Flavouring your food- Spicy Combinations

A question I often get from students is how to use herbs and spice to flavour there food so it tastes good. Food when eating for fat loss doesn't have to be bland at all if you put some simple thought into your cooking. 

There is a belief and stereotype promoted by some bodybuilder's that you must stick to only to plain chicken breast, tuna, rice and broccoli when on a fat loss mission in order to get in shape. This in my opinion is unnecessary and in fact negative from a health and psychological point of view

It no wonder that most bodybuilder's who follow this kind of regime then after their diet binge on what they perceive to be flavoursome food (Junk). Then again I find that a lot of people who are deep into body building are dealing with some issues relating to their psychology and health is often the last thing on their mind but that's a different topic that is worthy of its own article.

Back to flavouring your food. Here are five tips that I think will help improve the taste of the food that you eat.

Tip 1- Make sure your flavourings are real!

I advice to avoid all ready made sauces as they are heavily processed and normally contain excess sugar and  artificial flavour enhancers. This includes chinese plum and sweet and sour sauces, ready made bolognese or creamy sauses. Organic Passata and tomato puree which is only made from tomatoes is acceptable to use. 

Learn to read the label. If there is something on there that you don't know what it is then avoid it. Anything containing Mono Sodium Glutamate should be avoided like the plague.

I'll use wholegrain mustard for example. A real mustard should contain mustard seeds, vinegar water and salt and not much else. If you look on most mustards in supermarkets they will contain dextroses, flavour enhancers and all sorts of other crap. 

Tip 2 - Use good quality herbs and spices

I would to use organic herbs and spices where possible to get them. Your best bet to find these is at farmers markets. I further recommend to use fresh herbs as the taste they impact is markedly superior to the dried varieties. Fresh herbs are seasonal but can be frozen to extended storage life.

Herbs and spices also provide numerous health benefits as they contain trace amount of micro nutrients and also many have an anti inflammatory or anti parasitical properties.  Here is a good site listing some of the health properties - Health Benefits of Herbs and Spices

Tip 3 - Choose a flavour theme

I find the easiest way to plan flavouring is to stick to an ethnic theme. Here are some of my favourite basic combinations. These of course can be massively expanded on and I understand that I have left out many options.

Indian

Cumin

Coriander

Garam Masala

Turmeric

Chilli Pepper to taste

Thai

Thai 5 spice

Lime or lemon

Garlic

Ginger

Turmeric

Chinese

Garlic

Ginger

Gluten free soy sauce

Italian

Basil

Oregano

Garlic

Tomato Puree

Black Pepper

Sea Salt

Tip 4- If using salt use the right type

I personally highly recommend Pink Salt as it contains more trace minerals and adds a very nice flavour. 

Avoid processed table salt (sodium chloride) as this is chemically made and often contains anti clumping agents which are toxic to the body (aluminium).

Tip 5 - Don't over flavour you food

Practice moderation with the amount of spices you use in your food, its easy to over flavour food and thus ruin its taste. This is especially true for pungent spices used in Indian cooking.

Of course there are many varieties and the above are only some easy basic combinations. You are only really limited to your flavouring by your imagination.

Pretty much any recipe can be modified to fit into your eating whether you are eating a high or low carbohydrate routine. Here is a site I like for some recipe ideas - http://www.paleofood.com/

Fats can be added in appropriate amounts as needed. I recommend to cook with either ghee (clarified butter) or extra virgin coconut oil as both have quite a high smoke point. I would recommend to add extra virgin olive oil or macadamia nut oil to your food at the end as these are damaged by excessive heat.

One book I recommend which gives you lots of information and ideas on the best things to use in your cooking is Jonny Bowden’s The-150-Healthiest-Foods-Earth.

Wrap Up

I'm a bit believer that food is the best medicine and if you base your eating primarily on REAL whole foods that your health will be a lot better. Variety is important to provide a wide range of nutrients. The human body is a incredibly smart organism and if you give your body the right raw materials it will use them in a positive fashion.

