This makes one of my latest creations such a rarity, it’s achieved a 100% approval rate from everyone I’ve given it to: protein pancakes. In fact, I’ve had a number of clients tell me they’d be happy to use this recipe every day if they could.

Unlike your normal pancakes that are based around white flour, my version uses old fashioned oatmeal, flax seeds, egg white and cottage cheese (optional). So essentially a bunch of bodybuilding staples, that take on delicious properties when combined.

Protein pancakes

1/2 cup oatmeal
3/4 cup egg white
2 tbsp flax seeds
3 tbsp cottage cheese

Toss flax seeds and oatmeal into a blender, grind until almost powderlike. Add cottage cheese and egg white, continue mixing until smooth. Heat some coconut oil in a frying pan, pour batter into pan and cook until bubbles start to form. Flip and continue cooking until cooked through.

Makes 3 large pancakes.

Top with berries, powdered stevia or your favourite low sugar syrup.

Nutrition info: 350 kcal, 9 g fat, 34 g carbohydrates (8 g fibre), 35 g protein

Although at first glance, these pancakes don’t sound all that special, I guarantee you’ll love them. And since they are based arond high quality carbohydrates, protein and fats, there’s really no reason why you couldn’t eat these every day if you wanted to.

Till next time, train hard and eat clean!

Today I’ll give you a rundown of my 5 favourite new “foods”.

#1. Almond Milk

With so much controversy swirling around whether pasteurized cow’s milk in fact, “Does a body good”, many individuals have jumped on the soy milk bandwagon. Unfortunately, the data on soy milk (and soy products in general) might be even more damning.

Do yourself a favour and ditch both of these liquids for almond milk. The light tasting liquid made from almonds provides half the calories and none of the insulin surges or allergenic properties that are often found in the bovine or soy versions.

As with any beverage, opt for the sugar free version. The original unsweetened version provides only 40 kcal per cup and makes a great base for shakes.

#2. La Tortilla Factory high fiber wraps

For anyone needing to drop body weight, the first thing I have them cut is bread. So by extension, they will also need to cut wraps, pitas and buns. Unfortunately, hearing this sends most of my clients into shock.

Therefore, finding an adequate bread replacement is paramount which is why I’m more than happy to recommend these high fiber wraps.

One large wrap provides only 90 kcal with 12 g of fiber! That’s half the daily requirement for females and one third of the daily requirement for males. With a macronutrient breakdown this favourable, making these wraps a part of your regular routine is a no-brainer.

#3. Burnbrae Farms Simply Egg Whites

Although I just knocked cow’s milk for being pasteurized, I’m turning around and recommending a pasteurized egg white product. What gives?

Here’s why: egg protein is a far easier protein to digest than the casein protein in milk, or the lactose sugar for that matter. Therefore, even when egg whites are pasteurized, they doesn’t seem to produce the same kind of GI distress that milk does.

On the flip side, egg white is a very easy protein to use to beef up omelets, to make protein pancakes or even in smoothies. Plus it’s one of the more affordable proteins on the market.

FYI – egg whites freeze well so buy a bunch when you find them on sale… or get them from Costco. They are legimitately half the price there than you’ll find anywhere else.

#4. E.D. Smith’s No Sugar Added syrup

Admittedly, no one will ever consider syrup a health food. However, at 1/5 the calories of maple syrup and only 7 grams of carbs in 3 TBSP, it makes daily protein pancakes a reality for the physique and health conscious. Plus it replaces syrup, honey and brown sugar in pretty much any recipe you can think of.

The only real drawback is that as with any sauce or liquid, make sure you portion out your serving size correctly. A couple of TBSP does not mean ten.

#5. Flavoured water

Sweetener free and with none of the unpronounceable additives found in diet soft drinks, these carbonated waters are a refreshing change when you want something a little bolder than regular water, but without any added junk.

Consisting of water, carbonation and natural flavours, these calorie-free, sodium-free beverages are a fantastic tool to help wean youself off of soft drinks. Give them a try and see if within a week, you don’t find yourself giving up diet soft drinks forever.

Well there you have it, the 5 “new” foods that are currently in my kitchen. Of course, the way nutritional science evolves this list could quite likely change in a couple of years from now.

How about you guys? Any new foods that you’ve found that you think represent a dramatic improvement over the alternatives? Let me know in the comment section below.

Everyone loves sandwiches. They are convenient, portable and can pretty much be customized with any mix of ingredients that suits your fancy. However, over the past few years breads have gotten a pretty nasty reputation as a physique wrecker and deservedly so. Whether the drawbacks are because of gluten intolerance or just simple over-consumption, eliminating bread goes a long way towards helping people manage their weight.

Of course, removing bread means you’ve eliminated 90% of people’s lunch options. So in an effort to help us, food manufacturers have popularized the wrap. Ahh… the wrap, the supposedly healthier alternative to the sandwich. In fact, I can’t count the number of times I’ve had someone tell me they made the switch from bread to wraps in the effort to clean up their diet. Small problem though… if you look at the nutritional content for most wraps, you’ll find they often contain more calories than would get in 2 slices of bread!

A healthier option? Not really.

Sadly, it doesn’t seem to matter whether your grains come from bread, a wrap, a bowl of cereal or noodles; refined grains pack a significant calorie punch with a low nutritive value. It’s no coincidence that most people get a lot leaner and healthier when they reduce their grain consumption, or at least limit it to specific times of the day. But having grain reduction as a goal and actually accomplishing it are two very different animals.

The allure of grains stems from the fact they are so easy to prepare and store. In fact, it was the increased popularization of cereal grain consumption that allowed civilization to flourish. But in one of those cruelly ironic twists, it seems that a large intake of cereal grains are one of the leading causes of many diseases of civilization. Irony certainly is a bitter pill to swallow.

So what’s a bread lover to do? Unlike a lot of experts who suggest untenable meal plans, I prefer to actually come up with solutions that work in the real world. In fact, I pride myself on figuring out ways to make healthy food both convenient and tasty. And although my attempts at creating a physique friendly bread have universally been met with failure, I have recently created a low-carb wrap that is pretty damn fantastic if I do say so myself. The beauty of this recipe is that it takes only 3 ingredients and any unused wraps can be stored in the fridge for several days.

GT’s low-carb wraps (printer friendly Low carb wraps)

• 1 cup egg white
• 1 1/2 TBSP ground flax seed
• 1 level TBSP coconut flour

*You’ll need a crepe pan for this recipe.

Heat the pan on low-medium and add a dab of coconut oil or cooking spray. Combine all the ingredients in a mixing cup, making sure to stir well as the coconut flour takes a while to dissolve. Once the mixture has been adequately mixed, pour a thin layer into the pan. Tilt the pan so that the mixture covers the entire surface and cook until the edges start to curl. Flip and continue cooking for another 20-30 seconds.

Remove from heat and let cool 2 minutes before eating. Nothing more complicated than that and you’ve got yourself one heck of a sandwich vehicle.

I took the liberty to do a quick comparison with a popular brand of wraps so you can see the difference. My homemade wraps have less than half the calories, a similar amount of fibre and twice the protein.

As an added bonus for you ovo-lacto vegetarians, having two of these wraps stuffed with avocado, lettuce, tomatoes and mushrooms is a “vegetarian-friendly” meal that also provides 20 grams of high quality protein. The real beauty of these wraps is that they can be used at any meal, not just post-workout. How’s that for a real world solution… a guilt-free sandwich that also helps your physique transformation efforts!

Of course, feel free to stuff your own wrap any which way you like. In fact, I’d love to hear about some of the more imaginative sandwich combinations you come up with!

Till next time, train hard and eat healthy.