food

What’s on the Menu

One of the big components of eating healthy is cooking the majority of your meals at home with whole ingredients. As a working professional I know that meal planning & grocery shopping for an entire week of meals can be time consuming. Fortunately, services like Blue Apron can have all the ingredients you need to make wholesome meals, that meet your dietary preferences, sent right to your door. Plus, if you’re a avid podcaster listener, I’m sure you’ve heard the host give out a Blue Apron promo code to get you a couple free meals. No, I’m not a paid endorser (I wish I was honestly), I just know services like these can reduce individuals reliance on ordering takeout or going out to eat. Shannon and I go into more detail about this awesome service, and meal prep in general, in a past episode of the Addicted to Fitness podcast. Give it a listen and let us know if it convinced you to give Blue Apron a try.

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Addicted to Fitness Show Notes – Holiday Eating & Travel Survival Guide

This post coming at ya from Shannon.

Along with the twinkling lights and chipper holiday music, the holidays bring some health challenges for many people – food, drinks, more food, travel and visits, and seemingly less time than normal.

This all adds up to some serious challenges for keeping your health and fitness goals intact. In fact, the urge to throw your hands up and surrender to the over indulgence for the balance of the year is overwhelming tempting.

This week on the Addicted to Fitness podcast, we’re bringing you some proven tips and tricks on how to battle the food and travel obstacles.

We also get chatty about:

  • ETT news including welcoming a new client and our recent group workout recap.
  • Yoga with a Twist at the Epicurean: A meal is donated to a child in need, via Feeding Tampa Bay, for each ticket sold. Yoga hosted by Megan Blizard of the Conscious Coconut, each month.
  • Friends get the Peloton bike.

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Now for those tips.

You’ll have to listen to get all the details (we use these ourselves and have truly put them to the test), but here’s a quick rundown:

  • Enjoy your holiday – Eat like it’s a holiday on the day. Then, get back to it the next day and remember your body can take a day of splurge, just don’t forget to take care of it after indulging.
  • It’s not just about what you eat, it’s also about how much you eat – Tryptophan making you tired is not exactly true, it’s your digestion working hard that’s really slowing you down.
  • Order light when you’re out – Share an entree or appetizer versus going for the full meal.
  • Pack your own snacks  when traveling – Control what you eat on the go and be prepared when your stomach starts rumbling with some healthy snacks.
  • Drink loads of water – Dehydration can lead to illness and fatigue, so be sure you’re traveling with plenty of water.
  • Plan a pre-travel workout – Specifically target this around stretching out your muscles and joints to prepare for being cramped in tight spaces while traveling.
  • Hit it hard after the feast – Once you’ve digested your food and had a good night’s sleep, tackle a kick-butt workout the next day to start burning off the excess from the day before.

Don’t forget to get in that holiday spirit!

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After you listen to this episode, tell us what you think either on Facebook or by leaving a review in the iTunes store. Stay tuned this holiday season as we continue to bring you interesting and helpful health and fitness information each week. Have a topic or interview you want to hear us discuss in a future podcast? Send us an email – elementaltampa@gmail.com – or give us a head’s up on our social channels.

We truly enjoy producing the podcast and hope you enjoy listening. Thanks again for all your support!

Links to this week’s episode

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/how-to-survive-holiday-eating/id1121420986?i=1000378331756&mt=2

Android: http://subscribeonandroid.com/addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/rss

Website: http://addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/how-to-survive-holiday-eating-travel

What’s on the Menu

I’m tired of one of my favorite Thanksgiving Day staples being blamed for post feast sleepiness. Tryptophan is an amino acid that contributes to the production of the body’s “calming” hormones serotonin and melatonin. It’s true that turkey contains tryptophan, but no more than any other animal protein. According to the infographic below, a 3 ounce portion contains 250-310 milligrams. If you look at natural sleep aid supplements, like Onnit’s New Mood, a recommended dose contains 2-3 times that amount. The turkey you eat during your meal is not solely responsible for you feeling like you have narcolepsy. 

The real culprit of post Thanksgiving dinner sleepiness is most likely the amount you eat and, in my opinion, the massive amount of sugar you consume. Think about it. The marshmallows & brown sugar on the sweet potato casserole, the cranberry sauce, the obligatory pumpkin pie. All these dishes create a massive blood sugar spike which will almost certainly lead to you passing out in front of the TV while the Lions lose another Thanksgiving Day football game. If you’re interested in not acting like a tranquilized bear after yourThanksgiving Day meal, you may want to eat a little more turkey and ditch the sugary & carby side dishes. With that said, you best believe I’m having some pumpkin pie tomorrow. Happy Thanksgiving peeps!

