Justins Nut Butter

I am continuing some of my favorite healthy food secrets, it seems like I am on a roll. I think of food as fuel for running and training, and for feeling good in life! So, I just want to share some of the healthy things I have found.

I have been eating and following Justins Nut Butter for about 3 years. I discovered it through reading my favorite triathlete's Blog (Desiree Ficker). I could only find it at Whole Foods,
but now you can find it at REI or HEB (local, here in Texas), which is awesome. I love to carry the little packets in my car or purse for a quick, healthy snack. I also pack them in my daughter's lunch with crackers or apples for neat and easy squeeze snacks. My daughter especially loves the Honey Peanut Butter. I love the Almond butter and I just saw that they have a new Hazelnut Butter, that sounds delicious!

So, you ask "why have a nut butter or this kind for a snack?" Well, it is all natural, high protein snack without any fillers or preservatives. It tastes wonderful, too!

Beef???????

So much to say about this and don't know where to start!! I had a friend I adore refer me to the Texas Beef Council Team. I checked it out and found out that they sponsor you in races. I thought great and didn't know much else about it until I did the webinar today.

I did learn a lot...I am a nutrition/fitness/health junkie....beef has a lot of health benefits. It is a powerhouse for protein. b vitamins and monounsaturated fat. Monounsaturated fat is the good stuff!..think olive oil, avocados...and you should not be scared of fats....remember moderation. Being sponsored and powered by beef will be on my shirts that I wear in the races that they will sponsor for me and the team.

Well, I posted my knowledge on Twitter and Face book, unknowing that it is a such HOT topic. I am not going to pretend that I have had my doubts about beef and watch how much I eat (but I do that with everything). But, in the last 10 years I have certainly ate more beef (and felt good about it) than I did in my 20's. I was advised my my doctor to eat more lean beef and meats in my 20's for protein (because I was lacking). I also craved beef when I was pregnant...could not stomach my favorite fish-salmon! It was so hard and so confusing for my health-nut personality.

Fast forward to the 2000's and I have read about how beef has heart healthy fat and grass fed beef has even more heart healthy fat the conventional beef.

My motto is always "moderation"..here is a quote from Mens Fitness that says that and more..

* A three-ounce serving of lean beef contributes less than 10 percent of calories to a 2000-calorie diet, yet it supplies more than 10 percent of the Daily Value for nine essential nutrients.

I hope you will do your own research and see that beef is not the "bad guy" that is is portrayed to be!!

Miso Mayo

As I write this I am enjoying my Miso Mayo with carrots!

This stuff is so yummy and thanks to my daughter being hungry at Whole Foods, we tried it at a sampling! It is so good and better for you than real Mayo. You can use it as a dipping sauce (as I do with carrots), a sandwich spread, with tuna or in potato salad.

So, what is it you ask???? Well, it is made of fermented soybean paste from Hawaii. Funny thing, I fell in love with Miso soup on my honeymoon in Hawaii!!! So, Miso Mayo is high in protein, vitamin B-12, and 8 essential amino acids. It is also a living, cultured food and low in sodium..Did I mention it is yummy!! or in my daughter's words yummerful??

The Miso Mayo website also says that it has UMAMI (a japanese word for the 5th taste sensation. You need to check out the Miso Mayo site to read about it...it also has recipes.

One last important thing, it is vegan. I am not vegan, wish I could be!!

You can purchase it at Whole Foods or order it online.

Happy Healthy eating!!

Love Greek Gods Yogurt!

My favorite foodie find of late has been the Honey flavored Greek Gods yogurt. I can find it at my local HEB or Whole Foods. I buy it by the large container (16 oz). It is great with fresh blueberries, raspberries and cacao nibs or plain. I have to explain that I am not a yogurt lover, but I love this yogurt! I know that I should eat yogurt for health reasons (they say that yogurt helps build stronger bones, enhances immunity, lowers blood pressure, and may even have anticancer and weight-loss effects), but normally couldn't stomach it. Not anymore!!..Greek Gods is thick, creamy and decadent for yogurt!

Just looking at the nutrition side, the sugars are much less in Greek Gods yogurt than traditional yogurt (even light yogurt). I compared it to Yoplait. It looks like the Fig and Honey flavored have the highest of the Greek Gods, but most of their yogurts are lower in sugars.

If you check out their site, they have a lot of recipes, too. Check it out and tell me if you agree or don't. I would love to hear about your favorite yogurt, too!