Healthy eating has become a frequent topic of conversation, but there’s still a lot of misinformation out there. A healthier lifestyle shouldn’t be the unappealing, unreachable goal it’s often considered. Here are some of the truths and myths about living a healthy lifestyle.

MYTH: You Should Avoid Sugar at All Costs

While, yes, avoiding sugar is helpful, it doesn’t mean anything with sugar in it should be ignored. What you should be looking out for is added sugar. Naturally occurring sugar should still be eaten in moderation, but it’s entirely different than foods packed with added sugar. Sugary snacks, including candy and certain baked goods, are great every once and a while, but the additional sugar found in them can add up.

TRUTH: The Sugar in Fruits are Worth It

Don’t let the fear of sugar stop you from eating fruits! Fruits contain vitamins and nutrients, they taste great, and the sugar content is typically not very high. Fruit juices aren’t as healthy as whole fruit and that’s an important distinction. Snacking on whole fruits instead of juices keeps you fuller for longer, in addition to having added nutritional benefits like fiber. For example, Fuel For Fire’s smoothies include real fruit, which means you’ll get the full nutritional value making it perfect after a workout or on your way to work.

MYTH: Eating Healthy is Hard

Eating better isn’t any more challenging than the average lifestyle. Depending on certain choices, including how much you eat out versus how often you cook a full meal, it can take slightly more effort. That doesn’t mean it’s not worth it! There are so many healthy meals that are quick and easy. 

Plus, even if your favorite meal isn’t “healthy,” there’s probably a healthier way to make it. If you love pasta, try using one made of chickpeas. There’s also cauliflower crust pizza, which still tastes great, but is much better for you.

TRUTH: Eating Healthy is Convenient and Easy

Even if you’re typically rushing and on-the-go, there are plenty of healthy options you’ll love. Restaurants focused on healthy food are becoming more and more common, making it easy to stop for a quick bite while running errands. If you’d rather not eat out, prepping food for the week makes it easy to have dinner prepared in no time!

Snacking is often the downfall of trying to eat better, but just like restaurants, healthy snacking options are everywhere now. Need a snack in the morning on your way back from a workout? Try the Fuel For Fire Coffee Smoothie for a portable energy boost and 11g of protein!

MYTH: A Healthy Diet Doesn’t Taste Good

Eating healthy has gotten a bad reputation as only consisting of bland salads and vegetables. Not only are there delicious tasting salad options, but there are also endless possibilities for healthy eating. Researching a healthier lifestyle turns up food options that will surprise you given the common myth regarding how unappetizing healthy food is. Every meal—including snacks—has countless refreshing and delicious options.

TRUTH: A Healthy Diet Includes Every Flavor!

Whether you have a sweet tooth or are just a picky eater, there’s no need to worry. You won’t have to pick between your favorite flavors and healthy foods. No matter your favorite type of cuisine, making small changes can make your favorite dishes more nutritious. Try substituting common ingredients with their healthier alternatives as a first step towards healthy eating.

Whether you’d consider yourself an athlete, an on-the-go professional, a busy parent, or all of the above, preparing and eating a healthy breakfast can seem close to impossible. Finding the perfect combination between tasty, nutritious, and quick food is one of our goals at Fuel For Fire so we understand this struggle. If you’re looking for protein-packed breakfasts that won’t take up your morning, check out these five quick and healthy ideas!

Acai Bowl

• Berry Acai smoothie
• Blueberries (or your choice of berries)
• Banana
• Strawberries
• Granola

Simple and customizable, Acai Bowls are a great nutritious breakfast. Using the Fuel For Fire smoothie as a base, either blend the smoothie with the berries or squeeze the smoothie into a bowl. From there it’s up to you on how you’d like to top it! Adding bananas and strawberries provides some key vitamins, while granola adds some crunch, fiber, and protein. Our Berry Acai smoothie is completely vegan, which means you can create your own completely vegan breakfast depending on how you choose to customize it.

Protein Shake

• Your choice of Fuel For Fire smoothie
• Your choice of protein powder
• Ice
• Banana or other fruit

All you need is a blender for this quick portable breakfast. Start by mixing a Fuel For Fire smoothie with protein powder. Our smoothies already contain 10-12g of protein each, but adding protein powder makes it even better, especially if you’re eating right after a morning workout. Then add some fruit to add thickness to the smoothie, as well as some extra nutrients. Add ice to keep it cold and you have the perfect protein shake! You can also add an ingredient like chia seeds to add some additional fiber and calcium.

