Posts Tagged ‘food’

How Do I Start a Ketogenic Diet?

Tuesday, February 22nd, 2022
start a ketogenic diet with salad and tomatoes

A ketogenic diet, often known as a keto diet, is a low-carb and high-fat diet. It has been shown in several studies to be useful for weight loss and certain health concerns. The hardest part about it is knowing how to start a ketogenic diet with food, and nutritional and lifestyle changes.

A keto diet is very beneficial for shedding extra body fat while remaining hungry, as well as treating type 2 diabetes or metabolic syndromes according to researchers. The benefits of a keto diet include shedding extra body fat while remaining hungry, as well as treating type 2 diabetes or metabolic syndrome. The primary focus of the ketogenic diet is to restrict carbohydrates (carbs) in order to burn fat for fuel.

In this article, you’ll discover all you need to know about how to start a ketogenic diet, including safety concerns and nutritional efficiency. There is a great resource in the book, The Complete Ketogenic Diet for Beginners: Your Essential Guide to Living the Keto Lifestyle, so certainly once we examine this initial strategy, it could be worth your effort to check out the book.

(more…)

Share the Swole!

5 Best Diets To Try in 2022

Wednesday, February 9th, 2022
diets to try in 2022 - the cheeseburger diet?

You’ve finally decided that you want to take on the challenge to eat healthier. There are plenty of diets to try in 2022. Lots of research and experimenting with all different diet strategies means lots of different possibilities that can better suit your body and your lifestyle. 

Keep in mind when we talk about ‘diet’ we are not necessarily talking about a temporary fad diet. Diet strategies such as plant-based, ketogenic, and paleo can be the basis of a dieting phase, but it is recommended to take what works for you to incorporate into your overall nutritional strategy and lifestyle habits.

Here’s a great list of a handful of the best diets to try in 2022 to kickstart a healthier lifestyle.

(more…)

Share the Swole!

Top 5 Post-Workout Foods

Friday, February 4th, 2022

Eating immediately following a workout isn’t always the first thing on your mind, but it’s important to replenish fluids and at least some nutrients soon after working out. You certainly shouldn’t sit down to a big meal of post-workout foods, but a small to moderately-sized meal is essential to your body’s recovery process. Without sufficient replenishment, you can dip down into low energy, moodiness, and compromise muscle recovery.

post-workout foods
(more…)

Share the Swole!

How Much Fat Should I Eat in a Day?

Thursday, January 13th, 2022
How Much Fat Should I Eat

Almost all nutritious food has fat in it. Fats are used for a variety of purposes including transporting vital nutrients to cells, assisting in the digestion of certain foods, and providing us with energy in times of nutrient depletion. To be healthy you can’t, and shouldn’t, stay away from fat. Still, we find ourselves asking: how much fat should I eat in a day? What are the pros and cons of eating low-fat or fat-free? What kind of fat should I be eating most? Which foods provide healthy fats and which foods will kill me quickly?

As with my other articles how many carbs to eat in a day and how much protein to eat in a day, all depends on a couple of factors:

Butter
  • current bodyweight
  • dietary goals
  • cholesterol profile
  • activity level
  • lifestyle
  • time of day

The American Heart Association recommends limiting dietary fat to 30% of total calories. Take into consideration, however, if you are overweight, need to lower blood cholesterol, or have another medical concern, you may need less than the recommended 30%.

Let’s stop to consider all of the factors that go into determining how much fat we should eat.

(more…)

Share the Swole!

How to Structure Eating Habits For Maximum Workout Efficiency

Monday, January 10th, 2022
Eating habits to build muscle

Your workouts and meals are directly connected. What you eat and when you have it can impact the effectiveness of your exercise routine. Eating correctly based on your training is the best way to get the results you want to see. What we need to do is structure eating habits based on our sleep and training schedules.

Here are some tips to help you eat right to maximize the results of your workout sessions. 

(more…)

Share the Swole!

Only 6 More Days Until Christmas!

Sunday, December 19th, 2021
6 More Days Until Christmas

There are only 6 more days until Christmas and boy are we excited to dip into the egg nog!

Have you kept your fitness and nutrition in check this holiday season? Have you been able to stay slim this holiday or at least maintain your current progress?

Relax a Little

Hopefully, you have, so you can let your guard down a bit during Christmas or your main celebration day of choice. There’s no need to be a pig and eat ALL the fudge and cookies, but there’s also no need to avoid all desserts and gravies like the plague. (Have you finished all of your shopping and most of your wrapping?)

(more…)

Share the Swole!

How Can I Stay Active During the Holidays?

Tuesday, November 30th, 2021
stay active during the holidays Santa

The holiday season is such a fun time of year. There are parties, decorations and so many reasons to enjoy life. But a lot of times, all the celebrations come with a cost. It can be easy to fall out of your fitness routine and healthy eating habits during the holidays. Here are some tips on how to stay active during the holidays. 

(more…)

Share the Swole!

