Tag: vegetarian

Lose Fat And Fix Your Gut With Prebiotics

Post author By Remson
Post date May 8, 2017

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Lose Fat And Fix Your Gut With Prebiotics

Anyone who has taken an interest in gut health more than likely has heard about probiotics and the benefits of them. If you don’t know, the live bacteria of probiotic foods help tremendously in fighting off any issues in the gastrointestinal tract and maintaining a positive environment in the digestive system which ultimately lead to fat loss. They also play an important role in strengthening your immune system. Probiotics are found within the cultures of dairy foods, and yogurt also. However there is the vital resource that is not nearly as popular, but just as important, prebiotics. This guide will teach you what you need to know about prebiotics, how they are related to probiotics, how they help you, and the abundance of foods that contain them.

How Are Probiotics & Prebiotics Related?

Probiotics and prebiotics are essential to healthy gut function. Probiotics are live microorganisms that live in your gastrointestinal tract. They help the digestive process by cleaning out the gut so things can continue to flow smoothly. Like any living organism they need to be fed in order to survive and grow. This is where prebiotics come in. Prebiotics act as a food source for probiotics.

How Do I Get Prebiotics?

Prebiotics are un-digestible plant fibers that live inside the large intestine. When you consume foods high in prebiotics, those prebiotics will then fuel the growth of probiotics, resulting in healthy gut function.

You’ve more than likely already ingested prebiotics and not even realized it. Prebiotics are found in a variety of foods, mainly in high fiber vegetables. Vegetables that are high in fiber are typically also high in probiotics.

Here's A List Of My Top 7 Prebiotic Foods

Raw Chicory

You can find chicory root in healthy food stores as a supplement or in grounded form. People often use it as a replacement for coffee because it tastes like coffee, but without the side effects that some people experience like jitters, headaches, and trouble sleeping.

*The prebiotic statics of Raw Chicory Root are, 65% weight in fiber. Amount of daily serving needed would be 9.3 grams

Raw Jerusalem Artichoke

It looks more like ginger, but its name comes from it tasting like an artichoke. You can put it in salads and you can also boil it, satee it, or roast it to get a creamy potato. The Jerusalem Artichoke has a low glycemic index so it can be a good alternative to potatoes for diabetics.

*The prebiotic statics of Jerusalem Artichoke are, 31.5% weight in fiber. The daily serving amount needed is 19 grams.

Raw Dandelion

To get the prebiotics of Raw Dandelion Root into your diet try putting it in with your salads, sandwiches, stews, casseroles, soups or herbal teas. The taste of it can be a bit acrid so to deal with that, you can blanch them in boiling water for 10 – 20 secs, but not too much, or you’ll neutralize the prebiotics.

*The prebiotic statics of Raw Dandelion Root are, 24.3% weight in fiber. The daily serving amount needed is, 24.7 grams.

Raw Garlic

Add Garlic to your diet in many different ways.

Guacamole
Hummus
Vegetable Stir Fry
Add it to pasta for some extra flavor.

*The prebiotic statistics of Raw Garlic are, 17.5% weight in fiber. The daily serving amount needed is, 34.3 grams.

Raw Leeks

Aside from the fact that raw leeks are a great source of prebiotics, they actually taste pretty good and go well with just about anything. Try’em in garden pastas, salads, and also as anedible garnish if you feel like getting fancy.

*The prebiotic statics of Raw Leeks are, 11.7% weight in fiber. The daily serving amount needed is 51.3 grams.

Raw Onion

Most of the flavonoids are in the outermost layers of the onion, so try to peel off as little as possible before chopping, dicing. Onions are a tremendously potent food and are a great source of prebiotics, but cooking them will lower the nutritional quality and kill off a large quantity of the prebiotics.

*The prebiotic statistics of raw onion are, 8.6% weight in fiber. The daily amount needed is 69.8 grams.

Raw Asparagus

Raw asparagus is another great source of prebiotics. For many of us, raw asparagus is tough to eat, but it can be pretty tasty and less tough when its fermented. You can also try blending it into a smoothie.

*The prebiotic statistics of raw asparagus are, 5% weight in fiber. The daily amount needed is 120 grams.

How Much Prebiotics Should I have?

In order to get the full effects of prebiotics, you should try to consume at least 5 grams of prebiotic-dense foods per day.

*Note that cooking these food source can also lower the quantity of prebiotics in them, so I’d suggest eating raw if you can.

Over all, prebiotics is the key to having a healthy gut and speedy metabolism. Eat your greens and get lean!

For more info on gut bacteria and the micro biome, click here.

Hope this helps you guys out!

