Egg Yolks: Totally Misconstrued!

 

Egg Yolks…

What comes to mind?

In reality, when making eggs, many throw away the egg yolk and make egg whites, but truly, if you’re going to throw out anything, it”s actually the white, because the actually nutrition is in the middle.

I am guilty too, don’t worry. For the longest time, I have been minimising my yolk intake drastically to stay away from the demons I believed the Yolks had but boy was I ever wrong. That is not to say I will be abusing egg yolks from hereon, I mean all healthy things in fair consumption make sense.

Eliminating egg yolks from your diet for fear of fat and cholesterol is actually depriving your body of important nutrition, and these will come to light throughout this article.

Here you are, the FACTS:

1. They have so many Vitamins and Minerals!

	3 Egg yolks contain… (%DV)*	3 egg whites contain…(%DV)
Vitamin A	15%	0
Vitamin D	15%	0
Vitamin E	6%	0
Thiamin (Vitamin B1)	6%	0
Riboflavin (Vitamin B3)	15%	27%
Vitamin B6	9%	0
Folate (Vitamin B9)	18%	0
Vitamin B12	18%	0
Choline	348 mg	1.2 mg
Calcium	6%	0
Iron	9%	0
Phosphorus	21%	0
Zinc	9%	0
Selenium	42%	27%

Reference: An egg yolk a day keeps the doctor away

2. They have phospholipids, which is a type of fat important for building cell membranes, and promoting cardiovascular health, metabolic health, as well as memory and cognitive function.

3. They have Antioxidants

4. Egg yolks have Carotenoids, showing promise for promoting eye health, lowering the risk of  macular degeneration and cataracts and other eye diseases.

Reference: What are the Benefits of Egg Yolks?

Be careful, that is not to say egg whites are not good for you, they are filled with Protein, but that pretty much all they are, compared to their counterpart.

Now for the Top Ten Proven Health Benefits of Eggs according to Authority Nutrition:

1. Whole eggs are among the most nutritious foods on the planet, containing a little bit of almost every nutrient we need. Omega-3 enriched and/or pastured eggs are even healthier.

2. Eggs are high in cholesterol, but eating eggs does not have adverse effects on cholesterol in the blood for the majority of people.

3. Egg consumption consistently leads to elevated levels of HDL (the “good”) cholesterol, which is linked to a reduced risk of many diseases.

4. Eggs are among the best dietary sources of choline, a nutrient that is incredibly important but most people aren’t getting enough of.

5. Egg consumption appears to change the pattern of LDL particles from small, dense LDL (bad) to large LDL, which is linked to a reduced heart disease risk.

6. The antioxidants Lutein and Zeaxanthin are very important for eye health and can help prevent macular degeneration and cataracts. Eggs are high in both of them.

7. Omega-3 enriched and pastured eggs contain significant amounts of Omega-3 fatty acids. Eating these types of eggs is an effective way to reduce blood triglycerides.

8. Eggs are fairly high in quality animal protein and contain all the essential amino acids that humans need.

9. Many studies have looked at egg consumption and the risk of heart disease and found no association. However, some studies have found an increased risk in people with type 2 diabetes.

10. Eggs are highly fulfilling and tend to make you eat fewer calories, helping you to lose weight

SO, Bottom line…

DO NOT THROW AWAY YOUR EGG YOLK AND SIMPLY EAT THE EGG WHITES, DON’T MISS OUT!

Your Healthy Solutions!

Here are a few tips that I live by; and I want you to Live by them too.

1. Cut the Sugar: Sugar spikes your insulin. Avoid Processed food too, it is filled with sugar. Instead, have a high protein and vegetables vegetable diet.  The protein helps build muscle and veggies are carbohydrates low on the glycemic index (GI), they are more slowly digested, absorbed and metabolised, cause a lower and slower rise in blood glucose and, therefore lower insulin levels. Other good carbs are brown rice, sweet potatoes and quinoa as they are slow digesting carbs with low GI.

2. Allow yourself Cheat Meals: Having a cheat meal once a week is allowed if you take care of your body and treat it well. Your healthy lifestyle can afford it, but note that this rule only works if you’re working out.

