SpawnPoint - Where Game Begins

I would like to introduce you all to some quick, healthy, yet still delicious, food alternatives for when you do the refrigerator dash in the middle of your gaming.  You should be concerned about what you eat, because in the long run, it’ll save your health. Plus, just eating the right things on a regular basis will make you feel a million times better, and give you the nutrients that your body requires.

Here are some important facts that you should consider:
1-It's recommended for anybody to drink at least 2L (8 big glasses) of Water a day. If you have a sweet tooth, drink natural fruit juice (avoid the artificially flavored stuff, it's really bad for you.)

2- Deep Fried stuff is a big NO NO  If you love fries, and you really need your starch, just make home fries in a wok, using a couple of table spoons of OLIVE OIL rather than deep frying. Spice em' up with Paprika, Pepper, Garlic or onion powder, and Curry powder (whatever spices you enjoy).Only add a little bit of salt after you put them in your plate. Baked Potatoes are always good too (don't flop a pound of butter on it though), with a little bit of sour cream and chives.

3- Make smarter choices when it comes to your grains and cereals. Replace regular pasta, with rice noodles -> you can stir-fry some meat, shrimps or tofu cut in strips, any veggies you like (using OLIVE OIL to fry), a little bit of Soya sauce and oyster sauce (to give it some taste) , and you have a super good noodle stir-fry. Long grain rice, brown rice, wild rice are the most nutritive and taste really good.Eat whole grain breads instead of the enriched flour kind. The nutrients contained in grains are important for your body, because they are high in fibers and antioxidants. They also help lower the levels of bad cholesterol in your system.

4-Lay off the Salt in your food Reduce the amount of salt in your food by seasoning with other spices. Too much salt in your system makes you retain more water.

5-When you have the munchies  Have some fruits and veggies around with your favorite salad dressing for dipping. No limit to how much you can have in the F&Vs, because Fruits and Vegetables are high in beneficial fibers and antioxidants, which are protective against both heart disease and cancer.
• Make a nutritious trail mix with pretzels, nuts, whole grain cereal and plenty of dried fruits like raisins, apricots, figs or prunes.

6- Buy MARGARINE instead of BUTTER Non-Hydrogenated, no trans fats, no cholesterol. My personal favorite is the Olive oil one (which is actually the healthiest one out there).

7- Lay off the pastries

Cookie Monster, are we?
It's okay to have some once in a while, but in moderation. Allowing yourself a treat once in a while is not a sin, and won’t make you gain weight. It’s just a matter of substituting for the right things and using moderation. If you're like me and have a sweet tooth, and want something good for dessert or breakfast, I have a couple of super yummy and healthy alternatives for you.

THE UBER PARFAIT!!! (makes about a bowl in quantity)

*Take some Plain or Vanilla flavored yogourt (±1 cup)
* Quaker's Harvest Crunch cereals, Honey Nut Light and Crisp (with nuts or without, whichever flavor you like the best, but I promise you this is the best)( ± 1/3 cup)
*and add some sliced fresh fruit (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, apple, kiwi, pineapple, mango ect) (±1 cup)
*add 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract and/or 1 tblsp of natural sugar (or honey) , and you have yourself an UBER PARFAIT! You will be ADDICTED to it, I promise !!

FYI - yogurt is very good for digestion, and a good source of calcium

SMOOTHIES  (makes 2 portions)
*Buy those big bags of frozen mixed fruits that you can find at your local supermarket's frozen section to make these. You need a blender.

Just add 2 cups of the frozen fruits, fill up just enough to cover fruits with your favorite juice (I usually use pineapple), add 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract (it's the secret ingredient that gives it such a great flavor), and 1 tbsp of sugar, and if you wish, add 1 cup of yogurt, or 1% milk. Make smoothie, and drink slowly (to avoid the brainfreeze ^_^)

8- Protein Intake

Low-fat dairy products like milk, yogurt, ricotta and other cheeses supply both protein and calcium.
•    Protein is crucial for tissue repair, building and preserving muscle, and making important enzymes and hormones.
•    Lean meats and dairy contribute valuable minerals like calcium, iron, selenium and zinc. These are not only essential for building bones, and forming and maintaining nerve function, but also for fighting cancer, forming blood cells and keeping immune systems robust.

Protein is very important in your diet, for many reasons. It helps your cells regenerate, and nourishes your muscles. If you are going to exercise a lot, eat high in protein foods (like fish, chicken breast, lean beef, Tofu, Nuts, Lentils etc). Tuna is an easy accessible generally like fish, that is high in protein, and you can make anything with it, from sandwiches, salad, casseroles, stir-fries or whatever.

Just make sure that you don't eat too much protein if you're not doing workouts. Just keep the portions reasonable. Also, do not over-eat nuts, because they are high in calories. Only eat a handful as a portion; they are very nutritious.

