Alysha Coughler RD

Snack attack! 14g protein in 1/3 cup for a salty hit

Seapoint Farms Dry Roasted Edamame, Sea Salt, 27 Ounce Seapoint Farms Dry Roasted Edamame, Sea Salt, 27 Ounce

Curious about plant-based protein?! Edamame is an underrated source

Chickpea & Edamame Salad - Healthy Steps Nutrition Make this salad for lunch or meal prep and have it chill in the refrigerator for the week.

The starting of a new challenge with 🏃🏼‍♀️🏃🏻‍♂️ shoutout to for an awesome event and for all the coaching to get there.

Sometimes all you need to bring down your stress levels is good people, delicious charcuterie (or other food) and a change of scenery. Thankful for amazing friends and memories!

Halloween candy got you going crazy?! Instead of telling yourself no and avoiding it only to binge when you finally give in, intentionally incorporate it into your day to prevent that deprived feeling. My go to is vanilla or plain Greek yogurt with some berries and chopped mini chocolate bar on top. Other ideas - top overnight oats with your favourite treat or swap some gummy candy in for your normal Intra-workout carb source. Happy Halloween!

Happy Monday! I recently challenged myself along with a few clients to eat more meals mindfully without any distraction. We all have busy lives and it’s easy to fall into the trap of eating while working or habitually snacking while watching TV at nighttime. Instead, the goal is just tasting and savouring the food, truly being present in the moment. It might sound like a super simple challenge, but in today’s age - it’s easier said than done

Once upon a time, not that long ago, if someone would have offered to make a dinner for me I would have declined out of fear. Fear that I couldn’t control the macro content and what went into it. I would freak out that the meal wasn’t the perfect macros. Now I welcome those meals, knowing that someone is trying to do it to show they care about me. That one meal isn’t going to throw me off track, especially since I know the rest of my day is on point. This can also pose as an opportunity to collaborate on a meal or educate if you are heading towards a specific meal. Here are some awesome meals made for me while I was bared by studying.

It’s Sunday - which means it the unofficial day of meal prep for the week ahead. I don’t know about the rest of you but I’ve been feeling uninspired by the same old chicken + rice + broccoli that I see everywhere. Not only would that leave me unsatisfied but also potentially leading to me ordering a meal instead and creating food waste. Not to mention all the time to cook everything! Channel your inner kid this week and try creating your own lunchable! These were such a treat as a kid and now have become a staple in my busy life. It’s an as easy as protein (Natural selection deli meat, smoked or marinated tofu, tuna salad, high protein cheese, Greek yogurt dip, edamame) + healthy fat (cheese, nuts, hummus, guacamole) + carb (crackers, pita, baked chips, corn tortillas, roasted beans) + fruit/veg. Rotate your choices each week for variety and voila! Meal prep done!!

How colourful is your plate? It might seem like an irrelevant question to your goals. But adding colour can help 2 fold. 1 - more colour increase the vegetables which help with boosting vitamins/minerals for our immune system and workout recovery, not to forget about more veg = more fibre and a more filling meal. 2 - more colour increases the visual appeal of the new. We eat with our eyes first!! We are in peak harvest of produce season so challenge yourself this week to change what your plate looks like!

How good are you at advocating for yourself when it comes to food, health and lifestyle? A lot of us are crippled by the fear of being judged for asking questions at restaurants when you have allergy/ intolerances, or afraid to say you don’t drink alcohol. It’s time to speak up for yourself! This goes for the desire to make plan earlier so you can jog to bed at a decent hour, or asking a friend to do something active instead of your usual drinks/food. I know it’s scary but once you get use to speaking up it gets easier.

If you would have asked me how I felt about having all this food in front of me 10-15 years ago I would say I was anxious and felt out of control. Constant restrictions because of digestive symptoms in conjunction with the fear of weight gain made me over eat in social gathering to a point of over fill further making the issues worse. The biggest change? Seeing good as food. There is no good or bad food. It’s just macro and micro nutrients. Listening to my body. It might seem like a given, but how often do you really check in with your body to see what it needs?! It can tell you a lot during the day and at meal times. Now how do I feel with this food in front of me? Grateful! Excited! Savouring and critiquing every bit. Knowing that when I feel satisfied I can bring the rest home for later so I don’t have to cook.

It can be hard to find balance between work and training and getting enough sleep, forget about social life! However, making that time to see friends, family and loved ones can give you so much in terms of mental health it’s important to have mixed in there. The frequency and what that entails looks different for everyone but make time this weekend for a bit of fun!

