A Practical Guide to Eating More Fruits & Vegetables + Sample Healthy Day Menu

As a healthy habits nutrition coach it is my job to help regular people find ways to fit healthy eating habits into their everyday lives. I don't work with fitness models or stage competitors. 

I work with people who are looking for long-term sustainable weight loss and optimal health. That means no strict diets, no calorie counting and no meal plans from me. (There is nothing inherently wrong with these and there is a place for them for some people. I have just found that most people do best by starting with building healthy habits.)

I help regular people with families, kids, careers, responsibilities, friends, pets and hobbies (you know, a life) fit healthier eating into their already busy lives. We don't try to change our whole lives around to live healthier, we find ways to make healthier choices that work inside our already hectic lives.

Our goal is to always look, feel and perform our best through nutrition and movement. If you look great but feel like crap, there's something not right. If you look great but perform poorly, there's still work to do. If you don't look like you want and you also feel bad, the good news is that you can start today to implement some healthy habits that will help you start to improve in all areas right away.

There is no best one diet or workout plan that works for everyone. It often takes some experimenting and evaluating to find out what works best for you. However, there are some basics that are often overlooked when people are too busy looking for the next quick fix. One thing you can start to implement right away is to eat the recommended five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables a day. If you are eating considerably less than this, then start with one serving at each meal and build slowly over time. Baby steps, baby!

Eat fruits and vegetables to get the fiber that you need to feel full at meals and keep your digestive tract running...err...smoothly. Fruits and vegetables are high in nutrients and low in calories so you get more bang for your nutritional buck. A diet full of fruits and vegetables may help reduce risk of heart disease and high blood pressure. Fruits and vegetables are rich in vitamins and minerals so that you shine from the inside out. Not to mention fruit and vegetables are delicious. What's not to love about all of that? 

This post is sponsored by Shine Organics. All opinions are my own. If I hated it, I'd tell you. This post contains affiliate links, that means if you click on a link, I get paid with no cost to you. No one is getting rich here, it just helps with the running (pun intended) of this blog so that I can continue to provide valuable free content. Thanks, as always, for your support.

HOW TO EAT MORE FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

PREP VEGGIES IN ADVANCE AND TOSS THEM INTO MEALS/SNACKS ALL DAY

How long does it take to cut seven slices of a cucumber to put in your salad for one day? How much longer does it take to just chop up the whole cucumber and put the unused slices in food storage containers and save for later? Minutes? Seconds? Not long. Same goes for peppers, onions, carrots and fresh spinach. Go ahead and wash and chop it all up in one day and put it away for later. You can toss veggies in your scrambled eggs in the morning, into your lunch salad and your stir fry or crock pot dinner. You can bag it up and take it with you for a healthy snack on the go. Taking a little time on the front end can save a lot of time during the week. If fruits and veggies are easy to grab, already washed and prepared, you're more likely to eat them. 

Jar Salad with chopped vegetables

HAVE FRESH FRUIT ON HAND AT HOME AND ON THE ROAD

Don't play hide the fruit. Buy a fancy fruit bowl for the dining room table and fill that baby up with all your favorite delicious fruits. If healthy fresh food is within arm's reach you're more likely to grab it when you're hungry for a snack. Make fruit and veggies convenient and unhealthy snacks very inconvenient (meaning leave them at the store. haha). You're more likely to eat what is easily accessible. Use laziness to your advantage. Do you really want to get in your car and drive to the store at 9PM to buy some chips or will you just eat that delicious orange in your pretty new fruit bowl? 

JOIN A LOCAL VEGETABLE CO-OP OR CSA

Join a local vegetable co-op or CSA to try a variety of locally grown fruits and vegetables. You support local farmers while getting an opportunity to try different types of vegetables maybe you normally wouldn't buy. Variety is a huge factor in ensuring we are getting all of our vitamin and mineral needs. In Texas (and other states) we have Bountiful Baskets. Do some reasearch to see what is available in your area.

BUY TRAVEL-FRIENDLY FRUITS

Have you ever brought a banana on an airplane? I have. You deplane with a totally black mushy banana smothered all over the inside of your bag...well, that's a story for another time. Not all fruit is travel-friendly. Sometimes we need options that will stay fresh while we are on the go whether it's on an airplane, at a workout class or a meeting across town.

I understand that sometimes we don't have the time to chop and bag fruits and veggies. Or we forgot because we got lost in the latest episode of the Game of Thrones. Oops. I get it. One way I encourage my clients to find ways to fit healthy habits into their lifestyle is to look for convenient, yet healthy alternatives. I like the convenience of Shine Organics Fruit pouches for on the go. Each pouch is a blend of organic fruits, veggies and chia seeds that doesn't need refrigeration, so you can throw one in your car, in your gym bag, in your kid's lunch bag or leave one at your desk at work.

