Health Advisory
Which types of clean, energy-boosting foods do you recommend I eat before and after exercise?
One hour before exercising, go for an easily digestible snack such as an apple or banana for energy and fullness. Bananas give you an extra, powerful boost of potassium and help relieve cramping for those who tend to have leg or foot cramps on occasion while exercising. Energy bars can be too filling, as are nuts such as almonds, so enjoy those types of snacks after your exercise session. Of those, I recommend clean energy bars that have nuts and dried fruit in them, which I find are easier to digest than oat-based bars. For a good post-exercise meal, keep carbohydrates to a minimum and include lots of lean protein and vegetables.
How to cut back Calories easily
When you skip breakfast, it affects our eating habits – and your metabolism – for the rest of the day. Researchers from the University of Nottingham gave one group of men breakfast and had a second group skip it. Both groups had access to unlimited food at lunch. The breakfast eaters took in 17% fewer calories in another part of the study, the researchers gave both groups a whey protein drink a couple of hours after breakfast. Breakfast-skippers had higher blood sugar levels after drinking the shake than breakfast-eaters. This study, irrespective of gender, demonstrates that skipping breakfast has a major negative effect both on your appetite and your metabolism.
Broccoli works much better with its sprouts!
Broccoli is a rich source of sulforaphane, a super-antioxidant that seems to lower your chances of cancer. The formation of sulforaphane in broccoli requires the presence of the enzyme myrosinase, which can be destroyed by cooking.
To preserve this enzyme, experts recommend steaming broccoli for two to four minutes – or eating it raw. Plus, a new study shows that you can just about double your intake of sulforaphane by eating broccoli sprouts along with your steamed broccoli, as sprouts are rich in both sulforaphane and myrosinase. Try them together in a salad or tossed into a stir-fry-just be sure to add your broccoli at the very end, when you’re only got a few minutes of cooking time left, to prevent nutrient loss.
