Carbohydrates have gotten a bad rap for years. In the media you tend to only hear the bad about carbs…how they will add to your love handles or how they will curse you with cellulite or cause your energy to crash in the middle of your day!

And we’re happy to tell you that they’re not all bad! Yes, as registered dietitians we’re telling you that carbs can actually be great! In fact, carbohydrates give your body ENERGY! But it’s all about choosing the best carbohydrates and controlling the portion sizes if you want To reap the benefits of carbohydrates.

Go for whole grains-- an excellent source of magnesium, which helps to keep your energy levels high and fight off fatigue. Phytochemicals are disease-fighting chemicals found in whole grain products that lower the risk of chronic diseases.

The carbohydrates that spell trouble and that have given all carbs a bad name are refined grains like white rice or white bread, cookies, pastries, candy, soda and fruit juices. All of these carbohydrates are responsible for the bad reputations- and rightly so! These carbs drain your energy and put your health at serious risk.

Healthy and delicious carbohydrate choices that we recommend are whole grain products (such as whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta, brown rice, and quinoa), raw and fresh fruits, raw and lightly steamed vegetables, and nuts and seeds. Choosing these carbs over the unhealthy ones will help you realize that this is one less battle you need in your life; there’s no need to run and hide from carb cravings!

Have you found a way to eat carbs and get your ENERGY on and get lean?

Summer is creeping around the corner, which means before you know it we’ll be trading in the sweatshirts, jeans, and jackets for those bathing suits and shorts. The thought of this might be making you sweat and although we still have a few months to go, there’s no better time than right now to make sure you feel your absolute best to start showing some skin. The key to feeling and looking your best is to boost your energy and get active. What better way to do that than an easy, effective workout! Grab some music to get you pumped up and try these workouts:

- Cardio: With the weather getting warmer, take full advantage of this by going outside for a jog or walk. When you’re heart gets your blood pumping it will wake up your entire body.

- Be sure to pace yourself, especially if you are a beginner; It’s important to work your way up to your desired time and not jump into it the first day. Maybe on your first day go for a 10-15 minute walk and increase your time every couple of days. If you don’t pace yourself, you’ll be exhausted.

- Legs: Lunges and squats! These are a great, effective way to tone your lower body—it’s often hard to target. You’ll isolate those muscles and really make them feel alive! Do 3 sets of 10-15 reps of both squats and lunges a couple times per week and you will notice a firmer bottom and thighs within a few weeks. Nice buns hun!

- Stomach: Plenty of cardio will help you lose stomach fat. Core exercises rock because everything is connected to the core, so that means all of your muscles will wake up and get energized when you work on your abs. So you’ll feel even better and look even more fit. And if you’re trying to tone your mid section and you’re bored with doing regular sit-ups and crunches, these chair lifts and pelvic thrusts are your solution.

Pelvic thrusts: Start by lying on your back with your knees bent and arms straight beside you. Slowly lift and tilt your pelvis upward as you exhale. As you tilt your pelvis, be sure you keep your lower back on the floor so you get the most out of the movement. Hold the movement for about 5 seconds and inhale as your relax your buttocks back down on the floor. Do about 10 to 15 reps and take a 90 second break between sets. Perform a total of 4 sets.

Chair lifts: Sit upright with your back flat against the back of your chair. Place your hands on the desk in front of you or on the seat of the chair by your legs. Slowly lift your knees up toward your chest and hold for 5 seconds. Then slowly lower them back down, resting your feet on the floor. Exhale when you lift your legs up and inhale when you lower them to the floor.

- Arms: Back to the basics…pushups. They may be old-fashioned but they certainly still work! Talk about the ultimate fatigue fighter! Push ups wake up your entire body since almost all of your muscles are involved! Start today with doing as many as you can and continue doing this amount for the rest of the week. Add 1 or 2 pushups to that number the following week. Each week add a few more until you have reached whatever your goal number is.

What do you do to get your rear in gear (and the rest of your body) revved up and looking energized for summer?

If you’re looking for a healthy, new change from your daily eggs and toast for breakfast, you may have just found your answer! This recipe is easy and definitely not your ordinary meal. It’s packed with protein which will help sustain you throughout the morning and has plenty of energy revving- carbs, good-for-you fats, fiber, and important vitamins that play a part in providing you with a burst of energy to start your day!

