Tips for Choosing Protein Supplements

While I love protein bars and powders for convenient on-the-go snacks or meals, let's face it, a lot of what is out in the market is, dare I say it, pure junk. My main issues with most bars/powders are the laundry list of filler ingredients and high sugar content. Below are some tips for choosing the best protein supplement for you and a no-bake protein bar recipe I love, love, love to make!

Check the Protein
The first thing you want to do with any protein bar is to of course, check the protein. If you are going for the bar as a snack, aim for around 7-10g of protein. If it is a meal replacement, try to look for more than 10g. Protein helps to stabilize your blood sugar, which is great for not only Diabetics, but also, those who just want to keep their hunger levels at bay. I use a plant-based powder with a blend of brown rice, hemp seeds, pea protein and chia seeds for a great amino-acid profile. If you use milk products at home, look for a whey protein and/or whey isolates for good quality.

Check the Sugar
I can't stand when I look at a bar and see 20g of protein and then 20g of sugar. Really? I'm not going to mention any names, but I even saw a company use the disclaimer of, "Not recommended for Diabetics." Unless you are a marathon runner or some other super high intensity athlete, never choose a bar with that much sugar in it, especially if the third ingredient is cane syrup and not even a naturally occurring sugar. So, what should you look for then? You want less than 10g of sugar if it is a bar and less than 5g if it is a powder. Most of my clients (and myself) use the powders in a smoothie with fruit and a type of milk (almond, coconut, cow's). You are already getting the sweetness from the fruit, so you really don't want a ton more in the powder.

Read the Ingredient List
If you look at the ingredient list and see added sugar as one of the first 3 ingredients, you might want to think about choosing another bar. Ingredients are listed by weight, so the first few are the most prominent in the item. Added sugars would be things like: brown rice syrup, honey, cane syrup, cane sugar, brown sugar, maple syrup, etc. These are different than natural occurring sugars like dates or raisins, which are typically less refined, with a slower effect on your blood glucose. They also come packed with other vitamins and minerals that your refined sugars will not. This same idea also goes with healthy fats. Try to aim for bars that use whole foods like almonds, chia, flax, coconut, etc, instead of oils. Again, you will get more nutrients (vitamins, minerals, fiber) with the whole food source.

Almond Protein Snack Bars
Yield: 10 bars

Ingredients
1 cup raw almonds, reserve 1/4 cup(I used slivered - easier to food process)
1.5 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 cups quick-cook oats
1.5 scoops vanilla protein powder (you can use chocolate too)
2 tablespoons 100% pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons SunButter (sunflower seed butter)*
2 tablespoons dark chocolate chips, melted (optional)

Directions
1. Spray an 8 by 8 inch square pan with cooking spray.
2. Food process 3/4 cup almonds.**
3. Add remaining ingredients, except the chocolate chips. Food process until smooth.
4. Using your hands, press the mixture into the prepared pan. Top with chopped almonds and drizzle with optional dark chocolate.
5. Let pan sit for about 15 minutes in the fridge before cutting. Once cut, store in the fridge for up to 1-week. Enjoy!!

Additional Notes
*I used the sun butter as a little added flavor. You could also use almond or peanut butter. If you notice your mix to be a little dry and not sticking together, add a little more of the nut butter.
**If you want to skip this step, simply use 1/2 cup almond butter. I also didn't food process my almond to a butter, but left it a slight bit crumbly. You can do either or for your recipe at home!
***You can also use dates or raisins instead of the honey/maple syrup. Try adding in chia, flax, or hemp seeds for a fiber, protein, omega 3 boost too!

Nutrition Facts (1 bar): 170 calories, 8g fat, 54mg sodium, 88mg potassium, 18g carbohydrates, 3g fiber, 7g sugar, 8g protein

Quick Start Guide to Healthy Eating

Over the past month, I have been leading nutrition counseling sessions pretty much every day. Go me :) I am loving all the experience and different situations in a community-based setting. Almost 90% of my sessions will include some version of this phrase/question, "My doctor told me XYZ, and I need to _____ (lose weight or change my eating habits) and I don't know what I should be eating." If you are a health professional, you have probably heard this a few times along with "Can you write me a diet/menu plan?" Just a comment on the diet/menu plan, I rarely ever give someone a diet/menu to follow. My sessions are geared towards giving my clients/members the tools they need to choose healthy foods. It gets boring eating the same foods all of the time, so it is important for people to be able to have enough knowledge to change up what they eat in a healthy way.

