Over the past few weeks, I’ve been tracking my food intake on My Fitness Pal (because it syncs with my Jawbone) and I’ve noticed how many nutrition and protein bars I eat in a typical week. Contrary to popular belief, all nutrition bars are not made equally. Unfortunately, many of the super nutritious ones taste like poo (real talk). And others that taste great aren’t nutritious at all – they are loaded with sugar and calories. This gave me the idea to do some independent research on the most common nutrition bars that I consume. I evaluated each bar by my personal 5 critical criteria (listed below) and then added in my own personal preference for the official GRIT by Brit Nutrition Ranking.
Brit’s Nutrition Bar Criteria:
High Protein
Low sugar
Great taste (according to me)
High Fiber
Low Calorie
I know some people may care about other things like organic ingredients, other vitamins and minerals etc., but I just chose to focus on these 5 nutrition elements because they are most critical for weight management. Any who, I put the bars to the test and here are the results! I hope you find this information helpful.
Ranking #1 on my List is the Kashi Go-Lean Crips Chocolate Pretzel Bar. Not only am I obsessed with the taste, but these bars are full of fiber and protein and only have 160 calories (which equals 16 minutes on the elliptical) YIPPEE!
Ranking LAST on my list is the Amazing Grass: Super food Chocolate Whole Foods Energy Bar. I mean…how is this even considered “healthy”? It’s loaded with sugar and hardly provides and protein and fiber. I find this to be true with a lot of “energy” bars. Be careful my friends. Organic and Super Food labels don’t always mean healthy…
What are your favorite nutrition bars? Any favorites? Any you hate?
Since I travel for work every week, I often need a nutritious filling meal on the go. Lately, I’ve gotten really into smoothies (as you know from all of my Dr. OZ Drink Cleanses). I like smoothies because they’re an easy way work in my daily serving of fruit & veggies as well as other vitamins and protein. BUT, I have to be careful to choose the RIGHT smoothies. By “right” I mean smoothies with low to moderate sugar and lots of protein. While smoothies are tasty, they can be loaded with sugar which packs on the pounds and makes us hungry. Keep in mind that smoothies are good forms of “meal replacements” not “appetizers.” Often, I unintentionally consume too many calories in 1 day because I’ll have a smoothie PLUS my meals – not a good look. If you are trying to drop a few pounds, be sure to drink a smoothie INSTEAD of eating a meal. Keep this in mind as you enjoy these 5 Super Smoothie recipes! Lots of luv, Brit 🙂
Brit’s Berry Blast Smoothie
3/4 Grapefruit Juice
1/3 Cup of egg whites
1 Cup frozen or fresh mixed berries (raspberries, strawberries, blueberries)
Carob Nut Banana Smoothie
1 banana (small) cut into pieces
1/4 cup skim milk
1 tablespoon dried carob powder*
2 tablespoons reduced fat peanut butter
1/2 Cup of ice
Apple Cinnamon Soy Smoothie
1/3 Cup egg whites
1 Sweet, crisp apple (medium size) peeled, chopped red apple (about 1 1/4 cups)
This recipe is great because you can alter it to fit your own preference and change it up as much as you’d like! (My favorite is vanilla protein powder with strawberries and banana!)
1 serving of whey protein powder (any flavor you like)
Guest Post by Lindsay Krasna, GRIT by Brit Registered Dietitian
A client of mine that’s been struggling with her weight recently asked me how she can achieve a healthy body and optimize my health without “dieting” or “restricting.” She has been trying to understand the difference between these concepts for much of her life, and I believe she’s not alone in her confusion! In my work as a nutrition counselor, I come across this all this all the time. Our society’s diet-obsessed culture and conflicting media messages about nutrition make the answer to this question very unclear. Eggs are good for you one day, and bad the next. Low-fat is definitely the way to go one day, no wait, low-calorie, or low-carb the next. Don’t eat above your daily Weight Watchers points allotment, or else you’ll gain weight. Gosh, how discouraging this can be!
So really, how does one find a sustainable approach to eating well and maintaining a healthy body, without going crazy and depriving one’s self of their nutrient needs? How can one healthfully set boundaries around their intake of less nutrient dense foods while honoring their tastes and body’s nutritional requirements?
