I've been cheating since day 1...

I swear it was unintentional.  I've been chewing this sugar free gum daily!!  I didn't give it a second thought until my friend saw me start to get a piece and asked to look at it.  She was telling me that she was shocked that this sugar free gum has the same calories as juicy fruit.  Which let my other friend to say, there is aspartame in that gum.  I looked at the ingredients and there were more unclean ingredients than just aspartame.   We have some natural and artificial flavors, some turmeric blue color and some other things I can't pronounce.  At the end it even has a warning that says this contains Phenylalanine.  That can't be good.  So I'm off the gum and will be headed to the health food store to see if I can find some "clean" gum.

This got me to thinking.  It's just one little piece of 5 calorie gum right?  But what did this one piece, (maybe three in one day) consistently do to the inside of my body?  Which led me to thinking about the creamer I would put in my coffee every morning and the two bags of microwave popcorn I would eat every week.  I consistently and repeatedly put these things (along with many other unclean foods) in my body.  I was thinking, "oh it is just this little bit."  But I was very consistent with every little bit.  What does that do to the inside of my body.  How does my stomach, my liver, my heart and kidneys handle it?  Are all these unclean chemicals that I put into my body, that the FDA deems as safe, safe?! 

I don't miss my creamer any more.  I use half and half (only milk and cream) in my coffee or drink it black.  I no longer miss my kettle corn popcorn.  I have found a delicious way to make popcorn.  I use less than 1 TBSP of coconut oil and 1/3 cup popcorn.  Cook it on the stove, the old fashioned way!  It is Delicious!!!!!  Just a touch of salt and pepper (sometimes freshly grated Parmesan cheese) and I am one happy girl! 

Take a moment and think about the chemicals that you are putting in your body, repeatedly and consistently.  Is there an alternative for that product?  It's worth checking into.  Your health is Worth it!  I'll let you know if I find any gum.  If you find it first, tell me!!

In light and love,

j

My innocent trip to Olive Garden.

Last weekend I went to Olive Garden.  I was planning on going somewhere else to eat but that restaurant was closed so my Son chose Olive Garden.  I didn't have time to review their nutrition information before going but I felt good about what I already knew and was pretty sure what I was going to order.  I was planning on the Herb-Grilled Salmon.  I knew from a previous visit that this was a healthy option.  However, as I sat looking at the menu, I was thinking of trying the Seafood Brodetto.  It had the olive branch next to it which meant it was a low fat entree. I knew the Salmon wouldn't be considered low fat because Salmon is a fish that is higher in fat- but it is the GOOD fat- omega 3.  I asked my server for the nutrition information for the menu and she immediately brought me one.  I looked down to see how my choice of the Seafood Brodetto would be. Hang on to your chairs friends cause I was almost knocked off mine when I read the sodium content.  The Seafood Brodetto has 2250 mg of sodium!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I was SHOCKED!!!  I was so glad I checked the nutrition information first!  Are you aware of how much sodium we should consume in one day?  2300-2400 mg.  My one meal would have covered it.  The stats for the whole meal was, 480 calories, 16g fat, 2250 mg sodium, 47 g protein.  I changed my mind and ate the Herb-Grilled Salmon with broccoli.  It had 510 calories, 26 g fat, 760 mg sodium, 64 g protein.  We can not process more than 30 g of protein in our body, the rest is stored as fat if not burned off.  So 64 g of protein is way too much.  The piece of Salmon was very large.  I ate half of the meal and 3 hours later when it was time to eat, I ate the second half.  My meal then consisted of 255 calories, 13 g fat (healthy fat), 380 mg sodium, 32 g protein. Perfect.  

 Now I also had the salad with the dressing.  I knew it was high in sodium but wanted to eat it anyway.  Next time I will ask for dressing on the side.  One serving of salad with dressing has 350 calories, 26g fat, 1930 mg sodium, 5 g protein!!  I should not have eaten it.  Period!  Here are the stats without dressing, 120 cal, 3.5 g fat, 550 mg sodium, 4 g protein.  I will never eat it with the dressing on again.  Between the fat and sodium, this one serving salad is a heart attack waiting to happen.  It doesn't say how much "one" serving is either.   I did not have any bread sticks and  drank water.   Here are the stats on that in case you are wondering, 150 calories for ONE!!!! 2 g fat, 400 mg sodium, 6 g protein.  The scale went up two pounds the next morning just like clockwork.  I knew since I had that salad I would have to drink lots of water to combat the water retention.  But even that didn't help.  

