The Whole Foods Challenge 2015

The Whole Foods Challenge

For 6 weeks beginning January 1 and ending February 12, challenge yourself to a completely whole foods diet. You will be surprised at your results. There will be prizes, and they will be given out based on a points system. Keep up with your points daily, add them all up at the end, and get them back to me by February 14. 

The points system (per day):
4= perfect day, no refined foods
3= 1 small refined food (condiment or chip)
2= 1 large refined treat (cookie, beer, slice of refined toast)
1= whole meal of refined food (pizza dinner, pancake breakfast, ice cream dessert)
0= more than 1 refined food throughout the day
Bonus points:
+1= 1 workout 
+2= 3+ cups of non-starch vegetables throughout the day
+3= dairy free and gluten free all day (ghee and grass fed butter are okay!)

Rewards:
1st place: 6 week personalized meal plan + 1 training session
2nd place: 3 training sessions + 1 training session for a friend
3rd place: 1 training session + 1 training sessions for a friend

Strongly encouraged but not required:
Before and after pictures
Measurements including weight, body fat, waist, and hips
Strength or time recordings (depending on your skill and goals)


Now, what are whole foods?

Whole foods are foods that are eaten very close to their original form. These are foods that have not been depleted of their nutrients. Think corn on the cob vs. tortilla chips, or grapes vs. grape fruit snacks. You shouldn’t find any ingredients in the label that you cannot pronounce, and there shouldn’t be many ingredients at all. Whole foods nourish your body and make you feel better, allowing you to perform at your optimal level. If you eat a diet rich with whole foods, you receive all the vitamins and minerals your body needs.

Refined foods are the opposite. Refined foods have been stripped of their vitamins and minerals in the process. This includes white rice, as opposed to long grain brown rice. Refined foods, since they are depleted of nutrients, strip your body of nutrients that you need to feel good. So besides just causing weight gain, refined sugar can not only throw off your hormonal balance, but also weaken your immune system and cause allergies.

More examples:
Whole Food:                            Refined Food:
Pure maple syrup                    Aunt Jamima’s pancake syrup
Unrefined Rapadura sugar      Cane sugar
Dried fruit                                 Fruit snacks
Steel cut oats                           Instant oatmeal
Ezekial sprouted grain bread   Wheat bread
Apples                                      Apple fritters
Butter                                       Margarine

Each meal should contain carbohydrates, fats, and protein, as all three are required by your body to function at it’s best.

Sample meals:
Breakfast:
A. Veggie omelet cooked in olive oil or ghee
B. Oatmeal with peaches and honey
C. Strawberries and yogurt (no added sweeteners)
D. Boiled eggs with banana
Lunch:
A. Rotisserie chicken, brown rice, and spinach
B. Tuna, mixed green salad with olive oil
C. Salmon, broccoli, and quinoa
D. Ezekial bread sandwich with turkey, lettuce, and tomato
Dinner:
A. Steak, mixed greens, and sweet potato
B. Quinoa and bean chili, and mixed green salad
C. Baked chicken, asparagus, and brown rice
Snack:
A. Boiled eggs and pear
B. Apple and cashews (nuts)
C. Ezekial sprouted grain toast with almond butter and apple
D. Greek yogurt (no added sweetener) and blueberries

Frequently asked questions:

1. What about dairy?
Dairy can be nourishing, but should be free of any additives, and from grass fed cows. Alternatives are great, such as almond milk, flax milk, cashew milk, hemp milk, or coconut milk (all unsweetened).

2. Are grains okay?
Many people have intolerances to grains, but they should be eaten in their whole form. Think barley, brown rice, buckwheat, millet, oats (not instant), quinoa, rye, and whole wheat.

3. What sweeteners are healthy?
Honey, 100% pure maple syrup, molasses, and 100% fruit juice are all great sweeteners.

4. Do foods have to be organic?
No. However, organic foods are better as they are grown naturally and without chemicals, so they are full of micronutrients.

5. What about energy drinks?
Coffee and tea are fine.

6. How can I eat whole foods at restaurants without just getting a salad?
You can always order broiled fish or other meat with a side of vegetables such as sweet potatoes and spinach.

7. Is alcohol allowed?
Alcohol is depleting of nutrients, so the it’s best to forego the alcohol until the end of the challenge, to get the most from your challenge.

