Posted by Lynn Polmanteer on May 21, 2013 under Body Care, Fitness, Healthy Living, Making choices, Nutrition, Recipes
For me, nutrition and exercise have always been a big part of life. After a few half marathons, cycling events, and my first sprint triathlon last summer, I’ve learned what works best for me. It’s a bit of a balancing act. What about you? Fueling the body before exercise is so important, and the type of fuel depends on the type of workout you’re doing – it’s a process of trial and error. What works best for one person may not work for another and it’s all about your food preferences, restrictions, and intolerances. Let’s look at options for how you can snack for great energy during exercise.
As a dietitian, I generally encourage snacks to be about 100-200 calories. You may need a little more or a little less; nutrition isn’t a one-size-fits-all science. But your snack choices need a good balance of carbohydrates and protein. You want carbs for energy and protein for muscle restoration.
Smart Snack Options:
Super Simple: One piece or 1 cup of your favorite fruit. I like bananas and grapes. Feeling hungry? Workout longer than 30 minutes? Add some protein, such as 1 hard-boiled egg.
- The Half Sand: A slice of whole wheat, rye or pumpernickel bread (about 1-3 gm fiber per slice). It’s best to have high fiber bread (at least 3 gm of fiber per slice) at mealtime, but all that fiber before a snack might mess with your stomach. Add about an ounce of turkey breast or chicken breast. You can really add any type of protein to this ½ sandwich; just make sure it’s lean. Vegetarian or vegan? Spread about a tablespoon or less of your favorite nut butter onto the bread. Nut butters are heart-healthy fat, but because they are a fat you’ll want to limit the portion.
- Custom Fresh Yogurt: OK with Dairy? Try about 6 oz. 0% fat, plain Greek yogurt. Mash in a few berries. Frozen organic berries are easy to keep handy and touch of vanilla or almond extract really jazzes this up.
- A Smoothie: Great before a run, especially when I’m feeling really hungry. About 8 oz. of either skim milk, 1% milk, unsweetened almond or soy milk. Add an extra small banana or ½ large banana and a handful of frozen strawberries. Buying fresh strawberries and freezing them makes the smoothie nice and cold. You could add a few ounces of 0% Greek yogurt to the smoothie or 1-2 scoops of whey protein powder. Need a vegan smoothie? Click here!
- A Snack Bar: These are good if you’re in a rush and need something to grab and go. There are a million bars out there and choosing one can be overwhelming! Instead of buying a box, just pick up one bar from the store or bodega and give it a whirl. Try a Kind bar, ½ of a Cliff Builder Bar, a Zone bar or Vega bar – developed by a vegan triathlete!
- WATER: Don’t forget about hydration! Have around 8 oz of good old-fashioned water before you start. And be sure to stay hydrated
during and after a workout.
I’m a huge promoter of high fiber carbohydrates such as beans, lentils, peas, quinoa and barley at mealtime. However, having a lot of fiber before a workout can be a recipe for an upset stomach. The same is true of fat. Heart healthy fat in your diet is necessary, but having a high fat snack before exercise doesn’t feel great for bodies in motion!
The right snack before workouts provides the right amount of energy to sustain us. Post workout, be sure to eat something high in protein. It’s extremely important to replenish your muscles. One of my favorite post-workout snacks is a cup of 1% chocolate milk – although higher in sugar, it’s a small-scale treat that replenishes protein. Otherwise, all that hard work may be for naught!
Posted by Alexandra Pitkin on April 20, 2013 under Balanced Eating, Body Care, Budgeting, Fitness, Healthy Living, Making choices
You’re not alone. Counting down the weeks until summer arrives, only to realize that the New Year’s resolution to eat healthfully or exercise more has been put on the back burner. In a panic, you might search online for diets, hoping to shed a few pounds quickly. But can any diet help you lose weight while maintaining your energy level, health and sanity?
Let’s work together to filter out the hype and talk about some standards of nutrition and well-being that are right for you not just for the Summer – but for life.
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Posted by Christina Pirello on March 21, 2013 under Balanced Eating, Making choices
Maya Angelou famously said that when someone shows us who they are, we should believe them. The same can be said for food and its labeling. Some personal perspective:
When I came home from school every day, my Grandma would have a big pot of some kind of beans or a stew simmering away on the stove, simply prepared with olive oil, garlic, and fresh herbs from her window sill. She served it to us as our after-school snack along with bread freshly baked by my Mother. If we wanted cookies, my Mother baked them. If we wanted pizza, they whipped up the dough and— voila!—we had pizza. We lived a life where food was respected and valued, where dinnertime was sacred. And if you didn’t make it to dinner, you’d best be dead, since that was the only acceptable excuse!
