Abby and I with the family
A couple days ago I shared with you part 1 of a story on a Mom with 7 kids who changed her whole families life. I received so many comments and private emails from my subscribers about this story and how it really inspired them to look at what they are feeding their kids.
The second part of the story is about the miracles Kim’s family has seen from getting off of the traditional processed and toxic diet. When I was in ND with everyone I had a great conversation with her husband who has lost 45 lbs. He looked awesome and said he loves Tracies webstite, and he is just a sponge for knowledge regarding food. He has a problem I hope all of you get to at some point. He needs to GAIN weight, and is currently eating 3000 calories per day, but can’t keep weight on him. Nice problem to have right 
You can obviously see from his before pic, he wasn’t gifted with great genetics. He has systematically experimented with HIS body to find the foods that HIS body responds well to, and has his hormones very regulated and is eating only high quality foods that his body can process. He has found whole grains (a very healthy thing to eat) doesn’t sit well with his body and his back problems come back right away. I challenge you to do experiments on yourself and track how you feel. Many people have trouble processing dairy, sugar, and grains. Try eliminating one of them for a 4-6 week period and see how you feel and then try another one to eliminate.
Kim and her family before changing their diet
Enough rambling, here is the rest of Kim’s story:
“I was just looking out the window at the kids playing in the yard and realizing what a miracle they are. Our oldest just turned 14, we have twins who are 12, triplets that are 8 and our youngest is 4. I didn’t think we’d be able to have kids. I grew up obese, and didn’t have a normal puberty. In fact, I only had my menstrual cycle one to two times a year.
As a kid, this didn’t bother me so much. It wasn’t until we decided we wanted a family, that I became concerned. I made an appointment with an OB-GYN, who immediately referred me to a fertility specialist. He told me I have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. He told me I would never conceive a baby without medical intervention. He put me on some oral drugs that were supposed to stimulate my body to ovulate, but that was unsuccessful, so we proceeded to take fertility shots. We were lucky to have a single baby, twins and triplets. All were healthy and we decided six was enough! We weren’t worried about having any more kids as pregnancy was impossible without medical intervention. Maybe with the way I was taking care of my body at the time, it was impossible, but my niece had me on an exercise plan to help me lose a lot of pregnancy weight. I was losing weight and exercising consistently. To my surprise, my periods started to become more regular. More surprising than More on You are What You Eat: Part 2 of 2
I filmed this video about 2 weeks before my fitness cruise so I was really focusing on eating the best food possible.
Click here to check out another recent post I did about shopping at the grocery store and learning what foods are the best to buy.
I also did a shopping tour with ABC news, click here to watch the video.
Here was my list:
Cod fish
Cage free organic eggs
Tuna in water
Pickles
Olives
All natural peanut butter
Avocadoes
Hot peppers
Tomatoes
Apples
Frozen berries
Feta cheese
Bananas
Organic whole milk
Plain Greek yogurt
Steak
Organic mixed greens
Asparagus
Brocolli
Alphalfa sprouts
Olive oil dressing
Cucumbers
What are some of your favorite things to buy at the store?
One of the more popular services I provide is a 60 minute grocery store shopping tour in which I take people into the world of lies, deceptions, and temptations, known as the grocery store! The store is the place where billions of advertising dollars, 10,000′s of products, hundreds of chemicals, and strategically designed layout, all come together into one big place!
If eating were considered a war, the grocery store is the forefront battle ground. It is where the battle of the bulge and health and sickness is waged. I think that is why I am so passionate about teaching people how to shop, not only smart, but healthy. After someone leaves the tour, they have been empowered to make the wise choices, set a good example to their kids, and have the tools necessary to stock the fridge and pantry with wholesome foods.
Recently Kim Sveum, of ABC news asked me to join her in the store as I hit on some of the main topics at the grocery store!
Kim Sveum has been blogging about her experiences the past 5 weeks going through my program. The final results are in (you will have to wait a bit longer to see it on TV), but all I can say is WOW! You won’t believe how much she lost in just 5 weeks! Click here to read all her blog posts.