Overnight Oats

• Rolled oats
• Your choice of milk
• Banana Cocoa smoothie
• Sliced banana

Overnight oats are perfect for busy people looking for a healthy meal to wake up to. The night before, combine rolled oats and milk, and then top with a banana cocoa smoothie and sliced banana. This filling breakfast provides protein, calcium, potassium, and more. In addition to the banana and Fuel For Fire Smoothie, you can also add other toppings like nut butter or yogurt. If you’re not in as much of a rush, you can add the banana in the morning if the topping seems to be getting too mushy. 

Coffee & Peanut Butter Protein Cookies

• 1/2 of a Coffee smoothie
• 1/4 cup of Peanut Butter (or any kind of nut butter)
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg white
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 tablespoons coconut flour

Sure, cookies aren’t normal breakfast food, but on-the-go (or with a smoothie), they can make for a great supplemental treat. These ones are healthy, too! Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and combine the peanut butter, salt, egg, egg white, smoothie, and sugar into a bowl. Add the baking soda on top and then mix in the flour. Then, portion out the cookies onto parchment paper on a baking sheet. Bake for about 5-6 minutes until they have seemed to harden. Let them cool and then you’re ready to enjoy!

If you’re enjoying these after a workout, add protein powder to the dough to thicken the batter, as well as give you some extra protein.

Sweet Potato Apple Paleo Muffins

• 1 Cup Almond Meal
• 1/2 Cup Coconut Sugar (+ 1-2 TBSP for topping)
• 6 TBSP Arrowroot Powder
• 1 heaping TBSP Cinnamon (or 1/2 TBSP Cinnamon + 1/2 TBSP Apple Pie Spice (Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Allspice)
• 3 tsp Coconut Flour
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• Pinch of Salt
• 3 Eggs
• 1 Sweet Potato Apple Fuel For Fire
• 1/2 Cup Water
• 3 TBSP Coconut Oil

Another baked good, except this one is more synonymous with breakfast. Not only are these muffins paleo, but they’re also packed with protein and perfect for the fall! Eat one with your morning shake/coffee or take one to work on their own. This recipe only takes nine steps, found on our blog, and should take less than an hour in total.

Was your 2020 resolution to go to the gym or exercise more? Making progress on this promise might seem daunting during or after quarantine. For many of us, starting to get back into a regular exercise requires a major shift in our day-to-day routines. After being inactive for possibly months, there are a few things that are important to focus on. Fuel For Fire is all about making it easier to live a healthy lifestyle. Here are our tips for preparing for a new exercise or gym routine!

Don’t Rush Into Your Old Routines

If you’ve taken some time off from working out, don’t try to make up for those days you’ve missed. Trying to fit everything you can into one day is tempting, but this approach can be detrimental. If your body isn’t ready, your risk for injury is increased and injuries can delay your return even longer. Take things slow and build up to what you were doing before the quarantine. Your body will thank you in the long-term.

That being said, take advantage of your rest days. Activities like yoga, walking, and stretching might not be what you’re used to, but while your body is recovering, these are great ways to still sneak in a bit of exercise. These particular choices can also compliment your exercise regiment, whether it’s running or lifting weights.

Eat Healthy

Fuel For Fire places a premium on healthy eating. While you may need days off from exercising, healthy eating is something you can practice every day. You don’t need to completely revamp your diet at the start, but taking small steps can help lead to bigger and more effective changes. For example, drinking Fuel For Fire smoothies as a snack is a great source of protein and vitamins. This will keep you full for longer and helps build muscles in the process.

Try meal prepping to make sure you stay on track for your healthy eating journey. It’s okay to treat yourself every once in a while, but planning your meals ahead of time can make sure you stick to your plan. This is also the perfect time to try new, healthier recipes. For example, check out our blog for protein-filled pancakes!

Exercise Smarter, Not Harder

Similar to our first gym tip, take this time to create a plan for how you’d like to resume exercising. There are so many fantastic websites and apps that allow you to create workouts and visually see how much you have planned for a certain day. At least at first, sticking to lighter and easier workouts allow you to ramp up the difficulty of your desired workload over time. If you’ve been infrequently working out—or not at all—during quarantine, going back to basics is a great way to practice form and let your body relearn what it needs to know.