-Remson

Tribe By Noire

I’ve created this platform to help you become the most powerful version of yourself through fitness, plant based nutrition, and mindset coaching.

Tags diet strategies, fat loss, gut health, improve metabolism, nutrition plans, plant based diet, vegan, vegetarian, weight loss

Nutrition & Supplements

5 Important Things To Know About Fiber

Post author By Remson
Post date May 7, 2017

Tribe By Noire

5 Important Things To Know About Fiber

Generally when people talk about diet, they talk about protein, carbs, fat, and calorie counting. You may even hear a general mention of fruits and vegetables, but when was the last time you heard an in-depth discussion about fiber and gut health? Well if its not something you’ve heard about often, I want to talk to you about 5 important things to know about fiber.

1. What is Fiber & Where Is It Found?

Fiber is basically the threads that make up the tissue of plants. In regards to your diet this fiber is known as dietary fiber, or roughage. Its a type of carbohydrate that can not be digested by the human body. Due to the fact that it can’t be broken down by our bodies, it passes through our digestive tract pretty much intact, but what it does along the way is what’s important.

Here are some of the functions of dietary fiber.

Regulating digestion
Regulating blood sugar
Maintaining cholesterol levels

Dietary fiber is exclusive to a plant based diet and is not found in meat, dairy, or eggs.

2. Soluble Fiber & Insoluble Fiber

There are two different types of fiber that both important to have in your diet called soluble fiber and insoluble fiber. Most plant based foods have a mixture of both even though its not specified on the label.

Soluble Fiber

Soluble fiber dissolves or swells in water almost becoming a gel like substance. This is also soluble fiber interacts with the fluids in your gut. To give you a quick visual, think about the consistency of oatmeal when it sits in water. That’s a sign of a particular food being high in soluble fiber. Soluble fiber reduces cholesterol levels and stabilizes blood sugar levels. Foods that are high in soluble fiber are beans, fruits, and oats.

Insoluble FIber

Unlike soluble fiber, Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water. The purpose of insoluble fiber is to add fecal bulk which is great for preventing constipation. All plant based foods, especially vegetables, wheat, wheat bran, rye, and brown rice, are full of insoluble fiber.

3. Fiber Fermentation & Gut Bacteria

Fiber fermentation is a process that both soluble and insoluble fiber goes through in the large intestine that result in the production of certain gases and acids that have many significant health benefits. Here are some of those health benefits.

Stimulation of good bacteria production in the colon
Stabilization of blood glucose which helps people avoid diabetes
Suppression of LDL (bad cholesterol) which helps avoid the hardening of arteries and heart disease
Increase of lower gut acid levels, which protects against cancerous polyp formations and helps the body absorb essential minerals such as iron, calcium and magnesium
Inhibition of inflammation by improving the protective layer in the lower gut
Stimulation of the immune system by boosting production of helper cells and other antibodies
Reduction in the number of dangerous conditions associated with an unhealthy diet, including obesity and a diverse array of gastrointestinal disorders such as inflammatory bowel disease, diverticulitis, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis

There are 7 foods that are highest my list in regards to fiber.

Chicory Root
Jerusalem Artichoke
Dandelion Root
Garlic
Leeks
Onion
Asparagus

For more information about how to fix your gut health and increase good gut bacteria, read this article here.

4. How Much Fiber Should You Consume Daily?

Statistically the average adult only consumes about 15 grams of fiber per day which is nowhere near enough. I won’t give you an exact cookie cutter amount, but a good baseline minimum is around 20-25 grams per 1000 calories. This is only a minimum and in reality your fiber intake should end up much higher than this on a balanced plant based diet.

5. can you consume too much fiber?

Having too much fiber in your diet is a very unlikely circumstance, but it is possible. This can be caused by overeating foods that are very high in fiber. Here are some signs that you’ve consumed too much fiber.

Gas and bloating – caused by the expansion of soluble fiber.
Loose stool – caused by excess water retention in your fecal matter
Constipation – soluble fiber absorbs water and too much water absorption can harden fecal matter
Dehydration – fiber uses up a lot of water in your system so increasing fiber intake without increasing water intake can deprive your organs of water.

In order to avoid these issue, increasing fiber intake should be gradual process, not anything drastic because your body needs to acclimated to these dietary changes.

Tribe By Noire

I’ve created this platform to help you become the most powerful version of yourself through fitness, plant based nutrition, and mindset coaching.

Tags diet strategies, fat loss, gut health, improve metabolism, nutrition plans, plant based diet, vegan, vegetarian, weight loss

Nutrition & Supplements

Improve Gut Health With These 5 Plant Based Fermented Foods

Post author By Remson
Post date May 3, 2017

Tribe By Noire

Improve Gut Health With These 5 Plant Based Fermented Foods

More and more now, scientific studies are showing the importance of bacteria in regards to gut health. This information is changing the way we view food and the approach to diet. Fermented foods have been in human history for generations, but now the science has brought them into the spotlight. Let’s talk about fermented foods and how to improve gut health with these 5 plant based fermented foods.

