Plant Protein!!

I'm always on the look out for good products that have low carbs, no sugar and lots of nutrients! This one fits the bill!

I received an email last week from The Green Smoothie Girl and she's promoting the kick off of her new Plant-Based Protein powder!! and for the next week she has a sale, BUY 2 Get 1 FREE!! i decided to give it a a try, because i was planning on getting more Atkins shakes last week anyway. The nice think about this plant based protein mix is that it doesn't have ANY sugar in it (and the Atkins one does.) Also, it has a total of 2 Net Carbs!  (score!) It's slightly sweetened by Stevia which doesn't effect your blood sugar!

The powder come in Vanilla, Strawberry and Chocolate. I've tried all and they are not the most tasty shakes I've ever had, but i really feel satisfied and I have lots of energy. My favorite is the Strawberry! you can mix it with water but i use 8 oz of Unsweetened Almond Milk!

if you'd like to check it out click HERE .

Side note: With the buy 2 get 1 sale each serving comes out to be $0.79! can't beat that!

Is Sugar Toxic?

Here is an awesome article to check out... http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/magazine/mag-17Sugar-t.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all&_moc.semityn.www

Yes/No guidelines on What to Eat!

YES

SHORT VERSION—You can eat as much as you like of the following foods:

Meat, fish, birds; All green vegetables; Eggs; Cheese; Fruit (except bananas & grapes)

DETAIL—When you are hungry, eat your choice of the following foods.  You do not have to limit quantities deliberately, but you should stop eating when you feel full.

Meat: 

Beef

Hamburger

Steak

Pork

Ham

Bacon

Lamb

Veal

Sausage (<1g carb)

Pepperoni (<1g carb)

Hot dogs (<1g carb)

Poultry: 

Chicken

Turkey

Duck

Other fowl

Fish & Shellfish:  

Any fish, including

Tuna

Salmon

Catfish

Bass

Trout

Shrimp

Scallops

Crab

Lobster

Eggs: 

Whole eggs are permitted without restriction.

Must be eaten daily:

Salad greens:  >2 C/day 

(If it is a leaf, you may eat it.)

Arugula, Bok choy, Cabbage, Chard, Chives, Endive, Greens (incl all varieties, beet, collards, mustard, & turnip), Kale, Lettuce, Parsley, Spinach, Radicchio, Radishes, Scallions, Watercress

Vegetables:  1 cup/day. 

Artichokes, Asparagus, Broccoli, Brussel sprouts, Cauliflower, Celery, Cucumber, Eggplant, Green beans, Jicama, Leeks, Mushrooms, Okra, Onions, Peppers, Pumpkin, Shallots, Snow peas, Sprouts, Sugar snap peas, Summer squash, Tomatoes, Rhubarb, Wax beans, Zucchini

Boullion:  2 cups/day, as needed for sodium replenishment. Clear broth (consommé) is strongly recommended, unless you are on a sodium-restricted diet for hypertension or heart failure.

Other miscellaneous guidance:

Beverages:  Water!!  Essence-flavored seltzers; 3 C max of coffee or caffeinated diet soda.

Cheese:  up to 4 ozs/day.  Check the label; carb count <1 g/serving.

Cream:  up to 4 TB/day. Incl heavy, light, or sour cream (not half & half).

Mayo:  up to 4 TB/day. Duke’s & Hellmann’s are low-carb.

Olives (black or green): 6 max

Avocado: up to ½ per day

Lemon/Lime Juice:  up to 4 t/day

Soy sauces: up to 4 TB/day.  Kikkoman is a low-carb br&.

Pickles, Dill or Sugar-Free: up to 2 servings/day.  Mt. Olive.  Check labels for carbs & serving sizes.

Snacks:  Pork rinds/skins; pepperoni slices; ham, beef, turkey, & other meat roll-up; deviled eggs.

Fats & oils: Olive oil, peanut oil, butter.  Avoid margarine & other hydrogenated (trans fats).

Salad dressings:  Oil & vinegar w/ lemon juice & spices.  Bluecheese, ranch, Caesar, & Italian if <1 – 2 g of carbs/serving.  Avoid “lite.”

Sweeteners:  Splenda, Truvia, Nutrasweet, Sweet ‘N Low

NO

SHORT VERSION—Strictly avoid the following foods:

Bread & everything else made with flour; Cereals, including breakfast cereals & milk puddings; Potatoes & all other white root vegetables; Foods containing sugar; All sweets

Carbohydrates

No sugars & no starches; only nutritionally dense, fiber-rich vegetables on “YES” list.

Sugars:

White sugar

Brown sugar

Honey

Maple syrup

Molasses

Corn syrup

High fructose corn syrup

Beer

Milk

Flavored yogurts

Fruit juice

Fruit

Starches:

Grains (even “whole” grains)

Rice

Cereals

Flour

Cornstarch

Breads

Pastas

Muffins

Bagels

Crackers

Slow-cooked beans (pinto, lima, black)

Carrots

Parsnips

Corn

Peas

Potatoes

French fries

potato chips

Other tips:  Avoid “fat-free,” “lite,” & “great for low-carb diets” labels.

Broken down suggested list from 

"Why We Get Fat, and What to Do About It."

Ketone Sticks

In keeping with my low-carb diet, I've been using these Ketone Sticks! It's a fun motivator to see how I'm doing each week!! below is some information I've read about them and the function!

How do the ketone test strips work, and where can I get them?
 
Ketone urine-testing strips, also called Ketostix or just ketone sticks ... are small plastic strips that have a little absorptive pad on the end. This contains a special chemical that will change colour in the presence of ketones in the urine. The strips may change varying shades of pink to purple, or may not change colour at all. The container will have a scale on the label, with blocks of colour for you to compare the strip after a certain time lapse, usually 15 seconds. Most folks simply hold a strip in the flow of urine. Other folks argue that the force of the flow can "wash" some of the chemical away, and advise that a sample of urine be obtained in a cup or other container, then the strip dipped into it.
The chemical reagent is very sensitive to moisture, including what's in the air. It's important to keep the lid of the container tightly closed at all times, except for when you're getting a strip to take a reading. Make sure your fingers are dry before you go digging in! They also have an expiry date, so make note of this when you purchase the strips ... that's for the UNopened package. Once opened, they have a shelf-life of about 6 months -- you may wish to write the date you opened on the label for future reference.
Ketone test strips can be purchased at any pharmacy, (i got mine at Wal-Mart) and are usually kept with the diabetic supplies. In some stores they're kept behind the counter, so if you don't see them on the shelf, just ask the pharmacist; you don't need a prescription to buy them.

http://www.lowcarb.ca/tips/tips011.html

The Low-Carb Food Pyramid