All You Can Feed On

Personal Chef To Go Helps You DASH

A recent ranking of diets by U.S. News & World Report gives top honors for best overall diet to the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet.

Originally developed by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to lower blood pressure, the diet plan is available free online. 

The DASH diet tied with The Biggest Loser diet as the best diet plan to prevent and manage diabetes. The DASH diet was also named best diet for healthy eating.

The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) eating plan isn't hard to follow and Personal Chef To Go makes it super easy!  

Experts  ranked top diets in seven categories, including weight loss,diabetes, heart-healthy, commercial, easiest to follow, plant-based, and healthy eating and Personal Chef To Go meets all seven categories. Here's how:

• Eating Personal Chef To Go meals is easy
• Our menus are great for short-term weight loss
• Our menus support long-term weight loss and mangement
• Personal Chef To Go menus are nutritionally complete
• Our menus are safe for all ages
• Personal Chef To Go aids in Diabetes prevention and management
• Our meals also assist in Heart disease prevention and management

Below you'll find guidelines of food the diet recommends you eat, along with the number of servings per day. (These servings are based on a 2,000-calorie diet, but you may need to consume more or less than 2,000 calories a day, depending on your activity level. Check with your doctor, or use a calorie calculator for an estimate of your daily calorie needs.)

• Grains (7–8 daily servings): Consume seven to eight servings of primarily whole-grain products. Look for the word "whole" — don't assume that any brown-colored "wheat" bread is a great choice. Read further and check the Nutrition Facts label, the list of ingredients, and the fiber content. Look for whole-wheat flour or another whole-grain flour as the first ingredient. Also, seek grain products with 2 or more grams of fiber per serving. Venture out of your comfort zone and try brown and wild rice, barley, bulgur, quinoa, or whole-wheat couscous as your grains.

  Examples of one serving of grains include 1 slice of bread, 1 cup of dry cereal, or 1/2 cup cooked cereal, rice, or pasta.

• Fruits (4–5 daily servings): Eat four to five servings of fruits every day. Find new ways to add more fruit to your meals: Top salads with sliced strawberries or apples; add raisins or blueberries to oatmeal. Make fruit your daily go-to choice for snacking, too.

  A serving of fruit may be 1 small to medium fruit, 10 grapes, 1/2 grapefruit, a small banana, or 2 tablespoons of raisins.

• Vegetables (4–5 daily servings): Try to eat four to five veggie servings daily. If you think eating that many vegetables every day is difficult, try adding more vegetables to sandwiches: spinach leaves, green peppers, sliced tomatoes, and sprouts are all excellent sandwich toppers. If you're tired of the bland taste of boiled vegetables, give grilling a chance. Grill zucchini, Portobello mushrooms, eggplant, peppers, and Vidalia onions to really turn up the volume on vegetable flavor.

  A serving of vegetables comprises 1 cup of raw veggies or 1/2 cup cooked.

• Lowfat or nonfat dairy (2–3 daily servings): You need two to three servings of lowfat or nonfat dairy. Limit your milk to skim or 1-percent, and primarily eat lowfat yogurt and cheese.

  To meet your two-to-three-servings goal, drink two 1-cup servings of skim or 1-percent milk daily. Or, as one serving, have a snack of 8 ounces of lowfat Greek yogurt. Eating 1 ounce of lowfat or nonfat cheese also counts as a serving. To cut the fat even more, use lowfat yogurt instead of sour cream in your recipes.

• Lean meats, fish, and poultry (2 or fewer daily servings): Shoot for two or fewer servings of lean meats, fish, and poultry every day, and limit the total to 6 ounces.

  Examples of the recommended foods in this category include fresh chicken breast or legs, fresh turkey breast, loin cuts of beef, sirloin, round steak, extra-lean ground beef, pork loin roast, pork tenderloin, fresh fish, and low-sodium canned tuna.

• Nuts and seeds (4–5 weekly servings): You want four to five servings per week of foods in this category. Yep, that's per week, not per day. Even though nuts and seeds provide good fats (see the upcoming bullet point on healthy fats and oils), they're calorically dense. Try adding small amounts of nuts to your salads or stir-fries to meet your goal of getting four to five servings.

  A serving of nuts is about 1/3 of a cup (make sure they're unsalted) or 2 tablespoons of nut butter (like peanut or almond). A healthy serving size of unsalted seeds, such as sunflower seeds, is 2 tablespoons.

• Healthy fats (2–3 daily servings): Go for two to three servings per day of healthy fats as part of a hypertension diet. Oils with healthy monounsaturated fats include olive, peanut, and canola oils. Soybean oil and corn oil are higher in polyunsaturated fats, which are good for you, too. Some foods that feature healthy fats are avocados, nuts, olives, seeds, vinaigrette salad dressings, spread margarines, natural nut butters, quick breads made with vegetable oil, and recipes that include the healthy oils listed here.

  Check the nutrition facts label to determine the serving size for food products under this umbrella.

• Fats and sweets (2 or fewer daily servings — according to the actual serving size): Limit your servings in the fats and sweets category to less than two servings per day. Make sure you actually read the label of whatever goodie you're indulging in so that you only eat one serving instead of five by accident.

Why You Should Eat Personal Chef To Go

 

All Personal Chef To Go menus are freshly prepared each week with whole and organic  grains, fresh vegetables and hormone and antibiotic free meats, arriving at your door fresh, preservative and chemical free, never frozen, never processed. 

 

All of our menus are heart healthy, low on the glycemic index, low to no gluten and have been evaluated by a cardiac rehab dietician and Bon Secours hospital in Richmond, VA as being low to moderate in sodium.

We offer several meal services to meet your needs with weekly and  bi-weekly  discounts that ship anywhere in the United States! 

