Corin Krainer, Author at

The Healthy Gut Smoothie!

This smoothie has all that you need for a healthy gut; fiber, probiotics, protein, fruits, and vegetables (that you can’t taste). This is my go-to smoothie, because it tastes like a milk shake, I get my fruits and vegis, and it keeps me full for hours!

Ingredients

2 1/2 Cups almond milk (or any nut milk will work)
2 Small bananas
Large handful of spinach
1/2 Cup chopped zucchini
5 Ice cubes
Two TBSP almond butter
Squeeze of honey (optional)
1 TBSP Chia seeds (optional)
1 TBSP Ground flaxseed
1 Scoop probiotic & prebiotic powder.
2 Scoops collagen powder (optional)

Instructions

Throw it all in a blender and blend until smooth. Add more almond milk if needed (depends on the consistency you like).

Enjoy!

Are you struggling to lose weight, are constantly tired, and feel bloated and gassy? Check out my new blog: 8 Signs You Need a Gut Reboot!

The One Thing Your Immune System is Missing!

While boosting our immune system is especially important during cold and flu season, it shouldn’t JUST be a seasonal thing. Besides living a healthy lifestyle including: eating plant based foods, exercising regularly, and getting adequate sleep and relaxation. There may be one key thing you’re missing!

Immunity is in the gut.

When we think about gut health, the first thing that comes to mind is digestion. But did you know that as much as 70 percent of your immune cells actually reside in the gut? That means if you have a slow imbalanced gut, you may have a weakened immune system. In fact, there is an increasing amount of research being done on how different organ systems are affected by the gut environment.

If you think about it, the food we eat doesn’t actually enter our blood stream until it passes through our gut wall. So this makes our gut the first defense against any nasty things we consume, and it helps to break down and absorb the nutrients we eat.

This is where our gut microbiome plays a BIG role in immunity! It’s responsible for strengthening the gut wall, killing harmful bacteria, and it regulates the inflammatory immune response, just to name a few. Moral of the story; a healthy gut makes for a healthy immune system.

Probiotics may help strengthen your immune system.

So how do we keep our gut healthy and ensure there is more good bacteria in the gut than bad? Well as was mentioned, eating healthy and exercise is very important! But let’s face it, were human, and sometimes the junk food is just too irresistible! That’s why I play it safe by taking a probiotic daily.

Exercise workout, healthy lifestyle, plank

So what exactly is a probiotic and what does it do? Well in a nutshell (because no one has time for all the science), your gut needs healthy bacteria to replace the bad bacteria, and probiotics help do this. Probiotics also inhibit the growth of harmful disease causing bacteria, giving your immune system a boost.

If you know me (or have followed me for awhile), you know I’m not one for supplements. I believe we can get what we need through nutrient dense plant based foods. However, there are a few supplements I religiously take daily, and this is one of them! I haven’t been sick with the flu in over 2 years and I attribute this to my change of diet, and my daily probiotic.

Just a side note, I even give my dogs probiotics when they are experiencing some kind of ailment such as, after a round of antibiotics for a UTI, or ear infection. Recently two of my dogs had a bout of diarrhea and vomiting (from something they ate), so I followed it up with a round of probiotics to replace any of the nasty bacteria in their guts. Just a warning though, I’m not a veterinarian, I’m just telling you what works for my animals and me. If you wanna know more about what I feed my dogs check out: What I feed my dog to prevent bladder stones!

How to choose a probiotic.

Probiotics come in a variety of forms from powders, tablets and capsules, and choosing one can get a little tricky because there is a lot of crap out there on the market. Now I like a bargain as much as anyone, but QUALITY probiotics are not cheap, so don’t even bother taking a probiotic from Walmart or CVS pharmacy because they won’t do anything for you.

Remember probiotics are live strains of bacteria, so when looking for a quality product, make sure it’s refrigerated (to prevent the bacteria from dying), in a glass bottle, and preferably uses bioshield capsules (which insures the probiotic gets to your small intestine). In addition, make sure you purchase a probiotic with at least 5-100 billion (not million) colony-forming units (CFU). Start low and increase your tolerance.

Recently I started using TruFlora Probiotic’s with enzymes, it’s not shipped with a cold pack but they give an explanation on their website, I do however store them in the refrigerator during use. So far I really love Truflora, they do third party testing on their products and offer a money back guarantee. They are one of the better probiotics on the market (that I can buy online), instead of going to my local health food store, and they aren’t too expensive either.

