Nutrition Archives - Kristin Longacre

Everything You Need To Know For a Healthy Summer

May 30, 2023

Everything You Need To Know For a Healthy Summer

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It’s time for a healthy Summer. Summer break is here (or coming soon) in most of the US. Fun in the sun, graduation parties, family cookouts, golf outings, beach trips, sporting events, tailgating, and more. Personally, it’s my favorite time of the year.

It also can be the most chaotic.

Those parties, cookouts, sporting events, and times in the sun also mean a lack of routine, more food (often not healthy), and less opportunity to hit the gym.

I will start this by saying THIS IS NOT A BAD THING.

Sometimes, we NEED to loosen our routine, ditch the structure and give our bodies freedom.

But not to the point of destroying our bodies.

As a nutrition coach, I’ve had a few conversations of “I’ll start after Summer when life calms down” To that, I respond, “so when we are in back to school season… sports, meet the teacher nights, homework nights and those spirit weeks start back up.

Maybe once school gets into swing… you know… right as the holidays hit…

“Okay, fine, maybe January”

If you’ve had that conversation in your head, it’s time to re-think your goals.

It’s Time For A Healthy Summer

As we roll into summer, we’re going to ditch the mindset of hot girl summer and focus on the mindset of healthy girl summer.

Instead of worrying about that two-piece and what others will think of you at the beach, what if we start to focus on habits we can focus on this summer, regardless of the circumstances?

Research suggests that the best time to take care of your health is when you are the busiest… you’re more likely to carve out time and get it done.

So what are some things you can do this Summer that will help you have a healthy girl summer?

Focus on What You Can Control

With all of the different situations you will be in, nailing your nutrition plan 100% of the time is not realistic…AND THAT’S OKAY.

When you are home, stick to your routine. Eat the same types of foods you ate all spring. When you are out and about, that’s where the habits you are building will come into play.

Look at your food options. Is it pizza or nothing? Great, how can you balance it out when you get home? Are there fruit and veggie options to go with the pizza? Fill half your plate with veggies and the other half with a pizza; you get the best of both worlds.

I could keep giving you scenarios, but the point is, focusing on what you can control will provide you with the best outcome. If you know you don’t feel great eating a particular food, don’t eat it. It’s not about keeping yourself from foods because of the calories/fats/ etc it’s about finding what works for you and controlling that factor.

Drink Your Water

No, seriously, you had to know this one was coming. Regardless of your Summer plans, staying hydrated can be the make-or-break part of your day. We feel our best when our bodies are adequately hydrated and if we want the energy to power through the Summer chaos. Drink your water.

Pick Your Current Habits to Focus On

Besides drinking your water, what will you make your non-negotiables this Summer? In other words, what habits will you make sure to hit every 80%-90% of the time this summer?

Habits such as:

Eat 4-5 different vegetables a day
8,000 – 10,000 steps a day
Eat 2-3 fruits a day
A certain macro goal
Eating breakfast
Cooking dinner at home six nights a week.
Planning your meals for the busy season
Take your vitamins

Having non-neogiatables will give you something healthy to focus on while working toward the best version of you in a busy season of life. Take it one step further and write them on a sticky note somewhere you see daily.

Know Your Goals & Be Realistic

If you are going into a season of life where moving your body six days a week and 1 hour a day is not realistic… don’t hold yourself to those standards. Maybe move it to 4-5 days a week and give yourself some wiggle room. You’ll end up disappointed if you hold yourself to a high standard and don’t meet it.

On the other hand, if you are in a season where you DO have time or WANT to begin a health or weight loss journey but don’t know where to start, find someone to help you with your goals. Someone like a nutrition coach who can help you make your plans each week. Together you can build that list of healthy habits and work toward that healthier lifestyle.

Most importantly, as you roll into healthy girl summer, focus on what you want to focus on and know the outcome.

Whatever you choose to do, make it the best summer yet.

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Why Your Diet Isn’t Working

May 23, 2023

Why Your Diet Isn’t Working

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If you’ve been questioning why your diet isn’t working… keep reading. Over the last 8 weeks we’ve dug into 10 reasons your diet isn’t working, but this week it’s all about the number one reason your diet isn’t working. It’s not a custom diet for you.

Before you say “I don’t want to pay for a custom meal plan,” hang in there. I’m not here to sell you on a custom meal plan, I am here to tell you how to take individual healthy habits and build a custom diet for yourself.

The truth is, a diet shouldn’t be about a meal plan, a type of eating style or limiting yourself from certain foods… it’s about building long-term healthy habits that work for you.

A diet should take you into a lifestyle that is SUSTAINABLE, and that’s where these pre-made meal plans, specific eating styles, etc, ultimately fail for so many people.

