Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups (plant-based, no sugar, oil-free, no dates)
Posted on December 20, 2022 Leave a Comment
written by Nina Shantel, blog: RealDietHelp.com, published December 20, 2022
These chocolate peanut butter cups, also known as peanut butter cups, are not only sugar-free, vegan, oil-free, plant-based and don’t contain dates or dried fruit.
I also provide options to make these candies peanut-free.
My husband says they taste like frozen Reese’s peanut butter cups.
For the vegan chocolate filling ingredients:
- 3 large ripe bananas
- 3 teaspoon alcohol-free vanilla extract, optional
- 3 teaspoons tahini, almond butter, cashew butter or peanut butter (salt & oil-free)
- 3 level tablespoons cocoa powder
For the toppings:
- chopped walnuts, toasted peanut halves or toasted chopped pecans
- peanut butter, almond butter, tahini or cashew butter (unsalted & oil-free)
- toasted coconut flakes, unsweetened, sulfur-free (optional)
Directions: Peel and break bananas into 1-inch pieces and blend in a small food processor until it resembles pudding. Add remaining ingredients to the food processor, mixing for about 1-minute; the mixture should now look like melted chocolate.
Add 3 pieces of chopped walnuts, 3 toasted peanut halves or 4-5 pieces toasted pecans to each mold. Pour chocolate filling into silicon candy molds.
Spoon 1/2 teaspoon of peanut butter, almond butter, tahini or cashew butter on top, in the middle (the more, the better it tastes). Drizzle more chocolate on top to cover (optional).
For the tahini filled chocolates, I drizzled about ½ teaspoon tahini on the top of each chocolate cup. Sprinkle with coconut flakes on top, if desired.
It takes 3-5 hours to freeze through.
Below are the silicone candy molds I use:
If this post is located on any other website other than mine, which is RealDietHelp.com, it’s been unauthorized, plagiarized (copied without my permission). The other social media sites where my articles and videos are approved to be published are on my YouTube channel (Nina’s Nutrition & Exercise Videos), my Fit Girl Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TheHighFiveDiet/ and my Twitter account https://twitter.com/medairyfree
Christmas Dance Workout video (easy dance moves)
Posted on December 17, 2022 Leave a Comment
written by Nina Shantel, blog: RealDietHelp.com, published December 17, 2022
Someone on my YouTube channel asked me to make another Christmas exercise video this year, so I created this 10-minute Christmas Dance workout with easy moves that anyone can follow. I also added some holiday music to get you into the happy holiday spirit.
Press the red play button below to dance with me.
P.S. The Christmas cardio workout from last year is clickable at the end screen of this workout if you want to exercise to that one too.
If this post is located on any other website other than mine, which is RealDietHelp.com, it’s been unauthorized, plagiarized (copied without my permission). The other social media sites where my articles and videos are approved to be published are on my YouTube channel (Nina’s Nutrition & Exercise Videos), my Fit Girl Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TheHighFiveDiet/ and my Twitter account https://twitter.com/medairyfree
Is tofu high in fat? (compare tofu fat content to other foods)
Posted on December 13, 2022 Leave a Comment
written by Nina Shantel, blog: RealDietHelp.com, published December 13, 2022
Is tofu high in fat? Compared to what? A serving of tofu is 3 ounces, which is a small portion, and contains 4 grams of fat.
If you prefer to watch a video instead of reading this article, scroll to the bottom of this page
I try to limit my fat grams to 10 grams of fat per meal, with no more than 30 grams of fat per day.
If I compare 3 ounces of tofu to 3 ounces of potatoes, tofu is more fattening than potatoes.
There’s 4 grams of fat in tofu compared to .1 grams of fat in potatoes.
If I compare 3 ounces of tofu to 3 ounces of bananas, tofu is more fattening than bananas.
There’s 4 grams of fat in tofu compared to .3 grams of fat in bananas.
Photo by Couleur on Pexels.com
We know that vegetables and fruit are low in fat, so, let’s compare tofu, which is a bean, to garbanzo beans.
Photo by Engin Akyurt on Pexels.com
If I compare 3 ounces of tofu to 3 ounces of garbanzo beans, tofu is more fattening than garbanzos.
