protein

The Return of the Macros Game

In my opinion, we have a lot of silly holidays in the United states, but Labor Day is not one of them. Labor Day is a celebration of the decades of hard work American laborers put forth to make the United States an economic powerhouse. Hopefully you get to enjoy a paid holiday thanks to all that manual labor, and what better way to spend your holiday than listening to a new episode of the Addicted to Fitness podcast. NOW THAT’S A SEGUE!

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We kick off this week’s episode talking about the recent weather event we had to deal with. Hurricane Hermine screwed with several ETT personal training sessions, but luckily we were able to complete most of them without incident. We also discussed my new favorite Peloton cycle instructor Jessica King (pictured above) and get into a pair of nauseating smoothie stories. The smoothie stories are especially troubling because one deals with people catching Hepatitis A from contaminated fruit sold at a national smoothie chain. We go into more detail in the episode but if you’re looking for more information about this story check out this news article from the CDC.

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Last but certainly not least, everyone’s favorite nutritional trivia game makes it’s long awaited return to the podcast. That’s right! The Macros Game is back, and we’ve got a special Labor Day edition for you. Shannon quizzes me on the macronutrient content of several Labor Day cookout staples. Make sure you play along at home and send us your scores. In addition to your scores, we would really appreciate you all giving us a rating and/or review on iTunes. Help us spread the good word of fitness and share the podcast with anyone and everyone. We appreciate the support and stay healthy this week peeps!

Links to this week’s podcast

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-return-of-the-macros-game/id1121420986?i=1000374926964&mt=2

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

Website: http://addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/the-return-of-the-macros-game

 

What’s on the Menu

This week’s edition of #whatiatewednesday focuses on the importance of bacteria. I imagine that when most people think of bacteria, they think of something dirty like the bathroom door handle or the floor of a fast food restaurant. The strains of bacteria I’m referring to are contained within our bodies and our food. Maintaining the appropriate amounts and types of certain bacteria within our gut can affect our mood, cognitive function and longevity (source). One dietary source of “good” bacteria that I pack in my lunch everyday is greek yogurt. I combine 1 cup of full fat Greek yogurt (20g of protein + beneficial strains of bacteria) with blueberries (antioxidants + phytonutrients) and ground flaxseed (omega 3 fatty acids) to create a nutrient dense mini meal that satisfies all the macronutrient categories and helps me maintain a healthy gut.

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Bone Broth, Plant Protein & Meal Prep

Guess who’s back, back again. Shannon’s back, tell a friend.

Sorry about that blatant and tacky rip off of the great Marshall Mathers, I’m just excited about Shannon’s return to the Addicted to Fitness podcast. She returns just in time to help me review a pair of beef related food products. I try a cup of beef bone broth, procured from Growing Rootz (a Tampa natural & organic food purveyor), while Shannon sips on a fruit and veggie smoothie containing Great Lakes beef collagen protein powder. We analyze the nutritional benefits of both products and let you know whether or not they’d be a good addition to your daily diet. After talking a whole lot of bull (get it), we go to the other end of the spectrum and discuss our favorite plant based protein sources. In addition to our preferred plant proteins, we list off a ton of favs given to us by listeners on Facebook and Twitter. Last but not least, we dive into our weekly ritual of meal prep. Shannon describes what we do every Sunday to help us maintain our nutritious diet day in and day out and we recommend a company that will help eliminate some of the burden of meal planning & grocery shopping.

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I’m happy to report that after only two episodes this month, we have already surpassed the download numbers for June and July. That means you’re listening and more importantly you’re sharing the podcast. You can’t imagine how much that means to us. We deeply appreciate your support. If you haven’t done so already, please leave us a rating and/or review on your preferred podcast app (an iTunes rating/review would be especially awesome). Thanks again and stay healthy this week peeps!

Links to this week’s podcast

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/bone-broth-plant-protein-meal/id1121420986?i=1000374410575&mt=2

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

Website: http://addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/bone-broth-plant-protein-meal-prep

What’s on the Menu

I’m back with another #whatiatewednesday post for you all. If you haven’t been living under a rock the last few years, someone has probably told you that avocados are good for you because they contain “healthy” fats (monounsaturated & polyunsaturated to be exact). But you may not know that 1 avocado has more potassium than a banana and 4g of protein with all 8 essential amino acids (source). They also include other important micronutrients like vitamin A, C, iron and calcium (source). These nutritional facts make them an important component of anyone’s diet, especially non-meat eaters. As you can see I like to dress mine up with a little red pepper & olive oil. I’m pretty fancy.

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What’s on the Menu

This week’s menu item is not one particular food, but an entire meal I prepared for my wife and I. The salad is made of arugula, watermelon, grated cheddar and a balsamic reduction. Even though watermelon has a high glycemic index (72) it has a low glycemic load (5) due to the water and fiber it contains. Enjoying it with a protein, like the shrimp pictured below, will reduce the watermelon’s insulin response even further. While we’re on the topic of reducing insulin response, substituting zucchini noodles for any refined grain based pasta will do just that. Reducing your refined grain intake could lead to you avoiding troublesome health conditions like bloating and irritable bowel syndrome just to name a few. The real beauty of this meal is that it took about 15 minutes to make. Quick, healthy and delicious. Just the way I like it!

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What’s on the Menu

This week’s look into my food choices is ultimately a result of listening to individuals like Tim Ferris and Dom D’Agostino. All I kept hearing from these intelligent folks is how good sardines were for you. Once I finally got up the nerve to buy a couple cans, I realized how right they were. One container, like the one pictured, contains 13g of protein and several important vitamins & minerals like vitamin D and selenium. As good as they may be for me, I knew I would need a little something extra to make them more palatable, which is why I purchased Primal Kitchen mayo. Not only is this a wholesome food with only 5 ingredients, 1 tbsp contains almost 20% of my daily value for total fats. This meal really packs a nutritional punch 👊

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What’s on the Menu

Let’s face it, proper nutrition is one of the key components to losing weight and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. People frequently ask me what I eat and what better way to share that with people then participating in the weekly trending topic #whatieatwednesday. One of my menu items that I recently highlighted were collared greens. Shannon let me know that this dark leafy green was one of her go-to’s when she was a vegan. Not surprising since 1 cup of boiled collared greens has 5 g of protein, not to mention a ton of vitamins & minerals like vitamin A and calcium. FYI – the collared pictured below are definitely not vegan friendly. I cooked them in butter, garlic and diced ham 😊. You can stay up to date with my weekly #whatieatwednesday posts by following me on Instagram under the handle @ettampa.

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The Macros Game Debut

Shannon and I talk about several poignant health & fitness topics on this week’s Addicted to Fitness podcast including the ETT take-home workout, my quest to be alcohol free in July, our active Hawaiian honeymoon and the negative health impacts of air travel outlined in a 2015 Economist article. All those topics are super interesting but the reason I’m so excited about this episode is because it is the debut of THE MACROS GAME! Being a lover of game shows, I decided to periodically include a nutritional trivia segment into the podcast. Listen to me test Shannon’s knowledge of macronutrients with this fun little game. Bob Barker ain’t got nothing on me! If you don’t know who Bob Barker is, shame on you.

Thanks again for all the feedback. Your input is making the podcast better and better each week. If you haven’t done so already, please subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or Google Play. You can also listen to this and every episode on the Addicted to Fitness podcast website. Don’t forget to share it with a friend, thanks peeps!

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(Image created with a template courtesy of http://www.goliath.com/interest/wheel-of-fortune/)