Bad Food Made Better

We all have our vices and one of my favorites, is ANYTHING chocolate peanut butter. So rather than giving up "bad" food all together, just find a way to make bad food better.

As long as I get that flavour combination, I am good to go.

3/4 cup cottage cheese (1%)
1 tbsp natural peanut butter, smooth
2 tsp chocolate Olvaltine
1/2 tsp Splenda
A sprinkling of dark chocolate chips (optional)

By making these kind of creative concoctions, not only will you take your body and your health to new levels you will also refine your taste buds. You will just be too good for Reece's!


Reeces Big Gut or Butt maybe!

Winter Feel Good Food

Soup makes winter a much warmer season. However soup can be a little less than satisfying. One of my favorite recipes that satisfies the tongue, tummy while helping you make a physique transformation is my Dad's Turkey Harvest Soup.

1 Package lean ground turkey (or ground chicken), cooked, rinsed & drained (reserve drippings)

2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 leeks, sliced
1 onion, chopped
6 cups squash, peeled and diced
1 potato, peeled and diced
4 cups chicken stock plus the drippings
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
Pinch cayenne pepper
1 cup milk or light coconut milk

In large saucepan, melt butter with oil over medium-low heat; cook leeks and onion., covered, stirring often for 10 minutes or until softened but not browned. Add squash, potato, chicken stock, white and cayenne peppers; bring to boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low; simmer for 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Puree in a blender, food processor or with a hand mixer. Add milk and cooked ground turkey; heat thoroughly but do not boil.

Makes 6-8 servings.

Breakfast - Makes You or Breaks You

That first meal really is the most important meal of the day.

What you eat / drink first thing at the start of your day will create the body's environment and response to many things for the rest of the day.

Most of you reading this are interested in fat / weight loss and high performance.

Start your day with a breakfast of animal meats, green vegetables, garlic / onion, healthy fats and good dose of morning supplements. Do this for 2 weeks straight and feel the difference. See the difference!

My current favorite:

Extra lean ground beef or bison
red onion
Spinach or Swiss Chard
Sea Salt and Bragg's non-fermented soy liquid seasoning

You may feel worse before you feel better if you are used to no breakfast, little breakfast or a toxic breakfast (commercial breakfast foods such as breads, cereals, coffee, juice...), but you WILL feel better in anywhere from 1 day to a week.

What supplements?

Start with a BASE supplement protocol:

Quality multivitamin such as New Chapter, Progressive or AOR
Green food supplement (1/2 scoop to start) such as Progressive Greens or Greens +
Glutamine (start with 1 tsp and work up to 1 tbsp)
Acetyl L Carnatine (500 to 1000 mg) or Green Tea Extract (2 capsules) for the right kind of energy boost

And do yourself an extra favour and either replace morning coffee with green tea or move that coffee to just a bit later in the morning such as after breakfast (1 hour after).

Starting your day on coffee means starting your adrenals into chronic overdrive which we need no additional help with in our overstressed lifestyle. Not to mention it's highly acidic. The green tea and Greens+ will put you in an alkaline environment where health will flourish rather than disease.

Do You Fear the Wrong Fat?

Which will help you get leaner and healthier? THIS?



Or THIS?



Are you fearing the wrong fat?

Yesterday I overhead someone saying they didn't want the cashew chicken stir fry because it was "too high in fat. Cashews are fattening.", and proceeded to order the Chicken Quesedilla instead. The waiter asked "keep the cheese?". He apparently didn't understand her thinking either. "Yup! Keep the cheese."

HMMM?!

I have heard this before from many people... olive oil, nuts and seeds, avacado, salmon, coconut oil - "Oh, they are too high in fat!" as they eat their snack of a protein bar (7 grams of saturated and hydrogenated fats).

So let's clear something up - fats in their natural form are VERY GOOD FOR YOU and GOOD for fat loss.

Replace your commercially prepared "light" foods and your dairy, protein bars, cereal bars and daily lattes with olive oil, flax, nuts/seeds and coconut milk and let the results in the way you look and feel be the judge.

Embrace Change

Today I posted a welcome message to my Precision Nutrition Lean Eating group where I very briefly discussed change.

This brief video revealed the power of that little word "change" as it causes a chain reaction of deep discussions on the power of change. However it was more than the word, more that the topic but rather the energy I put into the conversation. I truly FELT what I was saying and more importantly the message I was aiming to convey.

Be not afraid of change as we ARE change - our body, our environment, the planet, the universe - is in a constant state of change. Yet, we are deathly afraid of change.

Once we learn to embrace change as a necessary part of life and that it is essential for true growth and development, then it is exciting and not scary.

A colleague of mine said this recently, "There are reasons and there are results". But focusing on results, you can view change positively. Reasons (excuses) are related to fear of change. Results (focus on doing) matter. Reasons are just words.