Just remember how important it is to check the stats of the food you are eating if you can!!  Just because it is low in fat does not mean it is healthy by any means.   

I found this at Costco.  I was really excited about trying it until I read the label.  It says it is "with Blueberry"  I'm not sure how it can be "with blueberry" when there is no actually blueberry in it.  There is a lot of juice concentrate in it though. Juice concentrate comes from whole juice that has had water removed.  That is a clean product but where are the blueberries?  I just feel like that is misleading.  There is also a lot of natural ingredients (say chemicals) and lots of sugar in different form (say not clean).  Nuff said.   

This is one of my new Clean finds.  Mary's Gone Crackers.  If you need gluten free, these are for you too!  Lots of healthy organic ingredients.  The best part is they TASTE GREAT!!!  Nutrition stats, 13 crackers have 140 calories, 5g fat, 190 mg sodium, 3g fiber, 21g carbs, 0 sugar and 3g protein.  I absolutely love these broken up on top of my salads.  Yumm!!  I found this at Kroger in the organic section.  I checked online and it shows they sell these crackers at Costco.  I'm headed there today so I will look for them.

The next two pictures are what I found at Costco.  Both of these bags, the golden flax meal and the chia seeds sold for just over $6 a bag.  Great Price!!  Eating clean does not have to be expensive.  I use these both daily!!!

Just recently found this at Costco too!!  I HEART IT!!!!  I love it on my new crackers, I love it as a salad dressing, I love it as a vegetable dip.  I would eat it in a box and I would eat it with a fox!!!  That's how much I LOVE it!!  2TBSP have 50 calories but they are healthy calories.  The ingredients are all clean!!! It says all natural on the label and they aren't fibbing friends!!  

I am on day 48 of my challenge, going into week 8.  I am still right on 136 pounds down 11 pounds.  I feel AWESOME!!!  Some changes I have noticed....my skin is looking younger.  Have you ever looked in the mirror and your face just suddenly looks older?  More wrinkles and just not the best color?  I was feeling like that.  I feel like I have a healthier glow now that I do not have all those chemicals running through my body.  Another thing I noticed was my cellulite was looking better!!!!  I do have cellulite on the back of my legs, yuck, and the other day I noticed it was becoming less noticeable!!!!  YAY!!!
My stomach never feels bloated and I have so much energy!!  


I am training for a half marathon and started having really bad hip pain.  I finally limped to the doctor to see what was wrong.  I have tendinitis in my hip form over-use.  Ugh!  The doctor put me on steroids. He said it was the quickest way to heal it.  No running for a while and rest as much as I can.  Half Marathon is not until May so I think I will be fine.  It's frustrating when our bodies do not want to cooperate with what we want.  I am at peace with it though and hoping for a quick recovery.  I am told the steroids will make me HUNGRY!!!  I'm also hoping my clean eating every 3 hours will curb that!!!  I will keep you posted!


Oh, before I forget!!  One of my friends brought me a bag of processed foods that she did not want in her house.  I thought we could donate it.  One of my other friends suggested the state street food pantry.  I have a challenge for you!  I would love for you to go through your cupboards and clean them out of all the processed unclean foods.  Bring it all up to Ladies Fitness Zone and we will donate to the local food bank.  They are always in need of help.  Are you up for the challenge?  


Remember friends, YOU have the power to SAY, This is NOT how the story is going to END!!!


Lots of LOVE,


j

My response to "Obesity is a disease and not a decision!"

A couple of days ago, I posted a quote on Facebook that I had seen on a billboard.  "Obesity is a disease, NOT a decision."  I asked what you thought and many of you responded.  I got some great responses.  Here are my thoughts.

No one makes a decision to be obese.  No one thinks, when I grow up, I want to be obese.

  

The definition of disease taken from Wikipedia-

 A disease is an abnormal condition affecting the body of an organism. It is often construed to be a medical condition associated with specific symptoms and signs.^[1] It may be caused by external factors, such as infectious disease, or it may be caused by internal dysfunctions, such as autoimmune diseases. In humans, "disease" is often used more broadly to refer to any condition that causes pain, suffering, distress,dysfunction, social problems, and/or death to the person afflicted, or similar problems for those in contact with the person. In this broader sense, it sometimes includes injuries, disabilities, disorders, syndromes,infections, isolated symptoms, deviant behaviors, and atypical variations of structure and function, while in other contexts and for other purposes these may be considered distinguishable categories. Diseases usually affect people not only physically, but also emotionally, as contracting and living with many diseases can alter one's perspective on life, and their personality.Death due to disease is called death by natural causes. There are four main types of disease: pathogenic disease, deficiency disease, hereditary disease, and physiological disease.