Ingredients:

All you need is half of an avocado, and an egg (or egg whites), a slice of whole wheat bread, and your choice of seasonings to put on top (we recommend diced veggies like bell peppers and onions!)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425, have cast iron pan in there

2. Slice avocado in half, take out pit

3. Take pan out, put avocado half on, crack egg in

4. Put whatever you want on top (we recommend VEGGIES! [of course!])

5. Place in oven and cook till your eggs (are done how you) desire

6. As your eggs are cooking, toast a slice of whole wheat bread so it can be served with your egg stuffed avocado.

Adapted from Gizmodo.com

Get your energy on with this Mediterranean Quinoa Salad! The quinoa is a great source of energy revving, high fiber carbs and it also is a great source of lean protein- a unique combination!  The chicken breasts are an additional source of lean protein that will help to extend the energy boost from the quinoa and will help to keep you satisfied.  The veggies are packed with nutrients that will help to turn your food into usable energy.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 cups water

2 cubes low-sodium chicken bouillon

1 clove garlic, smashed

1 cup uncooked quinoa

2 large cooked chicken breasts - cut into bite size pieces

1 large red onion, diced

1 large green bell pepper, diced

1/3 cup chopped kalamata olives

1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

1/2 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1/3 cup olive oil

Directions:

1.) Bring the water, bouillon cubes, and garlic to a boil in a saucepan.

2.) Stir in the quinoa, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is tender and the water has been absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes. Discard the garlic clove and scrape the quinoa into a large bowl.

3.) Gently stir the chicken, onion, bell pepper, olives, feta cheese, parsley, chives, and salt into the quinoa. Drizzle with the lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil. Stir until evenly mixed. Serve warm or refrigerate and serve cold.

Nutritional Information

Servings per recipe: 8

Amount Per Serving- Calories: 212, Total Fat: 8, Cholesterol: 32mg, Carbohydrates: 20.1g, Protein: 16.4g

Adapted from Allrecipes.com

Have you tried quinoa? How was it prepared?

Are you in the middle of your day and fading fast? 

Has it been several hours since you last ate?  If so, you may be feeling sleepy because you need some fuel.  Try this quick and energizing snack:  Dip carrots into hummus.  The carrots will fill you with fiber-loaded energy and they’re light and refreshing so they won’t weigh you down.  The hummus is a great source of satisfying protein that will give you a little satiating boost to get through your afternoon hump and keep your energy level stable.  

Four medium sized carrot sticks and ¼ cup of hummus is only 100 calories! What’s better than that? If this gives you the pick-up that you need, next time, make sure you don’t go for hours without having a healthy, recharging snack like this.

What is your go-to energizer?

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Need a simple quick and energizing snack? Try this: 2 teaspoons of peanut butter spread on a peeled banana. The banana is a great source of fuel for your brain, muscles and central nervous system and the peanut butter is a delicious source of satiating protein! It's quick, easy, and super satisfying!

What's your go-to energizer?

Need a healthy, energizing and absolutely delicious snack?  Try Goji Gourmet cookies!

Goji Gourmet cookies are to die for!  Not only are they delish but they are packed with the new superfruit, goji berries, which have been found to have 10 times the antioxidants of blueberries.  With wholesome ingredients like almonds, oats, turmeric, and wheat germ, you won't feel guilty about eating these cookies. Especially because they're preservative-free, low in sugar, low-carb and only contain 25 calories per cookie!  They make a great snack and they're great for kids too and go well in their school lunch box. Plus, they're a great way to quench a sweet tooth craving.

Goji Gourmet cookies come in five varieties including Cherry Cacao, Almond Oat, Chocolate Chip, Ginger Walnut, and Orange Mint Chip.

Leave a comment here, on our Facebook page or on Twitter with the hashtag #NTGG and tell us which variety sounds best to you (above). You'll be entered to win a variety pack including four different flavors!

Need an energy boost?  Try a Rise Bar!

Rise bars are made from energy-revving, antioxidant-rich fruits and from nutrient-dense nuts and seeds for staying power. So they'll keep you revved  and ready for action!  Our clients love the way they taste (we do too!) and that they're 100% vegetarian, Kosher and gluten free.  Rise bars come in three varieties and each can help to fuel you through different parts of the day.  Anyone can enjoy them as a snack or meal replacement packed with fiber and protein to help them keep going for hours:

The Rise Breakfast Bar (to keep you moving through the most important part of your day):

• Crunchy Cashew Almond
• Crunchy Cranberry Apple
• Crunchy Honey Walnut
• Crunchy Macadamia Pineapple
• Crunchy Perfect Pumpkin

The Rise Energy+ Bar contains antioxidant superfruits, like acai, goji, and pomegranate, are blended with a variety of toasty nuts and seeds come in five flavors (to fuel you through the rest of the day):

• Apricot Goji
• Blueberry Coconut
• Cherry Almond
• Coconut Acai
• Raspberry Pomegranate

Rise Protein+ Bar (All have five ingredients or less and packed with 17g of protein or more) are designed to punch power into your workout:

• Almond Honey
• Crunchy Carob Chip

Would you like to win a package of Rise bars?  Leave a comment here, on our Facebook page or on twitter using the hashtag #NTRise and tell us which flavor bar sounds the best to you and be entered in the raffle to win some for yourself!

Um, we know this is good stuff, but NO double dipping please!!