If you have any questions or comments on probiotics please comment below, I love to hear from you! Also if you like this article please share it on your favorite social media app, by clicking on one of the bubble icons to the right ➡️or below if you’re on the mobile site. Mahalo!

Why I Don’t Watch the Scale!

Let’s face it losing weight is NOT easy! It requires working out consistently and eating a healthy balanced diet. No doubt after all our hard work, we want to see results, and we look to the scale to give us a reason to keep going. Wrong!

When that scale stops going down or we cheat for a few days, low and behold we’ve gained 5 pounds! AHHH! Repeat this scenario a few times, and sadly you’ve given up working out and you’re back to your unhealthy habits.

I’ve broken up with my scale long ago, and URGE you to kiss constant weigh-ins goodbye!!! Here’s what the scale won’t tell you.

You’re Losing More Than Just Fat!

Your body has three main components: fat, lean body mass, and water. A standard scale only measures your total body weight, it doesn’t measure how much lean muscle mass you’ve lost, or muscle. Obviously we want to lose only body fat, but a scale won’t tell us that, and most likely we’ll lose a little of each.

How much you lose depends on how much fat you have to start with. So the heavier a person is the more fat they have to lose, compared to a thinner person. If you’re busy burning fat into muscle, the scale may not change (in fact it may go up) but you will obviously look and feel leaner.

Your Losing Inches!

I LOVE to judge my weight loss by the way I fit my clothes! Muscle is about 18% more dense than fat, so you may drop a few sizes without even budging the scale. Using your favorite jeans or that cute little top that’s gotten a little tight, is a way better guide than weighing yourself every morning.

weight loss, don't trust the scale trust your jeans.

Dropping Fat Takes Time!

As we discussed, you can’t expect to lose 10 pounds in a week because you will lose more than just fat. At best you can only lose 1-2 pounds of fat a week, so if you’re busy focusing on that 3-digit number, you aren’t looking at what’s most important; your body fat percentage.

Ever wonder why that person weighing 125 pounds and is considered naturally skinny, still struggles with obese related health problems? That’s because despite the number on the scale, their body fat percentage can be 30% or higher, pushing them into the obese category. Just another reason not to focus on that number on the scale!

Your Retaining Water Because of Salt Intake!

Salt (or sodium) is super hard to avoid, it’s pretty much in everything delicious! According to a recent study by the Mayo Clinic, the average American consumes about 3,400mg of sodium a day. That’s about double the recommended daily amount!

When you eat a lot of sodium it can cause your body to temporarily retain water until balance can be restored. This means that when you eat a healthy balanced diet, and you cheat for a day or two, you flood your body with more salt than it’s used too, and you will see your weight increase. This doesn’t mean that all your hard work was for nothing, just that your retaining more water weight.

Work out, eat well, be patient, you will see results! weight loss inspiration.

Don’t Let the Scale Trick you!

Bottom line: there are SO many things that affect the weight on your scale, so don’t get into the habit of weighing yourself everyday! If you insist on weighing yourself, look for gradual changes every 3-4 weeks. If you aren’t seeing any weight changes in that period of time, then take a look at your diet and exercise and make some adjustments.

Because your weight can fluctuate for many different reasons, it’s best to keep track of your body composition. Personally, I love the Body Composition Scale by Nokia, because it tracks your weight, BMI, total body fat, water percentage, plus bone and muscle mass. That way you can look at your whole body and assess your goals, instead of focusing on that annoying 3 digit number.

Thank you so much for reading! If you’ve enjoyed this blog please share it on your favorite social media app by clicking one of the icon bubbles on the right =)

Mahalo!

Don’t Panic If You Can’t Buy Organic! How to Remove Pesticides From Your Produce.

When it comes to produce and meat I try to buy organic as much as possible. Because if I can reduce the amount of carcinogenic pesticides my family consumes, support small sustainable farms, and help the environment, why not right?

However, sometimes purchasing organic is just not possible! I live in Hawaii and certain varieties of produce aren’t always available in organic. Other times, organic is about three times the cost of non-organic, and the package is a LOT smaller too. Well the solution is simple, clean your produce with vinegar!

Studies have shown that washing your produce with water and vinegar can significantly lower the pesticide residue and remove harmful bacteria. Now theres no guarantee that ALL pesticide residue will be removed. But I feel better knowing I have removed as many pesticides as possible from my produce by using this wash.

