Nutrition Tips From The Biggest Loser Expert!

They call it the most important meal of the day for a reason! While you’re sleeping, your body actually goes into a mini starvation mode, which means your metabolism lowers and you’re not burning calories as quickly. And when you do eat something, all of a sudden your metabolism starts to increase again.

So eating breakfast kick starts your metabolism in a major way! And studies show that by eating breakfast, you consume fewer calories the rest of the day than people who skip it. So try to make time every morning for the meal!

The problem with many of my clients isn’t what they’re eating, it’s that they’re eating too much, even of the right foods. Even healthy foods have calories, and if you eat too much, you’ll still gain weight. So pay attention to not only what you’re eating, but also how much.

Knowing correct portion sizes is so important—you can find this information on nutrition labels. Once you do some research, serving sizes might surprise you! For example, the serving size for cereal is one cup (think two hands cupped together), cooked pasta is half a cup (one handful), fruit is one piece the size of a tennis ball, and three ounces for meat (the size of a deck of cards). Paying attention to portion size is really about focusing on how much you’re eating, and making sure you’re not consuming more than you realize.

At lunchtime, I tell my clients to eat “a wheat, a meat, and a treat!”

For the “wheat,” choose a serving of whole grain bread and for “a meat,” try one serving of a lean protein, like turkey or chicken. Try combining the two into a sandwich or wrap. The third part of your lunch should be a “treat,” like baked potato chips or pretzels. Allow yourself one “treat” a day. It's OK if it doesn’t have a ton of nutritional value—just try to keep your treat under 100 calories!

Keep your energy levels up throughout practice by eating a good snack beforehand. About an hour to a half hour before practice, eat some protein and fiber—like whole grain crackers and low-fat cheese, or nuts and fruit—which will keep you sustained. Avoid foods with lots of sugar before hitting the field, because while your energy will immediately spike, you’ll crash after—and won’t be able to make it through practice!

And unless you’ll be exercising intensely for at least three hours, plain old water is fine! Sports drinks, like Gatorade, Vitamin Water, or Powerade, have too much sugar in them, and actually contain more calories than you’ll burn working out.

Everyone has “trigger foods” that they can’t control themselves around— for example, mine is a certain type of cookie. I tell my clients, like Sunny, to make a list of your trigger foods that you have a hard time avoiding, and then ask your parents if they can hold off buying them for awhile.

Explain that those are the foods you have the hardest time controlling yourself around, and ask if they can possibly find other options for themselves. It’s a tip that seems small, but really helps!

Since nothing needs to be off-limits and deprivation doesn't work, you don't need to give up junk food completely! [I tell] my clients they can have two junk food items a week. If you stick to your treats (remember, lunch is a "wheat, a meat, and a (reasonably healthy) treat"), watch your serving sizes, and allow yourself to indulge only twice a week, you can still eat the foods you love, and then make healthier choices the rest of the week. It doesn't have to be all or nothing!

A baked apple is one of my favorite desserts and it's easy to make and so delicious! Here are the ingredients you'll need:

· 1 medium apple (I love the taste of Honey Crisp apples)
· 1/4 cup water
· 1/4 tsp. granulated sugar
· 1/8 tsp. cinnamon
· 1/4 cup Fat Free Reddi-wip

To make this yummy dessert, first preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Core the apple by taking a knife and cutting a circle around the core, and then pull it out. Place the apple in a casserole dish and pour water over the it. Then sprinkle it with sugar and cinnamon. Bake in the oven until the apple is tender, for about 45 minutes. Top the apple with fat-free Reddi-wip and enjoy!

Most store bought trail mixes incorporate dried fruits that may have added sugars, sugary cereals, and candied or salted nuts. Get around this by making your own version at home! Start with a high-fiber, low sugar cereal like Fiber One Original, Cinnamon Puffins, or Kashi Honey Sunshine. Next, add in your favorite unsalted nuts (like peanuts, cashews, or almonds). Finally, add in your fruit—be sure to look for dried fruit or freeze-dried fruit without any added sugar. Try Trader Joe’s Unsweetened Freeze Dried Fruit or Funky Money freeze-dried fruit.

Make your DIY trail mix on a Sunday and package individual servings in plastic bags, so you can easily grab one to throw in your lunch bag for school!

There are lots of ways to make dessert healthy! If you make fruit the main part of the dish, you can make a dessert that doesn’t have tons of calories. One I especially love is a play on the classic sundae.

Peel a banana and top it with a few teaspoons of fat-free cool whip, two teaspoons of chocolate syrup, some nuts (for a little crunch and added protein!), and fresh fruit like blueberries, strawberries, or raspberries.

This “sundae” has just enough chocolate to satisfy your sweet tooth, but the fresh fruitsmake it a yummy and healthy choice—you won’t even miss the ice cream or candy toppings!

When you get hungry and have no healthy foods in your house, it can be tempting to reach for something unhealthy, like junk food. Fix this by keeping a few staple items in your house, so you can reach for those instead of that bag of chips. You can use these items in so many different ways and in tons of dishes:

Lean protein
I love the Applegate Farm brand of deli meats, such as turkey and chicken slices. Not only do they taste delicious, but they also don’t have any preservatives!

Low-Fat Cheeses And Yogurt
The brand Horizon makes great organic and hormone-free cheeses. And for yogurt, always look for 0% fat Greek yogurt, like Fage or Chobani.

Whole-Wheat Pasta
As long as the pasta you buy says “made with 100% whole wheat or whole grain,” you’re good to go! If you’re a picky eater and don’t love how whole grain pasta looks, try Dreamfields, or Ronzoni Smart Taste—both look and taste just like white pasta!

Frozen Fruits and Veggies
Always keep these handy! I love mixing frozen fruits with ice-cold non-fat milk or yogurt for a mid-day treat, and frozen veggies can be heated up for a quick, healthy stir fry dinner—just throw in chicken and brown rice.

You probably already know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but do you know what kinds of foods are the best to have for breakfast? To keep you full until lunch, make sure your breakfast has both fiber and protein in it.

For the mornings when you’re rushing out the door, try one of these three quick breakfasts:

-One apple sliced, with two tablespoons of peanut butter.
-Yogurt (low-fat and low sugar, or kinds that say 0% fat) with one handful of unsalted nuts
-One piece of whole grain toast topped with low-fat cheese.

These thee are all super easy to make in a hurry, and you can eat them on your way to school!