Be Healthy and Relax

During my time as an undergrad, I saw the proper use and abuse of energy drinks. I watched friends down a can to make it through a tough workout and others buy energy drinks by the case to support their gaming addiction.

Being the conventional type, I have always stayed true to my coffee, but I wondered what exactly it was that my friends were drinking to get the extra boost and how it compared to my latte.

After doing a bit of research, I found that my intuition was right … for the most part.

Coffee is one of the most popular beverages in the world. The benefits of the antioxidants in coffee are becoming well known, studies have liked the reasonable coffee consumption (three 8oz serves per day) to reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, and Parkinson’s disease. With a minimal amount of calories (5 per 8oz. serving), plenty of caffeine for energy, and a variety of flavors, this old stand-by will always be one of my favorites.

When comparing coffee with the average energy drink (we’ll use Rockstar as an example), the coffee wins hands down. Rockstar weighs in at 140 calories and 31 grams of sugar; the mixture of high fructose corn syrup, several preservatives (sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate), artificial flavoring and numerous chemicals is not likely to offer any true health benefits. There is plenty of caffeine (90mg) in the drink to keep a person awake, but I think that the jolt offered by the beverage is outweighed by the havoc it wrecks on one’s system; although, the milk thistle extract in this artificial concoction may balance out the damage done to one’s liver when drinking a bottle.

Now, all you energy drink addicts out there, don’t worry, there is hope. Several all-natural energy drinks have been introduced to the market and they offer a much better option. Kaboom is one of my favorites, as it is not just all-natural, but also organic. With a base of organic orange juice and a bit of organic cane juice for sweetener, Kaboom has a flavor that matches any other energy drink on the market. The kick in Kaboom comes from guarana (90 mg) and green tea extracts, as well as C and B vitamins.

Guarana is a herbal supplement which produces guaranine, a naturally occurring caffeine; guarana provides a synergetic delivery of many nutritional compounds and trace elements to beneficially affect the total body system. The supplement has been traditionally used to assist in the relief of aliments such as stress, weight control, headaches, hangovers, and even menstrual cramps. Green tea extract offers many of the same benefits and is loaded with antioxidants. No artificial colors or flavors here, Kaboom is colored with annatto and turmeric, which have been used for centuries as colorants and are known to have beneficial medicinal properties.

I might have to leave my mug in the cupboard and grab an all-natural energy drink next time I need a boost; clearly, drinks like Kaboom are a great option, they offer a lot more than a cup of java, but with the same jolt you need to get through the day.

Photo credit: jeremyfoo

Have you ever eaten some food that you thought was healthy for you, but in actuality wasn’t? Some of the most popular foods may seem like a harmless, low-calorie snack, but today’s leading food manufacturers have found a way to throw off your whole dieting plan. Many of these seemingly healthy foods are not really very healthy at all because
they are strangely calorie-packed.

Today I received a call from my girlfriend after she ate a microwaveable soft pretzel. Being a very health-conscious person, she thought this would be a reasonable quick and low-calorie snack while at work. After being curious and reading the nutritional facts, her perception quickly changed about these pretzels. At first she read and noticed that it contained 180 calories, which seemed somewhat alright. As she read a little closer, she saw that the 180 calories was only for one serving, which is only HALF of the pretzel! How did the makers find a way to pack in nearly 400 calories in a pretzel?! Of course this calorie total doesn’t account for the extra dippings that you have with the pretzel. You couldn’t eat one of those without adding some trusty mustard or cheese sauce! It is unfortunate that these pretzels, among many other seemingly healthy snacks, completely devoid any of the nutritional facts that are listed. You would think with the calorie amount and nutritional elements, it would keep a person full for quite some time, but it just doesn’t.

Another example of a tricky food is dried fruit, and especially those with extra sugar added. Those suckers can have over 200 calories per ounce, depending on the fruit. For example, you could eat 2 large Fuji apples or a handful of dried cranberries to have about the equivalent calorie count. Many of these fruits also lack the amount of fiber found in the non-dried version. Keep a keen eye towards the ingredients of these dried fruits and steer clear from anything that doesn’t seem naturally occurring. If there is sugar added to any dried fruits, on average, it adds about 100 calories per serving.

If we consume these types of foods in between our three full meals, we would most definitely exceed our daily calorie count. Just be sure to check out all nutritional values and ingredients before scarfing down that next “healthy” snack, it may just become your fourth meal!

Photo credit: daxiang stef

We have all seen the advertisements and have heard the popular diets calling to eat egg whites over whole eggs, but many of us have never heard why this is so important. For years, my family, along with many others around America, have cooked weekend breakfasts like our generations have before: a bunch of full eggs with bacon, sausage, and toast. This is what has been served at Denny’s for years and has tasted great. Little did we know, or really wanted to know, but we were sucking down countless amounts of calories and cholesterol in meals that gave no benefit to our bodies.

