Healthy You

After months of waiting, I’ve finally made it to the one place I haven’t quite been able to get out of my mind since I was a little girl. It’s a place where dreams come true for all ages, and has already been making mine come true since three months ago when I received an email telling me I had been accepted to do an internship at Walt Disney World. Of course now you’re wondering why on earth this has to do with Healthy You. Well obviously, it’s the changes that lie in front of me. Do I tell myself I don’t have time for a workout, or that a greasy hamburger is the best thing for me on a busy day? Nope. I have to stay true to myself and keep up with what I’m doing (which is for no one but myself). Bottom line, I need to take care of myself! Don’t let a new surrounding take from you what you’ve been working so hard to get!

Nowadays, it seems like everyone’s favorite excuse is that they didn’t have enough time (me included). So we cut out the things that we figure can wait for another day or just aren’t important. Unfortunately, one thing many people have no problem cutting out is their workouts and unfortunately, it shows. If you Google “Americans” and click on images, it will ask if you’d like to re-search “fat Americans”. No joke.

So this is what you need to do. I’m sure you have a free half an hour in your day somewhere (perhaps you should record your favorite tv show or watch it online later), and you need to take that half an hour and do something involving exercise. Remember, a workout doesn’t have to involve the gym, nor does it have to involve a yoga mat. A walk, a game of basketball, or a swim in the pool will help you in long run! (no pun intended)

Before I head off on my internship at Disney for the next three months, I decided to head to Charlotte to visit some friends at school (seeing that I haven’t seen them all summer and they were going to be here early). Of course with a bunch of people here, someone had to cook and being that I love doing that more than anything, I accepted the challenge. For whatever reason I woke up the next morning before everyone else (never happens) and decided to make my stuffed french toast. Now thinking this wasn’t a healthy meal, I substituted some things and well, it wasn’t as bad as I thought. And literally my friend’s mom told me ten times that she couldn’t get it out of her head… ok, so I have to share….

Stuffed French Toast

3 eggs

1 cup organic fat-free milk

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 loaf of day old french bread (cut into thick slices, cutting 3/4 of the way into each individual slice in order to stuff it)

Mix first 4 ingredients into a bowl and soak the slices of bread in the mixture on all sides. Place bread into a preheated pan (with a little olive oil) until browned on both sides

The stuffing

1 pkg (8 oz) neufchatel cheese (like cream cheese, but better for you)

1/4 cup of granulated sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

Mix ingredients together

The “syrup”

1 cup of strawberries (leave whole, remove tops)

1 cup of blueberries

1 tbsp of brown sugar

Puree strawberries and blueberries together in a food processor until well blended. Heat in a sauce pan and add the brown sugar.

Take two heaping tablespoons of the stuffing and put them in the inside of the french toast and drizzle the “syrup” on top and enjoy!

Nutrition Facts   7 Servings

Amount Per Serving
  Calories 347.0   Total Fat 11.0 g       Saturated Fat 5.6 g       Polyunsaturated Fat 0.9 g       Monounsaturated Fat 1.7 g   Cholesterol 102.2 mg   Sodium 565.6 mg   Potassium 159.5 mg   Total Carbohydrate 49.1 g       Dietary Fiber 3.2 g       Sugars 13.4 g   Protein 12.1 g   Vitamin A 4.5 %   Vitamin B-12 3.4 %   Vitamin B-6 4.2 %   Vitamin C 25.4 %   Vitamin D 7.9 %   Vitamin E 2.1 %   Calcium 10.8 %   Copper 7.3 %   Folate 27.6 %   Iron 12.1 %   Magnesium 5.2 %   Manganese 25.3 %   Niacin 15.8 %   Pantothenic Acid     3.4 %   Phosphorus     15.2 %   Riboflavin 18.3 %   Selenium 29.3 %   Thiamin 23.2 %   Zinc 5.8 %

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Summer is coming to an end sooner than you think! Take advantage of it and go for a swim :)

Some people are addicted to crack, some people are addicted to shopping, and some people are addicted t.v. I, on the other hand, am addicted to something a little healthier (and for once, I’m not talking about spinach, which btw is amazing!). Ready for it? Chocolate Almond Milk. Now I was skeptical at first too. Doesn’t milk come from cows? Of course it does, it’s only called “almond milk” because of its similar benefits (at least that’s my thinking) to cow juice, and of course its milky consistency. Now this is where I should tell you to choose almond milk over milk, right? But I still enjoy a nice tall glass of milk everyday, so in order to avoid being hypocritical, I’m going to skip that part (but I have included a link so you can read up on it if you’re interested!). Both are still very good for you and both taste delicious! Personally, it does my brain good to know that I’ve made a very health conscious decision every time I twist cap though. 

