Nutrition

Published: Dec 4th 2019

Due to our fast-paced lifestyle, we tend to eat fast food instead of healthy meals. That is one of the reasons why obesity has become a big health problem in the world. As a result, a lot of people started looking for a way to eat healthily. And, while some of them turned to unhealthy diets, others have chosen the keto diet.

This diet is one of the most followed diets in the world. There are two reasons for that. The first one is low food restriction, which means that you can eat most of the foods you usually eat. This includes cheese, yoghurt, butter, meat, eggs, vegetables, as well as desserts if they are keto-friendly like the keto chocolate shake. The second reason is the ease to follow this diet due to having simple rules. Namely, you just need to know which foods you can and can’t eat and stick to them.

Following the keto diet is very easy, although it requires you to prepare your meals at home. It’s because there are plenty of meals you can prepare in 5 minutes or less. In order to prove this, here are 5 easy breakfast meals for weight loss.

1.  Keto Breakfast Smoothie

Ingredients:

• ½ cup of frozen berries
• 1 tbsp flaxseed meal
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• ¼ cup cottage cheese
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• ¼ cup crushed ice
• Liquid stevia, as you wish

Instructions:

Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until well incorporated.

2.  All-day Keto Breakfast

Ingredients:

• 1 big organic/free-range egg
• 2 big Portobello mushrooms
• 5 thin bacon slices
• 1 tbsp butter or ghee
• ½ avocado
• A pinch of freshly ground black pepper
• Salt, according to taste
• Fresh herbs, for garnish

Instructions:

• Roast the mushrooms in a pan. But make sure they are placed with their top side down.
• Heat half of the butter/ghee on a pan over medium-low heat.
• Add the mushrooms and add sea salt and black pepper.
• Cook for 5-8 minutes.
• On a separate pan, heat the other half of the butter, and fry the egg and the bacon.
• Serve the contents of both pans on a plate, along with the avocado.

3.  Keto Lemon Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients:

• 2 big eggs
• ¼ cup of melted butter
• 2 cups almond flour
• 1 cup no-carb organic heavy whipping cream
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 5 tsp stevia
• ½ fresh blueberries
• ¼ tsp lemon zest
• ½ tsp pure lemon extract

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 350C degrees.
• Melt the butter and the lemon zest.
• Put the eggs in a big bowl and whisk until well incorporated.
• Add the rest of the ingredients into the bowl and mix well.
• Pour the mixture into all 12 muffin cups.
• Bake for around half an hour.

4.  Low-carb Keto Egg Salad

Ingredients:

• 8 hard-boiled eggs
• ½ cup coconut oil mayonnaise
• 1 tsp ground mustard
• Salt and pepper, according to taste

Instructions:

• Slice the eggs and mix them with mayonnaise and mustard.
• Mix until all three ingredients are well combined. If needed, break up the eggs.
• Add salt and pepper according to your taste.

5.  Keto Mini-frittatas

Ingredients (6 servings):

• 340gr (12 oz.) washed and sliced mushrooms
• ½ rinsed and drained cottage cheese
• ¾ cup broken feta cheese
• 6 beaten eggs
• 3 thinly sliced green onions
• 2 tsp olive oil, or a bit more, if needed
• ½ tsp or according to taste all-purpose seasoning
• Freshly ground black pepper, according to taste

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 190C/375F degrees.
• Spray your 6 jumbo muffin cups (or whatever you use for making frittata) with non-stick spray or place a small piece of baking paper inside the cups, in the form of muffin liner.
• Rinse the cottage cheese with cold water until there are only curds. Let it drain.
• Wash the mushroom and dry them with paper towels.
• Slice the mushrooms into thick slices.
• Heat olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat and cook the mushrooms for 6-8 minutes.
• Once cooked, put them on the bottom of the muffin cups or what you will use.
• Brake the feta cheese and slice the onions into tiny slices.
• Add the cottage cheese, feta cheese, and the onions in layers over the mushrooms.
• Beat the eggs along with black pepper and the seasoning.
• Divide them equally among the muffin cups (what you use).
• Stir the mixture slowly with a fork to cover all ingredients with egg.
• Bake the mini-frittatas for around 25 minutes.

As you can notice, some of these recipes take less and some more time to prepare. So, you can choose which one to make according to your time. Namely, you can make the smoothie if you are in a hurry and make the frittatas during the weekend. Regardless of their preparation time, all of these recipes are easy to make, keto-friendly, and super-tasty.

