You know what they say, 60% of changing your body happens in the kitchen, not the gym.  To make sure you’re doing you’re part when you’re outside of the gym, you’ve got to make sure you’re eating healthy.  But how do you know if you’re eating healthy?  Companies are well aware of how health-conscious consumers are becoming, and are going to great lengths to ensure their products look, sound, and taste healthy.  You can’t take things at face value anymore, you’ve got to dig deeper and make sure the things you’re putting into your body are ACTUALLY healthy, and not counteracting the efforts you’ve been putting in at the gym.  Take a look at this  featured article from out nutrition scientist, Dr. PK Newby for a better idea on how to eat in a better, and more informed, way.

The Whole (Grain) Truth

I’ve discussed whole grains in a number of my posts in the past few weeks, including a summer tomato sandwich, whole grain raspberry pancakes, creamy corn polenta, and spaghetti puttanesca.  The topic was a big part of my piece comparing the USDA’s MyPlate to Harvard’s Healthy Plate and came up again this week in one of my classes. It seemed a good idea to take some time to define whole grains, show why they’re better for you, summarize why it matters, and help you identify some good food choices.

Indeed, whole grains have become quite the buzz word in nutrition in the past decade or so. Whenever that happens, the food industry jumps on the opportunity to put new products on the supermarket shelves.  This has advantages and disadvantages. On one hand, you have more choices than ever in trying to get more whole grains into your diet. And you should, a point I’ll return to shortly. On the other hand, foods that contain whole grains don’t necessarily mean they’re healthy. Breakfast cereals and granola bars are often made with whole grains, for example, but are still loaded in sugar.  Finally, you can’t assume a food is whole grain just by its color. (Insert your favorite metaphor here about looking beneath the surface, appearances can be misleading, you can’t judge a grain by its color – whatever works for you.) Yes – GASP! – you need to actually read the ingredients to sort it out.

To read the full article, click here.

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Matt

Co-Founder at Share It Fitness

Matt has been involved in the fitness industry for over 10 years and has worked with, and helped countless individuals improve their lives. After college, Matt started his fitness career working in the trenches as a personal trainer for a big corporate gym. It was here he saw how impersonal Big Fitness really was. Clients weren't people, they were just sales waiting to be made. After branching out and starting his own personal training business in San Diego, Matt soon developed the idea of Share It Fitness and started our (now highly successful) blog. A fitness junkie himself, Matt knows the importance of incorporating exercise into your life. When he isn't working at Share It Fitness, you can find Matt running, biking, taking yoga, or pumping iron around San Diego.

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