A caveat to this is that you still need to eat the appropriate amount of whole foods, you will still put on fat or sabotage your fat loss goals if you eat too much of them for what your body needs.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-150-Healthiest-Foods-Earth/dp/1592332285/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1343461444&sr=8-1

Your results are reflective of the choices you make

A recent observation I made and to me it has been somewhat of a ‘light bulb moment’ in my ever evolving coaching skills is that people often set themselves up mentally for failure before they even begin. This shows up through their language patterns. They affirm that they are going to ‘try’ to do something. They ‘hope’ that their weekend will be good when referring to the foods they consume.

What a student will receive very quickly from me is a proverbial 'splash of cold water in the  face'. I enlighten them to the fact that what happens to us is almost always governed by the choices that we make.

You CHOOSE to consume that extra slice of pizza, it didn’t just jump into your mouth.

You CHOOSE to get drunk and stay out until 4am which then compromises your recovery and leads you to having a shitty workout on Monday morning.

You CHOOSE to react negatively and aggressively to a work colleague because of a mistake they might have made, raising your cortisol levels and making you fatter.

As a wise little green man from a popular science fiction movie once said “do or do not, there is no try”.

This little guy had some wisdom

Yes I accept some events are out of your power to control; for example a train is delayed which makes you late for a meeting. However you always have the power to choose how you react to it.

You can choose to get worked up and pissed off about it or you can choose to take a deep breath and practice some patience. Getting angry is not going to help this particular situation and the latter is going to be more beneficial to regulating you stress hormone levels which is crucial if fat loss is your goal.

The emotional largely governs the physical response when it comes to the stress. A great book on this subject I recommend which goes more into the science being this is ‘Why Zebra’s Don’t get Ulcers’

Another book a highly recommend about choosing your reactions is ‘Man Search for Meaning’ by Victor Frankyl. Its an account of a Austrian Jewish psychiatrist chronicling his experiences as a concentration camp inmate.

It goes to describe how some people chose to give their power away and loose hope and how others despite how awful and terrible their situation was CHOSE to make the most of what they had and remained. The last freedom the Nazi guards couldn’t take away from there was their right to CHOOSE how they feel and reacted to things. 

I find reading this book a real leveller and gives you can give you a sense of perspective. Is loosing your WiFi connection for 60 seconds so tragically bad that you have to get all worked up and stressed out about it??

This is not to say that you should accept and be content with what you have, I understand it takes pain and unhappiness to spur growth and achievement. You often have to be sick to your stomach of something to be ready to change it.

This ‘spark’ could something such as a small comment someone makes about your weight, or maybe more profound such as a doctor telling you that unless you improve your blood results you will likely die in five years. There is always a breaking point where you have absolutely had enough and are ready for change. You reach that point where you are ready to CHOOSE to change you reality.

Are you ready to realise how powerful a being you are and that you are absolutely capable of choosing the successes you make in life? 

Here is a good video I highly recommend you watch- Secrets to Success by Will Smith

Big changes take persistence, patience and hard work, are you ready to CHOOSE to do the work? If so consider getting in touch.

Simple guide to Batch Cooking

As a strength coach and nutrition adviser the biggest complaint I head from students is their ability to be consistent with their eating habits. This is a key area that to get right consistently over a period of time in order to see fantastic results.

Yes I understand that we all work a lot of hours and have family commitments but I doubt that its impossible for someone to find a spare 45 minutes to prepare food if they also can somehow find time to watch their favourite television show or spend an hour on Facebook.

 Preparing multiple meals in advance with just a bit of planning ahead allows you to have the meals ready to eat. With a small bit of planning to figure out hitting your macro nutrient targets which is easy to do with online tracking software you then have a plan of attack in which to cook up the food that you need. Like anything this takes practice and gets very easy over time. I recommend coming up with four to five variations of batches and then simply rotating them. This covers your bases in regards to getting a broad range of nutrients.

Here is how to put it all together-

1, Protein First

Whether you choose salmon, chicken, beef or another meat I find the best two ways to cook meat up in bulk is to either bake it or stir fry it. The key to making meat taste good is not to overcook it and dry it out, this is why I am not a fan of grilling lean meats.

