This brings us to the topic of calorie intake. As the experts say, your weight is determined
by the about of calories you take in compared to the amount of calories your
burn throughout the day. If you are
trying to lose weight, you need to burn more than you take in; if you want to
maintain your current weight, you need to take in and burn the same number of
calories. Now, I personally find
counting calories to be stressful and I have known people that have obsessed
about it. Therefore, I recommend finding
out what your daily intake of food should look like, on average, and make
adjustments from there. If you are
overweight, then you need to cut back a bit, plain and simple.
Being healthy at maintaining
a healthy weight takes 2 things: eating
right and exercising.
To find out how what your daily intake of food should look like, go to:
https://www.choosemyplate.gov/SuperTracker/myplan.aspx. You input information about your height, weight,
and activity level and it shows you how many calories a day you should
consume. Then, and this is what I think
is the best part, it shows you how many servings (expressed in easy to
understand amounts such as ‘cups’ and ‘ounces’) of fruits, vegetables, protein,
fat, and dairy should make up your calorie intake. This is what you can use as a guideline for
what to eat throughout the day; count your servings of fruits, vegetables, etc.
(instead of every calorie).
And now we’re back to the smoothie. Each 20 oz. glass of my Power, Sunrise
Smoothie has:
ü
1-1.5 Cups of vegetables
ü
2 Cups of fruit
ü
½ Cup of dairy
ü
.5-1.5 oz. of protein
Although each 20 oz. smoothie will be between 450 and 600 calories, you
have to remember that everything in the smoothie is like a super-charged dose
of vitamins, minerals, protein, fiber, healthy fats and antioxidants…all that
your body needs to function optimally. I
am a firm believer that it is the quality of calories that you take in that matters. For example, sure you could drink something
that is ‘sugar-free’ and ‘fat-free’ but all you’d be left consuming is
artificial sweeteners, colors, flavors, etc., none of which your body can use
to create it’s optimal health (this is an important subject that I will go over
in more detail the future). If you want
or need for the smoothie to be fewer calories, you could make them smaller
(or….that other end of the teeter totter – you could increase the exercise you
enjoy! J
Here are a few additional smoothie tips:
·
If you are trying to lose weight, or if you are
not very active, try eliminating the almond/peanut butter to take out some of
the calories; keep the protein powder.
·
Use the smoothie as a meal replacement once or
twice a day.
·
For a smooth consistency, add all fruit, vegetables
and liquids and blend thoroughly. Once
smooth, add coconut oil, (almond butter), and protein powder. Blend on low until just mixed.
·
Rotate which fruits and vegetables you use so
that your body gets a wide vitamins and minerals.
·
Try a ‘raw and vegan’ protein powder. All the protein will be from vegetables and
grains such as sprouts and sprouted brown rice. (Right now I am using Garden of
Life’s RAW Meal – you can pick it up at Whole Foods and other vitamin shops. http://www.gardenoflife.com/ProductsforLife/SUPPLEMENTS/FoundationalNutrition/RAWMeal/tabid/1893/Default.aspx)
o
NOTE:
Whole Foods has RAW Meal on sale for ~ $20 off (until the end of May)