Remember what I said about making healthy choices inside your already busy life? This is one great way to do that. Do the best you can what with what you have available. This is one simple and convenient way to get in a serving of fruits and veggies with unique flavors like banana, pumpkin, coconut, blackberry, vanilla, passion flower, & chia all in one pouch!

You can find Shine Organics at Target in the snack aisle near the apple sauce. Want a coupon? Of course you do! Click below to get a coupon for a $1 off a four pack!

$1 OFF SHINE ORGANICS COUPON

Find Shine Organics in the snack aisle near the applesauce. Which flavor do I want?

I like to think about nutrition in terms of what we can add to live healthier, rather than what we have to take away. Maybe if we snack on fruits and vegetables we will fill up on healthy foods and eat less of the unhealthy alternatives. Instead of depriving yourself, learn how to add value to your nutrition. 

SAMPLE HEALTHY EATING DAY

This is a sample of what a healthy day may look like with at least five servings of fruit and veggies. This is similar to my own normal eating day. Notice I also included protein and a healthy fat at each meal. Feel free to substitute your favorite foods to make it work within your lifestyle and preferences. Add more food if you need it, take some away if it is too much. Each individual will have his/her own unique needs. Slow down and notice how food makes you feel and adjust accordingly. 

BREAKFAST

Two scrambled eggs with spinach, onions, tomatoes and peppers
1/2 cup of cottage cheese or Greek yogurt with blueberries
1 small banana

LUNCH

Big salad made with fresh spinach and a variety of colorful vegetables and a protein source, like chicken or turkey
A serving of nuts (I like pistachios)
An orange

SNACK

Shine Organics fruit pouch mixed with 1/4 cup of plain Greek Yogurt
OR plain Greek Yogurt with chopped peaches or pineapple

$1 OFF SHINE ORGANICS COUPON

No, not for you. Go eat your dog food. 

DINNER

Spinach side salad with tomatoes and cucumbers
Turkey stir fry with your favorite mixed vegetables
OR salmon, roasted cauliflower and avocado. 

Be honest. Are you getting your recommended servings of fruits and vegetables each day? How can you fit in one additional serving tomorrow? 

CLICK HERE FOR $1 OFF SHINE ORGANICS COUPON

Need help with your nutrition habits? Ready to get lean and healthy? Learn more about my sustainable healthy habits program to lose weight and feel great once and for all. 

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COACH LEA

Fat Loss for Runners: Why You Gain Weight During Marathon Training

When Alanis Morissette wrote that song in the 90s about irony, I feel like there should have been a verse in there about gaining weight while training for a marathon. Sing along with me...

It's like training for your marathon day
But the more you ran the more you weighed
It wasn't supposed to be this way
And isn't it ironic, don't you think?
 

But just like the rest of the song, it's actually not ironic at all. When you are training for a marathon there is no guarantee of weight loss. Isn't that a jagged little pill to swallow? (You see what I did there?) In fact, it is quite common for runners to gain weight during marathon training. Runners of all shapes and sizes are kicking-ass across finish lines all over the world. So what gives? Running obviously burns a lot of calories, shouldn't we all be losing weight when training to run 26.2 miles?

The first thing to consider is that there is a difference between running for performance and running for weight loss. When training for a marathon you are running for performance. You are training your body to have the capacity to run 26.2 miles and that is a pretty amazing feat (but you "earn" less amazing-looking feet.) To lose weight you have to be in a calorie deficit, taking in less calories than you burn, but that is not ideal for running performance and recovery.

WHY YOU GAIN WEIGHT DURING MARATHON TRAINING (IT'S NOT ALWAYS NEGATIVE)

YOU GAIN MUSCLE

One reason the scale may seem to be moving in the wrong direction is a positive thing. You are building muscle mass that wasn't there before. Muscle is more dense than fat, so when you lose fat and gain muscle your body fat percentage goes down (yay!) while your weight goes up or stays the same. The number on the scale may have gone up but you improved your body composition. 

YOU INCREASED CARBOHYDRATES (GLYCOGEN) STORES

When you run long distances you are training your body to increase carbohydrate (glycogen) storage in your muscles and liver, which also increases water storage. This is a necessity when you are training to run a marathon. The more glycogen you store the farther you can run without hitting "the wall", but it can add numbers to the scale. It's important to note that this is not fat gain.

