Macro-Friendly Meal Prep Breakfasts

I get a ton of requests for macro-friendly meal prep recipes, so that’s what I’ve got for you today – starting with the first meal of the day: breakfast! From eggs to oats to breakfast cookies, there’s a mix of sweet and savory recipes to keep your breakfast game exciting and delicious!

Macro-Friendly Meal Prep Breakfast Recipes

Healthy Broccoli & Parmesan Hash Brown Bake

This healthier hash brown bake with broccoli, egg whites, and parmesan is a delicious way to get in a serving of veggies and protein. It’s all sorts of tasty and perfect for meal prep or serving a crowd. 

Overnight Peanut Butter Protein Oats

This overnight oats recipe with powdered peanut butter and Greek yogurt is perfect for steamy summer mornings. All you need to do is grab a spoon and dig in. Easy as that!

Meal Prep Ninja Cookies

These chewy Meal Prep Ninja Breakfast Cookies taste like carrot cake, and are full of wholesome ingredients, fiber, and protein. Plus, they make for an easy breakfast or grab-and-go snack! 

Overnight Mocha Protein Oats

Get your day started with a buzz with these meal prep mocha overnight oats made with coffee and chocolate protein powder. They’re not only easy to throw together, but high in protein, macro-friendly, and gluten-free.

Meal Prep Breakfast Cookie

Breakfast cookies made with oats, collagen, and flax… not only are they delicious, but they’re “durable”, too. They hold up to heavy toppings like nut butter and cottage cheese, and don’t explode into a million pieces as you eat it. They’re quite the hearty cookie! 

Honey, Stay-in-Bed Bread Pudding

Made with whole grain bread, vanilla Greek yogurt, low-fat milk, honey, vanilla protein powder, and cinnamon, this breakfast is just as satisfying as it is delicious. I use Sundays to meal prep lots of veggies and meats, but also breakfast. It’s so easy to mix up a few batches and store in the refrigerator. Just grab and go for a fuss-free morning!

More recipes: 6 Protein-Packed Make-Ahead Breakfasts for Busy Mornings

Do you have a favorite macro-friendly meal prep breakfast recipe?

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What Is Hydration? (Part 1)

 

 

This will be part 1 of a multi-part series for everyone, but in particular, the USA Weightlifting community.

If one were to look for a topic that most people agree upon in performance athletics, hydration might be one of the few topics that does not produce a fistfight or an interaction that looks as unruly as typical Youtube comments. From mainstream medicine to alternative health practitioners, “hydration” is something that is generally agreed to be a good thing. 

But what IS hydration?  

Most people, when asked the question above, will correctly associate hydration with water, but this is at best only half of the story. In chemistry, “hydration” is defined as something like this:
The process of combining a substance chemically with water molecules.

This is actually a helpful insight, as proper hydration from a health and performance perspective is concerned not only with water, which plays a remarkable number of roles: from improving cardiac output due to proper fluid volume, aiding in proper joint health by keeping synovial fluids at optimum levels, and, of course, helping us to maintain a healthy temperature range via sweating. An often-overlooked piece of the story, however, is the role of electrolytes in hydration.

Electrolytes are ionic forms of metal (for the most part) that are mainly composed of calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium (as well as their counter-ion, typically something like chloride or bicarbonate. Table salt (sodium chloride), for example, can be written as NaCl when in the dry form we use to season our food, and is written as Na+ Cl- when dissolved in a medium such as water. Electrolytes are not just important to hydration, they are at the very root of how all life functions. Not only do the relative amounts and ratios of electrolytes allow water to actually get into tissues and cells, the machinery that produces energy in everything from our heart, thigh muscles, and movement of bacteria rely on electrolytes. 

