Tag Archives: alkaline healthy eating

Why Your Health Food is Making You Fat

Why Your Health Food is Making You Fat

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I have a love/hate relationship with food labels.  On one hand they can offer great information about the nutrition within. But, on another hand they can be tricky and misleading.

Today manufacturers know what’s ‘hot’ and you better believe that they are going to write whatever they can on their label to make you want to purchase their product.

Gluten free, low-fat, no sugar, fat-free, low carb, all-natural, all of these names are written on food products to lure us into buying their item over another.  On the surface everything sounds great but beware it isn’t.

Could your ‘health’ food be making you fat?

Well it’s a strong possibility.

Gluten Free

Just because something is labeled ‘gluten free’ doesn’t mean that it’s healthy. You can have a sugar filled cake that’s gluten free. In fact, there’s a gluten free cookie that when you eat just two you would have consumed as much saturated fat as 10 chicken McNuggets! And, those same two cookies contain a whopping 220 calories and 16 grams of sugar.

There’s also a gluten free bagel on the market that contains 440 calories for 1 bagel, and you get to enjoy a whole 16g of fat with it as well. That’s more fat than 3 scoops of some ice creams. Lucky you! So beware. Just because it’s gluten free doesn’t mean it’s healthy for you.

Diet Soda

One of the first things that soda drinkers think they should do when they go on a diet is to switch from regular soda to diet soda. On the surface it seems like a smart idea because most diet sodas have low to no calories, and they are made without sugar. Again, don’t let the manufacturer fool you!

What dieters don’t know is that for some people diet soda can actually make you more hungry! They get the opposite effect of what they want.  Now this doesn’t happen for everyone, but why take your chances. Even though some people may lose weight while drinking diet soda, it’s most likely because the dieter is changing other food habits which makes a huge difference. Who wants a bunch of chemicals in them anyway.  It’s not worth it.

Organic Snacks

If you stroll down your local grocery aisle you’ll find tons of organic snack options. Are they any better than normal processed foods? Well think about it. Sure they have organic ingredients in them, and that’s great, but they are still processed foods. Lots of organic snacks still have a ton of sugar and salt, which is still bad for you.

What’s a girl to do? Stick with whole ‘real’ foods that don’t come in a box.  One of the best words of advice I ever heard was that if it doesn’t come from the earth or if you can’t pronounce what’s in it, don’t eat it! Another tip is to try to stick to things with 5 ingredients or less, or straight from the ground, and better yet not in a box.

Granola

I love it when my friends show me their ‘healthy’ snacks.  Because I’m a virtual fitness coach they want to hear my opinion of their food.

Granola is one of those things that a lot of dieters gravitate to when they start dieting because it’s one of those foods that they’ve always thought of as being healthy.

It’s not that granola is bad for you, it can be a great treat if you are hiking or doing a tough workout.  But, what isn’t healthy are most of the granola bars that you see lining the supermarket shelves. These are usually loaded with excess sugar, fat, and oil – a dangerous combination. Again, the best solution is to make your own (you can swap out agave for honey and use 1/4-1/2 cup only)!

Comment:  What foods did you think were “healthy” that you are going to now swap out?

Is an Alkaline Diet for Me?

Is an Alkaline Diet For Me?

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Why do I want to be Alkaline?

When measuring something for its acidity or alkalinity you check its pH level.  Different parts of your body function at different pH levels.  Generally speaking you want your body to be at a neutral, or alkaline state.  It is thought that you can alter your body’s blood pH level by the foods you eat.

Your body is balanced when its pH level is between 7.35 and 7.45.  When it’s not between this narrow window your body is more stressed, and it must work hard to bring it back into balance.  The more acidic our bodies are the harder it must work, and the more your body is at risk.  Your body is weakened and more susceptible to disease when your body is highly acidic. 

How to Get Balanced?

Eating a diet high in fresh vegetables, fruit, seeds and nuts is the best way to help restore balance to your body.  A typical Western diet, is chock full of bad protein, dairy, and highly processed foods that make our bodies more acidic.  Our disease rates are extremely high because we tend to eat tons of processed and refined foods.  When we do this our bodies become weak and become breeding grounds for disease. 

There are certain foods that are considered acid forming foods that are okay to consume if you stick to the healthier options. Foods such as legumes, beans and whole grains would fall into this category.  If you eliminated most processed (packaged) foods you will be heading in the right direction. Also, because organic foods lack the chemicals from pesticides that are acid forming, it’s best to stick with organic foods as much as possible. 

Reports are inconclusive on whether or not an alkaline diet really works.  A report in the Journal of Environmental and Public Health in 2012 had mixed conclusions. Most agree that eating a diet full of veggies, fruit, and plants, cutting out processed junk and sugar should help you live a longer and healthier life. 

What’s A Girl To Eat?

Here’s where it can be confusing.  As you know lemons and apple cider vinegar are acidic, but your body metabolizes it as alkaline which means it helps to balance the body.  Other things like cranberries, which I love in my salad, and garbonzo beans are listed as acid forming.  But, it doesn’t mean you can’t ever eat acidic foods. Some people say eat a 80/20 alkaline to acid ratio, and others say eat a 60/40 ratio. 

There are many pros to eating an alkaline diet.  You can’t go wrong adding more alkaline foods such as kale, coconut oil, almonds, broccoli, asparagus, beets, avocado, blueberries, grapefruit, lentils, pumpkin seeds, and green tea to your diet.  There are many more alkaline forming foods you can add to your diet. Check out my food chart over at FitMomsFitKidsClub.com to see other foods that can help you become less acidic and more alkaline.