What is Shakeology? Nutrition for a Busy Healthy Lifestyle.

I always wonder with only 24 hours in a day, how does one balance a busy life, that includes a demanding job, three kids with different activities, some kind of personal physical activity to keep the heart pumping, eight hours of sleep, and grab three square meals? Unfortunately, without proper nutrition, you will soon run out of gas, and those 24 hours will seem shorter or longer in some cases.

Choosing, preparing, proportioning, and combing the best foods available will help you fuel your body and soul, so that you are able to perform all the tasks necessary for the day. However we all fall in the trap of eating what is convenient rather than what is good. So what can we do to supplement the food we eat?

Nowadays, for convenience, the shelves of many delicatessens, quick marts, and 7-11’s are stocked with cans of some sort of nutrition. Some are better than others, however most are made from sugar with little or no significant nutrition. Basically, they taste good, rather than be good for you.

So where do you begin your journey for finding great nutrition?

First, start with consulting with your healthcare team when working on your diet.
Second, working with your healthcare team, have a blood test to determine the vitamins and minerals that may be lacking.
Third, write out a meal plan that would build up your vitamin and mineral levels. In addition to writing your meal plan in advance, this plan will help you stock your pantry with all the food you should be eating. Therefore, you choose to avoid foods that you were not planning to eat.
Forth, read all the ingredients and nutritional facts of all the foods you eat.
Fifth, review with your healthcare team to determine if a nutritional supplement, shake, additional vitamins and minerals will round out your nutrition plan.

So I was excited to find that Beachbody’s Shakeology has a blend of more that 70 ultra high quality ingredients chosen across the globe to deliver the nutrients that your body requires to function properly. Again, your healthcare team can determine what maybe lacking in your diet, and as a result of this malnourishment, you may have some associate ailments.

Shakeology includes:
· Prebiotic and Digestive Enzymes, which aid in breaking down food that improves digestion, regularity, and the absorption of nutrients.
· Protein and Essential Amino Acids to assist in building long and lean muscles.
· More than 20 different antioxidants and phyonutrients to help counteract free radical damage which can lead to degenerative diseases such as cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and heart disease.

Gluten Free Shakeology can help reduce weight, feel more energized, improve digestion, and help your body gently eliminate toxins more efficiently which allows better absorption of the nutrients. In addition, during a 90 day study, where participants replaced one meal per day with Shakeology, ate a balanced diet, and performed moderate exercise three times per week, total cholesterol was reduced on average by 30% and LDL cholesterol was reduced by an average of 38%*

Also, participants that have followed the Shakeology Program, which included replacing one meal per day with Shakeology, exercising three times a week, and eating a balanced diet have said the following*, “I lost 26 pounds,” “I feel more energized,” “My elimination has tripled,” “You look younger,” “My bad cholesterol dropped 57%,” “I felt full and didn’t struggle with hunger,” and “My favorite thing about Shakeology was the taste.”

The doctor who ran the study observed* reduced oxidative stress, a risk factor for degenerative diseases, by as much as 90%, lowered total cholesterol levels by an average of 30% and their “bad” cholesterol levels by an average of 38%, and reduced their cardiovascular risk factors by an average of 24%.

For those who are looking for a low glycemic index product, Shakeology is certified low glycemic index of 24. This means that your blood sugar level rises less than other carbs that have a higher glycemic index. Foods with a higher glycemic index include, pretzels (GI=83), potatoes (GI=93), white rice (GI=64), and corn flakes (GI=81).*

Here is my favorite Shakeology recipe
1-1/2 scoops of 1 package of Chocolate Shakeology powder (Greenberry is the other flavor)
1 Tbsp. peanut butter
1 stalk of kale leaves (note that the stem is kind of bitter so just use the leafy part)
1 banana
1 cup ice
8 oz. almond milk

Use a high-speed blender to blend. If you do not have a high-speed blender such as a Vitamix or Blendtech, do not add the kale leaves. Enjoy the shake!

* Please note, these statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Always consult with your healthcare professional team for recommendation regarding your own health.

Please consider Shakeology. for a complete meal supplement that will make you free great!* Take action and enjoy life!

