Just a little nutrition

Alright ladies...so I know that myself and a few fellow bloggers are working our butts off (literally) trying to get rockin' pinterest's bodies...some of y'all already have them...you lucky ladies you.

Motivation at it's finest.

Anyway, I thought I would use my background in nutrition for good and not evil and just talk about some good foods to include in our daily diet that are full of the good stuff...you know all that vitamin and mineral jazz.

I personally am a big fan of almonds. Love them. I try to have them within my grasp at all times while working...I always get hungry about 10 and 3, and almonds are great for those blood sugar lows in between meals.

Almonds are full of calcium and magnesium, which are good for building strong bones...which is especially good if you are being really active, they help build muscle and reduce cravings.

Legumes/beans

Legumes and beans are packed full of protein, which is a good source if you are strength training and trying to gain muscle. They help in the building of muscle, burning of fat and they aid in regulating digestion. Which is a dang good thing.

Soy beans...also known as edamame is a great source of protein and a really good snack. I love love edamame. I buy the frozen kind, put a cup or so in my little steam pot thingy and stick in the microwave for a few minutes and sprinkle some sea salt and mmm--good. One cup has about 17g of protein.

Let's talk salads...more importantly let's talk spinach leaves. I love spinach leaves. I rarely eat a salad that isn't made up of spinach leaves...I mean if you get a salad with iceberg lettuce you are getting no nutritional value whatsoever. Spinach leaves are chalk full of iron and fiber, vitamins A and C and it helps neutralize free radicals.

* Free radicals are very bad girls, they are what speeds up the aging process, and we don't want wrinkly skin...spinach leaves helps to stop that*

I notice that a lot of people tend to take fat out of their diet especially when they are trying to lose weight. Yes, taking the "bad" fats such as starchy, sugary, trans fatty foods out of your diet is a good thing. But you should leave the "good" fats such as monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats in your diet. Examples of good fats are:

Olive oil will help lower your cholesterol and boosts your immune system. I pretty much only cook with olive oil.

Avocados...I love love love avocados. They provide at least 20 essential nutrients such as potassium, fiber, Vitamin E(is great with anti-aging), Vitamin B and Folic acid.

Other things that are really good to incorporate are just whole grains, no starchy or white breads, lots of fruits and veggies...can never have enough of those things. And water. Yes, water is so simple, and you would be surprised how many people simply do not get enough during the day. I have a 32 oz water bottle(pink of course) that I have with me everyday and I try to drink at least two full jugs, here lately though especially with working out I have been trying to drink three jugs.

Alright, well...that is my two cents on some good quality foods that I add to my diet, just thought I would share with the rest of y'all, What are some good healthy snacks or meals that you guys eat. I would love to know!