Super Foods for Weight Loss

"Super foods" are great for just about everything! They boost our immune systems, supply out bodies with a variety of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, help reduce inflammation, give us more energy, and reduce the risk of all kinds of disease. Along with all of these wonderful health benefits, super foods also aid in healthy weight loss and management by helping the body to use energy as efficiently as possible. Including more super foods into your diet in general is a great idea for better health, but if you are specifically trying to lose weight, here is a list of some of the best super foods for weight loss.

1. Chia and Flax Seeds

Don't let these little seeds fool you. They may be small, but they are packed with fast blasting power! Both chia seeds and flax seeds are packed with heart healthy omaga 3 and omega 6 fatty acids. These fatty acids help work to control appetite and help you feel fuller and more satisfied longer. They are also packed with protein, and loaded with fiber, which also help to control hunger. These seeds can be consumed with basically anything, since they don't have much of a taste themselves. Try them sprinkled on salads, blended in smoothies, on top fresh fruit, in baked goods... the possibilities are endless! Just make sure you purchase milled flax seeds, or grind them up in a blender at home. Our bodies can't break them down and absorb their nutrients in whole form because of the outer coating on the shell.

2. Leafy Greens

It's probably no surprise that leafy greens made the list, considering they are some of the most nutrient dense foods per calorie. Greens like kale, spinach, and all kinds of lettuce are packed with fiber, vitamins, minerals, and water. They help to fill your stomach up without overloading your body with calories. For example, and entire head of romaine lettuce is only about 100 calories. Including a lot of raw, leafy greens in your diet will help you to feel more full and satisfied with less calories. Eating a large green salad topped with some healthy lean protein (like beans or soy), healthy fats (like chia and flax seeds), and a natural and healthy low calorie dressing (like a red wine vinegar or lemon juice) would be a great option.

3. Lentils

Lentils are a great source of protein, and are packed with fiber! There are different kind of lentils, such as green, red, and black. All vary slightly nutritionally, but are generally the same. Lentils are a member of the legume family and are very low in fat. Legumes are known for being heart healthy, and can be used in place of meat in most dishes. They are great to add into soups, stews, or any kind of main dish as a protein source. Just be careful, if your body isn't used to a lot of fiber you could be in for an interesting ride.

4. Avocados

Who doesn't love avocados? Like all of the other foods, they are loaded with fiber, and are a great source of potassium! Avocados are mostly fat, but they are packed full of natural healthy monounsaturated fats that keep your feeling full, curb appetite cravings and actually help your body to burn fat. Use avocado in place of unhealthy fats, such as atop a baked potato or spread on toast.

5. Green Tea

Green tea is a super food that is packed full of antioxidants that help to cleanse the body of toxins, protect the body's cells from free radicals, reduce the effects of aging, and reduce the risk of a wide variety of diseases. It's also a great weight loss aid, because it helps to speed up your metabolism and help your body burn fat. Green tea increases thermogenesis in the body when digested, which causes the body to release more heat and burn more calories. Green tea also contains a decent amount of caffeine, and can be consumed before a workout to help boost energy levels and help your body burn more fat during your workout. Adding some fresh lemon juice to your green tea is a great way to help cleanse and detoxify the body while also boosting your metabolism. Just be careful not to load your tea up with processed sugars!

6. Quinoa

Pronounced "keen-wah", this super foods is amazing at aiding in weight loss. Quinoa is technically a seed, but is used mostly as a grain in cooking. Quinoa is low in calories when compared to similar foods, and is packed full of dietary fiber. It also has a low glycemic index, meaning your body will burn it more slowly allowing you to feel fuller longer. You can use quinoa in place of rice or couscous in dishes, or use quinoa flour when baking in place of other flours. Quinoa has a natural earthy taste, but takes on whatever flavors you add to it.

7. Beans

Beans, like lentils, are a member of the legume family and are known for being heart healthy and low in fat. Beans are a great alternative to meat, and can be used to make similar dishes such as black bean burgers or mung bean meatloaf. Beans are packed full of many important nutrients, such as fiber, folate, iron, and magnesium. Black beans and garbanzo beans (or chick peas) are some of the most popular types of beans. Black beans work well in a wide variety of dishes; from soups and chill, to burritos and burgers... even desserts like black bean brownies! Garbanzo beans are great as a salad topping or ground into fresh hummus and served with vegetables.