YOUR BODY ADAPTS TO THE STRESSES YOU PLACE UPON IT

This is the whole point of marathon training. You train your body to be able to run long distances. You are able to run longer and farther month after month during training. Your body becomes more efficient over time. That means it feels easier to run and you are not expending as much energy. When you first start running your body is less efficient at running, so it burns more calories. Over time your body adapts, becomes more efficient and you burn less calories during the same activity. For marathon training this is a good thing. For weight loss, a double edge sword. 

YOU EAT MORE BEFORE YOU RUN

We've all heard of carb-loading before a big race, but when it's used as an excuse to eat junk foods in large quantities, it can be a factor in weight gain. Fueling for your long runs should include a slow increase of calories from carbohydrates from a variety of mostly whole foods. It doesn't mean three servings of pasta and four servings of garlic bread the night before your long run. Dangit, I wish it meant that. 

YOU EAT MORE DURING YOUR RUN

On average we burn about 100 calories per mile, obviously this varies from runner to runner. After about 90 minutes of running we usually start needing to fuel during our runs. It's necessary, but another reason that weight loss and creating a calorie deficit while marathon training can be so challenging. 

YOU EAT MORE AFTER YOU RUN

Are you seeing a trend here? You just ran 10 miles and your are hungry (or hangry, amiright?). You gulp down a protein shake, take a shower, then meet some friends to treat yourself to an indulgence meal. You can easily put down 1000 calories of burgers, fries and beer. While there is nothing wrong with an indulgence meal, try not to get into the habit of rewarding your hard work with junk food. After all, during marathon training you will be running a lot. If you reward every run with indulgence foods, you can easily out-eat your calorie expenditure. 

YOU MOVE LESS THE REST OF THE DAY

After running 14 miles you crash on the couch with your compression socks snuggling your calves while watching a NetFlix marathon. When hubby asks if you want to go to the mall, you grunt out a no-way Jose (even though his name is Russell). The house isn't getting cleaned, the dog isn't getting walked (by you) and you're not moving until you hear the doorbell ring with your dinner delivery.

The calories you burn while walking around doing everyday activities add up. So while you increased your calorie expenditure during your run, you decreased it the rest of the day. With the added food intake, the decreased activity outside of running, you can easily put yourself into a calorie surplus, which can cause weight gain.

FAT LOSS FOR RUNNERS: WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT

It can be counter-intuitive to have marathon goals and weight loss goals at the same time, but if you want to keep the weight off while marathon training I recommend always focusing on fat loss, not weight loss. Our goal should be to build or maintain muscle while losing fat.

VARY INTENSITY

Your long runs should be long and slow, but after a month or two of building your milage base you can play with the intensity of at least one other run in the week to help with fat loss. Long interval runs (1/2 mile or 1 mile intervals of hard effort repeats) can help with fat loss while improving your marathon pace. Here is a post I wrote about different types of interval runs. For injury prevention be careful never to increase intensity and mileage in the same week. That means if you are adding miles to your long run, don't also add in a new interval workout or increase the intensity/pace of an existing workout. Only introduce new intensity on weeks you aren't adding mileage. This is important. Got it? Good.

FUEL RESPONSIBLY

Yes, when you are marathon training you need to fuel, which means that you will probably need to eat more than usual. However, don't use marathon training as an excuse to binge eat. Increase calories with a variety of nutrient-dense foods from nature and save the treats for occasional indulgences in moderation. I wrote more about nutrition for athletes (yes, that's you) over in this blog post.

STRENGTH TRAIN

Runners who strength train are stronger, faster and less prone to injury. When you are marathon training, running should absolutely be your first priority, but don't neglect strength training. Short and focused runner-specific strength training sessions just twice a week can help you meet your running and fat loss goals. Muscle tissue uses more energy at rest than fat, so when you build lean muscle you burn more calories during your daily activities, like recovering on the couch. 

Running a marathon is a fantastic goal. I recommend training and fueling for your marathon with performance as your main focus, even if your personal definition of performance is crossing the finish line without dying. Once you achieve that goal, you can adjust your training and nutrition to focus on fat loss for a period of time before you inevitability start your marathon training all over again. 

Any questions about fat loss or weight gain during marathon training? I'd love to help. 

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Coach Lea

52 Healthy Habits: 25 Grams of Added Sugar Per Day

Welcome to the latest edition of 52 healthy habits where we tackle a new healthy habit in order to improve our lives. Why habits? Because habits are our backup plan when everything else falls apart. Habits don't require motivation or willpower. If we take the time to develop healthy habits, then a healthy lifestyle will emerge. Choose a healthy habit and work to cultivate it for a few weeks. Once it becomes second nature, work on a new habit. It's a sane and sustainable approach to living a healthy lifestyle. Each week we cover a new habit. You can follow along with my weekly habits, dig into the archives or make up one of your own. 