Proper hydration is clearly important, but the tendency to overlook the electrolyte piece of this story can lead to a lot of misery. Far too many people assume that all they need to do is just drink more water. Unfortunately, that’s not the case, and simply drinking more water can, in fact, make an already bad situation worse. This is a great article from MDAlert that is pretty eye-opening https://www.mdalert.com/article/every-year-more-athletes-are-injured-by-hyponatremia-than-dehydration

From the article:

“The Myths of Dehydration and Heat Illnesses

• The primary cause of hyponatremia in athletes is drinking too much water.
• The incidence of hyponatremia appears to be between 13% and 15% among endurance athletes.
• Sodium supplementation has no effect on the occurrence of hyponatremia.
• There seems to not be a single case of death resulting from sports-related dehydration in the medical literature.

Every summer in the United States, athletes die and suffer neurologic complications from drinking too much. The U.S. Army has seen the same result in a percentage of soldiers. The culprit is hyponatremia, and the data suggest that the primary cause is simply drinking too much water.

Hyponatremia is a condition of too little sodium in the body, specifically the blood. Unfortunately, about 50 years ago, sodium was thrown under the proverbial bus as a problem for health and wellness. This coincided with the fairly unscientific suggestion to “drink more water,” and the result has been decreased performance for many, and illness or death for some. All from mistaking hydration as simply meaning “water.” 

In future installments we will look at what some of the health concerns are surrounding electrolytes, especially sodium. It may be that some well-intentioned advice was…well, “wrong.” We will also look at how much, what types, and where we can get the electrolytes (and by extension, hydration) we need to live and perform better. 

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Weekly Link Love — Episode 44

Research of the Week

Statins increase Lp(a).

In mice, a high-fat maternal diet protects against Alzheimer’s in the offspring.

Neanderthals ranged into western Iran.

Among Chinese seniors living in an elderly community, higher LDL predicts lower rates of dementia.

Heated canola oil worsens gut inflammation.

Dairy still has no relation to mortality.

New Primal Blueprint Podcasts

Episode 368: Bela Gandhi: Host Elle Russ chats with dating expert Bela Gandhi.

Episode 369: Q&A with Brad: Host Brad Kearns answers questions about gaining weight on keto, a military success story, and more.

Primal Health Coach Radio, Episode 24: Andrew Sillitoe comes on the podcast to discuss practicing what you preach, structuring effective client offers, and the importance of taking action.

Each week, select Mark’s Daily Apple blog posts are prepared as Primal Blueprint Podcasts. Need to catch up on reading, but don’t have the time? Prefer to listen to articles while on the go? Check out the new blog post podcasts below, and subscribe to the Primal Blueprint Podcast here so you never miss an episode.

Media, Schmedia

Because it has a few grams of saturated fat, olive oil misses out on a “healthy” rating in Australia.

Extreme athletes tend to have bad teeth.

Interesting Blog Posts

Peter wonders if “loss of the gene for lipoprotein lipase, or similar loss, might not have been a big deal when humans lived by eating elephants. Or even until corn oil took off as a cholesterol lowering scam.”

Social Notes

I agree with some of these “healthiest pantry staples” on Amazon.

Interesting thread on atherosclerosis.

Everything Else

Turkish beekeeper makes lemonade.

Dutch consumers form a “people’s farm.” Good idea.

Viking winter sports.

Worrying figure.

Things I’m Up to and Interested In

Study result that people need to hear: Protein intake has no effect on kidney function in healthy adults.

Concept I found interesting: Human emotions as personal narratives. And how aging affects the narratives we create for ourselves.

I can see it now: Statins for crows.

ATM I’d use: Salmon ATM.

This was a cool podcast: The ultimate lipid podcast with Dave Feldman and Siobhan Huggins.

Question I’m Asking

Have you noticed a shift in the way people in everyday life approach health, fitness, diet, and lifestyle?

Recipe Corner

• This doesn’t get a link because it’s incredibly simple: frozen watermelon slices. If you want to get crazy, dip them in a mix of salt, cayenne, and lime juice.
• Carnivore pizza.

Time Capsule

One year ago (Aug 25– Aug 31)

• What Can Heat Do For Your Health? – Well, what can it?
• Are Your Children Sleep-Deprived?– Quite possibly.

