There is nothing that will throw your diet through a loop like traveling. Going to and from a new place, where you don’t have access to a kitchen and trying to find healthy foods in an unfamiliar place, can be difficult. One place you can stick to your diet when traveling through is the airport. Even though airports have a reputation for having food as bad as what you find on the airplane, if you know what to look for you can find a meal that meets your nutritional guidelines. Here are some tips to eat healthy in the airport hangar.

Do Your Research Ahead Of Time

The internet is a really helpful resource for sticking to a healthy diet. Nowadays, airports all have websites that list the restaurants that are available. Before traveling, take a minute to find out what restaurants are available in your terminal. Then browse their menus so that you can pick a place to eat that has something healthy.

Don’t Settle For Quick

One of the reasons we eat so unhealthily when we travel is because we go for the quickest option. Most of the time we’re jetlagged and weary so we’ll just go to the first place we see with food. Instead, plan your meals accordingly so you don’t get so hungry that you settle for less than healthy. One great way is to make sure that you double up on protein to give you sustained energy.

Eat What You Normally Would

If you normally wouldn’t eat a packet of cookies for breakfast at home, don’t do it while at the airport. Even the smallest airports have fresh fruits, beef jerky, and nuts available. If your options are limited, get creative. Think about how you can combine some of these smaller items into something that reflects what you’d normally eat at home.

Pack Your Own Meals

TSA will let you bring food into the terminal. However, the food like all your other items will have to go through the x-ray machine. It must also be wrapped or packed in a container. Take a moment to read the TSA security guidelines and then pack your own meal instead of relying on what’s at the airport. If you bring your own food, you’ll easily be able to keep to your diet.

For more tips on how to eat healthy while you are traveling, talk to one our of professional nutritional counselors at Everlasting Changes. We can help you put together a strategy to keep your health on track no matter where you are!

Call now for three risk free, complimentary sessions. We offer a 30-day money back guarantee on all of our packages.

Protein shakes a great way to make sure you are getting enough protein and vital amino acids in your diet. However, even when you mix up the flavors, drinking a protein shake day in and day out can get pretty boring. To keep your palate excited, here are some fun ways to mix up your morning protein shake:

1. Add Some Fruit: Simply mix your protein shake as you would normally but add a cup of your favorite fruit like blueberries, banana, or mango, then throw it in a blender. Add ice for a smoothie. You can also mix protein powder with your favorite juice. For example, mix a scoop of vanilla protein with a cup of orange juice for a creamsicle flavored protein shake.

2. Make A Oatmeal Cookie Shake: For a tasty way to add a little soluble fiber to your diet, mixing up an oatmeal cookie shake using the following recipe:

1 scoop vanilla protein powder
½ cup of milk (you can use dairy or non-dairy milks like almond, soy or coconut)
½ tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp instant oatmeal
1 cup ice (optional)

Place all the ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth.

3. Make A Frappuccino: Use the following recipe to make a healthy version of the Starbucks favorite frozen coffee:

1 scoop chocolate protein powder
½ cup of coffee
½ cup of dairy or non-dairy milk
1 cup of ice

Place all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth.

4. Mix Up Your Greens: A great way to get healthy fiber and phytonutrients is by adding greens to your morning protein shake. A simple way to do this is to simply add a scoop of your favorite greens powder, but you can also use this recipe for a fresher tasting protein shake:

1 cup of your favorite fresh greens like spinach or kale
1 cup of fruit like bananas, pineapple, or strawberries (for sweetness)
1 scoop of vanilla or fruit-flavored protein powder
½ cup of dairy or non-dairy milk

5. Get A Little Nutty: Add a tablespoon of your favorite nut butter to your protein shake and mix it in a blender for a boost of protein and healthy fats. We love the combinations vanilla protein and almond butter together, but our favorite has to be peanut butter and chocolate protein powder (Protip: Add a banana!)

With these ideas, you’ll never get bored of your morning protein shake. For other healthy recipe ideas, speak to one of our nutritional coaches. We are always excited to share our favorite healthy food ideas to help you stay healthy while keeping your taste buds happy.

Call now for three risk free, complimentary sessions. We offer a 30-day money back guarantee on all of our packages.

Do you ever look for ways to eat chocolate for breakfast?

A handful of stevia-sweetened chocolate chips will do the trick, providing that chocolate flavor that you crave without a bunch of sugar. Add some to a blended protein shake, mix into a bowl of oatmeal, or add to grain-free mini muffins.

