Posts Tagged ‘Fruits And Vegetables’

The Olympic Athlete Diet

February 15th, 2010

skiierI was thinking about this topic over the last few days, especially since the Olympics kicked off and since watching an episode of the Biggest Loser last week.

Let’s start with the latter.

Last week on the Biggest Loser, the contestants spent some time at the US Olympic training in Colorado. They worked out with some of the US Olympians and then spent some time in the cafeteria learning from nutritionists of the US Olympic team.

And that’s where things went south.

The first thing these “nutritionists” showed the contestants was a big plate of white pasta and a side of white bread. They said that this meal would provide the necessary energy via carbohydrates that their Olympians needed.

Cringe!

Then, they showed the contestants a big hamburger, a salad, and a side of fruit. Wow, talk about bad food combining.

Anyways, I was amazed at how poor the quality was of an Olympic athlete diet. I certainly hope that most of the athletes have been eating like this.

This isn’t helped by the fact that McDonald’s is the MAJOR sponsor and OFFICIAL RESTAURANT of the Vancouver olympic winter games. How does that even happen???

So the few examples above tell us what some athletes are eating. But is that how athletes should really be eating for optimal performances?

I personally don’t think so.

Instead of eating white pasta and white bread (not great from a blood sugar and digestion perspective) why not choose a hypo-allergenic rice pasta or even a raw zucchini pasta?

Remember, wheat is a big issue for a lot of people. And they don’t even realize it.

Another important nutrition concept for olympic athletes to remember is the importance of eating lots of fruits and vegetables. Here are 3 reasons why they need to get their 5-10 servings per day:

Reason #1 – Fruits and vegetables provide more alkalinity

Athletes produce a lot of acid when training and competing. As a result, a more alkaline diet can be helpful in buffering some of that acid and providing an oxygen-rich environment that is needed for optimal repair and regeneration.

Furthermore, when the blood is acidic (for instance, due to an acidic diet and heavy training load) oxygen transport to the cells can become compromised because when the blood is acidic it becomes more viscous and doesn’t flow as freely. Blood needs to be at a pH of between 7.35-7.45 for ideal health and oxygen and nutrient transport.

Fruits and veggies are the fastest and easiest way to ensure this can happen.

Reason #2 – Fruits and veggies are rich in antioxidants

Physical exertion (oxygen consumption in general) produces a lot of free radicals in the body. These free radicals wreak havoc and need to be neutralized by antioxidants.

Berries and other dark pigmented fruits and vegetables are the greatest sources of antioxidants. Some research has even shown that an antioxidant-rich diet may be able to prevent exercise-induced muscle soreness.

Makes sense to me.

Reason #3 – Fruits and vegetables are water-rich

It’s no secret that athletes lose a lot of water through sweat. Aside from drinking liters of good quality water, fruits and vegetables can provide a lot of water along with phenomenal nutrients needed for optimal performance and recovery.

If you want more insight into how athletes should eat, then grab a copy of EATING FOR ENERGY – an entire chapter is dedicated to this subject.

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Assessing the Energy of Foods

February 3rd, 2010

One of the most interesting topics in nutrition, at least for me, is the concept of food energy.

What do we mean by the energy of foods?

Well, according to food labels, it would strictly reflect the number of calories in a food. But a food that packs 500 calories and comes in a box doesn’t really strike me as being very energizing.

In fact, I challenge you to eat a packaged food, regardless of how many calories it contains, and then observe how you feel afterwards.

If you feel energetic, then you’re definitely 1 in a million. But if you’re like most people, then you’ll probably experience a drop in energy – not an energy boost.

I was thinking about this the other week after I experimented with eating a “healthy” organic cereal made with spelt, flax, hemp seeds, granola, and some other seemingly healthy ingredients.

The first thing I noticed upon finishing the cereal was that I was slightly irritated. I was also tired. Definitely not energetic.

Now, this may have been due to an intolerance to some of the grains in the cereal but I also suspect that because this wasn’t a raw food, which would be packed with live energy, my body would have to expend extra energy to digest and assimilate it.

So eventhough the cereal had about 400 calories for that serving size, those calories DID NOT energize me.

So before we continue, let’s clear something up…

More calories doesn’t equal having more energy although it does mean more energy from a calorie perspective.

Obviously, the better option would be to eat whole foods that actually provide a lot of energy (not calories) without providing high amounts of calories.

So what are those foods?

Well, very simply, they are raw living foods. Specifically, fruits and vegetables.

To give you an example of what I mean have a look at the following 2 kirlian photographs …

This first photograph is of organic broccoli (a very healthy food) that has just been steamed for 2 minutes – not a long time. Notice the energy or “life force” emanating from it. This aura is what kirlian photography is able to capture. It’s truly amazing!

cookedbrocolli_000

Now look at this photograph.

raworganicbrocolli_000

What’s the first thing you notice?

