BICYCLE TIME IS HERE – HOW’S YOUR ENERGY?

Check those tires, dust off the frame and wheels, grease where needed and you’re ready to ride the trails and roads this spring — almost.  What’s in your pack beside plenty of water, a tire patch kit, portable air pump, bandaids and sunscreen?  If you’re looking for the right energy foods, here are a few ideas for you to consider.

First of all, eating 5 to 6 meals a day, your nutrition program should make your body healthy enough to accomplish recovery and tissue repair speedily and efficiently. Ideally, everyone should be in that kind of condition. Second, it’s important for you to maintain lean muscle mass without adding body fat, and do this while maintaining a high strength-to-weight ratio. Eating 5 to 6 small meals means taking in the right amount and correct ratio of carbohydrates, protein and fats for your body and drinking plenty of water.

What’s a meal? Hold out your palms, face up with your pinky fingers touching. If you filled both hands about 2″ high with a combination of foods – that would constitute a meal for the average person. In hard and fast competition, you may need more. Third, a meal can vary according to each individual; your size, rate of metabolism, whether you are competing in a mountain bike marathon, road race or just riding for pleasure.

A snack, or 2 of the 5 or 6 meals is about 1/2 to one handful. Eating mostly low glycemic index* foods will keep your metabolism going and your energy on a more even keel.  Eat a “different breakfast” (see my blog “A New Idea for Eating Well”)  combining carbs and protein for long term energy.

For most of us, myself included, it’s the pleasure and exercise of rolling along on a sunny day watching the scenery change as I pump the pedals.  Besides downing all the water I can while riding, I usually stop and munch a meal somewhere along the way.

While resting in a sunny spot, my favorite energy foods are raw and roasted nuts, fresh and dried fruit and usually a wrap with humus and/or avocado and tomatoes sprinkled with cayenne, garlic and salt. The tomatoes add moisture, as well as flavor to the wrap, which is easy to pack and eat al fresco. The nuts and fruit are munchable any time, even while riding a flat spurt.  Cayenne and garlic are good for circulation and your heart.

Speaking of spurts, muscles rely on 3 major sources or systems to supply the energy they need: The immediate, for short-term, explosive strength output, the glycolitic, for medium-term energy for repeated near-maximum exertion and the oxidative, for long term endurance.

If you’re competing, your intake of high quality protein begins before you ride or in your pre-workout time.  It should be about 20 – 25% of your meal for effective recovery and adequate repair of damaged muscle tissue. About 20% of your meal would be fats for the average competitor.  High-quality COMPLEX carbohydrates should be about 55 – 60% in pre-season and for competition.

Remember, this varies with each person and their activity level. An overload of carbs and calories adds weight and inches we do not want.

Consuming Low glycemic index foods about 2 or 3 hours before workouts and competitions will help sustain the blood-sugar level. These include butter beans, green beans, black-eyed peas apples, yogurt, tomato soup, kidney beans, lentils, soybeans, almonds, peanuts.

Moderate glycemic index foods include whole grain bread, brown rice, muesli, bananas, raisins, buckwheat, spaghetti, sweet corn, biscuits, yams, oatmeal, potatoes, peas, oranges and fresh whole orange juice.  Eat these about 3-4 hours before competition.

If you’re like most of us, riding to enjoy the scenery, take along your favorite munchy foods and plenty of water.  Supplement your food intake at breakfast time with a combination of nutrients, multivitamins, multiminerals, antioxidants, and essential fatty acids. Go for it and enjoy your ride.

For more details about the glycemic index and lifestyle menus, please feel free to email me at:  ricki@mchealthymatters.com Please include “Glycemic Index” in your subject line.

More Fast Food Ideas:   Swtcherooo your lunch and breakfast

 Want some good ideas for fast and tasty foods — with the emphasis on taste and ease of preparation?  Considering the pace at which most of us live and work, here are some ideas.

 First, eat lunch for breakfast. Yep. The single most important “change” I suggest concerns what you eat for breakfast.  Breakfast is essential, especially for children.  It supplies the fuel for the day’s activities – the energy to accomplish what we want to do.  If you combine carbohydrates and proteins, your energy level should be more level and longer lasting than munching just carbs.  Kids love it and adapt easily.  Adults get it eventually….

Almost all the conventional breakfast choices, (fruits, cereals, eggs, coffee, juice, breads, bacon, sausage, etc.), are acidic and make your body acidic.  Many of these contain large amounts of sugars and simple carbs that acidify the blood and create the environment that promotes “microform overgrowth”.  This means that bacteria, viruses and other forms of nasty little critters can invade your system and make you feel rotten.  The dense sources of protein (and usually fat) such as bacon and other breakfast meats, may be high in parasitic activity and are low in water content.  This may lead to constipation.  And no, coffee is not the best source of water that helps your body matter move.  As a diuretic it helps you eliminate water, along with vitamins and other nutrients you want in your system.

 First thing to drink is a glass of water. It cleans out the stuff from the night before.  Then have a liter of something green, or a green smoothie.  It alkalizes the body, gives you energy and cleanses the system at the same time – does “triple duty” first thing in the morning. I recommend Super Greens in powder form mixed with a liter of water.  Add some fresh lemon juice and a teaspoon of honey and you’ll have a lemonade breakfast drink. Mix and take the green drink, in a stainless steel bottle, with you to drink during the day.

