Twinkie’s Typical Meal Plan

A lot of people wonder what I eat every day, how I structure it, and how they too can implement my eating habits to help them lose weight. It’s taken me years to figure out a system that has worked for me, and hopefully my meal plan can help you too.

Here’s a simple outline on how I eat every day…

7:30AM – Breakfast

•Ionix Supreme by Isagenix®

•IsaLean Shake (Vanilla) by Isagenix®

-With my shake, I will include IsaPro (whey protein), Greens!, and FiberPro by Isagenix®)

10:00 AM – Snack

•Fruit

-I will try to pick out a different fruit every week. One week I may have an apple, while another week I will have grapes, watermelon or strawberries.

12:00PM – Lunch

•Sandwich

-I always use Ezekiel bread, and I either make an almond butter and honey sandwich, a tuna or salmon sandwich (with mayo replacement) or sometimes a deli sandwich with fresh tomatoes and sprouts. Easy and delicious!

2:00PM – Snack

•Vegetable

-I will have either sliced cucumbers, baby carrots, or some butternut squash.

4:00PM- Snack

•Protein

-I like to have some hardboiled egg whites (4-6) with a dash of sea salt, or a small amount of nuts, like almonds or pecans.

6:00PM – Dinner

•Protein and Vegetable(s)

-I enjoy a healthy dinner like baked Tilapia and steamed Asparagus. I try to make sure I have a small amount of protein joined with a delicious vegetable.

As you can see, I eat small amounts of healthy food all throughout the day.  I am never starving. I don’t allow myself to get to that point. I eat a lot of food…just not all at once.

Also, I make sure to drink plenty of water throughout the day!

This outline works for me, and I believe it will work for you too.

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Tags: Egg Whites, Fruit, Healthy, Healthy Food, Healthy Meals, Ionix Supreme, Isagenix, IsaLean Shake, Low Calorie Meals, Meal Plan, protein, Twinkie, vegetables, Weight Loss

Healthy Alternatives for your Junk Food Cravings

What’s your junk food craving?

Everyone seems to have specific cravings now and again! Whether it be sweet or salty, we sometimes tend to think of the junk food as a first choice to satisfy those cravings. Here are some ways you can curb your cravings in a healthy way.

Healthy Alternatives to your Salt Cravings

•Popcorn -Homemade popcorn made with coconut oil and a bit of real salt is a wonderful treat when you need something salty!

•Jerky -When salt cravings come, it might just mean you need a little meat in your diet. Be sure to make your jerky homemade or buy the Organic or All Natural kind so that you don’t get any MSG or additives that usually come with processed meats.

•Edamame -These are an easy snack to make, and a great alternative to something like chips. Just dash on some real salt and eat fresh or baked.

•Organic Blue Corn Chips -This is a yummy snack with a touch of sea salt. You can eat these chips plain or dip into a healthy chili or fresh salsa.

Healthy Alternatives to your Sweet Tooth

•Frozen Yoghurt with Berries -An easy snack to make, just add fresh mixed berries to your All Natural Yoghurt and you should beat any
sweet cravings that you may have had.

•Fruit -Lots of healthy sugar is in fruit, and by having fruit you should be able to satisfy those cravings.

•Organic BlackBerry Sorbet bar - A delicious dessert ready to be eaten by you!

•Honey or Agave Sticks -You can usually find these Honey or Agave sticks at the health food store in lots of different flavors. More often than not, you can buy in bulk or individually. Take these with you and when  your blood sugar levels are low, this is a healthy alternative to candy.

Healthy Alternatives to your Sour Cravings

•Organic Twisted Fruit (Sour Apple) by Clif Kid -All natural fruit twists are made with real fruit, gluten-free and have no processed sugars.

•Grapefruit -A delicious and healthy way to curb your sour cravings and known to help you lose weight!

•Green Apple -This apple is a tart treat and sure to satisfy  your cravings. Too tart? Almond Butter might just be a yummy addition to this sour snack.

•Dried Cranberries -These are a great treat to take with you on the go. Be sure to buy the kind that doesn’t have anything added, since most commercial products add sugar. Buy from your local health food store and check the label before you buy.

Tags: agave, Berries, Blue corn chips, Cranberries, cravings, Edamame, Frozen Yoghurt, Fruit, Grapefruit, Green apple, healthy alternatives, honey, jerky, junk food, Organic Blackberry Sorbet Bar, Popcorn, salty, sour, Sour apple, sugar, sweet

Twinkie’s Challenge: Buy Organic

There are a lot of people still debating on whether they should buy Organic or not. Let’s set the record straight once and for all when it comes to Organic.

Definition

Organic food is grown, processed, and packaged without the use of agricultural chemicals, artificial colors or flavors, genetic modification, irradiation, or other synthetic ingredients.

Per the National Organic Program, here are some definitions that should help clear up their labeling:

“‘100 Percent Organic’ must contain (excluding water and salt) only organically produced ingredients and processing aids.

Products labeled ‘Organic’ must consist of at least 95 percent organically produced ingredients (excluding water and salt). Any remaining product ingredients must consist of nonagricultural substances approved on the National List including specific non-organically produced agricultural products that are not commercially available in organic form.”