If you order by midnight on Mondays, you'll be in for delivery the same week!

Feel Less Tired With Personal Chef To Go

Are you often tired at the end of a busy and demanding work day? You’re not alone and the good news is that there are some things you can switch up in your daily routine to have more energy throughout the day.

Energy-boosting tips

• Get more sleep.
• Remove processed foods from your diet—they’re self-proclaimed energy zappers.
• Drink more water.
• Be active.
• Meditate.
• Try a meal delivery service.

 The possibilities are endless.

Most of these options will take some time management, but some of them are super easy and convenient. Remembering to drink more water can be challenging, but it’s free and takes no time at all. You don’t have to fit it into your schedule and that's a huge bonus.

 A meal delivery service is perfect busy lifestyles. You’ll be able to eat healthy AND save yourself tons of time throughout the day. If you’re focused on a healthier lifestyle, it’s easy to get discouraged because you might think healthy food tastes like cardboard and you don’t have time to cook real, healthy food at home.

 If you’re looking for something fast, delicious and convenient without the hassle of shopping and the grocery store, Personal Chef To Go offers meal delivery service with several meal plan options that can help you successfully lose weight and keep it off for good.

 We cook with the freshest ingredients; meats are antibiotic and hormone free, seafood is wild-caught and vegetables and grains are organic whenever possible. Our menus are naturally low to no Gluten and low on the Glycemic Index. We can accommodate most dietary restrictions so you should have no problem finding something to satisfy your taste buds.

Every bite you take follows this proven approach for healthier eating. All of our menus provide 1,100-1,400 calories daily with 40-50% total caloric intake from lean, adequate protein, 20-25% of calories from healthy fats, and 30-35% from complex carbohydrates, and meet DASH Diet and Weight Watchers Points Plus requirements.

We offer weekly meal plan options for Lunch and Dinner as well as options for Families, Busy Singles and Couples On The Go all delivered fresh, never frozen, right to your door no matter where you live in the United States. With meal plan pricing ranging from $69.50 to $129.50 per week, it only takes a few weeks to start seeing results. You don’t have anything to lose, but the fat!

 Other ways to get that extra energy boost throughout the day

Eliminate processed foods from your diet. These types of food have almost no nutritional value and cannot possibly fuel your body and keep it energized for very long. A diet full of processed foods just leads to you craving more junk food.

Break the cycle and incorporate more fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, lean protein, whole grains and healthy fats into your diet—or try Personal Chef To Go for a week.

It all comes down to knowing your body and taking care of yourself. If you have a busy schedule, it will be harder to get to bed on time, set aside time to meditate or workout—but drinking more water will help you regain your energy levels—and that’s a completely realistic option for you to try.

 If you make this small change, you will see your energy levels steadily increase and your waistline decrease.

Losing weight, time management and food selection are all components of successful weight loss. Depending on your lifestyle, Personal Chef To Go can be a big benefit for yours!

9 Great Activities For Weight Loss & Healthy Lifestyles

There’s no getting around the fact that if you have a healthy lifestyle or are working to lose weight safely and permanently, you need to eat healthy food and get plenty of exercise.

Exercising burns calories and builds muscle, which is essential for increasing your metabolism so that you can burn even more calories and lose more weight.

So by dusting off those workout clothes and picking just one of these nine great activities for weight loss you can get started today on your path to a slimmer, healthier you.

 

1. Walking

Walking is an ideal exercise for weight loss: It doesn’t require any equipment, other than a decent pair of walking shoes, and you don’t need a gym membership to do it. It’s a low-impact exercise, which means it won’t blow out your knees or cause other stress injuries that can leave you on the sidelines for weeks or even months.

For those with certain health issues, including obesity and heart disease, walking is an effective, low-intensity weight-loss activity that can lead to better overall health, as well as better mental wellbeing.

Depending on how much you weigh, walking at a pace of four miles per hour will burn between 5 and 8 calories every minute, or between 225 and 360 calories for a 45-minute walk. At this pace, walking 45 minutes a day most days, you can lose up to a pound a week without changing any other habits.

 

2. Kettlebell

Kettlebells are cast iron balls fitted with a single handle. Unlike traditional handheld weights, the weight of the kettlebell isn’t evenly distributed, which means that your body has to work to stabilize you and counterbalance the weight of the ball.

Kettlebells provide for a hard-core workout that not only burns up to 400 calories in a mere 20 minutes, but also strengthens your core, improves balance and posture and targets all of the major muscle groups, as well as the stabilizing muscles.

Because kettlebell exercises involve the whole body, a kettlebell workout will rev up your metabolism to help your body burn fat faster, and it’ll get your heart pumping so that you get an aerobic workout as well. In fact, 20-minute kettlebell workout is similar to a six-mile run in terms of cardiovascular benefits and calories burned.

 

3. Swimming

Vigorous swimming can burn anywhere from 400 to 700 calories an hour. All types of swimming are effective for helping you shed pounds, from a front crawl to a breast stroke or even the dog paddle.

Swimming is a highly effective exercise for weight loss and toning. It’s one of the lowest-impact exercises out there, and it strengthens, tones and conditions your whole body.

It’s particularly ideal for women in their last trimester of pregnancy and individuals who battle with arthritis, obesity, and musculoskeletal conditions.

It’s also great for those who suffer from exercise-induced asthma, because the warm, moist air around the water helps keep the airways clear.

Many athletes use the pool as a cross-training tool, as well as to stay fit while rehabilitating an injury. When you’re neck-deep in water, your body is only bearing ten percent of its weight, and yet the water provides 12 times the resistance of air, making it ideal for strengthening and toning your muscles.