If you are in the Madison area and would like to join me on my next grocery tour, please click this link to sign up! The next two dates are Thurs Dec 3rd at 6:15 pm and Monday Dec 7th at 7:00 pm. Space is limited to 10 people, so sign up immediately to secure your spot. Only $20 and you will be given valuable handouts that you can take with you to the grocery store!
Hurray! The Kids Are Back In School!
For many of you, Labor Day comes with a big sigh of relief. Sure, you loved the summer and all that came with it; but between camping trips, kids’ sports, cookouts, vacations, and endless parties, you are exhausted and your body may have taken a bit of a toll!
For many moms, getting the kids back to school signifies getting life back in order. It is time to set a schedule and take that time once again for you. Now is the time to begin planning your meals out and having a consistent exercise routine that you can follow.
Exercise:
-Decide what time in the day works best for you: There is no time during the day that is better from a fat burning standpoint, but I have found that early mornings are the only time when there isn’t anything unexpected that pops up and prevents you from getting your workouts in.
-Figure out what physical activities you enjoy doing: If you don’t like it, chances are, you won’t stick with it.
-2-3 days of 30-45 minutes of resistance training: I encourage moms to lift heavy weights in order to burn the maximum amount of fat and build toned lean muscle
-2-3 days of interval cardio. This can be done on the same days as the weight training, but should be done after the lifting part.
-10 minutes of core training 3 times per week. More on Getting Into A Healthy Routine After The Summer
One area that I can’t say I have much expertise or authority in, is getting kids to eat healthy. I always get criticized that my food recommendations and choices aren’t kid friendly. Of course I read and study on the matter, but until I really have experienced and lived by example, I don’t have much to say on the topic. I recently got a very passionate email from a woman who was tired of hearing moms blame their kids for not being able to eat healthy. After reading her long email, I asked if she would be willing to write a guest post, and she accepted. So here is an-in-your-face challenge from one mom to another!
Enjoy!
“I have heard many times Moms say some version of “I know I need to change my eating habits to lose weight, but I can’t get my kids to eat healthy meals”.
As Moms, we pick many battles for the health & safety of our kids: wash your hands, buckle up, wear bike helmets, brush your teeth. We also get them regular health check ups and vaccinate them.
However, at one of the most basic needs of children-healthy eating-we draw the line and choose to lose the battle. Eating healthy is one of the most important keys to health and wellness for any age; it’s one of the most preventative measures for our immediate and life long health. Yet, time after time, Moms back down from the battle.
I’m not one of those moms that backs down from that battle. Even when embarked on my own battle to lose 30 lbs last year, my kids ate everything I ate from grilled veggies to salmon to ratatouille (all recipes from my Cooking Light magazine). What I’m about to tell you may seem too strict to some, but it’s worked for me.
My kids have never been made special meals. They eat what we eat, because we eat healthy, balanced meals at home. Because of an unhealthy addiction to processed food (which I blame on my pregnancy cravings for lunch meat, hot dogs and Cousins subs), my eldest fought us from day one of table food. Our rule was simple, he had to take a bite for every year he was old. He longer he fought and whined, the more of his helping he had to eat. He would sit for an hour. After that, his plate was removed, wrapped and served to him at the next meal. He did not get any snacks until that meal was gone. He’s 11 now and we still do this battle once and awhile. More often than not, however, he eats whatever is in front of him. More on How To Get Your Kids To Eat Healthy Food
This post has been SOY long due! (Sorry, I had to go there!) Soy has been a food that I once thought to be very healthy, in fact, I use to pride myself on trying to eat as much tofu as I could as a badge of honor. The more I have studied soy, the farther I go to avoid it! I certainly am no expert on it, but there is lots of research to show that we really need to be careful with it. There is also research to show some benefits to it as well, which makes it such a confusing topic!
