Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Protein Supplements vs. Home Made Food

I love supplements! I especially love Promax Bars. I tried a new one today called Peanut Butter Crunch. Yum! The only thing is that I had it for dinner on the way home from picking up my daughter from a writing and reading class which ends at 5:30pm. Dinner is at 5:30pm for me. Sometimes I can hold off until 6pm, but not tonight. I packed a protein bar in my purse just in case I couldn't make it home in time.

While I was driving home I started to visualize having a nice piece of chicken and green beans. A real home made dinner sounded so much better and so much more fulfilling at that time of day. I knew it would have been better for me and more satisfying, but the bar would at least do. I know this all sounds confusing, because I previously said how much I love supplements. The problem is that I don't like them at certain times of the day. For a snack, bars are great! And they are especially wonderful when I didn't pack enough home made meals. Otherwise, I much prefer to eat what I make from home. It's more satisfying mentally and physically. The duration home made food lasts in body is definitely longer. For instance, I can have a 1/2 of a yam, salsa, and chicken, and that will sustain my needs much longer than a bar. The taste is richer and more complex, which I'm sure translates into providing my body with mroe complex nutrients.

In the morning, I love having my vanilla flavored Lean Complex protein in my morning smoothie. The smoothie wouldn't be the same without it. It's the taste which enhances the flavors of the banana and the protein. I've tried the smoothie with rice milk, soy milk, and nonfat milk, but it's not at all the same in texture and flavor.

I think the two supplements I use, for the purpose I use them for, serves me well in their nutritional profile and quality. However, I still think that if one is making a choice, GO FOR THE REAL FOOD. Pop in the microwave for 7-10 minutes a yam, or sweet potato. Cut it in half, take the skin off, and top it with some salsa or Asian seasoning or whatever, and add 3-4 oz of chicken and seriously it's the best. If I was working outside the home in an office, I would take 3 meals with me to work, and this one would be my lunch. The other two would be a Chubani Yogurt and 10 salt free nuts, and a protein bar. How easy is that to pack?

Costco on Technology in Irvine is now selling the Chubani Yogurt (I don't think this is the correct spelling). It's Greek yogurt and the nutritional profile is amazing. Also, once every 6 weeks the Promax bars go on sale at Ralphs. If they are not all gone, I usually buy most of them for $1.00 each. Normally they are $1.49-$1.69 each. I have 4 cases in my house right now. Oh! I forgot to mention...I eat the vanilla Chubani Yogurt and not the flavored ones. However, my husband, who is a body builder eats the fruit flavored ones and he seems to win competitions. I stay away from them because of the added carbohydrates, but it doesn't seem to phase him.

Today's Eats:
8am: peanut butter, banana, protein, ice, and water smoothie.
1030am: 1 pear & 1 hard boiled egg
1pm: left over taco salad with a little more ground turkey from a different leftover.
3pm: my favorite chocolate chip Promax bar.
530pm: by default.....another Promax bar (Peanut Butter Crunch)

Workout Tonight:
30 minute treadmill run and 5 minutes of walking
stretching.

Tomorrow I may not workout. We are going out tomorrow evening, and since I workout 6 days a week, one day off will not hurt and will probably be good for the body. If I feel guilty, I'll probably take it as my day off for the week and workout on Saturday.

...And YES I'm a little hungry right now. The protein bar this evening wasn't as filling as the meal I intended to have. I'm going to get some water right now to help fill the tummy.

RsmKettleGirl@gmail.com

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