Comment of the Week

“Good work Mark – Why is TMAO linked to kidney and heart disease?
The TMAO that is soi linked is being made from trimethyl-lysine, TML.
TML is formed in the body when cells are trying to make carnitine,
If this doesn’t happen, the TML can be converted to TMAO.
TML seems to be a better predictor of heart disease as TMAO.
It looks to me that TMAO can be a sign of diseases that lead to carnitine insufficiency, rather than the other way round
https://academic.oup.com/eurheartj/article-abstract/40/32/2700/5477386?redirectedFrom=fulltext”

– Great work, George. You always find interesting connections.

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3 Simple Ways To Live Better, Now.

Our world is busy.

The To Do list is perpetual. And it seems like the last thing on said list is to take care of your body and health—which is quite messed up for many reasons. But that’s what our society places value on! 

Since we likely leave little time to give back to ourselves, I really like the notion of finding maximum return on investment with diet and lifestyle interventions. 

So I like to think of it this way: 

What are simple, actionable things we can do to live better and longer?

I believe that the following three things can make a HUGE difference in your life. 

It’s nothing revolutionary, nothing that will take a ton of time and effort out of your day. Just a few tweaks that have big impact. 

1. Eliminate Liquid Calories

 

Folks consume a jaw-dropping amount of calories and sugar in everything from coffee drinks to juices, sodas, and alcoholic beverages.

Liquid calories are particularly problematic as they do not really make us feel full and they are incredibly easy to over do. You’re satiated through the foods you eat, not the nutrient-devoid sugar calories. 

It will do you good to eliminate all liquid calories (or as many as you can!). 

2. Get Enough Protein. 

Protein has become the macronutrient everyone from keto followers to vegans love to hate. There’s a lot of theorizing about how “excess protein can accelerate aging.”

It’s outside the scope of this article to go deeply into this topic, but if you want to learn more about this, check out this video.

If you don’t get adequate protein more days than not, the following happens:

Folks tend to overeat.

Protein is the most satiating macronutrient, and if one is eating a keto diet one will tend to overeat fat, while an under-proteined vegan will tend to overeat carbs. 

As we age we need more protein, not less. Perhaps the most critical asset we have to stave off aging is our lean muscle mass, and few things accelerate age related sarcopenia (loss of muscle) like inadequate protein. 

 

3. Do Some Strength Work. 

Get in some good type of strength work ideally most days, but at minimum 3 days per week. 

And it doesn’t have to be long. If you can get in a good 30-45 minutes of full body lifting circuit 3-5 times a week you’ll be keeping and building muscle mass.

That can be just 1.5 hours / week total! 

As an extension of my point above related to protein intake and muscle mass, if one does even a brief, full body strength session a few times per week it can reverse what we call biological aging by decades. 

Keep your muscle mass and resist aging! 

 

So that’s it. 

3 simple, straightforward things to easily incorporate into your daily life. 

They won’t add extra hours of stress or even too much thought. But they will add a lot of value, whether you’re looking to lose weight, prevent aging, or just be a healthier you. 

Do you have any easy tweaks that made a difference in your life? Share in comments below

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Piggy Backin’

Happy Friday! And happy three-day weekend! I never know if Thomas is going to take off holidays or not (depends on his workload) so I actually haven’t heard if it will be a three-dayer for our fam, but I hope so. Either way we have a party to attend and a few fun things planned

Here is a recap of our week!

Monday: Pink Patio Party

I hosted a girls night on Monday with a pink theme: rosé and Beautycounter and pink outfits.

Because it was a Monday (random day I know, but it just worked best for calendars!) it was low-key and casual.

I did make a pretty cheese plate that was DEMOLISHED by my friends! Love it.

We talked and talked and passed around some products so they could smell/feel/try them out. Everyone loved Countertime!

Free Body Butter This Weekend

If you haven’t heard, there is a free gift with purchase going on: spend $150 and get a free Body Butter in Citrus Mimosa (worth $39). I’m ordering some things myself because I really want to try it!

Tuesday: Soccer + Trout

On Tuesday we had Mazen’s first soccer practice of the season. He did so well getting ready and heading right out on the field. (We often have trouble with ‘new things.’) His teammates and coaches are the same, so that helped!