There’s 4 grams of fat in tofu compared to 2.4 grams of fat in garbanzo beans.
People use tofu in place of animal meat so let’s compare tofu to leaner animal meats and fatty salmon.
If I compare 3 ounces of tofu to 3 ounces of skinless chicken breast, tofu is slightly more fattening than chicken by .2 grams. Chicken has cholesterol; tofu has zero cholesterol.
If I compare 3 ounces of tofu to 3 ounces of sirloin tip steak, which is considered a lean red meat, the steak and tofu are roughly around the same fat content, with steak being a mere .2 grams less fat. The steak, while lower in fat, contains cholesterol; tofu and all plant foods do not contain cholesterol.
If I compare 3 ounces of tofu to 3 ounces of wild salmon, salmon is much more fattening than tofu.
Tofu has 4 grams of fat; salmon has 6.9 grams of fat. (Omega 3 fats are in plants)
We know salmon is a fatty fish, so let’s compare tofu with a low-fat fish, such as tilapia. If I compare 3 ounces of tofu to 3 ounces of tilapia, tofu is much more fattening than tilapia by about 2 grams.
If tofu is considered a high-fat food, let’s compare it to high-fat foods.
Most people don’t realize olives are high in fat. By comparing 3 ounces of tofu to 3 ounces of black olives, olives have more than twice the fat than tofu.
Photo by Polina Tankilevitch on Pexels.com
Tofu has 4 grams of fat. Olives have 9.3 grams of fat. Luckily no one eats 21 olives at a time.
If I compare 3 ounces of tofu to 3 ounces of tortilla chips, tortilla chips are more than 4 times as fattening as tofu.
With tofu at 4 grams of fat, tortilla chips have 17.6 grams of fat! Definitely choose a serving of tofu over tortilla chips with oil.
3 ounces of tofu verses 3 ounces of McDonald’s French fries, the fries have almost three times as much fat as tofu.
Tofu has 4 grams of fat, whereas the fries have 11.7 grams of fat.
Photo by Dzenina Lukac on Pexels.com
Walnuts are a healthy, but high-fat food. By comparing 3 ounces of tofu to 3 ounces of walnuts, the walnuts are more than 14 times as fattening as tofu.
A serving of tofu has 4 grams of fat and the same amount of walnuts, in ounces, have 56.7 grams of fat. Three ounces of walnuts are easy to eat, unfortunately.
A 3-ounce, generic, low-fat ice cream bar has 6 grams of fat, so the low-fat ice cream has more fat than tofu.
If I compare 3 ounces of tofu, to a 3-ounce burger from sonic burger, because the sonic burger was on the list of the 13 healthiest fast-food burgers recommended by nutritionists, the burger has more than twice the fat as tofu.
Photo by Dana Tentis on Pexels.com
A 3 oz sonic burger contains 10.5 grams of fat, whereas tofu has 4 grams of fat, for the same portion. Oh, and if a nutritionist considers an animal meat burger “healthy,” that nutritionist should have their certification revoked.
Oil is the highest fat food, so let’s see how tofu holds up to olive oil. Three ounces of olive oil, which is a little over 6 tablespoons, is a whopping 85 grams of fat, whereas the tofu at 4 grams of fat, seems tiny. If you want to lower the fat in your diet, and reduce bodyfat, avoid all oils.
In conclusion, beans and most fruits and vegetables are lower in fat than tofu, so tofu isn’t a low-fat food. Tofu has around the same amount of fat as some lean animal proteins. Tofu is much lower in fat than high-fat foods like olives, salmon, chips, fries, nuts, burgers, and oil.
The verdict: tofu is NOT a high-fat food.
Source: cronometer.com
If this post is located on any other website other than mine, which is RealDietHelp.com, it’s been unauthorized, plagiarized (copied without my permission). The other social media sites where my articles and videos are approved to be published are on my YouTube channel (Nina’s Nutrition & Exercise Videos), my Fit Girl Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TheHighFiveDiet/ and my Twitter account https://twitter.com/medairyfree
How to be an effective plant-based communicator & vegan role model (5 rules to get anti-vegans to listen)
Posted on December 6, 2022 Leave a Comment
written by Nina Shantel, blog: RealDietHelp.com, published December 27, 2022
Those of us who are vegan and have witnessed the benefits of avoiding dairy, meat, poultry, fish and eggs, find it frustrating and upsetting when people ignore what we say. The problem could be our messaging, how we present ourselves, and the words we use.
