Forget Blueberries and Soy milk, here are 5 super foods you should know about!
This green won’t let your guns expand to the size of a truck, but still packs a punch. High in Vitamin C, A, and K, this vegetable boasts more nutrients than most other foods, with lots of Magnesium, Iron and Calcium to boot. Studies have shown that the consumption of spinach leads to lower risks of cancer and heart related diseases, keeping you youthful and healthy as you age. Easily located in super markets, this super food is well within your reach! Looks like Popeye was right after all. Drop by any major supermarkets and purchase these greens for $3 - $4!
Hailing from Mexico, this tiny seed is chock full of dietary fiber (34.4g for every 100grams!), Vitamin Bs and Omega 3 fatty acids. Known for being the “healthiest food” on the planet, the Chia seed delivers a massive amount of nutrients for a tiny amount of calories. Put a teaspoon of Chia Seeds to your yogurt, water, or even juice and watch this tiny seed grow 10 times its size. This lets you feel fuller and consume lesser calories. Yum. Buy them here. Prices range from $9.95.
Found in the rain forests of the Amazon, the Açai Berry (pronounced ah-sai-ee) has been proclaimed as an anti-aging and weight reducing food. Full of antioxidants (like red wine!), this berry has been associated to the lowering of cholesterol levels and improving blood circulation. Beauty lines are increasingly including this super berry in their products, due to its high antioxidant oil content. However, Açai Berries might be difficult to find in your local super markets, so try to steer clear from bottled Açai juices, as this may be loaded with unnecessary sugar and additives.
Named as the “Alligator Pear” due to its bumpy texture, this fruit has a higher potassium content to that of a banana, which helps blood pressure and eye strengthening. With 77% of its calories coming from fat, one might think that this food is unhealthy. However, the humble avocado is loaded with Oleic Acid, which is a Monosaturated Fatty Acid commonly found in olive oil, which has been known to reduce inflammation. Just keep in mind the calorie content of a single avocado (300 – 400 kcal!) and you will be good to go! Purchase these at any local grocery store for $1.65 a pop!
Many struggle to lose weight due to their carbohydrate intake. However, white rice can be replaced by Quinoa(pronounced keen-wah). This isn’t technically a grain, but a seed instead, and is a wonderful replacement for gluten intolerant people! Combined with high level of protein and a low glycemic index, this super food will keep you full AND keep your blood sugar level low. How wonderful is that?
Be sure to try some of these super foods and share your recipes with us on Instagram @sgpilatesfitness. See you soon in the studio!
So here’s the truth: Everyone bloats. It’s not normal for someone to have rock hard abs all throughout the day (unless you don’t eat or drink). Food and liquids take up space inside your stomach and intestines, which causes your tummy to expand. Eating certain foods may also cause more gas to be produced in the stomach than others, which increases the bloat. The good news is that while we can’t fully avoid bloating, there are 3 simple ways to reduce it (hooray!).
There’s a common misconception that drinking more water increases bloating, but on the contrary, increasing your water intake actually helps to reduce the bloat! Your body retains water when you don’t drink enough; in a bloating situation, you should be drinking more fluids instead of restricting them. At the same time, avoid high-sodium foods such as processed and packaged foods as this triggers water retention.
A handy tip to keep track of your water intake is to refill a 1 litre water bottle at least 3 times a day! Another way to fight the bloat effectively is to add a slice of lemon to warm water. Consuming warm lemon water reduces water retention as lemons are a natural diuretic.
Try swapping high-sugar carbonated drinks for healthier options. If you enjoy more flavour in your water while beating the bloat, try this delicious recipe: Watermelon Celery Cucumber Juice. However, juices have frutose and frustose is a type of sugar, so don't go too crazy over the juices!
Carbohydrates are stored in the muscles as glycogen, which is a form of backup energy source. However, a high glycogen storage is unnecessary unless you have a vigorous exercise routine in place. Every gram of glycogen is stored with approximately 3 grams of water. By decreasing your carbohydrates intake, your body can then burn off the stored fuel while draining off excess fluids.
Compared to carbohydrates or protein, fatty foods take a longer time to pass through the digestive tract, and are the last thing to leave the stomach. If you want to avoid bloating, you might want to think twice before eating that basket of truffle fries (Candice: did you hear that?!) or that mouth-watering korean deep fried chicken.
Of course, I’m not saying that you have to ban yourself from fast food forever. You can have 1-2 cheat days, but the bulk of your diet should be healthy and nutritional. Remember, balance is key!
A 2008 German study published in the Journal of Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases examined the effects of walking at a leisurely pace on a treadmill after eating a large meal. Results showed that walking helped move food through the stomach more quickly. When the stomach empties faster, gas is able to move more quickly into your small intestine, reducing the amount of bloat.
Strengthening your abdominal muscles with routines such as Pilates also helps in moving gas through the intestines. You will not only achieve a toned appearance that results in a less bloated-looking belly, but also improve your core strength which is essential in supporting efficient bodily movements and reduces the risk of injuries.