Ah yes, any day that starts with chocolate is a day that’s bound to be great 🙂

These mini muffins use cooked quinoa in place of traditional flours along with some of those stevia-sweetened chocolate chips. It adds wonderful protein, fiber, complex carbs and a nice texture. Making a big batch of quinoa on the weekend to keep in the fridge makes it quick and easy to use cooked quinoa in your cooking all week long.
And enjoy a bite of chocolate as a healthy start to your day!

Courtesy of RealHealthyRecipes.com

Servings: 48

Here’s what you need

• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 1 cup blanched almond flour
• ½ cup arrowroot starch
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 egg
• ½ cup coconut palm sugar
• 1 (15.66 oz) can coconut milk, canned and full-fat
• ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup lily’s chocolate chips (stevia sweetened)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line 48 mini muffin tins with paper liners.
2. Combine the quinoa, almond flour, arrowroot starch, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
3. Combine the egg, coconut sugar, coconut milk, melted coconut oil and vanilla in an- other bowl. Mix well and add the dry ingredients. Mix until fully combined. Fold in the chocolate chips. Pour 1 Tablespoon of batter into each of the 48 mini muffin tins.
4. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden and set. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Transfer out of muffin pan and cool on wire rack.

Nutritional Analysis

One serving equals: 57 calories, 2g fat, 7g carbohydrate, 1g sugar, 28mg sodium, 3g fiber, and 4g protein.

I hope that you get a chance to give this recipe a try this week. Remember that I’m only a call or email away to assist you in all things fitness. And if you are not yet one of my prized clients then call or email me now to set up your first workout – I’d love to help you achieve your best body ever!

Comfort food and winter go hand in hand. You want something that sticks to your ribs, warms up your belly, but doesn’t upset your nutritional coach. Well, you’re in luck! You don’t have to forego that resolution to lose weight or give up your favorite comfort foods and snacks. A few comfort snacks to keep you on track are:

• Matcha tea – Matcha is all the rage right now, and for good reason. The frothy green tea contains antioxidants, it gives you a natural energy boost, and it ramps up your metabolism while warming you from the inside out. If you’re in the mood for something indulgent, adding a bit of warm milk to your Matcha is just the ticket.

• Bone broth – You’ve probably heard of bone broth recently, as it’s benefits have turned it into a big deal in recent years. Bone broth is packed full of magnesium, making it a perfect post-workout or pre-workout comfort snack, and it also helps to regulate sleep as well as calm digestive issues. This nutritionist favorite is enjoyed hot to warm, and will warm you up from the inside.

• Chili – When you think of comfort foods, chili is probably at the top of your list. If you watch your meats and sauces, chili can also be a great healthy comfort food, as it’s filled with fiber rich beans and plenty of healthy spices. Rather than using ground beef in your chili, swap it out with a lower saturated fat meat like lean chicken or turkey and stay low-sugar and low-sodium for your sauce.

• Oatmeal – Oatmeal is warm, comforting, and invokes feelings of nostalgia for many. Using natural oats packed full of magnesium, phosphorus, and fiber, flavor your oatmeal using a bit of protein rich peanut butter and a few slices of chopped banana. What you get is a healthy snack or meal with a perfect balance of savory and sweet flavors.

• Bean soup – Bean soup is the perfect healthy comfort snack if you want to keep on track while not having a ton of time to prepare food for every snack or meal. Choosing a low-sodium recipe, warm bean soup is full of healthy soluble fiber, helping you to feel fuller for longer, and it can be made simply in large portions and frozen for enjoyment all throughout the week.

At Everlasting Changes, we want to help you to stay on track with your nutrition and fitness while still enjoying all the cool weather season has to offer.

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Sugar cravings are common, and it’s these cravings that are most likely to take you off the track your nutritional coach Ballantyne, Charlotte, or Marvin NC has worked so hard to put you on. While these are some of the most powerful cravings a person will have while adopting a healthy lifestyle, they’re not impossible to beat, and you can take control of your cravings in a healthy way that keeps you on target with your goals.

Sugar cravings may be linked to a drop in serotonin, the “happy hormone” in your brain that gives your mood a lift. When serotonin drops, it could cause your body to give it sugary sweets in order to get that happy feeling back, but there are ways to give yourself what you need without introducing sweets into the equation. There are other activities that boost serotonin, like exercise, and regulating your sleep schedule can help to keep serotonin levels balanced as well.

