General Nutritional Advice

Hello everyone! I apologize for the long period of not posting but I have been very busy with classes and applying to many different positions. So, over winter break, when I was with my family, we went out to eat a lot to see the rest of our extended family. Everyone knows the struggle of trying to find certain foods on the menu, whether it's because you're vegan, have Celiac Disease, or just want to eat healthy, it can be extremely difficult. However, in this week's post, I am going to explain how to break down a menu and read between the lines.

Firstly, there's always the salad options, which I know doesn't please everyone, however, there are usually add-ons such as chicken as you can see in my Banh Mi Bowl. Another tip I have is to ask the chef if they could make specific options for you, or take out certain ingredients. Restaurants have gotten much better with labeling their menus and creating specific options for all types of cuisines. As proof of this, the picture I have of my meal makes it look like I went to a vegan cafe or something similar, however, I got this at California Pizza Kitchen. Despite California Pizza Kitchen's "bad rap" of being a pizza fast food restaurant, it actually has some pretty healthy options! Hence, don't judge a restaurant on their reputation.

Another main way to make sure there is a dish for you is to look at the menus before you decide where you will be going or finding a restaurant that caters to what your cuisine encompasses. People, I've found, have become much more open to trying new restaurants because then they can post about it on Instagram or just change it up for once, instead of going to strictly Indian restaurants, for example.

Here is some of the information on the meal I had:

Ingredients: Quinoa, baby kale, fresh cilantro & mint topped with grilled chicken, watermelon radishes, fresh avocado, cucumbers, carrots, bean sprouts, scallions and sesame seeds. Served with housemade chili-lime vinaigrette and serrano peppers.

So thank you so much for reading my blog and I hope you enjoyed this week's post!! Make sure to follow me on Instagram @jenuinenutrition_ to keep updated with when I post. Thanks so much and I hope to see you all in the next post!!


New post!!

Hi everyone! Today I am going to share some of my knowledge of nutrition that I have learned in college! Recently for my nutrition with lab course, we had to complete a three day diet project in which we tracked what we ate for three days then we were required to create one improved day with at least 100% of all nutrients, other than carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. Below I have explained what I learned from this project:

1) It is difficult to reach the amount of calories that you are allowed for the day. My first three days that I recorded what I typically ate was only half the calories I was supposed to have!! However, the reason you are allowed so many calories is because the more frequent you eat healthy food, the more efficient your metabolism will be.

2) It is difficult to get all of the nutrients you need throughout the day. While this has been very hard to do, it is recommended that you try your best to get all of your nutrients! As I continue in my next nutrition courses and learn more about these nutrients, I will share all of this information with you!

3) If there is one thing you should try to keep intact with your diet, it is your macronutrient distribution. If you don't know what that is, it's simply your distribution of protein, fat, and carbohydrate.
The ranges are:
Protein: 10-35% of diet
Fat: 20-35%
Carbohydrate: 45-65%

4) Sidenote of the macronutrient distributions: Your fat distribution should not be all from processed foods (however, the majority will be from fats). Mainly no one in the United States has a sodium deficiency simply because all of the foods we have are processed, hence contain salt. Carbohydrates: You should try to get the majority of your carbohydrates from unrefined, natural sources (and if you don't know what that means, it is basically any darker grains such as whole wheat bread rather than white bread and brown rice rather than white rice.) For protein, the majority of the US gets enough protein but it is becoming increasingly common that people are having too much protein because they are taking it as pre and post-workout. While you can still take this pre-workout, make sure to not take too much protein throughout the entire day, otherwise too much protein can lead to dehydration.

Thanks everyone for reading my blog! This post was mainly the science part of nutrition but I know some people want to see the science so if anyone wants more science posts, please let me know! Thanks so much!!! See you next week!!!




New post!!
Have you ever wondered what to get for your dinner that night in the supermarket? What probably happened was you bought a bunch of different unrelated ingredients and spent a lot of money on foods you didn't even use that night. Well before you even go to the supermarket, browse Pinterest for healthy dinner recipes and I guarantee that you will find something that looks extremely appealing. You could even plan out what you will have for the rest of the week for dinner or any meal, for that matter. A lot of times when you click on the actual pins, you will find it will take you to another blog because there are many food critics or people like nutritionists who want to share what they have learned in school. Again, this is not sponsored in any way. Happy Pinteresting!!


New post!!

One of my major obsessions recently has been the app myfitnesspal. I'm just expressing my opions about this app and am not funding or being funded by this app. Myfitnesspal lets you track your weight whether you want to lose, gain, or maintain your weight, it modifies the amount of calories you are allowed per day. There is also a section with a pie chart displaying the range of your diet, for example, if you eat too many carbs and too little oils etc. I have showed examples of what you can do on the app below from google. This app is a great way to calculate the amount of sugars you intake as well as the amount of nutrients in every product you intake. Another great thing you can do on the app is if you make something from scratch, you can enter in the ingredients to a recipe and calculate the amount of calories and sugars in everything.

Blogilates
Have you ever wanted to start doing yoga or lose weight without you having to go to a class and feel insecure? Well now you can do all of your workouts in the comfort of your own home! The YouTube channel blogilates has the widest variety of workouts, healthy lifestyle tips, and healthy recipes for any meal or snack. Down below I have listed some benefits of doing these exercises and the channel itself.



Benefits:

1. These are easy workouts that the most inexperienced person can perform. You also don't have to be super flexible to do these.
2. The creator (Cassey Ho) even made morning workouts to help you feel ready to conquer the day!
3. They are only about ten minutes long per workout so you have time to put these into your schedule. 
4. None of these workouts need to be done intensely. You can do all of them in moderation and make it your goal to work towards finishing a whole video.
5. If you have weak muscles or can't get down to the floor, you can totally do a lot of these movements on a chair or couch such as the arm workouts etc.
6. You don't need any equipment! Even for the arm workouts, you just use your own arms. All you need is your mindset, confidence, and lots of water! 

Most people believe that when they want to lose weight or eat healthier, they have to give up certain foods. However, not every food that you would think is unhealthy needs to be taken out of your diet. For example, there are many foods such as potatoes or even french toast, that have enormous nutritional benefits.

When cooking french toast, the nutritional benefits include:

• Protein (from the egg)
  
• Carbohydrates from the bread (not too much)
• Very filling and well-balanced meal
• Calcium from milk / half and half
• Flavor but no big calories from cinnamon
• Only four ingredients!

How to make a HEALTHY French Toast:

(change amounts based on desired serving)

2 eggs

1 or 2 splashes of half and half/milk 

2 teaspoons of cinnamon
8 slices of bread

Beat together all ingredients (except bread) and dip bread on both sides in mixture. Do not let bread remain in mixture for more than 5 seconds because it will become over saturated and more difficult to cook. Cook bread on griddle until golden. Serve and sprinkle with little confectioners sugar or syrup (optional).


My tip of the day:
Drink water constantly! You could be carrying up to 5 pounds of water weight. The way to figure out the amount of water you should be drinking per day is here.

Your weight in pounds (lbs) divided by 2

= The amount of water you should drink per day in ounces (oz)

Now if you drink the required amount of water per day, you may not lose all of the weight you desire to lose, but there will be other benefits that will lead to a better you overall!

Benefits:

• Reduced headaches
• Improved mood and concentration
• Flushes out toxins throughout your body
• Reduces constipation
• Balances your body
• Energizes muscles (workouts seem easier and reduced soreness)