Tag Archives: sports nutrition

Carbs: They’re Simple and Complex

Posted on January 20, 2013 | 5 Comments

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The truth about Carbs.

Carbs are simply energy that our bodies can use to do work.  They come in different shapes and sizes and that determines how easy or difficult it is for your body to break them down into a form it can use at the cellular level (glucose).

 Simple carbs are generally very sweet and are digested and absorbed almost instantly when you eat them.  These include table sugar, candy, corn syrup, lactose (the sugar in milk), white bread, fruits, etc. 

Complex carbs are generally starches and take longer to digest and be absorbed because they are bigger (and more complex).  Foods like potatoes, brown rice, oats, etc. are in this category.

You may be under the impression that simple carbs are “the white devil” however I believe that there is a place for both simple and complex carbs in one’s diet.  Especially if you are an athlete and train hard several times a week.  Due to the impact of simple carbs on your blood sugar, timing is ever so important!  

Eating simple carbs increases your blood sugar.  Our bodies are control freaks when it comes to blood sugar, partly because the stuff is sticky and gets gummed up in the little blood vessels in your feet and eyes.  Anyway, when your blood has too much sugar in it, your pancreas releases insulin to go collect the extra sugar and take it to your muscles and liver to store for later.  If those energy storage units are full, then the extra sugar gets converted into fat for long-term storage.  This is why eating too much sugar and eating it at the wrong time can contribute to being overweight. 

Therefore the best time to eat carbs is when you need them:  in the morning for breakfast and around workouts.  However, there is individual variation due to genetics, varying degrees of insulin sensitivity, and of course, it depends on your training goal (gaining muscle vs leaning down require different strategies).

I recommend saving simple carbs for after your workout.  A solid workout uses up the stored sugar (glycogen) in your muscles.  By eating or drinking simple carbs with a source of easy-to-digest protein within 30 minutes after your workout, you are giving your body the fuel it needs to recover – it will NOT be stored as fat.  In fact I find if I don’t have some simple carbs with my post-workout shake my recovery is a lot slower and my muscles get much sorer.   Low fat chocolate milk or low fat protein shakes (with milk and/or fruit) are good post-workout drinks. 

~Live Inspired~!

Emily

 

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Easy Spaghetti Squash with Lentils

Posted on January 8, 2013 | 1 Comment

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It’s MONDAY!  Which means it’s time for another meat-free recipe!  Meat-Free Monday encourages people to lighten their environmental impact by eating less meat.  Every Monday I will share a meat-free recipe that I made up or am trying out.  Hopefully I won’t have too many kitchen disasters!  (Though I promise to share when things don’t work out, as sometimes it is just as helpful to know what doesn’t work).  So enough chatter…on to the recipe!

Spaghetti squash is one of my favourite starchy vegetables!  Here’s a simple vegan recipe that is high in protein and fibre, easy to make, and delicious :)

~Makes 2 servings~

Ingredients:

  • 1 small spaghetti squash
  • 1/2 cup red lentils (uncooked)
  • 1 small onion
  • 3 small ripe tomatoes
  • 1 stalk celery
  • 1 tsp coconut oil
  • pinch each of oregano, basil, and salt

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Wash the squash. Cut it in half, scoop out the seeds, and place flat side down in a baking pan.  Bake for ~30-40 minutes.  (Should be easy to stick a fork into it when it is ready).

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3. Meanwhile, while the squash is baking, rinse the lentils with water and then put them in a pot with 1 cup of water.  Bring to a boil and then simmer on medium heat until the water is absorbed and the lentils are soft.

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4. Heat a frying pan over medium heat. Wash and chop the onion, celery, and tomatoes.  Add to the pan with the coconut oil, basil, oregano, and salt.  Saute until soft.

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5. Place one half of the squash on a plate, flat side up. Fill with 1/2 cup cooked lentils and top with tomato sauce.  Enjoy!

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~Live Inspired~!