Written By Elsie Doss

Ingredients

• 1 - 4oz can low sodium Tuna (packed in water), drained
• 1 - Tbsp grated fresh Ginger
• 2 - Tbsp milled Flaxseed
• 1 - Egg White
• 1/8 - Cup chopped Onions
• Pinch Black Pepper to taste

Directions:

Combine all ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix until well combined.

Form the mixture into two patties.

Place patties on a lightly greased skillet. On medium heat, cook for 5 minutes on one side, flip and cook for another 5 minutes until browned.

Macros:

• Calories: 211
• Protein: 29.6g
• Fat: 7.1g
• Carbs: 8.4g

1. Eating "blindly" 

If you aren't tracking your calorie input somehow, then how do you know if you're eating a surplus of calories each day? You need bricks to build a house. Think yourself lucky you're able to eat lots!

2. Sticking to 3 Sets of 10

Yeah - you read this in fitness/bodybuiding magazines but rep range is the loading parameter that should be varied most often! To fully stimulate fast and slow twitch fibres, 10 reps won't cut it after a few weeks sorry.

3. Missing Time Under Tension 

Yes it hurts. Yes it's a major stimulus to muscle building. No you can't just bash out your reps. Consider using sets of at least 40s length to really create a hypertrophic response!

4. Resting inconsistently 

Time your rest periods and stick to a predetermined time. You'll never know if that extra couple of reps was genuinely increased strength or just because you had a bit more time chatting. Measure and manage!

5. Ignoring Recovery 

Did you know you build and repair muscle when you're resting? Most of us simply won't get enough recovery time if we train 7 days a week (especially with the reduced sleeping hours so many of us suffer from!)

Written By James Alexander Ellis

Facebook: Facebook.com/JamesAlexanderEllis

Ingredients

• 1.5 scoops Unflavored Whey Protein Powder
• ½ cup Quinoa Flour
• 2 tsp ground Cinnamon
• ½ cup unsweetened Apple Sauce
• ¼ cup original unsweetened Almond Milk
• 1 Tbsp Honey
• 1/8 cup Egg Whites

Directions:

• In a large bowl, mix together the protein powder, quinoa flour and cinnamon.
• In a medium sized bowl, combine the apple sauce, almond milk and honey.  Mix and then add to the flour mixture. Stir combined mixtures until blended.
• Using a small bowl beat the egg whites until thickened and almost fluffy.
• Gently fold beaten egg whites into flour and milk mixture. Do not over mix.
• Pour about ¾ cups of batter inside a preheated, lightly greased waffle iron, and cook according to waffle iron instructions or about 3 minutes.
• Enjoy warm and with your choice of topping or simply as it is.

Yield:

•  2 waffles

Macros per serving:  1 waffle

• Calories: 291
• Protein: 27.1g
• Fat: 3.3g
• Carbs: 36.6g

80% of all my clients have a fat loss related goal!

Here are some appetite control tips you may have not considered before:

Eat the Protein part

1: Eat the Protein part of your meals FIRST, especially if you are eating a less controlled / measured meal. This is likely to fill you up and stabilise blood sugar response from any sugars/carbs you eat.

Adopting an intermittent fasting approach

2: Adopting an intermittent fasting approach where you have a 16hr break between last and first meal can make it much easier to maintain a calorie deficit  Less meals / food to track.

Hunger pangs are temporary

3: Many food cravings or hunger pangs are temporary and can be easily controlled with simple DISTRACTION.  Make yourself busy for 20mins with your email or social media and your urges may well pass!

Follow James Alexander Ellis at:
Twitter.com/jamesellispt ,
 Instagram.com/jamesalexanderellis/

Ingredients

• ½ cup Almonds, crushed*
• ¼ cup unsweetened shredded Coconut
• 1 Lime rind, grated (1 tsp)
• 1/8 tsp Cayenne Pepper
• 1 Tbsp Coconut Oil
• 1 clove Garlic, minced
• 2 skinless, boneless, Chicken breasts

*A food processor can be used to ground whole almonds

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 400 F.
• In a large bowl; combine almonds, coconut, grated lime rind, and cayenne pepper.
• Using a small dish; mix the coconut oil and minced garlic.
• Wash a remove any fat from the chicken breasts and pat dry with a paper towel.
• Brush the coconut oil and garlic mixture onto all sides of both chicken breasts. Dip each chicken into almond and coconut mixture, ensuring that the chicken is covered completely. Press the mixture into the chicken if needed.
• Place chicken on a foil lined baking tray and bake in the oven for 40 minutes or until lightly browned and cooked through.
• Serve with a side of vegetables and lime.