 

4. Cycling

 

Bicycling is another low-impact, high-rewards activity for losing weight.

 Cycling can burn anywhere from 372 to over 1,100 calories per hour, depending on your weight, your speed and the terrain you’re biking across.

Unlike running, cycling is easy on the joints, and even the most out-of-shape beginner can hop on a bicycle and ride several miles without feeling like they’ve just been through the wringer.

Outdoor cycling is best, because the varied terrain enables you to get a well-rounded workout that includes strengthening your lower body and getting a good cardiovascular workout.

If you live within biking distance of your job, cycling to work can stimulate endorphins and boost your metabolism for the day, as well as save you money on gas.

If outdoor cycling is difficult or dangerous in your area, consider spinning.

Offered at most gyms, this group cycling activity is one of the lowest-impact classes offered, and yet it’s one of the most effective for burning calories and revving up your metabolism.

 

5. Elliptical Trainer

The elliptical trainer at home or at the gym enables you to get a low-impact, full body workout.

Easier on the joints than a treadmill, the elliptical trainer also has movable handles that enable you to get a good upper-body workout in addition to working your lower body.

Elliptical machines let you choose the intensity level, and by raising and lowering the ramp and going backwards, you can target different muscle groups in your legs, both front and back.

The average person using an elliptical trainer can burn about 600 calories per hour. The elliptical trainer mimics the action of running while eliminating impact, saving knees and other joints from wear. For those who suffer from arthritis, musculoskeletal conditions and obesity, the elliptical trainer is a great way to exercise without risking impact injuries.

When you’re using the elliptical trainer, hold on to the movable handles rather than the static ones to increase the number of calories you burn and to help tone your arms.

 

6. Running

If you’re one of the many people who love to run, you’re in luck.

Running burns about 600 calories per hour, helps build strong bones and connective tissue and gets your heart pumping at a healthy rate to help prevent heart disease, stroke and certain cancers.

The only equipment running requires is a good pair of shoes to protect your joints and, if it helps you keep the pace and maintain motivation, an iPod with your favorite tunes.

Interval training can bump up the calories you burn on your daily run. Also called speed work, interval training involves short spurts, usually between 30 seconds and two minutes, of running at top speed.

Intervals burn a large number of calories in a short amount of time, improve your resting metabolism to help you burn more calories during the day, and increase your muscle mass.

 

7. Tennis

A good game of tennis can burn up to 600 calories in an hour.

 If you’re the type who prefers to exercise with a partner, tennis is an ideal way to get active. It’s also perfect for those who don’t particularly like to exercise, but who love a good competition.

You don’t have to be a great tennis player to lose weight doing it. After all, running after the balls is still a form of exercise.

The nature of tennis makes it a great whole-body workout, and playing it can help you improve your flexibility, balance and posture, as well as let off some steam to reduce stress.

Throughout the game, especially every time you hit the ball, your arm, abdominal and leg muscles are engaged, building strength and burning calories. But that’s not all that’s engaged. Your brain gets a good workout every time you play tennis, from thinking quickly and creatively to planning ahead.

8. High intensity interval training

This is one of the most effective weight loss exercise options available.

You only need to engage in this form of exercise for about 20 minutes, three times a week, to get incredible benefits that include burning a large number of calories and ramping up your metabolism in the wake of the afterburn.

High intensity interval workouts can be done with many forms of exercise, and consist of short but intense bursts of activity followed by a lower-intensity period or a period of complete rest.

Those who are new to exercising shouldn’t perform interval training until they’ve been exercising regularly for a couple of months.

A standard interval workout for biking, swimming, running, lifting weights or even walking is 20 minutes long, but burns far more calories than 20 minutes of steady exercise.

Start out by warming up for five minutes. For the sixth minute, push yourself as hard and fast as you can. The seventh minute is all about catching your breath. Repeat the fast/slow cycle (minus the warm up) five times, and cool down for three minutes.

 

9. CrossFit

CrossFit, like high intensity training, is only suitable for individuals who have been exercising on a somewhat regular basis for a couple of months.

Originally designed to train first responders and Special Forces, CrossFit is a workout regimen that involves weight lifting, endurance exercises, plyometrics, strength and speed training and kettlebell exercise routines, among other activities.

One thing you won’t lose with CrossFit is interest. Unlike other routines that involve doing one exercise for a specified amount of time, CrossFit incorporates many activities into one intense, fat-burning workout.

It’s designed to target all of the major components of physical fitness, including endurance, flexibility, speed, power and cardiorespiratory fitness.

No two days are alike when you’re doing CrossFit. An example of a CrossFit routine is five repetitions of 20 pull-ups, 30 push-ups, 40 sit-ups and 50 squats, all performed one after the other, with a three-minute rest between repetitions.

While definitely not for the faint-of-heart, CrossFit routines are highly effective at burning calories and fat, improving physical stamina and endurance, and increasing metabolism.

 

10 Tips To Trimming Winter Bulge

 

Do you have a spare tire, love handles, muffin-top, or a belly bulge left over from the  Winter? Or maybe it’s been accumulating for more than a few seasons? Did you have your cake, drinks, and cookies–and eat them too? Don’t fret. Here are a ten simple tricks that can help you make this a lighter and healthier Spring:

1. Drink plenty of water throughout the day to beat dehydration. Alcohol consumption, fatty foods, and insufficient water are some of the main reasons people feel “hung over” and heavy from the holidays. Every cell in your body needs adequate water to function properly so try to drink at least 2 Litres a day to flush fat and toxins out.

2. Take a high-quality B-complex and vitamin C supplement, both of which are depleted by alcohol consumption and stress-and chances are you had both during the holidays and many days since.