Use online resources and videos to your advantage. If you can’t make it to the gym or it’s raining during your planned run, take this time to educate yourself on fitness tips. Creating a consistent workout plan should first start by knowing the basics. From there, you can fully customize your exercise routine to fit your lifestyle and goals.

Getting back to your gym routine is a challenging task, but hopefully, these tips can help you achieve your exercise goals! Learn more about Fuel for Fire or take a look at our healthy smoothie options!

Nutrition Series: Chocolate Strawberry

Colorful, juicy and sweet. Strawberries are truly luscious. The strawberries we know and love originate from 18^th century France when a hybrid of two species were mixed together.  This red fruit is an excellent source of vitamin C and a good source of manganese. They are more than 90% water and are low in carbohydrates. We combined nutritious strawberries with cocoa powder and other ingredients to create the chocolate strawberry smoothie. Chocolate strawberries are a savory treat enjoyed by many. Now everyone can enjoy this delicious combo in a dairy free and vegan snack with added protein!

Health Benefits of Strawberries

Strawberries rank in the top 20 fruits in antioxidant capacity. Antioxidants help boost your immune system and will reduce inflammation. Their beautiful red color comes from phytonutrients and flavonoids. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, several studies have linked the consumption of strawberries to prevention of inflammation disorders, oxidative stress, reduction of obesity and heart disease risk, as well as protection from different cancers. Strawberries are also low calorie. Roughly a quarter of the carbohydrate content of this fruit comes from fiber which is good for digestive health.

Plant Protein

Chocolate Strawberry is part of the Plant Protein product line. Each smoothie in this category share the below properties:

• 10 Grams of Plant-Based Protein (Pea & Brown Rice)
• Vegan, Non-GMO
• Dairy-Free, Gluten Free
• No Added Sugar & Nothing Artificial

Our proprietary blend of pea protein and brown rice protein constitutes a "complete protein", providing you with all 9 essential amino acids the body needs, but is unable to produce on its own.

Fuel For Fire plant proteins are free of any dairy, soy, nuts, and gluten making it an ideal protein for those with any allergies or dietary restrictions. It also is easier for many people to digest than dairy-based proteins like whey or casein.

Additional Fruit in Chocolate Strawberry Fuel For Fire

Banana

Strawberry Fun Fact

The average strawberry has 200 seeds.

Nutrition Series: Mango Coconut

One of the most consumed fruits in the world is the sweet and delicious Mango. Native to southern Asia, Mangoes are now widely accessible. They come in different forms and range in color depending on which area of the world they are grown. Filled with nutrients, they contain over 20 vitamins and minerals (vitamin A, C, B, K..). The Mango or (Mangifera indica) has also been nicknamed “The King of Fruit”. Blended with coconut water and other fruit, our vegan Mango Coconut plant protein smoothie will take your taste buds to the tropics.  

Health Benefits of Mango

Comparable to other fruits, Mangoes can help improve your health in numerous ways. They give your body natural energy to take on life’s tasks, promote skin and hair health (vitamin A), promote healthy digestion (digestive enzymes & fiber), boost your immune system (vitamin C), and more! According to healthline.com, one cup of Mango provides 70% of your recommended dietary intake (RDI) of Vitamin C.

Plant Protein

Mango Coconut is part of the Plant Protein product line. Each smoothie in this category share the below properties:

• 10 Grams of Plant-Based Protein (Pea & Brown Rice)
• Vegan, Non-GMO
• Dairy-Free, Gluten Free
• No Added Sugar & Nothing Artificial

Our proprietary blend of pea protein and brown rice protein constitutes a "complete protein", providing you with all 9 essential amino acids the body needs.

Fuel For Fire plant proteins are free of any dairy, soy, nuts, and gluten making it an ideal protein for those with any allergies or dietary restrictions. It also is easier for many people to digest than dairy-based proteins like whey or casein.

Additional Fruit in Mango Coconut Fuel For Fire

Apple, Banana, Coconut Water

Mango Fun Fact

Did you know that there are hundreds of different types of Mangoes in the world!*

*National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine

Click here to shop Mango Coconut Fuel For Fire!