Saturated vs Unsaturated Fats

Again this is not the end all place to get information about fats and diet. There is much more detailed information out there. I just really want to inspire people to make healthy choices and share my passion with the public. There is one mistake I caught where I say I'm done talking about mono and unsaturated fats. I meant to say I'm done with saturated and unsaturated fats. I am definitely going to work on all of those uhs and ums and also enunciating more clearly. I've never been a great speaker because I have the tendency to be a little shy. I'm extremely introspective and have an analytical mind. I can spend hours contemplating to myself about my life experiences, new ideas, theories, and all the mysteries of the universe. So creativity and on the spot thinking are not my forte. I will try to make these topics fun and entertaining and continually try to improve with every post (all while keeping true to myself). I eventually want to cover more detailed, entertaining, and short topics, but for now please bear with me through these long videos about the basics you need to know about nutrition. Keep an eye out for posts about carbohydrates and protein!!

The truth about fats!

Having a balanced diet is crucial for you overall well-being. Going on a diet in which you starve yourself of fat or carbs is really not a good idea and definitely not healthy. Forget the food pyramid. That's old school information that I do not find helpful at all in trying to obtain a healthy, balanced diet. A good diet consists of three main components: carbohydrates, lipids, and protein. 60% of the calories you eat should come from carbohydrates, 10-30% from protein, and 10-30% from lipids. This blog is all about fats because 95% of lipids are fats and oils. I'll get to the other 2 components in later blogs.

Depending on your goals, 10-30% of your calories should come from fat. I personally stay at the low end and have a higher percentage intake of protein because my goal is to build lean muscle. OUR BODIES NEED FAT!!!!! Fats have many important biological functions in our bodies, so it's extremely important to have some fat in our diet. Every singe cell in our body has fatty acids in the cell membrane which help keep the structural integrity of cells and aids in cell signalling. Fats are also precursors to hormones including estrogen. And there are several vitamins, including A, D, E, K, and calcium that are absorbed into the body with the help of fats!!!!

Fatty acids are also essential for proper brain function and overall mood. One fun and specific example: Your brain neurons are insulated with something called myelin sheath. Myelin is composed 70% of fat!!!!!! I have a picture at the top of this blog to help visualize myelin's function. (I could not figure out how to insert a picture within the text,....lame). Our neurons act similar to an electrical wire. One neuron will submit a signal to a second neuron. This signal is conducted along the entire length of the neuron. Myelin acts as an insulator and the signal moves on to the next exposed part of the neuron, so myelin aids in signals being conducted very quickly. When Albert Einstein passed away they did an autopsy of his brain. It turns out that he had significantly more myelin than the average brain. Not only do fats aid in you actually being smarter, but they also help with your overall mood too :).

Moral of the story: BE SMART (pun intended). Do yourself a favor and not starve your body of something it needs to function properly!!!! But beware, there are different kinds of fats, and choosing the right fats to eat is important for these bodily functions to optimally work! I'll do a video blog to help yall learn the difference between these fats and what food products to focus on!!!

How to get more fiber in your diet!

Here it is, my first video blog. I didn't edit it at all and there are mistakes. I don't know how to put a caption over the video to fix my mistake. I said I didn't have any fruits or veggies to show, but obviously I just meant no fruits. And I do believe I said protein instead of fiber when I was talking about the bread. Oops, oh well. Once I learn how to do all that editing, I can fix those mistakes.

Sorry if it's long, but fiber is kinda a big topic ;) And please don't take this as an end all blog about fiber. Please ask questions if you are confused about anything :)

Fiber!!

I thought it would be appropriate to do my first blog about fiber because it was the first "health" thing I learned about. Getting enough fiber in your diet has sooooooooo many benefits. Fiber is is what pushes everything through your digestive system and helps you go to the bathroom (poo!). It helps cleanses you out by pushing out all the bad things you consume, it keeps your belly flat, and if you are eating foods high in fiber, you are likely eating foods that have many other nutrients and health benefits. I do not think those fad cleansing diets are necessary if you continually maintain the proper amount of fiber in your diet. But you don't want to overdo it with fiber. Too much fiber can cause diarrhea and you won't absorb the nutrients you actually need.

So how much fiber should you eat? I do believe the suggested daily intake for adults is 25 grams (man or woman). Getting enough fiber in your diet is easy if you eat real, non processed foods. Eating real fruits and veggies (no cans allowed!) and whole grains is the easiest way to get fiber. Nuts and beans are also a great source of fiber (not to mention protein but that's a different blog ;)) I will post a video about picking fibrous foods so you can walk into a store and be confident about choosing the right products!

That's me! In a bikini (no photoshopping), with my husband (middle) and my best friend (bottom). My name is Amanda. I have a B.S. in Neurobiology, am a former Research Assistant, a former personal trainer, and currently a housewife. I spend all of my free time working out and planning healthy meals. I don't look like a body builder or an athlete. I'm a normal, naturally petite woman who is big into health and wellness. My health fanaticism started when I was 17 when my father survived a heart attack. Two years later he survived a stroke. He's lucky to be alive, and I'm lucky to have him in my life still. After his heart attack he completely transformed his diet. I'll never forget his words "it was all of those burgers in my 20's". That really freaked me out. At 19 I pretty much cut fast food out of my diet and really focused on foods that were high in fiber.

Almost 10 years later at 28, my fiber obsession has transformed into a strict workout routine and very healthy overall diet. I look better now than I ever did in high school, and many of my friends come to me for workout and diet advice. It's a full time job to look like a body builder or Miss USA type. I really just want to help normal people, like me, that juggle normal life issues and that want to improve their quality of life.

I'll go about anywhere as long it has to do with wellness. Ask me about work out routines, specific exercises, how to work out at home, how to work out at a gym, how to choose a gym, how to choose a personal trainer, diets, specific foods, healthy meals for 1, 2, or a whole family, supplements, when to eat specific foods, how to build muscle, how to lose fat, mental well being, attitudes, and even what your poop should look like! I'll answer anything. :)

And the more familiar I become with this whole blog thing, the more I'll be posting my own discussions and videos. :) Enjoy!!