Emily

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Posted in ecotarian, Meat-Free Monday, Plant-Based Nutrition, sustainable living, Weight Loss

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Bean & Quinoa Salad with Mustard Garlic Dressing

Posted on December 31, 2012 | Leave a comment

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Plant-based protein time!  It is actually pretty easy to get enough protein while eating a vegan diet, though it does require a little know-how.  Quinoa alone provides all of the essential amino acids that your body needs, as well as many vitamins, minerals, fibre.   Beans are full of good stuff too and researchers have found that eating beans and legumes can help prevent type 2 diabetes, cancer, and heart disease (1).  They are also super cheap when you buy them dry in bulk and they can be stored for a long time.

This is a very simple vegan recipe that is high in protein and easy to make.  Perfect for lunch or as a side dish with supper.

~Makes 4-6 servings~

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup quinoa (measured uncooked)
  • 1 cup mixed beans/peas (measured uncooked)
  • 1 green pepper, chopped
  • 1/4 red onion, chopped
  • 1 small zuccini, chopped
  • 2 stalks of celery, chopped
  • 2 carrots (I used heirloom varieties that I picked up at the Wolfville Farmer’s Market)
  • 8-12 cups fresh spinach (2 cups/serving)

Dressing:

  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 Tbsp whole grain mustard

Method:

1. Place dry beans in a pot and cover with water (you want extra water in there to be absorbed by the beans).  Add a tsp of baking soda to help suck out some of the lectin (a protein that causes bloating and gas among other things).  Soak overnight (~12 hours). (As an aside, if you are eating lots of beans, it is a good idea to cook up a big batch every week so that you aren’t stuck with a jar of dry legumes when you want to make something).

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2. The following day, rinse the beans thoroughly and add fresh water.  Bring to a boil and then cook on medium heat until beans are soft (~2 hours).  Drain and set aside to cool.

3.  Cook the quinoa.  Add 1 cup of water to 1 cup of quinoa.  Bring to a boil and then cook on medium until water is absorbed and the kernals flatten and take on a spiral shape. Set aside to cool.

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3. Chop the veggies and add them to a large bowl with the cooked beans and quinoa (make sure your bowl is big enough!  Mine wasn’t so I had to get a bigger one half way through!).

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4. Make the dressing by mixing together the oil, mustard, garlic, red wine vinegar, and balsamic vinegar in a small bowl.

5. Pour the dressing over the salad.  Mix through.  Place salad in the fridge for a few hours before serving or place in tupperware containers for lunches.

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NUTRITION PROFILE:   4 SERVINGS:  17 g protein; 55 g carbs; 10 g fat; 380 calories  6 SERVINGS: 11 g protein; 40 g carbs; 6.7 g fat; 260 calories

Enjoy!  I sure did :)

~Live Inspired~!

Emily

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Posted in ecotarian, Meat-Free Monday, Plant-Based Nutrition, sustainable living

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Chocolate Awesome Energy Bars

Posted on August 31, 2011 | Leave a comment

I love experimenting in the kitchen so today I made up a new recipe for some delicious chocolate peanut butter energy bars that are easy, nutritious, and very tasty.   They are made from natural ingredients and give you lots of important micronutrients including Vitamin B6, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Niacin, Phosphorus, Selenium, Thiamin, and Zinc – awesome!

If you are eating low carb, you can replace the oats with ground flax meal and the wheat flour with coconut or almond flour.   You can also opt to use Stevia instead of honey.  As a post-workout snack, you may want to lower the fat content by using cooked pumpkin or applesauce instead of peanut butter and substituting another dried fruit instead of walnut pieces. 

Here’s the recipe if you’d like to try it out:

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 cups cooked black beans, mashed or blended in a food processor (not a regular blender, as it will just get stuck in there!)
  • 1/2 cup natural peanut butter (smooth)
  • 1/4 cup honey (or agave nectar if you prefer)
  • 1 small smooshy/ripe banana, mashed
  • 1/2 cup steel cut oats, uncooked
  • 1/3 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/2 cup coconut flour (or whole wheat)
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 1/2 cup walnut pieces
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 (F)
  2. Put beans in a bowl and mash with a fork.  Or, blend in a food processor until smooth.
  3. Add in banana and mash into beans (or mash banana in a small bowl and then add it to the big bowl, depending on your cooking style)
  4. Stir in the honey until mixed through
  5. Now add the peanut butter, mix through
  6. Next add in the oats and mix it all together
  7. Time to add in the cocoa and the flour
  8. Finally add in your raisins & walnuts and mix until texture is uniform throughout.
  9. Spray a 9″ x 9″ baking dish with non-stick cooking spray or olive oil.
  10. Pour mixture into the baking dish and spread evenly along bottom of the pan
  11. Bake in the oven for 15-18 minutes (check with a knife or toothpick to see if it’s done)
  12. Let cool 10 min before cutting into pieces (I like to cut it into 9, like a tic-tac-toe board!)
  13. Wrap it up in foil or store in a reusable container.
  14. Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving contains 270 calories, 12g healthy fats, 36g carbs, 10g protein, 6.5g fibre