The Stir fry simply chop the meat into small pieces so they cook quickly and then use a wok with a teaspoon of coconut oil and whatever herbs and spices you choose to flavour the meat. It should take not more than 5-10 minutes if you stir it vigorously to ensure even cooking. You can add a bit of chopped onion here for extra flavour.

To bake meat or fish in bulk chop it into small pieces and then place in a baking tray with added herbs and spices to your taste. Add a very small amount of water in the bottom of the tray, this allows the meat to ‘steam’ and prevents sticking to the tray. Cover with silver foil and then bake for around 15-20 minutes at 200 degrees Celsius until the meat is tender and cooked through. For added tenderness place the meat in a pot and cover and leave for another 20-30 minutes while you prepare your vegetables and other food. This will serve to tenderise it further as it will ‘steam’.

2, Vegetables

To preserve the nutrients in your vegetables I recommend to either steam or stir fry your vegetables. Cook them for the minimum time so that they still have some ‘bite’ to them and are not soggy. I recommend to choose at least three different vegetables and combine them so that you get a broad range of nutrients. Some of my favourite options are - broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprout's, spinach, chard, kale, green beans, red peppers, tomatoes, green peas, carrots, beetroot, celery.

3, Fats

Having adequate fats in your eating crucial as they are used everywhere in the body for processes such as hormone production and cell growth. If you have used a lean source of protein above then you will need to add some extra fats.

This can come from adding nuts to the side of your meal or your could add extra virgin coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil or organic ghee to your meal. Its good to vary your fat sources in order to get a broad range of nutrients.

4, Add additional carbohydrate as required

The amount of carbohydrate I recommend for you will be very specific to you. The general rule is that the leaner you are the more carbohydrates you can eat.

My preference for complex carbohydrate are from the highest to the lowest fibre content-  lentils, beans, chick peas, butternut squash, turnip, sweet potato,  potato, quinoa, millet and wild rice.

Its best to choose sources that are high in fibre as this will lead to a more steady release in the body and negate and bit spikes in blood sugar. This will serve to keep you feeling fuller for longer and lessen the likelihood of cravings. I recommend to avoid pasta and other processed sources of carbohydrate.

5, Combining the above

Once you have all of the above its simple a case of combining them. You could keep it all in one large food container (BPA Free please) or you could divide it into individual containers for each meal. Its your choice, the main thing is to keep it cool to avoid food poisoning  so either use a cool bag with ice packs or keep them in the fridge.

Fermented foods for a healthy gut

I would further recommend to add to above a serving of Sauerkraut or Kimchee to each meal (mono sodium glutamate free) as these are foods which are high in 'good' bacteria which will help nourish your digestive tract and keep your gut healthy.

Batch Example

My protein goal is 250grams. I know that in a 100 grams of most meats contains around 20-25 grams of protein. I decide I will prepare for 2 days so I bake 2000 grams of chicken breast. I use ‘Dunn’s River Jerk Seasoning’ with the chicken as this doesn’t contain any added sugars and will add a delicious flavour to the chicken breast. I will also add a bit of turmeric as this enhances the flavour and has anti inflammatory benefits.

To this I decide that on day one I will add broccoli and green peas and carrots. On the other day I will have green beans, red peppers and tomatoes. I prepare 250 grams of each veg and steam them if needed. 

The 750 grams of vegetables will ensure I have a high fibre intake, will keep me full and also that I get a broad range of nutrients

The chicken breast is very low in fat so I add 100 grams of cashew nuts to my meals this will give me around 48 grams of fats. On my other day I add three table spoons of olive oil which will give me around 45 grams of fat.

I have some allowance for carbohydrate so I add a tin of chick peas (400g weight) to one batch and a tin of kidney beans to the other batch which will add around 60-65 grams of carbohydrate.

Finally I combine all of the above and add extra fresh garlic and ginger to the batches for extra taste and season with sea salt and pepper.

