What I'm Loving Right Now

I think I'm going to do a bunch of these "What I'm Loving Right Now" segments throughout this blog.  A lot of them will be about nutrition, healthy snack and meal ideas, and tips.  That will be what this one's about, anyway!

Loving: Nutrition

I've always loved nutrition.  I was never a picky eater and was also a gymnast, diver, dancer, and still am a runner so I knew if I put garbage into my body, I'd do pretty darn poorly in competitions. Anyway, for years I also wanted to be a nutritionist.  I still haven't fully ruled that out yet, but even if I don't become one, I will still use whatever knowledge I have from learning about it to my life.

Mini-Babybel Light: They're these cute little cheeses that you can pick up at any grocery store.  They're very good, especially when paired with mustard (I prefer Jack Daniel's mustard---and no, there is no alcohol in it, for those who are wondering.  It's just the brand.) Here's a picture of the cheese!  Plus they're wrapped in this wax that you easily can take off...and then play with.  Or, at least that's what I do.

Laughing Cow Cheese:

I've been eating these for years, and now there are new flavors that I need to try (tomato basil, etc)!  I use the plain swiss flavor on wraps or by themselves.  I've also recently (I'm talkin' last night) found out that, if paired with fruit or nuts, they make a really tasty dessert!  Last night I ate a piece with some blueberries and it was really good. :)

Almond Milk: Don't raise your eyebrows.  It's good!  I snack on almonds all the time, so I really like this.  It's unsweetened and I don't think it has calcium benefits or anything, but it's just sort of refreshing to have a gulp of it.  You can also use it in your smoothies, coffee, tea, cereal, etc.  Sometimes I pour it over raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries and it's really good.  It's low in calories, carbs, and sugar.

Almond Butter/Peanut Butter: At my grocery store, there are these machines that have peanuts and almonds in them (respectively).  You flip a switch and the nuts are ground down to butter right in front of you, so they're fresh with no added ingredients.  They taste better than any peanut butter I've ever tried.  EVER!  And I might even like the almond butter more.  I flip flop all the time about which is my favorite.

Cinnamon Tea: First off, I love anything with cinnamon.  Seriously.  And I learned from Katrina from Tone it Up that it can also be a good dessert with some almond milk in it.  

Pistachios: If you get the kind that you have to peel open, it's sort of a pain, but it also helps with portion control since you have to work to get the nut out of its shell.  I like to get both my jars of pistachios and almonds from Target.  They are Target brand (specifically called "Market Pantry") and come in jars that get you a good amount of food for the price you pay.

Green Tea: I've tried tons of different kinds, and recently just bought Lipton brand and it's fabulous (not to mention cheaper than other options).  I've tried crosses between green tea and acai (pronounced "ahs-sye-eeee.  Sye rhymes with dye) berry tea and green tea mixed with black tea, but even though both are yummy in their own regard, this time I just wanted plain.  No fancy-shmancy stuff.  Just plain green tea.

That's another thing, I read the ingredient labels a lot.  The last time I went back home for a visit, my parents were (and are) going on this major health kick.  Honestly, the unhealthiest thing in my house was JIF peanut butter.  I've always been one for healthy foods and exercise, so I thought that was pretty cool.  And while I was there, I learned a trick that has now changed my approach to eating:  READ THE 1ST FOUR INGREDIENTS ON FOODS before you buy/eat them.  IF YOU DON'T RECOGNIZE THEM, then don't eat it.  When you actually do this on your main, staple foods, you'll be surprised that things you eat normally, like bread, have unrecognizable ingredients.  Even foods that are "healthy", such as low carb, low calorie foods, have alien nutrients in their first four ingredients.  The reason you read the first four is because ingredients are listed in order of prominence.  In other words, they are arranged from most to least.  Although, aim for foods that are free of ingredients you don't recognize.  Another way of looking at it is to ask yourself, "would I cook with this?" or "would I want someone to give me food that they cooked with this??" If the answer is no, try to find an alternative.

While you're at it, don't get or consume anything with high fructose corn syrup.  I'm convinced it's what has lead our country to become so obese.  I am by no means a doctor or expert, but doctors and experts do say that (I don't have a link with me or anything, but you can research it if you'd like).  And again, watch out for "healthy" foods.  Even they'll have that corn syrup hiding in there sometimes.  And in my opinion, you don't even really need to eat corn that much considering most meats now are fed corn.  Even fish!  Yes, fish.  When's the last time you saw a salmon swimming around and fighting other salmon for corn in the wild?  You haven't.  Seriously.  Neither has anyone.  Basically, all these animals are eating things that they would not eat in their natural habitat and so when we eat cow or salmon and drink cow's milk, then those nutrients they get come into us.  So as a word of caution, do your homework about the source of your dinner before you sit down to eat it.  It's not as hard as it sounds, and you'll benefit from it.

Gosh that was long.  That's it for now!

-Sarah