I believe the answer comes down to blending our natural, intuitive cues with our cerebral knowledge about nutrition.
Here are a few definitions to make these concepts more clear:
Dieting: consistently following a set of (oftentimes unscientifically based) rigid food rules or guidelines while ignoring your body’s intuitive cues and/or food preferences.
Overindulging: consistentlyeating beyond your body’s fullness cues for non-physical reasons, and/or consistently choosing foods that contribute limited nutrition value.
Healthy eating: consistently blending basic nutrition principles (cerebral knowledge) with your body’s intuitive hunger-fullness cues and taste preferences (internal knowledge).
Notice I use the term *consistently* in all 3 definitions. This is because it is totally normal and natural to under- or over-eat from time to time! Intake can vary in quality and quantity in the face of strong emotions, unplanned events, lack of time, special occasions, etc. As long as it’s not a regular reoccurrence. It’s also important not to overlook the fact that there are all kinds of environmental factors out there that can detract from the reliability of our internal cues, and interfere with our ability to eat mindfully and trust our bodies’ natural intuitive cues. Some examples include expanding portion sizes at restaurants, artificial sweeteners and food additives, eating on the go, technology distractions, and social pressures — to name a few). BUT, if you can learn to become more aware of these influences, you will have the power to offset them, and get back to listening to our body’s natural cues. A good nutritionist can help you work towards this.
Sounds simple, I know. And it really is. Not saying it’s easy though. It comes down to practice and trust. Trusting your body’s own internal regulation system is the key to good health. It IS possible to pay mind to good nutrition principles, while still honoring your body. I’ve seen it happen, and experienced it for myself. When you can start connecting your head with your stomach…. This is where the magic of real nutrition happens!
*Disclaimer: this message is targeted for a generally healthy individual. If you have a specific condition such as diabetes, kidney disease, a GI disease, etc., you will certainly need to follow more specified dietary rules to optimize your health.
I made up this healthy habits list about 2 years ago when I got really serious about taking control of my health, my weight and my life. While these habits may seem a little extreme, they are doable and beneficial! Personally, I have not mastered the list, but each day I try to do a little better. It takes a lot of GRIT to develop healthy habits. Buthealthy habitsare the only way to a sustain a healthy lifestyle. While these habits can take a lifetime to develop, we should strive to perfect them EVERY DAY. Doing so helps us be our BEST SELVES! If we focus on 1 healthy habit at a time, soon enough we’ll be living by the full formula. GOOD LUCK! Luv, Brit 😉
BRIT’S LIST OF HEALTHY HABITS – MY FIERCE FORMULA…
0 – Hours of television
1 – Hour of exercise
2 – Liters of water
3 – Cups of hot green tea
4 – Short mental breaks
5 – Small meals
6 – AM wake up time
7 – Minutes of laughter
8 – Hours of sleep (at least)
9 – PM end of the day and off to bed
10 – Prayers of gratitude (list 10 things you’re thankful for)
If you’re like me, then you have tried EVERY diet pill and weight loss supplement in the book! And there are loads out there, such as these Diet Pills from Discuss Diets. But finding the right one for you is tough. Some were relatively safe – Apple Cider Vinegar, which tastes horrible. Some were not so safe – Xenadrine, which made my heart flutter. Nonetheless, as a fitness and wellness professional, I’ve come to understand which supplements are safe and which ones are risky. I’ve also learned which ones are effective and which ones are wastes of money.
You’ve probably heard of popular weight loss pills like…
Hydroxycut
Quick Trim (from the Kardashian’s)
Xenadrine (popular in the early 2000’s)
Stimmurex
The list goes on and on…
All of these pills are “thermogenic” compounds. Simply put, they are a combination of basic vitamins and TON of caffeine. Overall, they try to raise your body temperature. However, simply being hot (literally) doesn’t make you lose weight. If it did, people who live in warm climates would be significantly smaller than people who live in cold climates – as a native Texan, let me tell you, that ain’t true!