Perhaps, a much greater energy field surrounding the broccoli? Well, this is because this broccoli has not been steamed. This time it is truly alive. It is raw and has not been heated. Thus, it still preserves it’s inherent life force.

Calories vs. Life Force

When looking for foods (or a diet) that will energize you this concept of calories vs. life force is a helpful one.

Sure packaged foods state that they contain a certain number of calories (a measure of energy) but they do radiate the kind of life force that we see with raw foods? Not at all.

When foods are heated or processed they essentially die.

So if you want more energy, wouldn’t it make sense to eat foods that are alive? That carry a natural life energy that your body can benefit from?

I think so.

And that’s what Eating for Energy is all about.

That’s really what eating for a healthy and vital life is all about.

It’s too bad that our current food supply had taken so many of us so far astray.

But you can get back on track…

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What is an Alkaline Diet?

December 22nd, 2009

We’re going back to basics on this one. Many of you have asked what makes an alkaline diet. So I thought I would give you some of the basics in this post.

The first thing you need to understand is what an alkaline food item is. These are foods that, once digested, leave behind an ash that has a basic pH rating of seven or higher. Rather than use this as cooking information, followers of the acid alkaline diet use this combustion as a comparison to how the body breaks down and uses food as a fuel source.

These foods leave behind minerals like calcium, copper, iron, magnesium and zinc when they are consumed by fire. Foods that leave this kind of residue include low-glycemic index fruits and vegetables, citrus fruits, tubers, roots and nuts. Switching your diet to solely these food items, it is believed, will help keep the body’s overall pH balance at a slightly alkaline level, which is thought to be a natural and healthy state. Foods to avoid on this plan include animal proteins, processed foods, unnatural sugars, and stimulants like caffeine.

One of the benefits of following a raw diet plan is that it is inherently alkaline in nature!

A diet rich in alkaline foods is also thought to reduce the body’s reliance on stored pH balancers such as the calcium in bones. Some studies have even shown that an alkaline-rich diet, or a regular use of supplements, can increase the amount of bone mass and muscle mass in older people, helping to offset conditions like osteoporosis in women and degenerative muscle wasting in the elderly. And while many say that more research is needed on the benefits of an alkaline diet, there have been studies done that show that the formation of kidney stones is largely prevented with an alkaline-rich diet.

Followers of an alkaline diet say that their food consumption is closer to what our ancestors would have originally eaten. They say that, before the onset of Western civilization, a typical human diet was unprocessed and uncooked plant matter. Grains were not edible until the discovery of tools like the mortar and pestle, and meats were an uncommon addition, depending on the hunting prowess of the tribe, rather than domestication of meat-bearing animals. Instead, people had to rely on the plants, fruits and vegetables that could be eaten without problematic preparations.

Proponents of an alkaline diet may do so to alleviate symptoms that they believe are due to larger amounts of acidic foods in the modern diet. Practitioners say that people suffering from frequent illnesses and headaches, or an overall lack of energy, and women who have ovarian and benign breast cysts might benefit from an alkaline diet, or at the very least, a reduction in the amounts of red meat and processed grains that a person consumes.

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Raw Food Grocery List

December 2nd, 2009

groceriesA few weeks ago I told you that we started getting organic produce delivered to our door. It is really such an easier way to get more raw foods into your diet then having to make your out to the stores several times a week.

Sure I’m a bit lazy, but who doesn’t like getting stuff delivered right to their door?

We receive our raw fruits and veggies every Monday from Mama Earth Organics. They’re really great but sometimes I question whether it’s worth the extra money, considering that many times the produce is not even ripe to be eaten for several days.

Anyways, here’s our grocery list from this week:

- 8 bananas
- 4 apples
- 9 kiwi
- 7 satsuma oranges
- 8 pears
- 4 tomatoes
- 2 avocados
- 1 cucumber
- 1 head of broccoli
- 2 heads of lettuce
- 4 onions

All of this comes out to $55. Considering that Amy and I can get through pretty much half of these raw foods in just 1 day, I’m beginning to wonder if the cost is worth it. After all, it seems like we can get much more local and organic produce from some of the stores around us.

Obviously the convenience is nice but is it worth the price?

In the meantime, I’m going to enjoy feeding my body with delicious organic fruits and vegetables. I haven’t been as creative recently with some of my raw food recipes. In fact, most of my meals have consisted of several servings of the same fruit (ie. mono meals).

Also, at this time of year, I find that my body needs more warming foods. I’m not going to fight it. If my diet transitions to less raw foods in the winter, then that’s fine by me. As long as getting in my 10 servings of fruits and veggies each day, that’s what’s most important in my eyes.

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