Almond Milk Benefits

Click here for a coupon!

Don’t be afraid to go to the gym because you think people are going to look at you wondering why you’re there. First of all, the world doesn’t revolve around you and secondly, they came there to work out. I’m pretty sure they don’t care because they’re wrapped up in their workouts, which is where you should be. So break a sweat, climb the stair master and remember to check yourself out when you walk by the mirror and tell yourself how great YOU look today. And I don’t mean before the workout, I mean when you’re all hot and sweaty and your hair looks like you’ve been living in the jungle. Easy self-confidence booster :)

Switch out the usual hamburger to a turkey burger! You won’t even miss the taste of the cow! (I’m sure I will expand on this later)

Now out of anyone, I often feel tempted to eat things I don’t need. Mainly because every time I go to work, I’m literally surrounded by desserts. I work in a bakery (every nutritionist has to start somewhere I guess…) in a grocery store. Part of my job involves decorating cakes… another part of my job involves handing out cookies to kids. Great idea. Now sometimes I don’t mind handing out cookies to them, it just really bothers me when you can tell the most exercise the kid got that day was running from the front door of the store to the bakery. Running to get a cookie? I don’t really get that. Anyway, that’s not my point of this article. The point is, you have the power to say no to the cookie (sometimes I lose my battle due to hunger and the need to eat something-hear an excuse… me too). I would love to grab the nearest box of whatever I can find, go hide with a half gallon of milk and shove my face into it. But imagine how that would look when my boss walked in seeing me sitting on the floor, milk dribbling down my chin, and half a cheesecake sitting in front of me and the remains of the other half on my shirt. Not attractive.

Now how do I resist all this temptation that surrounds me? Easy really. I tell myself I don’t need it because I simply know I don’t. I know the only thing I’m going to get out of it is pleasing my taste buds and then regret later. Not to mention my biggest fear: waking up one day and saying to myself, “What the hell happened to you?”

Find what works for you and you’re golden! It’s all a mind game and YOU can beat yourself (if that makes sense!).

Take your pet with you on your hike (or other outdoor activity)! Because a healthy pet, makes a healthier you! And don’t forget the water!

Join a cycling club! I see these all over the Carolinas!

The average American today consumes 2-3 pounds of sugar a week as opposed to Americans in the late 19th century who consumed 5 pounds of sugar a year? YIKES!

Woman Treks the App Trail

How cool is she?

I was asked a question in regards to my recent article, “Well Ain’t That Sweet” on what the differences were between sugar and agave nectar. First let me apologize for not going into further detail on that subject. (Note to self: Stop writing at 1:30 in the morning). So let me delve in that department a little further…

First of all, (as I touched before) agave nectar is more natural than our regular sugar. It is processed only for consumption (processed meaning it is heated at a low heat to break down the carbohydrates into sugar), and although slightly processed, it is still less processed than sugar. The more processed it is, the more of the natural benefits are lost. Batta Bing, Batta Boom.

Secondly, unlike sugar, it has a low glycemic index. This means those with Diabetes will not have to deal with a spike in their blood sugar levels. This also means, that unlike sugar, agave nectar does not trigger the body’s ability to store fat. Also meaning that it is good for those trying to maintain their weight and lose weight as well.

Third of all, while the amount of calories doesn’t lower with agave, the amount used does. Agave is about 40 times sweeter than sugar, meaning less is needed to be used.

Another question asked was my opinion on Splenda vs. Sugar. Now as a culinary major, I’m going to say Sugar and as a Nutrition major, I’m still going to say sugar. Surprised? Well you shouldn’t be. Knowing that sugar aids in cooking (i.e caramelization), Splenda only provides the sweetness of the sugar. I haven’t been able to find any information backing up why Splenda is better than sugar, unless you’re diabetic or looking for primarily just the sweet flavor without the added calories. Nor have I found any added nutritional value, which is why sugar is better in my opinion. AGAIN, JUST AN OPINION!

Just remember after reading all of this, the key you need here is moderation. Whether you prefer agave, sugar, or Splenda, whatever you use can be extremely unhealthy if you use too much of it.