Healthy Snacks That Help You Lose Weight (get lean and stay that way)

by hartteuser Leave a Comment

I am about to share some quick to make, nutrient-dense healthy snacks that help you lose weight, get lean and stay that way. They’re also super smart to have on hand for grab and go. Whether you need something fast to take on your next spontaneous hike or have only 30 minutes between meetings, you’ll be shocked at how simple these snacks really are.

Not only that, if you have teenage kids like I do, having these healthy snack foods on hand will also keep them healthy too (and away from the packaged foods we know aren’t good for them).

Truth be told, my family eats and lives very simply. I really do not have the time to cook these days and we base 99% of our meals around simple, fresh, and real ingredients.

Before I share what we do as a family to stay ‘fit n healthy’ I want to point out what I see a lot of out there in ‘health magazines’ or posted on social channels as ‘healthy snacks’.

Some of which include

avocado fries with lime dipping sauce
fruit roll-ups
double chocolate granola bars
sweet trail mix

For one thing, I don’t know about you, but who has time to make these recipes? Furthermore, the ingredients I see are far from getting you into a leaner, cleaner, sexier version of yourself and even remotely ready for summer.

Too much sugar, too much flour and not necessary. If you truly want to look better from the outside we need to think about getting healthy from the inside and there is a much simpler, smarter way to do this.

Think Nutrient-Rich instead of Counting Calories for Weight Loss Snacks.

What I mean by that is I want you to start thinking about ‘nutrients’ instead of calories. Nutrients (e.g. amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, and fiber) provide your body with what it needs to have proper body FUNCTION. The second part of this equation is are you absorbing your food and using it for repair, regeneration, building muscle, burning fat, supporting healthy hormone balance, and a robust metabolism?

Calories do not give you the entire picture. Where are the calories coming from? If it’s from non-nutrient sources that rob you of proper health and vitality like ‘healthy whole grains’ that aren’t properly prepared through soaking or sprouting, processed dairy that is devoid of their enzymes necessary for digestion, unsoaked nuts that are high in lectins, which can cause immune (allergic) reactions, gastrointestinal distress, that then further lead to nutritional deficiencies., refined sugar, vegetable oils, or chemicals you cannot read, then that is not what we want to lose weight and keep it off.

We want to think of nutrient-rich + digestibility for healthy snacks.

So what are my recommendations for Healthy Snacks That Help You Lose Weight (get lean and stay that way)?

FROM HOME:

Ready-made wieners and cut up veggies. Try chicken, turkey, beef, or bison wieners (nitrite/nitrate-free). I like Wild Moon Pork European Weiners and sliced colored peppers, celery sticks, garden carrots, or cherry tomatoes. I simply dip wieners in a mixture of mustard and Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil Mayo for best enjoyment and added health benefits.
Pepperoni (nitrite/nitrate-free) and cut up veggies. Try bison, beef, or bison sausages. I like Pig City Pasture-raised meats located in Lumby.
Hard-boiled eggs (simply boil for 8- 10 minutes) and cut up veggies. Get your eggs from a grass-fed, pastured, organic source, and eat the yolk! Yolks are high in choline, which is essential for proper brain and nervous system function (aka you get smarter and calmer).
Beef or Buffalo Burgers and cut up veggies. Try salmon, veggie, beef/bison, or turkey burgers.
Chewy Chocolate Balls and cut up veggies.
The Perfect Protein Bar (my personal favorite). Take with you in a cooler and ice pack.
Cheese and olives. Go for cheese made from raw milk and unpasteurized, ideally sourced from A2 cows, goat, or sheep.
Lettuce wraps filled with organic meat, smoked wild salmon or eggs, with grated carrots, beets and sprouts, and Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil Mayo, garlic. and relishes or chili sauce.
Cottage Cheese Pancakes. Great tasting and easy to digest. Client and family favorite.