8. Almonds

Like avocados, almonds are high in healthy monounsaturated fat. They are also a decent source of protein, and are known for their hunger suppressing effects. Snacking on a small handful of almonds (about 1/4 cup) mid-morning can help you from overeating later on in the day. Almonds are also a great source of calcium, magnesium, and iron, which are important in any diet. While almonds are certainly healthy, limit your serving size if you are aiming to lose weight. Almonds are very calorie dense, making them easy to overeat before you feel full.

9. Fresh Fruit

Many people tend to avoid fresh fruits when aiming to lose weight due to the high sugar content and the high glycemic index of fruit. However, adding fresh fruits to your diet is very important for weight loss. Firstly, fruits are packed full of the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that your body needs. Secondly, they are a healthy alternative when you want something sweet. Humans naturally crave sugar, and while processed/refined sugars are unhealthy and promote weight gain, the natural sugars in fruit help to reduce sugar cravings in a natural and healthy way. Fruit is also relatively low in calories compared to volume, especially melons and berries. Lastly, fruits help to alkalize the body, meaning that they help to restore a natural PH balance. Having balanced hormones and PH levels in the body makes it easier to shed excess weight and rid your body of toxins.

10. Spirulina

Last, but certainly not least is spirulina. Spirulina is a blue-green algae that is completely loaded with nutrients! It's has more protein per gram than any other food- even more than meat. It contains essential amino acids, omega 3, beta-carotene, and also helps to fight the aging process. It can be purchased in a powdered form which can be mixed into smoothies, or as a supplement to be taken daily. Spirulina works best when it is taken 30 minutes before a meal to help curb hunger and cravings. It can also be used to help with weight gain if taken after a meal, since it will supplement and improve your nutritional deficit by giving your body additional nutrients. Spirulina is an amazing super food, and will help your body maintain balance and optimal health.

Banana Black Bean Brownies

Typically when you hear the word "brownies", you don't immediately think of the word "healthy". However, I have recently found a way to make gluten free, vegan, oil free, and yes, HEALTHY brownies! These brownies were delicious, rich, and gooey, and they made my kitchen smell like heaven! Plus, they were super easy to make.


Ingredients:
3 very ripe bananas (mostly brown, the more ripe the better)
2 cups of cooked black beans
1/3 cup agave nectar
1 cup brown rice flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp salt
2 TBSP ground flax seeds
1 TBSP baking powder

Directions:
Set the oven to 375 degrees. Mash together bananas and black beans, then add in agave. I just let my kitchen aid mixer do the work for me, but you can also use a fork to mash them together or a hand held blender. In a separate bowl mix together all dry ingredients, then add to banana mixture and stir until everything is combined. Line a small square 8x8 inch baking pan with foil, then spread in brownie batter. Bake for 35 minutes, and then let cool for another 30. Grab the edges of the foil to easily remove the brownies from the pan, then cut, serve and enjoy!

This recipe makes 9 brownies.

Long Runs on the Treadmill

Whether it's the iced over roads, the three feet of snow that fell overnight, or the below zero temps, you're now stuck with a long run and no place to do it. Training for a spring marathon certainly poses new challenges, and sometimes there's nothing you can do but pound out the miles on the treadmill. Luckily, I've been there before, and I can honestly say it's not too terrible if you approach it right. Here are some of my tips for going long on the treadmill!

1. Find some form of entertainment- When I'm running outdoors, I can run for hours with nothing but my GPS watch and my thoughts. The treadmill however is a little different. If you are going to be running for hours in one place, you are going to need some distractions. I used my two and a half hours to watch Christmas movies, but music, an audio book, or anything distracting will work. Just make sure you pick something you know will be able to distract you for the amount of time you will be running.

2. Use the treadmill to your advantage- One of the few benefits to using a treadmill is that you don't have to worry about carrying all of your fuel on you. I took advantage of the extra space by starting with two full water bottles. One filled with regular water, and another filled with an electrolyte solution. Normally I wouldn't be able to do this with my hydration backpack, so having a shelf to put everything on was actually pretty nice.

