Stress Eater vs. Finals Week

Hey girl, I see you sippin' on that 44 oz. soda and poppin' those Dorito's. STOP. Let me help you! Finals week will NOT get the best of us my friends. I can tell you right now that your diet during finals week is probably not ideal. Here are some foods that help with stress, AND some foods that help you think better (aka brain food).

Asparagus- these lean, green machines are high in folate, a vitamin that helps you keep your cool

Avocados- blocking certain fats that cause oxidative damage, avocados help you breath and they are full of B-vitamins, vitamin E, beta-carotene, and folate.

Berries- filled with antioxidants, berries will keep you healthy as well as sharpen your cognitive abilities. (Who doesn't need their cognition improved during finals week, am I right?)

Cashews- Since cashews are filled with zinc (a mineral that has been associated with fighting off depression & anxiety), it's the perfect snack for studying. It's also full of protein and carbs so it'll give you plenty of energy to keep on keepin' on.

Chamomile Tea- It's been said that this type of tea calms your nerves as well as helps you sleep

Chocolate- Believe it baby! Dark chocolate has been shown to lower your blood pressure! It can also put you in a better mood, no seriously!

Garlic- Garlic is full of antioxidants which you'll need if your stress levels are fighting your immune systems to the death.

Green Tea- this has been found to enhance your mental performance!

Oatmeal- Oatmeal is a complex carbohydrate. Complex carbs tell the brain to produce serotonin (a feel-good chemical) Plus the carbs will give you the energy that you'll need to start your study day off right. Oh and if you throw on a pinch of cinnamon that could help with your memory!

Oranges- Once again with the antioxidant boosters, oranges are filled with vitamin C.

Oysters- zinc machines! (the mineral that fights off depression and anxiety, remember?)

Walnuts- Walnuts are filled with alpha linolenic acid (omega-3 fatty acid) which can help prevent memory loss. I would also add that fish is packed with Omega-3 fatty acid!

Spinach- this leafy green has been related to dementia prevention (folate, vitamins E & K are the magicians inside spinach that do this trick)

Grape Juice/Red wine- packed with polyphenols, these drinks can give your brain the boost it needs!

So get to the grocery store and stock up on these foods before your next final or study session! Along with these awesome foods make sure you're getting plenty of sleep, regular meals, & plenty of water in order to stay healthy and keep your energy up during this stressful time!

GOOD LUCK and thanks for reading!

Information curated from these web articles:
13 Healthy Foods that Fight Stress
10 Foods that Help Boost your Brain Power

Fresh Fruit Vs. Dried Fruit

What's the big deal with dried fruit? I've had a request from a friend to post about dried fruit!

My friend posed the question,
" I really love fruit but sometimes it's hard to keep it fresh for so long and I absolutely HATE grocery shopping!  So what's the deal with dried fruit?  I hear good and bad things. I love dried mangos but I know most of them are loaded with sugar. My friend bought some dried bananas and strawberries called "Crunchies" freeze dried fruit. It's delicious!  But I don't know how to tell if they're really considered a "healthy" snack or not. I was thinking maybe you could help me!"

First of all, what is dried fruit? 
Fruit is dehydrated of the majority of the original water content. This is done on a specialized dryer, dehydrator, or dried from the sun. 

Why is it so popular?
Dried fruit has a really long shelf life! Most dried fruits can last MONTHS in the pantry and even YEARS in the fridge/freezer! This can be really attractive as most non-dried fruit lasts about a week usually if it's not frozen. It's also extremely convenient to throw a baggie of dried fruit into your bag to munch on for the day. It isn't going to smash in your bag or bruise as the day goes on. 

Is it really healthy?
As of today there are no known food-borne illnesses related to dried-fruit. Dried fruit can have almost the exact same nutritional value as it's non-dried counterpart. There are sugar-infused dried fruits which do contain added sugar content, but most fruit is dried without added sugar. My cousin actually has a fruit dryer and she dries her own fruit. This would be the ideal way to prepare your dried fruit if you're worried about nutrition content. Fruit dryers aren't as expensive as you would imagine. Just like regular fruit, dried fruit has a low sodium content, a good amount of fiber, potassium, essential nutrients/vitamins, and minimal amounts of sucrose. I looked up the "Crunchies" brand that my friend mentioned. These are prepared in a vacuum chamber to dehydrate and freeze dry. According to Crunchie's website there are no added sugars, no GMO's, gluten free (which I can go totally off about because gluten free is so dumb but I'll save that for another post), no additive preservatives, low sodium, and low/no fat. So overall, it sounds like a great product to me! Be aware that the serving content is different for fresh and dried fruit. 1/4 cup of dried fruit is equivalent to one serving. If you are trying to lose weight, fresh fruit might be the way to go. It will make you feel more full because one serving is considerably larger than one serving of dried fruit.

Is it worth it?
Honestly, if you hate grocery shopping every week for fruit that goes bad before you can finish it, I would highly suggest dried fruit! It's so convenient and it has basically the same nutritional value as fresh fruit. If you are not a fan of fruit, try dried! You may find that you actually like dried fruit better than fresh fruit. For example, I'm not a huge fan of fresh, sour grapes but I LOVE all types of raisins. While dried fruit can be pricey, if it's worth it to you, it's great. 

Fast Food: If you have to have it, what should you have?

Whether you choose to dine out at your local MickyD's or you have no choice/time you should be informed on what's actually the best food options available there. Do you think the salad is always better for you than the cheeseburger? You may be wrong about that...