Birch and I sat in the grass eating Peanut Butter Bambas and cheering him on!

We had trout with beans and mushrooms and corn for dinner.

Look at that big boy putting his dish in the dishwasher without prompting! Go Mazen!

Wednesday: Baths + Blueberries

Bath tub = play pen! This is how I shower now. It was all fun and games until he realized he could stand up and reach the faucet!! Luckily he was a good listener when I said “no” and I was out of the shower by this point. The toys kept him entertained for the first 5 minutes!

Blueberries + oatmeal + peanut butter for breakfast

We had a new sitter start this week and I was able to go to strength class on Wednesday, which was such a treat. Thomas took an early lunch break so it was the first time we had done the class together since I was pregnant!

Kale salad + leftover ravioli + avocado

Plenty stuffed peppers + cornbread + wilted kale

I’m prepping this post on Thursday AM so it can go up on Friday so I have nothing to report for Thursday! Hope it was a good day – haha.

Teleties

These are so fun I just have to share! Hope you saw them in my Insta Stories earlier this week. Teleties = the modern scrunchie. So cute and come in so many designs! I ordered a small in the Millennial Pink (naturally). No sagging pony tail here!

That’s a wrap!

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The Friday 5

Hi, friends! Happy Friday and Labor Day weekend to you!

And just like that the summer is over. I’m truly sad to the core because summer is my favorite season of the year, BUT I’m excited to get back into a routine again. I always thought I was someone who enjoyed not having a schedule, but I actually kind of like the routine of the school year. Anyone else?

I know Mal is more than ready to get back to a routine. He’s SUCH a creature of habit and thrives on a schedule. I make fun of him because he’s literally eaten the exact same breakfast (eggs with toast, a Greek yogurt, and iced coffee) before school for 13 years now, but it works for him! 🙂 And, of course, we’re excited for Quinn to start Kindergarten next week. I can’t believe our sweet boy is already off to school! Oh, my Mumma heart…

I also wanted to tell you guys about an awesome local event called the Ride for Kids, which benefits Rodman for Kids, an umbrella  charity raising funds for youth-focused social-service organizations that support at-risk children in Massachusetts. Rodman for Kids and its affiliated charities fundraise year-round, culminating with the Ride for Kids event, a 25 and 50-mile noncompetitive cycling tour, each fall. Their mission is to have every kid in our community live as we would want our own kids to live.

Affiliated Charities raise funds through corporate sponsorship, foundations, individual donors and ridership. The expenses associated with the Ride for Kids are about 2% of the total revenue, and they are all underwritten by Rodman Ford. When you donate to the Ride for Kids, 100% of your donation will directly benefit at-risk kids! It’s the #1 single-day athletic fundraiser in the nation supporting at-risk kids.

Riders have the option of the 25 mile route or the 50 mile route and can ride as an individual or as a team! Each rider must raise a minimum of $1,500. They could also register as a “virtual rider” (some examples are taking X number of spin classes leading up to the ride, walking X number of steps each day, doing 50 push-ups a day, etc. – anything goes really!) They just ask that virtual riders raise a minimum of $500. Here are more details about the ride: 2018 Ride video! If you’re local and looking for a fun fitness challenge this fall, I hope you decide to check out the Ride for Kids!

Teeccino Vanilla Nut Herbal Coffee – A reader actually told me about Teeccino… loving it… drinking it instead of my morning iced coffee somedays. I love the vanilla nut flavor! Definitely a great option if you’re trying to cut back on caffeine and/or coffee. Tip: The grinds taste so much better than the tea bags – much stronger and more flavor. Just brew the grinds like you would coffee in your coffee pot, but just use fewer grinds.

Organic Ashwagandha Root Powder – Funny story about ashwagandha… I actually tried it a few months ago and had great results with it. I definitely felt more relaxed, felt more energized, and just happier over all. I ran out and then never bought more. I kind of forgot about it until chatting with a bartender at The Lodge at Spruce Peak. He mentioned how much he liked ashwagandha for the same reasons I mentioned, so I decided to order it again. (Plus, I was starting to having crazy anxiety again!) As soon as I started taking it again (I add it to my morning Teeccino), I felt better. I didn’t realize how much affect it had on me! Ashwagandha is definitely here to stay this time! I like this particular brand because it’s organic, not crazy expensive, and easily absorbable in powder form.