- Soy Bean Plant
I think many of the thyroid issues that are going on can be somewhat contributed to the increase in soy. Soy hasn’t been massed produced in America for all that long. You might be wondering why we have been taught to believe that soy is so good for you. The answer to that question is simple… $$$$$$$$$$$ Our government, the media, and even some research is all run by how much money it can make. Soy is a cash crop and a multibillion dollar industry. When so much money is at stake, of course there are going to be multimillion dollar campaigns to persuade American’s at just how great soy is… Do you remember this past year all those high fructose corn syrup commercials saying the HFCS is actually GOOD for you?? Man did that make me mad!
Since I am not the best person for this subject, I have asked my nutritional consultant that I work with and send my clients to, to write an article on it. Tracie specializes in healing metabolism through natural foods and is awesome when it comes to weight loss. She is having an 8 week seminar starting in mid July. If you are in the Madison area I highly recommend you join. It will be life-changing! More on Is Soy Making You Fat?
Today’s topic might hit a nerve with many people. I want to first say, that I am not an eating disorder specialist in anyway, and I am not giving specific guidance. I am just sharing my experience with you.
I received an article from one of my readers and Fit Fun Bootcampers, that really hit me hard.
Click here to read this article and watch video
Hollywoods portrayal of attractiveness!
Eating disorders can be devastating, and cause the person to battle it their whole life. I have dealt with many clients who have had, or are still struggling with an eating disorder and just feel very overwhelmed and frustrated. From a physiological side, metabolisms seem to get so messed up when people go from a healthy weight to a very unhealthy weight and back up again. It seems like their bodies try to store as much fat as possible once they begin getting help and eating a healthier diet.
I am writing this not really because of the topic of eating disorders, but rather the example you are setting for your kids and friends. I too have been guilty of this, especially with past female college friends. I have made little comments here and there that have made them question their body image (even though I never realized it at the time).
The mom who sent me this article has two young girls and is concerned if she is sending the right messages to her daughters.
If you have been following this blog, and my views for any amount of time, you know how important family is to me, and the role it plays in the developmental process of a person. So I want to ask you a question? If you have kids, are your words and actions supporting a healthy behavior or hurting it? In your circle of friends, are you building your friends self image up or shooting it down? Are you encouraging healthy behaviors of those around you?
So what does this all mean? How can you lessen the chances your kids or friends will develop eating disorders or body image problems, or low self esteem related to their health/appearance. Here are some of my suggestions. More on Are You Causing Your Kids Or Friends To Become Anorexic?
The two most popular food questions I get asked is “how many calories should I be eating,” and “what would a sample day of food look like?”
Most women need to eat between 1200-1500 calories a day to lose weight and between 1400-1900 calories to maintain weight, depending on their activity level. I am working with a client right now who is food journaling. She is about 150 lbs and is in the process of losing 20 lbs. This was her food journal from the past week and I asked if I could share it with you. She has been losing about 2 lbs per week from this type of eating and exercising.
I am very proud of her hard work and she has dropped 11 of those 20 lbs in the past 5 weeks!
She does a great job following my rules:
1. Get protein in with each meal
2. Eat lots of fruits and veggies all day long
3. Eat good fats
4. Limit starchy carbs and have more of them in the earlier part of the day.
Here is a look at her food journal, feel free to print this off and put it on your refrigerator.
Thursday
7:30 1/3 C oatmeal, 0.5 C raspberries, 1 tsp brown sugar, 1 C milk, 1 egg
9 DVD (CardioBarre)
10:45 apple, 10 almonds
1:30 3 oz chicken, 0.5 red bell pepper, 0.5 C cottage cheese
4:30 1 carrot, 1 string cheese
7:30 3 oz chicken, 10 asparagus stalks
Friday
5:30 Weight training CIRCUIT
6:30 1/3 C oatmeal, 0.5 C raspberries, 1 tsp brown sugar, 1 C milk, 1 egg
10:30 apple, 1 string cheese
12:30 (mediterranean café) pita, hummus, tabouli, lettuce, tomato
3:30 1 carrot, 10 almonds More on 7 Day Food Journal Meal Plan
Katrina and I at a fitness conference in LA
This week we are going to feature energy/protein bars. When I think of a protein bar, I usually think high protein, low sugar; energy bars have some protein, but quite a bit of sugar for energy.