8. What if I live out of the area for training? Can I still participate?
YES! You are greatly encouraged to participate. You will still get a reward equivalent to the one listed.

9. Does this cost money?
No. This challenge is purely for your benefit!

So in a nutshell, whole foods include:
Vegetables
Fruits
Nuts and seeds
Meats/seafood
Beans/Legumes
Herbs/spices
Eggs/grass fed dairy
Grains
No more than 5 ingredients in the label.

Bison Chili

According to Kai, this is far better than my Dad's. Sorry Dad. Enough said.

28 oz bison
1 onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
28 oz can diced tomatoes
2 cans kidney beans, rinsed
1 can black beans, rinsed
1/4 cup chili powder
1/4 cup garlic powder
2 T cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp oregano
red pepper to taste
salt to taste

Brown bison in skillet, drain of fat, then add onion and red pepper and sauté for about 2 minutes. Add in the rest of the ingredients and put in crockpot dialed in to low heat until ready to serve.

850.

850. 850. 850....

That's the number that has been filling my head for the past couple of days. Last year, I competed in a bikini competition. For 8 weeks, I dieted according to a plan my trainer gave me, lifted 3 times per week, and did cardio at least once per day for an hour each session, 6 days per week, until the last 2 weeks where I doubled up on cardio.

What is 850? It's the amount of calories I was eating on a daily basis. Why did I do that to myself? You'd think I would have known better, being a personal trainer and all. I guess I was blinded by ambition. I wanted to do a competition just to say I did it. I totally trusted my trainer who is very good at what he does. He trains people for bodybuilding competitions all the time, and his competitors always do very well. I don't know squat about competitions, and all that goes along with it such as posing, specificity of muscular striation goals and what not.

I've learned so much in the time since I did that competition. Not only was I only eating 850 calories, which is awful even without the consideration of the amount of physical activity I was involved in, but about 600 of those calories were from protein alone... animal protein at that. What happens when you eat that much animal protein and not enough carbohydrates from green vegetables to alkalize your system? Your body suffers from uric acid, and you can ultimately end up with kidney failure after awhile. Right after the competition, I went to the doctor because my kidneys were killing me, not really thinking about my major idiot move in following the diet, and my kidneys were in fact, in the beginning stages of failure.

I am going on 5 months postpartum, and I keep pushing myself to lose the weight like I did last time so that by the time I hit 8 months postpartum, I am at the same level I was at 8 months postpartum last year. Then I remember my 850 calorie diet that put me where I was last year, and I remember how exhausted, scatter-brained, and overall spread-thin I was last year. I may not, or will most likely not hit the 114 lbs I was at 8 months postpartum last year, but I will be stronger and much more physically fit. I am already moving way more weight than I was while training for that competition, and that excites me. I have two kids, am still breastfeeding, and eating a minimum of 1500 calories per day- on most days I hit around 2200 calories, and I feel great and am at my pre pregnancy weight.

The other day, I was discussing bodybuilding with a friend of mine. We were going over reasons why one would want to go through with competing. I think competing is a great thing, as long as you have a great coach who cares about your health, who can diet you properly, allowing for a great deal of vegetables and enough calories to sustain your physical activity. There is no reason to starve yourself for any goal. You may reach your goal more slowly, but you will be able to maintain and enjoy the end result much more.

I went over and over in my head whether or not to publish this. I didn't and don't want to offend anyone who I competed with, who dieted similarly, and still have the same coach. However, I think it is more important for people who don't compete to realize what some people do to reach that "goal body" in such a short amount of time, and that they shouldn't beat themselves up for not matching that so quickly. It's also important for people who would like to compete, to know that there are many competitors out there who eat a great diet (some eat way more than they would like to) and get incredible results. There are more than a couple ways to get results, go with what works for you. But 850 calories? That shouldn't work for anyone.

Feed your muscles, brain, and heart.

Crockpot Sesame Chicken

This is one of my favorite staples. We have this in our house every week, because it is super easy and it leaves no excuse to not eat healthy. You can serve it with veggies or whatever you want, but I like it over quinoa. This is so delicious and simple, you'll want it every other day.

Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper
1/2 cup raw honey
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup sesame oil
1/2 cup diced onion
1/4 cup ketchup
4 cloves garlic, minced

Throw chicken in the crockpot, and salt and pepper them. Stir up the remaining ingredients and pour over the chicken. Set the pot to low for 4 hours or high for 2-3 hours. Separate with forks and serve it with your choice of sides!