3. Eat fruit in the morning on an empty stomach. Fruit is the best food to keep the lymphatic system cleansed and moving properly. The lymphatic system is what I call “the body’s version of a street-cleaner”–it sweeps up toxins, fat, and the by-products of bodily processes to lessen pain, inflammation, cellulite, and toxic overload in the body. Just don’t overdo.

4. Eat a large green salad for lunch and dinner. And if you just can’t stand another salad, wrap it up! Put lettuce, sprouts, avocado, tomato, and cucumber (or some combination of these) in a wrap. Add a dash of sea salt and freshly cracked peppercorns and you have a delicious meal in a hurry.

5. Eat a small healthy snack every two hours to stabilize blood sugar. Wild blood sugar fluctuations can deplete your energy, cause weight gain, intensify food cravings, and depress your immune system, making you more vulnerable to those cold and flu bugs found in droves in the winter months. My preferred option is raw, unsalted almonds–they’re loaded with calcium and blood-stabilizing fiber and protein. Eat 10-12 as a snack between meals.

6. Avoid eating sweets, synthetic sweeteners or foods sweetened with them. Instead, eat fruit and sweeten herbal teas with a few drops of stevia–an herb that contains steviosides, substances that are naturally 1000 times sweeter than sugar, without the nasty effects on your blood sugar levels.

7. Be sure to fit some exercise into your day. A minimum of twenty minutes of vigorous activity will get your circulation going, improve lymph flow, increase energy, and help your body burn any bulges you may be carrying. If it’s too cold outside, try jumping on a mini-trampoline. It’s one of the best forms of exercise for getting your lymph to eliminate fatty deposits and cellulite in your body.

8. Avoid margarine and foods made with hydrogenated and trans fats. These toxic foods make your body’s detox organs like the liver sluggish. They also require huge amounts of energy to digest. They also lead to weight gain and are linked to a host of other health problems.

9. Avoid foods that contain synthetic colors, preservatives, and other additives. As I tell clients, “if you can’t read it, don’t eat it.” By avoiding them throughout the day, you are giving your liver a break so it can devote its energy to burning fat.

10. Add beans to your diet in soups, salads, stews, chili, or other foods. The humble legumes are the most overlooked healthy foods, yet they are packed with protein, fiber, and complex carbs (the good ones) that cleanse your bowels, stabilize blood sugar, and keep you feeling full for hours. Can’t stand the aftermath of eating beans-simply take a digestive enzyme that includes cellulase with meals that contain beans. Cellulase helps improve the digestion of beans.

With the help of a few health tricks, you can start Spring as a healthier, more energetic, and lighter version of you!

Related articles

Healthy Tools: The Glycemic Index

5 Simple Tips for Keeping Your New Year’s Resolutions

This time of year, people all over the world are thinking about their hopes for the new year. Is that you? And if so, have you started setting real, achievable goals for yourself? Whether it’s buying a house for the first time, quitting smoking, running a marathon (or just running a mile), or growing closer to a friend or family member, according to current research, setting goals can make all the difference in making your dreams a reality.

There is nothing magical about January 1, but for some reason, for many, the New Year is a great opportunity to get a fresh start in working towards those dreams. But what is the best way to make those resolutions stick and to actually achieve your goals in 2014?

We know you’re busy, so we did a little research and found  5 simple tips to increase the likelihood that you will keep your New Year’s resolution.

Tip 1: Develop an action plan.

This is the most simple of the tips, but also the most important, which is why it comes in at number one. Too often, we set lofty goals with the best of intentions, but these goals do not bridge the gap between where we are today, and where we will be when we reach our goals. This is the “how” of the goal that most of us ignore, and for good reason. Finding the answer to how to reach our goals forces us to think about real, actionable, steps that we need to take to make it possible. It forces us to face the reality that the journey to success is not always easy, which can be discouraging.

To counter the fear of what lies ahead, an action plan is critical. Think about the small victories that will get you to where you want to be, step by step. Then, knock off each of these accomplishments one at a time. By eliminating the wide gap of uncertainty between ourselves and our goals for the future, an action plan provides a framework from which we can act out our intentions, in whatever form they may take.

Tip 2: Don’t sweat the small stuff, especially if your resolution involves weight loss.

Just as one bad meal won’t make you fat, one good meal won’t make you skinny. The reality of any resolution is that it won’t always go the way you would like it to go. There will be bumps in the road, and that’s not just OK, it’s normal. Successful people understand that they will falter from time to time, but that there is always an opportunity to get back on track. If you think of your life as one big possibility, then each decision you make is a chance to become exactly who you would like to be.

If your goal is to lose weight, and you find that you have overeaten at a given meal, or even throughout the day, you have a choice to make. What possibility will you make a reality? Will you beat yourself up, and possibly even wind up fueling further poor nutritional choices? Or will you acknowledge your failure without shame, and reaffirm your commitment to making better choices in the future? If you pick the latter, you will be one your way to your weight loss goal in no time at all.

Tip 3: Be realistic.

While lofty goals can be a great motivator for change, they also become discouraging if we do not see the progress we expect. If you are not a mountain climber today, it may be a bit of a stretch to resolve to climb Mt. Everest before this time next year. Likewise, if you have a lot of weight to lose, it’s best to be realistic about the time-frame you set out to lose it in.

You might be surprised to know that a weight loss of 1-2 pounds per week is considered healthy, and that for most people, weight loss beyond this level may be simply water weight. Even worse, rapid weight loss results often come in the form of lean mass reduction, instead of what you really want to target, fat. At a rate of 1-2 pounds lost per week, it is realistic to expect that a person who wished to lose 50 pounds would require five months, or more, to do so safely. Lastly, before starting any weight loss regimen, visit your doctor and ask him or her about different weight loss methods, and any concerns you should take into account before beginning.