So the two batches looks like this-

Day 1

1000 grams of chicken breast ‘flavoured jerk style’

250 grams of broccoli

250g grams of green peas

250 grams of carrots

100 grams of Cashew nuts

400 grams (1 tin) of chick peas         

Day 2

1000 grams of chicken breast ‘flavoured jerk style’

250 grams of green beans

250g grams of red peppers

250 grams of tomatoes

45 ml grams of extra virgin olive oil

400 grams (1 tin) of kidney beans

Job done, I have just prepared food for 2 whole days and its taken more no longer than 45 minutes. This can of course be expanded in the quantities and you could prepare a week ahead if you choose. I have students who do all of their cooking on Sundays and then freeze half of the batch cooked food.

There is no excuse, start cooking

As you can see from the above the whole process is very simple to follow however you have to choose to put in the effort. Making time in the kitchen to nourish your body is a key component for both fat loss and muscle gain.

Your results are always reflected by the choices that you make. Learning to cook for yourself is a skill that is  crucial to learn if you are to guarantee long term fat loss. Choose to invest the time and you will reap the rewards.

How to Avoid Overindulging over the Easter Holidays – 8 Useful Tips

By Teodora Sklayne

Easter Holidays – filled with family and friends, lots of fun and lots of food. As we all know in those happy days gathering with our loved ones we do tend to over-indulge ourselves and regret it once the holidays are over. Well, we can make the choice not to and here are 8 tips that will help you to achieve a fantastic and full of energy Easter weekend!

1. Eat a good high protein breakfast every day

Many studies have proven that high protein breakfast does benefit your energy and productivity levels not only morning till noon, but throughout the whole day. Having a high protein breakfast combined with healthy fats will set your day on a positive start and will help you make the right decisions later during the day.

Traditionally on Easter people would eat boiled eggs, 2-3 would be plenty, however if you feel that is too bland whip up an omelet and combine with some onion and mushrooms. Or you could aim for a serving of chicken or smoked salmon about a palm size served with some vegetables. Combine that with some healthy fats –a palm full of nuts or half an avocado should be plenty.

2. Avoid nibbles and snacks

Snacks and nibbles are usually full of sugar or processed fats. It can be easy to underestimate how quickly the calories add up when snacking on Easter treats. Did you know that in 4 Quality Street candies there are 157 calories which is equal to two apples in calories but not in nutrients. Not only will you will consume unnecessary empty calories, but this will affect your sugar blood levels leading to lower energy and sweet cravings later in the evening.

3. Drink plenty of water

Dehydration has been proven to promote sensation of hunger. Make sure you drink plenty of water throughout the day as well as between alcohol beverages to feel fuller, less fatigue and with clear mind (no headaches). To improve the taste, add a splash of freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice.

4. Start Easter lunch/dinner with good protein and lots of vegetables

According to tradition in UK a lamb roast dinner is consumed on Easter day. Whether you will have that meal or any other - start with the meat and vegetables. The protein in the meat, combined with the fiber from the vegetables will fill you up more and it’ll be less likely you will go over the top with dessert.

5. Listen to your body! If you are no longer hungry - stop eating

Obviously step 1, 2, 3 and 4 will support your body in regards to energy levels and healthy food choices throughout the day. It’s very important also to just listen to how your body feels. Don’t eat until you feelyou would explode, eat slowly and once you’ve had enough and you are no longer hungry, just simply stop eating! Don’t feel inclined that you have to finish you plate for the sake of politeness.

6. Stick to dark chocolate in reasonable amounts

We all know that chocolate is almost impossible to avoid over Easter holidays – chocolate bunnies, chocolate eggs, chocolate cakes and mousses. What we can do however is limit the amounts we have. The best choice is have ONE piece of cake or 20-30 g of chocolate as dessert after a solid meal. Stick to organic dark chocolate, ideally over 70% cocoa, as it contains health promoting anti-oxidants.