Below, are my tips for someone looking to change their eating habits or embark on a healthy lifestyle journey!

Tip #1
Rid yourself of the word "diet" and replace it with "a healthy lifestyle." When you go "on a diet," you are likely to "go off of the diet."  It is better to work towards a balance where you are able to enjoy the foods you love and incorporate healthy and/or new foods.

Tip #2
Write down everything you eat for 1-2 days. Be honest with yourself and don't change what you are eating just so it looks good on paper. I have asked many clients/members for food logs and diaries. Sometimes, I look through someone's diary and think "it looks like they eat pretty healthy." Then, I'll ask the burning question, "Is this a typical day for you?" The response is usually, "These were days that I was trying to be good." I don't want those days! Then, I will find out they have a habit of eating a bag of Cheetos at night and 2 ice cream cones. Now, that is something we can work with!

Tip #3
Start by analyzing your current eating/health patterns. Look over your food log and ask yourself these questions:
 _1_ Which macronutrient (carbohydrates, fats, proteins) makes up the majority of my meal? Most of
 the clients/members in my sessions get their calories from carbohydrates (most of them
 being refined). A lot of them are also not getting enough protein or healthy fats in their diet either.
 _2_ Am I drinking enough water? (91 oz (11 glasses) for women and 125 oz (15.5 glasses) for men)
 _3_ Am I drinking my calories in the form of sugar-sweetened beverages? How many glasses/day?
 _4_ How much sugar am I consuming?
 _5_ Do I snack more often than eat a meal? Are these healthy snacks?
 _6_ Do I skip meals? If yes, why? Is there anything I can do to help avoid skipping meals?
 _7_ How many servings of vegetables am I eating per day?
 _8_ How many servings of fruit am I eating per day?
 _9_ Am I getting enough fiber?
 _10_ Am I active every day?
Tracking your food will help you to be more mindful of what you are eating and can help significantly with those trying to lose weight.

Tip #4
After answering all of the questions in Tip #3, think about where you want to start. Maybe you will start by cutting up fruits and vegetables so they are readily available for a snack (instead of cookies). Maybe you will start by tracking what you eat for a week to become more mindful of what you are eating. It doesn't matter where you start, just pick one thing to work on a go from there.

Tip #5 (for the limited water drinkers)
If you are one of those people who dislike the taste of water (heard that a few times in my sessions), then make water fun! Put slices of fresh fruit (limes, lemons, strawberries, watermelon) in water. You could also put fresh fruit in seltzer (most of them are 0 calorie, 0 sugar). Try fresh brewed hot or cold tea. There are tons of tea flavors you can choose from! You can also try the fresh fruit in the hot tea (I love lemons in hot black tea). For those of you who have a lot of sugary beverages, you can also try replacing one of those per day with some of the examples I gave.

Tip #6 (for the snackers)
If you are an excessive snacker, the first thing to do before eating a snack is ask yourself, "Am I really hungry?" If you are feeling hungry, you make not be getting enough protein and healthy fats in your last meal, so check back to question #1's answer you wrote down. One strategy could be to add some eggs, chicken, or turkey to your lunch meal so you don't have 3 snacks before eating dinner. If your problem isn't snacking because of hunger, but because of boredom, social eating, etc, then think of what you can do instead of snacking. You could go for a walk, read a book, call a friend, etc. If you still feel the urge to snack, go for some protein, fats, and healthy carbs. An example could be a Greek yogurt (protein, carbs) topped with nuts (protein, fats). Another snack example could be an apple (carbs) with peanut butter (protein, fats).

Tip #7 (for the meal skippers)
If you normally skip breakfast, think about why you do so. Are you not hungry? Are you running late for work? Focus on your answer and brainstorm a strategy for your situation.  If you don't have enough time in the morning, you could get up 15 minutes earlier or pack a breakfast the night before (scrambled eggs portioned into containers, trail mix). Also, breakfast does not need to contain the "normal" breakfast foods. You can have chicken and vegetables for breakfast! I will often make extra chicken at night to eat on my way to work in the morning.

Tip #8
Set small goals for yourself. If you normally skip breakfast, a goal can be that you will eat breakfast 3 days a week for the next 2 weeks. If you normally choose unhealthy snacks, a goal can be that you add 1 piece of fresh fruit or 1 serving of vegetables to your snack. I always find it better to add healthy foods before you start taking anything away. This falls more in line with the healthy lifestyle versus being on a diet.