Quinn microwave popcorn – We lovvvveee Quinn microwave popcorn right now. It’s organic, non-GMO, not made with any funny ingredients, and sooo delicious! Quinn and I especially love the cheddar, but the butter, rosemary + Parmesan, and maple kettlecorn are all seriously delicious! We love snacking on Quinn popcorn for our movie nights!

4. AMEX high-yield savings account – It’s free to open an account, and it’s definitely one of the highest yields (1.9%) I’ve seen for online baking. If your savings account is just sitting there doing nothing, consider moving it over to AMEX. It’s so easy!

5. Fullstar Cutter-Veggie Spiralizer + Vegetable Pro-Food Chopper and Dicer – I know I’ve mentioned this handy-dandy tool in the past, but it truly deserves another mention. Plus, I honestly didn’t think I needed yet another kitchen gadget, but my friend convinced me I needed this chopper. And honestly, it’s been the best $20 I’ve spent in a while. It is a game-changer for meal prep, cutting the time it takes to cut veggies by more than half! You can see it in action in this video.

Flashback Friday

• Slow Cooker Honey Chipotle Chicken Lettuce Wraps 
• Fall Half Marathon Training
• Sports Bra Recommendations for Busty Ladies 
• Oatmeal Banana Chocolate Chip Protein Cookies
• 10 Things I’ve Learned in 10 Years of Marriage

Sales of the Week

• Leith Ruched Body-Con Tank Dress ($45)
• Madewell The Charleston Backpack ($55)
• Madewell Ruffle Sleeve Bib Top ($60)
• Patagonia Better Sweater 1/2-Zip Fleece Jacket ($65)
• Patagonia Prow Bomber Down Vest ($95)
• Lululemon Align Pant II 25″ ($69

 

P.S. If you’re ready to get your diet on track after a fun summer, check out my FREE 5-day macro bootcamp. It’ll teach you the ins and outs of macros to get you started! If you’re interested in working with a coach 1-on-1, our next group of Master Your Macros starts on Monday, September 9th. Registration is now open!

 

This post contains some affiliate links, which means I will earn a small commission from the company if you decide to purchase the product linked to. This compensation helps with expenses to keep CNC up and running. Thank you for your support!

 

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22 Keto Air Fryer Recipes

A special thanks to Courtney Hamilton at Paleohacks.com for today’s keto recipe roundup.

Cook up keto-friendly meat, veggies, chips, and fries in a snap with the air fryer!

The air fryer works similar to a convection oven, and it’s becoming every bit as ubiquitous as the crock pot. It’s a must-have kitchen appliance for when you want to save time while making healthier meals—which you’ll definitely want when you’re on the keto diet.

One of the best parts of using an air fryer is the ability to make deliciously crispy recipes like onion rings or fish sticks—but without any grease.

If you’re new to keto or the air fryer (or both), these 22 recipes for appetizers, sides, healthy snacks, and mains are a great way to get started! Serve it alongside a slice of keto bread, and you’ve got yourself a great fat-burning meal!

1. Air Fryer Keto Onion Rings

These perfectly crispy fried onion rings taste like they came from your favorite restaurant, but without the gluten and grease. Serve it with Paleo mayo for a winning app.

Air Fryer Keto Onion Rings | Wholesome Yum

 

2. Crispy Air Fryer Fish Sticks

Whether you’re cooking for kids or yourself, these golden crispy fish sticks will satisfy every time.

Crispy Air Fryer Fish Sticks | All Day I Dream About Food

3. Keto Air Fryer Meatloaf Sliders

Jazz up Grandma’s meatloaf recipe by making them into sliders. Comfort food meets convenience in this main dish meal that will become a regular in your weekly rotation.

