Beginner’s 101 Guide to Diets and Meal Plans

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We all know it can be hard to follow a certain diet when you’re getting up at 7am, sitting at your desk for 9 hours a day (or maybe more?!) and having to commit to your social life in the evenings. The reality of having access to those free coffee machines, birthday cakes and office snacks can be really tempting, which is why it is important to have a healthy and consistent diet throughout the week.

Skipping meals because you have no time, excessive eating at your desk and indulging in “healthy snacks” that are actually high in sugar are some of the most common diet mistakes we all make.    

Health-conscious gurus have researched 5 popular diets trends. Which one can you connect with?

 

The Atkins Diet

Want to lose a bit of weight? Focus on eating high-level amounts of protein and fat, but whatever you do, avoid mainstream carbohydrates. Low-carb vegetables such as kale, broccoli and asparagus however are still good to eat.

Atkins, Diet, Salmon, Asparagus, Lemon, Vegetables, Healthy

 

The Zone Diet

Controlling your body weight and successful weight loss can be one of the hardest things. Follow this guidance and balance your nutrition in each meal and you should see a difference:

  • 40% high-quality, unrefined carbohydrates (whole grains, plant seeds, fruit)
  • 30% fats (olive oil, avocado)
  • 30% protein (nuts, fish, poultry)

Diet, carbs, rice, protein, chicken, broccoli, vegetables

 

The Ketogenic Diet

Similar to The Atkins Diet, but not as strict, “Ketosis” focuses on reducing carbohydrate intake and upping fat intake, which allows the body to burn fat as fuel, rather than carbohydrates.

Ketogenic, diet, fat, fibre, protein, carbohydrate

 

The Vegetarian Diet

No animals (except for eggs and dairy). Simple as.

Studies show that vegetarians have a lower body weight, suffer from less diseases, and have a longer life expectancy. So if you want those three things, then go veggie.

vegetarian, eggs, avocado, green, leaves, spinach

 

The Vegan Diet

No animals at all. This is more than a nutritional diet. Vegans also care for the environment, ethics and compassion. So if you’re more of a plant-based gal or guy and care about animal suffering then this is for you.

vegan, diet, plant, vegetables, seeds, healthy

 

No time to stick to the diet during the week? Meal prepping is your answer! Here’s a beginner’s 101 guide to help you make use of those dragging Sunday mornings and prep your food for the week.

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And of course, slogging about at your desk is not just because of the food you’re eating, but probably because of the lack of exercise. Taking the stairs instead of the lift can be a good start but not enough to get your heart really pumping! TruBe trainers can come to you before work, during your lunch break or after work, so really, there’s no excuse. They are here to help you, to give you motivation and can advise on meal plans, so get in touch with TruBe and start a new journey by downloading the app now.   

How to Make your own Granola

Granola is one the best ways to get a balanced and nutritious breakfast. The foundations of oats, coconut oil and honey provide your body with the carbohydrates it need to start the day (fast and slow release), natural fats you need for cell growth/maintenance and of course fibre for your digestion.

Base Ingredients
– 500g Organic oats
– 4 tbs Coconut oil
– 4 tbs Organic honeyYou can now add whatever you like, as long it fits in with your fitness goal. I like to add a type of nut/seed for protein, dried fruit for extra sugar and fibre and something for added flavour.

Added Ingredients
– 150g Nuts (pecans are my favourite)
– 100g Dried fruit (cranberries)
– 1 tbs Cinnamon (for flavour)

fruit-and-nut-gran-blog

If I have a particularly active day ahead I will add another good source of slow release carbohydrate such as chia seeds.

Method
1. Pre heat the oven to 150c/gas mark 2.
2. Mix all of the dry ingredients together in a bowl.
3. Put the honey and coconut oil on low heat in a saucepan until they mix together.
4. Pour the honey and coconut oil mix over the dry ingredients, then toss well.
5. Lay the mixture out in a baking tray lined with baking paper, then bake in the oven for about 25 minutes at 150c.
6. Once the mixture is golden brown, leave to cool.

granola-blog-3

You can choose to enjoy it with milk, almond, yoghourt or may favourite, a spoon of peanut butter. Yuuuummmm!

Neda – London Personal Trainer and Healthy Chef.

P.S. Follow me on Instagram for more recipe ideas and fitness inspiration.

Protein Power Ball Recipe

Protein snacks have a bad reputation for being hard to swallow and digest. However these protein power balls are breaking the mould. They are delicious and perfect to eat straight after a workout. The recipe is easy to follow and take no longer than 20 minutes to make! Try them yourself.

Ingredients
2 scoops whey protein, chocolate or vanilla, also can be used soy protein for lactose intolerance.
100g almond butter (or any choice of butter)
250g dates
25g chia seeds
50g flax seeds,can be mix with pumpkin and sunflower seeds
100g cashews
100g almonds
50g organic porridge oats
4 tsp coconut oil
50g good quality cacao powder (optional)

Also try: Apple and Cinnamon Blondies

Method
1. Soak the dates in hot water.
2. Chop the nuts finely.
3. Blend all of the wet ingredients and cacao then add the nuts,oats and seeds.
4. The mixture will look dry but will form balls perfectly using your hands.
5. Roll them in cacao powder to add the chocolatey flavour if you desire, but they are equally as tasty without.
6. Store in the fridge.

Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Follow me on Instagram for more great recipes.

Neda

Recipe: Apple Cinnamon Blondies

These apple and cinnamon blondies are one of my favourite healthy treats. They are packed with natural sugars to give you a nice clean energy boost, but be careful not to eat too many! They also contain chickpeas which are packed with protein, making them the perfect post workout snack.

Follow the instructions below and try them for yourself.

Ingredients

Apple jam:
– 2 red apples: cored, peeled and finely diced
– ¾ tsp cinnamon
– 1tsp vanilla essence
– 1 tsp stevia
– 1 tbs corn flour/starch
– ½ cup water

Blondies:
– 2 cups Oats.
– 1 can chickpeas – 1½ cups drained and rinsed.
– ½ cup (140g) low fat vanilla or natural greek yoghurt.
– 2 tbs coconut oil, (melted).
– 1 tsp baking powder.
– ¼ tsp cinnamon.
– 2 tsp vanilla essence.
– 4 tbsp honey.
– Pinch of Himalayan salt.
– ½ cup almond or soya milk.

Topping:
– ¼ apple finely sliced to decorate.
– 1 teaspoon cinnamon for dusting.

Instructions

– Preheat the to oven 200C | 390F.
– Line an 8×8 inch baking tray with baking paper and put to one side.
– Note: if you use bigger tray, please double all ingredients.
– Place all apple jam ingredients into a small saucepan and bring to the boil.
– Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer until the apples have softened and the ‘syrup’ has thickened.
– Place all of the blondie ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth.
– Once the Apple jam is ready, fold it into the batter and mix well.
– Pour the batter into a tray and top with apple slices and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
– Bake for around 30 minutes (depending on your oven).
– To check if they are ready insert a toothpick into the centre and see if it comes out clean.
– They will be VERY moist and fudge-y when taken out of the oven, but they will get firmer and set as they cool down.
– Note: Don’t overcook them, as they can become dry.

Let us know if you liked them, and follow me on Instagram for more healthy cooking inspiration.

Neda