Gluten Free Shakeology

I really enjoy it, and the product speaks for itself. The following came from the manufacturer, and note the number of ingredients. I am checking to see if they make a diary free version also.

 
FINALLY,

HEALTHY

TASTES

GREAT!

LIKE NO OTHER SHAKE IN THE WORLD

Not only is Shakeology delicious, this patent-pending formula is packed with proteins and energy-providing carbohydrates, plus a combination of nutrients that is simply impossible to fi nd at your local supermarket or even health food store. Beachbody Nutritionals searched the world to find Açai and Goji berries, Camu-Camu, quinoa, wheat grass, Maca root, and sacha inchi (just to name a few) so that you don’t have to. With Shakeology, you truly have a world of nutrition at your fingertips.

ENJOY ALL THESE BENEFITS
This incredible drink provides your body withnutrients that help you maintain healthy body weight, support your immune system and well-being, protect
your long-term health, and give you energy.* It’s so delicious and satisfying, you’ll eat less and lose weight! Use Shakeology every day as part of your overall Beachbody wellness program to help your body reach optimal health.

A SHAKE JUST THE WAY NATURE INTENDED

Enjoy one Shakeology drink a day as a meal replacement or healthy snack alternative

- Gluten free and caffeine free
- No refi ned sugars or artifi cial sweeteners
- Provides health-supporting chlorophylls, polyphenols, prebiotics, and proanthocyanins
- Optimal health in a glass

Click here for Ingredients and Nutritional Facts for Shakeology

Tinkyada PastaJoy Ready Organic Brown Rice Penne

I called my daughter and asked her what she wanted for dinner. Rather than the usual, “I don’t know…” she quickly responded with “Penne Alla Vodka.” It sounded like a great idea so I drove over to Wild by Nature to purchase some ground beef and sweet sausage. I was hungry, so I grabbed a jar of Vodka Sauce, and searched for some Gluten Free Penne. I came across Tinkyada PastaJoy Ready Organic Brown Rice Penne

This pasta is a keeper for the cupboard! Having tried different gluten free pastas, many of them just fall apart or become mushy. It had a perfect Al Dente firmness. The real test is if the kids will eat it, and they did not hesitate!

Enjoy

I wanted to share this great Commercial from CWI Medical

For more information, please visit www.cwimedical.com

What is a CSA or Community Supported Agriculture?

CSA TomatoesOver the past 3 years, my family has slowly increased our levels of good nutritious foods and reduced our bad foods dramatically.  Actually reading what is in the packaging has been commonplace for me, my wife and children.  Every time we purchase something we flip it around and read the nutritional facts.

More recently, since my son has been diagnosed with sensitivity to gluten, dairy and eggs, we are more cautious in reviewing the ingredients on packaged foods.    So we’ve been actually cooking more and going out less, because we don’t know how careful restaurants can be in preparing the foods that we order and eat.  We love going to WholeFoods on Saturdays knowing they have plenty of good food.  A note of caution, not everything in WholeFoods is good for you, but definitely good for the soul.  So eat in moderation, like anything else

With all this cooking at home, my friend suggested that we join a CSA or Community Supported Agriculture.  Basically a CSA provides a great way for local growers and farmers a different outlet for its produce versus the traditional grocery store.  When you purchase a share, subscription or membership you receive a box of seasonal vegetables.  Some have shares of fruits.  Most important, the produce is super fresh, and there for are full of flavor and vitamins.  In addition, most farms are Organic.  Also, you get to try vegetables that you normally won’t eat.  So exposure to variety is the spice to life.

My favorite so far is the heirloom tomatoes.  Their funky shapes and sometimes colors might be unappealing at first, but when you bite into one, the tomato flavor is so electrifyingly delicious.

At the beginning of the season, my wife and I were unhappy with the quantity items in the box, but a couple of weeks later, I don’t think we could have eaten all of the bounty.  It’s really worth the money for a family of 5.

There are thousands of farms that offer CSA. And here is a site that lists some of them  http://www.localharvest.org/   Treat your family to the freshest foods with a Community Supported Agriculture.


FromTheFarm.com

Snap, Crackle and Pop! A Gluten Free Snack.