Diseases can also be classified as communicable and non-communicable disease.

Is obesity an abnormal condition affecting the body of an organism?  I'd have to say yes, but this abnormal condition is becoming more and more normal.  

I do agree, there are many people that are affected by the medications they take or other illness may factor in on being over weight.  With that being said, when I take a stroll through the grocery store what I see around me tells another story.

One time a local grocery store here in town was having a health fair and asked if I would like to participate.  Guess where they sat my booth?  Right at the end of the freezer aisle. I had nothing but time on my hands.  Time to watch people shop and see what they are really putting in their carts.  I saw a lot of frozen pizzas, frozen ready to eat dinners and ice cream. Doritos and potato chips were a plenty.  There was no room for pop in the cart so they balanced them on the side of the carts.  I did not see near enough vegetables, fruits, whole grain products and lean meats.

Those people did make a conscious decision to buy those items and take them home to the family.  This decision can lead to obesity when done week after week.  Can you imagine the awkward look I got when they came around the corner only to see "Ladies Fitness Zone".  Eyes darted downward quickly.

We should not be embarrassed about what we eat.  If you are embarrassed about what is in your cart, maybe a change is in order.  

After I saw that billboard, I was walking behind a man that was so obese he had to put his hands inside the sides of his pants to hold them up while he walked.  You could see that the belt loops had already been broken so he had his hands slipped inside holding them up.  He did not walk but rather waddled.  I wondered what he did when he needed one of his hands?!  I want to make it clear here that I am NOT making fun of anyone!  This truly makes me sad when I see this.   It makes me want to shake him and say let me help you save your life!  I can imagine how much he hurts just trying to walk. 

It makes me angry at times too. Angry because sometimes I feel that these people give up on themselves all too often and too quickly  Don't they realize their families love them and want them to be around for a long time?  Don't they realize how much damage they are doing to their bodies?! My guess is that some truly don't or just feel that there is no way out.  They only live in the moment.  The excuses overwhelm them and become their way out.  Too much pain to exercise, not enough time or money. 

Which leads us to another topic.  Money.  I've heard so many times how it is cheaper to eat junk than to eat healthy.  I disagree. 

Here is a blog post if you are interested in reading- a personal trainer decided to go on a six month binge where he didn't work out and ate whatever he wanted.  He is now on his six month challenge to get himself back in shape. If you want to check it out you can here http://www.fit2fat2fit.com/  I'd like to share his wife's blog about the cost of healthy foods vs unhealthy foods Here    That was part 1. Here is Part 2. 

I know it is hard for low income families with a lot of children to buy healthier foods.  However, I do think it can be done.  Going thru the drive thru to buy 99 cent cheeseburgers has got to stop.  It is only setting a bad example for the children and before long that is the only way they know how to eat. Our grandparents made it without all these processed foods and drive thru restaurants- why can't we?  

There are so many factors in obesity and it is different for each person.  I think education is the key to prevention.  If you are obese and need help, seek it.  I know it is SO hard to lose weight!  Probably the hardest thing you will ever do but it IS Possible!!! There is a lot of free help out there.  The internet is a mega source of free information.  The excuses need to stop and until they do, things will not change.  


We all have our breaking point.  You know, that point where your pants are too tight and you decide you are not buying a bigger size or the scale has hit a certain number and you will not go past it....for a lot of people it is a visit to the doctor that sends them on a healthier pattern.... but for some, they gain the weight so slowly and it becomes such a part of their life that it seems easier to keep the weight on then to try to lose it.  I want to help those people!!  The thruth is, we can't help those who aren't willing to help themselves.   

So if I had to give an answer on the billboard....it would be this-  The sum of all our bad eating choices make one bad decision and the end result can be obesity.  

Never judgemental,

j   

.  

boring but necessary...

I get very upset when I read a product that touts how healthy it is but when I read the nutrition label, it tells a very different story.  The problem is most people will not look at the nutrition label or do not know what to look for in a nutrition label and think what they are putting in their shopping cart is going to take them down a healthy path.  