I have become good friends with a fitness professional in Orange County. Her name is Katrina and she is a celebrity trainer and has had over 15 million youtube views for her fitness and nutritional videos through diet.com. I am working with her now to get her ready for her first fitness modeling show which I am very excited about! Katrina will be sharing with you a recipe for an energy bar. It is a little high in calories, so my mom put on her experimentation hat and worked at tweaking it to make it more calorie friendly.
I am also working at finding other healthy premade protein bars. It is tough, because most are just glorified candy bars.
So here is my moms post!
This week we are taking on the energy bar; three of you suggested this one-Louise, Sharon, and Bill-so let’s see if we can get something interesting happening here. It just so happens that our AOL server had that discussion up this morning, so I checked it out-they listed the top 10 that their research came up with, called them diet bars, but did not say what their criteria was for rating them. Then they opened it up for comments, and I copied down a lot of websites and personal preferences listed, but have not had time yet to check them all out.
We’ll get back to this later, but now I’d like to give you a recipe for an energy bar that Katrina featured on her website, as Dustin has told you about. I have just finished trying it out, with some adjustments; if you’re like me, you are ready for something to make rather than trying to find one you approve of at the store. So, let’s get busy!
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YouTube Direkt
KATRINA’S ENERGY BAR
3 scoops protein pwd.
1 c. natural peanut butter
1 c. raw or roasted slivered almonds
1 c. diced dried apricots
1 c. old fashioned oats
¼ c. raw honey
Cinnamon, optional
In Katrina’s video, they melted the peanut butter and honey together, then added all the rest of the ingred.. I experimented with a small batch and just stirred everything together, but melting things would be easier; however, if you are in a hurry for the finished product, skip the heating stage, as they should be chilled around 45 min. before cutting into squares. Backing up, spray a baking pan or cookie sheet and press the ingred. into it to desired thickness; Katrina used a 9″ sq. pan and cut her recipe into 16 bars, after chilling. Wrap individually in either plastic wrap or foil, or just use a sandwich baggie. The only thing I changed is the amount of honey; Katrina used 1 cup, but the bars have around 270 calories and would be best used for high energy needs, like for a marathon or long distance bike trip. I experimented with less and even no honey (adding a small amt. of water to hold things together), letting the apricots provide the sweetness. I settled for ¼ c. honey (may still need a very small amt. of water). You might wish to use agave or maple syrup instead. Here are the approximate stats that I figured, using a prot. pwd. that has 21 g. of prot./28 g. scoop, with NO fake sugars. Also, I recommend cutting them into 32-1 oz. bars, putting them more into the average weight and calorie range of other bars. I think my next batch will have more prot. pwd. in it. Anyway, have fun changing this basic recipe to fit your own needs, or using what you have on hand.
Nutritional Info. For approx. 1 oz. bar:
Cal.: 115
Prot.: 5g.
Fat: 6g.
Carb.: 9.5g.
Fiber: 2g.
Sugar: 5.5g.
We would love to hear what your favorite homemade bar recipe is or a store bought one!
Keep eating~healthy!
Dustin’s Mom~Joy
For additional recipes click the links below!
30 Healthy Snacks, 21 Healthy Snacks, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Chocolate Tofu Pie, Pureed Vegetables, Roasted Veggies, Quinoa, Chicken, Omelet, Pizza, Guacamole, Hummus, Carrot Soup
When it comes to food, one of the most asked questions are about snacks and what are some quick healthy snacks that can be made and be transported easily. I gave my mom the task this week and she didn’t let us down!
Snacks are an important component of a well planned out day of eating and I encourage 1-3 snacks per day. Snacks help fill the void between meals. Eating small meals often will tell the body to burn calories rather than store them since it is getting a continual supply of food. Snacks also prevent you from overeating at the next meal because you aren’t overly hungry. Snacks are very handy and can be taken anywhere with you. Finally, snacks help psychologically, because if you are eating every few hours, you know you don’t need to eat as big of meals. As always, include a protein in each snack and combine it with a carb or fat. More on 21 Healthy Snacks