A History of Bodybuilding Supplements

Tuesday, November 16th, 2021
History of Bodybuilding Supplements - Eugen Sandow

The Evolution of Body Building Supplements

These days bodybuilding supplements are as common as bottled water. All our retail and grocery stores sell them, GNC is usually just down the road, but what about the history of bodybuilding supplements? From whey powder to creatine and everything in between, the bodybuilding supplements industry has steadily been growing both in popularity and in the sheer number of products available.  

But how did it ever get to be this way?  At what point in human history did we equate the intake of supplemental foods with the construction of the perfect physique?  Interestingly enough it started with a man named Eugen.

Nineteenth-Century Supplementation

Over a hundred years.  That’s how far back you would have to travel back in time to find the first traces of what is now known as bodybuilding supplements, consumable goods that were shown to have a direct impact on developing muscle and physique in the user.  

Regarded as the first modern bodybuilder, Eugen Sandow was a staunch advocate of the impacts that eating or drinking certain foods can have on muscle development.  Earle Liederman, a friend of Sandow’s, drank beef juice and extracts to help him his muscles and body heal faster after rigorous exercise, inadvertently developing what some argue to be the first post-workout supplement.

(more…)

Share the Swole!

Halloween Recipes – Pumpkin Protein Cookies

Tuesday, October 26th, 2021

High Protein Pumpkin Cookies

High Pumpkin Protein Cookies

It’s high time to bust out a couple of new Halloween recipes since October is my favorite time of year and Halloween is my favorite holiday. These nice high-protein pumpkin cookies are perfect for breakfast, brunch, post-workout, or any time you might need a snack.

Recipe

Down below I mention a couple of ways you can make the recipe healthier or tastier; for example, swapping applesauce for oil and egg whites for eggs.

Generally, though, this is a pretty healthy recipe without changing anything.

The original recipe called for 1/2 cup of soy flour instead of protein powder, so if you find the protein powder ruins the recipe, you can back out and just use the soy flour. Of course, that will decrease the protein content in each cookie. 🙁

(more…)

Share the Swole!

Beware of Hidden Sugar In Your Favorite Foods

Tuesday, October 12th, 2021
hidden sugar

Cutting out sugar is one of the most important steps you can take in improving your nutrition and overall health. Excess hidden sugar intake can have an effect on several systems in the body resulting in high blood pressure, weight gain, inflammation, and diabetes.

The addictive nature of sugar can make cutting down or quitting feel very difficult. You may be thinking, “No big deal, I’m not big on cupcakes or cookies anyways.” Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as ditching dessert.

Added sugar is hidden in many processed foods, even some marketed as “healthy” or “natural.” Is sugar hiding in some of your favorite foods? Read on to find out.

(more…)

Share the Swole!

The Debate Over Snacking and Weight Loss

Thursday, April 15th, 2021
Snacking and Weight Loss

Weight loss is a topic of serious debate these days, with opinions on every aspect of the topic all over the map. Should you go paleo or Mediterranean? What’s up with Keto? Are high-intensity workouts better than bodyweight programs? Is yoga really exercise? Big breakfast or no breakfast? Are carbs bad? Are fats good? To make matters more confusing, the answer to most of these questions is “It depends.”

The debate over whether snacking is a good weight loss strategy is no different. Here are a few things to take into consideration when deciding if snacks should play a part in your weight management plan.

(more…)

Share the Swole!

What Are Some Healthy Breakfast Food Ideas?

Friday, April 9th, 2021
protein shake lean athlete

Breakfast can be tough for anyone. Between jobs, school, and kids, getting everything ready for your day can leave you little time to figure out and make breakfast. When you’re trying to reach any kind of fitness goal – whether it be to lose weight, gain muscle, maintain gains, or anything else – choosing healthy breakfast food can be an important part of your health and fitness plan.

Therefore, it’s important to have some on-hand meal ideas for any type of fitness goal to make breakfast easy and painless. Use these ideas to help you figure out a plan for breakfast every day of the week, no matter what your health goals are.

(more…)

Share the Swole!

5 Post Workout Nutrition Tips

Thursday, July 9th, 2020

To Make Optimal Gains, Never Neglect Post Workout Nutrition

Strongman Mariusz

Knowing what to eat after a workout is a big question mark for many active adults, even those who have been exercising for years. Over time you’ll no doubt figure out your own system of food consumption that helps you to stave off fatigue and other symptoms following a workout, but did you know that there are proven methods you might be missing out on?

If you think that there may be a better way to get nutrition and optimize your workouts by pairing them with an appropriate diet, here are 5 post-workout tips that could prove useful.

(more…)

Share the Swole!

Homemade Chocolate Protein Bars

Tuesday, July 7th, 2020
Homemade Chocolate Protein Bars

The desire to consume chocolate at times overcomes even the strongest of us. When that cocoa aroma penetrates your senses and the drool starts to form at the corners of your mouth, you feel that there is no place to run… no place to hide… from the chocolate. OK, so maybe this isn’t you, but even so, everyone can use a tasty protein bar at times. This recipe for Homemade Chocolate Protein Bars one is for all the chocolate lovers out there.