When caffeine is used in moderation, it can provide you with more energy to workout and, as a result, you may burn more calories and lose weight. But just taking thermogenic compounds by themselves, without significantly increasing your exercise intensity or daily activity, will not lead to weight loss! All these pills are going to give you is INSOMNIA! And guess what, sleep deprivation is a leading cause of weight gain. So, no need to waste your time or money on any of these thermogenic compunds. They even gave my friend with a Leesa mattress insomnia and mattresses like that can have you asleep in seconds.
The bottom line is that you should NOT trust all of the claims that weight loss pills make and you should not go BROKE buying supplements. When used effectively (in combination with a healthy diet), vitamins and supplements are a great way to fuel your muscles and replenish your body of essential nutrients. There are loads of different kinds out there so it might be a good idea to check out something likes these bcaa reviews by productexpert.in. As by looking at the reviews of a product will help you make a decision on how good it is. The most effective supplements can be purchased over the counter at a local drug or nutrition store. Here’s a list of weight loss supplements that I personally recommend:
Also, here’s an informative table that that provides a good overview of popular weight loss supplements, pills and products.
Hey gang! So a few days ago I completed the Dr. Oz & Joe Cross 3-Day Weekend Juice Cleanse. This is the second cleanse I’ve tried this year, and overall, I had pretty positive experience. I only lost 1 pound, but I do feel cleanand lean. Here are my confessions…
For starters, this cleanse was A LOT harder than the than the Dr. Oz DRINK cleanse. During the day, I was quite hungry which kind of sucked. As I mentioned in a previous post, juice has hardly any fiber and lots of sugar which triggers hunger. Controlling my hunger during the day was really hard on the first day but got better on the 2nd day. On a positive note, it made me drink more water and realize that I don’t really need that much food to get through the day. It’s crazy how often I eat just because I’m bored, not because I’m really hungry.
On that note, the cleanse allowed for 1 solid food meal for dinner every day. The meal could only consist of fruits and veggies. Unfortunately, I tended to go to overboard on this meal (yikes). I think it was because I was hungry and eagerly anticipating real food. Needless to say, my portions got a little out of control. I probably would have had better results with the cleanse if I ate a smaller dinner and didn’t stretch out my tummy so much.
Since I was traveling for work and had to buy my juices, I had to be very conscious of choosing “good juices.” Just because a juice is “all natural” doesn’t necessarily mean it’s good for you. Also, veggie juice is MUCH healthier than fruit juice – it has more fiber and protein and less sugar. If you are interested in doing this juice cleanse, but don’t have the time to go shopping all the time, then it might be a good idea for you to check out something like this Cashcoup site. However, just make sure to double check that the juice will be okay for you and your cleanse. I had to make sure my juice purchases met my 3 criteria:
All natural
No added sugar
Fresh pressed/squeezed (not from concentrate)
Believe it or not, it’s REALLY hard to buy juice off-the-shelf meets this criteria. BUT, I did find one that passed the test and also tastes great. It’s “Sweet Greens” by Evolution fresh – I highly recommend it!
All in all, the juice cleanse was an interesting experience. Will I do it again? Probably not. But I may start substituting fresh pressed juice for a meal every now and then, as it can be a good way to slim down quickly for a big event or something. Have you a done a juice cleanse before? What was it like for you? Please do share your words of wisdom 🙂
Hope you have a great week ahead. Love you tons! xoxo, Brit
Hey Gang! We have officially reached the half way point of Summer (tear) but alas, the days are longer, the drinks are colder and the shorts are shorter – hay gurl hay! So, by popular demand I designed another booty and thighs workout – my Buns of Steel Workout.
This workout can be done in your living room and requires no equipment. You will need a yoga mat or soft surface for some of the isometric toning work at the end. When doing this workout, go HARD from start. Don’t save up. For best results, really get your heart rate up in the first 3-4 minutes. Also, keep your abs engaged and tuck your tail bone under during all of the standing exercises.
The workout takes 10 minutes and you can expect to burn 80-100 calories.
