Doug Jackson’s Fitness Blog

Yesterday after giving a talk to a Cub Scout den about the benefits of staying fit, I swung by the local Whole Foods and picked up three food items that I wanted to share with you today.

1) Quinoa:

Although you may have read about this food before, I’ve found that many people have tried it. In fact, the first time I tried it was after a local dietician pushed me to add it to my diet. Quinoa is a seed that cooks and functions much like a rice, but it has more nutrition.

Quinoa was a main food source for the Incas and is one of the very few grains that is also considered a complete protein source (great for vegetarian-types). According to Dr. Jonny Bowden in the book The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth, along with being high in iron and fiber, quinoa has “lower sodium content and is higher in calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, potassium, copper, manganese, and zinc than wheat, barley, or corn.”

2) Kefir:

The same dietician suggested that I try kefir. Kefir is a fermented milk drink that’s sort of like a “drinkable yogurt”. Some websites claim that people that are typically allergic to milk products due to lactose intolerance seem to tolerate kefir. It’s also promoted as being more nutritious than yogurt although I haven’t been able to substantiate that claim. Due to the fermentation process, it has active “probiotics” which are generally good for gut health. I like to mix kefir into my protein shakes. I might use 5 oz water, 3 oz kefir, and a scoop of protein powder.

3) Freshly-ground flaxseeds:

Flax seeds are a healthy source of essential fatty acids (fats that are actually required for human health). I prefer grinding fresh flaxseeds rather than buying the popular flaxseed oil due to concerns about rancidity due to the unstable molecular structure of omega-3 fatty acids. Freshly ground flax seeds also have a measurable amount of fiber…something you won’t get if you are just using the oil. I typically use ground flaxseeds on oatmeal or mixed into a protein shake.

A last note on all of these: while each of these is healthy in its own right, they should be used as just small parts of your total nutrition program. I won’t tell you that any of these is a magic cure and you should overload on any single food. But give them a try. It can’t hurt to start taking out less healthy foods that you eat and replacing them with healthier choices such as the three foods I’ve written about today.

Was this information helpful to you? Get more bonus material at:

http://www.PersonalFitnessAdvantage.com

Happy New Year!

I hope you are starting it off on the right foot.

Both at home and at Personal Fitness Advantage, we are starting it out with a bang!

After going hog wild with my diet when Emily and I visited my folks in Ohio, I started cleaning up my act immediately when I got back to Florida last week.

So I had zero alcohol on New Year’s Eve (which didn’t help my salsa moves down in SW Miami that night), and got to it yesterday with an intense lower body workout while most people were sleeping off hangovers.

Sore glutes, hams, and quads…that’s the way to start off 2009, Baby!!

Onwards…

Being the new year, I’m seeing ads flood my TV for weight loss products. A couple days ago I saw the cereal Special K promoting the “Special K Challenge”. It’s pretty similar to the Slim Fast Diets.

In my professional opinion, I can describe both diets in two words: “they suck”.

The Special K Challenge goes like this:

Breakfast: Special K
Lunch: Special K
Dinner: Your choice

Optional: fruits, Special K snack bars, and Special K Protein Water drinks

Yeah, there’s a winner of a diet (please note the sarcasm).

So I’ve created the Anti-Special K Challenge:

Breakfast: Oatmeal with skim milk and your choice of fresh fruit

Lunch: Salad of mixed greens with your choice of lean proteins mixed in (grilled chicken, lean beef, fish, salmon, etc.)

Dinner: Lean protein source (grilled chicken, lean beef, fish, salmon, etc.) with your choices of greens and 1/2 or whole regular potato or sweet potato

Optional: fruits, veggies, and limited portions of nuts as snacks between meals if necessary

Here’s the deal: While the Special K Diet may help people lose weight if their diets are already poor, it’s clearly not an ideal diet for maximum health.

Truth be told, my Anti-Special K Diet is much, much healthier than the Special K Diet.

So if you are looking for a healthy diet kickstart instead of another gimmick, try my Anti-Special K Diet, rather than Special K’s marketing gimmick.

Take my Anti-Special K Challenge and improve your health’s bank account, rather than the bank accounts of corporate titans.

Next week, we’ll be announcing the winner of the Personal Fitness Advantage Fall Fitness Challenge. I’m very proud of her. Look for the details next week!

Dedicated to your health, fitness, and human potential,

Doug Jackson, M.Ed.,CSCS