FROM THE DELI:

Simple slices of organic meats and a side kale salad.
Sushi. Avoid soy, edamame, and rolls with fried ingredients, and instead, enjoy sashimi and seaweed salad unless you’ve just finished a workout and using as your carb ‘re-feed’.
Roast chicken and a side salad. Dress it with olives, avocado, crushed garlic, ground oregano, and parmesan cheese. Drizzle olive oil, balsamic vinegar or lemon/ lime to complete.
Bean or lentil soup with a sprouted whole grain bun (buy more soup and have it tomorrow or add it to a previously soaked rice or quinoa for dinner).
Samosa and a side of turkey sausages.
Spanakopita.
Ready-made sandwiches (which include a protein source and made on sprouted grain bread).
Mixed veggie salad and a side of sausages (nitrate/nitrite free). Try: turkey, bison, or beef sausages.
Bean or lentil burgers with a side veggie salad containing either nuts/seeds or sprouted grain.
Chicken or Beef soup (buy more soup and have it later or add it to a salad for dinner).
Snack bar. Look for ingredients that contain dried fruits or natural sweeteners with nuts and seeds. Avoid artificial sweeteners, soy (unless fermented) and refined sugars (corn syrup, glucose, sucrose). I like Good Fats bar or Lara Bar.
Bean or lentil salad. Add some cheese (made from raw milk) or sprouted whole grain for a complete protein.

Summary

When it comes to healthy snacks. Just keep it Simple. Clean. and Fresh to get lean, fit, and healthy. This will allow for easy weight loss and to keep ‘beach body ready’ all year round. THIS works!

Like this way of eating to lose weight and want more?

Are you over 40 and serious about losing 20+ lbs in 8 weeks or less without giving up your favorite foods (or wine)? I have a new 30-day program called, The Fit n Healthy Fat Loss Plan.

Includes a Customized Simple Diet, 30 Day Easy Meal Plan, 2-20 min weekly exercise program, top digestion and sleep tips to get you, whole-body health results fast, and for a lifetime. Want accountability? You got it! All part of my simple and complete fat burning, body beautiful, health-promoting plan.

Send me an email askmichale@gmail.com to see if you quality

What’s the Best Diet For Me?

by Michale Leave a Comment

High protein, no carb, some protein, low carb? Vegetarian, vegan or animal sourced foods? High fat, low fat, no fat?

What’s the Best Diet for Me?

This is definitely a “heated” topic, with countless theoretical arguments on both sides, and lots of conflicting evidence. My answer, based on my years as a nutritional researcher and consultant is this: I know of ‘meat eaters’ who display robust health and I know of ‘vegetarians’ or ‘vegans’ who are sick and tired. BUT, and this is a BIG BUT….I also know of meat eaters who are sick and tired and a few vegetarians and vegans who are full of life and vigor!

As you may have noticed, we are all unique. There is no one else exactly like you! Not only do we look, act and think differently, our dietary needs are also different. We all come from a variety of ethnic heritages, live and work in different climates all throughout the world and have our own unique constitutions, food sensitivities and allergies. There is no such thing as the ‘Perfect Diet’ for all of us to follow. What works for you, may or may not work for your neighbor or friend.

Human beings are omnivores – a species that can digest foods from both plant and animal sources. When it comes to eating a vegetarian, vegan or an animal sourced diet – Which is the Best Diet for you? You decide! BUT (this is the second BUT)…. if you are drawn to the vegetarian or vegan way of eating, due to ethical reasons or simply because you do not like meat, then make sure you follow the 4 Must Do’s of Vegetarian or Vegan Eating (see below). Alternatively, if you like to eat meat, then make sure you follow the 4 Must Do’s of an Animal Sourced Diet (see below).

4 Must Do’s of Vegetarian or Vegan Eating:

1) Practice proper food combining. Plant protein sources are not as concentrated as animal sources and need to be combined, in order to yield the high quality protein your body requires every day. Beans, for example, must be combined in two ways: with nuts or seeds or with whole grains at every meal, otherwise they act primarily as simple carbohydrates and not as complete, concentrated proteins.

Examples of complete protein combinations using plant sources:

Dried beans + rice
Lentils + rice
Tempeh + noodles
Split pea + barley soup
Almond butter + spelt bread
Chickpea + sesame seeds
Beans + tortilla wraps

2) Get enough minerals. Vegetarian and vegan diets often lack the fat-soluble catalysts (fat soluble Vitamin A and D found in animal sourced foods) needed for mineral absorption. Non-strict vegetarians would do well to consume some dairy (e.g. eggs, butter, cheese, raw milk – all sourced from pasture fed animals) and/or fish. Strict vegetarians and vegans need to take an additional mineral supplement that is carefully formulated for proper absorption. These can be found at your better health food stores.

