Interview with Amy Lyons !

Lucky us !

 

Last week we were fortunate enough to interview professional runner and vegan chef Amy Lyons.

Meet Amy. This girl has talent !!

 

Amy is a true health ambassador, experiencing healthy living first hand and sharing with us the very best in raw and vegan delights through her blog www.fragrantvanillacake.blogspot.com/

Here's what Amy had to share with us at Pure Life Fitness ...
 

When did your passion in health and fitness begin ?

My fitness began in highschool when I was in track, cross country, and nordic skiing. I have always had a love for endurance sports, and it continued into college where I continued to run competatively until I joined a local race team.

Could you share some highlights of your running career with us ?

I was All American in Cross Country in college, and I hold several Minnesota age records from my late teens and early 20s in the 5k, 10k, and 8k. At that point, I could run a sub 16:30 5k and Sub 34 minute 10k. 

How important is it to you that you exercise and eat healthily ?

Eating healthy and exersizing are essential parts of my life. In order to feel my best and look my best, they are things that need to be paid attention to daily. Afterall, you only get one body, so you should treat it well!

When did you first take to the kitchen ?

I first started experimenting in the kitchen when I was a freshmen in college. I would get cookbooks from the library and make a different dish that I considered difficult every day. This is how I learned to cook!

What made you choose a raw/vegan lifestyle ?

I am not strictly raw, about 60% I would say right now, and I recently started eating vegan in the last year. I have been a vegetarian since college. I started the raw food because my boyfriend asked me to make him a cheesecake with no dairy or soy (he eats mostly raw), and I decided to try making a raw cheesecake. I fell in love with it, and wanted to make more and more raw food because it was so tasty! I have since been enjoying raw savory dishes as well, and I love how it makes me feel. I feel like I am eating healthier than I ever have in my life!

Was there any one person, event or experience that gave you an “ah-ha” moment to start your blog ?

I started the blog because I was sharing so many recipes on facebook with my friends that I decided that a larger audience might appriciate them as well!

Some chefs tell me they were interested in food from a very early age. Was this true for you?

I wasn't interested in cooking as a youngster, the closest I came was helping my Grandma bake cookies. I got interested later when I was eating different things, and I decided that in order to eat what I wanted I needed to cook.

What is your all time favourite recipe ?

I don't have any one recipe that is my favorite, but I love all of my raw cheesecakes. Especially the one I made for my Birthday, Pretty In Pink Cheesecake with berries, vanilla and floral notes.

http://fragrantvanillacake.blogspot.mx/2012/07/raw-pretty-in-pink-birthday-cheesecake.html

Do you read other cookbooks/blogs ? If so, is there one you would you recommend to someone just starting out ?

I learned a lot from the cookbook, Passionate Vegetarian. I was always checking it out from the library before I bought it in college. I have always been a fan of Bon Appetit Magazine, their photos are lovely. Lately I have been enjoying a few blogs featuring raw food. Sweetly Raw is amazing, and she has e-books to purchase. I also enjoy Golubka, and Rawmazing, their food is increadible...I hope to create such raw dishes someday!

What advice would you offer someone interested in beginning to create raw/vegan dishes ?

I would say, don't be intimidated, just go for it! I was scared to try making raw food at first because I felt like I didn't have the skill, or it wouldn't turn out, but it is really quite simple once you get the hang of it! Plus no oven use required! As far as vegan goes, don't believe them when they say you will miss dairy and meat. There are plenty of things much tastier that are vegan that you can create!

Are there any staples or utensils that every vegan/raw kitchen should have?

Kitchen tools that are a must for me lately are my food processor, blender, dehydrater and of course a good sharp knife! Nuts, seeds, and good oils like olive oil and coconut oil are always on hand at my house and important. Also dried fruit (not sweetened) and dates, as well as raw oats and things like nutritional yeast. Always have plenty of fresh produce as well!

So many of my readers, including myself, would like to be healthier home cooks. Could you share your cooking philosophy with us ?

My cooking philosphy is real food is best. By real, I mean food that is as unprocessed as possible, organic, local and fresh!

 

Thanks so much to Amy for her time, education and dedication to her own well being. I hope we can all take something from Amy's philosophy and tips on healthy living. It is people like her who are now leading the way in the natural health revolution ! Stay healthy happy and committed to your own health.

Thank you for visiting the site ! Please feel free to leave comments, ask questions or get involved in our healthy living programs !!

Always committed to your success,

Marissa

 

Protein. Let's talk.

It’s every bodybuilder’s favorite macronutrient and for good reason. It's on the top of the list for discussion in lectures and round table discussions.

 

Protein is wonderful. It an essential part of our make up, is extremely satiating and is a true anabolic.

Though how much is too much ? Would it be too much if your kidneys exploded ??

Today I woke up to make my morning smoothie and decided upon something different. I was going to combine all the ingredients I use for my "usual" but would grind the nuts, grains and seeds to store in the fridge as a protein mix.

This got me thinking. While I am blessed to have studied nutrition and know how to create my perfect protein concoction for myself .. what about everyone else? Are they really still using synthesised products in an attempt to get their daily dose of the good stuff?

 

The answer is yes. Millions of people all over the world are still stuffing their bodies with flavoured powder in order to justify their protein intake.

Fitness professionals all over the world are still recommending a daily intake of approximately 1g per pound of body weight.

Well, isn't it the building block to our body !? Yes. Of course. Protein is awesome… but..

You are consuming too much of it .