I have always thought that the color of eggs were yellow. That might sound like an ignorant statement, saying that there is a yolk and whites within the shell, but I grew up on scrambled eggs. When eating this type of meal after working out, I thought I was receiving the large amounts of proteins that I needed to keep my body growing. Finally after learning about eggs and doing some research, I found out that egg whites actually make up for two-thirds of the egg’s weight, which consists of proteins, vitamins, trace minerals, fatty material, and glucose. Looking back at the familiar yellow, all that the yolk contains are massive amounts of cholesterol, fat, and about half the protein as in the rest of the egg. As the yolk’s protein level is definitely enticing, it is not worth the large levels of cholesterol and saturated fats.

Let’s quickly break it all down:

Egg Yolks:

• Calories: 55 cals
• Fat: 4.5 g
• Saturated Fat: 1.6g
• Cholesterol: 210 mg
• Protein: 2.7g

Egg Whites:

• Calories: 17 cals
• Fat: 0.1 g
• Saturated Fat: 0.0 g
• Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
• Protein: 5 g

It’s very difficult for me to want to make anything with egg yolk after knowing the benefits and tasting the much more pure flavor of egg whites. These comparisons clearly show why egg whites are preferred during dieting and building muscle. As many times eggs are excluded from low-calorie recipes, egg whites are not.

Since companies have now realized the benefits of egg whites, and have also noticed that there are not always the easiest to separate from the yolk in the egg, they have created alternative products. Many natural food stores now carry small cartons of liquid and powder egg whites. These normally have a higher amount of protein and other very similar nutritional values compared to natural egg whites. There are an endless amount of uses for egg whites in cooking: breakfasts, sweet treats, low-calorie lunches, and dinner entrees. Once you try the pure taste of egg whites, after knowing their great nutritional value, you’ll never want to go back to your old-style, yolky egg recipes.

As the holiday season is finally springing up around the corner, many of us are wondering how we will be keeping off the extra pounds and stress that can come from the company of family, friends, and great food selections. During this time, it is simple to forget about the daily routines that we have kept throughout the year. Now, it is more important than ever to keep these values close and tune up on some personal choices that we sometimes rather forget. Check out the helpful checklist below and exercise some of these simple techniques to keep yourself in line for the upcoming year.

1. Start the day out with a good one hour cardio or weight workout. Just like you should with any other day, it’s a great way to loosen yourself up and get you prepped for a big day with family and friends. I would not recommend doing an extra amount of exercise, but one that makes you generally feel good. Also, working out will create a calorie deficit, in preparation for the rest of the day’s meals. By keeping a routine to workout everyday, it will wipe out any worries about gaining weight during the holidays. From this point on, slightly lengthen your workout times throughout the holidays so you can get a head start on those New Year’s resolutions!
2. Limit yourself. Start your meal with a salad so you don’t eat as much during dinner. Before you move on to the rest of the meal, check out all that is available to eat. Choose how you’ll fill your calorie allotment and don’t waste them on foods that you can eat any other day. Since this is the holiday season, pick the foods that are seasonal to this time. I have always the taste of leftover turkey on a sandwich, so why not have it? Leftovers are great, so don’t feel that you’ll need to stuff yourself to oblivion just to get rid of the food.
3. After dinner, go for a long walk. It doesn’t need to be anything intense, but just enough to keep your blood moving and help you digest your turkey meal. Many times we’ll feel very sluggish and needing a nap after eating our large plates of turkey. That tryptophan in turkey can really take it out of you. Try and counter it by going for a nice stroll after dinner and before desert. Not only will it keep you awake and feeling better, it will help keep the pounds off and lower the possibility of heartburn.
4. Don’t skip meals throughout the day. Start the day right with a well-balanced breakfast that is also low in calories. Aim for a breakfast that is high in fiber and protein, and low in calories. The fiber and protein will hold your appetite over for a long time while you are saving your calorie count to be filled by your large dinner. Treat today as a normal day with fruits and snacks to keep yourself from craving the next meal. All of this will prevent you from overeating and becoming too bloated feeling.
5. Get in some good sleep. Try and keep your sleeping pattern the same, even though the holidays sometimes throws it off. Avoid drinking alcoholic beverages and heavy meals right before you head to bed. It’s never a good thing to go to sleep on a stuffed stomach. If you’re feeling a little sluggish before eating the big meal, try taking a quick, 20-minute power nap. These can keep you fully energized and going for the rest of the day.
6. Eat slow. A ton of benefits come from not eating too quickly. By slowing down your eating, it is much more likely that you’ll be satisfied with only one plate serving. This will give time for the food to begin digesting and will also prevent overeating. That, and it’s always a great feeling to have a bunch of leftovers to give away to family and keep for upcoming work days. In addition, it is very likely to get indigestion when we overeat, but it is also possible to get it when you eat too quickly and swallow air while eating. Try slowing your eating while chewing your food thoroughly with your mouth closed. This will force you to slow down and also keep all of that unwanted air out.
7. Watch the alcohol intake. If you’re in the calorie watching business, don’t forget that alcohol calories can fill your allotment up in no time. It’s not a bad thing to drink, in fact, it can be very beneficial. Just be sure to limit the amount calories produced by alcohol. A possible way to limit yourself, that I’ve found handy, is to drink some sparkling water in between alcoholic drinks. This should spark an interest in your mouth while also hydrating your body.

Hopefully you’ll choose to use at least some of these ideas tomorrow, on the big turkey day. I hope that everyone has a great, safe, and delicious Thanksgiving. Have a good one!