7. If you decide to drink alcohol stick to red wine, and try not to drink any alcohol 2-3 hours before bed to avoid sleep disturbance

Holidays always come hand to hand with lots of alcohol, making us feel horrible the next day. In order to avoid over-consumption of alcohol drink some water in between, this will not only reduce the number of units you would have, but also will keep you hydrated, which is very important, as alcohol is a toxin which dehydrates our body and hence leads to unpleasant headaches in the morning.

Ideally stick to red wine, as it contains the health boosting anti-oxidant Resveratrol. Try to avoid any alcohol 2-3 hours before bed in order to minimize sleep disturbance. Drink a pint of water before bed as this will help you detoxify and feel more energized the next day.

8. Keep a reminder of your goals and don’t let friends/family judge you

Whether your goal is losing fat, maintaining the physique you’ve already achieved or gaining lean body mass, keeping a reminder of it will help you stay focused and motivated. You can write a note of your main goals and have a look at it every now and then or set a reminder on your phone every 2-3 hours. Visualize yourself the next day, feeling proud of yourself for not over-indulging and therefore getting closer to your goals.

I understand this can be difficult if you are lacking support from your family/friends, however you must not let them affect your decisions. At the end of the day, you will be the one suffering or benefiting from the consequences of your own decisions, so take ownership, be brave and make the right choices for yourself!

Following these 8 simple rules will make the difference between feeling great and awful after the holidays. Make the decision today to stick to the rules all the way through. Have fun and let us know how it went!

How I prepare for sleep

My busiest work days often entail waking up at 5am and getting home at 8.30 pm which leaves me little time once I get home to spend time relaxing before going to bed if I want to get in 7 hours of sleep.

I can be difficult to easily go from a state of heightened alertness when training a client combined with a gym that is artificially lit to unwinding and being ready to sleep.

I find that missed sleep is the quickest way to kill my gains in the gym, it'll also leave me feeling ratty and not very happy the next day.

Supplement Approach

One supplement protocol (adapted from a bio signature protocol from Charles Poliquin) I have used very successfully is-

30 minutes before bed-

450 mg of Magnesium Citrate and Glycinate

5 grams of Inisotol

300mg of phosphatidyl serine

2 grams of Taurine

5o0mg of Glycine

These combination of supplements work on relaxing neurotransmitters in the brain and also reducing levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

Lifestyle Approach

I combine these supplements with dimming the lights in my house (I eat dinner by candle light) and not checking emails after I get home.

I will write down any tasks for tomorrow down on a 'to do' list so that they are not playing on my mind while in bed. I plan experimenting on incorporating a grateful log as recommended by Charles but have so far not used this strategy.

I will then also often have a relaxing shower and do some diaphragmatic breathing to relax the whole body as a final preparation before sleep.

Electronic devices will be switched off at the wall and mobile phones are kept out of the bedroom.

I use ear plugs to block out sound and a combination of black out curtains and an eye mask to eliminate light.

This so far have never failed to get me to sleep quickly.

Try these tips out and let me know how you get on.

Welcome Teodora Sklayne- Personal Trainer to Train With Sklayne

Who is Teodora Sklayne?

Just writing few lines about who I am, where I come from and how I got here today.

I was born in a town called Ruse, in Bulgaria and have lived there for the first 18 years of my life. I have had an amazing childhood, full of friends to play with on the playgrounds and plenty of energy and activities. I was very active also participating in athletics when I was 13-15 years old, mainly sprinting at a regional level. However, in my later teenage years I stopped participating in exercise and concentrated more on other “more fun stuff”.

After my first year in university, studying Business Management, I went to Alaska, USA for a summer on a work and travel program for students. Because of the stress of working for 14-18 hours a day, both jobs in kitchens of restaurants, eating way too much food, and with the involvement of few other factors as well I gained a massive amount of weight – 16kg (35lb)!

I was looking like this:

(October 2007)

Honestly, I did not realise I have gained that much weight until I had come back to Bulgaria and saw the expressions of my friends’ and family’s faces! I was as shocked as they were!