This week we are talking about a crazy controversial topic: Sugar! The ruiner of all good health. The root of all evil. The nefarious! But wait...

I don't believe that sugar is the single culprit of all our health and weight problems. Shocking, I know. Yes, eating too many processed foods filled with sugar is bad for your health. Sugar is highly palatable and easy to overeat. Have you ever dug your spoon into a pint of Ben & Jerry's with the self-promise to stop after one serving only to have it scrape the bottom before you knew what hit you? Yeah, me too. They do that shit on purpose. Processed foods are manufactured to be easy to overeat. When you eat more than your body needs, the excess is stored as fat. It's not necessarily the sugar itself, it's the excess. The sugar just makes it easier to eat too much.

The health industry will have you believe that sugar is as addicting as cocaine! While some people have trouble controlling themselves around sugar, no doubt, moderate amounts of sugar can be part of a healthy lifestyle. I am not arguing that we don't need to limit our sugar, we do. I'm just trying to bring some balance, common sense and rational thinking to a topic that is often sensationalized. 

Our bodies run on sugar. It's our brain's preferred energy source. From my friends at Precision Nutrition:

“Sugar is a fundamental molecule in biology.
Human bodies need sugar.
Sugar makes up the backbone of our DNA. Helps power our cells. Helps store energy for later. Plants convert sunlight into sugar. We convert sugar into fuel.
Molecules like glucose and fructose (just two of the many types of sugar) are so basic to our biological needs, even bacteria love them.
Indeed, sugar’s the breakfast of champions, chemically speaking.”

— Precision Nutrition

As part of my life long quest for balance and to stay away from the all-or-nothing mindset, I strive to not look at sugar as simply good or bad. It's not a choice of either eat-all-the-sugar-nom-nom-nom or never-ever have a gram of sugar ever! Most healthy people can have their sugar and eat it too. This week's healthy habit is to pay attention to food labels and limit added sugars to approximately 25 grams per day. 

NATURAL SUGARS

Some people go to the extreme and give up all sugars, including the natural sugar found in fruit and dairy. While of course you're free to do whatever feels best for your own body, cutting out fruit and dairy is not necessary for most healthy people, even those who are on a fat loss diet. Fruit provides nutrients, fiber, vitamins and minerals that keep the body healthy. Of course, we don't want to overeat fruit either, three bananas in one sitting is excess, but to enjoy a piece of fruit with lunch or as a snack is always a healthy choice. Fruit generally isn't making people fat. For most people looking to lose weight, there are often other food and lifestyle choices that can be improved that will have a bigger impact on fat loss than eliminating fruit.

PROCESSED FOODS

The sugar found in processed foods are often combined with fat and salt to make them extra delicious with little-to-no nutritional value. These are the sugars we want to limit because they are easy to overeat. We'd all do well to limit processed foods like ice cream, candy, snack cakes, pastries, soda and donuts. But we know all know that already that, right? 

READING THE LABEL

Here's where it gets tricky. There is sugar in almost all packaged foods, even the healthy(er) ones. You can read the nutrition label to see how many grams of sugar per serving, but how can you tell if those sugars are natural sugars or added sugars? If it is an added sugar it will be listed in the ingredients on the back of the package, but food manufacturers know you are looking for the word 'sugar'. Here are some examples of other names for sugar that are used on packaging labels. Pro tip: If it ends in -ose it is sugar. 

• Cane crystals
• Corn syrup
• Dextrose
• Evaporated cane juice
• Fructose
• Fruit juice concentrate
• Glucose
• High-fructose corn syrup
• Lactose
• Maltose
• Molasses
• Sucrose
• Syrup

Ingredients on the back of packages are listed in order of quantity. That means if sugar is the first ingredient, it has more sugar than any other ingredient in the package. 

25 GRAMS OF ADDED SUGAR PER DAY

A good rule of thumb is to limit added sugars to 25 grams per day. I highlighted the word 'added' because I don't count natural sugars in this total. When I buy packaged foods like pasta sauce, yogurts (while dairy has natural sugar, most store bought flavored yogurts have a lot of added sugars) and salad dressing, I try to choose items with six grams of sugar or less per serving. It can be eye-opening to read the nutrition labels of the foods you buy. Just reading the labels, being aware of the sugar content in the foods and keeping in mind the 25 grams per day guideline, is a great habit to cultivate. Awareness is the first step.

Limiting added sugar to around 25 grams a day allows you to eat the fruit and dairy that is healthful, while having some sugar that is found in most foods, without going overboard. If you tried to cut out all sugar, there would likely be nothing left to eat. 25 grams of added sugar a day gives you a target that is realistic and sustainable. Music to my ears. 

