Avocado Hummus

Ingredients

• 2 avocados, peeled, pitted and chopped
• 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/4 cup tahini
• 1/4 cup filtered water
• 1/4 cups olive oil
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon chipotle chili powder

Instructions

1. Place ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Add water as necessary until desired consistency is reached.
   

Eat More Fat

Now, most people don't think of guacamole as a fat-burning snack because it's very high in fat, but avocados are actually one of the healthiest, fat blasting foods around.  In fact, the notion that eating fat makes you fat couldn't be more wrong, as eating fat, and lots of it, is a critical part of achieving the

optimal health you want. Nuts, oily fish, coconut oil, and olive oil all fit the bill

Why?  Here are 8 great reasons:

1.  When added to a meal, fat slows gastric emptying and helps to stabilize blood sugar levels in response to a meal. 

2.  Like protein, fats keep you feeling full and satiated much longer than carbs do.

3.  Due to the above fact, eating fat also helps you avoid carb cravings (which is the real contributor to increased body fat levels).  

4.  Fat helps to optimize your hormone levels as fat is a major player in your endocrine (hormone) system.

5.  Fat,  contributes to healthier skin, hair, and a more youthful appearance.

6.  Fat also plays a critical role in your nervous system, giving you energy and keeping you alert.   If you want a healthy brain, make sure you're getting plenty of healthy fats every day.

7.  Given the same calorie intake, by introducing more fat into your diet you'll automatically reduce your carb intake. 

8.  There are even certain types of fats, like CLA found in grass fed beef and organic dairy products, that have been shown to boost metabolism.

When it comes to LOSING fat, EATING fat is king!

My P90X3 Journey

I have been documenting my workouts with P90X3, you may have watched me! Every day I have marked off my calendar, pushed play and got it done. I have not missed one workout! It has been tough but so rewarding. I am the strongest I have ever been.

 It is a 90 day program broken into 3 blocks. Each with a specific design. There is a calendar, meal plan options and videos for the workout and to explain everything to you.I opted to use an exercise band over the door instead of a pullup bar. I was worried it wouldn't be tough enough, but let me tell you if you do it correctly, it works! There were 4 options to choose from for a plan: Classic, Lean, Mass or Doubles (two workouts a day). I chose Classic as I wanted to see what the basic program was designed to do. It has an amazing mix of cardio, plyometrics, yoga and strength. I am not a yoga lover per se, but this has tested my balance, back and core to the max!!

 I made my meal plan each week, 3 meals and 3 snacks each day as well as Shakeology every day as my post workout fuel.

 I used a variety of equipment, the bands, pushup stands and weights. It can all be done with body weight and exercise bands though. It would still be very tough, they always show modification options, which is awesome. You could be at any fitness level to start. I would consider myself advanced due to the years of working out I have under my belt, so for sure I wanted to see if this would test my body! I am really excited to say it certainly has! If you are advanced or brand new, there is a place for you in this program. I would love to share it with you. Have you been considering it but weren't sure what it would be like? I hope this gives you a glimpse into this amazing program. If you would like to do this workout with some support and guidance along the way, that's what I'm here for! You can be part of a private fitness group with me. We'll set you up with your goals and your specific needs, then go through it together. I'd love to hear about you, would you fill out this application below? Take that first step today towards good health.Fill out my form!

I Love What I Do And Would Love To Be Your Free Health Coach

I believe so strongly that living a healthy lifestyle can change you for the better! I have personally seen it at work in my life, as I've been able to heal from Crohn's disease and manage my Celiac condition. I want everyone to be able to feel amazing, have energy and live with this knowledge too! This is why I am a coach!! I would love for you to have me as your free health coach. You can have access to great new health information, use calendars and progress tools to keep track of your own goals. You can ask me questions and I will do my best to give you the answers you seek.
If you leave your email here or email me at tamiwood29@gmail.com I can set you up with a free account with me as your coach today!
 If you would like to be part of a support group with me you can fill out this application below and we can chat about your goals and find a plan that works for you!

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Not All "White Foods" Are Created Equal

I was recently reading an article wherein it was advised for people to put a complete ban on all "WHITE FOODS".
Really?  What about cauliflower?  And how about onions?

I just can't imagine saying "No no" to cauliflower because it's a  "white food".

Of course, I understand that the rule is a good one when applied to processed "white" foods like bread, pasta, and crackers, but believe it or not this  went on to specifically outlaw such white foods as bananas and potatoes just because of their color!  Sorry, nothing wrong with those two as both bananas and potatoes are natural foods packed with potassium and make for a great carb choice to eat early in the day or to "refuel" after a workout.

Additionally, here are a host of other WHITE foods to fuel your metabolism and burn fat:

Veggies such as onions, cauliflower, garlic, turnips, parsnips, and mushrooms are all loaded with vitamins, minerals and fiber while yielding next to zero calories.  Fill your plate with these white gems, and then pile on some more!

White beans are high in protein, very low glycemic (so they're easy on your blood sugar), and high in fiber.

Organic dairy products such as milk, cottage cheese, and other cheeses are all very high in protein while other dairy products such as yogurt and kefir offer probiotics to boot! 

Then there are seeds like pumpkin seeds and even white chia seeds that pack a super food punch rich in omega-3s, protein, antioxidants and fiber.

And lastly (but certainly not least!) are the many varieties of white fish -- another great metabolism-boosting source of protein!