Keto Air Fryer Meatloaf Sliders | A Girl Worth Saving

4. Air Fryer Green Beans with Bacon

Bacon adds a delectable salty and savory flavor to the green beans. It’ll convert even the harshest vegetable hater!

Air Fryer Green Beans with Bacon | Two Sleevers

5. Air Fryer Keto Low-Carb Fried Chicken

Low-carb and grain-free fried chicken? Yes, it’s possible! Serve it with your favorite keto side dish and you’re good to go.

Air Fryer Keto Low-Carb Fried Chicken | Wholesome Yum

6. Air Fryer Salmon Patties

“Fry” up these golden patties and serve them with your favorite veggie chips and avocado for a yummy keto lunch.

Air Fryer Salmon Patties | Berry & Maple

7. Air Fryer Keto Popcorn Chicken

Kids and adults alike will love snacking on these grain-free, crispy bites.

Air Fryer Keto Popcorn Chicken | What Great Grandma Ate

8. Easy Baked Zucchini Chips

Kale chips get lots of attention, but you won’t look back when you try these crispy keto zucchini chips.

Easy Baked Zucchini Chips | Sweet C’s

9. Air Fryer Chicken Breast

You don’t have to worry about dried-out chicken here. This crispy, juicy bird rivals even the Instant Pot® cook quality.

Air Fryer Chicken Breast | Love Food Not Cooking

10. Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts

You don’t need any cooking skills to get these Brussels sprouts perfectly crisp. They’re a great veggie for when you’re craving a hearty dose of nutrients.

Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts | Sustainable Cooks

11. Easy Air Fryer Roasted Broccoli

Speaking of perfectly cooked veggies, this air fryer broccoli is a delicious way to up your veggie intake on a keto diet. You’ll like them even if you aren’t watching your carbs!

Easy Air Fryer Roasted Broccoli | Stay Snatched

12. Crispy Avocado Fries

There’s more to the avocado than guacamole, as proven by these tasty avocado fries. Serve as an appetizer, a snack, or a side dish!

Crispy Avocado Fries | Broke Foodies

13. Keto Air Fryer Shrimp Scampi

You don’t have to hit up a seafood restaurant to get perfectly cooked shrimp scampi. These golden brown shrimp pair nicely with keto onion rings or avocado fries!

Keto Air Fryer Shrimp Scampi | Two Sleevers

14. Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Asparagus

The classic Paleo and keto dish gets an air fryer makeover. You can prep them in just five minutes, and they’re on the table in less than 30 minutes.

Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Asparagus | Monday Is Meatloaf

15. Easy Keto Low-Carb Vegetarian Air Fryer Cauliflower Buffalo Wings

You won’t have trouble boosting your veggie intake with these spicy cauliflower Buffalo bites.

Easy Keto Low-Carb Vegetarian Air Fryer Cauliflower Buffalo Wings | Stay Snatched

16. Air Fryer Steak Bites and Mushrooms

Bust out the air fryer for your next steak night! This recipe cooks juicy mushrooms together with steak bites for an easy meal you’ll come back to time and again.

Air Fryer Steak Bites and Mushrooms | Best Recipe Box

17. Air Fryer Chicken Wings

Whether you want to serve them as a snack, appetizer, or main dish, these chicken wings are crispy, juicy, and finger-licking good.

Air Fryer Chicken Wings | Keto Adapted

18. Air Fryer Garlic Lime Shrimp Kebabs

You don’t need a grill to make kebabs! Coat shrimp with fresh lime for a zesty, savory dish that will definitely wow dinner guests.

Air Fryer Garlic Lime Shrimp Kebabs | Berry & Maple

19. Air Fryer Salmon and Asparagus

Yes, you can make a lighter meal in the air fryer! You’ll save time and dishes when you whip up this easy keto meal that preps and cooks in under 15 minutes.

Air Fryer Salmon and Asparagus | Eat the Gains

20. Air Fryer Kale Chips

Cook a big batch of these keto kale chips and munch on them all week!