Bloating is a common issue that can be easily reversed with the right diet choices and regular exercise. Let us know if these tips worked for you! Fight the bloat and book your next Pilates class here. See you in class soon! 🙂
So here’s a very real problem that most people face in Singapore: We are starting to be more health-conscious. We want to look good. We want to keep fit and eat healthily. But being in Singapore aka Food Paradise, we also want to eat as much local food as we can without putting on weight!
We are spoilt for choice at meal times. Roti prata for breakfast or a plate of carrot cake instead? Chicken rice or mee rebus for lunch? How about laksa or hokkien mee for dinner? We all love our cheap and convenient hawker food, and we are proud of it. Yet, hawker food goes against the notion of healthy eating - it is extremely high in sodium and saturated fats, which satisfies our tastebuds, but is detrimental to our waistlines.
Luckily, the Health Promotion Board realised this problem and launched the Healthier Hawker Programme back in 2011, which made healthier hawker food possible by providing "500 calorie" meal options like brown rice, wholegrain noodles, less salt and healthier oil - at no extra cost!
Will eating healthy hawker food help you to lose weight? Generally, if your calorie intake is lesser than calorie output, you can expect to shed some pounds. Healthy hawker food options like wholegrain noodles and brown rice can help in the process by providing fibre, which helps to keep you fuller for a longer period of time. The healthier oil used to cook hawker foods is lower in saturated fats, which contributes to a calorie deficit as well.
Healthy Chicken Rice - infused with brown rice, less oil, without chicken skin
(Source: www.hpb.gov.sg)
So, the good news is that it is possible to lose weight while eating the local delights you love! The key here is having a well-balanced diet which includes carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables and protein-rich foods.
We've prepared a 7 Day Weight Loss Meal Plan which incorporates healthy hawker meal options below:
(See the list of hawker centres that provide healthier options here.)
Other Weight Loss Tips while on this diet:
1. Drink at least 3 litres of water a day.
2. Don't finish all the gravy/soup in your hawker food.
3. Remember to include at least 30 minutes of exercise daily or clock in 150 minutes of exercise per week. Book your next Pilates class here!
Have fun scouting for healthier hawker options! Share your healthy hawker experience with us by tagging us @sgpilatesfitness and hashtag #healthierhawkermeals!
Previously, we shared 5 super foods to beef up your daily meals. Then we come to realize that many of our clients do not understand the importance of portion control.
Portion control is simply understanding how much serving sizes of food are, and how many calories the food provides. This is of upmost importance as many people tend to overestimate how much food that is actually on their plate! Did you know that a serving of protein (meat, fish etc.) is equivalent to a deck of cards? Or that one portion of peanut butter is the size of your thumb? (I know! How horrifying.)
This is how an ideal meal set should be:
(Source: thisismyyear)
Breakfast: 20% Protein, 40% Fruit, 40% Starch/Grains
Lunch: 20% Protein, 40% Fruit/Veggies, 40% Starch/Grains
Dinner: 25% Protein, 50% Veggies, 25%Starch/Grains
The average male needs about 2500 calories, while the average female needs about 1800 calories. However, portion sizes have been increasing over the years.
Take a look at this chart:
(Source: northshore)
Alarming, isn't it? Portion sizes have been blown out of control. Biggest isn't necessarily better.
Now, many do not see the importance of portion control. Exercising vigorously may help you lose weight, but if you calories are not in check, the weight will bounce back to its original, or even more. This is because you never lose your fat cells. (Gasp!) They simply shrink, or expand. That is not to say that vigorous exercise coupled with a restrictive diet will help. The weight you have worked so hard to lose will go back to its original once you start eating normally again as you have put your body in starvation mode, which sets off an alarm internally to store whatever food you have eaten as fat. Does this mean that exercising is not ideal? NO! Instead of opting for diets, try going for a lifestyle change.
(Source: Google)
This rule is fairly simple: focus 80% of your food choice on healthy, whole foods, and 20% on indulgent foods. This means you are able to eat your favorite piece of Kueh Lapis or reward yourself with some chocolate ice cream, while still making healthy choices.
Everyone needs to indulge once in a while, but eating your whole day calorie intake in one meal is not a good idea. For example, try eating whole foods (vegetables, fruits, white meat etc.) throughout the day that fills you up without hitting your calorie intake and treat yourself to a decadent slice of chocolate cake. The key here is MODERATION. Plan your “treat” meals ahead of time so you know you don’t mess up.
The table below shows the basic breakdown of food:
(Source: Elle)
The portions shown above may seem smaller than what we normally have. This is because we are so used to consuming larger portions of food that it has become normal portions for us. By controlling our portions, we are more in tune to what we put into our bodies, and will eat slower (maybe even enjoying our food more in the process!).
Check out this article on Shape for a more in depth analysis of portions.
Couple your new-found information on food portioning with ample exercise (Like Pilates!) and notice yourself walking with a spring in your step in weeks!