I feel strongly that 2010 is a year for beneficial change for all of us. If not RESULTS, then planting the seeds in preparation for results.

Embrace change.

Strive for results.

Stocked for Fat Loss?

If your partner put this under the tree for you, I would toss the partner first then the Doritos

Is your kitchen stocked with the right stuff to help you acheive and maintain a lean, fierce physique?

Testosterone Nation asked the pros what their fat loss essentials were. Here's what I had to say:

Krista Schaus

The WORK required to get lean is usually not done in the kitchen, but I have been known to bust out a few burpees while my chicken is cooking.

There are a lot of components that go into building a lean body, but here are a few that I believe your kitchen absolutely must have:

1. A CLEAN pantry — trigger foods keep your abs in hibernation. Replace cheats with clean treats like coconut milk and Metabolic Drive pudding that will keep you primed for fat loss and prepped to ward off the crap cravings.

2. A STOCKED supplement cabinet. Abs = 75% nutrition + 20% training + 5% supplementation. That 5% can make you or break you. Peaking requires a targeted supplement strategy.

3. A SUPPORTIVE partner, not one inhaling Doritos and saying, "C'mon baby, you only live once!" Ditch them! Find someone equally hot for clean food, insane training, and intelligent supplementation.

Here's more from my colleagues.

Sexy People Eat Dried Plums!

When you think of prunes you think of old wrinkley people (who look much like prunes) sitting down to a glass of prune juice at their morning breakfast of all bran and grapefruit because it helps them "stay regular".

Don't deny it - we associate prunes with old people.

My goal is to change that and to improve the image of the prune. I am officially making a statement that SEXY PEOPLE EAT PRUNES and that they are the official sexy food of the new decade.

GOOD-BYE PRUNES... HELLO DRIED PLUMS!

Prunes realized that they were being picked last for the team and often overlooked so they started the image change campaign well before I got on the cause. They are actually the dried version of Eurpean plums, so when asked what you are eating, say "dried plums" and you won't be accused of being an old fart or suspected of suffering from a slow digestive system.

BENEFITS OF PRUNES

High in phenols, an antioxidant that has been shown to help prevent oxygen-based damage to fats and since every cell of our body is surrounded by fat, this is a rather significant benefit.

Excellent source of Vitamin A (beta carotene)which further compounds the prune's ability to protect us from oxygen-related cell damage. Beta-carotene acts as a fat-soluble antioxidant,eliminating free radicals that would otherwise cause a lot of damage to our cells and cell membranes.

Potassium-rich! 1/4 cup of prunes (I mean dried plums) provides over 300 mg of potassium. The effectiveness of potassium-rich foods like prunes in lowering blood pressure has been demonstrated by a number of studies.

Prunes are already known for being a great source of dietary fiber, specifically soluble fibre, supplying 12% of the daily value for fiber in a 1/4 cup. Soluble fibre not only helps your digestive system but also helps stabilize blood sugar levels by delaying the absorption of glucose following a meal. Not to mention their ability to increase your feeling of satisfaction following a meal.

It's time to change your perception of prunes starting from the name - dried plumbs are fibre dense nutritional nuggest that can increase your insulin sensitivity, protect cell membranes and serve as an effective weight loss and management tool.

The only connection I will allow to make to old age, is if you START including prunes in your diet NOW, you WON'T look like a prune later.

Survival Food for Evening Cravings

Evening is the "danger zone" in my books for myself and many of my clients. Why is it that in the evening hours we crave sugary, savory, high calorie, feel good, crunch munchy or sweet and smooth stuff?

There's a few possible answers.

1. Conditioning - We have trained ourselves put our feet up and enjoy satisfying food and drink as we wind down by ourselves or over conversation with our friends, family and loved ones. It's a habit that has been passed down over many cultures and generations. It's a part of our leisure time and our evening ritual.

2. Stress Buster - Foods that are high in calories, fats, sugars and/or alcohol put us into a semi-comatose state which prepares the body for rest. Many of us are in overdrive during the day which can keep our hormones in overdrive also. Certain types, quantities and combinations of food have a naturally tranquilizing effect on the body.

3. Undereating / Overeating - As busy people during the day who are also health / body conscious, many are undereating and under-nurishing themselves during daytime horus. Our bodies are highly adaptive and incredibly intelligent machines. If you are not getting enough energy (macronutrients) and nourishment (micronutrients) during the day you WILL have cravings in the evening as the body is taking over the controls. The body will always get what it wants (needs) in the end as it's built with survival as the primary priority. Some cravings feel so strong and hard to resist because your body is needing something in that food. This is often the case for women and chocolate particularly during menopause. So give the body what it needs in moderation - 2-3 squares of organic high quality dark chocolate every day as it's packed with nutrients menopausal women could benefit from such as magnesium and essential oils.