3) Soak your grains. This is important! Grains naturally contain phytates, substances that block absorption of calcium, magnesium, iron, copper and zinc. Even minor mineral deficiencies make the difference between having energy or not! Properly preparing your grains can neutralize harmful phytates and enzyme inhibitors.

To learn how to properly prepare your grains, look under ‘Nutritional Tools’.

4) Get enough B12. Usable vitamin B12 occurs only from animal sources. Research to this date indicates that fermented soy foods and spirulina do not give us absorbable B12 because neither one is picked up by intrinsic factor, a specialized protein secreted in the stomach which is directly involved in B12 absorption. This means that non-strict vegetarians need to consume either some dairy (e.g. eggs, butter, cheese, raw milk – all sourced from pasture fed animals) and/or fish; strict vegetarians and vegans need to take an additional B12 supplement that is carefully formulated for proper absorption.

In summary: Those who are adverse to eating meats can still look to plant sources for proper protein combinations, although it is well advised to add either some dairy (e.g. eggs, butter, cheese, raw milk – all sourced from pasture fed animals) and/or fish or poultry to your diet to get the essential amino acids needed for strength, energy and tissue repair.

4 Must Do’s of an Animal Sourced Diet:

1) Eat protein rich foods of high quality. These foods are more easily assimilated by your body providing a better source of nutrition. Sources of concentrated, high-quality protein include:

grass finished beef
organic, free range or omega-3 eggs
wild bison and game
cold-water (oily) fish and seafood
organic and free range chicken
raw whole milk, cheese (preferably made from “raw milk”) and plain yoghurt (preferably, non-homogenized) produced from pasture-fed cows, goats or sheep

2) Avoid burnt meat. Cut away any part of the meat that is burnt. When meat proteins are burned, they become carcinogens (potential cancer causing agents).

3) Avoid processed meats. Look for “ nitrate free” meats when choosing sausage, luncheon meats or bacon. The nitrates are common meat preservatives that can be potent carcinogens (potential cancer causing agents).

4) Consider that you may have low hydrochloric acid (HCL) levels. You may know this if you feel uncomfortable after eating meat. In other words, there are times when the meat that you have just eaten, feels like it just sits in your stomach. If this is you, then following these recommendations below may help bring back balance to your system and the pleasure of eating meat again.

Here are 5 changes you can make to restore HCL levels:

Eat one protein source per meal (e.g. have the prawns or the steak)
Do not combine any sugars, including fruits, with any meats. (e.g. eggs and orange juice)
Consume your beverages at room temperature (e.g. drink room temperature water)
Relax, slow down and enjoy your food! (e.g. chew, chew, chew!)
Supplement with a digestive enzyme that contains HCL (ideally, one that contains bile as well), unless you have an active ulcer.

Please note: Do not take HCL if you have an active ulcer. An ulcer feels like a burning sensation behind your breast bone. If you have an active ulcer, take a digestive aid without HCL. Once the ulcer is healed, then begin taking an enzyme with HCL. If you happen to take a digestive aid with HCL and you have an undiagnosed stomach ulcer, simply take a little baking soda to neutralize the acid and have the ulcer treated.

In summary: Be confident in the knowledge that animal sourced foods are completely natural and healthy! Our ancient ancestors ate a diet composed largely of wild animal and fish, supplemented with vegetables, whole fruits, nuts and seeds. Many experts such as Kevin Spelman 1. agree that 99.99% of our genetic map was written before the advent of agriculture. Research has revealed that our genetic makeup is virtually identical to that of ancient people. Not only that, the historical record shows agriculture is a relatively new activity for the human family. Consider this, we have been agrarian for less than 0.5 percent of the time we have been on this planet. So eat your meat, be healthy and enjoy it!

Want to learn more about how you can get fit and healthy? Check out Michale Hartte’s, BASc (Nutr), NNCP new book, “The Fit n Healthy Plan – The healthy diet & lifestyle plan made easy!”. Click under “Products and Services” for more information.

