The Biggest Loser Resort is happy to introduce Amanda Turner, the Registered Dietician at the Ivins, Utah resort.

Amanda completed her Bachelor’s degree in Dietetics with a minor in Biomedical Science at Missouri State University in Springfield, MO. She was then accepted to the University of Kansas Medical Center (KUMC) in Kansas City, KS for a combined internship and Master of Science in Dietetics program. Upon completion of her nine month internship and a passing her Registered Dietitian certification exam, Amanda began working as a Teaching Assistant for a clinical nutrition course at KUMC, as well as working as a part-time Clinical Dietitian at Saint Luke’s Hospital in Lee’s Summit, MO. Once graduating from KUMC, Amanda found full time work as the Women, Infants, and Children Program Coordinator where she educated pregnant women, breastfeeding women, and their children on proper nutrition. Although Amanda loved working with pregnancy and childhood, her true passion lies with nutrition and its effects on performance. To fuel this passion, Amanda has voluntarily worked with running groups in both Kansas City, MO and St. George, UT on proper nutrition to fuel events.

Carbs. A word that elicits fear in any dieter. But you aren’t a dieter! Low-carb diets are a thing of the past; instead let’s focus on balance and quality. I do believe that Americans over-consume low-quality carbohydrates. However, carbohydrates themselves shouldn’t be feared. There are many ways to incorporate complex carbohydrates, or a variety of grains, and still meet your weight loss or healthy lifestyle goals.

Typically carbohydrates are associated with deep-dish pizzas, large plates of pasta, loaves of bread, bags of chips and sugar-laden beverages. Even when trying to eat whole grains, most people get stuck in the rut of whole wheat breads, cereals and pastas. But just like we want a variety of any other food group, we want a variety of whole grains. Some examples include: Quinoa Brown rice Buckwheat Millet Amaranth Oats.

If you have been to the Resort, you may have tried some of these already. I encourage you to seek them out at your grocery store. They are easily prepared and most are very quick cooking. Regardless of quality, any grain or complex carbohydrate can easily be over consumed. Aim for 1/2 - 1 cup serving per meal. This is equivalent to two golf balls or a baseball. In order to watch serving size:

One of my very first blog posts was a recipe substitution list; back in 2007! You can see that list here: