Eat This Not That Vol 2

Alright folks, it’s another round of “eat this not that” to help keep you on track this summer without having to be a total “party pooper.” With tomorrow being the 4th of July and it being a Tuesday, it’s kind of a week-long party happening right now.

The biggest thing I personally experience (and I know I’m not alone) when my routine is not as structured and I’m engaging in social eating and shared meals, my protein intake can take a serious nose-dive. The foods we tend to snack on are usually high in carbohydrates and fat and protein is found on the grill and often, unless you’re the grillmaster, it’s not the highest quality.

For our “eat this not that” blog for this week we are going to focus on MORE PROTEIN during the holiday/vacation time. Most people don’t put out high-protein foods at the BBQ because A) it’s the most expensive and B) it’s usually not as “fun” as the chips, cookies, potato salad, etc. We have to get creative. If you are in charge of the food, you can make a conscious effort to include more proteins or if you aren’t, you can bring something with you to share.

Protein doesn’t have to be boring and actually, it’s often one of the biggest hits.

• Chicken, shrimp or steak kabobs - with colorful bell peppers and other veggies

• Pre cooked, ready-to-eat shrimp (Costco sells really tasty cilantro lime shrimp and it’s ready to serve)

• Lots of clean chicken salad recipes are all over Pinterest and they’re super tasty too!

• Antipasto salad loaded with turkey pepperoni, salami ad chicken breast

• Chicken and/or turkey burgers

And if all else fails, bring a shake or protein bar to off set the carb intake. You’ll want to balance it out with some protein. It’s not an all-or-nothing deal. It’s all about balance. If you balance out your meals, you will be less inclined to binge on the junk foods. And the best part - if you can discipline yourself to balance your nutrients you will feel MUCH better the next day.