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Posted by Joe Wheeler on January 7, 2013 under Body Care, Fitness, Healthy Living, Making choices, Nutrition
You’ve heard the old saying – “without your health you have nothing” – well, as we head into 2013, your good health really is the ultimate gift. It’s a gift you can give to yourself and indirectly, to those you love.
Let’s focus on you.
What would you like to break free of in 2013? What would you change? Are you ready to reach for your best health? And just how do you reach that goal in a world with thousands of different diets and a million ways to get off track? Actually, that’s why we started iBeamforLife!
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Posted by Caitlin Quinn on December 12, 2012 under Balanced Eating, Body Care, Fitness, Healthy Living, Lifestyle, Making choices, Nutrition
-Seems that no matter which TV station you watch, or website you visit, you’re bombarded with tips on how to handle the holidays without gaining weight. As dietitians at iBeamforLife, we know that it’s actually about a lot more than that. It’s about your whole-health, as we say in our blogs. Imagine you, enjoying a holiday where you kept on track – not just at the holiday party, but the day AFTER the party as well.
Days after an event are prime times for low will-power. It’s used up after stressful social events with lots of temptation and maybe more than a few good reasons to stress-eat! I often hear from clients who say: “Everything was fine until the next day.” So how do you safeguard your whole health through crazy, hectic holidays? Use these Five Steps to help you maintain your personal balance while relaxing and enjoying more of the season.
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Posted by Alexandra Pitkin on November 25, 2012 under Balanced Eating, Healthy Living, Making choices, Nutrition
Creamy, delicious dairy products have permeated our lives in a big way. From ice cream to cheeses, there’s lots to love. Yet, if you ever experience gas, bloating, or abdominal pain after consuming a lot of dairy you may be in a tough spot. Or maybe you read somewhere that dairy should be avoided and decided to skip it entirely? As a dietitian, I know that lots of information, some of it not so good, floats around about lactose intolerance and dairy. It’s understandable, given the barrage of conflicting information out there. Let’s clear some of the confusion, find out the real deal and start at the very beginning with some basics:
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Posted by Lynn Polmanteer on October 26, 2012 under Balanced Eating, Healthy Living, Making choices, Nutrition, Parenting
Recently I wrote about electrolyte drinks to shed some light on what’s helpful vs. what’s hype. The next step in the series is a small but significant one … into the world of juices. Let’s check out some hidden ways you could be gaining weight from ever-popular juices, along with my best tips and strategies to keep enjoyment in the glass while maintaining your best health – for life.
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Posted by Caitlin Quinn on September 20, 2012 under Balanced Eating, Fitness, Healthy Living, Lifestyle, Making choices, Nutrition, Recipes
The air is crisp, the leaves are falling – autumn is clearly on its way. In my family, autumn means two things: football and tailgate parties. Whether it’s high school football or the NFL, tailgating and football parties are a major part of our weekend.
Unfortunately, tailgate favorites are often loaded with calories, and if you’re not careful, they can quickly undo your health goals. The average tailgater can easily consumer 1,200 calories in a single game!
For some perspective, take a look at some commonly eaten football favorites that will have you working out like a pro player to burn them off:
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Posted by Christina Pirello on August 3, 2012 under Balanced Eating, Body Care, Making choices, Nutrition, Recipes
Life’s certainly a beach in summertime.
When I walk into my gym after any given weekend in the summer, there will be body after body suffering the after effects of too much sun (and other excesses) at the Jersey Shore. How do we keep our bodies and our precious skin safe all summer long? Well, since I just know you will be outdoors, fit and active (you will, right?), there are a few things you should know that will keep you fresh as a daisy with skin as soft as dew – for life.
My five greatest tips for healthy and hydrated skin:
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Posted by Lynn Polmanteer on July 20, 2012 under Balanced Eating, Fitness, Healthy Living, Making choices, Recipes
In April a good friend of mine ran the Boston Marathon. I visited Boston that weekend with some friends to cheer on “Runner Girl” and the trek inspired me to write about hydration. The race took place on an unusually warm spring day with temperatures in the high 80s. We were hot just on the sidelines watching runner after runner and I saw a lot of spectators, including my friends, drinking sports drinks. Sounds appropriate, given all the ads we see every day, right? Well, not quite. Some tips:
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