If you go into the dairy section of the grocery store, you are bound to be inundated with tons of different milk options.  Dairy milk, almond milk, coconut milk, soy milk.. just to name a few!

Which one is a girl to choose?

I’m going to break down where I stand on these different options.  Let’s start off with dairy.

Dangers of Dairy

Lactose (the sugar found in dairy) is not tolerated well by most people.  In fact, after the age of 4, we lose 95% of lactase in our body (the enzyme to digest lactose).  If we don’t have the enzyme we need to digest milk, this will create an acidic environment in your body and encourage the growth of bad bacteria in our body plus most commonly cause us to be bloated and have trouble with digestion.

*Did you know*: we are the only mammals who drink milk from another animal?  Makes you think.. doesn’t it?

If you remove dairy from your diet you will find lots of benefits!

1. You will be less bloated and have better digestion.
2. Weight loss.  Dairy is packed with carbohydrates and is insulin promoting; 2 factors related to weight gain.
3. Less risk of acne, anemia, arthritis, heartburn, indigestion, IBS, Crohn’s disease, breast cancer, and much more.

Even if you are not concerned with gaining weight, dairy is still a poor choice.  Cows are usually fed a diet of corn and soy and held in a confined environment.  Farmers pump cows with growth hormones and antibiotics.  If that isn’t enough, we then skim the milk and pasteurize it.. killing the enzymes and beneficial bacteria in the milk.

Okay that is it for my dairy rant.. here are some good choices that you can keep in your kitchen!

Almond Milk

You will most commonly find almond milk in my refrigerator.  Here’s a list of reasons why it is my favorite.

1. It is non-dairy.
2. It is lower in calories and fat than cow’s milk, while high in vitamins, like vitamin D and E.
3. It tastes delicious!  It has a rich and creamy taste – and is awesome for thickening up smoothies in the morning.  It has a slightly nutty taste – my boyfriend thinks it tastes like chocolate.
4. It is packed with calcium and actually has more calcium than cow’s milk!
5. When choosing almond milk – make sure you choose one with low sugar.  Or, it is super simple to make your own!!  Here is a video my mom put up on a step-by-step way to make almond milk!  See the video here.

Soy Milk

There is a direct link between breast cancer and soy.  In fact, doctors recommend women with a history of breast cancer in their family to consume a low amount of soy in their diet.  The science behind this is soy is higher in phytoestrogens compared to most other food sources.  Therefore, we don’t want to consume any extra estrogen in our bodies that could lead to a risk of breast cancer.

Committed to your health and fitness success,

Laura

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Have you started reading a health journal about the glycemic index, glycemic load, glucose spikes, etc. only to get confused and unsure on which information to pay attention to?  One of our boot camp members asked me about the glycemic index last week.. so here is our very first QnA post!

What is the Glycemic Index?

Glycemic Index– a way of measuring impact of foods on blood sugar levels.  If the GI is high, carbohydrates are converted quickly into sugar and cause blood sugar levels to spike.

The numbers: 70+ GI = high, 59-69 GI = medium, less than 55 GI = low.

The glycemic index compares foods containing the same amount of a carbohydrate to raise the blood glucose level.  However, the amount of carbohydrates you consume is what impacts your health.  Eating more of a food does not impact the GI.  This is where glycemic load (GL) comes into play.

Glycemic Index = quality, Glycemic Load = quantity

What is Glycemic Load?

Glycemic Load – measure the impact of a carbohydrate on the system.  Glycemic load is derived from a simple math equation.

Glycemic Load = (Glycemic Index x # carbohydrates (in grams)) ÷ 100

The numbers: 120+ GL = high, 11-19 GL = medium, less than 10 GL = low.

For example: watermelon has a high GI, but since you eat a relatively low number of carbohydrates,  it has a low GL.

*Foods that have a low GL almost always have a low GI.  Foods with a mid to high GL range from very low to very high GI.*

The numbers: a daily glycemic load of 80 or less is low.  A daily glycemic load of 120+ is high.

What are the benefits of eating foods with a low glycemic index?

• Lose and manage weight
• Improves diabetes management
• Reduces risk of heart disease
• Improves blood cholesterol levels
• Reduces hunger and keeps you full longer
• Prolongs physical endurance (you’ll give 110% during boot camp!)
• Refuel carbohydrate stores after exercise
• Boosts energy level

Quick tips

1.  The ripening process affects a foods glycemic index.  A ripe food will have a higher GI because it has higher sugar content.

2. Processed food will also have a higher GI.  For example, a glass of orange juice will have a higher GI than a whole orange.

3. Cooking food will increase the GI.  Cooking speeds up the digestion of food so once consumed it will cause a higher spike in blood sugar.

4. Eat more fruits and vegetables in your diet and less bread and processed food.  

I hope you enjoyed this post!  Our next QnA post will be about different milk options: dairy milk, almond milk, coconut milk, etc. and which one to choose.  Please email me your question at laura@laurafortefitness.com.

Committed to your health and fitness success,

Laura

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Eating enough fruits and vegetables is crucial for maintaining a healthy diet.  They give you plenty of fiber, and fill you up so that you aren’t eating empty calorie and nutrition deficient foods!

The weather is starting to get cooler and crisp outside – especially in the early morning on your ride into work.  Still a little drowsy, a warm cup of coffee might sound like perfect way to get your day started.  You walk in to Starbucks – the holiday specialty drinks are in!!  Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha, Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate, Pumpkin Spice Latte… which one to choose?  They all sound good.. but are they all created equal?

The answer.. is NO.  One of the above drinks made with nonfat milk, no whip, and a size grande is still 430 calories, 77g of sugar with 7g of fat.  Change it to 2% milk with whip – it is now 540 calories with 19g of fat.

Which one is the culprit?

It’s the Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha.  Every calorie counts when trying to get in shape and those 500 calories aren’t giving you any nutritional value for your day!

Here are a few tips to save on calories and fat – but still enjoy your cup of joe:

1.  Just say no to the whip!  You can save 60-110 calories and 6-11g of fat depending on the size of the drink.
2. Order with non-fat instead of 2% or whole milk.  This will also save you up to 120 calories at 14g of fat depending on the drink size.
3. Eliminate pumps of syrup.  Each pump of syrup is 20 calories and 5g of sugar.  If you go with the sugar-free, these have artificial sweeteners, which will make you crave sweet foods later in the day.
4. Ask for Tall instead of Grande or Venti.
5. Visit the Starbucks website for nutritional value on all Starbucks drinks.  You can choose the size, type of milk, and whip option and see the nutritional content on all of their food and drink items.

 My Favorite Starbucks Drinks

• Brewed Tazo Tea – I love the Refresh tea!
• Shaken Cold Tazo Iced Passion Tea (Unsweetened)
• Iced Green Tea
• Brewed coffee
• Tazo Chai Tea Latte (nonfat milk)

Treat yourself to a specialty drink as a reward for hitting a goal. It will make the drink taste even sweeter.

Looking for new drink recipes that you can make at home?  Receive your FREE copy of my top 33 recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and drinks!!

Committed to you and your success,

Laura