Whether you’re trying to lose weight or maintain results, lean protein should be a critical part of your diet. It keeps you full in between meals and helps build lean muscle mass, which increases the number of calories you burn on a daily basis, essentially promoting a higher metabolic rate. Lean protein is beneficial to your overall health—it boosts heart health, helps lower blood cholesterol, and supports brain function and overall physical functioning,   

Here are some protein-rich meal ideas to help make it easier to boost consumption of this important nutrient.

Breakfast

Start your day off with eggs, which are an excellent source of protein with approximately seven grams per each. Make a two egg omelet or scramble and mix in your favorite veggies to incorporate dietary fiber and other essential nutrients. If you really don’t have time to make eggs, opt for Greek yogurt with fresh berries for another fiber- and protein-rich meal.

Snacks

Avoid the...

Memorial Day weekend is typically a fun one—it kicks off the summer and gives us a chance to celebrate and spend time with our friends and loved ones. While this may mean parties with lots of opportunity to eat and imbibe, it doesn’t mean you have to toss your healthy lifestyle to the wind this weekend. All you need is a plan to stay on track without depriving yourself.

Here are a few nutrition coach-approved strategies that can help you enjoy Memorial Day festivities without packing on the pounds.

1. BYOD—as in Bring Your Own Dish

Bring a healthy yet delicious dish to the party. This ensures that there is a healthy choice at the party, while providing a little help to the host. Even something as simple as a healthy salad loaded with leafy greens and seasonal produce or a fresh fruit bowl will be a hit. Eat your own healthy dish and then just sample the other offerings. You’ll enjoy yourself and not feel deprived, without “cheating” on your...

As a transformational nutrition coach, I often hear the question, “Why do we need more protein and fiber in our diets?” When you’re trying to lose weight, get in shape or improve your overall health, these are two essential components you should strive to get into your diet. Read on to learn why both fiber and lean protein should be a fundamental part of your meals.

Lean Protein

Consumption of lean protein is critical—we need it in our diet, coupled with exercise, to build muscle and maintain what we already have. Our muscle mass decreases with age, which, in turn, slows down our metabolism and can lead to weight gain. Loss of muscle mass doesn’t just lead to extra pounds; it can increase the risk of injury, especially the older you get. To combat these issues now and in the future, consume lean protein and get your workouts in. Keep in mind that, the more lean muscle mass you have, the more calories you will burn on a daily basis.

Another reason why...

Summer is around the corner—which means summer bodies are coming out in full force! Many of us feel pressure to get in better shape for the season since hotter weather often means less clothing. Don’t let it stress you out—instead, embrace a mindset for exercising that will transform your body and your life.

Exercise is the clearest path to improving physical fitness—and it helps with weight loss and improving your overall health as well. It’s essential for building leaner, stronger muscles that burn more calories and fat. Working out also releases endorphins that provide a natural high that elevates our moods and makes us happier overall.

Yet despite how wide-ranging the benefits are, it can be hard to exercise as much as we plan to on a weekly basis. If you’re having trouble sticking to your fitness goals, read on for some excellent tips from our nutrition mindset coach to help you stay on track for better health and reaching your fitness goals....

Spring is in full effect—and with it comes an array of delicious produce that will help you improve your health and transform your body. We often think of the basics like oranges and apples when it comes to produce, but there are many other antioxidant- and nutrient-rich choices you can make for snacking and to add flavor to your meals.

Try some of the veggies listed below and you will enjoy a wealth of health benefits.

Artichokes

Cultivated since the rule of the Roman Empire, this superfood is an excellent source of dietary fiber, which fills us up and helps us keep the weight off. Artichokes promote healthy digestion with their cynarin content, a compound that combats bloating, boosts bile production and helps to expedite the digestive process. They also boast good levels of folate, manganese and vitamins C and K.

Asparagus

Native to Asia Minor and the eastern Mediterranean, this herbaceous plant is ranked one of the top veggies when it comes to antioxidant content....