Tip 4: Make your resolution known.

This one is really simple, and extremely effective. Share your resolution with family members, friends, and coworkers. In doing so, a few things will occur. First, you may find that there are others who have set the same, or similar, goals. These people can help to hold you accountable, and become the motivation that you need to succeed at whatever you’ve set out to achieve.

Secondly, when we share our intent with the world, we can no longer tuck it away in the deep recesses of our brains. Once it’s out, we are much more likely to act out the steps necessary to be successful. An added benefit to this is you just might inspire others by your actions. Having a support network that not only encourages you to stick it out to the end, but also relies upon you for the very same support can be extremely motivating and inspiring.

Tip 5: Make resolutions that fit into your lifestyle.

This tip is often easier said than done, but with a little bit of effort and creativity, nearly any goal can be accomplished if you give yourself enough time. But that’s just it, we don’t all have an abundance of extra time on our hands. In fact, many of us are busy from the moment we wake up in the morning, until the moment we rest our head on our pillows at night.

If this sounds like you, there are solutions out there that you may not have even known existed. For instance, if your New Year’s resolution is to lose a specific amount of weight, and you’ve followed the advice in tip one of creating an action plan, you might be worried that there isn’t enough time in the day to perform each of the necessary steps to prepare the healthy meals that you have included as part of your plan.

Maybe it’s the shopping that you don’t have time for, or maybe you just don't like cooking and know that it will take you hours to prepare the meals you have selected. Whatever the case, there is a solution – Personal Chef To Go. Our refreshing approach to a healthier lifestyle provides not only weight loss but also promotes healthier eating by motivating you with healthy and delicious meals prepared with fresh ingredients, fresh never frozen, right to your door.

Personal Chef To Go customers rest easy knowing that their meals were developed by chefs just as committed to a healthy lifestyle as they are. You simply place their order online, and select the meal plans they wish to receive each week. and with our Autoship option it doesn’t get any easier than that. When it’s time to eat, each meal requires just a few minutes in the microwave and they’re ready to enjoy!

Related articles

"Smart" New Year's Resolution Planning with Your Heart Involved

Trainer's tips for weight loss resolution

Weight loss for women over 40. Menopause. Weight Loss

Thank You From Personal Chef To Go

Fall Into Healthier Habits

Rich, vibrant foliage – gentle autumn breezes – steamy cups of jasmine tea – warm pumpkin muffins – the fall season brings with it a sense of peace and comfort that no other season seems able to emulate. It also marks a special time for reflection and reevaluation about what’s really important to us.

Consider making a healthy diet and exercise program a big part of what’s important to you this fall season. There is overwhelming evidence that links many chronic diseases to physical inactivity and a poor diet.

The following food and fitness tips will point you in the right direction so you can be on your way to a healthier year:

- Pair up with a partner – Take a quick, morning walk around the block with a co-worker. Plan a nightly stroll along the beach with your spouse. Engage in Tango lessons with a friend. Whatever you choose to do, research supports that pairing up with a partner (even a cyber partner) is key to boosting motivation and sticking to a regular exercise routine.

- Keep a food and fitness journal – Studies suggests that keeping track of your daily food intake and activity level will help you lose more weight and stay in better shape. Write down everything you put into your mouth and how many minutes you exercise every day in a notebook of your choice. Personalize it by adding family photos and favorite newspaper clippings about health and nutrition. Take your journal with you wherever you go, so you don’t miss an entry.

- Stock up on super foods – According to WebMD, super foods like salmon, nuts, broccoli and sweet potatoes promote wellness and weight control. Keeping your fridge full of these super tasty treats is a much healthier lifestyle choice than filling it with ice cream and other non-nutritious goodies.

- Walk a few extra steps – Remember the 10,000 Steps craze from a few years back? The original goal of the 10,000 Steps Program was to motivate people to keep moving. While 10,000 steps a day may not be realistic goal for you, taking a few extra steps every day – whether it means parking further away from the entrance of the grocery store or taking the stairs instead of the elevator – adds up over time and equates to better health.

- Practice portion control – Have you been to a restaurant lately? The portion sizes that most restaurants dish out are enough to feed an army! Practice portion control by reading food labels and using a food scale to keep portions more accurate. When dining out, share a meal with a friend or eat only half of your order saving the rest for the next day.

- Take a nature walk – If you’re ready for some tremendous, restorative health benefits, head to the nearest nature trail. Findings in scientific literature reveal that people who walk for 15 to 30 minutes a day are healthier than their sedentary counterparts. Additionally, walking amidst nature has positive effects on mental health, blood pressure, cholesterol and stress reduction.

- Dress up your H2O – Maintaining good hydration helps prevent dehydration, constipation, gallstones and a number of other health conditions. If you’re H2O challenged, try dressing up your water with lemon wedges or orange slices. Anti-citrus? No problem! Try cucumber slices and a sprig of mint for a cool, refreshing alternative.

- Watch TV in your tennis shoes – If you hate commercials, you’re going to love this! Increase your daily activity by watching TV in your tennis shoes. When the commercials start, get up, stretch and either walk or jog in place or take a quick stroll around your house.  

- Transition to the New American Plate – If your dinner plate is three-fourths meat and potatoes and one-fourth vegetables, the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) says you’ve got it all wrong. Transitioning to a diet that’s predominantly plant-based will not only help you prevent cancer and other chronic diseases, but it will help you control your weight, as well. The way it works is simple: Fill your New American Plate with at least two-thirds vegetables, fruits, whole grains or beans and only one-third (or less) of animal protein.

Fall Into Savings With Personal Chef To Go!

