Be Fit ‘Forever’, Not Finite—By Be Fit Nutritionist, Emily Gelsomin, RD, LDN

As Be Fit powers on, you may notice your spirits slowly start to power down. Keeping motivated can be difficult, but it helps to have your Be Fit network close by your side. If you notice yourself dwindling, ask your trainer, nutritionist and team members for new ideas to keep things fresh. If you find yourself in need of some additional incentive, self-monitoring is a great way to get back on track. Lifestyle changes take time, but they are well worth the effort. Here are some dietary suggestions to incorporate newly learned nutrition recommendations into your life.

Use your food record as a way to monitor your personal nutrition goals.
Writing down what you eat helps you to assess current dietary patterns---and holds you accountable. If your goal is to add more fiber into your diet, highlight the items that have three or more grams of fiber per serving. If you would like to increase your calcium intake, circle all the calcium containing foods in your diet and aim for including one at each meal.

Don’t just write down what you are eating. Think about why you are eating it.
Are you hungry? Is it a ‘craving’? Are you eating out of boredom? Habit? It may be helpful to write down your mood or feeling on your food records. Monitor for any emotional patterns to appear.

Recheck your portion sizes.
Use dry and liquid measuring cups and measuring spoons to assess out your cereal bowl size, peanut butter portions, servings of spaghetti---whatever you have a tendency to overindulge on. It is always a good idea to recheck portions every so often. Are you eating what you thought you were eating?

Plan your meals as much as possible.
If it helps, make a meal schedule to hang up on the fridge. Buy all the ingredients you will need on the weekend.

Here's a great recipe to try for Spring. Enjoy!

Emily

Rosemary Roasted Spiced Nuts
Adapted from Cooking Light

Keep your spirits up with these spiced nuts. Nuts contain protein, fat and fiber to keep you feeling satisfied, while the spices add depth of flavor—a little goes a long way. They are also a perfect snack for a party.

2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary (if fresh is not available, dried can be substituted)
1½ teaspoon salt
3 large egg whites
2 cups peanuts, unsalted
2 cups cashews, unsalted
2 cups almonds, unsalted

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Combine first 6 ingredients in a bowl. Separate eggs and reserve yolks for another use. Beat egg whites in a bowl for about 1 minute, until frothy. Combine spice mixture with nuts and egg whites. Spread on baking sheet sprayed with non-stick baking spray. Bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes until nuts are dried and roasted, stirring occasionally.

Yield: 6 cups (1/4 cup serving size)
CALORIES: 212 PROTEIN: 8g SODIUM: 154mg
CARBOHYDRATE: 10g FIBER: 3g
FAT: 17g Sat Fat: 2g