Protein Bar believes that healthy habits CAN and should start at a young age. Understanding that food should be used to fuel active lifestyles is a concept we need to pass onto younger generations—that’s why we’ve chosen to participate in this year’s Food Revolution Day. This event, held at The Centered Chef, is an extension of celebrity Chef Jamie Oliver’s mission to change the way we eat. 

This year we’ve teamed up with a few of our favorite fitness friends and bloggers—Mark Beier, Suzanne Ko, and Andrea Metcalf to make these goals a reality. Below they share some healthy bites and why this cause is so important to each of them.

Tickets are still available to Saturday’s event, where Chef Phil Fox and the Protein Bar team will be serving up healthy samples that make eating your veggies more fun (and delicious) than ever! Click here to find out more»

Healthy Bites from Team Food Revolution

Mark Beier

With a busy schedule, it’s hard to find time to grocery shop and exercise. Any tips?
Plan your off days around creating healthy habits. Go to the grocery store and plan your meals for the week and don’t be afraid of eating the same foods so your shopping experience is easy and becomes routine. This way you’re not looking for something for lunch or dinner at the last minute. It might not be the first thing you want to do on your day off but it will make the rest of the week so much less stressful. The temptation of grabbing a fast food lunch or ordering a pizza for dinner is hard to deny when you’re rushed and ill-prepared.

Organic versus conventional – what’s the deal?
I believe for the most part that organic is better than conventional but this decision is more economical that anything else for most people. You can argue that eating conventional can cause other health related problems which could create medical bills that in the long-run would be more costly than buying organic but most people aren’t thinking that way. Most people are thinking about how they’re going to stretch their paychecks so that they have enough to pay the mortgage or rent. In that case, I say buy the best, in season, conventional fruits and vegetables that you can afford and swap out more meat for those vegetables.

Why is regular exercise so important?
Stress relief and cardiovascular health. Exercise alone will not help you lose a lot of weight, exercise makes it easier to maintain your weight if you’ve already lost weight or are at a normal weight. Stress levels are huge reason for obesity in this country. When our stress hormones are high, our cells go into fat storing mode…it’s the old fight or flight syndrome. This makes it very difficult to lose weight, especially fat. Exercise has been proven to help reduce our stress hormones in our body. Lastly, exercise has been proven to improve cardiovascular function and reduce the risk of cancer, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

How do I read nutritional labels? What do I really need to pay attention to?
Nutritional labels have a nutritional table and an ingredient list. Pay attention to the ingredient list first. There should not be any ingredients on the list that you do not know what they are. Ingredient lists are also written in order of ingredients from most to least in the product so if sugar is one of the first 3 ingredients on the list, don’t buy it. As far as the nutritional table is concerned, be careful of things that should have some fat but don’t, this is usually an indication that they’ve increased the sugar or salt to make it taste better. Lastly, stay away from fake sugars or sugar alcohols.

How do I tear my kids away from the TV, cell phone and couch? That’s their favorite way to relax after a long day.
Lead by example. Make it a fun family outing. They’re not going to get off the couch if you’re not. Make it routine, kids love routine. If you come home everyday from work or when they get home everyday after school and they know the first thing they’re going to do is get a healthy snack and go with mom or dad to do something fun, they’ll soon look forward to it.

Any other tips for a healthy lifestyle at any age?
There are thousands of opportunities to do the “healthier” think than the not-so healthy think. Our society has made it easier than ever to communicate, travel, lead an everyday life without physical activity. Everyday you make little individual choices that can lead to huge over-arching changes to your mindset about living a healthy lifestyle. Start looking for those small changes and soon you’ll have made a big difference in your life.

Mark Beier– NASM CPT, classically trained chef, the founder of Chicago Fit Club and the “Mark” behind his recently launched pre-workout fuel bar called MARK BAR™

Andrea Metcalf

Why did you choose to get involved with Food Revolution Day?
I believe we need to change the way we think about food… it is a revolution!

Best (healthy) after school snacks?
Anything with some protein! Peanut butter to quinoa—it’s about revving up those engines.

All time favorite veggie?
Grilled asparagus first, then sweet potatoes!

What’s the easiest way to get motivated to move?
Look down at your belly rolling over your waistband!

With a busy schedule, it’s hard to find time to grocery shop and exercise. Any tips?
Shop-ilates! Push and pull that cart, take an extra lap around the store, count your steps inside and do squats while waiting in line at the check out!

What vitamins are best to get into my diet, and how often?
It’s your A, B, C, D’s…. and other minerals too—but best way is through natural fruits and veggies…. strive for five for staying alive … ah .ah. ah. ah.

Why is regular exercise so important?
3 reasons
-Feels good when its done
-Pushes the toxins out and good nutrients throughout the body
-Keeps you at a healthy weight and happy

Any other tips for a healthy lifestyle at any age?
You only have one body… be healthy and be moved!

Andrea Metcalf, is a healthy lifestyle spokesperson for brands like Fit Studio of Sears, MultiGrain Cheerios and Egg Beaters brands.  A best selling author and serial entrepreneur, Andrea hosts and created Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is, reality weight loss show on NBC Nonstop.

Suzanne Ko

Why did you choose to get involved with Food Revolution Day?
I think it is important to educate and continue to have conversations about eating real food. The conversation needs to start early, especially with kids to set good habits early.

What’s the easiest way to get motivated to move?
For me, a great set of tunes motivates me, allowing me to get in my zone and push me through challenging workouts.

All time favorite veggie?
My all time favorite veggie is kale, for its high anti-oxidant properties. It is also very versatile to eat cooked or raw, such as in soups and a cold salad.

Why is regular exercise so important?
Regular exercise is important to keep our joints mobile, increase our cardiovascular capacity, and build a strong foundation. We spend so much time sitting, that it is important to get out of that chair and get moving to maintain good circulation.

How do I read nutritional labels? What do I really need to pay attention to?
Learning to take control of your ingredients is important so that you know what is in your food. Writer Michael Pollan says it best in his “Food Rules – An Eater’s Manual” book. Food Rule #6 states, “Avoid food products that contain more than five ingredients”. He makes a good point – if it is an ingredient you do not recognize, you are better off taking a pass. Some important items you really need to pay attention to is serving size, total fat, and trans fat.

Make sure you check the serving size and the calories per serving, adjusting accordingly if you consume more than one serving. You want to limit your calories from fat, choosing foods with a big difference between total calories and calories from fat. It is also important to understand that products labeled as “low-fat”, “non-fat”, or “fat-free” may not necessarily be better. Extra sugar may be added to make up for loss of flavor from the removal of fat, increasing your consumption of carbohydrates instead.

Avoid products that contain trans fat, which damages the blood vessels, increases blood cholesterol, and increases risk of heart disease.

Suzanne Ko is an ACE certified Group Fitness Instructor, Personal Trainer, and Lifestyle & Weight Management Coach, as well as a Certified Yoga Teacher and Registered Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance. She is the founder of SKo-Fit, a fitness consulting company offering a holistic approach to overall wellness.