening of arteries, headaches, depression, skin irritation, acne, hypoglycemia, diabetes, high blood pressure, hypertension, nervous tension and obesity. Or maybe they should do a public service announcement about how, according to brain scans, sugar is as addictive as cocaine.

Coca-Cola’s press release notes that the company offers low or no calorie options in every market. What the press release doesn’t mention is that even artificial sweeteners have been linked to obesity in that they increase cravings for other sugary, unhealthy foods.

The company commends itself for putting caloric information on the front of all packaging. However, Coca-Cola does nothing to educate consumers that not all calories are alike. Unlike the calories in many of the foods we eat, soft drink calories are “empty” and come without any nutritional benefit.

Moreover, the press release goes on to say that the company markets “responsibly.” Coca-Cola and I must have different understandings of marketing responsibly, as a recent billboard near my home featured an Olympic swimmer reaching for a Coke. It implies a connection between Coca-Cola and health that couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s reminiscent of those decades-old cigarette ads featuring endorsements by athletes like Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays.

On one hand, it’s great that Coca-cola wants to help people be active. Getting people to move is a good thing. But on the other hand, if Coca-Cola wants to do something to help improve the health of Americans, it should close its doors and go out of business.

Filed Under: Nutrition Tagged With: , , , ,

No One Likes a Fat-Talker.

May 13, 2013 By 1 Comment

fattalkfreeIf you have ears, then you’ve probably heard someone talk about how fat they are – even if they aren’t overweight.

“I look like a cow today.”

“I don’t even know why you’re with me… I’m so fat.”

“These jeans give me a muffin top.”

Though this so-called “fat talk” has become a regular part of conversation and possibly a way for people to build social bonds, a new study finds quite the opposite.

Researchers from Notre Dame’s Body Image and Eating Disorder Lab conducted a study with college-age women. Each participant was presented with either a noticeably thin or overweight woman engaging in “fat talk” or positive body talk. The participants were then asked to rate the women on a number of dimensions – including likeability.

Regardless of weight, the “fat talkers” were rated as significantly less likeable. On the other hand, overweight women who made positive statements about their bodies were rated as the most likeable. Contrary to popular belief, fat talking may actually be hurting our relationships with other people.

According to the lead researcher:

These findings are important because they raise awareness about how women actually are being perceived when they engage in this self-abasing kind of talk.

Beyond hurting your relationship with other people, “fat talk” can also damage your relationship with yourself. The researchers noted that fat talk has been strongly associated with – and can even cause – body dissatisfaction, which is a risk factor for eating disorders.

As it turns out, words are very powerful. Words become thoughts. Thoughts become beliefs. Beliefs become reality. So choose words that lift you up – and that help, encourage and inspire you to reach your fitness goals.

Filed Under: Inspiration, Research Tagged With: , , ,

How to Get Skinny: 13 Rules.

May 10, 2013 By 10 Comments

masl09b_eat_skinny_foodsI think “athletic” or “healthy” are more worthwhile goals than the pursuit of skinniness, but let’s face it – “skinny” is a popular fitness goal to which many people aspire. So if you are looking to slim down and drop some body fat, I’ve put together these simple and straightforward guidelines:

  1. Reduce (or eliminate) added sugar. Even though sugar provides virtually no nutritional benefits, Americans eat 500 calories of a day worth of added sugar. Cut it out.
  2. Don’t deprive yourself of unhealthy foods you love. The more you try to resist unhealthy foods, the more you think about unhealthy foods – and the more you crave them. Allow yourself an occasional treat to break the cycle. It’s about balance.
  3. Cook your own meals. You’ll know exactly what goes into the foods you eat.
  4. If you do eat out, avoid the watch words. Don’t order foods that are described as crispy, fried, creamed, crunchy, battered, bottomless, giant, loaded, cheesy or breaded.
  5. And if you do eat out, opt for steamed vegetables as your side.
  6. Seep well. People who don’t get enough sleep consume more calories.
  7. Start your day with a real breakfast. Boiled eggs, no sugar added cereals, fruits and Greek yogurt all count. Danishes, doughnuts, pastries or a cup of coffee do not.
  8. Replace simple carbs with complex carbs. That means substituting white rice with brown rice and white bread with whole wheat bread.
  9. Get 30+ grams of fiber a day. 95% of Americans don’t get enough fiber; eat fiber-rich foods like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts and seeds. In addition to many other important benefits, fiber helps you feel fuller longer.
  10. Don’t drink your calories. High calorie alcohol beverages or sugar drinks are calorie-dense but devoid of nutrients. Save your calories for foods that nourish your body and keep you feeling full.
  11. Learn to read nutrition labels.
  12. Never eat a food directly from the box or bag. Put it in a bowl; you’ll eat less and avoid the mindless munchies.
  13. Move more. Combine a healthy diet with an active lifestyle and exercise. Take the stairs. Join a gym. Go for a walk.