One example I found yesterday....I got an email about a new cookie.  It talks about how there are 


no nuts
no butter
no margarine
no eggs
no milk
no flour
no added sugar
High in fiber
Extremely Low in Fat
Soft, Moist and Delicious

This is their ingredient list -Ingredients: Base cookie  is 100% NATURAL WHOLE GRAIN. We use Oats, Maple Oat blend (see below), dried apricots, dried cranberries, golden raisins, fat free granola- (see below) vanilla and a touch of Splenda. Here is what the manufactures of those ingredients claim on their labels:


So they use the two ingredient list below in their cookies.  

100% NATURAL WHOLE GRAIN OATS. Maple & Brown Sugar  Oat blend WHOLE GRAIN ROLLED OATS, WHEY PROTEIN ISOLATE, MALTODEXTRIN, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, SALT, OAT FLOUR, CALCIUM CARBONATE, GUAR GUM, CARAMEL COLOR, SOY LECITHIN, ACESULFAME POTASSIUM, SUCRALOSE, NIACINAMIDE*, REDUCED IRON, VITAMIN A PALMITATE, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE*, RIBOFLAVIN*, THIAMIN MONONITRATE*, FOLIC ACID*.

Low Fat Granola Whole grain oats, sugar, corn syrup, oat bran, rice, contains 2% or less of honey, modified corn starch, soy grits, molasses, soluble wheat fiber, natural flavor, corn flour, acacia gum, salt, soy protein isolate, oat fiber, evaporated cane juice, malt flavoring, BHT for freshness. Golden raisins California golden raisins, sulfur dioxide added as a preservative. dried cranberries ,dried apricots, preservatives (sulfur dioxide and potassium sorbate)Vitamins and Minerals used to preserve freshness:Niacinamide, reduced iron, vitamin B6 (pyridoxine hydrochloride), vitamin B1 (thiamin hydrochloride), vitamin B2 (riboflavin), vitamin A palmitate, folic acid, vitamin D, vitamin B12. Splenda CONTAINS MILK AND SOY INGREDIENTS.

I want to break down the ingredients for you- I'm going to go through the Natural whole grain oats, maple and brown sugar blend- I am going to pull the definitions from Wikipedia unless otherwise noted from another web site.    This is likely to get boring, but I seriously want you to take a few minutes to see what goes into processed foods.  I mean non foods! Some food ingredients but lots of chemicals too.   Grab a hot cup of tea and relax for a few minutes.

Whole grain oats- Whole grains are cereal grains that contain cereal germ, endosperm, and bran, in contrast to refined grains, which retain only the endosperm. 

Whey Protein Isolate- A whey protein isolate (often whey isolate) is a dietary supplement created by filtering milk protein. Whey is a by-product of the cheese-making process. 

Maltodextrin is a polysaccharide that is used as a food additive. It is produced from starch by partial hydrolysis and is usually found as a creamy-white hygroscopicspraydried powder. Maltodextrin is easily digestible, being absorbed as rapidly as glucose, and might be either moderately sweet or almost flavorless. It is commonly used for the production of sodas and candy. It can also be found as an ingredient in a variety of other processed foods.

Natural and Artificial flavors- took this information from squidoo.com

The Flavor Industry: What are we eating?

Most processed foods contain either artificial or natural flavors, or a combination of both. Artificial flavors are a no-brainer -- most people assume they are some chemical compound. But here are some things about both natural and artificial flavors you may NOT know:


* The American flavor industry now has revenues exceeding $1.4 billion.


* Some flavor companies also manufacture popular perfume fragrances by the same process. Since our taste relies heavily on our olfactory sense, the compounds can be manufactured in the same factories.


* Specialists are called "flavorists," and generally what flavor they put in what product is top secret since it is such an important part of differentiating similar products, like snack chips.


* The FDA does not require that flavor companies disclose ingredients as long as all the ingredients are considered "Generally Regarded as Safe." This policy allows flavor companies to protect their secret flavor formulas.


More detail can be found on pages 124-127 of Eric Schlosser's bestselling book "Fast Food Nation."

Artificial v. Natural: What's the difference?

Some surprising facts.

* A single natural or artificial flavor can contain many different ingredients; e.g. the artficial "strawberry" flavor contains 49 ingredients, most of which are difficult-to-pronounce chemical compounds.(this is j talking-  WHAT?!?!?!?! 49 ingredients for strawberry flavor WHY???????