Tip #9 
Learn to accept and move on when you feel like you "blew your diet" or "went off the wagon." Just make better choices at your next meal or snack. Don't wait until the next day! Do it now!

Tip #10
Once you feel like you have mastered one of your goals, review your questions/answers from Tip #3 and choose another goal to work on. Remember, it is all about a healthy lifestyle, not being on a diet. It is perfectly okay to have a cookie, or two, once in a while, or have some ice cream while out with your family/friends. Just keep that "I am working towards a healthy lifestyle" phrase in mind!


Comment below if you have begun your healthy lifestyle and what worked best for you!

Cereal Vs. Ice Cream

This past week I had the privilege of leading a nutrition supermarket tour. When my tour group came to the cereal aisle, many of my participants had a very eye-opening experience about all of the sugar in "healthy cereal" products. In talking about carbohydrates and sugar, one woman had a very interesting comment, "With that much sugar, I could have just had my bowl of ice cream for a snack. I thought I was being healthier by having cereal."

After the tour, I was curious to see how cereal, a so called wholesome breakfast, really stacked up to a bowl of ice cream. Here begins my investigation:

Raisin Bran (w/o Milk)(1 cup): 
-Calories: 190    -Total Fat: 1g       -Sodium: 210mg    -Total Carbs: 46g
-Fiber: 7g    -Sugars: 18g    -Protein: 5g  
-Additional Vitamins and Minerals

Raisin Bran (with skim milk)(1 cup): 
-Calories: 230    -Total Fat: 1g       -Sodium: 275mg    -Total Carbs: 52g
-Fiber: 7g    -Sugars: 24g    -Protein: 9g

Special K (with skim milk)(3/4 cup):
-Calories: 160    -Total Fat: 1g       -Sodium: 205mg    -Total Carbs: 33g
-Fiber: 3g    -Sugars: 16g    -Protein: 6g
  
Choc Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream (1/2 cup):
-Calories: 160    -Total Fat: 9g      -Sodium: 65mg       -Total Carbs: 20g
-Fiber: 0g    -Sugars: 14g    -Protein: 2g
-Vitamin A and Vitamin C

Chocolate Ice Cream (1/2 cup):
-Calories: 150    -Total Fat: 7g       -Sodium: 45mg    -Total Carbs: 19g
-Fiber: 1g    -Sugars: 14g    -Protein: 2g
-Vitamin A and Vitamin C

So, we have similar calorie ranges, especially with the ice cream and Special K cereal. The ice creams have a higher fat content and lower protein content; however, they have less sugar, calories, and sodium. The cereals have more sodium, carbohydrates and sugars; however, they also have fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals.

What does that leave us with? Well, the cereals are a good source of fiber and protein, at the expense of too much sugar and sodium intake. I'm not sure how many people really measure out their cereals in the morning anyway. Most of the time, cereal is just poured in the bowl and eaten. Unless you measure your cereal (kudos to you), you will be likely multiplying all of the nutritional information by 2.

In terms of which is a "healthier snack," I would go for what tastes better. In the end, they both have a high carb/sugar content, as opposed to healthier snacks (like veggies, nuts, seeds, or fresh fruit). I really suggest checking the sugar content of your favorite cereals. If you have never took notice of the nutrition label, you may be surprised at how much sugar you are consuming. While cereal does have extra vitamins, minerals, protein (mostly due to the milk added), and fiber, it is not a significant amount to make a difference if you are eating an overall healthy diet. Most cereals are "enriched" with vitamins and minerals anyway, so they aren't really a "natural" source to begin with. Depending on the cereal, and ice cream, you choose, you may even end up with more skewed results than I found.

Some final advice:
1. Always read the nutrition label! Look at the ingredient list too. Ingredients are listed by weight, in descending order.
2. If sugar is one of the first 4 ingredients, skip it!
3. Compare products. Check out all of the nutrients and see which is the best option.
4. Be mindful of portion sizes. Read the serving size and compare it to what you are normally eating.
5. If all else fails, have a little splurge and enjoy what you are eating!

http://www.turkeyhill.com/products/premium-ice-cream-flavors.aspx?pID=431

nutritiondata.self.com/facts/sweets/5547/2