For more information on the topic of sugar and my view on artifical sweeteners check out this post I wrote called 'A rant on sugar, cocaine and artificial sweeteners.' 

If you like what I have to say about nutrition you may be interested in learning more about my sane and sustainable nutrition program (no boring meal plans, strict diets, macro calculations or crazy eliminations)! A few slots still open for new clients at a reduced rate. If you're in it for the long haul and willing to put in the work for permanent changes, this may be the program for you. 

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Coach Lea

5 WARNING SIGNS OF A WEIGHT LOSS SCAM

Last week we talked about the seven health and fitness myths that just won't die. I did my best to debunk them once and for all. Now if only the internet would pay attention. Over here internet! I'm talking! 

This week I wanted to go over the 5 warning signs of a weight loss scam. Some may think that this is common sense, but as hubby likes to say, common sense is actually not very common... especially in the fitness industry.

The same rule applies as it does to anything else (I can hear my Dad's voice saying it now) "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is." But I think as humans, we are always looking for the next quick fix, the undiscovered secret or the magic pill to solve all our problems. We may fall victim to believing the things that we want so desperately to be true. 

Pay attention to these common signs of a weight loss scam to avoid wasting your time and money. 

IT PROMISES RESULTS WITHOUT WORK

"Lose 30 pounds without changing your diet or exercise!"

Anything worth having takes work. If having the body of a fitness model could be achieved by taking a pill (and without Photo Shop), every single one of us would be walking around with six pack abs. Don't be fooled. Fat loss is hard work and lifestyles changes will be required for sustainable results. Anyone who tells you differently is likely trying to sell you something. 

IT PROMISES RESULTS IN A SHORT TIME PERIOD

"Lose 30 pounds in 3 weeks!"

Any plan that promises more than two to three pounds of weight loss per week should be examined closely. Any more than three pounds and you are likely losing water or worse, muscle. Muscle loss can hurt your metabolism, which makes it harder to keep weight off. Always aim for fat loss, not weight loss. Build muscle, lose fat, slowly over time. It's the only way.

IT REQUIRES THAT YOU PURCHASE BRANDED SHAKES OR SUPPLEMENTS

"Drink this fat loss super shake to lose 10 pounds quickly!"

It is always better to eat real foods than to take supplements. Some shakes may have better-sourced ingredients than others, but no shake is a magic weight loss shake. Shakes don't make you lose weight faster than real food. Shakes may help you consume less calories so that you create a calorie-deficit, which can lead to weight loss. Just remember it is the calorie deficit, not the shake. Shakes are great when real food is not available or convenient (I drink them all the time), but you don't need a shake to lose weight. 

Ever notice those fat burning pills always say "For best results use in conjunction with proper diet and exercise."? Save your money and focus on the diet and exercise part. 

IT'S NOT SUSTAINABLE OVER THE LONG TERM

"Drink two shakes a day followed by a sensible dinner for rapid weight loss"

"Do this extreme workout for an hour a day six days a week for 60 days"

Make sure any new diet or exercise plan passes the sustainability test. "Will I be able to do this long term?" A short term program delivers short term results. Once you go off the extreme diet or exercise plan any weight you lost will come back on. A better long term solution is to find a sane plan you can follow long term. If you are not going to drink shakes twice a day, eat cabbage soup or do insane workouts for the rest of your life then don't waste your time.

IT USES THE WORD DETOX

"For one week drink green juice followed by a shot of apple cider vinegar to detox."

The word detox is one of the largest red flags of a weight loss scam. It is a marketing term that means nothing. Drinking juice doesn't cleanse you. Eating cabbage soup and drinking apple cider vinegar doesn't detoxify your body. Our liver does an excellent job of detoxifying our body. If your liver stops working, you'll need to see your doctor immediately. 

There is nothing inherently wrong with drinking green juices, eating cabbage soup or taking apple cider vinegar. Just balance them with whole foods from a variety of sources and be aware that you're not detoxing anything. 

It all boils down to this:

Listen to your Dad (or my Dad). If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Be wary of outrageous claims. If the product could really deliver those kinds of results everyone would be thin and fit. 

Avoid extremes. Everything in moderation, my friends. Short term extremes do not produce long term results.

Be skeptical about testimonials and before/after pictures on the internet. When possible, talk to people you know and trust about their real world results. 

The problem is that when we fall for weight loss scams they end up being distractions that take us further away from our goals. If we focus on the tried and true principles over the long haul, results will follow. Money back guarantee. 

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Coach Lea