I created the following rules to enable vegans to be role models and effective plant-based communicators. (Keep reading or watch the video below where I share guidelines to encourage nonvegans to give up dairy and animal products).
Look the part. If you are overweight, people may dismiss a vegan diet as healthy because excess body fat is a sign of ill health. Many people choose unhealthy diets, like ketogenic diets because they want to lose weight and still eat fatty foods. It’s best to share the fact that you are vegan when you slim.
Slim people can discourage non-vegans to stop eating meat if vegans look disheveled, wear torn or dirty clothes, or have stained teeth. We don’t want to give the impression that vegans are poor, vegan food is expensive, or high carb diets cause tooth decay or an unsightly smile.
Act the part. If you are vegan, that means you don’t consume dairy, meat, poultry, fish and eggs…ever. If you cannot follow your own advice, how can you expect other people to? By giving excuses like, “There weren’t any vegan foods to eat at the wedding/work meeting/restaurant/event…,” etc., that paints the picture that eating a vegan exclusive diet is difficult and pins you as a hypocrite. Don’t be a hypocrite. People hate hypocrites.
Either eat before you go somewhere that may not have vegan options, bring food with you, or call ahead to see if the chef can make a vegan dish or side for you. Bring a banana, apple, box of raisins, granola, and fruit and nut bars wherever you go, which can satisfy a hunger craving easily and successfully. Being hungry is perfectly okay, you’re not going to die, lose muscle or harm your health if you skip a meal or eat later.
Keep fruit, nuts and seeds with you wherever you go. Just because you are hungry and there are no vegan options at a work event or gathering, doesn’t give you permission to eat animal products. You will not die or harm yourself if you miss a meal.
Be kind, courteous and respectful. Be kind, compassionate, courteous, and respectful to not just animals, and the planet, but also to other human beings. Most people haven’t been vegan since birth so remember back when you weren’t vegan; you probably didn’t know that animal milk and animal protein was harmful. How would you have felt if someone mocked you and made you feel bad for eating food everyone around you eats. We don’t want to be stereotyped as angry, condescending, know-it-all vegans.
Don’t tell people what to do. While it’s tempting to tell people not to eat animal products, no one likes being told what to do. Bossing people around usually backfires. Think back to when you were a teenager and your parents told you not to drink soda or smoke pot, it probably made you want to do those “bad things” which made you rebel, because rebels are often admired. Doing “bad” things sometimes makes people feel good.
Share stories. Instead of telling people what to eat and what not to eat, tell them why you decided to become vegan, what benefits you gained from giving up animal products. Also share stories of people you know that switched from a meat-centered diet to one solely of plants. No one can refute your experience or someone else’s.
What convinced me to go vegan was after watching the movie, The Game Changers, and learning that animal protein is harmful, and that vegans can be muscular and strong. I share the fact that my total cholesterol went from 201 to an average of 150, my blood sugar A1c went from 10.1 to under 6, my bodyfat percentage went from 25% to 16%, and I reduced my insulin resistance, when I gave up animal products and focused on plant-based, nutrient rich whole foods.
Watch the video below where I share the above information in more detail, and discuss with Peter Goldstein, additional effective and ineffective methods to get people to give up dairy and animal products. I also demonstrate how to make a delicious low-fat, plant-based apple dessert with banana cream.
Let me know in the comments below what statement, fact, book, video, story, person, or movie convinced you to go vegan.
If this post is located on any other website other than mine, which is RealDietHelp.com, it’s been unauthorized, plagiarized (copied without my permission). The other social media sites where my articles and videos are approved to be published are on my YouTube channel (Nina’s Nutrition & Exercise Videos), my Fit Girl Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TheHighFiveDiet/ and my Twitter account https://twitter.com/medairyfree
full bodyweight strength workout (no repeats)
Posted on November 29, 2022 Leave a Comment
In this 20-minute, no repeat, full bodyweight strength workout for beginners/intermediates, all you need is a soft surface such as a yoga mat, a chair and water (follow-along video below).