3. Schedule a Fat Burning Workout Routine: Doing High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is a great way to shed extra weight as this exercise gets your heart rate to go through the roof for about a short period then allows it to rest and repeats, which  increases your heart rate in intervals. This is a great fat burning workout.

4. Keep a routine: Starving yourself, we have already discussed, is a pure no no. It only causes your body to get confused and store the fat as it does not know when it will be fed again. Therefore keeping a routine and eating small meals every 3 hours or so will allow your body to read you better and know to burn as it will be fed again soon. This routine over time  allows you to eat tons of food but consistently stay low in body fat, as your metabolism will spike and you will continue to burn throughout the day.

5. Surround yourself with people like YOU: Truth is, it is really hard to be healthy if you are surrounded by unhealthy people, so be choosy with your friends. I swear by this tip and have like-minded friends, which I absolutely love. These friends keep me on my feet and allow me to continue being happy. One in particular, always teaching me new health  tips and different workouts, which feels absolutely amazing. Hanging out together is never an impediment as being healthy and staying fit is a lifestyle, and we both live by that. Friends that train together, stay together, right?! So build your life around people with similar goals.

For more information, see article by Nicolas Cole in Medical Daily.

 

Skipping is Fattening

Loosing weight is a struggle. Yes, I know. Most of us have gone through it at least once in our life; unless, of course, genes are in your favour. I, myself, have been a victim of this struggle. Trying everything to loose the extra pounds that are unwelcome. Skipping meals is a common one that some try in hopes of loosing that extra fat.

DO NOT DO THAT! Yes, I am yelling at you!

Sure, many of us heard that lowering calorie intake in your day can help you lose weight but it is not meant to be lowered by removing your essential meals. Losing weight is meant to be healthy. Skipping meals only starves you which in turn promotes fat storage as it deprives the body of essential nutrients and leads to a severe drop in insulin, causing a variety of metabolic issues in the long run. Sure you may feel slimmer for the day as you skip that meal, however as soon as you replenish that ‘thirst’, you will regain it even fattier. Restricting your body and skipping meals lead you to experience a higher activation of genes that lead to storage of fatty molecules and plumper fat cells, and predominantly around your midsection.

A recent study conducted at Ohio State University has revealed that skipping meals not only leads to abdominal weight gain, but it can also lead to the development of insulin resistance in the liver … A similar study conducted at the Oregon Research Institute (ORI) found that skipping meals or restricting the number of calories you consume each day can actually make unhealthy food more attractive.

Essentially, if you are exerting energy without replenishing it, your body will pick up the glucose it finds and will store it, causing more fat cells and leading to invigorated fat tissue.

Moral of the story is: Do NOT skip meals, but simply have smaller healthier meals throughout the day and you will find yourself having better results and more weight loss.

P.S. Don’t forget to exercise!

Choose A Better You!

I have discovered these Tea Leafs, in fact, it is called ThinTea and usually I am very wary about these “diets” however, I found it to be a natural ‘Way of Life’, not a diet, but a lifestyle. This tea is all natural and simply shares a Eating Plan which I found I incorporate in my lifestyle and daily meals already. So I did make the purchase to get these teas, however it is just like going to a tea shop and buying natural organic tea, instead, I have found all the essential nutrients in one blend. I love it.

What I mostly wanted to share with all of you is the Eating Plan included. It really encompasses a great dietary lifestyle for the healthy average person and for the athlete.

Check out this Eating Plan, and savour it.

My personal favourites were the following:

Try beginning your day with a glass water and fresh lemon. Drinking water increases the rate at which people burn calories, and much of this occurs when your body tries to heat the water to process it. In addition, water also has the effect of making you feel fuller without adding any extra calories whatsoever. Drink water throughout your day.

Plan your meals for the week and buy everything you need at once.

When you’re craving something sweet, reach for fruit. If plain fruit bores you, try grilling it or pairing it with protein, such as apple slices with a dab of peanut butter or pears with a few small cubes of Parmesan cheese.

