Grocery Ad Deals Week 2/5-2/11

Nutrition Tips During Travel

As you all know, competing in collegiate athletics requires a lot of traveling and eating away from home, but just because you are on the road does not mean that your nutrition has to take a backseat. Keeping proper nutrition habits and making good choices while on the road is important for both your recovery and performance during competition. Here are some tips to help make proper nutrition easy to follow:

           Bring healthy snacks with you: Bringing snacks that provide you with good, quality sources of carbohydrates and protein is a good way to speed up recovery and keep your body fueled. Look for these snack ideas when travelling:

·         Granola bars

·         Oatmeal bars

·         Nuts

·         Trail mix

·         Beef Jerky

·         Whole grain crackers

·         Fresh veggies (carrots, celery, etc.)

·         Fruit (apples, bananas, etc.)

·         Peanut butter

      Make good food choices wherever you are staying: Hotels often offer continental breakfast so make sure to choose foods such as fresh fruits, fat free yogurt, oatmeal, whole wheat bagels, peanut butter, low fat milk, and whole grain cereals and shy away from pastries.

            Make healthy choices when eating at restaurants or gas stations: They’re many different types of restaurants to eat at during travel and making good food choices when ordering is key. Look for options such as grilled chicken sandwiches or grilled chicken salad, look for fish entrees such as salmon, add vegetables as your side instead of sides like French fries, and watch out for high fat condiments or dressings.

      Gas stations are notorious for having a lot of unhealthy snacks so make sure to pay attention to food labels and look for foods that have high fiber, high protein, or both.  Look for foods such as fresh fruit, low fat dairy, trail mix or nuts, granola bars, whole wheat crackers, or beef jerky instead of chips, cookies, or candy.

Following these tips will make healthy eating and making good food choices a breeze during travel and will make sure you are prepared to dominate your competition. 

OCTOBER

THE LEAVES ARE CHANGING, THE WEATHER IS COOLING DOWN, AND ALL SORTS OF FUN BEGINS! OCTOBER BRINGS NEW FOODS AND BEAUTIFUL BRIGHT COLORS...IT WOULD BE HARD NOT TO CELEBRATE THIS WONDERFUL TIME OF YEAR!

WITH THAT BEING SAID LETS TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT FOODS ARE IN SEASON AS WELL AS WHAT THOSE FOODS HAVE TO OFFER!

FALL'S FRUITS:

APPLES PROVIDE FIBER, VITAMIN C, ANTIOXIDANTS, AND THEY CAN HELP  INCREASE OXYGEN DELIVERY TO THE LUNGS

ASIAN PEARS PROVIDE FIBER, POTASSIUM, VITAMIN K&C, AS WELL AS COPPER

PUMPKINS ARE GREAT SOURCES OF FIBER, ANTIOXIDANTS, POTASSIUM, AND VITAMIN C. THEY ALSO HELP REDUCE CHOLESTEROL, ENHANCE MOOD AND ARE GOOD FOR THE SKIN. 

POMEGRANATE IS FILLED WITH ANTIOXIDANTS WHICH CAN HELP PREVENT DEPRESSION, IMPROVE IMMUNE SYSTEM, LOWER CHOLESTEROL, AND INCREASE BLOOD FLOW

                                             

FALL'S VEGETABLES:

Beans, which are great sources of protein, fiber, zinc, iron, potassium, folate, calcium and magnesium. Cabbage, which provide adequate amounts of vitamin C, fiber, potassium, antioxidants, and calcium. Squash, which is filled with vitamins A, B6, and C, magnesium, fiber, folate, riboflavin, phosphorus, potassium, and manganese. Lastly, sweet potatoes, which are a wonderful source of vitamin B6, C, and D as well as iron, magnesium, potassium, and antioxidants. Mix these into your diet this season and see the benefits!

BEANS, CABBAGE,  SQUASH, SWEET POTATOES

OCTOBER IS A GREAT MONTH TO ADD COLOR TO YOUR DIET AND WHAT BETTER WAY TO DO THAT THAN GOING TO YOU LOCAL MARKET AND FILLING UP ON THESE FRUITS AND VEGETABLES?

REMEMBER THOSE FOOD RULES  :) 

SPEAKING OF FOOD RULES... 

WHICH FOOD RULE HAVE YOU USED THE MOST?

LET US KNOW...WE WOULD ENJOY HEARING FROM YOU!

     

                                                  

                                                                               

Back to the Basics: Food Rules 14,15,&16

FOOD RULE #14

Eat Foods Made From Ingredients That You Can Picture In Their Raw State Or Growing In Nature

            Read the ingredients on a package of Twinkies, Pringles, etc. and imagine what those ingredients actually look like raw or in places where those listed ingredients grow. I don't know about you but when I was at the grocery store I looked at the labels and couldn't picture any of the ingredients in either form. Therefore Mr. Pollan states that this rule will keep all sorts of chemicals and food like substances out of your diet.

HOW MANY OF THESE INGREDIENTS CAN YOU PICTURE IN RAW FORM OR GROWING?

FOOD RULE #15

Get Out Of The Supermarket Whenever You Can

            Mr.Pollan makes a great point with this rule. He begins with stating that you won't find any high fructose corn syrup at the farmer's market. You also won't find any excessively processed food products, any packages with long lists of unpronounceable ingredients or major health claims, anything microwaveable, or old food from far away. At the farmers market you usually find fresh, whole foods that are harvested at the peak of their taste and nutritional quality. Food that you can easily recognize! The kind that is alive and will eventually rot!

