By: Siddiqu “The Personal Trainer”
ACE (American Council of Exercise), NFPT (National Federation of Personal Training) Certified Personal Trainer, IHSA Certified Coach, and Boxing Fitness Trainer
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There are so many different food choices available for the consumer today, and with more options comes more mistakes if you don’t know what to look for.
“Healthy” is a relative term, but there are absolutely some foods that you should and should not eat to ensure you’re not backtracking on your diet and fitness plan. Here are the Top 7 best and worst foods for you to make note of!
Worst Foods
1. Soda/Pop – aka liquid candy! One pop a day for an entire year is an extra 15.5 pounds worth of calories! High fructose corn syrup is the main ingredient, and that reduces your feeling of being full. So pop makes you hungrier, and that is why they are sold everywhere! And guess what? You have more energy when you stop drinking pop. That extra energy can be used for working out.
2. Donuts – aka deep fried fat. One donut is 300 calories and has 19 grams of fat! Anyone who eats donuts knows that it does nothing for your appetite, so you are still hungry after one donut. So that means you most likely will grab two, and that is an entire meal wasted in three short minutes.
3. French fries. These are not mom’s cut up potatoes any more. Most of the french fries from fast food restaurants are deep fried in paste! Yep, actual glue! no wonder you are stuck at the same weight every week! A large fry from McDonald’s is over 500 calories.
4. Hot dogs – aka mystery meat. Its called mystery meat, because even the makers of hot dogs don’t know where the meat is coming from on the animal. It’s a combination of random parts of an animal that goes unused. You could be actually putting ketchup on a hoof, and you were wondering why you can’t kick your habit of overeating! This is just chubby potential.
5. Potato chips. The truth is, you really can’t have just one! These things are addictive. Potato chips are not sliced up potatoes, sostop telling yourself that silly lie. Everything bad from trans fat to sodium can be found in chips. They also have a minimum of 130 calories in every package.
6. Commercially baked goods. Little Debbie, Twinkies, Star Crunches, Ding Dongs, Grandma’s cookies, and the like are really high in trans fat. Lots of sugar, lots of extra calories, which means not as many holes left in your belt. If you just really need a sweet, bake it yourself.
7. Fast food cheeseburgers. Most cheeseburgers in fast food restaurants have over 500 calories, and we tend to eat them fast, which means those are a lot of calories we don’t even notice. They also contain an insane amount of fat, mostly trans fat which reduces the good cholesterol in your body.
Best Foods
1. Avocado. It is a great antioxidant. Avocados contain 25 nutrients, including Vitamin C, Folate, Vitamin E, Fiber and unsaturated fats with no trans fats. Avocados contain monounsaturated fats which help lower bad LDL cholesterol. Ohio State University researchers discovered avocado helps increase the absorption of carotenoids, chemicals which help lower risk of heart disease and macular degeneration. It is also used to help people who have sexual problems.
2. Blueberries. These are good for so many reasons! They can:
— Slow the aging process
— Reduce cell damage that may lead to some forms of cancer
— Prevent and even cure urinary tract infections
— Clean our blood vessels, our arteries and veins
— Benefit the nervous system and may help to prevent mood swings
— Help maintain good vision
— Improve complexion
— Help you stick to that “diet” and aid in weight control
3. Spinach. Known as a “power food,” it contains a lot of nutrients. It is high in Calcium, Folic Acid, Potassium, Iron, Magnesium, Vitamins C and A, Lutein, and Zeaxanthin. Spinach reduces your chances of getting cardiovascular disease, including stroke and coronary artery disease, and cancer including colon, lung, skin, oral, stomach, ovarian, prostate and breast cancer.
4. Garlic. It does a long list of things, from preventing cardiovascular disease, preventing and fighting the common cold, preventing intestinal worms, and preventing infections (especially chest problems), digestive disorders, and fungal infections. Garlic contains a compound called allicin, which is a powerful antioxidant. Antioxidants, like allicin, help protect the body from damage by removing free radicals that are produced as part of our body’s natural metabolism.
5. Apples. They are high in fiber, especially soluble fiber which is a natural appetite suppressant. High in antioxidants, vitamins and trace minerals. Apples hold water for cleansing, and sweep food effectively through your system. An apple a day can really keep the doctor away.
6. Beans. Beans are extremely high in fiber, which keeps you regular and may also reduce the risk of certain cancers and heart disease. Beans are also a great source of protein, which makes beans a complete dish. Best bean choices: black, pinto, kidney, cannellini and garbanzo (chickpeas).
7. Salmon. Salmon is loaded with protein and muscle-building amino acids, and is high in Omega-3 fatty acids, which help your body make anti-inflammatory coumpounds that soothe body aches and pains, as well as support fat-loss. Salmon is high in Vitamin D, which supports strong bones and can help ward off colon cancer. Salmon is also high in Selenium, which can help lower your risk of prostate cancer.
BONUS BEST FOODS
Eggs. You already know this is a great source of protein. The yolks are good for you too, as they contain more than 90% of the Calcium, Iron, Phosphorus and Zinc of the egg. Eggs are also an excellent source of B vitamins, which are needed for vital functions in the body, and also provide good quantities of vitamin A, essential for muscle growth and development.
For years people assumed eggs were bad for cholesterol levels, but a review just published in the British Nutrition Foundation’s Nutrition Bulletin found they ‘have no clinically significant impact’ on heart disease or cholesterol levels.
Almonds. Just one ounce of almonds has over 35% of the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for Manganese and Vitamin E, and over 20% of the RDA of for Magnesium. Almonds are also a good source of Phosphorus, Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) and Copper, as well as a decent source of Potassium and even Calcium.
Oatmeal. Oatmeal is high in fiber, including the soluble form of fiber than can help sweep cholesterol from the body. It’s great to start your day off with, because it has a slow digesting carb, and this carb keep you feeling full longer and gives you energy throughout the first half of your day.
For more information on Siddiqu “The Personal Trainer” go to CF4Life.com
Siddiqu is a regular guest on Chicago’s Power 92.3′s morning show, the WVON Morning show, and Fox’s Raw TV. Siddiqu specializes in weight loss and body toning. His educational background includes a B.A. in Marketing from DePaul University, and he is currently pursuing an MBA/MS from Loyola University Chicago.
