Plant-Based Nutrition Archives - Page 3 of 4

Posted on April 28, 2016July 20, 2017 by Kelly Gibson

Can Eating Salad make me Fat?

Is a salad with dressing really worse than a cheeseburger? A pound of lettuce is going to contribute about 20 calories so there is a negligent amount of macronutrients to worry about in that by itself. The real calories come from what you add to the salad. Let’s take a look to answer your question “Can Eating Salad make me Fat?”:

It almost seems silly to compare the two, since their macronutrient ratios are entirely different. However, in terms of calories you would need to add 6-7 tablespoons of Italian Dressing to make a plain salad as unhealhty as a cheeseburger. That means almost a half of a cup of dressing! I don’t know anyone who needs that much dressing. What a relief! So I guess we should keep adding dressing to our salads as long as we control our portions, right?

Wrong and let me tell you why. The first ingredient in majority of store-bought dressings is the most overused sweetener in America, and the worst part is? Everyone tells you to stop having it. You may not know it, but you are defeating the purpose of a healthy salad when you add High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS), with a hint of added flavors and preservatives. What about Fat-Free? Don’t worry, food companies will sneak in some artificial sweeteners like sucralose or dextrins to make it taste better.

Unfortunately, toxins like these can make it very difficult to lose weight, even if you’re limiting your overall calorie intake. I suggest you take a look in your refrigerator and read the ingredient label on your salad dressings (or ALL condiments for that matter). If it’s got HFCS, I recommend you chuck it or donate it to your local food drive.

Many of you may already be aware of this problem, and you probably stock up on organic dressings. But there’s still a ton of sodium in those too. Hmm! What to do now? I know I know… create your own salad dressing! It takes 2 minutes or less to whip up a healthier dressing to ensure you’re not putting toxic ingredients in your body. Sounds worth it to me. It’s important to add healthy proteins to your salad and cut down on the processed oils, so I tend to make nut or seed butter dressings like tahini, made from sesame seeds.

Try my mega easy 30-SECOND dressing recipe! It contains more protein than most store-bought dressings.

Lemon tahini dressing:

1 TBSP Tahini

1TSP Lemon Juice

1TSP Water

Instructions: Whip together all of the ingredients in a small bowl for one serving. 3 ingredients in 30 seconds? You must think I’m joking!! Seriously I’m not, this is my go-to salad dressing and its as easy as 1 2 3! Give it a try and let me know how you like it! If you eat salad wtih this amazing protein dense dressing you wont be asking “Can Eating Salad make me Fat?” anymore.

Looking for more easy vegan recipe ideas? Try a Vegan Challenge or Contact Me for More Info:

Posted on April 6, 2016July 20, 2017 by Kelly Gibson

Benefits of Phytonutrients

Benefits of Phytonutrients

Phytonutrients are organic yet chemical-like substances only existent in plants such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, teas, and nuts. Although they are not “essential” for human life, the benefits of phytonutrients are their health-promoting properties. Phytonutrients come in many classes, such as flavonoids, carotenoids, and phytoestrogens.

3 Foods with Phytonutrients: Moringa, Chlorella, and Spirulina

If you are wondering “why would I eat these?” let me explain the benefits of phytonutrients. Flavonoids are compounds that are known to have antiviral, anti-allergic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant affects on the human body. Carotenoids are naturally occurring pigments responsible for coloration of fruits and vegetables. They provide a source of vitamin A, protect the body from free radicals, and are known to lower mortality rate from chronic illnesses. Phytoestrogens are compounds (most notably contained in soy) that mimic the function of the hormone estrogen, and is known to lower risk of osteoporosis, heart disease, and breast cancer.

“Moringa is a nutrient-rich superfood that’s packed with more vitamin A than carrots, more calcium than milk, more iron than spinach, more vitamin C than oranges, and more potassium than bananas. No wonder moringa is considered to be one of the most nutrient-rich plants on earth. Moringa has natural anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties and is known to promote energy, vitality, athletic performance, and weight loss, while boosting the immune system and protecting against disease.

Spirulina – this high-protein blue-green algae superfood can help boost your immune system, as well asregulate cholesterol and blood pressure levels. Spirulina is one of the few plant sources of vitamin B12, and provides high concentrations of amino acids, chelated minerals, pigmentations, rhamnose sugars (complex natural plant sugars), trace elements, and enzymes—all in an easily assimilable form.

Chlorella is a blue-green algae superfood that has an amazing ability to cleanse the blood, digestive system, and liver of toxins and heavy metals. It regulates blood sugar, helps lower cholesterol, promotes healthy blood pressure, heals wounds, enhances the immune system, and battles free radicals. Chlorella also contains high concentrations of iron and B-complex vitamins.”

Need more info on how to increase phytonutrient intake in your diet, try Nutrition Coaching with Kelly Athletics!

Contact Me for More Info:

Posted on February 12, 2016July 20, 2017 by Kelly Gibson — Leave a comment

Benefits of CHOCOLATE this Valentine’s Day!

So you’ve heard all the bad things about chocolate, like how it is high in fat and sugar and will make you gain weight if you overeat it… But, if you take away the dairy and the sugar, you might actually have a healthy product! Let’s take a look at the benefits of chocolate in it’s most valuable ingredient: cocoa.

Cocoa Powder comes from the cocoa bean, grown on cacao trees mainly in South America. Raw Cocoa is a nutritious plant that contains several minerals like calcium, copper, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, and zinc. (Sounds like the benefits of chocolate could mean good for your bone health… Now we are onto something!) Not only that, but cocoa powder by itself contains almost 20% of calories from protein!

Image by http://www.nutritiondata.self.com/

Cocoa powder can be used in so many ways! I like to come up with healthy ways to eat food we like, especially chocolate!! Here is a 3-ingredient cocoa recipe that you can try for Valentine’s Day:

2T cocoa powder
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup dried pitted dates

Instructions: Use a food processor to mix all of the ingredients together, then shape into cookie balls. No baking required. (This was a favorite in our first Vegan Challenge!)

I have so many more chocolate-y ideas! Join the Vegan Challenge for more cocoa-based recipes and you can experience all the benefits of chocolate! Contact Me for More Info: