Personally, even if I don’t follow the Alkaline diet; I think its proponents have made some valid points, and there are few valuable lessons we can learn from it.
But let’s make one step at the time...
Some Thoughts On The Alkaline Diet
February 19, 2012
My post on green juice has raised some question about why I believe it is important to integrate more alkaline foods (such as a green juice) in the diet.
Personally, even if I don’t follow the Alkaline diet; I think its proponents have made some valid points, and there are few valuable lessons we can learn from it.
But let’s make one step at the time...
Personally, even if I don’t follow the Alkaline diet; I think its proponents have made some valid points, and there are few valuable lessons we can learn from it.
But let’s make one step at the time...
February 14, 2012
I took this picture few weeks ago while I was in Paris. This is one of my favorites quotes of all time and seeing it on the wall just made my day.
February 11, 2012
As a triathlete I need a strong core and solid abs for a number of reasons (not just for the look!)
1) First and foremost because in the swimming I want to keep my body as much as possible parallel to the water surface in order to gain speed and I can achieve this only if I have an iron core.
2) On the bike, if you want to avoid lower back pains, it's your abdomen that should be in charge of sustaining your upper-body weight.
3) Finally, the stronger the core the better runner you’ll be. A strong core will help not only sustain the weight of your upper body but it will help you lift the legs and achieve longer strides.
That is why I train my core and abs everyday for at least 30 minutes, and I'm pretty satisfied with the results...I mean, the picture below is good proof, right?
Anyway, this is in a nutshell my core and abs routine. I do 3 (sometime 4) sets of each exercise, it's pretty intense, and at the end I can barely feel my muscles. Hope you find this useful!
Note: I posted some YouTube's videos that show how to do the exercises. I find those very useful because they teach the correct form which I believe is crucial!
1) First and foremost because in the swimming I want to keep my body as much as possible parallel to the water surface in order to gain speed and I can achieve this only if I have an iron core.
2) On the bike, if you want to avoid lower back pains, it's your abdomen that should be in charge of sustaining your upper-body weight.
3) Finally, the stronger the core the better runner you’ll be. A strong core will help not only sustain the weight of your upper body but it will help you lift the legs and achieve longer strides.
That is why I train my core and abs everyday for at least 30 minutes, and I'm pretty satisfied with the results...I mean, the picture below is good proof, right?
Anyway, this is in a nutshell my core and abs routine. I do 3 (sometime 4) sets of each exercise, it's pretty intense, and at the end I can barely feel my muscles. Hope you find this useful!
Note: I posted some YouTube's videos that show how to do the exercises. I find those very useful because they teach the correct form which I believe is crucial!
February 10, 2012
I’ve been looking for a solid recipe for protein cookies for quite some time, unfortunately there are very few to be found. On top of that, some just don’t work, while others taste gross.
I was a tad frustrated by that and almost ready to give up the idea. That's when I made up my mind and decided it was about time to try to create a solid recipe for protein cookies.
I tried and tried (and tried) until I perfected these protein cookies. Packed with proteins, fibers, precious nutrients, but considerate in sugars and fats, these cookies are just delicious.
They can make for a perfect post-workout recovery snack and, if you have kids, they are a perfectly healthy treat.
February 5, 2012
Green juice is among one the healthiest things you can have: full of antioxidants, vitamins and with a high alkalinity that helps your body balancing the Ph in your system.
However, I need to be honest here: I truly hate green juice. Complete nightmare.
I drink green juice the same way I used to take cod liver oil when I was a little kid: holding my nose, closing my eyes and forcing it it down the throat while telling my body 'this is good for you now gulp it!"
February 4, 2012
I felt that this weekend was just the right time for a motivational post. Especially because I talked about this with a friend of mine last night. In a hopeless effort to try to convince him to sign up for a gym membership and start exercising I told him: “Do you really want to do like you did last year and stay at the beach with your t-shirt on? Or just not come to the beach at all?” Last summer he was very self-conscious about his body (to the point that he would rather not come to the beach at all because of it) I used the summer/beach excuse as a way to try to get him back on the right track...and considering that he just texted me about it, I might just have succeeded.
