This is an easy, low-cal Mexican rice that you’ll probably want to make at home

When it comes to food, Mexican cuisine offers a wide variety of incredible dishes, most of them quite easy to make. However, before learning how to prepare Mexican rice, it is important to distinguish it from the Spanish version.

A debate has been raised over the years, since Spanish rice is considered by many people as the original meal, while others claim it was the Mexicans who invented it. Fact is that knowing the differences will help you make both dishes properly.

Jan312022

How about a genuine Dominican Moro de Habichuelas with all the Caribbean flavor?

When we think of the Caribbean, exotic landscapes and colors come to mind. This is translated into a rich variety of dishes, still largely unknown to most of us. Caribbean cuisine is probably less widespread than African cuisine or Amerindian cuisine, let alone European. This is because it takes elements from these three traditions and many more. This blend was enhanced by natives who have created flavors unique to the region and is characterized mostly by the presence of beans and rice. To start approaching these flavors, you may start trying this easy red beans and rice recipe.

Jan182022

Learn how to make a genuine, full of Italian flavour Supplì alla Romana

Even though rice is not necessarily considered Italian, this country has become one of the largest producers of rice in the world and definitely made it clear that they can make the most of a cup of this versatile staple. That is why many recipes with rice as the main ingredient can be found, risotto being on top of this long list. But when it comes to the iconic Rome appetizer, supplì makes number one position. Rice, tomatoes, cheese, olive oil, onions… add an Italian chef working the ingredients and, in short, nothing can go wrong.

Feb162021

Conor McGregor’s Nutritionist Shared Exciting Stuff to Stop Sugar Cravings

Conor McGregor’s dietitian ought to be the one to be able to advise you on how to curb your sugar cravings.

His name is George Lockhart, and he is a nutrition specialist advising top sporting heroes on what they can or can’t eat.

That’s why when it comes down to kicking your sugar habit once and for all it stands to reason that he is a man to trust.

Many resources raise an arguable statement that the white substance is more addictive than cocaine in every aspect and it’s pretty hard to quit.

Dec302019

3 Must-Have Keto Products for First Time Keto Dieters

Trying out the keto diet for the first time? We reveal 3 of the best keto products on the market to help you see success with your diet.

Oct212019

What I Eat Every Single Day

When people see me take down a whole pizza and still have a six pack, they assume that I have great genetics. I wish that was the case, but it isn’t. My genetics are awful, so what’s my secret? The secret to me staying in shape all year long is consistency. You might see me eat some pretty epic cheat meals on social media, but I make sure to walk our dogs twice a day, garden every day, go to the gym at least five days a week, and most importantly, eat clean about 95% of the time. For me, that combination is a very healthy lifestyle.

Sep122019

6 Wellness Tips for College Athletes

Everyone knows that sports activities are great for building character and learning how to work with a team, whether it’s in little league or in a competitive college environment. Most high school and college athletes know that it’s important to make sure that they fuel up for the day ahead. However, with the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it’s easy to overlook all the things that can ensure good health and wellness before hitting the field or the court. This is especially true for athletes who are going through a big transition—such as high school players who are heading off to college.

Learning to manage a whole new independent lifestyle while keeping up with practice and studying is a huge learning curve. College athletes have to juggle a lot of different responsibilities while keeping their diet, health, and routine in check. So how can they do it? Here are 6 ways young athletes can stay healthy and in top condition during their years in college.

Mar212019

4 Tips for Training Your Body to Give up Carbs

It is not easy to lose weight. Some people struggle to get their diet right. One of the areas that many struggle with is the elimination of carbs, which is the short form of carbohydrates.

Carbs form an essential part of the balanced diet but they contain a lot of sugar. The lack of carbs causes low amounts of energy, sugar deficiencies, ketosis, among many other issues. For most of us, hunger pushes us to eat starch or any other sweet foods to help regain energy, which is easy to lose in the process of weight loss.

To come to a place where you can train your body to regulate carbs intake is not easy. You have a high chance of getting back to your old habits. However, it is possible to get to that place where you control carb intake. Here are four tips that could assist you in reaching that level.

Jul102013

How to Do Clean-Eating Right

As I continue to prep for my contest, I am doing 99% clean clean eating. Since doing my protein shake hell beforehand, this seems like heaven. I’m sure if I went straight from eating normal to this, it would be a little miserable. However, it looks like my hell week paid off in multiple ways. I’m doing clean-eating not the way a yogi would, but how a bodybuilder would. This turns a lot of people off who don’t understand that word—as if I’m food-loading like a steroid-using pumped out scary woman. I’m not, I promise! Read on to learn how to eat cleanly and enjoy it. I’m seeing differences in my health, body, and strength already after almost 2 weeks.

