What Energy Bars To Use?

Excerpt from my upcoming Peak Performance E-Book: Guide to Endurance Sports Nutrition…

I recommend using bars for training fuel and recovery – they digest well and provide quick fuel. However, I see a lot of athletes who start to use bars to replace every day whole foods. Bars alone will not provide all the nutrients you need to stay healthy, so make sure they are not the focus of your primary diet. So with so many energy bars offered in the market it is hard to know which one you should be eating. As with most performance products you need to self diagnose what works best for your body. Here I breakdown the attributes you should be looking for.

Before and During Workout

Choose a high carbohydrate bar (between 25-50g) made of simple carbs to provide quick energy. Look for the bar to contain low fiber (less than 5g), low protein (less than 10g) and low fat (less than 4g). If the bar contains fiber, fat and protein that are above those numbers it will slow digestion and ultimately your performance. If you do choose to eat a bar during your training session, make sure to drink 5-10oz of water with it. Some of my favorite bars in this category include Clif, Luna, Odwalla and PowerBars.

Post Workout

Choose a whole foods bar that is made of few ingredients to help ease digestion and recovery. Those with natural sources of carbohydrates and protein are best. If you do not like these natural bars make sure to look for a post workout bar with a quality protein source such as hemp protein. Examples include: Lara, ProBar, Think Organic, Pure Bar and Vega!!

Want to make your own whole foods bar? Here is an easy quick recipe you can make in minutes….

Cranberry Hemp Nut Bar

Ingredients:

2 cup walnuts

1 cup pitted dates

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1 cup oats (gluten free if possible)

2 tbsp agave nectar

1/4 cup hemp seeds

1 tbsp virgin coconut oil

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

pinch of salt

Directions:

Put all ingredients in a food processor and blend. Press firmly into a pan and put in the freezer for 1 hour to form. Cut into squares and enjoy. You can wrap each square individually and store in the freezer for an on the go snack.

Delicious Dairy Alternatives

So yesterday I posted an entry about another reason not to eat dairy. Now, I know that their are several dairy lovers out there who are scratching their heads thinking if I can’t have dairy what the heck do I do about milk and ice cream????? These are some of Americans favorite comfort foods! I like yourselves have an affinity for that creamy decadent dessert known as ice cream. So without dairy (or sugar for that matter) what can you eat? Luckily the food industry has gotten pretty sophisticated and advanced. It used to be that people would crinkle their nose s when they heard “healthy food”, but rest assured healthy food no longer tastes like cardboard crackers. So here’s a look at some of the alternatives on the market:

Milk Alternatives:

Hemp Milk – Made from hempseeds. Hemp Milk has a good balance of omega 3’s and omega 6 as well as sulfur to make your skin glow! Contains 40% of daily recommended calcium. I recommend the brand Living Harvest. Make sure to purchase their unsweetened variety.

Almond Milk – Made from almonds. My favorite brand is Blue Diamond unsweetened. Almond milk is lower in calories and fat then hemp, soy and rice.

Soy Milk – Similar to those with lactose intolerance problems, some people find soy difficult to digest and some have soy allergies.

Rice Milk – Made from brown rice. Rice Dream offers a variety of flavors and enriched milks as well as an Organic version.

Ice Cream-

By far one of my favorite new products on the market is the Turtle Mountain Dairy Free Ice Cream. It is made with coconut milk (which has so many benefits it warrants a different posting), agave nectar as the sweetener and few other ingredients. Not only does it taste like real ice cream but I love that it feels so pure, like something I would make at home.

Another Reason To Cut Dairy

Last month I posted an entry The Truth About Dairy…now a recent article has come out with yet another reason to cut dairy from our diets. Research shows that consuming dairy with blueberries, tea and chocolate cancels out their super antioxidants in the food.  If dairy cancels out the antioxidants in these foods its likely that they would effect all other fruits and vegetables.  “Fresh green salads may lose much of their antioxidant power when cheese is added, as may peaches with cream or yogurt with fresh fruit. Coffee may lose its health benefits when milk or cream are added. The implications of these findings are huge once a person decides to interpret them as meaning that no fruits and vegetables should be eaten near the time milk products are consumed.” To read the article in its entirety click here

Superfood Telelclass Excerpt

Interested in hearing part of Superfoods, Superbenefits Teleclass? Click on the link below to hear an excerpt about the benefits of Marine Phytoplankton and Wheatgrass and how to incorporate them in your diet!
superfoodclip

Missed the Superfoods, Superbenefits call last night?

Missed the Superfoods, Superbenefits call last night?  You can download it here now!  Don’t miss out

Here’s A Sneak Peak Look At Tomorrow Nights Superfood Teleclass!

I’m so excited to share with you these potent superfoods and their dramatic effect on our health. Here’s a look at one superfood we will be talking about Marine Phytoplankton. Marine phytoplankton are tiny micro-algae supplying arguably the richest source of chlorophyll and minerals (both known and unknown) on earth. They have a number of unique health benefits you don’t want to miss.

