Berry balls

I want to share this quickie, but goodie with you! It really makes a great snack for the festive season when you need something between meals.  The come at 50 calories per ball, so you can  have 2 for a snack.  Experiment with different berries for different flavors!

Ingredients: 

1 cup berries of choice ( I used blueberries)
80g oats
35g coconut flour
20g coconut flakes
40g honey

Blend everything in the food processor until a ball forms.  I made the balls in 20g servings.  Roll the balls in coconut/chia mixture.  Refrigerate.

Makes 15 servings

Enjoy!

Metabolic adaptation explained

HAVE YOU LOST AND REGAINED THE SAME WEIGHT OVER AND OVER? YOU MAY BE STRUGGLING WITH A SLOW METABOLISM THAT HAS BEEN DAMAGED BY YO-YO DIETING.

What many people don't realize, however, is that constant yo-yo dieting, over training and limiting the amount of food you eat can have an effect on your body's ability to metabolize food.

"Metabolic adaptation', , is the phenomenon referring to the body's physiological adaptation or natural response to long term calorie restriction or deficit. 
This deficit can be a result of reduced calorie intake, increased calorie expenditure through exercise, or a combination of the two.

Essentially, metabolic adaptation can come about as a result of your body's attempt to maintain energy balance and prevent starvation. He actually thinks you are not going to feed him anymore. 
One main reason why metabolic damage or adaptivity can occur is when our calorie deficit is too large (that is, the energy going in is less than energy going out), which essentially tells our bodies to slow down metabolism in order to preserve energy.  Simply put, you are not eating enough, and haven't been for some time.

When you lose a lot of weight, the body's adaptation response is to start trying to conserve energy by reducing the number of calories you burn. ( By slowing down your metabolism) As a result, this can make you feel hungrier and increase food cravings. This may cause a halt in your weight loss efforts, which can make you feel unsuccessful and miserable that you abandon your weight loss efforts and gain the weight back as a result.
The most common reason for metabolic issues is starvation type diets, fad diets, followed by long periods of over-eating and then under-eating again.  Yo-yo diet in other words.

Does any of this sound familiar?

'I'm dieting but I don't seem to be losing weight'
'I started losing weight on this diet I'm following but it's all come to stop' 
'I started this diet that worked for me in the past but it's not working this time around and it's really frustrating me. I think I need to eat less and train more'.

Signs and symptoms to look for which suggest there is some form of metabolic dysfunction include:

• Bloating
• Gas
• Constipation and/or diarrhea
• Reflux or heart burn
• Low energy or fatigue
• Increased hunger and food cravings
• Reduced libido
• Oedema -- fluid retention, especially in the calves or ankles
• Anxiety and depression
• Weight gain or stubborn weight loss
• Loss of muscle mass
• Irregularity or cessation of periods in women
• Low immunity, recurring and/or prolonged colds and flu
• Sleep disturbances
• Changes in mood

If these symptoms are affecting your day-to-day life, it's best to see a health professional in order to help restore balance. Depending on the severity of your hormone imbalance, as well as any biochemical dysfunction, this will determine how involved your treatment plan is. 

To help out your body and metabolism,  try following these tips.

1. Avoid over training
While it's still important to move your body on a regular basis, over-exercising may cause more harm.
The best thing you can do to help yourself if you find yourself in this situation is to rein in the exercise. Rest and recovery is absolutely essential and if you're someone who is training five or more days a week and even twice a day, it is recommended you cut back on the metabolic conditioning and long-duration cardio.
Reducing the intensity and duration of your training sessions will see an improvement. You may continue doing some strength training to help maintain muscle mass, which is prone to break down faster in these states.
This doesn't mean limiting your calories or cutting out foods. Eating a variety of whole foods, and treating yourself once in a while, is important.

2. Focus on a balanced, healthy diet
The initial step in rectifying these issues is to aim towards a healthy homeostasis. By that I mean cleaning up your diet by eating more whole foods because they force your body to expend more calories through digestion, which means your metabolism is already on its way to improving,
Diet is essential to make sure your body is getting the right macro nutrients, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants to help prevent further stress on the body. A professional can help you formulate the right plan for you. 

3. Make de-stressing a priority
Stress management is vital. If you have added stress from work, finances, unhealthy relationships and so on, it will add to the emotional stress on the body and create more of an imbalance.
Engage in some stress management activities such as yoga, meditation, tai chi or even slow walks on the beach.

4. Sleep!
Sleep is the time your body undergoes physical and mental repair.  Make sure you are going to bed at a reasonable time and are getting a good night's sleep.
If you are struggling in this area, it's important that you find ways to improve it.