At its core, losing weight is really about creating a calorie deficit by consuming fewer calories than you burn. All the above guidelines are helpful in supporting a calorie deficit through nutrition and exercise. So have at it!

Do you have any additional skinny guidelines? Share them in the comments below!

Filed Under: Nutrition Tagged With: , ,

Is It Okay to Cheat on Your Diet Sometimes?

May 1, 2013 By 17 Comments

stackOfDoughnutsI get a lot of emails and questions about cheating on a diet or nutrition plan.

First things first, I’m not a big fan of the word “cheating.” It’s a loaded word and one that we often associate with dishonesty in a relationship. After the cheating comes the guilt, and then the guilt inspires nothing but feelings of shame and more negativity. Such downward cycles can be very destructive in any aspect of life – and food is no exception.

In fact, many people turn to food as a way to soothe and comfort, and thus the very act of cheating can create a cycle of binging, unhealthy choices and even more guilt. And even more binging.

You get the idea.

Instead of giving yourself cheat days, I’ve always said that it’s really about creating balance. Most of the time, eat the nourishing foods that your body needs. Eat the lean meats, fruits, vegetables and whole grains that provide the nutrients and energy to fuel your life. And then some of the time, indulge in those foods that you crave.

I’ve always espoused the 80/20 rule for newbies. Eat healthy 80% of the time. It’s a great way to create balance in your life. After all, if you resist an unhealthy food that you crave – you’ll probably just crave it even more. The more you say to yourself, “I can’t eat ice cream,” the more you’re thinking about ice cream. And the more you think about ice cream, the more you’ll crave it.

Here’s the catch. Pay attention to how your body feels after the indulgence. How does your body feel after you eat the ice cream? Even without feelings of guilt or shame, our bodies don’t respond well to unhealthy foods. You may feel sluggish, tired or even slightly ill. When you pay attention to how unhealthy foods make your body feel, you may discover that you crave those unhealthy foods a little less.

Over time, the 80/20 rule may even become the 90/10 rule. Who knows?

In the comments below, share your favorite cheat balance food. Mine is pepperoni pizza. Mmm.

Filed Under: Nutrition Tagged With: , , , , ,

Breakfast Before or After a Workout?

April 30, 2013 By 10 Comments

Dear Davey,

I’m switching my workouts from night to morning and was wondering when the best time to eat breakfast is? Before the gym? Or after?

Thanks,Jared

Muesli for Breakfast f4.0Hey Jared,

Great question! And welcome to early morning exercise. It’s such a wonderful way to start the day – and it’ll wake you up better than a cup of coffee.

As a fellow early morning exerciser, your question is near and dear to my heart. A number of studies have examined exercising before breakfast versus exercise after breakfast – and the findings have been split. One study found that exercising before breakfast resulted in muscle loss. Another study concluded exercise before breakfast resulted in fat being burned more efficiently.

Nonetheless, there are a few things to keep in mind.

  1. No one likes exercising on a full stomach. If you do eat a full breakfast before hitting the gym, it’s recommended that you allow 1 – 2 hours for digestion. If you plan on exercising sooner, something lighter will be a wiser choice. Otherwise you may feel sluggish or even nauseous.
  2. No one likes exercising on an empty stomach. Working out an empty stomach may not give you the fuel needed to power through an intense workout. If you’re hungry and feeling famished, it’s probably going to be a lot harder to get in that last repetition. The only thing worse than exercising on a full stomach is exercising on an empty stomach.
  3. Regardless of what you eat before the gym, know that you’ll still need to ingest protein and carbohydrates after the gym. If you ate breakfast before the gym, you’ll still need to eat something after the gym to give your body the protein and carbs it needs.

What do I recommend?

When I wake up, I eat a small protein shake and banana. Packed with carbohydrates, the banana gives me the energy I need for my workout. It’s just enough. After the gym, I eat a full protein shake and proper breakfast – usually consisting of cereal and almond milk. The shake and cereal give my body the protein and carbohydrates that it needs to rebuild and repair my muscles.

In the comments below, please share your morning workout/breakfast routine! I’d love to hear what you do.

Love,
Davey

Filed Under: Ask Davey, Exercises, Nutrition Tagged With: , ,

How Much Sugar Does the Average American Eat?

April 29, 2013 By 5 Comments

Screen Shot 2013-04-29 at 11.43.54 AMSugar is sweet – but the more you eat, the more you increase your risk for ailments and diseases like diabetes, depression, high blood pressure and more.

