This week's Mostfit Trainer Tip is from Jackie Goodman, personal trainer and fitness instructor in Los Angeles CA.
For many years I thought I had to eat a fat free diet in order to be healthy. After many years of depriving myself of some delicious foods, I discovered that "good" fats actually make you healthier. Fats, like olive oil, coconut oil and avocado help your body absorb vitamins A, D and E. Not only that but woman who eat a diet filled with monounsaturated fat lower their risk of heart disease by almost 30%. Don't go crazy, 1/2 an avocado a day and a few tablespoons of coconut oil will do the trick. Keep your diet to 25 to 30% good healthy fat. Some other great choices are a handful of olives, almonds or peanuts. Peanut butter or almond butter, and my favorite, sesame seeds.
One of my favorite recipes is No Bake Coconut Balls. I eat 2 of these every morning before I workout and they give me a ton of energy and keep me full. They make a great dessert too if I want something sweet at night. I make these in my Ninja mini chopper:
1-2 tablespoons of coconut oil
2-3 tablespoons of coconut butter (manna)
1 to 1 and a 1/2 scoops of vanilla protein powder
3 large dates or a handful of chopped dates
A pinch of salt
1 large tbs RAW, unpasteurized honey
A handful of almonds (optional)
A handful of shredded coconut (optional)
Put it all in your mini chopper, mix it up, form balls with your hand and put in the fridge. Enjoy!