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Infographic courtesy of Time.com

What’s on the Menu

This week’s #whatiatewednesday is not only a delicious one, but a super easy “do it yourself” one. It all started when I saw that my local Whole Foods had a sale on organic pork ribs. For less than $10, I was able to purchase ribs from pigs that weren’t given any antibiotics or growth hormones and were fed organic, non-GMO, feed. Even though we’ve recently talked about how misleading food labels can be, the price and my desire for ribs made this an easy purchase. I have a preference for smoked ribs, but that takes a tremendous amount of time, which is something I feel most people lack especially in the middle of a workweek. That’s why the crockpot is such a godsend. Cover these bad boys in a homemade NO SUGAR dry rub, then throw them in the crockpot on low for 8 hours and BAM! Fall of the bone ribs. No need to cover these ribs in a sugary BBQ or any liquid at all. Your dry rub will provide all the flavor you need without giving you that pesky blood sugar spike.

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An Interview with the Lean Green DAD, Cory Warren

Thirteen hours a week. That’s the minimum amount of training time needed to prepare for an ironman triathlon. I learned that during my interview with the Lean Green DAD, Cory Warren. Cory was training for triathlons when he discovered that a plant based diet helped him recover faster and helped his wife manage her auto-immune disease. Since that point, he and his family have been advocates for the plant based lifestyle. Whether it be in his blog, YouTube videos, or on his podcast, Cory promotes the benefits of incorporating more plants into your diet. During our interview, Cory and I discussed supplements that are necessary on a vegan diet, how to motivate your kids to eat more veggies and an app he’s developing that will change the way you shop for groceries. Cory is dedicated to helping people and I feel privileged to have him on the Addicted to Fitness podcast.

In addition to our interview with the Lean Green DAD, Shannon and I discuss a pair of upcoming ETT events on this week’s episode. First on November 12th, ETT member Carmin will be competing in the main event of the Mike Calta Punchout. Even though this event is more entertainment than sport, Carmin has been training like a real fighter, which is why I believe her fight will easily be the fight of the night. The next ETT event Shannon and I discuss this week is the next ETT group workout on the 19th of November. Once again, if you live in the Tampa Bay Area, come join us for this free workout. All workout participants receive a 15% discount at one of Tampa’s best coffee shops, Spaddy’s Coffee.

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Earlier this week, I noticed that we had surpassed the 2000 download mark. I never thought anyone would even listen to this podcast, let alone it be downloaded over 2000 times! Thanks so much for your continued support. You all keep listening and we’ll keep putting out fun and engaging health & fitness news on a weekly basis. If you haven’t done so already, please rate, review and share the podcast. Thanks for the continued support and stay healthy this week peeps!

Links for this week’s episode

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/interview-lean-green-dad-cory/id1121420986?i=1000377569626&mt=2

Android: http://subscribeonandroid.com/addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/rss

Website: http://addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/an-interview-with-the-lean-green-dad-cory-warren

Getting Our Swerve On

This week’s Addicted to Fitness starts of with a recap of a recent trip back to my old kickboxing gym, Amir’s Academy. As soon as I walked through the doors at Amir’s, “Glory Days” by the Boss starting playing in my head. I owe a lot to Master Amir and his school and I knew he and his fighters would be the perfect people to help ETT client Carmin prepare for her upcoming celebrity boxing event. Master Amir put Carmin and I through 30 minutes of conditioning/cardio followed by several rounds of sparring. I was super proud of how Carmin performed in the ring. She sparred a very experienced martial artist for 3 rounds and did a fantastic job. After she finished, I knew that she was prepared for her match on November 12th at the Mike Calta Punchout 2. Shannon followed my week in training recap with her own (6 workouts in a row including an aerial yoga session) then we transition to a detailed examination of a natural sweetener called Swerve.

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Swerve is composed primarily of a sugar alcohol called erythritol. Erythritol is created when glucose ferments with the fungus Moniliella pollinis. According to the Swerve website, their product has zero calories, does not raise your blood sugar or create an insulin response. Preliminary experiments support their claims, but further studies are needed to determine if this is the zero negative impact sweetener we’ve all been waiting for. Even though it doesn’t create the same metabolic response as regular sugar, it’s taste may perpetuate the current sugar addiction we are currently seeing in this country. Shannon has used it in a few baked goods she’s made recently and I can attest that it taste just like sugar, which makes me believe that it’s zero health impacts are too good to be true. Our Swerve debate was not the only somewhat controversial topic we discussed on this week’s episode.

