Saturday, April 25, 2009

My New Favorite Meal Replacement Bars!

I recently found out that I am allergic to dairy and soy. As a personal trainer (and new mom) I am always on the go and looking for a fast and nutritious meal. Unfortunately, most meal replacement bars are soy or dairy based. I was so happy to find NuGO FREE. They make meal replacement bars that are gluten free, soy free and dairy free! Check out their website:
http://store.nugonutrition.com/products/45302.html

NuGo FREE’s bars are full of crisp rice protein and healthy ingredients to create a delicious snack. Any individuals with celiac disease, sensitivities to wheat, diary, soy, or anyone looking for a delicious nourishing snack can now be FREE TO SNACK. NuGO FREE is 100% natural and vegan OU Pareve plus layered with luscious, REAL dark chocolate or touched with icing. There are 3 flavors: dark chocolate, dark chocolate trail mix and carrot cake.

My favorite is the dark chocolate trail mix. Here are the ingredients: Rice Protein Crisp (Rice Protein Concentrate and Rice Flour), Crisp Rice (Rice Flour), Semi Sweet Dark Chocolate (Sugar, Unsweetened Chocolate, Cocoa Butter), Crystalline Fructose, Almonds, Tapioca Syrup, Brown Rice Syrup, Organic Agave Syrup, Chicory Root Fiber, Cranberries (Sugar), Rice Protein, Pumpkin Seeds, Flaxseed, Water, Organic Acacia Gum, Flaxseed Oil, Natural Flavors, Baking Soda (Sodium Bicarbonate), Salt.


NUTRITIONAL FACTS
Serving Size: 1 Bar
Bars per box: 12

Calories 160
Calories from fat 45
Total Fat 5g (8%)
Saturated Fat 1.5g (8%)
Trans Fat 0g (0%)
Cholesterol 0mg (0%)
Sodium 70mg (3%)
Total Carbohydrate 27g (9%)
Dietary Fiber 4g (16%)
Sugar 13g
Protein 9g
Vitamin A (0%), Vitamin C (0%), Calcium (4%), Iron (4%)

Whole Grain...MMM!

Barley and oats are great whole grains that are often overlooked. Barley packs more than 13 grams of fiber in a single cup, helps stabilize blood sugar, and is a great source of selenium, which is an essential mineral that helps the thyroid gland function properly. It's also rich in magnesium, which helps lower triglycerides and dangerous blood lipids in people with diabetes. Oats lower cholesterol and blood sugar and increase immune-system function. Add more of these great grains into your meals — barley is tasty in soups and oatmeal is a perfect healthy breakfast.

Refined Is Not Fine!

"Enriched" sounds like it would be a good thing, right? Well, when it comes to grains, it's not.

Enriching a grain is an attempt to replace some of the nutrients taken out during refining. Refining grains extends their shelf life, but the bran and germ of the grain are removed during the process — and with them, almost all the fiber, vitamins, and minerals found in a whole-grain kernel. The B vitamins — thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid — and the iron that are removed during processing have to be restored to make the product "enriched." Sugars, salt, fats, and chemicals are also added to the finished product (but the heart-healthy fiber that was stripped out is gone forever).

Refined-grain products include white pasta, flour tortillas, white rice, and white bread. Nutritionally, they are mere shadows of healthful whole grains. You can think of refined grains as "fast carbs" — since there's practically no fiber to slow down their absorption, they cause your blood sugar to skyrocket, which leads to a spike in insulin levels. Over time, those repeated spikes can lead to insulin resistance and diabetes. In fact, people who eat three servings of whole grains a day have a 30 percent lower risk of diabetes than people who never eat whole grains.

When you're shopping for whole grains, be a savvy consumer. Products that say "whole grain" can still have refined grains in them. In fact, they are only required to be 51 percent whole grain. So that's more like "half grain" — don't buy into it. What to look for? If you see "enriched" as the first word on the ingredient list, put the product back on the shelf. Only if "100 percent whole ___" is the first thing on the list, do you know exactly what you're getting.

Source: Jillian Michaels

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Monthly Membership Now Available!!

Want to have a monthly membership with AdventureHere? If so, keep reading...

Who: Anyone who enjoys FUN and challenging group exercise...
What: New!! Monthly membership with a guaranteed space in up to 6 classes per week.
When: Starting May 25th...
Where: At Bliss Studio of course!
Why: Because exercise is key to a healthy lifestyle!!
How: Send an email to me, Angela Martin at fitness@adventurehere.com and receive a registration form.

AdventureHere membership is $50 a month and allows you to attend as many of the following classes as you like:

Monday: Gut & Butt - 8:30am
Tuesday: Boot Camp - 6pm
Wednesday: Body Sculpt - 8:30am
Thursday: Boot Camp - 6pm
Friday: Boot Camp - 8am
Saturday: Core Strengthening - 9am
(1st and 3rd Saturday of the month)

SPECIAL OFFER: Already a private client or taking one of my classes? You're in luck...get a friend to register for a monthly membership and receive ONE MONTH FREE!!

Thank you for reading. Hope to see you soon!

Angela Martin
AdventureHere
Founder and Personal Trainer
415.250.2600
www.adventurehere.com

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