Below are the exercises performed in the workout video below, in order:
- The Butt: Frog pumps for 1-minute.
- Legs/Core/Butt: Plie to alternating reverse lunge, pause at the bottom of the lunge, for 1-minute
- Chest/Triceps: Three floor push-ups, plus 7 push-ups on a chair
- Legs/Butt: Long-leg bridge on a chair (you can also press your feet against a wall) for 1- minute
- Back: Seated rows with two pumps for 1-minute
- Shoulders: One full lateral raise plus four top partial lateral raises for 1-minute
- Upper back/Shoulders: Lay on your stomach, with bent knees, cross ankles, forehead on the mat, with goal-post arms, raise and lower arms for 1- minute.
- Abs/Inner thighs: Lay on your back, cradle your head in your hands, legs straight and off the mat, toes pointed to work your abs. If this bothers your low-back, put your hands under your butt. You can also elevate your legs, which is easier. Bring your legs out, then together (this works the inner thighs), cross your ankles, bring your knees towards your chest, and lift your legs up while lifting your butt off the mat (this is a reverse crunch). If your neck hurts, you can lower your head to the mat. Perform 8-15 reps, depending on how it feels.
- Calves/Hips/Ankles: Calf raises with prances and hip rocks for 1- minute
- Mobility: Stretches
How not to gain weight over the holidays
Posted on November 21, 2022 Leave a Comment
written by Nina Shantel, blog: RealDietHelp.com, published November 21, 2022
The holidays are notorious for weight gain because of the massive amount of food that is available and eaten. The high fat foods people consume this time of the year is increased, which contributes to weight gain.
Eating before attending a party or gathering may work on some occasions, but usually isn’t practical on Thanksgiving.
Avoiding high calorie sugary desserts is always a good idea, but some people don’t eat sweets and are still overweight.
The seven tips below will not only prevent weight gain but may even help you lose weight and improve your blood sugar, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels.
Avoid alcohol. Alcohol is highly caloric. Alcohol has more calories per gram than pure fat. Since alcohol is a poison, the body will stop metabolizing fat into order to metabolize the alcohol because its first priority is not to help you lose unnecessary bodyfat, but to remove toxins.
Drinking calories is a sure-fire way to weight gain. The only calories recommended for drinking is whole fruit smoothies as a meal replacement.
If you still want to have a beverage, choose a non-alcoholic beer or wine as these have a very low alcohol concentrations, and are much lower in calories.
Outlaw all oils. Oils are 100% fat, processed and contain very little nutrition. Not only do excess calories cause weight gain, but fat intake is the primary cause of weight gain. Oils cause endothelial cell damage and lead to clogged arteries and blood vessels, heart disease and high blood pressure. In addition, oil consumption increases insulin resistance, inflammation and suppresses the immune system, so all oils should be avoided.
Choose low-fat proteins because fat is what makes protein-rich foods higher in calories. Proteins lower in fat and higher in carbohydrates contain fewer calories and are more filling.
There is more than enough protein from beans, lentils, peas, and nutritional yeast, all of which are low in fat and excellent sources of protein.
To expedite weight loss, foods promoted as having lots of protein should be minimized or omitted:
- Dairy, poultry, meat, fish and eggs are high in protein, but it’s best to avoid drinking animal milks and eating animals, which contain excessive amounts of saturated fat. Even “low-fat” versions of animal products contain a lot more calories and fat than most people realize due to the way nutritional labels trick consumers by calculating fat as weight instead of as a percentage of calories.
- Tofu is high in protein, but keep tofu intake on the small size. Even though tofu is not a high fat food, it is a moderate fat food. You can eat tofu daily, just beware of the portion size, as it’s around four grams of fat for only a three ounce portion. Dr. Cyrus Khambatta, a diabetes expert, recommends consuming no more than 30 grams of fat per day to manage blood sugars.
- Vegans are usually encouraged to eat nuts and seeds as additional sources of protein, but it’s best to limit or eliminate nuts and seeds if you are overweight. Nuts and seeds are extremely high in fat and detrimental to weight loss. Even though nuts and seeds are in the healthy fats category, they are unnecessary per Dr. McDougall and can lead to weight gain.
Limit or eliminate bread, pasta and flours. Bread, pasta and flour are processed, high in calories and can be the cause of weight gain even if someone is following a low-fat, plant-based diet.