* The difference in how the flavor is classified is based on the METHOD in which it is derived, but ultimately the chemical composition can be nearly identical.


* Surprisingly, artificial flavors are simpler in composition and potentially safer because only safety-tested components are used. And because natural flavors require a natural source instead of one that is developed in a laboratory, they can be more costly and deplete natural sources. (Gary Reiniccius, Food Science and Nutrition, U. of Minnesota)

Salt-Salt 

Oat Flour- Oat flour is simply oats ground up.

Calcium carbonate is a chemical compound with the formula CaCO₃. It is a common substance found in rocks in all parts of the world, and is the main component of shells of marine organisms, snails, coal balls, pearls, and eggshells. Calcium carbonate is the active ingredient in agricultural lime, and is usually the principal cause of hard water. It is commonly used medicinally as a calcium supplement or as an antacid, but excessive consumption can be hazardous

Guar gum, also called guaran, is a galactomannan. It is primarily the ground endosperm of guar beans. The guar seeds are dehusked, milled and screened to obtain the guar gum.^[1] It is typically produced as a free-flowing, pale, off-white-colored, coarse to fine ground powder.

Caramel color or caramel coloring is a water soluble food coloring. It is made by a carefully controlled heat treatment of carbohydrates, in general in the presence of acids, alkalis, or salts, in a process called caramelization. It is more fully oxidized than caramel candy and has an odor of burnt sugar and a somewhat bitter taste. Its color ranges from pale yellow to amber to dark brown (see Color, below).

Caramel color is one of the oldest and most widely-used food colorings, and is found in almost every kind of industrially produced food, including:batters, beer, brown bread, buns, chocolate, cookies, cough drops, dark liquor such as brandy, rum, and whisky, chocolate-flavored flour-based confectionery, coatings, custards, decorations, fillings and toppings, potato chips, dessert mixes, doughnuts, fish and shellfish spreads, frozen desserts, fruit preserves, glucose tablets, gravy browning, ice cream, pickles, sauces and dressings, soft drinks (especially colas), sweets,vinegar, and wines. Caramel color is widely approved for use in food globally but application and use level restrictions vary by country.^[

Soy Lecithin is a generic term to designate any group of yellow-brownish fatty substances occurring in animal and plant tissues, and in egg yolk, composed of phosphoric acid, choline, fatty acids, glycerol, glycolipids, triglycerides, and phospholipids (e.g., phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, and phosphatidylinositol).

Acesulfame potassium is a calorie-free artificial sweetener, also known as Acesulfame K or Ace K (K being the symbol for potassium

.Sucralose is an artificial sweetener. The majority of ingested sucralose is not broken down by the body and therefore it is non-caloric.^[3] In the European Union, it is also known under the E number (additive code) E955. Sucralose is approximately 600 times as sweet as sucrose (table sugar),^[4] twice as sweet as saccharin, and 3.3 times as sweet as aspartame. It is stable under heat and over a broad range of pH conditions. Therefore, it can be used in baking or in products that require a longer shelf life. The commercial success of sucralose-based products stems from its favorable comparison to other low-calorie sweeteners in terms of taste, stability, and safety.^[5]Common brand names of sucralose-based sweeteners are Splenda, Sukrana, SucraPlus, Candys, Cukren and Nevella.

Nicotinamide, also known as niacinamide and nicotinic acid amide, is the amide of nicotinic acid (vitamin B₃ / niacin). Nicotinamide is a water-soluble vitamin and is part of the vitamin B group. Nicotinic acid, also known as niacin, is converted to nicotinamide in vivo, and, though the two are identical in their vitamin functions, nicotinamide does not have the same pharmacologic and toxic effects of niacin, which occur incidental to niacin's conversion. Thus nicotinamide does not reduce cholesterol or cause flushing,^[1] although nicotinamide may be toxic to the liver at doses exceeding 3 g/day for adults.

Are you still with me friends??  Hang in there.....just a few more to go.


Iron (/ˈaɪərn/ eye-ər-n) is a chemical element with the symbol Fe (from Latin: ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element (by mass) forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core.

Retinyl palmitate, or vitamin A palmitate, is the ester of retinol (vitamin A) and palmitic acid, with formula C₃₆H₆₀O₂.