As a dietitian, I am first and foremost a foodie. I love learning about food, what it does for our bodies, what it says about our culture, how it has the ability for it to bring us together and alter our mood, how it is prepared, where the ingredients are sourced, how it tastes, and the experience of sampling something new. This love of food is highlighted when travelling as I engage the locals on what their food scene and habits are look like. Where should my next destination be?

It’s safe to say I’m hooked to this sport now! Taking what I learned from my first race about my transitions, swim and pacing yielded a much more energized and fun race day ! Still lots to work on and improve but proud of each bit of progress.

Summer is here bringing patios and social gatherings galore. For many, this brings a great deal of anxiety not being able to plan and eat their usual meal prep. This anxiety can be a vicious cycle of guilt, feeling left out and further make the anxiety worse. The next time you catch yourself going down this rabbit hole - take a moment to breath and acknowledge how you are feeling. Is it just one meal in your week? Can you set yourself up for success by hydrating and eating well in advance? Are you going into these situations ravenous and blinded by hunger? Can you shift the focus to being mindful and enjoying the situation, the people, and savour every bite? What if you just took leftovers home as meal prep at another time? Let’s work of shifting these mindsets and behaviours around being social so we can do more enjoying and less stressing!

First triathlon in the books! It’s was a wild experience filled with nerves, excitement and many lessons learned. I’ve been in many athletic communities and this is among the best! I ready for the next one. Thanks to for being my cheerleader and handler on race day and chasing me around the course, for coaching me the past year to get here, & .jeremycoughler for the running support, for constant tips and tricks, and .em.chiro & .pauloh for keeping my aches and pain at bay.

Sometimes a change of scenery can give you a fresh perspective to promote action and motivation in your life!

For some of you who have been following me for a while, you might already know this - but my current fitness goals have led me to training for my first set of triathlons this summer! In high school I swam competitively, and during the pandemic I discovered biking to get outside. It seemed like a natural transition for my goals! Follow me on this journey throughout this season and see how I train and fuel for these events!

Crazy to believe we are coming out the other end of what feels like a never ending COVID situation. Flashback to Easter 2021 here. Here’s to everyone enjoying family time this long weekend!

That food you avoid keeping at home because you’re afraid you will binge and lose control is actually the food you want to work on always having around. The moment you tell yourself you can’t control yourself around this food is the moment you won’t be able to control yourself. So much of this is mental! If you tell yourself I’m just gonna have a bit and save more for later, and know that that food will always be there, you’ll be able to enable moderation. No one said moderation is easy! Those extremes are easy in the short term but will lead to long term issues

When people hear the term meal prep, the first thing that pops into their mind is the same meals of bland chicken and rice, with the same hard boiled eggs for breakfast. There are two major flaws with this formula. The first one is sustainability in terms of wanting to actually eat these meals. The second problem is not thinking about the snacks for the in between times. Why not approach meal prep differently this week and spice up your selection of proteins and carbs, plus add sauces and spices. To help manage energy in between meals and prevent that impulsive afternoon sweet - try making yourself homemade muffins so you know exactly what went into them!

As some of you might know, this is the year I take on the adventure of doing my first triathalon. Fuelling during this event is crucial transitioning from one lag to the next. Many clients have asked me what I’ve been eating on the days. My training has been more heavy. So here we go! As you can, tell, carbs are nothing that I’m shying away from, and they are the preferred energy source of your body! It’s all about timing quicker digesting ones near training and slower digesting ones away from workouts. Spacing protein throughout the day is important for muscle recovery and preventing soreness. Plus protein keeps you satisfied and prevents blood sugar fluctuations.

As some of you might know, this is the year I take on the adventure of doing my first triathalon. Fuelling during this event is crucial transitioning from one lag to the next. Many clients have asked me what I’ve been eating on the days. My training has been more heavy. So here we go! This Saturday morning I woke up and had a big bowl of cereal, plus some coffee and water prior to running. After my run, I made myself some protein oatmeal with nut butter before doing some strength training. We can brunch is a must and I’ve been obsessed with their eggs Benny. My favourite snack right now is crackers, cheese, cured meat fruit, and veggies. Dinner varies a lot and this day I had poke! Contrary to popular belief, having something sweet after dinner, won’t make or break your diet if you plan for it and be mindful while having it. As you can, tell, carbs are nothing that I’m showing away from, and they are the preferred energy source of your body!

Making new Valentine’s Day traditions this year! When I was a kid, Valentine’s Day was all about family time. We would order Chinese food and watch movies together. In school Valentine’s Day was all about spending time with friends who I cared about and wanted to express my appreciation for by cooking a meal. This year, we started a new tradition by my partner making me a five course meal. Here’s to this tradition sticking! Happy Valentine’s Day to you and your love ones!