Recipe adapted from sixsisterstuff.com

Cauliflower Pizza Crust- healthified!

A very smart client/friend once asked me why people eat cauliflower pizza crust thinking it's healthy, when anyone knows that with ALL THAT CHEESE there's no way that junk is "healthy". Well, she's a smart cookie and here is a truly healthy pizza crust, and it's yummy!

Ingredients:
3 heads cauliflower florets
2 eggs
1.5 cup almond meal
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 T italian seasoning

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Stick the florets into a food processor until it's totally "riced". Pour the cauliflower rice into a large pot, cover with water, boil, the cover and reduce heat to simmer for 5 minutes. Drain the cauliflower, and if you'd like, freeze to cool it off. Otherwise, just use a cheesecloth to strain out all the liquid so that the cauliflower is totally dry. Pour that mixture into big mixing bowl, add the rest of the ingredients, and mix. Press into 2 pizza dishes in whatever shape you'd like, but not thinner than 1/4 inch. Cook for 30 minutes, then top, and cook just to heat the ingredients of your choice, and serve!

It's Raining {Turkey} Meatballs!

Recently, I have discovered ground turkey. Everyone always talks about it, but the idea of substituting anything with turkey other than in a sandwich horrified me. Until this past week, when I experienced some great turkey recipes not once, but twice! This was my favorite, and it was a success with the family as well.

Ingredients:
2.5 lbs lean ground turkey
2 eggs
2 cups steamed spinach
1 onion, diced
2 T garlic powder
1 T italian seasoning
pinch black pepper
pinch salt
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup tomato sauce

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients together, minus the tomato sauce. In a casserole dish, spread out the tomato sauce in an even layer. Ball the turkey mixture into the dish- I made big ones so there were 18 total. Bake for about 45 minutes total, turning the meatballs halfway through.

Per meatball (if you make 18), there are 145 calories, with a whopping 18.8 g protein and only 2.5 g carbs! Woot woot!

The kids are alright: My random happy post

   That's 10 reps at 200 lbs  (going on 300 hopefully soon!) on the
  decline leg press... I'm finally (slowly) getting back my wheels.

I walked into the gym this morning in tears. Why? Because I just left my 4 month old for the first time ever, in childcare. Sure, he would only be there for less than 2 hours, but I had just dropped him off and for no other reason than to have some "me time". I don't know how all the do-it-all moms out there drop their kids off in daycare, but bravo to all the women who must, and can, do that.

Mid-workout, I was once again, in tears. However, I was crying for a totally different reason. My tears this time, was the reason I dropped my kids off and went to the gym. I was crying because I was having a high... the kind I get only when I am not worried about rushing home in time to feed my hungry baby or when I'm not worried that I am not spending enough time with my oldest little man. I was pushing some serious weight, and that makes me feel good.

A little over a week ago, I was at my breaking point. Kai wouldn't stop whining, and Luca wouldn't sleep. Kai wouldn't listen to me, and Luca was insanely tired. I couldn't go do the one thing that was my release, which is lifting weights. Luca was up at all hours of the night nursing, but he wasn't even hungry. I finally decided to sleep train him, even though it was 2 months before I actually wanted to do so. After a few minutes of letting him cry, he passed out, and continued to do so (minus the crying) at every nap time and bedtime. That's 45 minutes TOTAL of crying with the whole process in exchange for sanity, more quality time spent with Kai, happiness in our marriage, quality sleep for Luca, and all around this household is just so much more joyful.

Last night, the stars aligned. Everyone slept fairly well, I went to the gym for a whole 1.5 hours, Luca had a great time at childcare (I found him passed out on the tummy time mat) and Kai had some fun time with kids his age. I could think clearly again. I looked at Luca and saw that he had somehow changed overnight- he is suddenly in his big brother's all-in-one cloth diapers as he had grown out of his newborns, holding a ball with some serious coordination, Kai is helping me with his little brother and has around 3 or 4 new words everyday. Life is just an amazing thing when you're "awake" enough to experience it. I may not be a working mom who needs to drop my kids off in order to make money, but I am a mom who is working on my M.S. at night while the children sleep, taking a break from work so that I can focus on the babies, and I need the time alone to regroup and be the version of me who makes not only myself happy, but keeps my family healthy and happy.