Shakeology Feature Ingredient- Amaranth

Amaranth

Health Benefits of Amaranth!

        Cholesterol – The oils and phytosterols in amaranth help lower cholesterol levels, including LDL (bad cholesterol) and triglycerides.

        Inflammation – The anti-inflammatory properties of amaranth can ease pain and reduce inflammation. This is especially important for chronic conditions where inflammation erodes at health, such as diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.

         Cancer – The same peptides in amaranth that protect against inflammation may also help prevent cancer. The antioxidants in this grain may also help protect cells from damage that can lead to cancer.

         Blood Pressure – The fiber and phytonutrients in amaranth lower blood pressure according to some recent studies. This grain tackles cholesterol, inflammation, and blood pressure, making it all around a good food for heart health.

          Protein – Amaranth is a very rich source of protein and this protein is also very bioavailable. The protein in amaranth is more digestible than other grains and has been compared to the digestibility of milk protein.

6     Lysine – Vegetables and grains are often lacking in this essential amino acid. Amaranth has a good amount of lysine which helps the body absorb calcium, build muscle, and produce energy.

7       Fiber – Amaranth is a high fiber food. This makes it filling and means it aids digestive health, cholesterol, blood pressure, and slows the absorption of sugars to let the body keep up with energy production.

8       Minerals – Amaranth is a very rich source of minerals like calcium, magnesium, and copper. It is also a good source of zinc, potassium, and phosphorus. These build strong bones and muscles, aid hydration, boost energy, and are vital in thousands of processes. 

       Vitamins – Amaranth is also a good source of many essential vitamins including A, C, E, K, B5, B6, folate, niacin, and riboflavin. These act as antioxidants, raise energy, control hormones, and much more.

      Immune System – Amaranth may boost immune function according to some studies, probably thanks to the potent vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

  

Gray Hair – Amaranth helps prevent premature graying, mainly due to the minerals.

Amaranth has a modest amount of oxalic acid. It should be avoided or only moderately used by those with gout, kidney problems, or rheumatoid arthritis.

Interesting Fact:

This tiny- but- powerful food is actually a seed! Like quinoa, amaranth is not technically a grain but is the seed of the amaranth plant. One plant can produce up to 60,000 seeds. Great alternative when cooking for those who are celiac or gluten- intolerant. Amaranth is a complete protein, because it contains all the essential amino acids. It’s protein content is about 13 percent, or 26 grams per cup, which is much higher than for most other grains. To compare, a cup of long-grain white rice has just 13 grams of protein. Amaranth can be used in place of grains in recipes for those who are celiac or gluten- intolerant. 

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**Special thank you to Huffington Post and SunWarrior for the above research**

No Bake Caramel Almond Energy Bites

Ingredients

• 1/2 500 gram package of pitted dates
• 1 cup quick oats
• 1/2 cup almond butter
• 2 scoops of vanilla Shakeology or protein powder of your choice
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/3 cup tablespoons slivered almonds
• 1/4 cup coconut
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon of caramel extract

Preparation

1. Place all ingredients into food processor and blend. Depending on consistency of the products you use you may need to add a little bit of water. This batch I added about a 1/4 cup
2. Using your hands, press firmly to form one-inch balls. If too sticky you can use some extra protein powder on your hands to help when rolling.
3. Place in air-tight container and refrigerate until serving.

Tip N Trick' These freeze well, so you may want to make extras. 

Oh Carbs..... you sneaky little devils!

For over a year now I have been enjoying and living the most consistent foodie lifestyle of my lifetime- Paleo! I began my journey 15 months ago entering into the Paleo world following the Whole 30 and wow was it ever a life changer! I dropped 16" within the first 30 days and lost around 25-30 lbs within the first 2-3 months. I had finally found my dream foodie lifestyle and it has been for the majority of this past year and almost a half   BUT.... as time has continued my weight loss has stalled, my energy levels have begun to plummet. Now apart of this is not necessarily Paleo itself but my personal choices of limiting starchy carbs ie sweet potatoes (I can only eat so many) and the fact that I am not a huge fruit person which in turn left me on a permanent low carb venture (routinely below 20%) Can you say Carb Fog?! 

Over the last few months I have been experiencing ridiculously low levels of energy, my brain has been in a permanent fog and thank goodness for the creation of pre-workout and coffee or I might have just elected to nap on the floor versus hit a workout. 