Who doesn't love to dip? Unfortunately a lot of dips are full of fat and extra calories that make you sluggish and that don't give you the nutrients that you need to stay energized throughout the day.

Luckily, we have a list of ingredients you can substitute to make your dips healthier and more nutritious, so you can get back to dipping without the guilt and you can have the energy to dip some more!

Does your recipe call for heavy cream? If so, it’s calorie-laden and full of fat and will weigh you down, so try to substitute skim milk, or pureed white beans (cannellini or chickpeas) to keep your dips creamy, but healthy—and energizing!

Full fat cheese is the easiest thing to replace. Swap full fat cheese for low-fat or non-fat cheeses, or try using cheeses that pack more flavor, like parmesan over cheddar or American cheese, so you can use less to keep the fat in check so that it doesn’t slow you down.

Swap oils for pumpkin, or a more neutrally flavored, applesauce. Half a cup of canola oil or vegetable oil has over 950 calories and over 100 grams of fat, while the same amount of unsweetened pumpkin puree or applesauce has about 50 calories per half cup. Be mindful of the extra sweetness though!

Greek yogurt is full of protein, half the carbs of regular yogurt, and is tangy in flavor, a perfect substitute for sour cream in your dips. It contains half the fat and three times the protein of sour cream and is a great revving food.

Here’s a recipe from lowcalorieideas.com that’s sure to turbo boost your energy since it’s packed with blood sugar stabilizing nutrients and it’s low calorie, low-fat, vegan, and gluten free!

Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Yields:  Approximately 2 cups of dip

Ingredients:

6 oz steamed spinach

1-2 minced garlic cloves

1 can of cannellini beans

1/2 cup of chopped scallions

2 tbsp. of lemon juice

2 tbsp. of fresh basil

1 can of artichoke hearts (NOT the kind marinated in oil)

Optional: salt and additional spices to taste

Directions:

1. Steam and make sure to thoroughly drain the spinach (it holds so much water!).

2. In a blender or food processor, puree all of the ingredients EXCEPT for the artichoke hearts.

3. In a medium mixing bowl, gently fold in the minced artichoke hearts with the mixture. Add your optional ingredients (salt & other spices)

With St. Patrick’s Day coming up, it’s time to get your GREEN energy on! Sure, there is green beer and green bagels , but when we think green, we think all of the energy-providing healthy fruits and veggies we can make delicious foods with to celebrate the holiday!

Dark green leafy vegetables (spinach, kale, collard greens, Swiss chard, etc.) are the most nutrient dense food. They are a rich source of minerals and vitamins, including iron, potassium, calcium, vitamins K, C, E, and many B vitamins. They are also full of antioxidants that protect our cells from damage—so your body stays in better working condition so that you can stay healthy and energized.

Zucchini is an amazing addition to your diet. For only 36 calories/cup, this vegetable is full of fiber, which aids in digestion, and helps maintain blood sugar levels—(think stable energy without peaks and valleys)!. Zucchini also has vitamins A and C, both antioxidants that are anti-inflammatory and help prevent hyper-inflammatory disorders, including asthma, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis.

Green grapes are low in calories, saturated fat and sodium and absolutely free of cholesterol. They’re rich in carbohydrates (eat them to rev your energy), vitamin C and vitamin K, contain flavonoid antioxidants, and some amount of iron and potassium.

Here’s a recipe that our incredible friend and fellow registered dietitian Ellie Krieger, prepared on an episode of her show (Sam—was this Healthy Appetite? If so, we should write) Healthy Appetite on The Food Network that highlighted some green super foods! Talk about an energizing meal!

Hummus and Grilled Vegetable Wrap

Ingredients

• 2 medium zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices

• 2 teaspoons olive oil

• 1 pinch of sea salt

• Pinch freshly ground black pepper

• 1 cup store-bought hummus

• 4 pieces whole-wheat wrap bread (about 9” in diameter) – want to go green? Get spinach wraps!

• 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

• 1 medium green bell pepper, thinly sliced

• 2 ounces baby spinach leaves (2 cups lightly packed)

• 1/2 cup red onion thinly sliced into half moons

Directions

1. Preheat the grill or grill pan over medium heat.

2. Brush both sides of the zucchini slices with the oil and sprinkle with the salt and pepper.

3. Grill until tender and slightly browned, about 4 minutes per side.

4. Spread 1/4 cup of the hummus over each piece of bread.

5. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of pine nuts on top.

6. Top with 3 slices of zucchini, 2 pieces of pepper, 1/2 cup of the spinach, and a few sliced onions.

7. Roll each of them up and cut in half on a diagonal.

Per Serving:

Calories: 320

Total Fat: 15g (Sat Fat 2g, Mono Fat 6g, Poly Fat 6g)

Protein: 12g

Carb: 42g

Fiber: 8g