For instance, tortillas are usually made of flour or corn and are fried. Flour tortillas are high in calories, so swap out the flour tortillas for corn tortillas, or use lettuce cups instead of tortillas.
Try intermittent fasting. There are numerous intermittent fasting options, but the intermittent fasting type I find least difficult is to stop eating after dinner and have my next bite of food at breakfast the following day after I’m beginning to feel hungry. This stops my night snacking; those sneaky calories add up fast.
Food journal. The act of writing down what you eat has been proven to aid in weight loss. I created a journal with my food point system to aid in fast weight loss, while maintaining muscle, which you can order from:
Log foods into an app. I’ve heard people complain that their must be something wrong with them, that they don’t eat that many calories and they gain weight no matter what they eat. To find out if that theory is true, that you don’t eat a lot of calories, log everything you eat into an app which will calculate the calories, carbohydrates, fat and protein for you.
You will need to weigh, measure, and put everything you eat with exact portions. The free online app I find easy to use and is fairly accurate is Cronometer.
While these small tasks are a nuisance, it will give you a truer picture of how many calories you are consuming.
Keep in mind that the 2000 calories per day theme is outdated. If most people ate 2000 calories per day, they would be slimmer than they are now, but they would still be overweight. Most active teenagers could consume 2000 calories per day and be a healthy bodyweight, while women between 25-40 usually need 1600 calories daily. For women over 40, 1200-1400 calories per day would likely be sufficient.
For men, 1800 calories per day is usually a good number. After 60, men may need to drop their calories to 1600 or 1700. These variables depend on age, height, activity, and amount of muscle mass. For instance, two bodybuilders, one who is 36 years old and 6 foot 4, maintains his lean body mass with only 1800 calories daily, while a 30-year-old leaner bodybuilder at 6’0 tall, eats 3000 calories a day.
Start consuming 1800 calories per day, and if you gain or lose weight, that can determine if you should add more calories or lower the number of calories you eat on average, every day. If the diet works, you should see at least a one pound drop on the scale every week.
The ideal percentage of macronutrients should range from 75-80% from whole food carbohydrates, 10-15% from whole-food plant fats, and 10-15% from whole-food plant proteins. All the healthy carbohydrates, fats and proteins can be found in beans, nuts, seeds, grains, lentils, peas, fruit and vegetables.
While maintaining or losing weight during the holidays, when the focus is on food, is more challenging than other times of the year, it is doable.
Weight loss starts with the mind accepting dietary changes, followed by planning, putting those changes into motion, and being consistent.
I was asked to be a guest on another YouTube channel, “Mariquita Solis, Vegan Empowerment Coaching,” to discuss how not to gain weight over the holidays. The above suggestions are listed in the video below along with several others.
The internet connection froze a few times in the video, so prepare to laugh when you see me performing a squat and staying in that awkward position.
Play the YouTube video below to watch it.
If this post is located on any other website other than mine, which is RealDietHelp.com, it’s been unauthorized, plagiarized (copied without my permission). The other social media sites where my articles and videos are approved to be published are on my YouTube channel (Nina’s Nutrition & Exercise Videos), my Fit Girl Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TheHighFiveDiet/ and my Twitter account https://twitter.com/medairyfree
Low-fat, plant-based vegan Thanksgiving meal recipes
Posted on November 18, 2022 Leave a Comment
written by Nina Shantel, blog: RealDietHelp.com, published November 19, 2022
I was a guest speaker on WeDidit.health where I share in a PowerPoint presentation how to transform traditional high calorie Thanksgiving dishes into low-fat, oil-free, sugar-free, plant-based vegan sides, meals and desserts.
As a treat, I start by demonstrating how to make low-fat vegan freezer chocolate peanut butter cups, without oil, sugar or processed ingredients.
You can watch that video here. Let me know if you have any questions.
If this post is located on any other website other than mine, which is RealDietHelp.com, it’s been unauthorized, plagiarized (copied without my permission). The other social media sites where my articles and videos are approved to be published are on my YouTube channel (Nina’s Nutrition & Exercise Videos), my Fit Girl Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TheHighFiveDiet/ and my Twitter account https://twitter.com/medairyfree