Despite the toxicity of added sugar, most of us eat a lot of it. And I mean A LOT.

If you’re up for watching a very disturbing visualization of all the added sugar we eat – watch this video that I posted to the Davey Wavey Fitness YouTube channel. I hope that it inspires all of us to make some much-needed changes in the foods we eat.

Filed Under: Nutrition, YouTube

What to Look for on Nutrition Labels.

April 24, 2013 By 7 Comments

nutritionlabelDeciding whether a food product is healthy can feel overwhelming. Fortunately, nutrition labels make things easier and give you an even playing field. You just need to know what to look for.

When doing my grocery shopping, there are five major nutrition label elements to which I pay attention.

  1. Saturated and trans fat. Fat gets a bad rap. But the truth is, not all fats are created equal. And your body does need some essential, good fats to function properly – and that’s why some fats like olive oil can be part of a healthy diet. It’s the saturated and trans fats that you’ll want to limit or avoid. The American Heart Association recommends limiting saturated fats to 7% of total daily calories. If you need 2,000 calories a day, that means 140 calories from saturated fats – which translates to about 16 grams per day. Trans fats should be limited to less than 1% of total daily calories. Based on a 2,000 calorie diet, that’s about 20 calories from trans fats or about 2 grams of trans fats per day. Consuming excessive amounts of these bad fats can increase your bad cholesterol, decrease good cholesterol, increase stroke, heart disease and type II diabetes risk.
  2. Calories. When it comes to calories, the first thing to understand is your daily caloric requirement. Based on the Harris Benedict Calculator, most people will find that they need between 2,000 and 2,5000 calories a day to stay in a neutral state. Once you know how many calories you need, it’s easier to make smarter choices. Many seemingly innocuous foods and beverages are packed with calories but totally devoid of nutrients. Spend your calories wisely!
  3. Sugar. Many sugary foods are labeled as fat-free. Marshmallows, for example, are marketed as a fat-free food. And while they don’t contain any fat, they will still make you fat thanks to a very high sugar count. I like to limit sugar to less than 10 grams per portion, especially when it comes to breakfast cereals and smoothies – both of which can be secret sugar bombs. Sugar consumption has been associated with higher levels of bad cholesterol, type II diabetes, weight gain and even aging of the skin.
  4. Ingredients. Read the ingredients. If you find things that aren’t in your grandmother’s pantry, view it as a red flag. As a general rule, it’s wise to go with food that’s actually food – and not something that’s highly processed and loaded with chemicals. If you can’t even pronounce it, do you really want to eat it? Also, know that there are many ingredients that are really just sugar in disguise (here are 45 other names for sugar). If sugar is high on the ingredient list, opt for something else.
  5. Serving size. Last but not least, look at the serving size. Marketers are clever; a food may seem healthier because the serving size is ridiculously small. Ice cream servings, for example, are often listed at one half of a cup. When was the last time you ever saw someone eat half a cup of ice cream? You’ll need to adjust the nutrition information depending on the size of the portion you’ll actually eat.

Of course, there are other important aspects of the nutrition label – like fiber content or vitamins and minerals – but these five elements are a great place to start. They’ll set you on a smarter path and help you make some easy upgrades to your diet.

What do you look for on nutrition labels? Let me know in the comments below!

Filed Under: Nutrition Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

If It’s Important to You, You’ll Find a Way.

April 23, 2013 By 2 Comments

caf5a53347c6b8a34a91de7bae57b1aaI’ve heard it all.

“I’d love to go to the gym, but…”

“I want to lose weight, but…”

“I want to eat better, but…”

But. But. But. But I don’t have the time. But I don’t have the money. But I don’t know what I’m doing. But I’m naturally big boned. But I’ve tried before and nothing works. It’s more but[t]s than a nudist colony.

If you really want something – and if it’s incredibly important to you – then you will find a way. More than a half century ago, humankind defied the odds and put a man on the moon. Over the course of 4 years, Michelangelo painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel – while on his back. And in the fourth century B.C., Alexander the Great built an empire that included Macedonia, large chunks of Europe, Mesopotamia, the Persian Empire and Egypt. Big or small, people find a way to accomplish what matters to them.

Surely, if they’re important to you, you can achieve your fitness goals. If we put a man on the moon, you can lose 50 pounds. If Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel, you can add 10 pounds of muscle to your body. If Alexander the Great built a massive empire, surely you can lose 4 inches off of your waist. It’s just a matter of prioritizing these goals and giving them the energy, effort and dedication that they deserve.

If, on the other hand, your fitness goals aren’t important to you, then surely you’ll find an excuse.

Any questions? Didn’t think so.

 

Filed Under: Inspiration Tagged With: ,
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