DRINK COCONUT WATER!! It is such a great alternative to Gatorade (sugar-ade). Coconut water is 100% PALEO that has natural sugars (15 grams per bottle) that will not rise our blood glucose level.

Blood Glucose Level?

“Not all carbohydrate foods are created equal, in fact they behave quite differently in our bodies. The glycemic index or GI describes this difference by ranking carbohydrates according to their effect on our blood glucose levels. Choosing low GI carbs – the ones that produce only small fluctuations in our blood glucose and insulin levels ” – (http://www.glycemicindex.com)

Here the Hint.. Our body’s burn fat MORE EFFICIENTLY when our glucose levels are balanced. Sugary drinks SPIKE our glucose levels!!!

*NOTE**** Look, for those serious athletes out there not trying to lose fat weight, stick to your gatorade/eat to what you burn(quality calories!). But, for the average JOE looking for a fat loss tip coconut is the best alternative! REMEMBER all TIPS add up!!!

Readers keep telling me its hard to incorporated vegetables they enjoy in their diet. Rich-Fit suggest finding your go to vegetable! What Rich-Fit’s go to vegetable? KALE!

Why Kale? The answer is why not! Kale is a super food.

Kale is an amazingly nutritious leafy green vegetable. It is a cruciferous vegetable that belongs to the Brassica family of vegetables, which includes cabbage and Brussels sprouts. Kale contains high amounts of beta carotene (precursor of vitamin A) and vitamin C. It is also rich in minerals. Being a green vegetable, it is high in folic acid.

Kale is also a low carb and high protein vegetable. This is so PALEO. One cup cooked kale contains :

- 50 Calories
- 10 gm of Carbohydrates
- 3 gm of protein
- 2 to 3 gm of fiber
- 8000 IUs Vitamin A
- 150 to 200 mg of Calcium
- 30 mg of Magnesium
- 2 mg of Iron
- 300 mg of Potassium
- 125 mg of Vitamin C
- Less than 50 mg of Sodium
- 40 mcg of Folic acid

The high calcium and magnesium content of kale helps in building bones and is a good food for those suffering from osteoporosis. Vitamin A and C are antioxidants that protect against many degenerative diseases.

The high fiber content of Kale improves the digestive health and protects against colon cancer.

The high potassium and low sodium content of Kale makes it an alkaline food and helps those who suffer from acidity and other digestive disorders. Potassium also reduces blood pressure and helps in fighting heart disease.

Being a cruciferous vegetable, Kale contains sulfur compounds which help in fighting cancer.

I put KALE above broccoli anyday! Kale is used as garnish in many restaurant dishes.. EAT the garnish instead of those potatoes. Keep it PALEO

Hands down Almond butter wins this battle. Why? First of all the paleo lifestyle doesn’t recommend eating peanuts because they are legumes which are anti-nutrients! (Dr. Cordain, The Paleo Diet) Remember Dr. Cordain stresses antinutrients wreak the hormonal and immune system.. Trust me from experience if you mess with hormones your asking for excessive fat gain.

When comparing peanut butter and almond butter you won’t see any differences:  17g of fat (1.5 saturated, the other fats are healthy!), 8g of protein, and 2g of natural sugar. But remember the micro nutrient benefits! Almond butter provides 40% of daily need for vitamin E, 25% for magnesium and 8% of both calcium and iron needs!!  

Another reason to grab almond butter is that many commercial peanut butters contain additives such as: cottonseed, soybean or rapeseed oil, molasses and mono or diglycerides. Most almond butters are 100% roasted almonds all natural. When choosing almond butter look at the ingredients, pick some up at your local health food store.

More Benefits of Almond butter:

LOWERS RISKS FOR HEART DISEASE
The Harvard Medical School Department of Medicine’s Channing Laboratory Nurses Health Study began collecting dietary information from its 122,000 participating registered nurses in 1980. It is one of five large-cohort studies that have determined that eating nuts lowers the risk of contracting heart disease in healthy women. Because peanut butter has seven fewer calories per tablespoon than almond butter, according to the USDA Nutrient Database, it may be a better heart-healthy choice for anyone who is already overweight.

For all those that can’t give up cookies, Try this Guilt Free Recipe.:

2 bananas smashed

1/3 cup coconut flour

3/4 cup almond butter

1/3 cup raw walnuts

1/3 cup coconut milk

2 tbsp 100% Cocoa Powder

optional add Dark Chocolate Chips at least 70% Cocoa

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium mixing bowl, use a fork to smash the bananas to baby food consistency. Add the coconut flour, almond butter, and baking soda and mix well. Using a hand held chopper or food processor; chop the walnuts and apples to a very fine dice. Add the walnuts, coconut milk, cocoa powder and chocolate chips to the bowl and mix in remaining ingredients. Cover two cookie sheets with parchment paper and spoon heaping tablespoons of the cookie mix onto the parchment paper, placing an inch or two apart. Bake for 25 minutes. Makes approximately 20-22 cookies.

Dr. Pepper has come out with Dr. Pepper 10! for 10 Calories(Dublin Dr Pepper Bottling Co. / Associated Press)

Dr. Pepper has rolled out with a 10 Calorie drink with 2g of sugar. May seem very harmless and its only 10 calories?!  As I said not all calories are created equal!  I strong encourage people to stay away from all drink’s that are packed with high fructose corn syrup…High fructose corn syrup is man made! Get you sugars from natural sources! Remember, every little bit helps to get that body you want.

Take a look the ingredients for Dr. Pepper 10:

First, of all ASPARTAME is linked to many blood cancers in lab studies.. and for the rest of the ingredients what the heck is ACESULFAME POTASSIUM????!!! Carmel Color!? I Wonder where your body going to store all this good stuff…..

Go get yourself some Zico!

People all the time ask me if coffee is OK?

Although coffee is not part of the PALEO list of foods . Rich-Fit says one cup of coffee straight black is O.K.

Thats right no creamer, milk, sugar straight black! Coffee taste better black anyway. Coffee is packed anti-oxidants that are beneficial to us! Its known coffee has anti-aging elements as well as kicking up your metabolism with its caffeine punch! It improves your alertness and keeps you from sleeping at the desk…