Snap, Crackle and Pop!  was a familiar sound in my breakfast bowl in the morning.  Pour a little mik and with a spoon, the Rice Crispies were gone.  On the weekend, we would make rice crispy treats.  Just recently, I was watching a Food Network show on creating buildings with food and many of them used rice crispy treats, like building blocks.
Glenny’s makes a delicious rice crispy treat, also known as marshmallow treats, and I would not use them to build a foundation, except for filling my tummy with goodness.  It’s organic, vegan and only 100 calories.  Most important, my son loves them, and he feels like a regular kid at school when he rips open his treat at snack time.

Ingredients include;  Organic Whole Grain Brown Rice, Organic Marshmallow Recipe (Organic Brown Rice Syrup, Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Organic Guar Gum, Sea Salt), Organic Palm Oil, Vegetable Glycerol, Organic Rice Brown Extract, Organic Vanilla Flavor ALLERGENS: May Contain Traces of Peanuts, Tree Nuts and Sesame Seeds

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 Bar (24g)
Servings Per Container
Amount Per Serving
Calories 100 (from Fat 20) Calories from Fat (X%)
  % Daily Value *
Total Fat 2.5g 4%%
Saturated Fat 1g 6%%
Trans Fat 0g  
Cholesterol Xg 0%%
Sodium 35mg 1%%
Potassium XXmg %
Total Carbohydrate 17g 17g%
Dietary Fiber Less than 1g Less than 1g%
Sugars 7g  
Protein 1g 1g%
Vitamin A 0%%
Vitamin C 0%%
Calcium 0%%
Iron 0%%
* The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA.

Dark Chocolate, Milk Chocolate, White Chocolate are all Good and Delicious!

From the Olmec Indians, the Mayans, Aztecs, Milton Hershey to Willy Wonka, we all know that chocolate is delicious.  Most of us enjoy the goodness of chocolate in a variety of forms, and in moderation of course.  Some need to be very cautious when eating chocolate.

There’s ongoing research regarding the health benefits of chocolate, including;

  • Circulation in the body, cocoa contains a good amount of polyphenol antioxidant known to reduce blood pressure
  • Cancer fighter
  • Cough suppressant
  • Anti-diarrhea
  • Improve brain function
  • An aphrodisiac, who doesn’t enjoy a box of bon bons from that special person during Valentines Day!

 Knowing all these benefits does not mean that you should eat vast quantities.  Moderation is the key to health, and eating large quantities without burning it off can lead to obesity then to cardiovascular disease.

 There are different types of chocolate with varying degrees of chocolate, sugar and milk;

  • Chocolate Liquor is pure, ground roasted chocolate beans that can be used in baking and cooking.  Mixing chocolate liquor with sugar creats a base for snacks like cakes and cookies.
  • Dark chocolate is made by adding fat and sugar to at least 35% cocoa solids.  Some versions can remind you of coffee.
  • Milk chocolate contains milk mixed with at least 10% chocolate liquor which was invented by Nestle, and further refined by Hershey.  Probably the most popular version of the chocolate.
  • Semisweet chocolate is dark chocolate combined with about half the sugar content.  Mostly seen in chocolate chips.
  • Bittersweet chocolate combines chocolate liquor with about a third sugar, cocoa butter, and vanilla. 
  • White chocolate is the cocoa butter removed from the cocoa solids with sugar added.  Some people do not consider white chocolate as a real chocolate.

For those with food allergies, always read the labels to indicate whether the product contains gluten, dairy, nut, or any other allergen.  While chocolate may be made one way on one day, there can be some cross contamination when they switch to milk chocolate or make a confectionary with nuts.  In general, a high quality dark chocolate will be gluten free and dairy free, just watch out for the nuts.  More mass produced manufacturers may use milk or other flour product to keep the chocolate from sticking.

Contact your chocolatier to find out whether there is a possibility of cross contamination, from flour on the bakers table, to stirring in milk, to adding nuts to an treat, or to adding eggs for a cake.  I just visited the Hershey Store on line and searched for Gluten Free and no results were found.  This is most likely because they make so many different thinks that it is impossible to label anything as gluten free. 

