• Fat Free Mayonnaise
• Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce
• Reduced Sodium Teriyaki Sauce
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Salsa
• Tomatoes (sauce, puree, paste)
• Steak Sauce
• Sugar Free Maple Syrup
• Chili Paste
• Mustard
• Extracts (vanilla, almond, etc)
• Low Sodium beef or chicken broth

I hope these nutrition BLOGs have given you some information to make changes to your diet in 2012. If this is to improve performance, health or lifestyle we can all make changes for the better. For more nutrition or training information please contact KT Conditioning and also look out for further BLOGs in 2012.

Happy New Year!!

KT

Following my last blog on Tuesday about 10 Nutrition Tips for 2012 I thought I’d follow this up with a great way to increase your daily fruit and veg intake. This is through Soups and Smoothies, which can be eaten as one of your small meals (to be eaten every 3 hours) throughout the day.

Soups and smoothies can be made by you at home with the help of a blender, some fresh fruit and vegetables and other added ingredients. See some of my favorites below and why don’t you give them a try.

BANANA BLUEBERRY SMOOTHIE
Ingredients – 2 bananas, 1/2 cups blueberries, 1 cup plain yogurt.
How to make – Peel bananas, slice and place on a cooking sheet and freeze until solid. Once frozen place them in the blender with the berries (sliced) and yoghurt and blend until smooth.

FRUIT COCKTAIL SMOOTHIE
Ingredients – Canned fruit cocktail (chilled), 1 cup milk, 1/2 cup ice cubes. Include 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla, or 2 dashes of cinnamon for taste.
How to make – Blend undrained fruit cocktail and milk until smooth then add ice cubes and blend further until smooth. Add additional ingredients if required.

PINA COLADA SMOOTHIE
Ingredients – 1 frozen banana, 1 cup milk, 1‐2 teaspoons shredded coconut, 1/4 cups chopped pineapple (fresh is best, but canned is pretty good too)
How to make – Easy, add all ingredients and blend.

PURPLE PASSION SMOOTHIE
Ingredients – 1 banana, 1 cup non‐fat yogurt, 1/3 cup blueberries (can be frozen)
1/3 cup strawberries (can be frozen), 2/3 cup ice.
How to make – Easy, add all ingredients and blend.

I’m sure over the last couple of days we’ve all had our fair share of food and feel like we want to improve our nutrition in the new year. Detailed below are 10 nutrition tips from KT Conditioning to improve your nutritional intake for a leaner and healthier 2012!

1. Eat every 3 hours – Small meals help to increase metabolism and limit fat storage. However, be careful to monitor the size of your meals.

2. Eat a lean protein on every eating occasion – Eat low fat proteins e.g. chicken, turkey, fish, eggs, protein shakes, eggs, nuts and seeds, etc.

3. Eat healthy fats daily – Good fats are in foods such as oily fish, seeds and nuts. These fats help reduce body fat and improve brain function.

4. Only eat other sugary carbohydrates after exercise – Sugary carbohydrates (e.g., jellies, baked potato, white bread, etc.) should only be consumed after exercise otherwise they cause a blood sugar spike causing lethargy and hunger.

5. Eat fruit and vegetables on each eating occasion – This is good for vitamin and mineral intake and will limit your starchy and sugary carb intake.

6. Don’t drink beverages with calories – This is a good way to cut calories and means drinking mainly water, non sugar juices or tea / coffee. Cut out the fizzy pop, lucozade and red bull!

7. Plan ahead and prepare meals and snacks in advance – Try and plan you’re day and do shopping lists to help. Don’t but foods that are not on your plan!

8. Eat as wide variety of foods as possible – Eat as many different colours (fruit and veg) as possible and regularly mix up your proteins.