• Your workouts are beginning to slip
• Recovering from your workouts is becoming harder
• Feeling that brain fog
• Irregularity (TMI)
• Adrenal Fatigue

So now what do I do..... This past week I was tired, frustrated and decided it was time to just listen to my body and reintroduce carbs. Now I have reintroduced carbs twice before and both times it hasn't been a good experience. This time I am yet again feeling that fluffiness that comes from eating carbs but my oh my--- ENERGY and my brain functions! Is this how normal people feel?! 

I am excited and scared all at the same time as I head into my next foodie journey- playing with Carb Cycling! I know my body enjoys those moments when my carbs are low >> insert fat for fuel and hello weight loss! I also know now that my body needs those carbs to power me through my workouts and give me that much needed brain function. Excited yes but as in all journey's it's also scary to trust in the process.... did I mention that I am trusting this process with a trip to Mexico coming up in less then a month! Yikes! I have decided I am either going to Mexico with a 5lb weight loss or I am going with 5-10 lbs surplus! Only the future will tell but I do know it's time for me to make a change for better health and my long-term success is way more important then postponing it in fear of one trip looming that involves sand, sun, surf and gasp a bikini! I got this and most importantly I have faith and am excited!! It's amazing what can happen when your brain functions?! 

Creating Your "OWN" nutritional lifestyle choice?!

I jumped into the 21 Day Fix program as an experiment. Wanting to continue my knowledge and experimenting with ways to continue to perfect my own nutrition and food lifestyle choices. Going in I knew I was going to have to make adjustments as I am mainly Paleo So the lovely yellow container affords me sweet potatoes, my treat of almond milk and my 2 pieces of chocolate. At least I still get a few good things. 

When I originally went Paleo I followed the Whole 30 route and truly recommend that to everyone but that's a separate blog. Within a couple weeks of the whole 30 I started experiencing light headnesses, dizziness when standing etc. My response was to just power through as I was near the end of the thirty days (I'm not always super smart) once I began living a dirty paleo lifestyle I was able to get my BP issues in order mainly with yes I'm going to be honest potato chips- salt, salt and more salt! Good quality gluten-free real potato chips! Maybe not my best choice but it worked like a hot damn. 

Now entering into the beginning stages of the 21 Day Fix I was hit with my symptoms in less then 24 hours. Ridiculous amounts of dizziness, feeling like I was in a brain fog and even moments where I was concerned that I was going to black out. So I returned to my tried and true my Potato Chips. In a much smaller controlled quantity and started adding sea salt to my morning water. I saw some improvement but not enough to be safe. 21 Day Fix allows for carbs and although many items on the list are a still a no for me due to how they make me feel I decided to play a little bit. Finally I am out of my brain fog, my issues of light headnesses are less frequent but my stomach isn't happy. I am near the end of my first round and experiment of the 21 Day Fix. I have already started the reflection period and planning how I'm going to continue to play and create that perfect nutritional lifestyle that matches my body! 

My second round is going to consist of putting together what I love best of both lifestyle choices! For me the 21 Day Fix is the ultimate in accountability for me to eat my veggies! I need that accountability! I'm not a huge fruit eater so everyone's favourite purple is a work in progress for me and I will be aiming to hit half of my purple goal daily.  Now the paleo side of life.... I love how my body responds and performs using fat as it's primary fuel source. Unfortunately for me the 21 day Fix is limited on its allowable containers of fat. That is an area that I will be adjusting to fit my own personal nutritional needs. 

In researching other people who have experienced similar issues I have found some additional ideas and one that makes me smile! Carbs are still an important piece of the puzzle so I will be adding more sweet potatoes, pumpkin, using fruit for its carbs qualities and the exciting part I'm going to be including some white rice into my weekly meal planning! Oh yes you read right..... Formally known as white death will be joining my nutritional plan. I have no poor side effects from it and it's a food I love! I will also be making it a focus to complete my daily sea salt added to my morning water ritual. 

My long winded get to the point! Life is an experiment and so is our nutrition. Everyone's body works in a different way and has it's own side effects. No one cookie cutter style of nutrition works for everyone. Take the time to experiment and actually get to know your body! Complete a detox and clean up your system then add one food group at a time seeing how your body responds? Keep a diary if you need too? It's a very empowering process to actually be aware and learn what your body is trying to tell you! Be creative and create "your" own nutritional code that works for YOU! 

UPDATE!

Results from my Round 2 on the 21 Day Fix with Paleo inspiration! 

Down 8 lbs and lost 2" off my waist and an 1" off both my chest and hips! Oh yeah baby!