Wendy's

McDonald's

Carl's Jr.

Burger King
(Almost 1200 calories for a sandwich! Can you say heart-attack?)

Dairy Queen
(only food items)

In order to reduce your calorie intake:

1. Look for lighter/less calorie menu options
2. Try grilled rather than crispy!
3. Size small rather than the Large (portion sizes)
4. Skip the dressing on the salads or do a side salad instead
5. The less fatty condiments the better
6. Instead of soda, take the water cup!

All Nutrition labels can be found on the websites of fast food restaurants. This information has to be available to the public. If you ever have a question about the nutrition facts, just ask! :)

Also, 

Just because I have listed fast food restaurants does not mean that numbers aren't similar if not higher in regular restaurants. Portion size has a huge impact on the numbers! 

THINK BEFORE YOU EAT! :)

8 Simple Tips to Avoiding a "Thanksgiving Hangover"

We are all guilty of over-eating on Thanksgiving... and there's nothing wrong with it! One day of binge-eating isn't going to hurt you my friends. (sigh of relief) However, I do have some tips to limit yourself this Thanksgiving! I know that when I eat entirely way too much I get a stomach ache afterwards. Having a stomach ache while all of my cousins are in town is never good. We like party.

1. Dress up! My family loves to dress up for the Holidays. You can never go wrong with staying classy, am I right?? No, but seriously, dress up! If you go to dinner in a big t-shirt and sweatpants you're going to eat more because you feel lazier. I know it sounds strange but it's totally psychological. Plus you'll want to look thin and trim in your holiday dress for pictures so you won't bloat yourself with too much food.
2. Trick yourself by pulling out a smaller plate. The smaller the plate, the smaller the portions. You'll feel like you've got plenty because your small plate will be completely full of food. Rather than loading up a large plate, trick your mind by filling up a small plate!
3. Think about your portion sizes before you scoop that heaping mountain of mashed potatoes onto your plate. How many cups would that be? How many tablespoons of gravy did you almost pour all over your plate? Think before you pour and you may find yourself only scooping the amount of food that you actually know you'll want to eat.
4. Place dessert onto your dinner plate... (you'll have to make room for it, thus you'll get less food). Now some of you (if you're like me) won't like this because this means all of your dinner foods will be touching your delicious dessert. If you have this problem go ahead and use a separate plate or bowl, but limit yourself to ONE dessert. OMG that's so hard I know! Pick your absolute favorite dessert that you don't think you can live without and dish THAT up instead of all of them.
5. Variety! Don't be that guy/girl who just has a village made of stuffing on their plate. Mix it up and don't be afraid to try new foods! It's okay to get more of what you love the most, but be open-minded when it comes to other types of foods this Thanksgiving.
6. Make sure you eat breakfast (and lunch if you have Thanksgiving meal at dinner time). This will keep you energized and full until the feast. If you show up to eat with an empty stomach, chances are you're going to eat a LOT more than you normally would.
7. Hold a conversation... or if your family is like mine, multiple conversations at once at the table. Talk, joke, and listen with others while you eat. This will slow you down so that your food will actually have time to digest. When you eat slowly you are able to tell when you are full.
8. Exercise in the morning! I think it was two years ago that my cousins, aunts, and I went to the "turkey burner" zumba early morning session on Thanksgiving day. It was awesome! We all got together and danced our turkey butts off then came back to grandma's for our thanksgiving feast. Exercising is a great way to feel better about yourself this thanksgiving. Get with your family members and plan something fun! Hiking, biking, running, dancing, playing football/basketball, golfing, swimming, or even shopping are great things do to together before or after your big meal. (yes I did just justify black Friday shopping as an exercise)

The most important thing is to enjoy the time you get to spend with family/friends. Make the most of your day and don't end up spending it sitting by the toilet! Happy Thanksgiving!

Meal Replacing Smoothies that are EASY to make!

I said I would finish off my meal prep from last week but I really didn't take that many pictures. Here is one of the many meals from Wednesday-Saturday.

The meal I'd like to focus on though is my awesome smoothie! I had this smoothie as a meal replacement for lunch. I can make this smoothie in less than 10 minutes so it rocks when I'm late and trying to run out the door. You can use whatever type of blender/bullet blender you'd like as long as it gets the job done. I like to use my bullet-style blender rather than my ninja just because it's SO much easier to clean up.

 When trying to decide whether you'd rather make your own or just hit up Jamba Juice or Tropical Smoothie, think about all the sugar content. I looked up a classic smoothie from Jamba Juice and it contained 114g of sugar. (28oz Aloha Pineapple)  If you are lazy like me this may be a desirable option, Ask for the light smoothies or reduced sugar. Those will always be better for you but there's nothing better than drinking your own, healthy smoothie. Go for the purest option out there, make it yourself! You'll know exactly what goes into it because YOU are in charge of the ingredients.

 I've added a link below with LOTS of smoothie recipes that I think are delicious.  Try some out and you won't be disappointed! 

Here's one of my smoothies! Enjoy!

Half an orange, Half an apple, and 1 whole banana

Throw in some baby spinach... yuck.

1 cup of frozen or fresh mixed berries

Add a little milk, yogurt, or apple juice to thin out your smoothie,
then it's ready to be pulverized!!!!

Easy as that!

 There are lots of smoothie recipes that I love! Basically I'll use whatever I have on hand in the fridge but here are some easy, great smoothie recipes! Link below.

EASY, YUMMY SMOOTHIES!