Save up to 20% for delicious meals on any one time order!

Let Personal Chef To Go be your personal chef EVERY day with great savings on delicious chef-prepared meals that are ready to eat in minutes! Just enter 2020 in the coupon code box when you checkout online or place your order with our friendly customer service representatives at 804-453-2227. Order now! Offer expires on November 1st!

Eating More? Here's Why!

It's the time of year when it starts to get dark early, the days get cooler--in other words, it's Fall. And something else happens as well--we start eating more.

People show a marked seasonal rhythm with increased total caloric consumption, especially from carbohydrates in the Fall and most often associated with an increase in meal size and a greater rate of eating. (Interestingly, alcohol intake has an opposite seasonal pattern, with the highest intake occurring in the Summer and the lowest in the Fall.)

We have a tendency to eat about 200 calories more per day during the fall.  What does that translate to in terms of potential weight gain? As much as three to four pounds a year. We often blame much of this 'fall' weight gain on the holidays but that isn't always the case.

WHY WE EAT MORE

Why do we eat more in the fall? More than likely, it's biological--putting on weight in preparation for the potential winter famine our ancestors faced. It all makes sense--the fall harvest, storing up for the long winter months explains de Castro. Historically, we have a tendency to eat when food is plentiful, because we never knew when our next meal was going to be available.

Kurt Krauchi, a scientist at the Psychiatric University Clinic in Basel, Switzerland, studied patients with seasonal affective disorder (a type of mood disorder that is caused by lack of light). He found that they ate more carbohydrates, particularly sweets but also starch-rich foods, during their depression in winter, and that their intake could be reduced with light therapy.

"There seems to be a relationship between light and depression, which leads to consumption of additional carbohydrates," says Krauchi. De Castro, however, found an increase in fall eating independent of decreased light and/or depression.

TIPS FOR A HEALTHY FALL

We may we eat more simply because bathing suit season is over, and we can start hiding excess calories beneath our winter clothes. Whatever the reason, it's important to realize that fall foods (soups, stews, breads, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, apples, pumpkins and all types of greens) can actually be healthier than foods of other seasons. They are typically packed with great nutrients, such as fiber, protein, beta carotene and vitamin C. Here are a few tips to keep the fall tasty and healthy:

• Soups are great for you if they're not made with cream or cheese. Just watch serving sizes--we tend to eat whatever's in our bowls.
• Stews can be hearty and fattening. Use loads of fresh vegetables, and go light on the meat and potatoes.
• Avoid unconscious eating while watching football and the new fall TV lineup. Never bring the whole bag or bowl of anything to the couch or coffee table--pre-measure it in the kitchen beforehand. When it comes to chips, make sure they're baked, not fried.
• For pizza, watch the toppings--they can double the calories.
• Celebrate the fall harvest in other ways besides making pies. Apples are low in calories when they're off the tree, not in a pie.
• If it's gotta be pie, try making pumpkin pie with artificial sweetener, egg whites and low-fat milk. And of course, just have one piece. Keep in mind that pumpkin seeds have about 300 calories per 1/4 cup.
• Turkey is healthy, as long as you keep it lean and white.
• Get out and enjoy the fall weather. The air is cooler, the leaves are turning and the countryside becomes more scenic. It's the perfect time to go outdoors and do something: Take walks on the beach or by the lake; go to the zoo; or ride a bike.
• Keep in mind that once we set the clocks back, it gets darker earlier, so there are fewer outdoor options for physical activities in the evening. Make adjustments by joining a gym, planning evening walks at the mall or becoming an early riser.

The Health Benefits of a Low to No Gluten Diet

A  low or to no gluten diet has become a popular trend in recent months, and some may even consider it to be a “fad.”  Low and Gluten-free products are starting to line the shelves at grocery stores, but most people are still in the dark when it comes to the health benefits of a low to no gluten diet.

Gluten is basically a special type of protein that is found in foods such as cereals, certain grains, and wheat. One of the main purposes of gluten is to keep the elasticity intact in foods during the fermentation phase of food production. Gluten makes bread “chewy,” and prevents other foods from having a sticky, doughy-like texture.

Why Has Gluten-Free Suddenly Become So Popular?

With recent increases in people being diagnosed with celiac disease and gluten sensitivity, the idea of a  low or  no gluten diet has been recently researched by physicians from all sides of the nutritional spectrum, including weight loss specialists, bariatric physicians, and dietitians.

A gluten-free diet can have a variety of health benefits, such as improving cholesterol levels, promoting digestive health, and increasing energy levels, if you have a gluten intolerance.

“If you choose to start a low or no gluten diet, you are actually eliminating a variety of foods from your diet that are unhealthy. Fried foods are off limits, because of the batter and breading, and desserts high in sugar and fat are removed from your diet completely.

The Benefits of Avoiding “Processed” Foods

Many foods that are processed and available for purchase contain a lot of gluten, which is essentially unhealthy for you.

Overly-processed foods are bad for you because they contain chemicals, preservatives and artificial flavors.

With a low to no gluten diet, you  eat more fruits and vegetables, just because they are several food sources that are non-starchy and almost completely free of gluten.

By eating only low to no gluten foods, you also be eliminate unhealthy oils from your diet, as well as unhealthy carbohydrates found in bread products like doughnuts and pastries.

Eliminating gluten, and eating a low to no gluten diet can help reduce your risk of heart disease, certain cancers, and other health-related conditions, like diabetes, if you have a gluten intolerance. A low to no gluten diet can also help your body ward off viruses and germs, simply because many of the foods you eat will be full of antioxidants, and essential vitamins and minerals.