Always read the label and question before you munch on that chocolate bar, cake or drink that hot cocoa with tiny marshmallows.  Now go ahead and enjoy!  By the way, my favorite is Dark Chocolate.


Shop Hershey's Online Store!

Videos on Food Allergies

Click here for some videos that are about different food allergies and you can get them from Amazon.com for convenience!

Meal Times Gluten Free

As I push the shopping cart up and down the aisle of our local supermarket, I now carefully read the ingredients of each package of food. Looking for sources of gluten can be as like navigating a minefield. When you think a product has no gluten, oh no bam, you’re eating something with gluten. So unless it is marked with Gluten Free, assume it has gluten, and proceed with caution.

Reading the ingredients list, avoid the words that include barley, malt, oats, spelt, and wheat. Some surprises are soy sauce, teriyaki, and hydrolyzed vegetable protein.

Everyone knows that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. My daily favorite Cheerios has been replaced with a gluten free rice o’s. While it the crunch in my mouth is different, it is just as tasty. My son is also sensitive to dairy, so milk is out and has been replace by almond or soymilk. Be aware that some brands of milk use barley malt as a sweetener. We have not been to the International House of Pancakes in a very long time, in the frozen section of the grocery store, Van’s makes a great line of Gluten Free, Dairy Free and Egg Free Waffles, French Toast and Pancakes. All are delicious. Now for breakfast meats. As you grab a link of sausages, some brands use barley malt for flavoring or other flour as a filler. As for coffee and tea, they are generally safe. Thank goodness for that!

Sandwiches are the usual fare for our mid day meal. Anything between two slices of bread was great. For me, holding a sandwich in one hand and typing away with the other was my daily practice for lunch. Now I usually have food on a plate and eat with utensils, such as a fork to eat my non-bread sandwich. So I add the meats, like grilled chicken on top of some tomatoes and lettuce, and squeeze some lemon juice rather than a salad dressing. Some dressings include malt vinegar and blue cheese contains gluten because it’s made from bread mold! In addition, some cheeses contain a modified wheat starch as an anti-caking agent.

Everybody enjoys a snack every so often between major meals. Flavored potato chips have been replace by plain potato chips because gluten can be hidden in the flavorings. All cookies, cookies and bars must say gluten free before chomping down on them.

By the time you get home from a long day at work, what’s for dinner? The canned soup is replaced by home made soup. Quinoa pastas have taken over wheat type pasta. Any fish is grilled or broiled rather than fried where the fish was dredged in flour to provide a golden crust.

Well, I am doing my best to watch my figure. Looking out for gluten in my kid’s dessert has been interesting. Cookie dough and brownie ice cream has been replace by Italian ices. Ready made cookies have been replace by homemade gluten free cookies. Continuously purchasing gluten free cookies can hurt the pocket, so making homemade baked treats is great for the budget and you know what is in it.

Overall, please be aware of your food allergies when shopping and eating out. There are plenty of gluten free products to enjoy, and everyday there are more companies producing gluten free products, as more awareness is being make regarding gluten and food allergies. Read the labels and enjoy your meals!

Organic Fruits and Vegatables

All of the suddent this little circle started to pop up everywhere. Especially walking down the aisles of Wholefoods. When I was little, the apples and other fruits were less sprayed with synthetic chemicals. Now a days, fruits and vegatiables travel from across the oceans to get to our tables. In order to make the distance, farmers have introduced the food supply with toxic chemicals.

I recently picked up a bell pepper, and it came from Israel. I thought to myself how did it survive the trip. Suffice it to say I put down the pepper and opted for another store and a different veggie. Pay close attention to where the produce comes from, you will be surprised.

To achieve the USDA Organic Seal, the farmer avoids most synthetic chemicals in fertilizer, pesticides, antibiotics, herbicides, food additives, and etc), genetically modified organisms, irradiation, and the use of sewage sludge, the farmland that has been synthetic chemical free for three or more years, maintain an audit trail detailing production and sales, has a physical separation of organic products from non-certified products, and undergoing periodic on-site inspections.

Bottom line, keep your eyes wide open and read the lables!

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