Why Are Fermented Foods Good For You?

Fermented foods are foods that have been through the process of lactofermentation where natural bacteria feed on the sugar and starch in the food creating lactic acid. This process preserves the food, and creates all kinds of beneficial enzymes, b-vitamins, Omega-3 fatty acids, and various strains of probiotics.

The natural fermentation of foods has also been shown to preserve nutrients in food and break the food down to a form that’s easier to digest. This, along with the cultures of probiotics created during the fermentation process, is why the consumption of fermented foods leads to the improvement of gut health and digestion.

Simply put, fermented foods are nutrient dense foods that end up being alot easier to digest and absorb because of the fermentation process. For more information on gut bacteria and digestive health, read my article on gut flora and the key to gut health

5 Great Feremented Foods To Put Into Your Diet

Sauerkraut

Sauerkraut is fermented cabbage that comes very thinly sliced. Its loaded with vitamin C, B, and K. It also contains a ton of probiotics, including leuconostoc, pediococcus, and lactobacillus. If you decide to go to the store and get some of this stuff, make sure you get it unpasteurized because pasteurization kills the good bacteria. Look for it in the refrigerated aisle.

Kimchi

Kimchi is an extremely popular South Korean food that they typically eat as a side dish. This type of fermented food is made with cabbage, radish, or cucumber. It’s packed with flavor, filled with vitamin C and carotene, and can either be eaten on its own or incorporated into a whole wide array of different dishes.

Miso

Miso is made from fermented soy beans and is often used in soups and can also add a nice flavor to other dishes like miso hummus. Its packed with micro nutrients like manganese, zinc, and antioxidants.

Coconut Yogurt

Coconut yogurt is packed with probiotics, and since it’s non-dairy, it’s a great vegan alternative and a lot easier to digest than conventional yogurt. Coconut is antiviral, anti-fungal and antibacterial, plus it’s high in calcium, potassium and magnesium.

Pickles

Pickles are filled with active bacterial cultures and enzymes. Like sauerkraut, buy lacto-fermented pickles unpasteurized from the refrigerator section, not the kind made with vinegar. They may taste similar, but they don’t have the same health benefits. Its also a good idea to drink the pickle juice.

Tribe By Noire

I’ve created this platform to help you become the most powerful version of yourself through fitness, plant based nutrition, and mindset coaching.

Tags diet strategies, fat loss, gut health, improve metabolism, nutrition plans, plant based diet, vegan, vegetarian, weight loss

Nutrition & Supplements

7 Great Vegan Protein Sources

Post author By Remson
Post date April 30, 2017

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7 Great Vegan Protein Sources

There is a lot of false information out there about plant based protein sources, and a vegan diet in regards to protein deficiency. I want to clear that up here and also give you 7 great vegan protein sources.

Do Plant Protein Sources Have a Complete Amino Profile?

There are plant based foods that have a complete amino profile like quinoa, hemp, and soy and there are some that don’t, like beans and legumes. However this is not really an issue because you end up consuming complete proteins by mixing foods. A good example of this would be mixing beans with rice, and nut butter spread on bread. As long as you have a balanced nutrient dense diet, you’ll be fine.

Is It Hard To Get Enough Protein On A Vegan Diet?

Vegan Protein deficiency is pretty much a myth entirely. There is protein in all plant foods, so the only way you can be protein deficient is by under eating and practically starving yourself. Meat eating actually leads to excess protein consumption which can lead to a host of other problems over time like kidney damage, fat gain, etc. The average person only needs around a half a gram of protein per pound of lean mass.

7 Great Vegan Protein Sources

1. Tofu

Tofu is extremely versatile and high in protein with around 10 grams of protein per half cup. Tofu may not taste very good by itself, without any seasoning or sauce, but the unique thing about it is that it adopts the flavor of whatever you cook it with.

2. Quinoa

Quinoa is one of those most nutrient dense foods you can eat. Its packed with fiber, iron, magnesium, manganese, etc. Its versatility makes it good to eat with a wide variety of foods and you can also use it to make muffins, cookies, and things of that nature. 1 cup of cooked quinoa yields 8 grams of protein.

3. Buckwheat

The name can be a bit misleading because it actually isn’t a type of wheat at all. Its in the rhubarb family. The Japanese have turned the plant into a type of noodle called soba, most cultures eat the seeds by either grinding them into flour or cooking the kernels similarly to oatmeal. This food yields 6 grams of protein per cooked cup.

