Quinoa Tabouli Time

Tabouli salad is one of the most nutrient-packed Middle Eastern dishes. After learning that I had a wheat and gluten sensitivity five years ago, I was bummed that I could no longer have this delicious salad that is made with bulgur wheat...until I made my own recipe with qunioa (keenwah). This is a great dish to bring to a barbecue; it's the perfect dish for athletes with it's plethora of antioxidants and it's complete amino acid profile.

Ingredients: (serves 4)

-3 cups pre-cooked quinoa, refrigerated

(to cook quinoa, take 1 dry cup of quinoa, rinse in water.  Bring two cups

of water to boil, add the cup of quinoa, reduce to simmer and cover for

20-25 minutes)

-1/2 a small red onion, thinly sliced (optional)

-1 cucumber: peeled, seeded and chopped

-2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped

-Handful of cilantro, chopped (can also experiment with mint or parsley)*

-Juice of 1 Lemon

-2 Tablespoons of olive oil

2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar

DIRECTIONS:  In a large bowl, mix all ingredients well.

*Add more for an antioxidant boost!

Wild Rice Fueling & Recovery Salad Shannon-Style

The best type of food to have before and after a workout (about 2 hours after your recovery shake) is a nice complex carbohydrate with a decent amount of protein! This tasty wild rice salad meets the criteria with Aduki beans (which actually do NOT cause gas). 

Ingredients:

- 1 package of Lundberg Jubilee wild rice, cooked

- 1 can of Eden Aduki beans

- 1 handful of cilantro chopped

- 2 stalks of celery, diced into small pieces

- 2 medium carrots, diced into small pieces

- 3/4 cup dried cranberries

-3/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds

Dressing: 

- juice from two limes

- 2 Tablespoons olive oil

- 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar

- 2 squirts of agave nectar

- 1/2 teaspoon of cumin

- dash of salt

- dash of pepper

Directions: 

Cook rice according to package instructions. Allow to cool (I often cook it the night before I make the salad). Mix all of the ingredients well. Prepare the dressing and pour over the salad and mix well again! That was easy!

Charlie Brown Smoothie (serves 2)

This recipe is PERFECT to recover from workouts. I also find it to be a very satisfying breakfast. Hey, it can even help you for those moments when you are craving Charlie Brown ice cream!

Ingredients:
- 1 chopped frozen banana
- 2 cups of Silk chocolate almond milk
- 2 Tablespoons of almond butter
- 1 scoop of LifeTime Chocolate Protein Powder
- 1 teaspoon of coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons of ground flax seed

Directions:
Place the banana in the blender on the ice chopping setting for about 10 seconds. Add the chocolate almond milk and almond butter and then blend for 10 seconds. Add the remaining ingredients and blend for about 15 seconds! Enjoy!

Book Review: The Paleo Diet for Athletes By Loren Cordain PhD and Joe Friel MS

I have to begin this review by saying, as I often do, that no one diet works for everyone. Some people may need the discipline that diets provide; however, as humans we’re constantly evolving and what worked for us one year may not work for us today.

With that said, I have had several athlete clients ask me what I think of the Paleo Diet for Athletes. I read through it with my reviewer’s eye. There are parts of this nutritional formula that I think are critical to follow and then there are parts that I think could potentially hinder an endurance athlete’s performance, and more importantly provoke cardiovascular disease later in life.

The Paleo Diet for Athletes is structured in five stages: what one should eat right before exercise (Stage 1), what one should eat during exercise (Stage 2), what one should eat immediately after exercise (Stage 3), what one should eat within a couple hours of exercise (Stage 4) and what one should continue eating the rest of the day (Stage 5).