1. Spelman, Kevin. Cardiovascular Disease: A Single Drug Condition. Unified Health, A Clinicians Forum. V4, 10, Winter 2008, 23

Reverse the Signs of Aging – The 4 BEST foods

by Michale 12 Comments

What causes us to age? Why do some people appear to age faster than others? Most importantly, how can we slow down, stop, even reverse the signs of aging?

Karlis Ullis, M.D., author of Age Right summarized it best when he described advanced aging as the four D’s – discomfort, disability, drugs, and doctors.

In his book, he outlined the four main physiological changes that occur with aging:

Decreased muscle mass
Decreased bone mass
Decreased water content
Increased fat levels

The negative consequences of these bodily changes include: unwanted weight gain, weak teeth and bones, low energy and, you guessed it – wrinkles!

Knowing that anti-aging involves a multi-faceted approach, from a dietary perspective, look and feel younger by eating more of these foods:

Top 4 Best “anti-aging” foods:

1. Organic vegetables (preferably raw): Fresh, organic, colourful vegetables work to keep us youthful because they are packed full of antioxidants. When we consume foods rich in antioxidants, they work to absorb free radicals before they can cause damage to our cell structures. In Latin, the word vegetable means “to enliven or animate”. More and more evidence is showing how a daily diet rich in a variety of vegetables helps prevent and even reverse many diseases.

Simple Solutions: Strive to include vegetables with most of your daily meals and snacks. Eat your vegetables raw. Raw foods contain natural enzymes that help us digest our foods. The exception to this rule is for those who have under active thyroids (hypothyroidism) or low mineral status (osteoporosis/osteopenia). Cabbage, broccoli, kale and Brussels sprouts all contain goitrogenic properties that block absorption of iodine, which is necessary for healthy thyroid production. Beet tops, spinach and Swiss chard, when consumed raw, contain a substance called oxalic acid that blocks our body’s absorption of minerals. Lightly cooking (and fermenting) neutralizes these harmful substances.

2. Blueberries: According to Dr. Mercola, author of Dr. Mercola’s Total Health Cookbook and Program, blueberries are among the best of all berries. They are lower in sugar than other fruits yet contain the most powerful antioxidant properties of all fruits and vegetables. He states, “In addition to preventing heart disease, cancer, and other diseases, they’ve (blueberries) been shown to slow the aging process, especially in the brain.”

Simple Solutions: Try having a blueberry smoothie by simply blending your desired amount of blueberries with filtered water. Add to the mix, some dark leafy greens (celery tops, dandelion greens, etc) for even more antioxidant power. Stir in a serving of vanilla whey protein powder, add in nut butter or your favourite omega -3 oil and you have a perfect post-workout meal!!!

3. Sea Vegetables: Sea vegetables are highly esteemed for their nutrient dense qualities and medicinal properties. They contain valuable trace minerals and are especially supportive to the thyroid. Research from McGill University shows that alginates in brown sea vegetables like Nova Scotia dulse are capable of preventing absorption of radioactive products and can offer protection from the radiation of an X-ray or radiation therapy. 1.

Simple Solutions: Wrap your sandwich fillings with a sheet of raw nori, look for snacks made of dulse at your health food store, or add strips of Kombo to soups or bean dishes. Some ‘green drinks’ include sea vegetables in their mix. The most common include spirulina and chlorella.

4. Grass finished meat: High quality meats, raised appropriately can provide you with all the essential amino acids and micronutrients your body requires to keep you at a high level of wellness. Grass finished meat is high in CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) – the fat burning fat – which actually helps your body to lose unwanted body fat. Because this cattle is raised on it’s proper diet of grass, it is naturally leaner than grain fed beef. You would also be avoiding an artificial concoction of vaccines, hormones, pesticides, herbicides, and GMO grains – all nasty stuff!

Simple Solutions: Try making bison burgers. They are quick to make and tasty to eat. Simply add the following ingredients to 1 lb of ground bison meat: 1 whole egg, 1 tbsp prepared mustard, 2 tbsp blended strawberries or blueberries, 2 tbsp chives (chopped), 1 clove of garlic (crushed), 2 tbsp dried oregano and basil mixture, 2 tbsp wheat germ and a good size pinch of mineral salt and ground black pepper. Mix, make into patties. Place in refrigerator for ½ hr, then grill for 10 minutes per side and enjoy!
1. Graci Sam, “The Food Connection”, 2001: 219