4. Chia Seeds

Chia Seeds are the highest source of plant based omega 3 fatty acids. They also contain more fiber than both nuts and flax seeds. This super food is rich in iron, zinc, calcium, and is loaded with antioxidants. When combined with water, these seeds can be used as a thickening agent for vegan pudding, vegan milkshakes, and can be used to replaced egg when baking. These seeds yield 4 grams of protein per 2 tablespoons.

5. Hemp Seeds

Hempseed contains pretty significant amounts of all 9 essential amino acids, and is also a great source of magnesium, zinc, iron, and calcium. It is also a great source of omega 3 fatty acids. 2 tablespoons yields 10 grams of protein.

6. Spirulina

Spirulina is a micro algae that is packed with nutrients like thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, iron, magnesium, potassium, and manganese. Basically its a real super food that you can supplement in your diet and just one tablespoon contains 4 grams of protein.

Here’s the spirulina I recommend

7. Ezekiel Bread

Ezekiel bread is made from wheat, barley, lentils, beans, spelt, and millet and is highly nutrient dense, containing all essential amino acids. Just 2 slices contains around 8 grams of protein.

There are many other protein sources, but these are my top 7.

Tribe By Noire

I’ve created this platform to help you become the most powerful version of yourself through fitness, plant based nutrition, and mindset coaching.

Tags diet strategies, nutrition plans, plant based diet, vegan, vegetarian

Nutrition & Supplements

High Carb Diet For Easy Lean Mass Gain And Fat Loss

Post author By Remson
Post date April 30, 2017

Tribe By Noire

High Carb Diet For Easy Lean Mass Gain And Fat Loss

Its truly a shame how carbohydrates have been so heavily vilified when it comes to diet and weight management. Its even gotten to the point where people believe that obesity is primarily caused by carbs. I’ve gotta set the record straight on this and talk about carbs a bit more in depth. In particular I want to talk about a high carb diet for easy lean mass gain and fat loss.

Do Carbs Actually Make You Fat?

In short, the answer to this question is NO.

What actually makes You fat is consuming too much fat along with your carbs. When structuring your diet, its important to understand macro nutrients and how those macro nutrients are used and stored in the body.

The Basics Of Macros

Carbs – The sugars and starches found in fruits, grains, and vegetables. This particular macro nutrients is the human body’s primary source of energy. When consumed, carbohydrates break down into one molecule of fructose and one molecule of glucose. These two molecules are sent to the liver and distributed to the skeletal muscle, brain, and spine.

Fat – Otherwise known as triglycerides which are a chain of three fatty acids. It serves as an energy source as well as storage for excess energy that the body does not need immediately. Fat is broken down in the body to yield glycerol and fatty acids. glycerol can be converted into glucose by the liver.

Protein – These are any class of nitrogenous organic compounds that consist of large molecules composed of one or more long chains of amino acids and are the building blocks of body tissues such as muscle, hair, collagen, etc.

Carbs Are The Body's Preferred Energy Source

In particular glucose is the body’s key energy source. Being That carbs are made up of just two molecules (glucose and fructose) it is the easiest and quickest source of that energy.

Carb Storage Vs Fat Storage

Carbs are broken down and converted into glucose which is stored in the liver, and cells of muscle tissue as glycogen. Carbs give muscles a fuller look which is great for bodybuilding.

Fat is stored as either visceral or subcutaneous fat. Visceral fat is stored in the abdominal area, particularly around the liver, pancreas, and intestines. subcutaneous fat is stored directly under the skin. The visceral fat is the most dangerous fat while the subcutaneous fat is more so the loose jiggly stuff and cellulite.

Burning Fat & When It Happens

The body burns fat mostly during activity with low energy demand, or at rest. These fat burning activities can be things like, low intensity cardio (walking for example) and the others activities would be sleeping and fasting. My recommended form of fasting is intermittent fasting because its the most practical, especially for most busy schedules.

My Preferred Carb Sources

Starchy foods like potatoes, rice, pasta, quinoa, lentils, beans, and ezekiel breads it! To appease the sweet tooth and get in some simple sugars. I go for fruit like, grapefruit, apples, berries, grapes, bananas, etc. I do my best to stick to organic whole foods and stay away from processed junk foods. This is especially important when you’re in a calorie deficit because you need to get in the most amount of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and anti oxidants while consuming a limited amount of calories.

-Remson

Tribe By Noire

I’ve created this platform to help you become the most powerful version of yourself through fitness, plant based nutrition, and mindset coaching.

Tags diet strategies, nutrition plans, plant based diet, vegan, vegetarian