Every single person on earth is a unique individual. This means that no matter what, no one else has the exact same functioning body.

Over the last 8 weeks, we’ve talked about many different factors that make up a diet. We didn’t talk about stress levels, family history, or current season of life. That’s because everything we’ve talked about over the last 8 weeks is here to work with that.

What To Consider When Looking at A Diet

Before jumping into a new diet, here are the things to take into consideration:

Is it sustainable (will I give up after 2 days)
What is your source (your friends neighbors brother? A dietician?)
Is it realistic for your current season (do you even have time to prepare food, can you afford it, etc)
Is it realistic for your body? (can your body handle the food you’re going to eat?)
Will it help you reach your goals (if your goal is to be more toned but you are limiting your protein intake, that’s a problem!)
What are your goals? (lose weight, get fit, body re-composition, just be healthier?)
What will you do when it’s done? (is there even an end date)
What lifestyle changes are you making along with changes on your plate? It’s not just one or the other.

All of the different factors we talked about will play a part, but a diet won’t work if it isn’t built for you. It needs to be sustainable, realistic and built for your individual body.

Listen On:

10 Reasons Your Diet Isn't Working

Don't forget to catch up on our other 10 reasons your diet isn't working:

Reducing Sugar In Your Every Day Life

Apr 25, 2023

Reducing Sugar In Your Every Day Life

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Let’s talk about reducing sugar in your everyday life…. by starting with a question, if you line up 6tsp of sugar on a table, how gross would that look to you?

A recent study showed that Americans eat, ON AVERAGE, 23 tsp per day of sugar.

Now think about that lineup on a table.

Sugar isn’t all bad… but there are ways to cut that number down… and reasons we should.

What Kind of Sugar Are We Talking About?

When we talk about sugar, I will be the first to tell you I’m not here to demonize natural sugars… such as sugars found in fruits and vegetables. As I heard on The Key Nutrition Podcast this week, no one gets fat eating a pineapple.

In this case, we are talking about processed sugars.

Sugars are found in bread, cookies, candy, crackers, etc.

If the food comes from a factor, it most likely has some form of sugar or sugar substitute in it.

Sugar and Our Brain

Your diet isn’t going to fail if you eat a minimal amount of sugar, but the reason that sugar can be such an issue for someone trying to lose weight or get their health under control is that sugar is addicting.

It tells our brain that life is good for about 30 minutes, and then we have that sugar crash.

This sends us looking for more.

Think about it.

When you buy a box of cookies at the store, can you only eat one?

Or a box of cereal, do you only eat one cup of it?

This begins a cycle of constantly wanting to add more sugar.

The Effects of Sugar on The Body

Let’s talk for a minute about sugar and hormones. If you are a female, you are probably all too familiar with the ups and downs that come with hormones.

Did you know that too much extra sugar can affect things even more? For example, let’s just look at sugar and PMS symptoms.

Bringing in excess sugar causes inflammation in your body. In turn, inflammation can cause hormone imbalance.

Therefore, when craving sweets, you add fuel to the fire with your PMS symptoms.

With hormone imbalance can come inflammation… too much sugar can cause other reactions in your body… do you ever notice more breakouts on your face a few days after enjoying too many sweets?

Our bodies can take a bit to process sugars and may show up as inflammation on our skin in the form of acne, rashes, or bloating.

When you are feeling crummy (i.e., PMS, bloating, acne, etc.), what are you likely to do? Reach for something that gives you a dopamine hit, right? Those sweets.

Excess sugar (that 23 tsp, for example) can also cause the liver to freak out because it can’t handle the amount being sent that way.

Our body doesn’t need any excess sugar for more energy, so it will turn into fat to store. This is where the obesity problem begins. If consistently overeating sugar continues, our body continues to store more and more fat.

Hence why overeating sugar could be the reason your diet isn’t working.

How To Start Reducing Sugar

Okay, I’m not here to scare you; I’m here to help.

We do need certain sugars to help give us energy. That’s why you will never hear me talk about a low-carb diet. However, it comes down to making the right decision on the sugars you are taking in.

When it comes to reducing sugar, there are a lot of places to start.

I am pro-food journaling and will forever encourage people to research their bodies first. This means keeping a log.

Spend 3-4 days tracking how much sugar you’re eating and where the bulk of it comes from. Not calories, not fat, not carbs, just sugar.

Common culprits besides the obvious sweets:

Plain white bread (and other bread… sugar is added to sweeten it)
Condiments (sauces, ketchup, dressings, etc.))
Pasta
Snack foods (pretzels, cereals, some chips, etc.)
Pop/Soda

Should you drop them all at once?

No. That’s not sustainable… and that’s coming from a nutrition coach.

Start making small changes over time.

