Girl on yoga mat meditating. Maintaining a healthy body is a lifestyle, not a destination.

Will This Make Me Fat?

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quiz with numerous foods like peanut butter and avocados asking which of these is fattening?

Answer: NONE of them! Read on for an explanation…

 

“Is ____________ fattening?”

Common question!
🤥 But– It’s a myth that an individual food is “fattening.”

Some foods contain more fat, carbohydrates or calories than others. Also, foods vary in nutritional value:

🥑🥜 A food high in fat (ex. avocado, nuts, peanut butter) can also contain beneficial nutrients making it a healthy addition to your diet. High-fat does not equal bad or fattening.

🍌🍠 A food high in carbs (ex. banana, sweet potato) can also contain beneficial nutrients making it a healthy addition to your diet. High-carb does not equal bad or fattening.

🍪 Some foods are more ultra-processed and have fewer beneficial nutrients (ex. cookies, brownies, ice-cream). These foods taste delicious and provide enjoyment! Lower-nutrient does not equal bad or fattening.

 While it’s smart to be aware of where different types of foods fall on the nutrition spectrum, you can still incorporate ANY kind of food into your diet without it being “fattening.”

 

Meme about how individual foods are not fattening or not. It's more about how taking in more calories than your body needs over a period of time that causes weight gain.

💫 Change your mindset from:
“Is it fattening?”
to…
“How does this food fit into my day of eating as a whole?” 💗

 

girl on yoga mat with a quote about how you won't get fat eating one bad meal and you won't get lean eating one healthy meal. You are what you repeatedly do.

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Bento box with carrots, blueberries, cottage cheese, turkey, banana, wrap and lara bar.

Bento Box Cheat Sheet: Printable!

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Lunch idea! 😃➡️ Make a BENTO BOX!

Bento box with carrots, blueberries, cottage cheese, turkey, banana, wrap and lara bar.

Bento Box with baby carrots, everything but the bagel cottage cheese, turkey slices, blueberries, banana, PB&J in sprouted grain wrap and a Lara Bar

Bento Box Cheat Sheet

Aim for variety & balance, not perfection:

🍎🥕🍍🥦 FRUIT AND/OR VEGGIE
(carrots, celery, bell peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, jicama, cucumber, tomatoes, radish, strawberries, kiwi, blueberries, pineapple, grapes, melon, mango, apple, orange, peach, plum, cherries, figs, dates, raisins, apricots)

🥚🥑🥜🧀 PROTEIN & FAT
(cheese, nuts/nut butters, tuna, chicken, turkey, tofu, tempeh, avocado, yogurt, cottage cheese, hard boiled egg, jerky, edamame)

🥪🍚🍿🫓 CARBOHYDRATE
(tortilla/wrap, whole-grain bread, popcorn, beans/bean salad, pasta/pasta salad, crackers, hummus, rice, potatoes, granola)

🍫🍪🍵 😁 ANYTHING ELSE THAT BRINGS YOU JOY!

Soooo many great possible combos…

Here are a few of my lunch boxes that I remembered to snap a photo of–

There is a bit of overlap. 😅 You’ll notice I have my go-tos :

 

 Chicken, cheese, brazil nuts, macadamia nuts, dried apricots, carrots, celery, Tahini Medjool Date Cookies & an apple:

Bento box with tahini medjool date cookies, turkey, cheese, macadamia nuts, carrots, celery, dried apricots and an apple. 

 

Beef jerky, Laughing Cow Cheese, mixed nuts/seeds/coconut, apple, peanut butter, peppers, cucumbers & a couple of chocolates:

Bento box with cucumber, peppers, apples, peanut butter, cheese, beef jerky, trail mix and chocolate.

 

Turkey, Mary’s Gone Crackers, strawberries, tomatoes, carrots, celery & peanut butter:

Bento box with turkey, crackers, peanut butter, strawberries, tomatoes, carrots and celery.

 

Chomps meat stick, grapes, Babybel cheese, walnuts, wasabi almonds, Mary’s Gone Crackers, carrots, celery & peanut butter:

Bento box with meat stick, cheese, grapes, crackers, carrots, celery, nuts and peanut butter.