For Stage 1, pre-race, Cordain and Friel argue that the athlete simply needs 200-300 calories of a simple sugar and fluids. They recommend 2 gel packs. They claim that this will satisfy hunger, replenish glycogen from an overnight fast, reestablish normal body fluid levels, optimize performance and prepare the body to quickly recover after the workout. For pre-exercise their formula is essentially the same with added protein. They say that lower glycemic index carbs are okay if you have time to spare between eating and racing/exercising. They recommend an apple because it’s fructose and digits slowly. This is not necessarily true. Basically they “ban” complex carbs like oats, or whole grain toast. I think it is WAY too much of a risk to neglect complex carbs before a race especially. The speed at which muscular glycogen is used depends on the person…consuming whole grains and other sources of complex carbs is the primary way for an athlete to assure he has fuel in his tank. I have known too many athletes to bonk in the middle of the race because they had only simple carbs for breakfast.

For Stage 2, eating during exercise, the authors emphasize hydration and electrolyte consumption. They also emphasize the need for some protein (4:1 carb to protein ratio) in ultra-distance events. I agree with the authors for the most part here as the protein will prevent muscle wasting. However, the authors only emphasize getting nutrition from liquids. I disagree here. I think having a healthy bar, some fig Newmans, bananas, etc. in ADDITION to electrolyte drinks are important especially for cyclists whereby eating will not hinder their performance by cramping. The authors’ advice may work well though for runners.

For Stage 3, the authors emphasize again a 4:1 or 5:1 carb to protein food choice to replace lost carb stores and to re-synthesize protein damaged during exercise. They suggest going for a high glycemic carb to get the glucose to the muscles quickly. They also emphasize hydrating. I totally agree with this stage and even like the “homemade brew” that they suggest.

For stage 4, the authors recommend fruits, veggies and lean protein (sample meal = 6 oz. turkey breast, apple, grape juice, coffee). Stage 5 are similar suggestions with added healthy fats (from fish, nuts, etc.) every couple of hours. These stages I agree partly with. The goals are to maintain glycogen stores, balance maintain a healthy PH, optimize weight, and prevent or reduce inflammation. These stages fluctuate a bit during different stages of periodization but the goals and food suggestions are similar. I agree that healthy fats in Stage 5 are important and WILL reduce inflammation. I also think eating every couple of hours is important for proper recovery. Other than that, I have some gripes that deserve their own paragraph.

The authors are suggesting the athletes have grape juice? I’m sorry but continuing to have simple sugars like that will prevent the athletes from being able to absorb nutrients as sugar robs the body of nutrients. Being unable to absorb nutrients = being unable to recover!!! And the acid-alkaline thing, yes I agree that it’s important to avoid having too acidic of an environment, otherwise, your kidneys rely on calcium from your bones to break down acids and athletes can not afford to have this happen to their bones. However, the authors again shun legumes and whole grains claiming they are acidic….but not all of them are!!! Buckwheat, bulgar, quinoa, lentils, spelt and lima beans are quite alkaline and oats aren’t that acidic either. Also, because the authors are pushing veggies and fruits, they fail to mention that some of these are very acidic (pomegranates, raspberries, and mandarin oranges to name a few). The authors make no mention of sprouted breads and seeds and how this is one great way to assure an alkaline environment.

I do like that Cordain and Friel advise consuming organic fruit and veggies as much as possible because you will get more nutrients form them than you will from conventional fruits and veggies. And veggies and fruits are ESSENTIAL for athletes as they need many antioxidants to stay healthy. Whole grains and legumes have antioxidants too though!!! Maybe the authors shun grains because many athletes go for the refined grains…breads, pastas, etc. I mean most race I go to still continue to have pasta dinners the night before (and I bring my rice cooker and make my own meal = ) ). So all in all, the main element that makes me not want to recommend this book is the shunning of legumes and whole grains. All the recent research on whole grains and legumes has found that the fiber and complex carbohydrate combination keeps your cholesterol and weight in check, and prevents cardiovascular disease. And I can tell you that ALL of my athlete clients will attest that whole grains have given them so much more energy in and outside of their sport.