I’m pretty aware that talking right now about the beach might seem awkward. I mean, outside it’s still freezing cold, we get inches of snow every other day and with the summer still six months away flip-flops, short, bikini, suntan and the like are just a distant thought.
However, if you want to be the ready for the beach, this is the right time to start!
I’m pretty aware that talking right now about the beach might seem awkward. I mean, outside it’s still freezing cold, we get inches of snow every other day and with the summer still six months away flip-flops, short, bikini, suntan and the like are just a distant thought.
However, if you want to be the ready for the beach, this is the right time to start!
January 29, 2012
Lately I discovered that there is some misunderstanding on food labeled as “Natural”. The uncertainty comes from the presumption people makes that a natural food is also an healthy food.
I actually had a big discussion about this last night in my apartment as one of my roommates was fairly convinced that a box of cereals she just bought, because labeled as “naturally made” were also healthy.
That’s when I jumped in and said: “Stop right there, “natural” is a word with such a broad meaning that food makers now use it to ingenerate in consumers the belief that what their selling is also healthy, but that might not be the case.” A long discussion followed (which I’m not gonna report here) until we looked at the ingredients list on the box and well, that was the end of the controversy.
Why? Because the “all natural” cereals contained the following ingredients: “Yellow corn meal with added corn bran, Unshulphured molasses, Whole oat flour, Expeller pressed high oleic oil (canola and/or sunflower), Salt, Cinnamon, Natural Flavour, Baking soda, [...].”
I’m not questioning that the aforementioned ingredients are all natural but if you believe, like me, that ultra-processed foods are not “that healthy”, well there you go, you can do the math. I mean that “Expeller pressed high oleic oil” sounds a but shady to me.
And don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that the manufacturer is claiming that the cereals are healthy, but by labeling them as natural, it does make them sound as they are in some way “made according to nature” and/or “hearty” and/or “good”; that was at least my impression (and also my roommates one).
I actually had a big discussion about this last night in my apartment as one of my roommates was fairly convinced that a box of cereals she just bought, because labeled as “naturally made” were also healthy.
That’s when I jumped in and said: “Stop right there, “natural” is a word with such a broad meaning that food makers now use it to ingenerate in consumers the belief that what their selling is also healthy, but that might not be the case.” A long discussion followed (which I’m not gonna report here) until we looked at the ingredients list on the box and well, that was the end of the controversy.
Why? Because the “all natural” cereals contained the following ingredients: “Yellow corn meal with added corn bran, Unshulphured molasses, Whole oat flour, Expeller pressed high oleic oil (canola and/or sunflower), Salt, Cinnamon, Natural Flavour, Baking soda, [...].”
I’m not questioning that the aforementioned ingredients are all natural but if you believe, like me, that ultra-processed foods are not “that healthy”, well there you go, you can do the math. I mean that “Expeller pressed high oleic oil” sounds a but shady to me.
And don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that the manufacturer is claiming that the cereals are healthy, but by labeling them as natural, it does make them sound as they are in some way “made according to nature” and/or “hearty” and/or “good”; that was at least my impression (and also my roommates one).
January 28, 2012
Cravings: we encounter them daily, several times throughout a day. Some are very strong and we cannot resist them, others just go away in a couple of minutes.
Have you ever wondered what a craving is? IT's pretty simple, a craving is your body's way of telling you you're lacking something.
Among all cravings, sugary ones can be particularly hard to handle.
Craving a glazed donut, a chocolate sundae or a red velvet cupcake doesn't mean you should eat any those.
Why? Because munching a sugary snack will soon make you crave for more sugary things. Simple/refined carbs satisfies hunger and give the body a short-term energy boost, but they as quickly leave you famished again, craving for more.
So how to control them? Here's a breakdown of what your sugar cravings really are and how to get a hang of them.
Have you ever wondered what a craving is? IT's pretty simple, a craving is your body's way of telling you you're lacking something.
Among all cravings, sugary ones can be particularly hard to handle.