My father and I immediately decided to get on a diet. My father was overweight back then and had problems with high blood pressure and diabetes type 2. We started together on zero carbohydrate diet that we've heard about from friends. According to the scales it was working! We were both losing massive amounts of weight for a very short period of time. I decided to start an aerobics/Tae Bo class at the same time – 3 times a week for 1 hour sessions. For about 8 weeks I lost 12kg (26lb).

Few months later a came to UK, in a strawberry farm near Hull. It took a couple months of working 16 hour shifts and eating whatever to get back to gaining a lot of weight again. It was the famous Yo Yo effect.

In June 2008 I came to London. The stress of the unknown, looking for jobs and other personal problems got the reverse effect; again I managed to lose some weight. Wouldn't say it was healthy, but it was working. Eating no breakfast and most of the times just a can of sweet corn for lunch or a sandwich, the only proper meal I would have had was in the evening. Here is a picture from August 2008:

A year later I was fortunate to meet the love of my life Martyn Sklayne, who happened to be a personal trainer. Back then I was not really interested in “fitness stuff”. I was signed up for the local gym, but was visiting maybe twice a month for a spin class and twice for some swimming and sauna. At first when Martyn told me that he helps women and men with their physiques with resistance training (weight training) I was very resilient of the idea. As every woman, imagining those muscular bodybuilders, I was afraid I might become too “bulky”.

Well who can you trust if not a personal trainer who has years of experience helping people get real visible results. We started with some basic body weight and dumbbell exercises at home as well as some changed in my nutrition lifestyle, e.g. having a high protein breakfast, drinking more water etc. – simple but effective!

I was opening up more and more for the idea of weight training, after noticing changes in my body, just few weeks after starting to exercise. I wanted a better and better figure and was working hard for it!

After a year of training and eating right, without being on specific strict diet, I was looking like this:

Please note that on the picture above I was weighting about 60kg and on the picture on the left - about 56kg! So ladies, it’s not about the weight, it’s about the body composition.

In the last one year I have been working in the article translation sector of Charles Poliquin’s website, where I gained extensive expertise in nutrition,

Now I am more passionate about training then ever and being a qualified personal trainer as part of the faboulous duo in Train with Sklayne gives me the opportunity to help people achieve their goals and change their lives!supplementation and training as well as the opportunity soon to become a BioSignature Practitioner and PICP Level 2 Coach myself (courses taking place in April 2012).

The Importance of Intent

Intent-

1. Firmly fixed; concentrated.

2. Having the attention applied; engrossed

3. Having the mind and will focused on a specific purpose

Are you going to ‘give it a go’ or are you going to put your blood and guts into it and make it work?

The way you approach things is very influential on your performance. If you never really commit to doing something 100%, instead just ‘trying it out’ then expect your results to be mediocre. No strength coach, life coach or psychologist can help you if you never fully embrace the process.

Achieving something great takes continuous effect and application.

There are varying degrees of achievement, and these will fluctuate in degree along your path to your goal. However all of these are important so don't forget the little wins that helped you on your path to success

To some it might mean an athlete lifting a personal record on the snatch in preparation for the Olympics. For the office secretary it might be something as small as resisting buying that muffin at star bucks every morning, both are important steps of progress to the individual.

There are a thousand analogies I could use-

“How do you eat an elephant? A bite at a time”

“Rome wasn’t built in a day”

“The path to success begins with one step”

Etc..

My point is that unless you approach each goal with the right intent you are greatly heightening your chances of failing.

Start by changing your language patterns, you'll be surprised how well these work in re-enforcing your intent. Here are some examples-

Instead of "I'll try to not skip skip breakfast" say "I eat a nourishing breakfast every morning"

Rather than "I must get to bed earlier say "I go to bed at 9pm because it gives me the 8 hours of sleep I need per night for recovery"

The differences here is that you are stating them in the present which makes them more powerful.

If something is important to you then throw everything into it and get it done. The pain of knowing deep down that you never really gave it your all and failed because of this is deeper, more damaging and long lasting that the initial pain of making changes.

Make yourself accountable to yourself for your actions and your results from those actions.