Undercover Unhealthy Foods

Meg White • January 6, 2017

Most of us appreciate the importance of staying healthy- and if you’re reading this magazine you’re already making an attempt to be healthier. Being healthy and fit is relatively simple in theory. Eat lots of fresh foods, lean proteins, sleep 8 hours a night, drink plenty of h20, and stay active. While we all continue on our journey to reaching our health and fitness goals keep an eye out for my dirty dozen that can foil even the best nutritional intentions:

1) Granola- The brown color and dried fruit makes granola and granola bars seem like a good choice. Unfortunately most granolas are packed with fat, sugar, and preservatives to extend self life. Check the labels for added sugar and ingredients you can’t pronounce. Even better, try making your own granola at home with toasted oats, raisins, maple syrup and peanut butter.
2) Trail Mix- A fruit and nut mix can’t be too unhealthy right? WRONG! While you can make you own high energy quick and easy fruit and nut mix at home, most premade trail mixes are incredibly high in preservatives, calories, sugar, and salt.
3) Yogurt- High in calcium and immune system boosting live cultures, yogurt has its place in a healthy diet. Fat Free/Sugar Free and flavored yogurts can negate the health benefits by adding loads of sugar or sugar substitutes. Go for a plain or Greek yogurt and add your own honey and fruit for a tasty and truly healthy snack.
4) Sushi- American-ized sushi rolls are often topped with mayo-based sauces, nutrient free white rice, fried food, and imitation meats. Most of the rolls you see on the happy hour menu are far from healthy. Stick with sashimi, soy beans, and sauce free options.
5) Protein Supplements- Protein drinks and bars are an easy quick fix, but a horrible idea for a regular diet. Almost all of them are packed with sugar/artificial sweeteners and laced with chemicals. Keep raw nuts or fruit on hand for a quick snack, and try making your own shakes at home with a no sugar added high quality protein powder.
6) Energy Drinks- All 7 million different energy drinks that are on the market are terrible for you. Like supplements, energy drinks aren’t regulated by the FDA, and can pretty much make whatever claims they want. Caffeine, sugar, artificial colors/flavors are all combined in flashy packages with catchy slogans to wreak havoc on your heart, brain, and metabolism. Use regular eating, sleep, water, and natural electrolytes(like bananas or coconut water) to keep your energy up and your mind alert.
7) Turkey Sandwich- When in doubt go with a turkey sandwich right? The turkey sandwich may be the healthier choice on the menu, but when burgers and pastas are the other options, it doesn’t take much to be “healthier.” Turkey sandwiches are often covered in full fat mayo, contain high sodium, have nitrate packed deli meat, and are served on white bread. When you can’t cook at home, try requesting whole grain bread and using mustard instead of mayo.
8) “Low Fat” Muffins- Low Fat just means less fat than the muffin to the left or right. Whenever fat is taken out of a recipe, it is replaced with sugar and other additives that can leave you less satisfied, and still full of unhealthy calories. Be sure to read the nutrition labels.
9) Vegan Products- Vegan just means animal friendly- not healthy. Sugar is a vegan food. Many vegan foods use high sugar and high fat ingredients for flavor.
10) Frozen Dinners- Typically low in vegetables and nutrients plus high in sodium, frozen dinners are best left in the freezer section. When in a pinch look for lower sodium meal options, and add a vegetable to the side.
11) Diet Soda- In my opinion the word “Diet” typically means unhealthy. Made with artificial everything it triggers unsuspecting drinkers to eat more calories because your body get the sensation of calories without the energy that comes along with real calories. At all costs AVOID soda. When it’s not possible just drink less of the real thing.
12) Wheat Bread- It’s a sad day when wheat bread is on my dirty dozen list. Turns out “wheat bread” typically just means a little wheat mixed into white flour. Look for labels that have the 100% whole grain stamp, say 100% whole wheat/grain on the front, and have 4g of fiber or more.

New information. Same point. Focus on doing what it takes to eat more real food. Always check the nutritional labels and ingredient lists, you may be surprised at what you find. When you’re in a hurry remember my dirty dozen and make the best choice possible.

Staying up on the nutritional world is hard! If you need some help, consider joining a group focused on staying healthy and fit- like my fitness community at Train Hard Or Go Home. Mention this article for a free work-out.

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By MadDog Meg • January 30, 2018

One of the trivia questions I ask in my breathing workshops is: Which movement happens more often, breathing or blinking? The correct answer is breathing, because we don’t normally blink in our sleep. But why does breathing matter so much? The movements that we do most have the greatest impact on our functioning and performance.    Can you imagine doing jumping jacks while holding your breath? Breathing impacts our external movement, our digestive system, our sleep, and our nervous system’s communication. When breathing is inefficient, the brain perceives this as a threat to life, and normal functioning is disrupted. The “fight or flight” mechanism gets turned on, posture muscles get recruited (compensate) to do the job of the breathing muscles, and so begins the injury cycle. For these reasons, restorative breathing exercises are a foundational component of all our exercise programs.   Office, car, computer, and cell phone postures have played a huge role in the dysfunctional breathing epidemic in our culture. Whether you’re training for sports or everyday life, your training demands efficient breathing. My favorite strategy to improve this critical movement: balloon breathing. There are several techniques, but a great start is 90/90 balloon breathing. Balloon breathing trains the “core”, and by “core” I mean the diaphragm, which is the true core. The diaphragm is our primary breathing muscle. When we help the diaphragm do its job, we release tension in all the muscles of the torso that were compensating for the weak and poorly positioned diaphragm. Blow the balloon up with 4-6 breaths in a row, always inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth into the balloon. Then hold the breath at the end of the exhale for 3-5 seconds, empty the balloon and begin again.    Why does breathing matter so much? Well Neil Rampe the Head Athletic Trainer for the Los Angeles Dodgers put it this way "It's like driving with your alignment off, you can compensate by over-steering, but if you don't correct it, your tires wear out after 30,000 miles instead of 60,000". Efficient breathing is one of the best gifts you can give to yourself. Try balloon breathing 3-4 times a day to start reaping the benefits of efficient breathing.    For more techniques on how to build a strong foundation come to our next free workshop on Feb3rd from 12pm-1 pm at Action Fitness Community in East Sacramento.