Healthy eating secrets from experts at canfitpro world fitness expo

If you’ve been around the blog for the last month or follow me on social media, you’d know that I attended the canfitpro world fitness expo two weekends ago. It was my first time attending a health and fitness expo and I was a little unsure of what to expect. But after spending two days immersed in all things healthy living, I know that it definitely won’t be my last. 

There were over 200 exhibitors and presenters at the event, so I’m not going to attempt to recap all of it. However, I did want to share some of the things I learned during the more informational sessions, that resonated with me.

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1. The secret to gluten free baking

Kathy Smart’s session on the top 10 gluten free pantry essentials was seriously enlightening. I’m not gluten free, and hopefully I’ll never have a need to be, but I do enjoy baking and learning more about the science behind it. Her list was pretty extensive, including things from chia seeds to cauliflower, but one thing she said just made a light bulb go off, and I wanted to share.

In gluten free baking, it’s all about replacing the protein that you lose by removing gluten. It sounds so obvious now, but I’d honestly never thought of it that way.

2. The secret to choosing the perfect diet

Jillian Mandich, a Holistic Health Practitioner with a PhD in Health Science, talked about examining the major ‘diets’ out there – paleo, vegan, IIFYM, etc. – and determining which one is best. She got into a lot of the science behind food but she shared a few results from various scientific studies that I wanted to pass on to you.

• What we think about the food we eat, good or bad, can actually influence how food is processed
• Our bodies are smart and will tell us what they need, but processed foods can prevent us from ‘hearing’ those cues
• We’re all different, so no one diet can be perfect. We each need to do what’s best for our own bodies

3. The secret danger of healthy foods

Igor Klibarov, a fitness and wellness professional, talked about how healthy foods can affect us all differently. Not all healthy foods are healthy for everyone and that’s something we don’t always understand.

Eggs, for example, are great for treating acne and Alzheimer’s, but not so great for gout. Foods like broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage have amazing anti-cancer benefits, but they can cause gas and other extreme issues if you have IBS. Even the way we cook or don’t cook our foods can cause different issues for different people. So again, you need to listen to your body and do what’s best for you.

4. The secret to proper nutrition

In her presentation, Nutrition 101, Jodi Robinson RD, talked about the different macro and micro nutrients, why we need them and in what quantities. It was definitely useful info, but what I loved most about her presentation were the simple, actionable tips she gave us with for getting optimum nutrition through variety:

• Eat balanced meals, specifically by using the plate model
• Be portion savvy. It takes 20 minutes for your brain to register that you’re full, so be mindful of that fact.
• Choose nutrient dense foods
• Plan for healthy eating
• Limit added sugar

And, if you’re interested, here are some of my favourite fun memories from the expo:

I met a few bloggers in real life, including Carmy of carmyy.com

Excuse the blur…I tried, I really did! Still trying to get a hang of this gopro! But bumped into @ExSloth! pic.twitter.com/C6xqWa7jhl

— Carmy D (@runcarmyrun) August 13, 2015

I got to learning about new products and foods, and we all know how much I like food

I’m sensing a new fave snack coming on ??? @innerjbars @canfitpro #worldfitnessexpo #realfoodie pic.twitter.com/CiynT0Yw9C — Giselle Rochford (@ExSloth) August 15, 2015

And I especially loved trying new workouts. POUND anyone?!?

Epic workout is an understatement ?@POUNDfit@canfitpro#worldfitnessexpo#fitfampic.twitter.com/58nx1caQmo

— Giselle Rochford (@ExSloth) August 15, 2015

What about you?

• Were you at the canfitpro world fitness expo? What were some of your favourite moments?
• Did you already know all these expert ‘secrets’? Do you agree or disagree with any of them or have any more to add?

Share in the comments below!

 

 

 

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This post has been written as a part of the canfitpro world fitness expo Ambassador Program. All opinions are my own.