Working hard during a Spartacus circuit

I can’t claim to be a know-all, be-all about this subject. Sure, I know how to live a healthy life, but this specific diet is more so Chris’ arena, since he’s done much more research into bodybuilding, contests, and the sort. So he set this up for me. Depending on the week (this is a 6-week contest), I’m either eating between 1300-1400 calories or 1400-1600 calories (like this week! Good thing too as we were in Iowa for family reunion…), keeping my protein and fiber count high, my fat, sugar, and carb count medium-low, and exercising away 800-1000 calories a day. Yes, I’m working really hard, lots of workouts. The eating part hasn’t really been hard for me yet, because like I said earlier, I came to this after just consuming protein shakes.

Now you know my “macros” (macronutrients). Everyone will have different macros depending on their goal and body composition. Comment below with questions and we can help you out. It’s not too hard to do this:

Eat lean protein. I’m a strange “vegetarian,” but I’ll eat any meat or fish that’s wild-caught or hunted. Lucky me, I can eat canned tunafish! For you meat-eaters, this part and protein-macro-intake would be a lot easier. I rely on my tuna, usually mixing with a complex carb and lots of hot sauce (mmm!). Other lean proteins include other types of wild-caught fish, egg whites, tofu, and black beans. These don’t contain too many calories or fat, but are high on the healthy protein scale so they’re perfect. Another huge one is protein powder where you can get a lot of protein without too much carbs, fats, or calories.
Stick to complex carbohydrates. What would I eat with my canned tunafish? A slice of whole-wheat bread (we usually stick to Rudi’s organic) or brown rice. My carb intake usually doesn’t stray too far from that—yes, of course I get carbohydrates from other things like fruits and vegetables, but I’m talking about the certain “category.” And don’t forget my main carbohydrate for breakfast—oatmeal. No, not the instant crap, the “quick oats” or steel-cut. Another great carbohydrate that actually isn’t too high in carbs is sweet potato and boy is it delicious!
Fruits are not a free-for-all. We’re watching our sugars and carbs, remember? Usually, fruit is a free-for-all for me, and that’s when I see my sugar count skyrocket. Don’t get me wrong, I’d rather you grab a handful of grapes than skittles. But for this contest, we don’t want grapes for fruit. The fruit you want to go for: bananas, apples, pineapple, blueberries and grapefruit. They have awesome benefits and don’t take you too far on the sugar or calorie scale.
Eat your vegetables! Again, you don’t want every single kind, some are more vitamin-intensive and calorically-dense than others. I will usually have some kind of vegetable with every meal, combining it with my brown rice and fish, or with my open-face tunafish sandwich. Stick to these veggies: spinach, asparagus, broccoli, and carrots. Go for dark greens and use sweet potatoes as carb substitute.
Stay away from dressings, heavy oils, and the like. This is why bodybuilder’s meals seem so bland and boring. Most of them stray away from any seasoning whatsoever. However, that’s not necessary—as long as you do the right seasoning. With breakfast, I pour cinnamon on my oatmeal. Hot sauce? Try every meal. Run free with garlic. Be smart, you know what’s right and wrong. Don’t drench your salad with ranch, go for straight-up balsamic vinegar. This doesn’t have to be bland, use your seasoning (hot sauce is my absolute go-to).
Know your fibers: soluble fiber versus insoluble fibers. Right now, we definitely want fiber in our diet. And we want both kinds, depending on the situation. Soluble fiber dissolves in water and forms a gel, making us have that full feeling and slows our digestion. Soluble fibers include oatmeal, beans, nuts, and oranges. Insoluble fibers are good for our gut too because they improve our digestion and have a laxative-like effect. These don’t dissolve in water so they pass through quickly and speed up the process of food and waste. Insoluble fibers include whole grains, dark leafy vegetables, and root vegetable skins.

Pretty easy rules to follow and understand. Let me give you an example of some meals that I cycle frequently:

For breakfast: 1/2 cup oatmeal, 3 hard-boiled egg whites with Frank’s hot sauce
For snack: 10 almonds OR banana OR apple OR grapefruit

For lunch: 1 can tuna, peas, beans and Tapatillo hot sauce

For snack: avocado, pepper, bean, and onion salad
For dinner: pan-grilled cod, sweet potato, and salad

For snack: protein shake OR carrots and hummus OR cabbage tuna wraps with 1 cup almond milk

That’s one day. You can add or take from the above, with the knowledge you now have. Here are some other meals that are smart for macros:

Salad

Brown rice risotto with onions

Oat banana rounds

Raw veggies

Alright, that’s enough picture overload. I was just saying to Chris, I may be on a strict macro diet, but eating all of this food is enjoyable. I get fish and “chips,” I get tons of yummy vegetables, I get tons of hot sauce. It really isn’t that hard. You can do it too and your body will thank you. You feel so good, light, and healthy. You aren’t starving yourself, you’re giving your body what it needs. And hey, if it fits the macros, go ahead and have an ice cream like I did during my family reunion. Clean eating is one of the best ways to stay hungry and fit!

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