Air Fryer Kale Chips | Berry & Maple

21. The Best Air Fryer Whole Chicken

Better than rotisserie and easier than the oven, this whole chicken is great for special occasions. Try small turkeys, too!

The Best Air Fryer Whole Chicken | Recipe Diaries

22. Air Fryer Roasted Asparagus

Season your asparagus however you like, then cook it to perfection in the air fryer.

Air Fryer Roasted Asparagus | Berry & Maple

Thanks again to Courtney Hamilton from Paleohacks.com. Interested in seeing a certain recipe or roundup of a certain category—Primal or Primal-keto? Let us know below!

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Weight Change: Density + Volume

How To Gain Weight

I was talking with a friend about weight change the other day. We were actually discussing ways to gain weight. When you need to gain weight, you can add some extra snacks, but you can only eat so much volume. Your stomach can’t expand beyond a certain point, and you certainly don’t want to walk around uncomfortably stuffed all the time. So what do you do? You increase the energy (a.k.a. calorie) density of your foods. You eat more trail mix or nut butters or smoothies packed with foods higher in calories and lower in water. Rather than watermelon you want to eat dried fruit dehydrated of water but dense in nutrients and calories. Makes perfect sense right?

But what about weight loss?

If the weight gain plan seems so simple, why does the weight loss plan seem so much more complicated? Just like our stomachs can only get so big, they also can’t go empty. We can’t go from eating a usual volume of food to not eating at all. Walking around with a grumbling stomach would also be very uncomfortable and would devoid us of critical nutrients. Thus, instead of focusing on changing the volume of foods you eat, focus on changing the density. Choose foods (like watermelon) that DO have a lot of water and are less dense than those mentioned above. That doesn’t mean you can’t eat protein smoothies and peanut butter, obviously, but you do need to be more mindful of volume – or portion size – when you eat something dense.

Volumetrics

This isn’t a new concept. Barbara Rolls, PhD coined the concept of Volumetrics years ago. Her books teach you how to make choices based on energy and nutrient density. (Read a good overview here.) Volumetrics doesn’t mean eating pounds of celery or whole bags of fat-free popcorn, but it means choosing foods that are high in water and lower in fat (aka calorie density). When you make that swap, you can eat a similar volume and slowly, almost without noticing, lose weight.

There Are Many Factors That Lead To Satiety

• How hungry you were before the meal
• What you drink before and during your meal
• If you sat down at a table and ate mindfully or quickly ate your meal in a parking lot
• How your brain interpreted the sight, smell, texture, and flavor of the meal

The list goes on. The energy density of your meal is not the only factor that determines if you feel satisfied when it’s over. But if you look at the big picture, meals with high density and high volume consumed over and over will be more likely to lead to weight gain. And meals with lower density and high volume will be satisfying and more likely to lead to weight maintenance or loss.

The Balance Of Density and Volume Often Comes Naturally

Don’t overthink it. If you have a huge breakfast buffet, you’re probably going to reach for a lighter lunch without thinking about it. Seasonal eating is also a reflection of this – most of us crave water-based fresh produce in the summer and richer comfort foods in the winter. We make lots of choices all day long about what to eat. Should I have this or that? What am I craving? What sounds good? What needs eating? What is the quickest? Most of us have the freedom and privilege of choice on what to eat every time hunger calls. The sum of these little choices is what changes our weight up and down.

We are the product of the thousands of choices we make all day, every day.

What have you found in you own life experiments? How do you feel when you eat dense foods verses watery foods? Does anything surprise you?

Other Nutrition Posts You Might Enjoy:

• The Squiggly Line Effect
• Revisiting Intuitive Eating
• Nutrition Compromises
• Healthy Habits, Healthy Life
• What Are You Really Hungry For?
• Healthy On The Weekends
• How To Gain And Lose 5 Pounds
• The Crossroads Of Happy And Healthy
• Weight It Out: The Math Behind Holiday Weight Gain

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Healthy French Toast Recipe

This healthy french toast recipe is the perfect replacement for any basic, regular french toast recipe.

Is French toast really French? Does anyone know? I mean, if the French invented this, I think I… Read more →

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