According to the FSC, a balanced diet is recommended to allow a daily protein intake of 50g. This is almost a quarter of what most athletes are consuming.

Dr Mike Roussell put's it in plain text when he refers to protein saying "it can be downright dangerous".

Excess protein can lead to calcium deposits as the body is attempting to alkalise and maintain it's norml PH (somewhere between 7 and 7.4. You guessed it, this can lead to kidney stones and other urinary tract problems. Ouch !

So if excess protein is not conducive to a healthy body, why are we consuming pounds of supplements in an effort to become lean and mean ?

Not sure..

Absolutely, one upon a time when people weren't health conscious there was a drastic need for a supplment to aid consumption of protein but these days with all the amino acid talk, what we need to look at is getting enough protein from food sources and less from synthesised chemicals containing harmful metals that will affect us long term.

So, we all know the downside to over consuming of protein and subjecting our bodies to large quantities of supplements filled with disease causing chemicals.. but what are the highest protein foods and how much do we need ?

If you consume meat and eggs, a combination of 1 or 2 of the following coupled with foods from the table below may actually give you all the protein you need.

Eggs

Eggs are one of those foods that always makes the top five list when it comes to nutrient density and high protein content. They should always come from organic, free range chickens to provide optimum nutrition to the body. 1 large whole egg on average contains:

• Fat: 5 grams
• Carbohydrates: 0 grams
• Protein: 6 grams

Chicken Breast

Chicken breast is a staple of bodybuilding building diets because it’s considered very high in protein. What isn't taken into consideration is the health of the chicken, how it was manufactured and therefore what benefits it is actually bringing to the body. One serve of organic free range chicken breast of 50g contains on average:

• Fat: 0.6 grams
• Carbohydrates: 0 grams
• Protein: 11.5 grams

Tuna Steak (Raw)

Tuna is one of the highest protein foods in the seafood department. A 50g serving of clean fish contains:

• Fat: 0.5 grams
• Carbohydrates: 0 grams
• Protein: 11.7 grams

Vegetarian

If you prefer not to eat meat, you are not limited by choice !! The table below has kindly been outlined by the Vegetarian Althete sourced from the World Health Organisation.

You may be surprised to know how many foods actually contain protein.

Amino acid	WHO Mg/ kg body weight	WHO Mg/ 55 kg (121 lbs)	WHO Mg/ 80 kg (176 lbs)	Good dairy/egg sources (per 200 calories)	Best vegan sources (per 200 calories)
I Isoleucine	20	1100	1600	Egg whites 2754 mg Cottage cheese lowfat 2022 mg	Soy protein 2650 mg Watercress 1691 mg Chard 1540 mg Spinach 1322 mg Sunflower seed flour 1474 mg Kidney beans 1297 mg
L Leucine	39	2145	3120	Egg whites 4233 mg Cottage cheese lowfat 3540 mg	Soy protein 4226 mg Watercress 3017 mg Alfalfa seeds raw 2322 mg Kidney beans 2103 mg Tofu 2500mg Sesame flour 2307 mg Sunflower seed flour 2148 mg
K Lysine	30	1650	2400	Egg white 3358 mg Cream cheese 2859 mg Cottage cheese lowfat 2784 mg	Soy protein 3319 mg Watercress 2436 mg Tofu 2253 mg
M Methionine+ C Cysteine	15 (total)	825	1200	Egg whites 1660 mg	Sesame flour 994 mg Seaweed spirulina 908 mg Soy protein 690 mg
F Phenylalanine+ Y Tyrosine	25 (total)	1375	2000	Egg whites 2435 mg Cottage cheese lowfat 1856 mg Cottage cheese 1489 mg Cream cheese 1465 mg Cheddar cheese 1363 mg	Soy protein 2862 mg Cottonseed flour 1870 mg Sesame flour 1596 mg Kidney beans 1473 mg Spinach 1428 mg
T Threonine	15	825	1200	Egg white 1942 mg	Watercress 2418 mg Soy protein 1755 mg Spinach 1496 mg Sesame seed flour 1250 mg Sunflower seed flour 1202 mg Kidney beans 1230 mg
W Tryptophan	4	220	320	Egg white 673 mg Mozzarella cheese 399 mg Cottage cheese lowfat 383 mg	Soy protein 695 mg Spinach 690 mg Sesame flour 659 mg Sunflower seed flour 451 Watercress 544 mg Turnip greens 400 mg Broccoli rabe 390 mg Asparagus 322 mg Kidney beans 303 mg Oat bran 280 mg
V Valine	26	1430	2080	Egg white 3371 mg	Soy protein 2554 mg Watercress 2491 mg Mushrooms, white 193 mg Sunflower seed flour 1703 mg Sesame seed flour 1682 mg Snow/snap peas 1595 mg Kidney beans 1503 mg

Do your body a favour and find the healthy balance in your life.

If you have explored all avenues and are sure you require excess protein in your diet, consider protein swapping so you are not eating large quantities of foods and synthesised products that are harming your body long term.

Choose an array of foods from the table above to compliment your training and keep hormones controlled, thus providing better functioning, allowing better workouts and ultimately creating a more balanced body.

Our bodies are incredible machines that have the ability to provide us with strength, lean muscle mass, energy and functionality.

Give your body a chance by fueling it right and you may just be surprised what can be acheived.

Stay motivated and dedicated to your health.

Always committed to your success,

Marissa
www.marissanieves.com
http://marissapurelifefitness.wordpress.com/2012/09/27/purelife/?preview=true&preview_id=53&preview_nonce=5bd56f16b7