Later, the National Organic Program addressed the term “made with organic ingredients”. They wrote:

“Processed products that contain at least 70 percent organic ingredients can use the phrase “made with organic ingredients” and list up to three of the organic ingredients or food groups on the principal display panel.”

Something good to know: If you use the USDA Organic seal on your products that are not produced or handled within the National Organic Program’s regulations, you can have a civil penalty of up to $11,000 US Dollars. Ouch!

Just so you know, products labeled as “Naturally Grown” are not regulated. Some smaller farms who can’t afford to join the National Organic Program to be labeled as “USDA Organic”, can label their products as “Naturally Grown”. Since it isn’t regulated though, there are no guarantees on what you are really getting with this label.

Organic Farms

Having an Organic Farm is a strict business, and as you now know, you can’t just mark up your products as “USDA Organic” just for the fun of it. Organic farms do not use synthetic chemicals or drugs. They instead treat their soil, plants, and animals with natural products, which are a much safer alternative. They have surprise inspections by Inspectors who test the water, soil, plants (or animals) to make sure that everything is within USDA Organic standards. Once they do this, they review receipts from anything from feed to other records of reports and tests. This takes time and money, done twice a year, and the organic farmer pays for the fees involved to be able to label their products as “USDA Organic”.

Nutrition

The debate on whether Organic is really worth the usual additional costs seems to boil down to the common question, “Is Organic healthier for you?” or “Is Organic more nutritious?”. The answer to both of the questions is a simple “Yes”.

According to Virginia Worthington MS, ScD, CNS, in her article “Nutritional Quality of Organic versus Conventional Fruits, Vegetables, and Grains” in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, she found in her studies:

“…the vitamin C content of an organic fruit or vegetable is 27% more, on average, than a comparable conventionally grown fruit or vegetable.”

She also found from the various produce she studied, that  you can, on average, find about 21% more Iron, 29% more Magnesium, and 13% more Phosphorus. You will find about 15% less Nitrates. This is all very good news for your body, and more reason to stick to Organic produce.

The Nutrients come from the soil, which then in turns feeds the plant what it needs to produce healthy good-for-you produce which we get to enrich our own bodies with. If the soil is infested with pesticides and harmful chemicals, it will be lacking in nutrients, and the produce will in turn be depleted of nutrients.

Keep in Mind

When you do see “Organic” Chocolate bars, for example, it doesn’t mean it is all of a sudden it will be considered “healthy” or even “low calorie”. It still is sugar, candy, and not to be considered as food. Organic Candy is still Candy! Keep that in mind while you are in the grocery store, and try to stick with foods in its natural form. For example, choose fresh Organic Pears versus Canned Pears.

Your body deserves the best, and it deserves Organic.

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Tags: best, Blog, body, Diary, Fruit, growth hormones, harmful chemicals, Healthy, Lose Weight, natural, nutrients, Nutrition, Organic, pesticides, Skinny, soil, stay active, Twinkie, Vegetable, Weight Loss

An Apple a day…

We have all heard the saying “An apple a day keeps the Doctor away”, but why is that? Apples are good for you- known Fact. Just how good are they for you, and what are some of the Health Benefits?

Nutrition

Apples have lots of Vitamin C, they are High in Fiber, and have Boron and Phloridzin, which helps with the strengthening of bones.

Apples are known to reduce or prevent the risk of Heart Disease,  Diabetes, several types of Cancers, Alzheimers disease, and help lower cholesterol.

Caffeine Replacement

Need to stay awake for an afternoon meeting? Rather than having some bad-for-you energy drink with loads of sugar, artifical sweeteners, and loaded with calories…why not have an apple? That’s right, Apples are known to help you stay awake, a healthier wake up call compared to your other caffeinated options.

Weight Loss Food

Another weight loss tip? Yes, apples are helpful for those who may want to maintain or lose weight. Again, apples are High in Fiber (Green apples especially), which keeps you fuller for a longer period of time, and apples are also is low in calories. Depending on its size, apples are  about 100 calories or less. Not bad for such a helpful fruit.

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Tags: apple, boron, Fruit, heathier alternative to caffeine, Lose Weight, low calore, lowers choles, maintain weight, Nutrition, phloridzin, prevention, snack, stay awake, stregthen bone, vitamin C

Twinkie’s Favorites

New to health food? Maybe you are starting to get sick of eating the same healthy food all the time because you don’t know what else is out there?

I like to try new things. When it comes to food, I get bored easily. I just can’t seem to eat the same thing over and over again. So, as I am grocery shopping (something I just love to do), I take my time looking at what products are out there. I come home with new things all the time to just try it out, and hopefully find something new my husband and I will both love. Some things I have brought home haven’t been so successful. I have thrown away some food because of this (not something I am proud of), but I am hoping by posting about some of the more successful finds, it will help you find something you too will enjoy.

Don’t be scared to trying new things…you never know what you will discover.

Bon Appetit!

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Tags: Add new tag, Blog, exercise, Fitness, Fruit, goal size, goal weight, grocery shopping, ideas, Lose Weight, motivates, motivational, natural, new foods, nutrients, Nutrition, Organic, Perfect, shopping, Skinny, something new, stay active, Twinkie, Weight Loss, working out