I'M BACK! So it has been 3 months since my last blog post, but for good reasons. 1. I traveled all around Europe with my two friends from the Netherlands all the way to the south of France to Italy and Spain and back to Miami. It was amazing and I still miss the gelato I had in Italy and all the great Belgium beer. 2. I started medical school, and so far it is going amazing. I have made great friends who I have had some awesome times with so far, and I am enjoying school because I am learning all about subjects that will allow me to accomplish my dream of being a physician. So now that I am adjusted, I thought it was time for a new blog post.
When people tell me they are too busy to meal prep I get very confused. To me, the busier I am the more I HAVE to meal prep. It saves me time! If you are busy then meal prepping should not be seen as something you don't have time for, but something that will save you time later on in the week!
Here is my quick guide to meal prepping for anyone with a busy schedule (like full time students!)
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When I first started my blog, I posted an article called Grocery List Necessities for Paleo/Crossfitters. Well that blog post has received the most views to date than any other post of mine. Since I do not follow a Paleo Diet anymore but more of a 70/30 Paleo approach if anything, I want to write an updated version of my essential grocery shopping list. This shopping list is for anyone who is an athlete, weightlifter, or avid gym goer, and for anyone trying to be healthier, lose body fat, or who just has no idea what to buy at the grocery store. As an added bonus, I will also include pictures of my meals that I like to make with this items to give you an idea of how to not only shop healthy, but eat healthy, too!
In case you are wondering why I veered away from a predominately Paleo diet, I'll fill you in. As a weightlifter and someone who lifts 5-6x a week, I found that when trying to hit my carbohydrate and protein goals each day, a Paleo approach left me deficit on both those macros. I began to include some dairy in my diet in the form of greek yogurt, cheese, grassfed butter, whey protein, and chocolate, as well as other non-paleo foods like rice, quinoa, and oats. While Paleo, I was totaling maybe 50-75g of carbs and 120g of protein (seriously, 16 oz of chicken later and I was still short on protein, and sick of chicken). Later I realized that including a scoop of protein powder or a Quest Bar definitely helped my nutrition goals. I also felt fine reintroducing these non-paleo foods. In fact, having more carbohydrates has helped me improve my performance in the gym! Now I consider myself to follow an If It Fits Your Macros or IIFYM diet, with a focus still on eating vegetables at every meal, getting tons of protein from chicken, eggs, turkey, and other real sources, healthy fats like coconut oil and avocado, and limiting processed foods high in sugar. The only difference is now if I want to have some ice cream or sushi with rice, I don't have to feel like I am "breaking Paleo" and feel guilty. I simply fit the desired food into my macros and enjoy it! Okay that's the end of my story, time to talk about food. I have received a lot of positive feedback on my recent photos on steak and eggs for breakfast, with some of my followers asking me if they are trying to "lean out" can they eat something so heavy for their first meal. So many of us have been led astray by nutritional "experts" that advocate cereal bars, granola, low fat muffins and bagels are good for breakfast. I'm here to tell you that you need to eat less of these carb dense "breakfast foods" and start each day with some high quality protein, ESPECIALLY if you want to lean out. Here's why: Consuming a breakfast high in protein will keep you feeling full and satisfied longer between meals. Eating enough protein can reduce muscle loss at the expense of fat loss, especially if you are eating at a calorie deficit. Also, protein has the highest thermogenic effect of food out of the other macronutrients. This is the energy expenditure after a meal due to digestion and metabolism. Protein raises EE by 20-30%, while fat raises it a mere 3% and carbs 5-10%. Skip the Carbs Early in the DaySo what I am recommending based on my own experience and from highly respected nutritional coaches in the lifting/crossfit community (such as Paul Nobles on Eat To Perform) is to start your day with protein and veggies. Keep carbs around your workout and towards the evening like after 6pm. Although this goes against commonly accepted knowledge (wait, no whole grain bread and cereal for breakfast?!) when you save your carbs for the end of the day you naturally eat more of the OTHER macronutrients throughout the day like protein and fats. This provides your body with a more stable energy source. Eating carbs around your workout also supplies you with energy to perform at a high level and to replenish your muscle glycogen stores afterwards. Carbs also make you sleepy so you tend to be less fatigued. Ever feel so tired after a high carb meal, or what I like to call a carb induced coma? I know we all have. This is due to the spike in insulin these high sugar and flour foods cause into order to process the carb-rich breakfast you just ate. This rapid increase in insulin shuttles the glucose into cells for storage leaving little glucose on which brain cells can operate. Over time, this low blood sugar following a massive insulin response will result in brain fog and sleepiness. The level of glucose also determines to a great extend whether we feel full or hungry. When your blood sugar drops down low and can't give your body energy you will start to feel hungry again sooner and will feel like you need a snack, usually a sugary or starchy one rather than protein or fat. This is a "false hunger" to restablilize blood sugar, and will usually go away after abstaining from eating for about 15 minutes