Eating for Energy Blog

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Posts Tagged ‘Wheat’

Health Benefits of Quinoa

June 24th, 2010

For a large percentage of the population, the grains in their daily diet consist of nothing more than wheat and rice. Sure, there are some variations within those categories, but most people simply stick to what they know. But for those who have stepped outside the box, grains like quinoa can have huge benefits for your overall health within a raw food diet.

Of course, technically speaking, quinoa is not actually a grain, as has more in common with beets and spinach than any of the grass-based crops. But the quinoa plant does produce edible seeds that can be used as a cereal replacement.

And there are plenty of reasons to use it as a replacement for your regular grains. Quinoa is gluten free, meaning that anyone suffering from gluten-related allergies can safely use quinoa in the meals. Even for those without allergies, quinoa is very easy for the body to digest and use, which makes it a better choice than other traditional grains. Quinoa seeds also have an incredibly high amount of protein by weight, making it nearly as nutritionally dense as a potato.

But the good news doesn’t stop there – quinoa also offers a host of other benefits that other grains do not. Quinoa is one of the most complete proteins available in a planted food, and provides you with amino acids that are simply not a part of grains like rice or wheat. It has nearly ten grams of dietary fiber per serving, and has a high concentration of important minerals, such as iron, magnesium and zinc, making it a great part of a high energy diet.

Quinoa does need a bit of work to prepare it for your plate. The seed itself has a bitter outer coating that first needs to be rinsed away. This bitterness is a warning, as the outer coating is slightly toxic in large doses. Some people can get a slight numbness of the mouth if they consume cooked but unwashed quinoa, but it would not be poisonous except in massive quantities. And the process to remove the outer coating is quite simple and very effective.

While most people will cook their quinoa as an alternative to rice, it is the raw preparation that truly brings out the best in this seed. Quinoa is a very fast germinator, which means that after just a few hours of soaking, the quinoa seed will begin to sprout, as compared to the overnight soaking that other, more popular grains require. These quinoa sprouts can be added to salads or raw sandwiches to take advantage of the germinated increase in vitamins and living food enzymes.

Additionally, the soaked seeds become soft enough to be consumed raw, and can be added to salads, sauces or eaten as a form of raw granola for breakfast, when mixed with raw agave syrup, almonds and fresh blueberries.

Oh, and one last tip for your first shopping expedition to get some quinoa for yourself. It may look like is should be pronounced “kwi-no-ah”, but the preferred pronunciation is actually “keen-wha”, with an emphasis on the first syllable.

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Posted in General Nutrition

Tags: gluten free Grains quinoa rice seeds sprouts Wheat

The Effect of Wheat on Fat Around the Stomach

April 29th, 2010

The old school method of preparing for some big athletic endeavor, such as a marathon or an important sports game, was to do what is called a carbo-load. That usually meant a huge, steaming plate of spaghetti the night before, to make sure that a ton of carbohydrates were available to the body as fuel for when the going got tough. Of course, it had the added benefit of tasting really good, and being incredibly easy to make. But while good carbs are a very important type of fuel for the body, is all of that glutinous wheat really the best delivery system for it?

If you are starting a raw food diet, you will have cut out a lot of the wheat products that you might have grown up with – pastas, breads and the like. For many people, these are some of the most difficult things to change within a diet. They taste good, and they do a remarkable job of filling your stomach. But that is not all they do to your stomach area.

The sugars, starches and carbs found in wheat products can quickly convert to fat if not used immediately, and more often than not, that fat will accumulate around your midsection.

If you are wondering how to eat a raw diet – a great way to avoid those fatty wheat products – but still get your noodle cravings taken care of, never fear. There is raw food help available to get you the carbs you crave, and the pasta you love, without resorting to masses of cooked wheat noodles.

The starches that wheat contains as a carbohydrate can be found in many rawly consumable foods, such as high-starch vegetables like squashes. You can also get your wheat-like carbs from other veggies like carrots and cauliflower, or from legumes like peanuts. Unlike wheat, these carbs can be eaten raw, and will contribute less to your spare tire, and more to your body’s fuel requirements.

But if is the pasta part of wheat that you really crave, fear not. There is even a healthy, raw alternative to your favorite spaghetti.

Of course, the sauce is simple enough, using fresh tomatoes, basil, and a few spices to flavor. Blend these in your food processor to the consistency you prefer, and use immediately – no cooking time required. For the noodles, a great alternative to wheat pasta is raw zucchini noodles. Again, you won’t have to cook these noodles – you simply take a good sized zucchini, and with your usual vegetable peeler, begin stripping off noodle-sized strips. You can simply eat the pasta as is, or you can add a touch of cold-pressed olive oil over the top for an even more authentic texture.

The important thing to remember is that you do not have to resort to sticky, sugary and fattening wheat starches in order to get the carbohydrates that your body requires. Eating a raw diet will offer you plenty of new and interesting foods with a high carb count, without adding fat to your midsection.

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Posted in Food For Thought, Weight Loss

Tags: carbo loading carbohydrates carbs fat Pasta raw food raw food diet spaghetti weight gain Weight Loss Wheat Zucchini

The Olympic Athlete Diet

February 15th, 2010

skiier I 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.