            Next time you go to the store keep that in mind. Shop as if you are at the farmer's market!! This leads to the next Food Rule...

FOOD RULE #16

Buy Your Snacks At The Farmer's Market

           This is a great rule because you will then find yourself snacking on fresh and dried fruits, nuts, and more real food rather than chips, sweets, etc. 

Hope rules 14, 15, &16 help make your decisions a little easier!

Enjoy the rest of your summer and return soon for more Food Rules! 

             

BACK TO THE BASICS: FOOD RULES 11,12 &13

Rule #11

Avoid Foods You See Advertised on Television

According to Mr. Pollan more than 2/3 of food advertised is spent promoting processed foods and alcohol, so if you avoid products with big ad budgets, you will automatically be avoiding edible food-like substances. Another reason to caution televised products is simply because they take an original product and reformulate it to be low-fat, have no trans fats, or to contain fewer ingredients and then boast about their implied healthfulness, whether it is meaningful or not. The best way to avoid these claims is to reduce your purchase and consumption of heavily promoted foods. 

Rule #12

Shop the Peripheries of the Supermarket and Stay Out of the Middle

In Food Rules Mr. Pollan points out that most supermarkets are laid out the same way: processed food products dominate the center aisles of the store, while the fresh food line the walls (produce,  meat and fish, dairy, etc). If you keep to the edges of the store you will be more likely to wind up with REAL food in your cart. The one area that high fructose corn syrup has made its way into is the dairy aisle, so be aware and read the label before purchasing your dairy product!

Rule #13

Eat Only Foods that Will Eventually Rot

The more processed a food is, the longer the shelf life, and the less nutritious it typically is. Real food is alive and therefore it should eventually die. Again to note: most of the immortal food-like substances in the supermarket are found in the middle aisles!! 

TUNE IN SOON FOR SOME MORE FOOD RULES!

UNTIL THEN... 

                                                                                    

   ENJOY YOUR SUMMER!

BACK TO THE BASICS: RULES 9 & 10

RULE #9

AVOID FOOD PRODUCTS WITH THE WORDOID "LITE" OR THE TERMS "LOW-FAT" OR "NONFAT" IN THEIR NAMES. 

"We've gotten fat on low-fat products," Mr. Pollen states. Why? Because removing the fat from foods doesn't necessarily make them nonfattening. Carbohydrates can also increase fat because as you know sugars are a member of the carbohydrate family. With that being said many low and nonfat foods have boosted the amount of sugar (substitute or pure) to make up for the loss of flavor. While trying to get rid of one nutrient, fat, we inevitably give a free pass to another; a supposedly "good" nutrient, carbohydrate, and then proceed to eat too much of that instead. As Mr. Pollen points out it is better to eat the real thing in moderation than bingeing on the "lite" products packed with sugar and salt. 

RULE #10

AVOID FOODS THAT ARE PRETENDING TO BE SOMETHING THEY ARE NOT

For example imitation butter, also known as margarine. 
Another example that Mr. Pollen uses is nonfat cream cheese. In order to make something like nonfat cream cheese one must add neither cream nor cheese. Hmm? This product actually requires an extreme degree of processing. These products should then be labeled as imitations. These imitation products should be avoided! This same rule applies to soy-based mock meats, artificial sweeteners, and fake fats and starches. 

HOPE THESE FOOD RULES HELP! 

RULE #11 AND #12 WILL BE COMING SOON...SO CHECK BACK IN 

BACK TO THE BASICS: FOOD RULES 7&8

 

RULE #7

AVOID FOOD PRODUCTS CONTAINING INGREDIENTS THAT A THIRD GRADER

CANNOT PRONOUNCE

KEEP IT SIMPLE!

 

 

 

 

 

RULE #8

MR. PONNAN STATES THAT:

1.  FOR A PRODUCT TO CARRY A HEALTH CLAIM ON ITS PACKAGE, IT MUST FIRST HAVE A PACKAGE! SO RIGHT OFF THE BAT ITS MORE LIKELY TO BE PROCESSED RATHER THAN A WHOLE FOOD.

2. BIG MANUFACTURERS HAVE THE MEANS TO SECURE FDA APPROVED HEALTH CLAIMS FOR THEIR PRODUCTS AND THEN TRUMPET THEM AROUND THE WORLD.

3. BE AWARE OF MODERN FOOD PRODUCTS BECAUSE THEY TYPICALLY MAKE THE BOLDEST HEALTH CLAIMS (RED FLAG!). REMEMBER GOOD OLE MARGARINE, ONE OFTHE FIRST INDUSTRIAL FOODS TO CLAIM IT WAS MORE HEALTHFUL THAN THE TRADITIONAL FOOD IT REPLACED? TURNS OUT IT CONTAINS TRANSFATS THAT GIVE PEOPLE HEART ATTACKS.

THE HEALTHIEST FOOD IN THE SUPERMARKET, THE FRESH PRODUCE, DOESN'T BOAST ABOUT ITS HEALTHFULNESS, BECAUSE THE GROWERS DON'T HAVE THE BUDGET OR THE PACKAGING.

DON'T MISTAKEN THE "SILENCE OF THE YAMS AS A SIGN THAT THEY HAVE NOTHING VALUABLE TO SAY ABOUT YOUR HEALTH!"

 

COME BACK FOR FOOD RULES 9 & 10