Over time your goal should be to start replacing processed foods with whole food sources such as fruits, vegetables, beans, and grains.

You will not only notice a difference in your weight but your energy, brain fog, hormones, and skin.

So… have you added up how much sugar you’ve had today?

Listen On:

10 Reasons Your Diet Isn't Working

Don't forget to catch up on our other 10 reasons your diet isn't working:

10 Reasons Your Diet Isn’t Working

Feb 21, 2023

10 Reasons Your Diet Isn’t Working

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Maybe this sounds familiar: you’ve tried the diets, shakes, free meal plans, and maybe even some paid ones from influencers.

Nothing is working and you’re frustrated. At the end of the day, you just want to get your energy back or maybe lose that 10 lbs that has been hanging on as long as you can remember.

I get it, I’ve been in your shoes before.

Believe it or not, my friend there is an answer to your problems. I can’t tell you the specific answer (you’ll understand why later) but I can tell you there are a number of reasons that it’s not working.

In fact, I pulled together 10 reasons that diet isn’t working.

Let’s start there on today’s podcast.

10 Reasons Your Diet Isn’t Working

Number 1: You’re dehydrated

Often one of the biggest changes my 1:1 clients and I make right away is upping their water intake. When you are dehydrated, your body can’t flush out the toxins it needs to. Give yourself an extra boost of water for a few days and see if you notice a difference, you’ll be amazed!

Number 2: You are focusing on quantity over quality.

Sure, tracking macros and calories is a great thing to do. At the end of the day, weight loss technically comes down to calories in and calories out… but when you’re eating 1600 junk calories vs. 1600 nutritional calories, that can play a big role in how your body responds. How much nutritional value is in the food on your plate?

Number 3: Are you really sticking to your diet as much as you say you are?

Gut punch, I know.

If you are saying “just a little bite here, or I’ll finish my kid’s pb&j here,” time over time this adds up. There is NOTHING wrong with this approach in being flexible with what you eat, but it will not necessarily bring on results as fast as you would like.

Try using a food journal for a week and see how many little snacks you’re fitting in. You might be surprised.

Number 4: Fast food is still junk food.

There is this myth that getting a grilled chicken sandwich from a fast food place is a healthy choice. Is it a better choice? Yes, is it a good choice? Eh.

Take Chick-Fil-A for example, at the time of recording this podcast, a grilled chicken sandwich with a bun has over 60 ingredients. At least 30 of those are in the chicken. Oh and that doesn’t include any condiments.

A conversation I have regularly as a nutrition coach is to really pay attention to your fast food intake. There’s nothing wrong with fast food once in a while, but if you find yourself in a chick-fil-a drive-through more than once a week it’s time to re-evaluate.

Number 5: You’re not eating enough protein

Protein and fiber are what are going to keep you full for longer, this will result in less snacking and a more filling meal. No matter what diet people say they’re doing, I will always go back to vegetables and protein.

Track your protein for a few days and see where you end up. Where can you increase it?

Number 6: You are averaging less than 6 hours of quality sleep a night.

Sleep, movement, and nutrition all go hand in hand. A poor night’s sleep can lead to

Poor decisions
Your body not responding well to what you eat
Lack of movement
Overall not feeling great

Number 7: You’re eating too much sugar

Similar to talking about quality vs. quantity, it’s important to realize just how much sugar you’re eating on a daily basis. We’ve talked in depth about how much sugar you should eat before, but just paying attention to food labels can be very eye-opening. The average American eats 24 tbsp of sugar a day, most often without even knowing it.

Number 8: You’re not moving your body.

As we discussed in number 6, sleep movement, and nutrition all go hand in hand. You can eat all of the healthy food in the world but if you aren’t getting some movement in, you’re not going to see the results you want.

Number 9: You’re only focusing on cardio.

Okay, okay, I am not a certified personal trainer, but calling from experience only focusing on cardio will only get you so far. Branch out, try some weights, yoga, or something else to keep your body moving in different directions. Sometimes that little shift can make a big difference.

Number 10: It’s not custom to you.

Fad diets are just that. Keto, paleo, intermittent fasting, etc. There is a reason they work for some and not others. We are all individual people therefore our nutrition should be individual to us.

No diet will work if you are not familiar with how your body works with different types of food. In my Best Self Method, our first step is always research so we can figure this out together.

I promise my friend, there is a way to see the results you want. Take a step back and look at these ten options, where are you struggling the most?

How To Reduce Mindless Snacking

Jan 24, 2023

How To Reduce Mindless Snacking

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Typically, when we talk about reducing snacking, we think of reducing mindless snacking. There is absolutely nothing wrong with having a snack if you are hungry. However, one thing I find with my one-on-one nutrition clients quite often is the desire to snack for other reasons.