Gluten-Free Can Be Healthy, Just be Cautious

Most of the foods you consume on a low to no gluten diet may help promote healthy weight loss, especially if you eat a well-balanced diet that contains essential protein, carbohydrates, and fat.

Many of the low to no gluten foods available are healthy for you, and can also help you lose weight with the right combinations and proportions of other foods, especially if you keep portion size in mind. Be sure to choose low to no gluten starches such as brown rice, sweet potatoes, and quinoa, all common ingredients in many Personal Chef To Go entrees and side dishes.

Be cautious when it comes to reading labels. There is a lot of current confusion about the low to no gluten world because many packages are now stating that their product is gluten free; the reality is, they may not be.

Pay attention to the label and beware of replacements. There are always going to be  replacements for unhealthy foods that contain gluten with other unhealthy gluten-free varieties. Specifically, a lot of high-carb products, like bread, that contain gluten. Just make sure you know the facts.

Personal Chef To Go meal plans are not only naturally low in carbohydrates they are naturally low to no gluten. Take a look at our menus and order today!

Related articles

Feel Better with the Glycemic Index

No Guilt Eating

FDA sets guidelines on gluten-free foods

People without Celiac disease shouldn't eat gluten-free, experts say

What Does Gluten-Free Really Mean?

Feel Better with the Glycemic Index

 The glycemic index (GI) is a popular weight-loss tool. Think of it as a popularity contest for carbohydrates. Good carbs are more popular, while bad carbs don’t have many friends. The GI is literally a ranking system for carbohydrates on a scale from 0-100, according to how much they raise blood sugar levels after eating.

 Foods with a high glycemic index (100 being the highest) are rapidly digested and absorbed. These types of foods are known to mark fluctuations in blood sugar levels. Low GI foods are generally slow to digest and are not absorbed as quickly. They produce gradual rises in blood sugar and insulin levels—they also have proven health benefits too. Low glycemic foods help with weight control because good carbs help control and delay hunger so you feel fuller, longer.

 Generally, a low GI diet will push you toward healthy foods for weight-loss. You’re going to want to eat more whole-grains, fruits, vegetables, lean meats and proteins.

 Here are a few glycemic index examples to put things in perspective.

 High: 70 and up. Examples in this category include instant white rice, certain kinds of brown rice, plain white bread, most potatoes, and watermelon, to name just a few. These are foods you’d want to stay away from, or eat only sparingly.

Medium: 56 to 69. Examples include sweet corn, bananas, raw pineapple, raisins and certain types of ice cream. Foods in this classification should be eaten in moderation. Use your best judgment, though, as falling into an equivalent GI classification does not mean that two foods are equal in nutritional value as well. Case in point – ice cream. More often than not, you should opt for the fruits and vegetables in this classification.

Low: 55 and under. Examples include raw carrots, peanuts, raw apple, grapefruit, peas, skim milk, kidney beans, lentils, and white spaghetti (boiled). 

Can a low GI diet slash your medication costs?

 Medications for diabetes and high cholesterol can be extremely expensive and a diet made up of low glycemic index foods can absolutely slash your medication costs.  When you eat better, your body works better and when your body works better, you use less medication and in some cases you can stop using medications altogether! This is based on real science and the unique knowledge that food is medicine.

 Don’t know where to start? Let us help!

 At Personal Chef To Go, the glycemic index is one of many tools that we use to ensure that our entrees are perfectly suited for healthy weight loss and weight management. That’s because, almost by default, a low glycemic index diet will include more fresh vegetables, more fiber, more whole grains, more dairy, more lean protein and more organic ingredients—all foods that offer essential nutrients, and are more likely to be lower in calories in the first place.

 If you’re one of those people who cringe at the idea of having to count calories or track what you’re eating, Personal Chef To Go’s meal plans will be extremely beneficial to you. Our chefs have worked with health professionals to make sure that every bite of delicious food that we deliver follows this proven approach for healthy weight loss and we're Weight Watchers friendly. Our meal plans provide 1,100-1,400 calories daily with 40-50% total caloric intake from lean, hormone and anti-biotic free protein, 20-25% of calories from healthy fats, and 30-35% from complex carbohydrates.

 Why wait to see results, when you can begin today?

 The great thing about our plan is that you do not have to wait until you reach your weight-loss goals to start seeing results. The vast majority of our program members see weight loss results in their first week, and many have reported being able to reduce blood pressure and diabetes medications, or even come off of them entirely, within their first month. For this reason, we encourage you to give us a try (if you haven’t already) if even for just a few short weeks.

 Let us help you reach your goals!

 We’ve had a lot of success stories over the years and here are just a few comments from customers about Personal Chef To Go.  

"The good folks at Personal Chef to Go prepare and deliver great tasting healthy meals. This is a big time saver for me and the nutrition information, etc., really helps with my ongoing weight loss efforts. Thank You Chef Blair and everyone at Personal Chef to Go!" - Patrick Bruckart

 "We have been using PCTG since January and we love it. We love everything about this product and service. Taste, convenience, recycling, it can be found with PCTG. Started with PCTG after extensive research with similar products and am glad we got it right on the first one we tried. Best of all PCTG has been a big part of the weight loss plan that my wife and I started this year. I've gone from a 36 waist to a 33. I haven't been in 33 pants since 1988. It really works. We can afford PCTG and a personal trainer 2 times per week for what we were spending eating out. So we are saving money as well"-A Happy Couple

 “The food here is amazing. I love it and it was part of my success to losing weight. If it wasn’t for these balanced meals then It would not have been possible for me. Thanks to the team here for helping me achieve my goal!” –Shailen Patel

“The doctor told me if I didn’t start losing weight within three months, he would be forced to put me on medication because my blood sugar levels were that high. I needed  to do something right away.  After researching diet plans on the internet, I came across Personal Chef To Go. “When I started the program almost 6 months ago, I weighed 220 pounds and now I weigh 200. It’s amazing how much more energy I have and I have started exercising regularly for the first time in my life. Personal Chef To Go is saving me.”- A Grateful Customer

What are you waiting for? Let us assist you withyour health goals! Order today!