 

Tuna salad wrap, Babybel cheese, blueberries, blackberries, carrots, brazil nuts, macadamia nuts & dates:

Bento box with tuna wrap, blueberries, blackberries, carrots, cheese, dates and nuts.

 

Tempeh and guacamole in sprouted grain wrap, apple, carrots, cottage cheese, dried apricots & brazil nuts:

Bento box with cottage cheese, tempeh and avocado wrap, apples, carrots and brazil nuts.

 

Cottage cheese, grapes, carrots, celery, apples, oranges, Crunchmasters crackers, peanut butter & a TRUBAR & banana that I had for an afternoon snack:

bento box full of veggies, fruits, cottage cheese, peanut butter, crackers, protein bar and banana

 

Peanut butter, jelly and arugula in whole grain tortilla, orange, grapes, carrots & Babybel cheese:

Bento box with peanut butter and jelly wrap, cheese, carrot, grapes and orange slices.

Once you know the basic combo of foods to include for balance, you can easily build yourself a tasty, nutritious bento box from foods you (hopefully) have in your kitchen. Most require little to no prep time.

Remember: Fruit/Veg, Protein/Fat, Carbohydrate & anything else you love that makes you look forward to lunchtime. 💗

Print your Bento Box Cheat Sheet here!

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List of vegan breakfast ideas.

Vegan Food Ideas

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Fun fact about me: I was vegan for over 12 years! 😲

It’s been more than 10 years now since I returned to being omnivorous, but I am supportive of anyone who chooses to follow a vegan diet and wants to learn how to do it in a healthy way. 💓

Here are a few important nutrients you want to ensure you are getting adequate amounts of in a vegan diet:

✔️ B12 (you will need a supplement)
✔️ Iron
✔️ Zinc
✔️ Omega-3 fatty acids
✔️ Protein
✔️ Calcium & D

You may wonder… What do vegans eat?

In a nutshell, anything not containing animal products. Vegans eat 100% plants!

Here are a few examples of some balanced, nutrient-rich vegan breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks:

List of vegan breakfast ideas

 

list of vegan lunch ideas.

 

List of vegan dinner ideas.

 

List of vegan snack ideas.

👉🏻 Vegan does not necessarily equal healthier.

There are high-nutrient vegan diets as well as low-nutrient vegan diets. 😊

(Just like there are high-nutrient omnivore diets and low-nutrient omnivore diets.)

And just like with any way of eating…

✨Variety and balance are key!✨

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Explanation of NEAT. Non-exercise activity thermogenesis.

NEAT: Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis

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People expending energy going about their day.

Have you got your diet, exercise, hydration, sleep and stress management dialed in…

but you’re still struggling to lose weight?

 Take a close look at how you spend the rest of your hours.

What we eat and what we do for exercise are often the focus when trying to lose weight– and yes, they are biggies! But one often overlooked factor is NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis).

Here is how our daily total energy expenditure (how we burn calories) breaks down:
💥BMR (basal metabolic rate) ~60%
💥TEF (thermic effect of food= digestion and absorption of food) ~8-15%
💥EAT (exercise-related activity thermogenesis) which can be as much as 15-30% for habitual exercisers or as low as 1-2% for minimal exercisers. Most people fall into the lower percentage.
💥NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis) which is highly variable as well, however it accounts for MORE energy expenditure than EAT when measured over the course of the day.

NEAT can have a significant effect on body weight. 😲

Doing some structured exercise and then being sedentary for the rest of the day could be related to why your weight won’t budge.

Yes, we all need to rest and relax! 📖
Reading a book or just chilling can be a very good thing! 🥰

But take an honest look at how much you sit during your day.

Is your job sedentary or are you on your feet and moving often?
How much leisure time do you spend on the computer or watching tv vs playing with you pets, doing yard work or cleaning your house?

All the seemingly insignificant things you do during your day add up.

Think about all the NEAT ways you can add more movement into your day! 😃🚶‍♀️

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Bowl of caramel popcorn with the question: Are you a food addict?

Food Addiction?

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Bowl of popcorn.

Food addiction is a highly controversial topic.

Can you really be addicted to a specific food??
🤔🍰🍪🍫

🥨 Yes, food can FEEL addictive for many people.

