5 Ways to improve the digestibility of beans

Beans and other legumes are essential parts of a whole foods diet. They provide healthy amounts of protein, fiber, and iron. That being said, though, many people avoid them for fear of the gas and bloating that they can cause. Here are five ways to help improve their digestibility and minimize the gas factor:

1. Soak dry beans overnight before cooking. Replace the water with fresh water before cooking.
2. Be sure to thoroughly cook dry beans. Do not add any salt or vinegar until they have finished cooking as those may interfere with the softening of the beans.
3. Try adding a little vinegar or seasonings such as coriander or cumin to thoroughly cooked beans.
4. Thoroughly rinse canned beans or lentils before using.
5. Add a small strip of kombu seaweed (more on sea vegetables) to the pot when cooking beans to help break down the gas-causing sugars. This will also increase their nutritional value and improve their flavor.

Kristin's Story - Week 8

Here we are 8 weeks in and I feel great. But….there’s always a “but” isn’t there? But this is a good “but”……wait; what? Let me start over.

 Eight weeks ago I was a mess. Now I feel fabulous! The weeks have positively flown by. I’m in a groove and I think maybe, just maybe I need to kick it up a notch. Boot camp still kicks my booty, but I feel like I could add a couple more workouts to my week to help me see more significant changes over the next four weeks. I was thinking about adding one or two treadmill interval workouts to my weekly schedule and see if that makes a difference in my fat loss.

In addition, I’m going back to square one with my diet. I like eating the same thing every day for the most part because I know exactly how many calories I’m getting and the less guesswork the better for me. The past few weeks have been full of parties and date nights, etc. That makes it more difficult for me to plan and I don’t always feel like I can track my calories accurately. When this happens I just don’t track at all. Makes sense, right? No? Ok, you’re right….it makes no sense at all which is why I need to get back to basics.

So, for the next four weeks I’m going back to week one with my diet and I’m stepping up to the next level with my workouts. Hopefully all this will add up to major changes for week 12.

Have a great weekend!

K

Are you drinking your water?

Another friendly reminder to drink your water!

Other than the fact that water tastes refreshing and clean, there are so many other benefits of drinking 80 ounces or more of water every day. Here are just a few…

• Being hydrated reduces/eliminates headaches
• Being hydrated fights fatigue/give you energy
• Drinking water is an appetite suppressant (most of the time that you think you are hungry, you are actually thirsty)
• Water helps kidney functioning properly
• Water helps Liver metabolize and flush out fat and toxins
• Burn 30% more calories when hydrated
• Being hydrated will give you beautiful skin and hair
• Your body is over 80% water (need I say more)

Find your mojo with 80 ounces of water a day!

But wait, there’s more! Drinking water at the correct time maximizes its effectiveness on the Human body as well:

• 2 glasses of water after waking up; helps activate internal organs
• 1 glass of water 30 minutes before a meal; helps digestion
• 1 glass of water before taking a bath; helps lower blood pressure
• 1 glass of water before going to bed; avoids stroke or heart attack

Motivational Monday

"True nobility is not about being better than someone else, its about being better than you used to be." ~ Dr. Wayne Dyer

Saturday Switch: Breakfast

If you are struggling to make some healthy changes in your eating habits, one of the most valuable things that you can do for yourself is to begin your day with a healthy breakfast. Even if you feel that you are "not a breakfast person" or that you don't have time to fix something healthy, it is so important to "break" your "fast" to get your metabolism going in the morning. People who have a healthy breakfast each day are far less likely to overeat the rest of the day. 

Here are some quick-fix healthy breakfast ideas from GetNatured!

Kristin's Story - Week 7

The moment of truth has arrived!

Just kidding…. Despite my propensity for dramatic feelings and deep introspective thoughts over the last two weeks, the six week mark came and went with some great news, some much needed perspective and a bit of a kick in the pants. Drama was nowhere to be found.

It’s funny how that happens. Here I was all worried about what effect my results would have on me. How would I cope? What would my mental state be afterwards? PLEASE! What I really needed to ask was “When are you going to get over yourself, already?” I’m working really hard at this. I have my eye on my goals and I’m taking the steps I need to take to get there. Not every step has been perfect, but I am making it happen. Those last five words are key. I. Am. Making. It. Happen. I have control over what I do and how I think. I have control over my results. They do not have control over me.

Take Saturday for instance. I was scheduled to meet Lorri Ann at 6:45 a.m. for measurements before the 7:30a.m. boot camp. One minor problem….my husband had to work Saturday and was leaving the house at 6 a.m. When I got news of this predicament on Friday morning I panicked a little…that’s an early wakeup call for my little ones and although they could probably handle 15 minute at Starbucks, what about boot camp? I will admit that the thought of missing a boot camp sends me into a bit of a tizzy. So, what did I do? On Friday after the Power Hour class, I added a run so I wouldn’t be short a run this week. On Saturday morning, I coaxed the little darlings out of bed at 6:20, loaded them up and headed to Starbucks. (Ok, so I bribed them a little with treats) Lorri Ann was perfectly fine with it and we got it done. I brought the boys with me to boot camp, ran circles on the soccer field while everyone did cardio and it all worked out fine. I could have used the scheduling snafu as a reason to skip, but I didn’t. I made it happen.

On Wednesday I had a crazy, stressful day at work and was still wrapping things up at 5:30. I was cranky and tired and way over-stressed and now I was going to be late for boot camp. I could have just skipped it. I am so glad I didn’t. I missed all but 5 minutes of abs but I still got an amazing workout, a great stress-relieving run and a healthy dose of Miss Holly which is always good for what ails you. You just have to make it happen.
Life is busy; life can be crazy and stressful. If I’m going to reach my goals, I am going to have to quit over-analyzing and just make it happen.

My six week results:
39.5 inches lost
4.3 % fat lost
8 lb weight loss

I want to hear about your successes!  Feel free to post a comment and let me know what worked well for you this week.  :)

Grilled pizza

Do you find yourself popping a frozen pizza in the oven for dinner on busy nights? Have you ever read the labels for those pizzas?? Even one serving is scary and the average pizza has many more than one serving!

Why not make a bunch of homemade pizzas and store them in the freezer so that you are in control of the ingredients? Summer is too hot for the oven anyway!

Once you try these grilled pizzas, you'll never go back!

Try this Grilled pizza recipe!