Macros per serving: Serves 2

• Calories: 423
• Protein: 37.3g
• Fat: 27.2g
• Carbs: 7.4g

Ingredients

• ½ cup Almond meal
• ½ cup Flax meal
• 1 scoop (30g) Vanilla Protein Powder
• 1 Tbsp Stevia
• ½ cup Crunchy Almond Butter
• 3 Tbsp Raw Cocoa Powder
• 3 Tbsp Water
• ½ tsp Vanilla Extract

Directions:

• Combine the almond meal, flax meal, protein powder and stevia in a bowl.
• Add the almond butter, cocoa powder, water and vanilla extract to the dry ingredients and mix until the all ingredients are evenly coated and forms a paste.
• Scoop small spoonful’s, then roll between the palms of your hands into 1 inch ball shapes.
• Place on a baking sheet and refrigerate for approximately 10 – 25 minutes or until they harden.
• Yield: 19 balls (approximately 19g each)

Macros: Per ball

• Calories: 82
• Protein: 3.8g
• Fat: 6.4g
• Carbs: 3.7g

Chocolate Protein Raspberry Hearts Recipe

Makes about 15 pieces (5 servings).

Ingredients

Chocolate coating:
1/4 cup raw coconut oil, melted (56g)
2 teaspoons confectioners style erythritol (10g)
1/4 cup cocoa powder (24g)

Chocolate raspberry filling:
1/2 cup natural chocolate whey protein powder (45g)
1/2 cup raspberries, mashed (62g)
1/2 teaspoon confectioners style erythritol (3g)

Instructions

1. Make the chocolate coating by mixing coconut oil, erythritol, and cocoa powder.
2. Fill the cavities of a silicone candy mold about ½ way with the raw chocolate, and shift the mold so that the chocolate covers all sides of each cavity. (It helps to use a candy funnel.)
3. Over a sheet of parchment paper, turn the mold over and pour out what hasn’t stuck to the mold.
4. Using a bowl scraper or the back side of a knife, scrape off any excess chocolate from the top surface of the mold.
5. Place the mold in the freezer for 3-5 minutes to set the chocolate.
6. Collect your excess chocolate and set aside. (It may be easier to fold and freeze the parchment to collect the excess chocolate.)
7. Meanwhile, mix the ingredients for the chocolate raspberry filling.
8. Remove the mold from the freezer. Fill the chocolates with the chocolate raspberry filling, leaving a little room in each mold cavity for more chocolate.
9. Top with remaining chocolate.
10. Freeze for at least 10 minutes.
11. Enjoy! Store in the freezer. If the chocolates freeze for several hours or more, leave them out for a few minutes before serving.

Macros (per 3 piece serving)

• Protein: 8g
• Carbs: 5g
• Fiber: 3g
• Sugar: 1g
• Fat: 13g
• Calories: 167

Notes
A note about substitutions: you might try replacing the whey with casein, but I don’t think vegan powders would work well in the filling.

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A view on Dirty Bulking by Ross Edgely

Personally I remain lean all year round. Mainly because I think it should be a lifestyle and not some seasonal venture that people adopt when the summer time comes round. Now I know some people will take the argument, “but I’m bulking” which I accept. Of course intelligent periodization should form part of every person’s routine. But I typically draw people’s attention to the science around these crazy, 10,000 calorie a day ‘dirty bulks’….

So it’s widely known to induce muscular hypertrophy (and increase in the size of your muscles) you will need to create a ‘calorie surplus’. Put simply you eat more calories than you use/burn. But a mistake most strength and power athletes make is they reach for the burger, chips, cheese and ice cream. All the time telling themselves it’s ok since the extra calories will also add extra quality muscle. The problem is it doesn’t. Yes, sure your body meets its daily calorie needs but it will also be lacking in certain other vitamins and minerals that are needed for muscle growth. It’s basically a very narrow minded way of looking at nutrition and the human body.