Yogurt is a great food for dieters as long as you avoid the overly sweetened and processed variety. Buy plain yogurt and sweeten it with a tiny bit of honey or some fresh fruit. Chop or puree fruits like berries or peaches,or mix in a little cocoa powder or cinnamon.

Chop some raw vegetables and store them in individual portions in baggies in the refrigerator so you can just“grab and go” when you feel like snacking.

Hard boil a dozen eggs and keep them in the fridge for a quick breakfast or snack, or keep them on hand to chop and add to salads for a protein boost.

Don’t turn up your nose at avocados because of their fat content. Avocados have a high amount of monounsaturated fat, which is a special fat that scientists have found can actually reduce the distribution of fat in the belly area.

Garlic is a nutritional powerhouse that has long been known to help reduce inflammation and blood pressure, lower the risk of heart disease, and boost immunity, but did you also know that in a lab test, rats who were fed a high-sugar diet actually put on less weight if they took a garlic compound?

You might think that skipping breakfast will save you a few calories, but it will actually end up costing you more in the long run and causing weight gain. In fact, your body needs small meals throughout the day to keep your blood sugar levels even; if these levels drop, you’ll find yourself in a bad mood and with a serious lack of energy. Skipping a meal also makes you feel hungrier when the next meal comes around, and you could very well end up eating way more calories at the next meal than you would have if you had eaten normally in both meals combined.

The Mediterranean diet is great for weight loss and also helps reduce your likelihood of dying from heart disease, cancer, and other conditions. This way of eating focuses on vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, and grains and is rich in good fats. Red meat is kept to a minimum, and there is a heavy emphasis on poultry and fish. Olive oil is used instead of butter, and herbs are used to add flavour to food instead of salt. Even an occasional glass of red wine can form part of the Mediterranean diet.

So, to conclude this blog, I would like to say Life is short, enjoy it, don’t follow unreasonable diets that you cannot keep, but make life choices that you can maintain. It is okay to allow yourself that special treat from time to time, otherwise, depriving yourself will only defeat you.

Stay Active, and eat healthy!

 

Last but not least:Thank you for your patience with me throughout the summer as I was quite immersed; but I am back and very happy to bring you more of My Daily Wellness.

For all of you, Fall is here, make sure you don’t fall into its traps!

Cr8ssFit: Friend or Foe?

It is a growing concern, CrossFit, but what’s the deal? Is it bad for you? Is it good for you? Truth is, I really want to give it a chance. I mean yes, I’ve read from the critics and from the lovers. It seems that though CrossFit may cause injuries, so does every other workout. Any inexperience person will hurt themselves if they divert their form.

So, this article from Body Building has said it right, and explains why CrossFit has been dogmatized in many shapes and forms, and while some may be true, it is not fair to solely criticize it as being the only system that can negatively impact your body, as any system, not performed correctly can harm you. This goes beyond simply training, and also applies to everything in life.

WHAT IS CROSSFIT?

In the simplest of terms, CrossFit can be defined as a strength and conditioning system that is designed to promote both broad and targeted physical fitness. The system combines a wide variety of exercises to ensure that a total fitness level is achieved, ensuring balance in the body. This is obtained through a combination of workouts in:

• Weight lifting or Weight training
• Sprinting or Distance Running
• Gymnastics

In order to gain the most benefit from the CrossFit program, someone training through CrossFit should be at least moderately familiar or proficient in key areas that equal what CrossFit refers to as “10 fitness domains”:

• Respiratory and cardio endurance
• Stamina
• Strength
• Coordination
• Flexibility
• Power
• Speed
• Agility
• Balance
• Accuracy

CrossFit was created to focus on working across each of the 10 domains. According to CrossFit, this is achieved by promoting neurological and hormonal adaptations across all of the metabolic pathways is in the body.

 

CrossFit, inevitably, has a reputation, but judging from word of mouth and a ‘reputation’, that is not my thing and should never become yours. Always create your own opinions and conclusions in life. Otherwise, you may miss out in Life.

I will see you on the CrossFit field!