So now that you know why evenings are a dangerous time if you are attempting to get leaner or lose weight, what do you do about it?

* Feed and nourish the body during the day by eating frequent smaller feedings that are high in nutrients, protein and essential oils.

* Follow a targetted supplement strategy designed by a performance specialist or natural health professional who can identify some of your unique nutritional needs.

* Set yourself up for rest and relaxation in the evenings through means other than food or alcohol such as herbal teas such as chammomile, taking a hot epsom salt bath or exchanging massages by candlelight and ambiant music with your partner.

* Replace high calorie, high sugar favorite evening foods with more appropriate options that will help you reach your goals while satisfying your need for comfort foods such as Chocolate Coconut Protein Pudding.

Chocolate Coconut Protein Pudding

1/2 cup coconut milk (canned, frothy kind)
1/2 scoop chocolate whey protein powder
1/2 tsp cocoa powder
1-2 packets Splenda (optional)

Just put all in a small bowl and mix until smooth and savour each heavenly bite.

Now it's time for you to survive the Danger Zone!

Come up with half a dozen evening treats that comply with your nutrition rules or habits, your lifestyle, goals and likes/dislikes.

Feel free to share them here in COMMENTS.

Green Eggs & Ham!

I always say "this is my best recipe ever!", but this one is up there.

GREEN EGGS & HAM SANDWICH

5 eggs
4 tbsp ground flax
1/3 cup oatmeal or oat bran
1 tsp celtic sea salt
1/2 tsp Herbamare
1/2 tsp black pepper
2-3 cups fresh spinach

Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth. Let sit 5 minutes to thicken. Cook as you would a pancake on a griddle coated in thin layer of olive oil. When bubbles appear, flip and cook other side for 1-2 minutes.

Use these green pancakes as your bread. The more spinach you add the greener they will get. Make a sandwich with 2 slices nitrate free ham & mustard.

What's great about these is that you can bring them as a snack as is and you are getting your protein, veggies and healthy fats all in one. How easy it is to be compliant with this recipe!

I qualify a recipe as rocking if it is EASY, YUMMY and COMPLIANT.

What does COMPLIANT mean?

Well, it complys with or fits with my nutrition habits. These are proven results-oriented nutrition habits that keep a body a lean, mean, high performance machine.

My "rules" of nutrition are adapted from a slew of influences over the past 10 years, but primarily Dr. John Berardi PhD (Precision Nutrition) and Charles Poliquin (adaptation of Paleo Diet).

Krista's Modifications on the Habits of Successful Eating

1. Eat every 2-3 hours
2. Eat complete, lean protein at each feeding
3. Eat vegetables and/or fruit at each feeding (veggies preferred)
4. Eat healthy fats at each feeding with a good balance between various essential oils and typs of dietary fats (includes nuts/seeds)
5. Consume other "clean" carbs in moderation such as ancient / pseudo grains (includes rice and water seeds), beans & legumes and root vegetables (squash, sweet potatoes, yams)
6. Consume high sugar (high glycemic load) foods around your workout window of opportunity

THE WORKOUT WINDOW

The type, timing and amount of carbs you get to cosume around your workouts is individual and dependant on a number of factors such as your GOALS, BODY FAT, BIOSIGNATURE PROFILE (to name a few). Some can have as much as 100 grams of carbohydrates PRE, PERI (during) and POST workout while others may only get 20 grams of carbohydrates post-workout.

The workout nutrition is determined by a performance or nutrition specialist such as those at the Defining Edge High Performance team. Contact us at info@definingedge.ca to learn more about our services and how we can help you find out your personalized nutrition and workout protocols.

7. Eat mostly whole foods and calorie free liquids (note: milk and unsweetened milk alternatives are counted as a food, not a liquid in my books)

Defining Edge Client Follows Coaches Footsteps to Arnolds!

Peggy Rainbow - Arnold's 2010 Bodybuilding Competitor

Defining Edge Fitness is very pleased to announced that High Performance distance client, Peggy Rainbow, will be competing in the light weight division. This will be Peggy's first international level competition. She will be following her coach's footsteps. Krista competed at the Arnolds last year and took 5th place.


Krista at Arnolds 2009 (Prejudging)

You can see Krista featured here in this year's promotional video.

The Arnold Amateur IFBB Bodybuilding Championships will be held in conjuction with the Arnolds Sports Exposition from March 4th to 7th. Prejudging will be held Friday March 5th starting at 9 am and Finals the following day starting at 10:00 am in the main expo hall.

Come out and support Peggy and take in all the events at this historic sports & fitness event. You may even run into the Terminator himself!