The weather has been wild and wacky in many parts of the country, with extreme fluctuations in temperature of 30 degrees in one day. It’s been too cold and too wet for too long for many of us, which can cause extreme tiredness, an intense craving for carbs (especially sweets), irritability, weight gain and the desire to avoid social situations.
Luckily we can go into damage control, and a great way to combat unpredictable weather is through your diet. Avoiding sugars, eating lots of omega-3 fats, foods containing tryptophan, folic acid, lean proteins and unprocessed foods are excellent for boosting your mood and energy. Here are the top foods that you should be sneaking into your daily diet.
Dark leafy greens
Dark chocolate
Blueberries
Walnuts, sunflower seeds, flaxseeds
Salmon, trout, mackeral
Turkey, chicken breast, pumpkin (all great sources of tryptophan)
Sooooo here comes my endless summer balls to save the day.
SUMMER PROTEIN BALLS
Ingredients
1/3 cup sunflower seeds
1/3 cup flaxseeds
1 cup walnuts
1 cup blueberries
1/2 cup shredded Coconut
1 scoop (21g) of Collagen Beauty Greens by Vital Proteins (this can be substituted for another brand green supplement)
2 scoops (60g) vanilla vegan protein powder
Suggestion: for an extra protein boost, add a supplement containing Velositol®
Directions
1. Take a medium-sized mixing bowl and combine the collagen greens, coconut and protein powder.
2. In a blender, quickly whiz around the seeds, walnuts and blueberries until combined.
3. Put all the contents of the blender in the bowl and mix thoroughly.
4. Time to start ballin’! Take a tbs of the mixture at a time and start rolling the balls; the balls should be about 1 inch in diameter. After they are rolled, roll them again in cacao powder to help seal them up.
5. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
Protein – Your Fat-Burning Friend
Protein is a key component of your fitness program, and is essential for maintaining lean body mass and losing fat. There are products like Velositol® that you can add to protein that doubles the power of protein on muscle protein synthesis to boost your workouts and help you achieve the results in the gym that you are looking for – to keep you fit, toned, strong and lean.