Naked Juice No Longer Natural

After settling a lawsuit Pepsi will no longer be calling Naked Juice natural. I haven't had a Naked Juice in over five years but, back when I was less concerned about consuming liquid calories I would occasionally have one. I didn't even know that Pepsi bought Naked Juice back in 2007. In retrospect the purchase doesn't surprise me at all as I still have memories of bottles of Naked Juice flowing out of the food co-op I worked at during that time. Despite the relatively short shelf life they rarely expired and, we regularly received new shipments.

The reason Naked Juice will no longer be labeled as natural is because the added vitamins are in reality synthetic. Pepsi stated that the drinks will continue to be labeled non-GMO and is currently enlisting a third party to verify the claim. I think the important aspect to take away from all of this is the open ended and confusing usage of the word "natural". If you google the word natural the first definition given is, "existing in or caused by nature; not made or caused by humankind",  which would lead one to believe that virtually all packaged food shouldn't be labeled as such. I think anyone who has spent time learning about how to eat healthier or how to properly diet knows that avoiding packaged food is a good first step. I feel that if a food item is claiming that it is "natural" one should be cautious about consuming it. Wouldn't it look silly if you walked into the grocery store and found every piece of produce labeled as "natural"?

Five Personal Training Apps

I recently came across this brief article on the Huffington Post which recommends five different apps to help you get fit without a coach. I haven't tried any of these apps but, from what I've seen on facebook Couch-to-5K seems to be popular and, people seem to be sticking with the program. We all know that it is difficult to get fit or or maintain a routine so, any tool that can help you is great. I haven't found a fitness app that I have wanted to use but, I do enjoy the calorie counting app My Fitness Pal. 

So what fitness apps do you use or like and, what ones have you found to be more of a hindrance than helpful? I look forward to your responses in the comments.

Falling off the Wagon

Even though I've still been exercising lately, I have had difficulty finding the motivation. I do believe in some ways that is what makes me qualified to be the Average Guy who gives out fitness advice. I understand all too much the struggle that staying motivated to exercise is and not even to stay fit as much as just not to become a total blob of adipose tissue. The other day I started an Insanity video and stopped after the warm up and stretch. I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I'm not sure what has been causing this lack of motivation but, it is very present in my mind when it comes time to exercise.

I know part of my psyche wants to just blame it on the hectic schedule of summer. I do know that traveling, which I have been doing plenty of this summer, really throws me out of my routine and makes the first days back home difficult when it comes to exercise. I tend to not take relaxing vacations and instead spend hours walking mile after mile exploring new cities. I also like to stop and check out a new bar which isn't always the best choice to keep your calories in check while on the road. I would argue though that life experience and travel are an important aspect of happiness and the cost of a few calories of extra beer are totally outweighed by the memories and stories I can share with friends and family.

Despite still eating healthy I've also been more lax on my diet lately. I have a weekly meet up with friends on Wednesday where we play games and we all bring some snacks and beer. We've vowed to bring healthier snacks because the temptation of an open bag of chips or cookies is too difficult to resist. I also went on a bit of a Doner kebab binge while on vacation. They are not known for being the healthiest snack but they certainly are tasty and cheap. I do think that the holidays and while you are on vacation are the times to not be strict on your diet but, it is important to always remember balance and moderation.

I think it is always crucial to ask yourself why when you are losing motivation. If you can find the reason you'll have a much better chance of getting yourself back on track. Part of me just wants to blame it on the summer heat but I know that is a fairly lame excuse. Sometimes I think I need to change my fitness routine but overall I'm happy with it and the results I've been having. Once I find the answer I hope to be able to get back on the wagon. Maybe I won't find the answer and I'll just hop back on anyways. I do know that despite my lack of motivation to exercise I will continue on because I know quitting is not an option.

And I don't want to look like a total slob at the beach!

Do you Exercise while on Vacation or Traveling for Work?

While on vacation last week I was wondering to myself if other people exercise while traveling. I was already planning a week off from exercise so I didn't but I have in the past and sometimes I do enjoy working out while traveling. Looking back I probably should have spent some time in the evening doing some stretching or basic yoga but at the time I didn't feel like it.

I think the most significant obstacle to working out while traveling is having a place to do it. If your hotel doesn't have a gym your options are already limited. You could try your room but many hotel rooms lack adequate space for exercise. There is always the option of going for a run but for people such as myself who don't enjoy running this isn't much of an alternative. The next incumberance is time which stops many people from exercising while at home let alone on the road. Long days and modified schedules don't lend themselves to finding time for the gym but exercise can help to normalize your day and improve your sleep.