Related articles

No Guilt Eating

One Molecule Away

Eat Carbs, Lose Fat!

Add low glycemic food in your diet plan

Make Friends With Calories

When Leftover Stuffing Defeats The Best- Laid Plans

10 Practical and Easy Holiday Eating Tips

Holidays create a "perfect storm" for eating way too much. 

They combine some of the worst cues and triggers for overeating:  family drama, too much food, tradition and ritual, stress eating, and the attitude of “why not – it’s the holidays.”

All too frequently the default then becomes: “I’ll start my diet in the New Year.”

Do you really want to count calories on a holiday?

No way. 

Holiday food is special and holiday traditions and rituals are hallmarks we count on. 

Counting calories often means depriving yourself of the traditional and possibly your favorite foods that you associate with holidays.

When you do deprive yourself of those cherished foods, more often than not you end up finding yourself standing in front of an open fridge rummaging for leftovers because you still feel the sting from the stare down you had with your favorite foods earlier in the day.

Have Your Own Holiday Eating Game Plan

What’s your game plan?

On a holiday you know you’ll eat a bit more – or maybe a bit more than a bit more – than on a typical day. Balance it out by allowing for a range of calories during the holiday and the days surrounding it.

To maintain your weight, the calories you eat should closely approximate the calories you burn, so compensate by eating a little lighter the days before and after (and maybe adding in some extra activity).

1. Prioritize. Make a deal with yourself: if there are some foods that you absolutely adore, guess what? You can have them. But only if you stay away from those bad-for-you foods that you only eat because they’re there. That means if you love sweets, don’t waste your calories on fried food or sugary cocktails, just eat a healthy dinner and then have the brownie you’ve been dying for. If French Fries are your thing, have them! But skip dessert. This way you won’t feel deprived, but are also less tempted to overindulge.

2. Keep yourself honest. Make sure you’re not fooling yourself about your food intake by tracking what you put in your mouth. Try writing down everything (absolutely everything!) that you eat or drink in a notebook or on your phone, or try one of the many calorie-tracking apps, like MyFitnessPal or MealSnap. Don’t obsess over the numbers; rather, use this raw data as a reality check and then adjust your fitness and nutrition plans accordingly.

3. Embrace “old man” drinks. Scotch on the rocks, a snifter of brandy, hot toddies. These rich and flavorful drinks will warm you from the inside out, and their bold intensity (no juices or mixers!) means you’ll have to sip, savor and go slow. Perfect for cozy winter gatherings, 1oz of these distinguished amber liquors will only cost you around 80 calories.

4. Prioritize sleep. People who are under-rested tend to feel hungrier and crave more carbs and sugars. So do yourself a favor and get some sleep — you’ve already got enough cards stacked against your diet this holiday season. Plus, you’ll have the extra energy to hit the gym!

5. Enlist daily motivation. It can be hard to remember why on earth you’re not having a second helping, and in those moments you need something to look at. Keep something in your wallet or phone that will remind you to be responsible. A picture of you in your bikini, a list of your goals, a screen shot of your dream wedding dress, or a quote that inspires you. Pull out your handheld motivation anytime you need a reminder!

6. Make eating a production. Don’t eat standing. Sit down to eat, no exceptions. And eat off a plate, not just a cocktail napkin. Better yet, eat off of a plate with a fork and knife. Make your food take a little work and a little time, and you’ll be far less likely to mindlessly consume unnecessary calories.

7. Fill your plate with 2/3 vegetables. This does not include potatoes, and it shouldn’t include corn either. Aim for this ratio at every meal, and you’ll get loads of nutrient-dense and fiber-rich veggies, which help keep you full, keep you regular, and keep you from reaching for bread. The remaining third of your plate should have high-quality fats and lean protein.

8. Don’t eat off of someone else’s plate, or finish your kids’ food, or sample your spouse’s pie, or take a taste of this and a taste of that as you walk around the party. One bite here and one bite there doesn’t seem like much, but add them up and you’ll be shocked. Mindless bites average about 25 calories a piece. Four mindless bites a day means around an extra hundred calories. Do this daily and by the end of a month you might have gained close to a pound. Because it’s so easy to overlook those hand to mouth sneaky bites, make a deal with yourself that you’ll only eat food that’s on a plate.

9. Have a conversation. It’s hard to shove food in your mouth when you’re talking. Hold a glass in your hand, even if it has water or seltzer in it, and a napkin in the other.  It’s hard to nibble and nosh when your hands are full.

10. Get rid of leftovers. Leftover stuffing has defeated the best-laid plans.

What If You Ate Everything In Sight?

If you ate everything is sight and your exercise was walking back and forth to the to the buffet table, take heart, It was just one day.

The danger is letting it stretch into days or weeks.

That’s when your waistline starts expanding and the pound you gained this year stays there and gets joined by another the following year.

Remember to enjoy the holidays and the traditions that are important to you. Be thankful and joyous. Isn’t that the point?

Related articles

Surviving the Holiday Bulge!

Calories or calories??

Eat like a snob: Tips to avoid holiday weight gain, but still have fun

Don't PR your waistline: 5 Holiday Feasting Survival Tips

Enjoy More by Eating Less

Tips for Avoiding Weight Gain During the Holidays

Surviving Holiday Eating

Try These Psychological Tricks to Prevent Mindless Snacking and Avoid Holiday Weight Gain