Next, you can avoid blood sugar drops, which will also cause your body to tell you that you need sugar through cravings for sugary sweets. The best way to do this is to keep your body efficiently fueled by eating several small healthy meals and snacks throughout the day, especially the types that are known to regulate blood sugar levels in the body. Having a particularly strong craving? Try opting for a healthy grapefruit and see how quickly it calms the craving right down. If your blood sugar seems to drop often, you can consult your nutritionist to craft a meal plan that keeps your body balanced.

Lastly, you may want to try drinking a cool glass of water the next time you’re craving sugar. Often, a sugar craving may actually not be related to sugar at all, and what your body is really trying to tell you is that it’s dehydrated. Drinking a small glass of water and waiting a few moments can let you know if this is the case.

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Getting a snack craving can be pretty deadly to your weight loss and fitness goals. Sure, once in a while it may not be so bad, but allowing snacking to become a habit can quickly send you off the rails and traveling far from your goals. With the help of your nutritional coach Charlotte, Ballantyne, or Marvin NC, you can curb those snack cravings while not only staying on track but giving your body a helping hand. 5 simple snacks and sides to boost your metabolism are:

1. Spinach – Spinach in salads, cooked spinach, or meals prepared with spinach as a main ingredient does great things for your metabolism. A leafy green, spinach is packed with healthy fiber, and help to increase the rate in which your body burns fat by up to 30%. If you’re not a fan of spinach in recipes or as a snack, it’s also incredibly easy to hide with fresh fruits and vegetables in a healthy smoothie.

2. Watermelon – If you’re craving a sweet snack, don’t reach for chocolate or ice cream when you could have a slice of fresh watermelon instead. While watermelon is high in sugar, which will calm that sweet tooth, it’s also high in the fat fighting amino acid arginine. A study in the Journal of Nutrition found that arginine introduced into nutrition can help to reduce fat up to 60% in some cases.

3. Seaweed – In wraps and smoothies, seaweed is an excellent metabolism boosting snack or side. Seaweed is rich in iodine, which helps the thyroid to produce hormone more efficiently, essentially giving your metabolism a natural boost. Too much iodine can be a bad thing, however, and seaweed intake should be kept around a couple of times a week.

4. Grapefruit – Grapefruit isn’t just delicious and full of vitamin C, it’s also a nutritionist favorite when it comes to metabolism boosting. Grapefruit is proven to lower insulin levels, while being full of healthy fiber.

5. Chia seeds – Chia seeds have been a nutritionist favorite for several years now, and not only do these powerful small seeds boost your metabolism, they are incredibly versatile. Chia seeds can be added to everything from yogurt and oatmeal, to salads, smoothies, and main dishes, filling your snacks with omega 3’s, fiber, and protein all at once.

Call now for three risk free, complimentary sessions. We offer a 30-day money back guarantee on all of our packages.

Yes, it is possible to make cookies that are wholesome, filled with low-glycemic sweetness, and in line with our fitness lifestyle. These Quinoa Chocolate Chip Cookies are a great example of a recipe that takes healthy ingredients to create a sweet taste that’s guilt-free and just as enjoyable as traditional cookies.

What makes these cookies healthier than Mrs. Fields?

It’s gluten free: I used a combination of the cooked quinoa and blanched almond flour rather than traditional white grain flour.

It’s free of cane sugar and low glycemic: No refined cane sugar in these sweet morsels, just some unrefined coconut sugar. It’s also possible to sub out some of the coconut sugar for a bit of liquid stevia if you’d like to lower the sugar grams even more.

The chocolate is stevia-sweetened: To keep our sugars in check even more I’ve used Lily’s chocolate chips which are sweetened with stevia and contain zero cane sugar.

The serving size: Using 1 heaping teaspoon of dough will get you 48 petite cookies, which make portion control easy. You can enjoy a little cookie without taking in too many calories!

Courtesy of RealHealthyRecipes.com

Servings: 48

Here’s what you need

¼ cup coconut oil, softened but not melted
⅓ cup palm shortening
1 cup coconut palm sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 egg
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups blanched almond flour
1 cup cooked quinoa
1 (9 oz) bag Lily’s chocolate chips (stevia sweetened)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl beat the coconut oil and the shortening on high for 30 seconds. Add the coconut sugar, baking soda and salt. Beat on medium for 2 minutes, scraping down the sides as needed. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Beat in the almond flour and quinoa. Stir in the chocolate chips.
3. Drop the dough by teaspoons 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Bake 6 to 8 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Transfer the parchment paper onto a wire rack to cool. Enjoy!

Nutritional Analysis

One cookie equals: 108 calories, 7g fat, 11g carbohydrate, 3g sugar, 79mg sodium, 2g fiber, and 2g protein.