*Enhances brain function

*Supports vibrant looking skin

*Provides an immediate energy source- only source of instant ATP

*Helps muscles recovery quickly

*Improves eyesight

*Detoxifies the body

*Strengthens the immune system

*Helps curb cravings

We’ll also be talking about foods such as goji berries, cacao, coconut oil, raw honey and more.

Find out how eating more high quality mineral rich foods actually curb our cravings and stop us from overeating in tomorrow night’s “Superfoods Superbenefits” Teleclass- February 17th 7pm EST.

You can get your dose of marine phytoplankton here: https://www.noblelifeelements.com/estein

Cost $12. Sign up

Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days

Check out this eye opening documentary. For those of you who are looking for alternatives to medications look at the possibilities of changing your diet and lifestyle. Food has the incredible power to heal. This documentary looks at diabetes, but the possibilities are endless. What you put into your body has a profound effect on your health and I love seeing the power of nutritional healing. Though I am not 100% raw, I do believe there are many benefits to the raw lifestyle and undoubtedly feel more energized, lighter and focused when I am eating raw. I will be hosting a raw food challenge in March! Stay tuned for more information.

Recovery for Triathletes

With the triathlon season upon us (my first race of the year is next weekend!), I’ve noticed a lot of people asking about recovery. So I’m here to clear up the confusion around Recovery and provide a new delicious and effective smoothie recipe for you to try. Recovery is one of the most important aspects of triathlon training and should not be overlooked. With an increase in effort and training hours it is crucial for your body to recover quickly in order to improve performance and stay healthy. The faster you can recover, the sooner you can get in that next training session. So what are the best ways to recover? Optimal nutrition is key.

After a training session you have a 30 minute window to refuel your body. It is essential to replenish your glycogen stores during this time with easily digestible carbohydrates and a small amount of protein. The protein helps to speed the uptake of carbohydrates into your system. The more easily digestible the carbohydrates and protein, the less work and energy your body needs to digest them, making that energy free to repair the body. In addition, you want to think about your recovery meal as having the following characteristics:

• Rich in omega 3’s – to combat inflammation in the body produced during workout
• High in electrolytes (magnesium, calcium, sodium and potassium) – to fight muscle soreness and cramping
• High in antioxidants – to prevent and repair muscle damage produced by free radicals during training
• A source of leafy greens – to alkalize the body after all the acid build up (that can lead to fatigue) during training

Here is a great SUPERFOOD Recovery Drink:

1 Banana (potassium)

1 cup of coconut water (great source of electrolytes)

1 tbsp raw cacao powder (#1 antioxidant and magnesium source on the planet)

2 tsp hemp seeds (easily digested protein)

1 tbsp raw honey (optional)

1 tbsp flaxseed (source of omega 3’s)

1 tbsp Revitaphi (ultimate green superfood alkalizing formula!!!)

7 Quick, Healthy Breakfast Solutions

You’ve all heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but why? Breakfast, literally means “breaking the fast”. During the 6-8 hours that we are sleeping our bodies are fasting. This means when we wake up we are starving for fuel to survive the day. If you don’t eat breakfast in the morning you may feel fine for a few hours but come 3pm or dinner time you are most likely going to be ravenous. Because you end up eating so much at dinner you can’t possibly think of eating breakfast in the morning and so the cycle starts all over again. Eating breakfast first thing in the morning has been shown to boost your metabolism, increase energy and concentration and keep food cravings to a minimum.

So if your excuse for not having breakfast is that you don’t have enough time, try these 7 quick, healthy delicious breakfast solutions.

1. Almond Butter + Banana + Raw Honey + Sprouted Grain Sandwich

2. Super Smoothie: Fruit (kiwi, banana, mango) + Leafy Greens (kale, swiss chard) + Nut Milk + Hemp Protein + Flax Seed

3. Muesli + berries + Nut Milk

4. On The Go Egg Cups–

Make these on a Sunday and have for the week!

5. Steel Cut Oatmeal + Blueberries + Almonds + Flax + Agave-

Put this on the stove the night before and will be ready to go in the am

6. Natural Waffles + Apple + Raw Honey

7. Open Faced Goat Cheese + Vegetable (tomato, avocado, pepper, anything!) + Sprouted Grain Sandwich

Great NYC Cafe

One of my favorite things to do is to visit new healthy cafes and markets, whether it is in New York City or any place I am visiting.  I get so excited to see the amazing foods being offered and the fact that the healthy living trend keeps growing.  So on Friday I finally went to FreeFoodsNYC on w 45th Street (they also have another location on e. 52nd), a contemporary organic cafe catering towards the weekday lunch crowd. The food was incredible!  They have raw, vegan, gluten free and seasonally organic cuisine, what more could you ask for!  Offering not only the traditional soup, salads and sandwiches but also a market table highlighting weekly special dishes such as Miso Grilled Tuna over Coconut Risotto Cake and Raw Lasagna (Matthew Kenney from Pure Food and Wine is a business partner).  Check out their full menu on the website or better yet just hop on over to the cafe.