How to Remove Pesticide Residue

Fill a large bowl with 4 parts water to 1 part vinegar.

soak produce in water vinegar to remove pesticide residue

If you’re doing a large batch of produce, you can also fill the sink with water and vinegar and let it soak. Just always make sure your sink is nice and clean first.

Soak the fruits or vegetables in the vinegar water for 20 minutes.

Thoroughly rinse the fruits or vegetables with water.

rinse fruits and vegetables well with water

After thoroughly rinsing your produce, you won’t taste the vinegar at all. Using this vinegar wash is a great solution for when you can’t afford to buy organic, or it’s just not available. Additionally, even if you have organic produce, you can still use this vinegar wash to remove natural pesticides that farmers use, and harmful bacteria that may make you sick.

I still choose to buy organic as much as possible, especially when it’s produce from the “dirty dozen.” You can check those out at 12 Foods You Should Buy Organic! Give this vinegar wash a try and tell me what you think by commenting below! =)

12 Foods You Should Buy Organic!

To buy organic or not to buy organic, that is the question. Buying organic is always preferred because it means your produce is pesticide free, and you support small sustainable farmers, which in turn is good for the environment.

However, buying organic can definitely get pricey and we don’t want to spend our entire food budget in the produce aisle. Just yesterday I chose to buy non-organic blueberries because they were almost $10 cheaper then the organic, not to mention the package of the organic was much smaller.

So which produce should we absolutely buy organic, and where can we save our money by buying non-organic? Well thanks to the men and women at the Environmental Working Group (EWG), they’ve compiled a list of what they call “the dirty dozen.” 12 foods that contain a ton of pesticide residue. Here they are:

Strawberries

Nothing better than some chocolate dipped strawberries, but if you’re not buying them organic you could be consuming more than 22 different pesticides! Shocking I know, but because strawberries have a porous skin, it was discovered that almost 99% of strawberries contained pesticide residue. Purchase organic strawberries!

Spinach

The EWG reported that spinach contains the most pesticides by weight, and a high concentration of permethrin, which is a neurotoxic pesticide. I eat spinach practically everyday in my smoothies, so it’s best to buy organic when it comes to this super leafy green.

Apples

An apple a day keeps the doctor away, but not if they’re covered in pesticides. The EWG reported that 90% of apples had detectable pesticide residue, and 80% tested for diphenylamine (a pesticide that has actually been banned in Europe for being carcinogenic).

Grapes

Now I love me some grapes, especially the crushed, aged and bottled grapes=wine. Grapes are the perfect snack and easy to grab, however, more than 96% of grapes contain pesticide residue, so it’s important to buy these babies organic, even the bottled ones.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes are one of my favorite fruits, full of flavor, vitamins and unfortunately pesticides. The EWG reported that one sample of tomatoes contained more than 15 different pesticides and breakdown products. WOW!

Peaches & Nectarines

I LOVE peaches, especially in a nice warm bowl of porridge. But peaches and nectarines contain over 90% pesticide residue, so buying them organic is extremely important.

Cherries

Organic cherries can be a bit pricey, but it’s worth your health to purchase organic. 30 Percent of cherries contain iprodione which is a pesticide believed to cause cancer, and is banned in European countries.

Pears

While pears aren’t the worst on this list, more than half of pears tested by the EWG contain pesticides. You are better off buying organic if you can afford it.

Celery

With the popular celery juice craze going on right now, it’s best to go organic. More than 95 percent of celery tested contained pesticides, including 13 actual different types of pesticides.

Potatoes

French fries, need I say more? Surprisingly, the potato might be the most important produce to buy organic. The EWG found that potatoes had more pesticide residue by weight than any other crop.

Bell Peppers & Hot Peppers

Bell peppers and hot peppers both contain a high amount of pesticide residue. However, even though they contain fewer amounts of pesticides than others on this list, the pesticides they contain are highly toxic, making it important to buy organic.

Foods That Don’t Need to be Organic

Avocados
Melons
Asparagus
Corn
Onions
Pineapple
Eggplant
Kiwi
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Peas
Mangoes
Papaya

Can’t find organic produce or just can’t afford it? Check out “Don’t Panic if you Can’t Buy Organic! How to remove pesticides from your produce“.

I would love to hear from you, please comment below =) and share this on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest. Mahalo!

Author: Corin Krainer