Let’s take soft drinks and ice cream as a prime example. Not exactly known for being a great source of minerals and what’s worse is that a lot of them contain phosphates that have been shown to deplete the body’s iron stores. Iron is obviously hugely important to athletes since it’s vital for the transportation of oxygen by haemoglobin and muscles using oxygen by myoglobin. Having less iron in the body means less oxygen can be delivered to the working muscles. Again, is it any wonder you see these massive guys who are on a bulk yet struggle for breath walking up the stairs. Yes, they’re carrying more weight than their frame is used to (basic physics) but equally their body’s nutritionally handicapped by the lack of iron and oxygen circulating the body. 

Talking more generally, junk food such as doughnuts or pastries lack various muscle building micronutrients such as zinc which serves as a cofactor in more than 100 enzyme processes within the body, the most important being to help build DNA, protein, insulin and testosterone production. Obviously insulin is needed by the body to shuttle key nutrients such as amino acids to the muscles and testosterone is a hugely important anabolic hormone and without sufficient zinc in the diet both are affected.

Whilst there are too many nutrients to name specifically, it’s important to note that high calorie diets can lead to nutrient deficiency or a new form of malnutrition as described by scientists Orit Kaidar-Person et al (2008) which will ultimately leave your muscles underfed and will stunt their growth. Therefore concerning nutrients, it’s much wiser to attempt a clean bulk and ensure you create a calorie surplus through more nutrient dense foods since this will ensure your body also receives the often overlooked micronutrients it needs for muscular hypertrophy. The next issue regarding a dirty bulk is related to your insulin sensitivity. Firstly insulin is a hormone responsible for shuttling nutrients to the muscles and insulin sensitivity relates to how much of the hormone insulin your body needs to shuttle these nutrients to muscles.

Put simply ‘good insulin sensitivity’ means your body only needs a small amount to transport nutrients to the muscles whereas ‘bad insulin sensitivity’ means your body isn’t very good at shuttling nutrients to the muscles and requires a lot of insulin, plus even worse than that you’re also on track to diabetes. Now whilst insulin sensitivity varies from person to person research shows that a dirty bulk won’t help matters. Specifically this relates to fast food and its content of trans fatty acids (trans fats) which is an artificially made fat that’s used when making pastries, cookies, doughnuts and French fries.  It’s responsible for that ‘melt in your mouth’ type feeling you get from a really nice doughnut or cookie and although it tastes amazing, researchers Mark. A Pereira et al (2005) state it negatively affects insulin sensitivity. This means although certain French fries taste amazing and they will help you create a calorie surplus, they will detrimentally affect insulin sensitivity and therefore how effectively nutrients are transported to the muscles. This exact principle also applies with foods that are high in fructose such as certain pre-packaged cereals, junk food deserts, potato chips, soft drinks and shockingly certain snack bars that are advertised as healthy since researchers Heather Basciano et al (2005) found that diets containing a high amount of fructose again negatively affected insulin sensitivity. So again, whilst washing your ‘dirty bulking’ meal down with a litre of orange fizzy drinks may help you get the calories in, your muscles won’t thank you for the reduced insulin sensitivity (Bray G.A, 2010).

Finally (and very closely linked to insulin sensitivity) is how effectively you will be able to keep your body fat low and only build quality, functional mass for sport rather. Whilst insulin helps to transport nutrients to the muscles, it’s also the most lipolytic (fat storing) hormone in the body, shuttling fatty acids and glucose to fat cells to be stored as body fat. For this reason no strength athlete will want bad insulin sensitivity since this means their body will release more insulin which in turn reduces lipolysis (the burning of fat) and increases lipogensis (the storing of body fat.)  The final point to consider is that whilst dirty bulking may produce short-term gains and also look very impressive as you stand on the scales and gain 5 lbs. a week, it may not be very good in the long-term and actually be counterproductive when you’re trying to build a stronger physique with more functional mass.

Written By Ross Edgley

Instagram: instagram.com/rossedgley
Facebook: www.facebook.com/rossedgleywriter
Twitter: Twitter.com/RossEdgley

Apple Crumble Protein Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 1 Apple, peeled and chopped
• 1.5 cups (375ml) unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
• 1 scoop (30g) Vanilla Whey Protein Powder
• ¼ cup (21g) Oats
• ¼ cup (26g) Flaxseed Meal
• ¼ tsp. Cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. Nutmeg

Directions:

1. Combine all the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.
2. Pour into a glass and serve.

Stats

Yield: 2 servings

• Macros per serving: 250ml
• Calories: 225
• Protein: 14.6g
• Fat: 9.9g
• Carbs: 21.6g