Palmitate is the major component of palm oil. The word "palmitate" is from the French "palmitique", the pith of the palm tree.

Pyridoxine is one of the compounds that can be called vitamin B₆, along with pyridoxal and pyridoxamine. It differs from pyridoxamine by the substituent at the '4' position. It is often used as 'pyridoxine hydrochloride'.

Riboflavin, also known as vitamin B₂ is an easily absorbed micronutrient with a key role in maintaining health in humans and animals. It is the central component of the cofactors FAD and FMN, and is therefore required by all flavoproteins. As such, vitamin B₂ is required for a wide variety of cellular processes. It plays a key role in energy metabolism, and for the metabolism of fats, ketone bodies, carbohydrates, and proteins. It is also used as an orange-red food colour additive, designated in Europe as the E number E101,^[2]

Thamine mononitrate is a synthetic form of vitamin B1.

Folic acid (also known as vitamin B₉,^[3] vitamin B_c^[4] or folacin) and folate (the form naturally occurring in the body), as well as pteroyl-L-glutamic acid, pteroyl-L-glutamate, and pteroylmonoglutamic acid^[5] are forms of the water-soluble vitamin B₉. Folic acid is itself not biologically active, but its biological importance is due totetrahydrofolate and other derivatives after its conversion to dihydrofolic acid in the liver.^[6




Ok, j here again.  I know that was very boring but it had to be done.  As I read through the ingredients one at at time, it is quite an eye opener.  I won't go through the low fat granola that way but I will highlight some things........

Low Fat Granola Whole grain oats, sugar, corn syrup(sugar), oat bran, rice, contains 2% or less of honey(sugar), modified corn starch, soy grits, molasses(sugar), soluble wheat fiber, natural flavor(chemicals), corn flour, acacia gum(also used to make glue), salt, soy protein isolate, oat fiber, evaporated cane juice(sugar), malt flavoring(why not just malt, why chemical flavoring?), BHT for freshness(also used in Jet fuel) . Golden raisins California golden raisins, sulfur dioxide added as a preservative. dried cranberries ,dried apricots, preservatives (sulfur dioxide and potassium sorbate)Vitamins and Minerals used to preserve freshness:Niacinamide, reduced iron, vitamin B6 (pyridoxine hydrochloride), vitamin B1 (thiamin hydrochloride), vitamin B2 (riboflavin), vitamin A palmitate, folic acid, vitamin D, vitamin B12. Splenda CONTAINS MILK AND SOY INGREDIENTS.(note they say it has no milk but the low fat granola says contains milk)


Do you notice how many forms of sugar is in this granola?  And it is also stated that there is no added sugar.  Sure they aren't adding it but they are adding the low fat granola that has tons of it.  I do give them a lot of credit for putting the ingredient list out there so I can make an informed choice.  However, after reading the nutrition list, I feel like I am being misled.  This is what bothers me about these food companies.  Be honest with us up front!!!  


Remember just because you are eating something low fat does not mean it is healthy.  They usually add sugar and other chemicals to make up for the missing fat.  


The best thing to do friends is to read what is going into your mouth!  Don't believe what the outside of the package says.  Better yet, make your own cookies so you know what is going in them!!!  Here is a peanut butter cookies recipe for those peanut butter lovers out there.  You can also find the recipe here...Peanut Butter Cookies


Peanut Butter Craving-Killing Cookies!

Ingredients

• 2 Egg whites
• 2 scoops vanilla, choc or unflavored whey protein powder 
• 1/3 cup Stevia In The Raw 
• 1/2 cup almond meal (can make your own with almonds or find almond meal at Kroger- Red Mill brand)
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1- 1 1/2 cups (depending on taste) all natural peanut butter

1. Preheat oven to 350 F

2. In a large bowl, lightly beat egg whites. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well
3. Form little balls with a spoon or your hands and place on a lightly greased or lined baking sheet.
4. Bake for 12 minutes. Balls will puff up and lightly brown. Cool for a few minutes before eating.

These are really good with chocolate whey protein!

Calories: 70, Total Fats: 5 g, Saturated Fat: 0.5 g, Trans Fat: 0 g, Sodium: 45 g, Total Carbs: 3 g, Dietary Fiber: 1 g, Sugars: 1 g, Protein: 4 g

These cookies would be a healthy snack after a workout to replenish protein in the body!!!!

Keep Clean Friends!

Hope and happiness,

j