You can do the workout on your own (instructions on the left) or with me by following my video (above). Also, don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube Station for lots of fun workouts you can do at home 🙂
Jenny is my college roommate and “Fit Sista.” For more nutrition tips, follow her blog http://cookiesmakeyoufat.blogspot.com/. Enjoy this nutritional nugget of wisdom! xoxo, Brit
Alicia and Jenny (right)
I’m very close to my little cousin, Alicia – not only is she incredibly smart – as in, Harvard Law smart – and pretty – as in, Halle Berry pretty – but we have a great deal in common, including a keen focus on healthy lifestyles. While I’m the protein powder/weight-lifting/kick-my-own-booty-in-spinning brand of healthy, Alicia is the vegetarian/Pilates/outdoor-run kind of healthy – which is fun, because we can get a different perspective on health and fitness from each other. However, the whole vegetarian thing has always made me a bit skeptical – so the other evening on Skype, I asked Alicia how she manages to get enough protein in her diet. Aside from beans (which she loves, and I hate), she told me about chia seeds – which she described as a superfood and her new go-to source for protein. Wait, a superfood that I’ve never heard of? Impossible! So immediately I did some research, and happily discovered my new favorite superfood.
So what are chia seeds? Chia seeds are born from a plant in the mint family that is native to the Aztecs and Mayans in Mexico and Guatemala. Among other things, the Aztecs were quite accomplished herbalists, and according to ancient folklore, it was chia seeds that provided strength and courage to warriors and athletes, who were said to have survived on the seeds alone for weeks at a time. It wasn’t until Wayne Coates, a marathon-runner and professor of agricultural engineering at the University of Arizona, investigated these seeds in 1991, that the rest of the modern world started becoming aware of a potential new superfood. Coates told The Huffington Post: “Chia is the highest plant source of Omega-3s. It has tons of fiber, and even a lot of antioxidants and minerals. It’s 20 percent protein — which is, compared to wheat, or even soy, incredibly high.”
So what is it that makes these little seeds a superfood?
Turns out chia is not just a plastic pet covered in grass-like fur!
Chia seeds are high in protein, calcium, and iron
As Coates said, chia seeds are also contain Omega-3 fatty acids and potassium, as well as other disease-fighting antioxidants
Chia seeds are high in fiber – making your digestive system quite happy, and leaving you feeling full and satisfied for many hours.
Chia seeds are gluten free! This is great for people like myself, who are allergic to gluten!
Additionally, one of my favorite properties of chia seeds are that they help the body retain fluids and electrolytes – meaning my body stays hydrated – as well as helping build muscle and tissue, making it popular for athletes and strength trainers. For best results, get chia in the ground form for easier and faster absorption!
So after reading all of that, you’re probably thinking what I was: “What’s the catch? They probably taste horrible or are packed with calories.” To my (pleasant) surprise – one tablespoon of chia seeds is a mere 65 calories – plus, they don’t taste like much at all, making them easy to incorporate into your daily meals. However, these little guys get stuck in your teeth, so keep the dental floss handy.
Currently, my favorite way to ingest these little super seeds is in my morning breakfast shake. With little time for a properly cooked breakfast, I’m often blending up a quick shake before/after my morning workout. If I have the time, I’ll soak one tablespoon of chia seeds in water* for 10-15 minutes – they begin to open and become gel-like, making my smoothie thicker without changing the taste at all. (*One can soak chia seeds in any kind of liquid – including any kind of milk, which will have the same effect).
I was shocked to find the incredible versatility of the chia seeds – there are many uses, including:
1) Use chia as an egg substitute
1 tablespoon of finely ground chia seeds + 3 tablespoons of water = 1 egg in a baking recipe (not, for example, in an omelet :)).
Chia Pudding
2) Make a healthy pudding for dessert
2 cups of coconut milk
1/2 cup chia seeds
2-3 tablespoons of cocoa powder (optional)
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 tablespoon of sweetener (optional) – I would use honey!
Put everything in the blender and blend until smooth. Put in the refrigerator for 10 minutes and it will thicken nicely! As you’ve probably realized by now, the different flavor combinations are endless!
3) Thicken salad dressings and soups
Just by adding a couple of tablespoons of chia seeds (finely ground or not), will cause any dressing or soup to thicken (just let it stand for a few minutes). This also goes for things like meatballs – which can be thickened with chia seeds instead of breadcrumbs.
Chia Crackers
4) Make grain-free crackers!
There are several variations and recipes available online – I haven’t tried any of them yet, but they sound and look tasty!
5) And yes, as a Chia pet!
