Food Food & More Food!

Food Prep Day!  This is my kitchen counter right now and I am so excited!  I'm not going to talk about how I had to sell my first born to get it, but hey, health is important right?  Oh yeah, and my jackpot find-of-the-day at Smith's?  Broccoli Rabe or Rapini!  I've been looking for this ever since I saw Giada using it, like, 3 years ago!  Ecstatic is too dull a word to describe how I felt when I saw it!  My life in the kitchen is now complete.  (Update: broccoli rabe/rapini is BITTER!  Bubble burst.  I am going to learn different ways to cook it.  More later.)

Obviously being my favorite subject, we're going to talk a little about food.  It plays a huge part in everyone's life. It takes time, it takes energy, it takes planning, it takes prep, it takes clean up, it takes chewing, it takes convincing & bribing accompanied by whining.  Huge.

But what role does it play in your overall physique?

We're not ALL after the beauty aspect of physique, but this is an important "info-graphic".  If you're interested in having a healthier heart, this is for you too.  Opinions differ on whether it's 70/20/10 or 70/10/20 or 80/10/10, but the point remains the same.  You are what you eat.  For real.  Realize that the big gun behind your change is going to come from the kitchen. Show off that new muscle from #skibootcamp by eating right.

It's important to know that what we eat does different things to our bodies.  

Simple carbs, or short-chain carbohydrates, like sugar, white bread, etc, are quickly turned to blood sugar and if not used, turn into fat stores.  That sit.  And multiply.  And cover up your six pack.  I know you have one.  Grrr.  

On the other hand, fruits & veggies (complex carbs or long-chain carbs) have fiber for longevity, fullness, & slower conversion to blood sugar, providing fuel at a more steady rate. This is why eating clean involves more of these healthy carbs.  Less conversion into fat stores.  More energy for your workout.  Yay!

Don't forget that frozen veggies are a super-duper alternative to fresh.  We use them frequently and there is a mad variety in the freezer section now-a-days.  They are a budget-friendly and delicious alternative to more expensive fresh, and are just as heart-healthy and lean.  I'm not going to delve into the merits of "real food" here.  Veggies are veggies as far as I'm concerned.

And just eat as much protein as you can handle.  It's how muscle rebuilds.

Nope, it'll never happen.  I spent all last spring biking 1,000 miles to prepare for a 100 mile event.  The event was  AWESOME and I felt super strong.  But I didn't lose 1 pound or 1 body fat percent.  Why?  Because I was eating simple carbs hand-over-fist.  What a wasted opportunity!  

Other benefits of eating fruits & veggies are better gastrointestinal health, more steady energy, elevated mood, and more results from that workout you're doing every day.  Win!

So bite the bullet & make the following changes:

• Shop the outer edges of the grocery store where they put the healthy stuff.
• Have healthy snacks at the ready.  Chop them up so you don't have to do it when you're hungry.
• Prepare more veggies for dinner for the whole family.
• Swap white bread, cereal & crackers for whole-wheat versions.

As in all things, slow and steady wins the race.  You've got a reality.  Fit more green stuff into your menu gradually and you'll be so glad you did it for your overall fitness.

Just to blow your mind, here's a list of complex carbohydrates.  Eat these any time!

All-bran cereals• Apples• Artichokes• Asparagus• Bagel• Baked beans• Bananas• Beans• Broccoli• Brown bread• Brown rice• Brussels Sprouts• Buckwheat• Buckwheat bread• Cabbage• Carrots• Cassava• Cauliflower• Celery• Chickpeas• Corn• Cornmeal• Cucumbers• Dill Pickles• Dried apricots• Eggplant• Garbanzo beans• Granary Bread• Grapefruits• High fiber breakfast cereals• Kidney beans• Lentils• Lettuce• Low fat yogurt• Macaroni• Corn• Muesli• Multi-grain bread• Navy beans• Oat bran bread• Oat bran cereal• Oatcakes• Oatmeal• Okra• Onions• Oranges• Other root vegetables• Pastas• Peas• Pinto beans• Pita bread• Plums• Porridge Oats• Potato• Prunes• Pumpernickel bread• Radishes• Ryvita crispbread• Shredded wheat• Skim milk• Soy milk• Soybeans• Spaghetti• Spinach• Split peas• Sprouts• Strawberries• Sweet potato• Tomatoes• Turnip Greens• Watercress• Whole Barley• Whole grain Cereals• Whole grain flours• Whole meal bread• Wholemeal spelt bread• Wild rice• Yam• Zucchini
Read more at Buzzle: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/complex-carbohydrates-list.html

Eat more veggies!