How are your New Year’s resolutions going? Believe it or not, the majority of Americans have already fallen off the wagon—in fact, many fell off by the third week of January. Even if you’ve had a bad day or two, don’t give up. Never give up! When you work with a transformational nutrition coach, you’ll learn ways to adopt a healthy lifestyle rather than a strict diet that is difficult to stick to. This makes it easier to maintain results over the long term and improves overall health.

Below are some easy-to-implement changes that can help you transform your lifestyle and achieve the results that you want.

1. Try New Things

Each week, try something new that you know is healthy for you. Make a stop at the juice bar and load up on a green medley. Get a steamer and try it out every day for a week. Hide your keys for the weekend and walk everywhere you need to go. Take a new exercise class that you’ve never even heard of before. Whatever you accomplish...

Sleep is the foundation for everything—our physical and emotional health, fitness and well-being. It’s especially crucial when you’re trying to lose weight. While eating right and exercising are key to reaching your weight loss goals, many of us overlook the importance of adequate sleep—yet studies show that getting your ZZZs may be the most important factor. When you don’t get enough sleep, you can feel dazed, groggy and cranky. Worse yet, it can take a toll on your health and reduce—and even undo—the benefits of healthy diets and exercise.

Sleep and Blood Sugar

Research shows that there are many ways lack of sleep can affect your weight loss goals. A study conducted by the University of Chicago showed that just four days of sleep deprivation can slow down our metabolism by more than 30 percent. When we don’t get the proper amount of sleep, our body’s ability to utilize insulin properly gets disrupted. Your body can then become...

It’s National Walking Day—the ideal time to incorporate walking into your lifestyle. If you’re trying to lose weight or maintain results, walking is an excellent way to ramp up your physical activity levels and boost your diet efforts. Read on to discover the many benefits of walking—and learn why transformational nutrition coach Maria Mizzi recommends adopting it as one of your exercise modes.

1. Walking Improves Overall Health

A regular walking program yields a wide range of benefits that improve your overall health and fitness levels. Walking helps prevent and combat many health conditions and diseases, including obesity, back pain, diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and even various forms of cancer, such as breast and colon. It strengthens your muscles and bones, and helps prevent osteoporosis.

2. Weight Loss

Walking helps metabolize calories and modestly burns fat. Research shows that it improves blood sugar levels and glycemic...

Many individuals who seek assistance from a nutrition coach want to know if snacking is a healthy or unhealthy habit. While snacking mindlessly when you’re not hungry or just because you’re bored is not a good thing, well-timed, healthy snacks can play an essential role in a healthy diet. Healthy snacks help keep your metabolism revved while satiating your hunger. This can help you avoid letting your stomach get to the point where you’re so hungry that you overeat when you do sit down to a meal—a common problem that leads to volatile blood sugar levels, and ultimately, weight gain.

Obviously, junk food and baked goods are not healthy snacks. But when you choose high-protein snacks or fiber-rich fruits and vegetables, snacking can be a healthy habit that helps you maintain a balanced diet.

Here are a few reasons why:

1. Snacks Stave Off Cravings

Most individuals start to feel hunger pangs after three to four hours, which is an appropriate time for having a...

If you’re trying to transform your body, one of the best things you can do is work out regularly. A solid exercise program will boost and expedite your efforts while improving your overall health. Below are some tips for maximizing those workouts so you can hit your weight loss goal that much faster. If you are just starting to exercise after a hiatus, please be sure to check with your physician to make sure it is safe for you to work out.

1. Get Support

A solid support system is an excellent way to stay accountable. Enlist one of your friends as a workout buddy, invest in a trainer or work with a nutrition mindset coach. A workout buddy will help you stay committed to your plan—you’ll be less apt to leave someone else hanging when you made an appointment to meet for a run. Hiring a trainer is a great investment as they’ll help you develop the most efficient workout and properly set goals, while teaching you new exercises. A nutrition mindset coach will teach...