Want to reminisce and go back to the 1980s? Instead of buying your chia pet, just get a pot, add some dirt, sprinkle in some chia seeds, and water! Cha-cha-cha-chia! 🙂
Today is my 29th birthday – woo hoo! I’m so blessed to have completed another year of life and am grateful for good health, a great family and a hobby that brings me so much joy! In honor of my b-day, I’d decided to bring in my 29th year on a FRESH and CLEAN note. That’s right ladies and gentlemen, I’m starting a new cleanse, which was inspired by the Dr. Oz Weekend Juice Cleanse with Joe Cross. Since I had so much success with the Dr. Oz Detox Cleanse (you can CLICK HERE to read my full review) , I decided to keep the momentum going by trying another cleanse.
Unlike the Dr. Oz Detox Cleanse, this cleanse is a JUICE cleanse. That means I need a juicer, as I can’t use my blender for this cleanse. HOWEVER, today I went to Target to buy a juicer and realized they were out of price my range right now…the cheapest one I found is $79.99. What if I don’t like the cleanse? Then I’ll be stuck with a juicer that I never use.
SO, I made up my own version of the cleanse using some ready-made, all natural, no sugar added juices and I also plan to buy some fresh squeezed juices from Whole Foods or Central Market over the next 3 days. Essentially, I plan to have 4-5 servings of juice each day to replace my meals. Then for dinner I’ll have one solid meal every evening, just like the Dr. Oz cleanse. However, dinner must consist of only of fruits and vegetables. And as icing on the cake (mean joke – I know) , I’m going to make sure that my dinners are RAW! So I’ll only eat fresh, raw produce and maybe steam my veggies if I want something hot.
As a fitness professional, I wanted to share a few facts with you about Juice cleanses vs. Smoothie/drink cleanses.
Juice does not contain the skin of the fruit or vegetable
Smoothies have more fiber and tend to be more filling
Juices tend to be high in sugar and low in protein and fiber (which I’m a little nervous about)
Now let me be clear, I’m typically an “anti juice” person because I believe that juice is nature’s reward for EATING your fruits and veggies. However, there are many benefits to juicing. Just a name a couple…
Juice absorbs in the body faster, so it’s an efficient way to get vital vitamins and minerals
Juice is a tastier way to consume fruits and veggies that you don’t typically like
Juice is less likely to cause upset stomachs, like smoothies which sometimes have too much fiber
Grit by Brit WARNING – Juice cleanses tend to have very little protein. So, I’m not going to lift weights or do super high intensity workouts over the next 3 days while I’m on the cleanse, as I don’t think my body will have enough protein to repair my muscles. If you engage in high intensity workouts and weight training, like me, you may want to do the same.
This is my first time to try a juice cleanse. Hopefully, some of you decide to try it along with me! Have you done a juice cleanse before? How did it go? I’ll be back in a few days to share my results. You can follow me on Twitter and Instagram @GRITbyBrit for progress updates! Until then…
Wishing you health, happiness and BIG RESULTS! xoxo, Brit
Happy Sunday! You guys know on Sundays I like to spread a little encouragement/inspiration, so today I want to share something that’s been heavy on my heart = Appreciating and Maximizing the GIFT of Life
What is the “gift’? That IS the question. To me the “gift” is the privilege of having a human life. As humans, unlike any other species, we have the ability to be BE and DO whatever we want. Why?
Because we have free will
Because we can change
With hard work, can be WHATEVER we want to be and that’s amazing!
If we are weak, we can make ourselves strong.
If we are dumb, we can study and become smart.
If we are lonely, we can find companions.
The list goes on and on. However, with this amazing “gift,” also comes a huge responsibility. To me, that responsibility is to promote peace, abundant living and encouragement to others. The cool thing is that we each fulfill our responsibility in different ways. For me it’s through sharing fitness. What is it for you?
While we all have different passions and different ways of encouraging each other, one thing that we have in common is that we have to continuously work REALLY HARD to perfect our craft. It’s a life-long journey, but it’s so rewarding to know that our lives have a purpose and that we each play a crucial role in helping others live a better life.
As you start your week, I encourage you to think about your “gift.” Are you making the most of it? Are you giving your best?
Work hard, dream big, help others! Lots of luv, Brit