after consuming sugary carbs. HIGH PROTEIN + VEGGIES + HEALTHY FAT I eat a breakfast according to this basic formula. During the day, I aim to eat my body weight in protein as my minimum target goal. This for me is 145 g. My max protein intake is set at 1.25x bodyweight which is 180 g. So if I eat 50 at each meal (breakfast, lunch, dinner) i can do 150 g easily. I also have a quest bar or post-workout protein shake each day, so that's 20-25 g being consumed, meaning one meal can be 25 g and I'll still reach my goal (that's like 4oz of chicken on my salad at lunch, which I usually have). I actually tend to eat more like 160-180 grams when I have class because I have to go 4-5 hours between meals and I load up on protein at breakfast and lunch to keep me feeling full. If I don't start my day with lots of protein, fat, and fiber from the vegetables by the end of the day I'll be hungrier and more likely to snack, eat more calories during the day and leave myself with few for dinner, and be short on my protein goal. Without further ado, Here is a full list with tons of pictures of my most common breakfast creations that keep me feeling full until lunch time 4-5 hours later:
Don't want to eat eggs everyday? No problem!Try using leftovers from the day before:
Greek yogurt has ~23 g of protein in one cup or 225 g
I hope I have inspired you to try upping your protein intake at breakfast AND overall throughout the day. If you'd like to know what to eat for lunch check out my other blog post on the topic. I'll give you a hint, its pretty much the same basic formula! :)
STAY HUNGRY, Leighann I made overnight oats for the first time recently after wanting to try them for a very long time, and let me tell you, I am glad I finally did! I went to weightlifting at 9:30 this morning and when I came back after a long workout of snatch, cleans, squats, and prowler pushes, I had THIS waiting for me, delicious & already prepared. Overnight oats are so simple to make that I will definitely be experimenting with different flavors and combinations so I can have them to eat for breakfast or after my workouts during the week with no cooking involved.
Bruschetta is one of those foods I rarely get to enjoy, but when I do it makes my Italian taste buds sing. Traditionally, bruschetta is made with tomatoes, basil, garlic, olive oil, S&P, and balsamic vinegar, served on top of a fresh, warm baguette rubbed with more olive oil and garlic. Yeah, sounds amazing I know. Well today I thought I could spin this into a salad with the superfood kale as my base and, of course, some protein for my lunch today.
Kale is a vegetable I make sure I eat at least once a day, and I love it in my salads. It is very high in calcium, iron, fiber, and antioxidant vitamins A, C, and K. It also supplies one of the highest amounts of vitamin K, a total of 684% in 1 cup of chopped kale. Eating a diet rich in the powerful antioxidant vitamin K can reduce the overall risk of developing or dying from cancer, according to a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, and is important for bone health and normal blood clotting. Anyways, the result of this salad was so delicious I had to share this creation with you all immediately! Here is my recipe for Turkey and Kale Bruschetta salad. Who doesn't get a sweet tooth from time to time? I know that there are some days I am drowning in homework, rushing around from school to work to the gym, and after I eat an ordinary dinner of sweet potatoes and leftover chicken, there is still something to be desired. My stress hormones are begging me to cave in, go get a cinnamon bun and not look back. But I am always prepared for when the sugar cravings kick in, my dopamine is telling me what a treat some donuts would be, and my reserve of willpower is almost empty. I am about to share with you the best tasting guilt-free desserts that I have accumulated in my healthy food arsenal. This is essential for when life sucks and all you want to eat is something sweet while you watch Netflix on repeat. QuestBar CookiesI have had a really busy past couple of weeks, and I needed a way to make a quick, simple and fast meal that I could also make lots of leftovers! What's a better idea than meatballs? So I whipped up a paleo version for you all that I hope you enjoy. These are super versatile, as well. Here is my recipe for one of my favorite foods:
I have some MORE pumpkin recipes for you all, and this time I created a Pumpkin Omelette in my kitchen! Does it sound strange to you? Well one bite of this sweet, fluffy, pumpkin flavored omelette will convert you non-believers in addicts, I promise! It is like having dessert for breakfast, only with about 40g of protein and no added sugar. Ordinary eggs are still my favorite, but I needed a way to excite my taste buds again. So treat yourself to something delicious and in get in the Fall spirit.
So I am a HUGE advocate of super fast and simple lunches. After a long day of school, commuting, homework, cleaning, reading, blogging, cooking, and most importantly lifting, the last thing I want to do is prepare my lunch for tomorrow. I came across this recipe such a while back I forget exactly where I found my initial inspiration to make a spin-off of my own, but I have to share this with you all. It is delicious, FILLING, and packed with protein and healthy fats! I love avocado and salmon, and the combination makes my taste buds sing.
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Meet LeighannI am a 26 year-old competitive Olympic weightlifter who loves to learn and talk about anything involving nutrition and exercise. My passion is to help others live at their full potential as a future surgeon of the 2018 medical school class. The journey towards health & happiness looks different for everyone, but I hope to help guide and inspire you, wherever you may be on yours. Welcome to my healthy food & fitness blog! Archives
October 2014
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