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Posted in ecotarian, sustainable living, Things I love!

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Superpower your Gatorade

Posted on August 22, 2011 | Leave a comment

If you’re training for performance then you understand how important it is to fuel your workouts and your competitions.  To avoid hitting the wall, many athletes supplement with sports drinks like Gatorade or gels and chomps of various kinds but how do you decide which one to use?   Well, being the dork-a-thon that I am, I turned to the scientific literature and this is what I found out:

Multiple types of carbs > single type of carb.  Kind of like diversifying your stock portfolio, your body is more efficient at using carbs during exercise when they come from a variety of sources. Look for an even ratio of dextrose, fructose, and maltodextrin.  Sorry Gatorade, you fall short on this one.

Not too sweet!  A drink with 8% macronutrients by volume is best tolerated by most people.  Higher concentrations tend to slow down digestion and can lead to cramping and discomfort.  To calculate, simply add up the grams of carbs and proteins (there shouldn’t be any fat) and then divide the total by the mL of fluid.  For example, 500mL of Gatorade has 33g of carbs (33/500 =0.06 x 100% = 6%).  Of course, you can always water it down if you need to.  Make sure you drink water with your gels and chomps to dilute the nutrient content.

With Amino Acids > without amino acids.  Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins in our bodies.  A recent study compared female cyclists taking 275mL of straight carbohydrate drink (6g/100mL) to those taking the same amount of carb + amino acid drink (3g of carb + 1.2g amino acids/100mL) every 20 minutes during exhaustive cycling.  For 3 hours they did interval training, followed by a ride to exhaustion.  In the end, the women taking the carb + amino acid combo outlasted the carb-only group by 15.2% (47.94 minutes vs 42.36 minutes) (McCleave et al., 2011).   Again, Gatorade doesn’t have any amino acids so it may not be your best option.

Replace your electrolytes.   Sodium and potassium are ridiculously important when it comes to maintaining water balance in your body and controlling muscle contractions.  A lot of sodium and potassium leaves your body when you sweat so make sure you choose a fuel includes these minerals.  This is exaggerated in hot conditions, shown by Consolazio and friends (1963) who put a bunch of guys outside in 100 degree weather for 16 days and collected their sweat to measure the mineral content.  On average, the men lost 84mg (+/- 72.1) of potassium/hour and 337mg (+/- 183.0) of sodium/hour and they weren’t even exercising!  Take home message: use a supplement with sodium and potassium during your long exercise sessions.

Caffeine.  Pros = increased calcium release from your muscles helps increase force output, can make you feel less tired, more alert, and some people really like the taste.  Cons = may make you have to use the bathroom more often, may cause GI distress in some people.

Stay hydrated!  Even if you prefer chomps and goos to a sports drink, make sure that you are drinking enough water during your workout.  The standard recommendation is 1 cup of fluid for every 15min of exercise, however you may need to take smaller sips every few minutes, depending on how your body tolerates it.  Avoid drinking so much that you get that sloshing feeling in your tummy or get a stitch.

Despite its popularity, Gatorade & Powerade may not be your best option for performance fuel.  For nutrition during your workouts I recommend trying products from GUenergy, Hornet Juice, Hammer Nutrition, or another product which includes a variety of carb sources, amino acids, and electrolytes.  Altern
atively, you can stock up on raw ingredients and mix your own cocktail, however I think it will probably take a lot of trial and error until you find something that works and is palatable.  Not to mention that other people have already done this for you…take advantage of their efforts and enjoy a better performance without messing up your kitchen!

~Live inspired~!

Emily

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