N-U-T-R-I-T-I-O-N time! Time to focus on what you put in your body. March is National Nutrition Month and we are here to help you build a better game plan for your kitchen. Learn about the benefits of making your own food instead of eating pre-packaged food, how meal prepping can help you stay healthy and how to grocery shop for your meal prepping!
It’s easier to eat clean when healthy meals are already in your fridge. Set aside a few hours each weekend to plan and prep your food for the coming week so you have less work to do during the week. Prepping healthy meals can keep your diet on track and it’s not as hard to do as you might think! Check out Web MD’s 10 Tips for Healthy Grocery Shopping and The Do’s and Don’ts of Clean Eating from Skinnymom.com.
Tips:
- Try to use real food instead of pre-made ingredients so you know what’s going into your meals
- Search Pinterest for new recipes to get excited about and save the best ones with a recipe app
- Challenge your roommates/significant others to come up with the best lunches to meal prep for the work week
- Try to eat foods like fruits instead of candy that have sugar naturally rather than added for flavoring
- Read the ingredients in all your boxed foods and try to switch to brands with less additives and artificial flavoring
My Blog: Challenge Accepted: Is That Even Food? – YIKES! I’m trying the Whole30 diet. For those who don’t know, the Whole30 is a diet that is meant to strip away any non-natural or problem-causing foods to your health. It’s an extreme way to reset your body with very limited food items, which helps stop cravings and unhealthy eating habits.
Whole30 doesn’t allow you to eat dairy, grains, legumes, added sugar (even stevia or agave) or alcohol! I’ve had a lot of friends try this diet and rave about it because it pushes you to realize that you are capable of getting past your cravings, making healthier choices, and it can help you discover what foods you didn’t realize were an issue for your body. I am finally taking the plunge and trying it! Hopefully meal prepping will make this easier because trying to make a breakfast from scratch every morning would make me very late for work.
Member Events: Merritt Monday is March 5 - Sample some fruit smoothies, schedule a grocery store tour, and learn about nutrition seminars.
Your Monthly Workout: If you’re looking to shred that belly fat, it starts with a better diet. But did you know that muscle burns fat even while you’re not exercising? Try out these exercises to get your ab muscles looking great and make you feel even better.
