Hey Guys! Happy New Year! Who’s ready to kick off 2017 with a fresh and healthy start?! I know I am! Since I am an advocate of active, fit and healthy lifestyles. I wanted to share with you what and the American Heart Association and SUBWAY® are up to! They have created an on-going initiative that will encourage you to add more fruits and vegetables to your diet and better understand the critical health benefits this change can mean. Did you know that people who eat more fruit and vegetables in their diet are more likely to have a reduced risk of chronic diseases. Vegetables provide nutrients vital for health and maintenance of your body and you should never skip out on vegetables with your meals.

The initiative originally started in 2016. SUBWAY restaurants and the American Heart Association (AHA) teamed up to launch +color. This idea was formed to encourage Americans to add more fruits and vegetables to their diets. Did you know that most people don’t get enough fruits and vegetables in their daily diet?!?! It’s shocking. I always make sure to have vegetables with every single one of my meals. The prettier and more colorful your plate is the healthier it is for you!

So, that’s why in partnership with SUBWAY, the American Heart Association (AHA) launched the initiative called +color, focusing on the positive health impact of fruits and vegetables. The health impact of +color may be simple yet significant: It is estimated that if Americans ate the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables every day, approximately 39,900 deaths would be prevented from cardiovascular diseases, stroke and diabetes and $7.6 billion in medical costs could be saved annually. As soon as you read those shocking statistics that should be a nice wake up call. So what not make it a goal to eat more vegetables in 2017! After all it’s a new year so it should be a new you right?

Did you know that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables has also been shown to reduce risk of stroke, certain types of cancer and risk of death from all causes? That’s why the AHA and SUBWAY restaurants are inviting Americans to join in this transformative effort by encouraging everyone to start today.  SUBWAY makes it easy for people to add that extra cup of color, even when they’re on the go. You can choose from millions of our handcrafted sandwich combinations to create your own custom sandwich or salad, which can offer up at least two extra servings of vegetables to your diet. Just by adding an extra cup of color to your diet everyday can help improve the health of all Americans.

I went to SUBWAY myself this week and grabbed a chicken salad! It only took a second once I walked in for me to see all of the fresh ingredients. I quickly decide that I wanted a hearty salad with lots of veggies. It’s so easy to pick out your vegetables from the visible line up that SUBWAY has! Look how beautiful and colorful my salad was! It was totally packed with nutrients and such an easy way to stay healthy while on the go.

SUBWAY offers 10 varieties of vegetables. This includes cucumbers, spinach, tomato’s, green peppers and hot peppers which you can see on my salad. Spinach is one of my favorite green vegetables. There are many health benefits of spinach. It is low in fat and cholesterol, it is high in niacin, zinc, protein, fiber, vitamins A, C, E and K, thiamin, vitamin B6, folate, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, copper, and manganese. So what’s not to love?!?!  I made sure to add extra spinach. But you don’t have to get a salad in order to increase your vegetable intake. Subway has millions of handcrafted sandwich combinations to create your own custom sandwich too!

I really encourage you to visit your local SUBWAY and make your subs colorful each time you go! Don’t be afraid to post your images across your social network to raise awareness about +color. Tag @SUBWAY / @OfficialSubway and @American_Heart and make sure to use the #addcolor hashtag!

For more information about SUBWAY and the AHA:

 

Brand Details:

About SUBWAY® restaurants

Guests in 112 countries have easy access to a fresh line-up of vegetables for their made-to-order sandwiches and salads at any of the more than 44,000 franchised locations. The company, founded 50 years-ago by then 17-year-old Fred DeLuca and family-friend Dr. Peter Buck, is still a family-owned business with thousands of dedicated franchisees/entrepreneurs in neighborhoods around the world, providing easy access to vegetables, detailed nutrition, dietary, and healthy lifestyle information. This has been a priority for the SUBWAY® restaurant chain for many years. To learn more, visit www.subway.com. SUBWAY® is a registered trademark of Subway IP Inc.

 

About the American Heart Association:

The American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association are devoted to saving people from heart disease and stroke – the two leading causes of death in the world. We team with millions of volunteers to fund innovative research, fight for stronger public health policies, and provide lifesaving tools and information to prevent and treat these diseases. The Dallas-based American Heart Association is the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke

SUBWAY Channels:

http://www.subway.com/en-us

http://www.facebook.com/subway

https://twitter.com/subway

https://www.instagram.com/subway/

@OfficialSUBWAY on Snapchat

 

AHA Channels:

http://www.heart.org

https://www.facebook.com/AmericanHeart/

https://twitter.com/american_heart?lang=en

https://www.instagram.com/american_heart/

 

 

 

 

 

How To Eat

Everyone is attracted to something different in a partner. On average women want a man that is not too skinny and not too big. We all want someone who is healthy and takes care of their body not just in the gym but at home with food choices. A perfect mate isn’t 100 pounds and definitely isn’t a 300 pound muscular superhero. There is a balance.