The Recipe

1 square of unsweetened baking chocolate
3 scoops (1 cup) chocolate protein powder of your choice, I prefer Biotest Metabolic Drive Super Protein Shake (aka “M”)
2 tbsp heavy cream
2 tbsp butter
3 packets or 1/8 cup of Splenda
2 tbsp sugar free or low sugar syrup, or maple syrup, or you can even just use water instead
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
1 cup chopped nuts, I prefer either peanuts, pecans, or almonds

Melt the baking chocolate and the butter in the microwave for 1 minute, stirring until melted. Add Splenda and heavy cream, stirring until creamy. Next, add protein powder, nuts, and coconut, stirring until everything is coated evenly. Add syrup or water, mixing thoroughly. At this point, the mixture may become very stiff. You should knead it like dough until the mixture is uniform throughout. Finally, line a bread loaf pan with plastic wrap and press the mixture into the pan firmly and evenly. Chill until very firm. The recipe can be cut into 6 bars or servings.

Nutrition Information
Approximately 170 calories from 5g carbs, 15g protein, and somewhere around 10g of fat per bar.

Try substituting dark chocolate instead of baking chocolate, for a richer darker flavor. Also, try adding all-natural peanut butter to give it an additional nutty flavor. Keep milk on hand during consumption.

Share the Swole!

How to Cook Healthy During the Pandemic

Wednesday, June 10th, 2020
cooking healthy

This entry into our quarantine series focuses on everything we might be lacking in the kitchen while we’re locked down. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has led all of us into isolation. The visits to grocery stores and in turn resources for cooking have been minimized. This is the real testing time for your cooking skills; cooking healthy and nutritious meals with what is available can be quite a challenge.

If you feel like you need to seek online couples therapy following exposure to your partner’s cooking, this blog post might end up saving your relationship!

(more…)

Share the Swole!

What Happens If You Drink Whey Protein Without Working Out?

Wednesday, November 6th, 2019
Protein Shake Woman

Many people are easily deluded that they can increase their muscles’ level by simply drinking whey protein without working out. Yep, the lure of protein is that strong. You would be more likely to find someone who enjoys exhausting him/herself reaching their goal. Everybody wants to have a perfect body, while only a few enjoy the idea of sweating in the gym.

Protein shakes, on the other hand, are a convenient and affordable way to the desired biceps and triceps. But you might read a review that you stumbled upon on the internet, and it turns out that those shakes have a lot of downsides. So, let’s check out what happens when you drink protein shakes without sweating in the gym.

(more…)

Share the Swole!

How Meal Prepping Can Help with Bodybuilding

Saturday, November 2nd, 2019
bodybuilding meal prep

Whether you are a professional bodybuilder or simply a novice bodybuilding enthusiast with an interest in the sport, it is vital that you are feeding your body enough to make sure that you are correctly adding muscle mass. Here are some tips for how to make sure you are nutritionally benefitting from everything that you eat, and getting the correct sustenance before, during, and after your workouts.

(more…)

Share the Swole!

22 Ways to Eat Healthy on a Strict Budget

Monday, September 16th, 2019
Budget Cuts

An athlete’s fridge and cabinets should be stocked full of nutritious, muscle building, healthy foods. The biggest problem with that is the fact that today’s economy does not allow most of us to spend as freely as we used to in order to eat healthily but it’s definitely easier when you budget with a spreadsheet template. It is much harder these days to spend $200 a week on bodybuilding food than it was 10 years ago. Besides, most of us want to squirrel away as much loot as possible so we can retire early.

Also, I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to spend an hour a day preparing food. I’m not trying to cook a chicken every day for lunch. I don’t have time to whip up a 7 veggie, 2 cheese omelet’s every morning. However, the reality is that we need lots of healthy foods to helps us build muscle and lose fat. That being said, let’s examine how we can eat properly while minimizing the grocery bill and food preparation time.

Here are 22 tips to help you to quickly eat healthy on a budget.

(more…)

Share the Swole!

Tips To Making Your First Smoked Barbecue

Thursday, August 1st, 2019

Barbeque parties are hit during summer, and even during spring when the sun is out. There are instances wherein smoked barbeque are served in these parties. But not everyone has the patience to sit through the entire process of smoking meat, even if the traditional form of barbeque is done by smoking. This is because the entire smoking process can take even up to twelve hours, wherein the meat is slowly cooked over low temperature, but if done correctly, the outcome is definitely worth “eat”.

smoked bbq

The technique of serving perfectly smoked meat can be mastered through three “P”s: practice, perseverance, and patience. So if you want to try smoking meat, follow these tips:

(more…)

Share the Swole!

Making Your Own Healthy Drink

Wednesday, June 26th, 2019
healthy drinks

With so many options right now for beverages and drinks, we no longer know what is healthy and what can damage our body. Sodas and utterly huge servings of frappuccino or caramel macchiato can definitely bring us some unhealthy results, however, they were made to be delicious thus people still buy them.

(more…)

Share the Swole!