One factor which can keep me from exercise on vacation is all the walking I do during the day. My wife and I often rely on public transit while on vacation but still spend hours everyday walking from different sites and places to get food and drink. This is already a significant amount of exercise so additional cardio probably wouldn't be warranted. I still remember a few months back while in Stockholm I discovered that my gym had a large selection of free weights including a squat rack. I decided that I desperately needed to do some squats and went at it pretty hard and heavy. I found walking extremely challenging which made all the walking on vacation seem like a monumental task. Needless to say resistance exercise might not be worth it on vacation too (although I did feel more justified in savaging the breakfast buffet after my workout).

So do you exercise while on vacation or traveling? I look forward to reading your thoughts and comments.

And for your viewing pleasure a few pictures from my trip to Bergamo and Milan, Italy.

Recipe: Tuna, Avocado, and Tomato Mash

I like to cook but, ultimately I prefer to make meals which are quick, simple, and delicious. Lunch time is often a difficult time to find a quick healthy meal. I have found a simple recipe that I often turn to for a quick healthy mid-day meal - Tuna, Avocado, and Tomato Mash.


You will need tomatoes (I prefer cherry tomatoes).

One ripe avocado (it is difficult to find Hass avocados in Germany so I take what I can get). 

One can of tuna. 

I start by slicing the tomatoes. If you are worried about the avocado being bad then you can certainly start there because I know there isn't much sadder than cutting open an avocado to see it is bad inside!

 

Next comes the sliced avocado.

After the avocado drain and add the tuna.

Now that all the ingredients are in the bowl I like to add some seasoning. First I'll shake a little lemon juice over it. Then I'll pour some powdered garlic and ginger on. Finally depending on my mood and how spicy I want it I'll add red or black pepper. 

And now for the final step: The Mash!!!

This simple delicious meal boasts the following nutritional information. 

Calories: 436

Fat: 24 (Don't worry this is the healthy fat that you want)

Carbs: 22g (It also has 12 grams of dietary fiber from the avocado)

Protein: 39g 

I like to enjoy this as a post resistance workout meal. You may want to add some extra carbohydrates if you are using this meal as your post resistance workout meal though. It is also a great recipe for anyone who is trying to limit their intake of carbs. 

My Fitness Pal App Review

I've dieted on and off over the years and like most people I've found it difficult. One of the main struggles with being on a diet is needing to count calories. Most people (myself included) can not look at a box, plate, or utensil full of food and accurately know how many calories it contains. One of the rare health benefits of prepackaged food is that calorie and nutrition information is contained on the side but, even then it can be difficult to tell what half a box is. Maybe after awhile you have the hang of what most of your frequent foods are going to give you calorie wise but at that point you would still need to log them. One way to avoid all of this headache and get your diet on track is with a diet app like My Fitness Pal.

The main benefit of this app is that it is a quick easy to use tool which can track calories and nutritional information. Just input your current weight and how much weight you want to lose or gain and it will tell you how many daily calories to eat. From there one just needs to start actually tracking their food intake. At first this seems like it will be very time consuming but, the app already has "over 1 million foods" in their database. The barcode scanner or search function often quickly bring results to your finger tips. If the food you're eating isn't included it can quickly be added. The app also has the ability to store recipes and meals if you have frequently eaten items you want to track without having to reenter all the individual items. I've found this as well as the ability to copy meals to other days useful (this can only be done for meals at the same time such as breakfast to breakfast). One problem that you may encounter with food items already in the database is that they may have incomplete or incorrect nutritional or caloric information. If this happens you just need to create a new food with a slightly different name. The more you use the app the easier it becomes because most of us eat similar foods day to day and week to week. Calorie and nutrition tracking is the strong point and focus of this app and it shows.

There are many other useful categories of diet and fitness information that can be tracked such as weight and body measurements. I really enjoy being able to input my weight over time and see it displayed on a graph. The one drawback is that it will only show up to the last three months. For most people dieting is a long process with many ups and downs and three months of information will not do it justice (unless you want to forget your holiday binge!). Sometimes more important then knowing your weight is knowing your measurements and My Fitness Pal allows you to track your neck, waist, and hip measurements for three months as well. I'm surprised and disappointed that chest isn't included in the measurements as well. It would also help to include other areas of the body such as upper arm and leg measurements to give a full picture of progress. I'm definitely glad that the app includes the ability to track some of your measurements but there is room for improvement.