Remember to lose or gain weight you must eat more. Most people only eat two to three big meals a day. Male or female youneed to eat more often to be healthy and have the body that you want. However, it is important that you make your food clean and healthy for both healthy weight loss and weight gain.

Follow these ten tips for successful clean eating for your perfect body:

1. Eat five to six small meals a day. If you eat less your body may be a risk for malnutrition, diabetes or it can even cause weight gain in the form of fat storage.

2. Never skip a meal. When you skip a meal your body goes into starvation mode and tends to store fat in unwanted places. If you eat frequently (i.e five to six small meals) your body stays constant and does not go into starvation mode and store fat.

3. Combine lean protein and complex carbs every meal. Make sure to include dark green veggies in every meal as well. Remember that variety is the spice of life and having variety at each meal is very important.

4. Avoid sugars and processed foods, refined sugars, and white breads. The best way to do this is try and shop along the outside aisles of a grocery store and avoid the middle (and the candy store). Alcohol is also included in the avoidances. A lot of alcohols are high in sugar and calories especially if you mix them so make sure to always avoid cola’s and juices.

5. Drink plenty of water. On average you should be drinking at least two litres a day or 8 glasses of water. However, if you are active or out in the sun for long periods of time you should be drinking even more.

6. Take a daily vitamin. It helps with nutrient absorption and that will help you digest your clean diet properly.

7. Avoid fried foods and saturated fats. These are high in trans fat and will cause you to gain weight and store fat instead of build lean muscle.

8. Take a daily dose of Omega 3. There are many health benefits of omega 3 fatty acids. They can boost heart health and lower triglycerides. Omega 3’s also help with rheumatoid arthritis, depression, and many more.

9. Prepare your meals beforehand. Try making your meals on Sunday night for the rest of the week. If you fail to plan you have planned to fail. Make sure that you have lots of tupperware on hand for your meals, label them for the different days and refrigerate them until you need them.

10. When choosing a protein make sure to chose a lean meat such as chicken, turkey, fish or lean ground beef. If there is excess fat on your cut of meat simply cut it off. Avoid seasonings for your meat that contain sodium and cook with olive oil or coconut oil instead of using fattening butter.

These ten tips if followed properly will guarantee success in your search for the perfect diet for the perfect body that women want. However, it will only be successful if you are exercising regularly. So hit that gym, plan your meals and eat a variety of clean planned and prepared meals.

 

There are a lot of misconceptions about the foods that should be include on the dinner plate. The following are some healthy choices as to what you should include. Make sure it is well rounded and includes multiple food groups. The following foods should be considered as options for an “anytime plate” according to Precision Nutrition. The portions will vary depending on your goals (weight loss, weight gain etc), as well as timing (pre or post workout). More information can be found through the Precision Nutrition Plate Guide.

Berardi-Anytime-Plate-1

Drink: Choose water or tea instead of juice or soda as your main beverage.

Leafy Greens and Vegetables: You should choose steamed, raw or roast greens such as lettuce, spinach, cabbage, collards, kale, bok choy, chard, watercress, broccoli, brussel sprouts, asparagus, carrots, green beans, cauliflower, mushrooms, corn, onions, green peas, peppers, zucchini, tomatoes.

Healthy Fats: Seeds, nuts, olives, and avocados. Try to eliminate extracted oils and processed fats (example: margarine).

Whole Grains and Starch Based Vegetables: Some foods include rice, oats, Quinoa, buckwheat, millet, spelt, barley, whole grain pasta. This category also includes beets, parsnips, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and squash. Beans, lentils, soybeans, split peas and tofu are also included in this category.

Lean Meats, Poultry and Fish: Lean ground turkey, lean ground beef, chicken, and fish are all included in this category.

Salt: You should minimize your salt intake by using products with no sodium or low in sodium ingredients. Use salt as a seasoning sparingly. Try and stay inspired and use herbs, spices, vinegars, lemons and limes for seasoning.

For more tips on fitness and healthy eating check out

Alicia Bell is a Toronto based Personal Trainer

www.twitter.com/trainitright

wwww.trainitright.com

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- See more at: http://livingcivil.com/create-healthy-dinner-plate/#sthash.uHVGrtzo.dpuf

Always combine your complex carbs with a lean protein.

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