 Second, follow the greens with a big plate of steamed broccoli or kale, a bowl of rice, millet or buckwheat with avocado and lemon or lime juice and drizzle a bit of olive oil on it.  Consider having a bowl of soup, in the Japanese tradition, a veggie wrap or salad.  Savor a plate of cucumbers and tomatoes, celery or zucchini topped with a bit of Bragg’s Aminos and a sprinkle of olive or flax oil.  Chewing juicy vegetables full of water, low in carbs and high in fiber, is a delicious healthy way to start your day.  

 Ok, so your mom fed you OJ, cereal, toast and eggs and that’s what you want…or as one person told me, “that’s backwards! Maybe I can do that for lunch”.  Well, if you can, you’re way ahead of the crowd.  Now try it for breakfast and see what your energy level is like from the morning on! Since I changed my breakfasts (in the past several years) my energy level soared and I actually lost weight – and I wasn’t even trying! How about that for incentive?

 Another hint for boosting your energy is to make vegetables the major stars at each meal. The ratio, which is visual, is about 80/20 or 70/30.  Where protein (meat) and carbs (pasta) may have been the “main” food, now picture your plate with 3/4 vegetables and 1/4 meat or pasta. If that still seems radical, well, just try it and let me know how you’re doing. I’m happy to coach you through the first couple of days so when your body tells you how good it feels, you’ll continue and reap the benefits galore. 

 TO EAT IS HUMAN; TO DIGEST DIVINE” Can you relate?

Have you ever eaten a raw potato? Irish peasants called their potatoes “bog apples” and ate them raw.  Besides saving lives through the years of famine, potatoes “help keep the doctor away” just like apples.

Eaten raw, pound for pound, a potato furnishes about 1/3 less calories than bread.   Its superior digestibility and food value as a source of protein, vitamins and minerals make it ideal for reducing caloric intake without losing many essential food factors.

One medium-sized raw potato contains about 100 calories  – much less than a serving of spaghetti, pie or cake.  It’s easy to digest.  A potato has very little sugar or fat and is high in potassium, (which helps regulate your heart beat), phosphorus and calcium, as well as protein.

Potato skins (my favorite part) are not very thick, but contain about 9% of the protein. Close under the skin is where you find the most solid portion of the potato.  Cooking and eating potatoes with the skin on, conserves most of the vitamins and minerals –

About 25 % of the vitamins are lost in cooking, especially Vitamin C.  Thus the recommendation to eat ‘em raw.  Try the “fingerling” potatoes raw-thinly sliced.  Dip them in salt & butter or a salad dressing - the “crunch” is great.  And chewing helps digestion. Cooking in salted water conserves Vit. C and drop them carefully into boiling water, not cold.

For anyone with gluten intolerance, potatoes are far better than pasta.  also try spaghetti squash in place of pasta – lots more vitamins, minerals and less fattening!!

Fact: Depletion or deficiencies of certain vitamins or minerals can lead to a variety of general health problems and specific nutritional disorders, among which depression and other psychological challenges are listed. If it’s potatoes vs Prozac for relaxing then potatoes win in my book: Food makes the difference

ONE PAN MEALS – FUN QUICK AND HEALTHY IDEAS                

 The idea for One Pan Meals came to me when I realized I was preparing fast snacks and whole balanced meals in one pan, literally, and it was easy and efficient for clean up too.

 The KEY is timing.

It takes some thought as to what seasonings, herbs – flavorings you’ll use; will they taste good on a piece of fish, chicken or meat, and on the vegetables, rice, pasta too? 

 Here’s where your nose, memory and imagination come into play… to create meals that smell and taste great.  If you have a fussy eater who likes his or her food kept separate on the plate, then you may have some adjusting to do before serving.  If you use a large skillet, foods may be cooked “separately”, but in the same space. 

 Timing:  With fish and veggies, I usually put the veggies in the pan first, followed by the fish unless it’s a thick piece.  With chicken or meat, you may want to start that cooking first, then add the veggies.   It’s also a great way to clean up those little baggies and bowls of odds & ends or leftovers .

 Prepare a large pot of cooked rice, quinoa, barley, or other favorite grain and keep it handy.  They will usually stay fresh in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.  This was how I began.  Any grain can be added to a pan of veggies and protein in about the last 3-5 minutes of cooking. 

 Other good staples to keep in the refrigerator are chicken, beef and vegetable broths for nourishing liquids to poach in and to add moisture to the pan for cooking.  A bit of white or red wine may be added for liquefying, but keep it to a “bit” unless you’re poaching and really want the flavor from the wine.  Of course olive, walnut and coconut oils are great for sautéing and stir-frys.

 Stir-frys are a simple and tasty way of preparing in one pan.  Slow cooking them on lower heat than traditional “frying” keeps the enzymes and vitamins and minerals from being heated out.

Again timing, cooking your chicken or meats first; (slicing thinly and dicing meats does help them cook faster) and then add your veggies.   Sauces and spices go in with the first ingredients to be absorbed. 

Tasting and adding, adjusting the spices can be done after adding your protein source if needed.

 Adjusting the cooking temperature may be done when the protein is added.  I turn up the heat initially to brown or sear meats and chicken to lock in their juices, then reduce heat to finish the meal. 

 Serve immediately and enjoy.