In the end, whole foods come in a rainbow of color for a reason! Each one with it's own unique properties. So don't skip these "white foods" friends. :)

If you are interested in learning about healthy eating, please fill out this application! We can talk about your goals and you can be part of my next group :)

Fill out my form!

Sweet Potato Salad

This salad is topped with hearty sweet potatoes--a superfood that is high in beta-carotene, potassium, and manganese. Pumpkin seeds add extra crunch!

Total Time: 1 hour 15 min.
Prep Time: 15 min.
Cooking Time: 30 min.
Preparation Difficulty: Medium
Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1½ tsp. red wine vinegar
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
½ tsp. raw honey (or pure maple syrup)
1 dash Himalayan salt (or sea salt)
1 tsp. chopped fresh herbs (like basil, oregano or parsley) (to taste; optional)
1 medium baked sweet potato, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes
1 medium green apple, diced
½ medium red bell pepper, diced
1 stalk green onion, finely sliced
2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh cilantro
4 cups fresh arugula
2 Tbsp. pumpkin seed kernels, toasted (or chopped raw walnuts)

Preparation:
1. Combine oil, vinegar, lemon juice, honey, salt, and herbs (if desired) in a medium bowl; whisk to blend. 
Set aside.
2. Combine sweet potato, apple, bell pepper, onion, and cilantro in a large bowl; mix well.
3. Drizzle dressing over sweet potato mixture; toss gently to blend.
4. Place even amounts of arugula on two serving plates; top each with sweet potato mixture and sprinkle with pumpkin seeds.
Tip: Bake fork-pierced sweet potato at 450° F for 30 to 40 minutes or until just tender. Do not over bake; cool.

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Reading Nutrition Labels

When it comes to food labels, manufacturers are very good at finding the loopholes in labeling laws and requirements, and subsequently very good at pulling the wool over YOUR eyes.  One such loophole is the manufacturer's ability to claim "zero" grams of fat, or zero grams of trans fat, or zero calories on the label, when in fact the product does indeed contain plenty of fat, trans fat, and/or calories.

Here's the law, and how food manufacturers get around it:

Zero grams of fat or zero grams of trans fat:  As long as the food item has less than .5g of fat or trans fat, respectively, the label does not need to claim their existence on the label.  In fact, the product can even legally market "Zero grams of fat!" or "0g of trans fat per serving!"

More on why this is a HUGE problem, and how food manfacturers deepen this loophole in just a minute.

Zero calories per serving:  As long as the food item has less than 5 calories per serving, it can be rounded down and labeled 0 calories.
   

Deepening the Loophole with Unrealistic Serving Sizes

While .5g of fat or 5 calories may not seem like a big deal, remember that these values are "per serving", and while an entire package, box, can, or bottle of a product may contain hundreds of calories and loads of fat, as long as they can divide that package into small enough servings to meet the calorie and gram requirements to claim zero, it's legal.

Legal AND deceptive!

We don't know about you, but we get angry when we see food manufacturers outright LYING to consumers on their labels and in the nutrition facts.  Some of these products should change the Nutrition Facts header to "Nutrition Lies" and it'd actually be a lot more accurate.

1. Cooking Sprays and Butter Sprays - Cooking sprays are labeled as fat-free but their first ingredient is oil, which is 100% fat.  How in the world can this be?  Well, the serving size is 1/5th of a second.  What?  Last time we used a cooking spray (some of the organic ones are useful) it took about 3 seconds to lightly coat the surface of the pan.  Well, according to the manufacturer, we just used 15 servings.

Bottom line, no one uses the ridiculous and absurd microscopic 1/5th of second spray suggested serving, which isn't nearly enough product to be of practical use.

Cooking sprays aren't fat-free...they are nearly 100% fat.  In my example above, a realistic serving actually contains around 5 grams of fat and 45 calories.  A far cry from the 0 number reported on their nutrition facts.

Same goes for butter sprays, which are 90%+ fat in most cases.  For example, one popular brand of butter spray contains over 800 calories and 90g of fat per bottle, yet it's labeled as a fat-free, calorie-free product!  Yeah, right!

The serving size?  One spray.  Let's get real here...no one is using one spray, or five sprays, or 10 sprays.  In fact, twenty-five sprays equals just one teaspoon, when the servings size for regular butter is 1 tablespoon.  When you balance out the serving size to be the same as a serving of butter, you're looking at 75 sprays to get the same amount.

2.  Artificial sweeteners - Not only are artificial sweeteners bad news for you health, but they're also a top violator of "calorie free" deceptive labeling practices.  Many brands of artificial sweeteners use maltodextrin and/or dextrose (which is pure sugar) as fillers in each packet, and each packet can legally contain up to a full gram of sugar and 5 calories and still be labeled as calorie free.

We've seen people put 3 - 5 packets of this stuff in their coffee or on their cereal...hardly calorie free and even worse, maltodextrin and dextrose are two of the biggest insulin-spiking carbs around -- the entire reason people choose artificial sweeteners over sugar in the first place!


3.  Any food that contains "partially hydrogenated" oils in the ingredient list, period.  Bottom line, you should have a zero-tolerance attitude toward trans fats.  They are the most health-derailing nutrient known to man, and you should be truly consuming ZERO grams per day.

If a product claims "Zero grams of trans fat per serving", especially if they speficy "per serving", they are almost always playing the serving size game and you're very likely to see partially hydrogenated oils on the list of ingredients when you flip the package over.  If so, avoid it like the plague.
 All this being said, I share this with you because I am passionate about putting healthy things in our bodies and I urge to to be an informed consumer! Watch what you are eating and learn to read labels.