There are three main reasons we snack:

We are bored
We are thirsty
We are hungry

Chances are, if you find yourself reaching for a snack, it’s for one of these reasons. Let’s chat about how to reduce mindless snacking on today’s podcast episode.

How to reduce mindless snacking?

Before you reach for something, take time to ask yourself these three questions:

Am I snacking because I’m hungry?
Am I snacking because I always get a snack at this time?
When was the last time I had a drink of water?

Keep in mind, if you are hungry… eat the snack. If your answer is one of the other two… sit down and drink a glass of water, wait 15 minutes and see how you feel.

Add a roadblock to your snacking time.

When snacking out of habit, taking time to add a roadblock to that habit can be helpful. Instead of grabbing a bag of chips and sitting back down at your computer or in front of a tv, put the chips in a bowl, and sit at a table without technology.

This creates a break in your habit that prevents you from mindlessly eating an entire bag of chips because you’re focused on something else.

You will also be able to focus more on your food and how you feel about the taste and feel of the chips.

Eat more vegetables.

You knew I was going to incorporate vegetables somewhere. By adding vegetables to lunch or dinner, you will be adding more fiber. More fiber keeps you regular (if you know what I mean) and helps keep you full for longer.

When you are full for longer, you will reduce mindless snacking by evaluating why you are snacking in the first place. It won’t be for hunger reasons.

Make sure you’re getting enough protein.

Along with vegetables… to fill yourself up, protein will be another key. MOST Americans are not eating enough protein. There are many different rules of thumb based on where you are in your fitness/health journey, but a good place to start with protein is 30g of protein per meal.

Swap out the snack options in your house.

Last but certainly not least, don’t buy the snacks you want to stop yourself from eating. What are you more likely to take if your option was a bag of Doritos or a handful of carrots? I don’t hate Doritos, but you are more likely to snack on them if they’re in the house.

Focus on nuts, fruits, vegetables, trail mix, or pretzels.

At the same time, don’t overthink snacking. It won’t hurt to have snacks here and there, but snacking is a situation where you must trust your body.

This week, I challenge you to pay more attention to those three questions; what are you finding?

Going Out To Eat When You’re On a Diet

Jan 10, 2023

Going Out To Eat When You’re On a Diet

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One of the first things people tend to avoid when eating healthier is going to a restaurant. Going out to eat when you’re on a diet doesn’t always end well and often leads to more anxiety than it’s worth.

Today on the podcast, we’ll go over a few ways to enjoy your favorite food while focusing on a healthier diet.

We talk about:

How to plan for your meal.
What to do if you want to eat it all.
Finding balance.
Getting back on track.

Going out to eat shouldn’t be avoided when you’re on a diet; it should be a time to celebrate and enjoy a meal with friends or family. It’s one meal out of 21 a week. A lot can be done to make it delicious and healthy.

Jump-Start To Eating Healthy

Instead of getting overwhelmed with where to start when adjusting your eating habits, Jump-Start to Eating Healthy is here to help you get started. Together we will make a meal plan that considers your family and dietary needs.

As you implement the meal plan, I will continue to support you for two additional weeks to help answer questions, brainstorm ideas, and deal with unexpected situations.

Think of it as having a nutrition coach in your pocket as you start healthy eating habits.

Learn More About Jump-Start To Eating Healthy

Everything You Need To Know For a Healthy Summer

It’s Time For A Healthy Summer

Focus on What You Can Control

Drink Your Water

Pick Your Current Habits to Focus On

Know Your Goals & Be Realistic

ABOUT ME

Why Your Diet Isn’t Working

What To Consider When Looking at A Diet

10 Reasons Your Diet Isn't Working

ABOUT ME

Reducing Sugar In Your Every Day Life

What Kind of Sugar Are We Talking About?

Sugar and Our Brain

The Effects of Sugar on The Body

How To Start Reducing Sugar

10 Reasons Your Diet Isn't Working

ABOUT ME

10 Reasons Your Diet Isn’t Working

10 Reasons Your Diet Isn’t Working

Number 1: You’re dehydrated

Number 2: You are focusing on quantity over quality.

Number 3: Are you really sticking to your diet as much as you say you are?

Number 4: Fast food is still junk food.

Number 5: You’re not eating enough protein

Number 6: You are averaging less than 6 hours of quality sleep a night.

Number 7: You’re eating too much sugar

Number 8: You’re not moving your body.

Number 9: You’re only focusing on cardio.

Number 10: It’s not custom to you.

ABOUT ME

How To Reduce Mindless Snacking

How to reduce mindless snacking?

Add a roadblock to your snacking time.

Eat more vegetables.

Make sure you’re getting enough protein.

Swap out the snack options in your house.

ABOUT ME

Going Out To Eat When You’re On a Diet

ABOUT ME