5. Look after your gut
With more research showing the importance of a healthy gut, it's important to make your gut health a priority, for both metabolism and overall health.
Your gut health is crucial because it determines how you digest food, including the amount of energy you expend digesting it, how much of the food you eat is actually stored, and finally what your body does not need and excrete.  A healthy gut is imperative to a healthier metabolism adaptation.

Finally, to avoid metabolic damage or starvation mode to start with; 

• Avoid fad diets like the plague -- they are temporary and not sustainable.
• Increase your protein intake -- protein has a high satiety so it will keep you fuller.
• Eat every three hours to encourage your body to trust that you are going to nourish it regularly, hence giving your body less of a reason to latch onto food and store it as fat.
• Avoid processed foods -- they require little digestive effort because a lot of the processes required during digestion are missing due to the fact that they are processed.

Source and further reading:

https://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2016/09/19/this-is-what-metabolic-damage-is-and-how-you-can-fix-it_a_21474452/

http://www.trimmedandtoned.com/metabolic-damage-explained-keep-losing-weight-consistently/

https://www.pritikin.com/yo-yo-dieting-metabolic-damage

Cappaccino protein muffins

Hello there,

Hope everyone is doing great! Titan has an awesome new protein on the market and then I just had to turn it into a muffin! 

Cappuccino choc chip protein muffins

1 1/2 cups oatmeal flour  ( make your own by just whizzing it in your food processor) 2 scoops Cappuccino whey (60g)1 tsp baking powder1/2 tsp salt1/2 cup xylitol2 egg whites + 1 whole egg1 cup almond milk ( any milk really)4 bags of squish


Mix everything good together and divide between 12 muffin pans
Bake at 180deg for 30min

Choc chips for decoration.

Enjoy!

Super easy lactation bars

Hello friends,

I want to share with you this quick and easy lactation bar recipe.  If you are a breastfeeding mother,  you know it can be hard to get hold of food.  So food that can be eaten with one hand is even more welcome!

You will need: 

100g of dates soaked in 1 cup boiling water
100g Nut butter of choice  ( I used almond butter)

Blend these 3 ingredients in a food processor until smooth
Add 200g raw oats and 20g chia seeds.

I also added a handful of dried cranberries.

Mix well and press into a lined baking tray.  Choc chips for decoration ...lol

You can add chopped nuts to this recipe, I've done it before.  Just keep in mind, everything you add will bump calories.

Leave in the freezer until it is set and cut into bars.  Enjoy!

Orange Almond flour cake with Titan whey cream cheese frosting

Hello ladies,

Hope everyone is well?  I went on a big baking spree over the weekend.  One recipe that stood out to me was this almond flour cake.  It was superb.  I ate the last piece today and it was still amazing so I can say it lasted 5-6 days in the fridge.  Great for 'make-ahead' snacks.  This delicious cake is also refined sugar free and gluten free.

Ingredients:
4 large eggs
150g honey
1 tablespoon vanilla essence
150g almond flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

I wanted to give this cake a zesty orange flavor, so I added the juice of 1/4 of an orange and about 1-2 teaspoons grated orange rind.

Mix everything together very well and bake for 45 minutes ( or if toothpick comes out clean) in 200 degrees oven.

Optional frosting:
60g Titan whey in vanilla
160g medium fat cream cheese plain

1 teaspoon orange rind
2 teaspoons fresh orange juice
Mix very well and top once your cake has cooled off.

Makes 8 servings.  This will become a regular thing in my house from now on!  :)

Bon ap!

3 snack tips for busy people!

 Hello friends,

I want to share this quick 3 super easy snack tips with you.  If you are mostly  on the run, like me, you will find it convenient.

Look for JOYA in Woolworths stores.  I don't think you will be able to find them much longer.  Don't miss out on these sweet, crunchy apples!

1.  JOYA and peanut butter

No recipe needed here.  Too quick and easy!

Just control yourself on the nut butter, although healthy, they pack a few calories! Try to limit to 1 teaspoon

2.  JOYA compot

Peel and cut your apples.  Cover with water in a pot.  Bring to boil and turn down heat.  Let it simmer for 30-40 minutes.

You can add it to your yogurt in place of the whole fruit, or just enjoy with a few chopped nuts.

3.  Shake and JOYA

Have a delicious, crunchy JOYA with cinnamon as a side to your Titan whey!

Mighty meatballs

Hello friends,

I want to share a quick meatball recipe with you.  I love making these and freezing them in the correct portion sizes.

You will need:
1 kg extra lean ground beef
3 eggs
3 medium sized grated carrots
1 medium sized chopped onion
1 medium sized chopped bell pepper
For seasoning I use:
Fresh garlic
Salt and pepper
Worcester sauce
(You can spice how you like it)

Mix everything together very well and divide into 12 portions.  This will give you a 75g serving of lean beef.

Bake in a preheated oven for 30 minutes at 180deg

 
Enjoy!  :)