I think one possible pitfall of the app is the tracking of calories burned from cardiovascular activity directly through the app. It can be interesting and some quick positive reinforcement to see that I burned 580 calories from water jogging  for 60 minutes but, there is a strong tendency to overestimate energy expenditure. I've found a much better plan for dieting is to set your daily calorie limit and don't subtract calories for exercise. People tend not only to overestimate energy expenditure but also to eat more after exercising from thinking that they just blasted through two jelly filled donuts (calories taken from first search result from the app!). There is a common feeling that calories out are safe to reward as calories in and therefore 580 burned at water jogging allows two 290 calorie jelly filled donuts ... it is all supply and demand right? The app allows you to set your activity level from sedentary to very active and I feel like this is a good basis, even if you are rigorously and consistently exercising, to base your daily caloric needs on instead of subtracting calories burned from exercise.

One aspect of the app that I haven't explored that people may like is the social networking feature found under the friends tab. It allows you to connect with other My Fitness Pal users and keep each other motivated and offer support. I've often read that it is easier and more effective to diet with a friend and since you can keep in touch with people all over the world using the app this will be even easier. I don't think I will use this feature of the app but, I do see its appeal.

Overall My Fitness Pal is a great tool to help guide your diet. Tracking information is quick and simple which takes away one of the more previously daunting and important aspects of anyone's diet. The app could use a few more features and I hope that they will improve their product with future releases. Ultimately the app is only as good as the information you put in and take away from it but at this point I would consider My Fitness Pal an essential tool for the modern dieter.

Rating: 8/10

Article Review: "Happy April Fools' Day: 12 'Health' Foods Fooling Us All"

While the premise of Happy April Fools' Day: 12 'Health' Foods Fooling Us All from the The Huffington Post is definitely on point and I'm all for articles pointing out unhealthy foods that masquerade as healthy options it falls short in focusing on processed food options. I definitely agree with the article that all of the options presented are touted as healthy and that all can have drawbacks or are just plain awful food choices. If made at home these foods would be perceived as a healthy but showing unhealthy mass produced items from giant corporate chains won't fool us all.

I thought the article would be fairly informative since it starts out with granola. I do enjoy granola occasionally but you definitely need to read the label and check the serving size and ingredients. It is very easy to over indulge in calorie dense foods and granola is a perfect example of this. You can definitely find healthy granolas but you will most likely want to avoid most store bought options and try and make it at home.

All of the drink options presented: vitamin water, sports drinks, and smoothies/pureed fruit snacks are definitely healthy living landmines. If you are extremely physically active then grabbing a sports drink makes sense but very few people are depleting their body to the point where this will ever be a regular necessity. If you need more vitamins than you get in your diet it is better to turn to a supplement then to grab a vitamin water. I like an occasional homemade smoothie but any store bought option will contain more calories than some of your daily meals. More and more people have difficulty maintaining a healthy weight and one of the best options is to restrict or eliminate liquid calories. Fresh squeezed juice can be okay to drink but pureed fruit snacks are just another calorie adding problem. These options were some of the better "health foods" called out by the article.

I was a little surprised that cold cuts and muffins were included in this. Do people actually think these are health foods? I feel these items were thrown in there as filler and take away from the article much like the inclusion of items from Burger King, Starbucks, and McDonald's. Yes a turkey burger, oatmeal, or egg white wrap could all be very healthy if prepared in your home or from certain restaurants but I think it is a bit odd to include them here. I do understand pointing out that seemingly healthier options on a fast food menu are far from healthy but health food and fast food are not concepts that share space in my mind. I did find the  inclusion of Kind Bars interesting and thoughtful though. I'm not very familiar with them but I do generally with any company that makes bars reading the labels is extremely important.

The best slides from the article aren't food items but the words "natural" and "gluten free". I've been fooled before by the natural label and I think it is deceiving for many people. So many unhealthy things are natural and there is no guideline for labeling a product as such. Anymore it might actually be good advice to avoid any product touting itself as natural. The article points specifically to gluten free sweets but I would go as far as to include any product that includes gluten. People who have gluten allergies have been greatly helped by this influx of products but it doesn't make sense to spend hard earned money to avoid gluten if you don't have an allergy. One can make a case for avoiding breads and other calorie dense items containing gluten but if you are planning on eating a dessert there is no reason feel that gluten free is healthier if you don't have a gluten allergy. Being gluten free won't mean it is low in calories or sugar and it isn't an indicator that it is healthy.

I definitely liked the premise of this article but wished it would have excluded the processed and fast foods from the list. I know knowledge on healthy food various widely person to person but many people are already aware of the short comings of these kinds of foods. The article definitely did a good job pointing out that some trendy health buzz words are products of advertising and not of nutrition information. I hope you enjoyed my review and I look forward to your comments.