Craving a glazed donut, a chocolate sundae or a red velvet cupcake doesn't mean you should eat any those.
Why? Because munching a sugary snack will soon make you crave for more sugary things. Simple/refined carbs satisfies hunger and give the body a short-term energy boost, but they as quickly leave you famished again, craving for more.
So how to control them? Here's a breakdown of what your sugar cravings really are and how to get a hang of them.
January 25, 2012
I discovered Stevia extract not a long time ago through Anthony at RawModel. He mentioned it as a healthy and natural sweetener that he uses in his smoothies, juices and oatmeal. I’m always on the hunt for healthier alternatives to sugar (provided that artificial sweeteners are a no-go for me), thus whenever something new arises on the "sweeteners horizon" well, I have to give it a try. In addition, stevia has virtually no calories: not bad huh!
If you’re familiar with this blog, you probably know that before eating something I want to know exactly what it is, where it comes from, and, above all, if it’s good or bad for my health. Basically, I need to know everything about it.
I did my fair share of research, and this is what I discovered. Hoping that you’ll find it useful too.
If you’re familiar with this blog, you probably know that before eating something I want to know exactly what it is, where it comes from, and, above all, if it’s good or bad for my health. Basically, I need to know everything about it.
I did my fair share of research, and this is what I discovered. Hoping that you’ll find it useful too.
January 22, 2012
Lately I’ve decided to try to cut my overall intake of meat (I’ve cut out pork completely for that matter). I’ve never been a big meat eater, but chicken and turkey have always been a main part of my diet. I was (and I am still) convinced that there’s nothing like meat to get your protein intake, but I’m also more conscious that eating too much meat (even if organic lean meat) is not ideal for your health. That's why I I decided to resort to other plant sources of protein.
Also, during one of my triathlons last year I met two vegan triathletes and one of them - to put it mildly - just “beat the crap” out of me during the race. He was almost faster than me in the swimming segment (which for me is a big deal ) and when we jumped on the bike well, there was no match.
I was really impressed by this guy because he seemed to have some kind of secret source of energy that made him almost fly throughout the race.
Then I thought to myself: this guy is vegan and he’s an amazing triathlete, how does he feeds his muscles? Because let’s not forget that a vegan doesn’t eat meat, fish, dairy products or eggs. Hence, it can get quite tricky to get your proteins. I have many vegan friends, some of them are amazing yoga teachers, others are good athletes but none of them is even close to being a triathlete.
Training for triathlons (and triathlon races themselves) requires a lot of energy and the post-training/race recovery can become quite problematic if you can’t rely on readily available protein sources (such as whey protein, egg whites or chicken).
I asked him for some guidance on his diet and he replied that he relied heavily on quinoa, organic soy (including soy protein powder), hemp, legumes and brown rice.
All in all he made me realize that there are so many other sources of protein other than standard meat, fish, eggs and dairy products.
Let’s dig more into this!
Also, during one of my triathlons last year I met two vegan triathletes and one of them - to put it mildly - just “beat the crap” out of me during the race. He was almost faster than me in the swimming segment (which for me is a big deal ) and when we jumped on the bike well, there was no match.
I was really impressed by this guy because he seemed to have some kind of secret source of energy that made him almost fly throughout the race.
Then I thought to myself: this guy is vegan and he’s an amazing triathlete, how does he feeds his muscles? Because let’s not forget that a vegan doesn’t eat meat, fish, dairy products or eggs. Hence, it can get quite tricky to get your proteins. I have many vegan friends, some of them are amazing yoga teachers, others are good athletes but none of them is even close to being a triathlete.
Training for triathlons (and triathlon races themselves) requires a lot of energy and the post-training/race recovery can become quite problematic if you can’t rely on readily available protein sources (such as whey protein, egg whites or chicken).
I asked him for some guidance on his diet and he replied that he relied heavily on quinoa, organic soy (including soy protein powder), hemp, legumes and brown rice.
All in all he made me realize that there are so many other sources of protein other than standard meat, fish, eggs and dairy products.
Let’s dig more into this!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
.jpg)
