Are you finding that you are eating breakfast, ensuring you have balanced meals and snacks throughout the day but you are still hit with mid-afternoon munchies and late night cravings??
Well, I can give you some insight into why this happens! Protein rich foods take longer to leave the stomach, therefore keeping you fuller for longer! Protein also keeps your blood sugar level steady, which prevents the sudden spikes in hunger that occur after dramatic drops in blood sugar. And since the body requires more energy to digest the nutrient compared to fats or carbohydrates you will burn more calories! Yes eating protein with each meal may help you stay full protein it is particularly important at breakfast!
Yes making protein the focus of your morning meal can take more time than slathering nut butter on toast or microwaving oatmeal but trust me it it is worth the effort! Planning is key to ensure that lack of time doesn’t become the reason behind you falling back into old patterns. You can easily overcome this by making up extra beans, vegetables or hard boiled eggs early in the week so that you have foods ready to go when you are pressed for time.
A few ways to help you transition to a high protein breakfast include…
Keep the smoothie, but decrease the fruit and any sweeteners. Add nut butter, low-fat cottage cheese or almond meal to increase the protein.
Eat more eggs. Why not bulk up the protein and the serving size by adding in some egg whites.
Add beans. Whether it be black, pinto or chickpeas – beans add both lean protein and fiber. Add vegetables. Replace your grain-based complex carbs like toast and bagels with sautéed spinach, roasted cauliflower or stir-fried peppers and onions. Try adding a handful of spinach or other leafy greens to your morning smoothie!
Eat dinner for breakfast. Lean meats like fish or chicken are just as good when eaten in the morning. Serve them up in an omelet or create a brekky salad!
Here are a few protein packed breakfast ideas to help you kick start your day right!
Berry Quinoa Parfait
1/3 cup of quinoa ¾ cup of plain low fat greek yogurt ¼ cup of blueberries ( or raspberries/blackberries/strawberries) Handful of walnuts Teaspoon of cinnamon Teaspoon of pure vanilla exact
Combine 1/3 cup cooked quinoa, 3/4 cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt, pure vanilla extract and teaspoon of cinnamon. Using 1/4 cup blueberries and walnuts, create layers of the quinoa/yogurt mixture, blueberries and nuts in a glass.
Mushroom & Tomato Omelette
2 Eggs ½ cup of sliced mushrooms ½ tomato, chopped ½ cup of spinach
Combine eggs and beat lightly. Using a cooking spray, cook eggs in non-stick pan. Add mushrooms, tomatoes and spinach in the center of omelet. Cook until eggs are set and fold over.
Paleo Brekky Bowl
2 fresh eggs 2 ounces wild smoked salmon (roughly 2 thin slices) 1/2 cup rocket 1/4 avocado, diced Squeeze of fresh lemon Pinch of freshly ground pepper
Heat a teaspoon of coconut oil over medium heat and swirl around in a nonstick pan. Slowly put 2 (unscrambled) eggs into the pan and cook until done, about 6 minutes. While your eggs are cooking, assemble your arugula, avocado, and smoked salmon in a shallow bowl. Squeeze lemon juice over everything, and sprinkle with pepper. Once your eggs are fully cooked, slide them into your bowl, and Enjoy!
Last weekend was a huge week. I had a blast in Philly teaching at World Class Martial Arts academy where Leeann teaches who is the founder of the women's BJJ empowerment group Josei Heishi JiuJitsu. Because of Leeann's amazing network the turnout was great.!
My co ed seminar on Saturday
On the Saturday March 11 I taught a co ed seminar. One again it is so great to see so many progressive guys attending who are open minded. This was the 1st co- ed seminar in 16 years that was taught by a woman. I am really excited to be the 1st lady teching it! There were a total of 6 black belts on the mat which is such an honour.
My women's workshop on the Sunday
On SUnday March 12 I taught women's workshops where we problems solved and I answered questions. I also taught mobility and movement from on top which is helpful for anyone lighter.
Check out my recipe here that was recently published in Whole LIfe Challenge Magazine. This is one of my favourite salads since it is a complete meal with protein, carbs and fats. Enjoy!!!
I have been travelling to teach so it's been a few days since I have trained. Making the right food choices while I am on the road, at the airport eating out etc is what keeps me in check. The secret is to ALWAYS have healthy food handy. I never head off to an airport without my hard boiled eggs and a banana. While I am on the road I will grab a salad and a KIND bar with no added sugar.
When eating out I make sure to have a salad of some fish and vegetables. Easy of the dressings and sauces and I stop eating when I am feeling full.
There are so many ways to spruce up a salad. Make your staple greens, whether it be kale or various sorts of lettuce but you can add so much flavour to salads by adding some blue cheese, or goats cheese, cranberries, onion, shallots, nuts and in this case some dried apple chips. This gives the salads some texture too.
Serve with a piece of fruit or some baked sweet potato and this is a perfect meal with protein from the chicken, greens, good fats from nuts and an olive oil/balsamic dressing and carbs from the fruit or sweet potato.
This past week I just returned from teaching some seminars in Michigan and CHicago. It was a really great experience to connect and train with my old training partner and to meet some new people. My seminar in Michigan was rewarding because I was able to help guild some young ones, whereby I feel it is so important that they see a female leading and teaching.
Being a female role model to the little ones is so important.
My seminar in Michigan was particularly rewarding since there was a big turn out and most of the students were men. Hats off to those progressive, open minded dudes out there who see the benefits of learning from a women. For all those ladies who are teaching, refereeing, running academies, running BJJ groups etc, this is a big step for such a profoundly male dominated sport. I am proud to be a part of the movement of empowered women in BJJ paving the way. #girlpower
There are so many aspects to health. We need to fuel our bodies properly for optimal health and we need to move it every day - whether it be on the mat in BJJ class or going for a brisk walk. But one factor that is often overlooked is the amount of time we spend outside in the fresh air getting our daily dose of vitamin D. Vitamin D is considered by some to be the most important vitamin out there. It is responsible for so many things including the regulation of other minerals such as calcium, magnesium and phosphorus which are essential for strong bones among other things. Vitamin D has also been shown to help regulate blood glucose levels (good for insulin management) and it is good for mental health. Regardless, getting sunlight is essential for mental health. So even though it is still cold in some places, try your best to get out and get at least 15 minutes per day of natural sunlight to enjoy the myriad of benefits.
So simple, so yummy. Banana and strawberry smoothie with 300ml almond milk and 2 tsp chia seeds. A great snack or breakfast on the go with some hard boiled eggs. The hard boiled eggs are conveneint and provide the protein and fats you need while to smoothie provides the carbs, I have loads more recipes in my nutrition e book or my personalized plans.