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Image courtesy of the Swerve website

Netflix recently added one of my favorite shows to their ever increasing repertoire of programming. Meateater can be described as a hunting show, but it is more a show about exploration and discovering what you’ll go through to obtain sustenance. Growing up on a farm, obtaining my own food, whether it be through hunting, fishing or farming, was an integral part of everyday life. Don’t get me wrong, we still went to the grocery store, but wild game was a staple of our diet. That’s why I wanted to have the conversation about wild game and how it’s obtained with Shannon. I’ve learned through the numerous years we’ve been together that Shannon is not a fan of the smell or taste of wild game (not including wild caught seafood). I describe the nutritional benefits of wild game, hunters contribution to wildlife conservation and the effect hunting has on your mindset. I know the topic of hunting can invoke a wide arrange of feelings in people, and I encourage you to leave your thoughts for or against it in the comment section below.

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My uncle preparing venison sausage

If you have a comment about hunting, or any topic we bring up on the podcast, feel free to leave them below or reach out to us at elementaltampa@gmail.com. We love using your feedback to help make the podcast better. We’d also love it if you’d give us a rating and review on iTunes. We truly appreciate all the support you all give us. It really motivates us to put out the best podcast we can on a weekly basis. Keep listening, keep sharing and stay healthy this week peeps!

Links to this week’s episode

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/getting-our-swerve-on/id1121420986?i=1000377317236&mt=2

Android: http://subscribeonandroid.com/addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/rss

Website: http://addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/getting-our-swerve-on

 

 

From the Vault: Exo Cricket Flour Protein Bar taste test

We reach way back in the ETT Wrap Show vault for this episode. This week’s Addicted to Fitness podcast features my former cohost Tyler and a taste test of a protein bar made from a tasty little critter. Before we get into the taste test, Tyler and I discuss my experience learning jiujitsu from current UFC fighter Joe Lauzon. This eventually leads to us talking about two of the biggest names in MMA at the time, and now strangely enough, Conor McGregor and Jon Jones. I inform Tyler about Jones’ impending suspension and why I think there is “no way” McGregor could beat Nate Diaz in a rematch. Boy was I wrong. After all the UFC talk, Tyler and I jump into the protein bar taste test.

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Collage made with image from Conor McGregor’s IG page

Exo protein bars, according to their website, are “soy, dairy, grain and gluten-free. Paleo and environmentally friendly protein bars.” Most protein bars cannot makes these claims due to their ingredients, but the main ingredient in Exo bars is unlike any other protein bar. These bars are made with cricket flour. Yep, you read that right, this is a cricket bar. Most of the world already uses insects as a go to food source, but we still consider them somewhat taboo here in the United States. Except for crabs & lobsters which are essentially sea insects. Anyways, crickets produce 100x less greenhouse gases than cows and require a tremendous amount less water to produce than other protein sources like pigs and chickens (source). Tyler and I munch on two of these bad boys and to our surprise, love how they taste. High in fat and protein, these bars will keep you satiated a lot longer than any granola/trail mix bar. They also contain a significant portion of your recommended daily allowance of calcium and iron. The dates and honey used in the bars give them a relatively high sugar content, but I imagine the glycemic load is lowered due to the fiber and fat. I’d highly recommend everyone head over to the Exo protein bars website and grab a sampler pack. You won’t be disappointed, I promise.

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Image courtesy of Exoprotein.com

Let us know about the newest “health” food craze that you’d like us to try on the podcast. I  already have a couple in mind *cough* cockroach milk *cough* but we always love hearing your suggestions. In addition to leaving us suggestions on future taste tests,  please help us out by leaving us a rating and review on iTunes. Our downloads continue to climb each week which means your ratings, reviews and shares are helping us grow our audience. Thanks for the support and stay healthy this week peeps!

Links to this week’s episode:

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/from-vault-exo-cricket-flour/id1121420986?i=1000377041722&mt=2

Android: http://subscribeonandroid.com/addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/rss

Website: http://addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/from-the-vault-exo-cricket-flour-protein-bar-taste-test

What’s on the Menu

Being a Maryland native, I’m predisposed to like crab cakes. It’s in my blood. In my opinion, the blue crab should be the state animal. Do states even have state animals? Anyways, I love this delectable seafood dish and depending on the ingredients, a crab cake itself can be rather healthy. My grandmother would use a little bit of flour as her binding agent, but the prominent ingredient, and rightly so, was the crab. Three ounces of cooked blue crab contains 15g of protein and almost half of your recommended daily allowance of vitamin B-12. The naughtiness of this awesome dish usually arrives with the addition of a sauce or a bun if you have it as a sandwich. The version you see below, created by my talented wife Shannon, is the gluten free version of a crab cake “sandwich.” The crab is held together with egg, mayo and gluten free breadcrumbs and the “bun” is a portobello mushroom. I can tell you it would make my grandmother proud. If you’re sticking to a strict low carb diet you can ditch the potatoes for another vegetable. Trust me, you’re going to want to add this dish into your weekly meal plan.