3. Change it up- Running on a treadmill isn't as good of a workout as running outside since the belt moves for you. Fortunately you can change it up throughout to help stimulate outdoor running. I changed the incline and the speed a little every quarter of a mile to keeps things from getting too boring. You can also use this as a way to challenge yourself throughout your run since you can add more incline and crank up the speed the last few miles to hit marathon goal pace.

4. Expect to break up your run- Unfortunately, most treadmills don't allow you to run for 2+ hours. Most treadmills I have run on automatically transition to "cool down" after an hour, meaning you might have to re-start the treadmill 2, 3, or even 4 times in order to get all of your miles in. Instead of allowing yourself to fall out of your "groove", use this time to take a quick stretch break or fill up your water bottle. I personally hate having to stop for any reason during a long run (or any run for that matter) but I try to look at the breaks in between as a chance to re-collect myself instead of letting it become a nuisance.

I broke up my run 14 mile run into three chunks. (Luckily it was just 14 and not 20!)

First Set

Second Set

Third Set

5. Embrace the strange looks and stares- If you're logging some serious mileage on a treadmill, be ready to be known as the "crazy treadmill runner" at your local gym. Most people don't run the full hour, let alone start it again and again to further punish themselves. Just learn to embrace the title, because let's face it, you earned it!

New Years Goals

It seems like now is the time to hop on the bandwagon and establish my goals for the new year. I don't really want to say "resolutions", because I don't feel I have much to resolve. I feel like I'm finally on a path that I'm truly happy about and proud of, as I should be. I have accomplished and grown so much in the last year. Looking back, 2013 has been a really life changing year.

1. I Changed my major and decided to become a registered dietitian.
2. I Ran my first 10k
3. I Ran my first half marathon
4. I Ran my first MARATHON (yes, all three happened in the same year!)
5. I switched to a whole foods plant based diet

If you would have told me at this time last year that I would have accomplished all of these things, I probably would have look at you like you were on some kind of drugs. It's absolutely amazing to me what you can accomplish in a year. So, that being said, I would like to lay out some new goals to work towards and strive for in 2014. Some may be more realistic than others, but there's no satisfaction in accomplishing goals that are easy. So, here we go:

Goal 1- To run a sub 2 hour half. This one shouldn't be too difficult, seeing as I was injured during my first half... not to mention it was a trail run. Plus, I signed up for a new years day half marathon, so this should be easily met before the year even gets going.

Goal 2- To run a sub 4:00 marathon. Now, this one is going to be more of a reach for me considering I finished my last marathon in 4:54:04. That's nearly a full hour to shave off! However, I plan on running one in the spring and one in the fall. I hope to run a sub 4:30 for the spring marathon, and a sub 4:00 for the fall. I know this is a stretch, but I need a few goals to strive for. Plus, I was injured for my last marathon, and feel as long as I can avoid injury, these should be fairly reasonable goals.

Goal 3- To log 2014 miles in 2014. Now, before you go crazy, let me explain. I will be counting ALL miles logged, not just miles ran. Meaning that my cross training miles from the elliptical/bike each week will also count towards this goal. I'm going to finish this year with about 1,200 miles logged, but I didn't start tracking my mileage until about March. Plus, I have built my mileage up from around 15 miles a week to about 35 miles a week. Considering I eventually get up to my goal (50 miles a week) this is actually a pretty reasonable goal.

Well, I think that's all of them. Long term goals will be completing an ultra and eventually qualifying for a Boston marathon. However, neither of those seem like thing I need to be striving for in the coming year. I can't wait to see what 2014 brings, and am excited for another year to to push my limits and reach new heights!

Easy vegan "cheese" sauce

This recipe is really simple and delicious! The best part is, it's made with all natural ingredients. I've never purchased packaged vegan cheese or butter products because I never really felt they were all that healthy. This recipe however just mainly uses unsweetened almond milk, tahini, and nutritional yeast as it's base. Plus, you can make one serving size just for yourself, or you can make a larger batch for a group of people! I used it to top off my broccoli stuffed baked potato, and it did not disappoint!

1 serving- about 1/4 cup of sauce

3 TBSP unsweetened almond milk
1 TBSP tahini
1 TBSP nutritional yeast
salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder to taste

Just mix together in a small bowl and microwave for about 30 seconds or until warm. Then drizzle over your favorite foods for a little extra flavor and enjoy!