It’s easy to believe food can be addictive because it actually can activate our ‘feel-good’ brain receptors…

🎵🐶🚲🌞 But so can many other pleasant things in life like:

Music, massage, exercise, being out in the sunlight and fresh air, looking at your dog or planning a fun weekend.

🤗 Food is actually supposed to make us feel good!

So why can it feel like an addiction?

➡️ Restriction and/or not allowing yourself to get pleasure from food. (aka Dieting!) 😵‍💫

Inadequate intake of carbohydrates, protein or fats can leave you with seriously intense food cravings.

Addictive behaviors like binges occur as a result of deprivation.

How to overcome these feelings of addiction?

🍴 Stay nourished. This means ensuring you are eating ADEQUATE calories, a VARIETY of calories and a BALANCE of calories. Have a registered dietitian review your diet. You may need to establish a new routine of eating and/or change the types of foods you’re eating.

🫤 Stop telling yourself you’re an addict. You’re only reinforcing your behavior when you take on a victim mentality. Instead, get curious. See yourself as someone who is learning how to eat in a healthier way. Look for the message and opportunity for change that’s behind your unwanted eating habits.

😍 Normalize instead of moralize. Normalize the food you feel addicted to. Fit that food right into your day of balanced eating. See that food as neutral and not ‘bad’. Allow it! Give yourself permission to get enjoyment from it. It may mean incorporating those chips into a balanced lunch or having that cookie as dessert after a balanced dinner. Work towards seeing the addictive food as just another food choice in your diet.

You CAN learn how to eat and enjoy the foods you feel addicted to in a way that you feel good about! 💞

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Weekday foods and cheat day foods.

Why You Don’t Need a Cheat Day

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Weekday foods and cheat day foods.

🚩 Needing a cheat day is a red flag that your diet isn’t working for you.

Otherwise, you wouldn’t feel the need to cheat on it. 🤯

When you’re satisfied with what you’re eating day-to-day, you’re much less likely to feel the need to overindulge. 😊

 

The big problem with cheat days:

They perpetuate a binge/restrict cycle & not a healthy relationship with food & eating.

‘Cheat’ implies you’re doing something bad or wrong. 

You’re not cheating on anything.  You’re just EATING.

Monday- Saturday:
🥗🍋🥦🍎🥚🍓🥒🫑🥬🥕🍵

Sunday (cheat day):
🍕🍔🍟🌭🍩🍰🍦🧁🍭🍺🍷🍹

 

🍩 If you’re really craving a donut, eat one– Don’t wait for a cheat day and eat six. And then a whole pizza. 🍕 And then a pint of ice cream. 🍨 All because it’s your one day to eat whatever you want since you’re going to go back to restricting tomorrow. 😕

Tips:

💖 Switch from an all-or-nothing mindset to one of balance. I personally love the 80/20 rule. 80% of the time choose wholesome, nutrient-dense foods and 20% of the time allow yourself to enjoy other foods. Or maybe you feel more comfortable with 90/10 or 70/30. Do what feels right to YOU to support your physical and mental health.

💖 Drop the good/bad food mentality. Food has no moral value. You’re not a good person for eating “good” food and you’re not a bad person for eating “bad” food. See all foods as deserving a place in your diet if you enjoy them. Foods differ in their nutritional value, but it’s what your diet looks like as a whole that matters. Variety is a healthy thing for getting the wide range of nutrients you need plus the pleasure and satisfaction you crave.

💖 Build trust with your body and around food. It makes sense that you feel no control and want to binge on foods you restrict. The way to break this is to begin to allow them back into you diet. Knowing that you can have that chocolate again tomorrow or another time takes away the urgency to eat it all right now. Once you realize that you can have anything you want, those foods lose their allure and power.

💖 Figure out the reasons why your current diet feels limiting. Why do you feel you need a cheat day? Where can you fit in any favorite foods you’re avoiding?

Honor your cravings.

Enjoy food mindfully and with self-awareness.

And without guilt or shame.

Notice what feels good to your body and what doesn’t.

Give yourself permission to incorporate those cheat day foods sensibly into your diet!

If this sounds scary, but you want to get there… I can help you.

All👏🏻foods👏🏻can👏🏻fit!!

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Motivational quote that says If you focus on results, you will never change. If you focus on change, you will get results.