9- DON'T SKIP MEALS If we skip a meal, our body will think that we are in starvation mode and therefore slow down the metabolism to compensate. We then tend to overeat at the next meal. Often times, skipping a meal results in an increase in total caloric intake than if we just ate more frequently throughout the day. A better approach is to eat smaller frequent healthy meals and snacks to keep our blood sugar balanced.
10- Know the good fats and the bad fats

Bad Fats

Saturated Fats

Saturated fats raise total blood cholesterol as well as LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol). Saturated fats are mainly found in animal products such as meat, dairy, eggs and seafood. Some plant foods are also high in saturated fats such as coconut oil, palm oil and palm kernel oil.

Trans Fats

Trans fats are invented as scientists began to "hydrogenate" liquid oils so that they can withstand better in food production process and provide a better shelf life. As a result of hydrogenation, trans fatty acids are formed. Trans fatty acids are found in many commercially packaged foods, commercially fried food such as French Fries from some fast food chains, other packaged snacks such as microwaved popcorn as well as in vegetable shortening and hard stick margarine.

Good Fats

Mono unsaturatedFats

Mono unsaturated fats lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) and increase the HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol). Nut, canola and olive oils are high in mono unsaturated fats.

Polyunsaturated Fats

Polyunsaturated fats also lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol. Seafood like salmon and fish oil, as well as corn, soy, safflower and sunflower oils are high in polyunsaturated fats. Omega 3 fatty acids belong to this group.

# avoid using cooking oils that are high in saturated fats and/or trans fats such as coconut oil, palm oil or vegetable shortening. Instead, use oils that are low in saturated fats and high in mono- and polyunsaturated fats such as canola oil, olive oil and flax seed oil.
# minimize using commercially packaged foods which are high in trans fats. Always read labels to look for trans-fat free alternatives.
# as saturated fats are found in animals products, use lower-fat version dairy such as 1% or skim milk instead of whole milk. Trim visible fats and skins from meat products.

11- Stay away from empty calories!! -> AKA Junk Food
Provides Calories : Carbohydrates, Protein and Fat (collectively known as Macro-nutrients)
Provides No Calories : All vitamins & minerals including antioxidants (collectively known as Micro-nutrients) as well as fiber

In other words, Empty Calories describes foods high in calories but low in nutritional values, lacking the health-promoting micro-nutrients listed above.

Examples of foods containing mostly Empty Calories

* French fries, fried chicken, chips and all other deep-fried foods
A large order of fries from a fast food chain can contain up to 570 kcal with a whopping 30 g of total fat and 8 g of trans fat! Tons of calories from fat but little micro-nutrients.
* Candy, pop and other sweetened packaged foods
A can of pop provides ~130 kcal as well as additives and colorings. Again lots of calories from sugar but no micro-nutrients.
* Beer, wine and all other alcoholic beverages
A can of beer provides ~150 kcal from sugar and not much anything else. In addition, calories from alcohol tend to be stored as fat in the abdomen.
* Refined grains such as crackers, cookies, white rice and white bread
Refined grains do provide some B vitamins, however that's it.
12- Know the goodness and benefits of Antioxidants -Antioxidants are found abundant in beans, grain products, fruits and vegetables. Look for fruits with bright color - lutein in some of the yellow pigments found in corn; orange in cantaloupe, butternut squash and mango; red from lycopene in tomatoes and watermelon, and purple and blue in berries. So enjoy eating a variety of these products. It is best to obtain these antioxidants from foods instead of supplements. In addition, minimize the exposure of oxidative stress such as smoking and sunburn.

Most commonly known Antioxidants

Vitamin A and Carotenoids Carrots, squash, broccoli, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, kale, collards, cantaloupe, peaches and apricots (bright-colored fruits and vegetables!)
Vitamin C citrus fruits like oranges and lime etc, green peppers, broccoli, green leafy vegetables, strawberries and tomatoes
Vitamin E nuts & seeds, whole grains, green leafy vegetables, vegetable oil and liver oil
Selenium fish & shellfish, red meat, grains, eggs, chicken and garlic.

Be aware of the benefits of eating fresh foods - Cook your own food instead of buying pre-packaged meals. It's not hard to learn how to prepare food and make good meals. It tastes much better, and is a lot better for you, since fresh ingredients are not filled with bad things like preservatives. There are millions of cookbooks out there, and the internet is a goldmine for finding recipes and cooking instructions, so if it's something you're not familiar with yet, you can find an answer to anything.

Enjoy yourself and the food you eat. Your body will feel great. Remember, eating healthy doesn't mean that you can't enjoy the food you like. It's just a matter of being aware of the bad and the good things in what you eat, and making the right choices for you. Also, be reasonable in your portion sizes.

Keeping all these in mind and following these guidelines, you're body and soul will feel great!