5 Reasons You’re Overeating

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We all overeat sometimes.
And it’s OK! 👍🏼

BUT… If it’s happening over and over and you want to stop…

Then it only makes sense to look at ✨WHY✨ you’re overeating so you can make a change.

There are many reasons for overeating, but here are 5 that are biggies:

1. SKIPPING MEALS OR UNDEREATING AT MEALS. 🍎
Under-fueling/inadequate calorie intake will catch up with you, often resulting in overeating later. Plan ahead so you don’t miss meals and ensure you’re eating enough to satisfy you.

2. IMBALANCE OF MACROS AT MEALS. 🥗
Macros (=macronutrients) are carbs/protein/fat.
No, you don’t need to count them, but if you’re lacking any one of them, you may find yourself overcompensating later. Strive for balance and variety.

3. YOU’RE TIRED. 🥱
When you’re sleep deprived, food can be seen as a quick energy source. It’s easy to overeat when what you really need is to rest.

4. WAITING TOO LONG TO EAT BETWEEN MEALS. 🕒
Not everyone needs a snack between meals, but if you’re ravenous when it comes time for lunch or dinner and end up overeating, you might find having a snack in between helps.

5. EATING WHILE DISTRACTED. (phone, TV, etc) 📺
 If your overeating correlates with scrolling on your phone, playing on your computer or watching a show, then try putting the screens away and paying more attention to your food when you eat.

 

🫢 Surprised that I didn’t mention lack of willpower?
Overeating typically has nothing to do with willpower.
Telling yourself you have no control is disempowering.
Get curious about other potential reasons and make changes!

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Meal idea: Breakfast for dinner. Eggs, toast, fruit, green smoothie.

Meal Idea: Breakfast for Dinner

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Eggs, toast, fruit, green smoothie.

🥚 Do you love eggs but have a time crunch in the morning that prevents you from eating them for breakfast?

👉🏻 Enjoy them at dinner!

Eggs are a ✨nutrient-rich✨ food to include in a healthy diet.

An average egg contains ~6g of protein. So if they are your main protein source at a meal, you may want to eat 2-3 (depending on what else is in your meal).

 

💡 Ideas for making eggs into a balanced meal:

🍳 Cook an omelet, scramble them or fry ‘em up. (This is your protein & fat)
🍞 Pop some whole grain bread in the toaster or make home fries. (Carbs with fiber)
🍍 Whip up a fruit salad or green smoothie to round it out with colorful produce. (Micronutrients and fiber)

 

😋 Or try my favorite:
2-Egg Banana Pancake Roll-Ups!
🥚🥚🍌
https://btcnutrition.com/2-egg-banana-pancake-roll-ups/

🥰 And the answer is YES– the yolk IS nutritious and delicious so please eat that too! Almost half of the protein is found in the yolk, not to mention important nutrients like choline as well as fat-soluble vitamins A ,D ,E & K.

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Cover for a 4-step guide to building a balanced bowl.

Build a Balanced Bowl

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Balanced bowl of food containing protein, vegetables and carbohydrates.

✨Create a delicious, balanced bowl in 4 easy steps.✨

These balanced bowls give you an ideal combo of carbs, protein, fat and fiber to stay full.

They’re a perfect way to get a wide range of micronutrients (vitamins & minerals).

Memorize this template and you’ll be able to put together dozens of different meals!

Pick one carbohydrate source or combine 2 or more.

Rice + beans pair well as do quinoa + winter squash.

Aim for a variety of veggies over the course of the week.

Steam, oven-roast, grill or saute them.

Frozen are fine too- microwave or steam & they’re ready in just minutes.

If you’re looking for a vegan meal, choose one from the bottom 3 and keep in mind that many of the carbohydrate sources like lentils, beans, quinoa and some pastas are actually pretty decent sources of protein… so mixing and matching these can meet your protein needs.

Flavorful sauces & crunchy, salty, sweet and spicy toppings will boost the nutritional value as well as keep your food interesting.

🍠🥦🍗🥑🍚🥬🍄🧄🍤🥜

There you have it:  Pick a carbohydrate, protein, veggies and fat/flavor!

✨Get creative and discover the combos you find the most satisfying.✨

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