Fueling for Fitness

There is a lot of buzz surrounding the topic of meals before, during and after workouts.  As I’ve talked about in the past, it is very important to ensure that your body has the fuel it needs to recover properly.  This led us to the theory that there is a window of time surrounding your workouts where nutrition has a heightened importance, however we mainly focused on the timing and composition of the post-workout meal.

Along with all the seemingly infinite fad diets that are in circulation, there are just as many theories about when and what to eat throughout the day.  Is fasted cardio the best solution for weight loss? Should we carb-load before every leg day? If we just eat protein can we gain endless amounts of muscle?

As a brief science overview, in the presence of oxygen our bodies utilize carbohydrates and fat to produce ATP.  ATP is then used as energy by the muscles and other body systems to power our bodies through a workout (or any daily activity for that matter) such as curling a dumbbell, pressing a barbell off of the chest or pulling the body up over a bar.  

While the body does contain some energy reserves, mainly fat in adipose tissue, the most readily available fuel source is going to be the carbohydrates and fats that have not yet been converted and stored as fat.  Muscle protein is also available for backup energy, but this only happens in cases of extreme energy depletion.

Interestingly, some studies suggest that certain hormonal changes during a fasted state may be beneficial to fat loss, while at the same time minimizing muscle protein use for energy.  One study by Nørrelund H, et al. builds upon previous research showing an increase in growth hormone levels while in a fasted state.  They go on to show that growth hormone plays a key role in protein preservation during fasted exercise.

So you may not lose muscle when training in a fasted state, but how does this affect energy levels and performance.  Exercising in a fasted state may be beneficial to fat loss, but if you are unable to perform to the best of your abilities in the gym, you will not be able to stimulate muscle growth either.

This ultimately comes down to individual preference and response to eating.  Some people may feel full and sluggish after eating a large meal before a workout, whereas others will struggle to add weight to their lifts without the added energy supply.

The type of workout is also important here.  For example, if you are going into the gym for heavy strength training, your muscles are going to need the added carbohydrates to fuel your progress.  When lifting in a fasted state, you may have more trouble adding extra pounds onto your lifts.

On the other hand, if you are waking up and headed out for a 30-minute run, this is not as big of a concern.  Refer to my post workout meal tips following any fasted exercise!

In terms of what to eat pre-workout, we know that consuming carbohydrate-rich meals an hour or two before exercise has been shown to boost performance.  In particular, carbohydrates with a lower GI index have been shown to increase fat oxidation (Michael J. Ormsbeem et al.). These are foods such as whole grain bread, apples, quinoa or broccoli.

Eating protein before a workout has also been shown to increase muscle protein synthesis (growth), however, the effects are much greater if the protein is ingested with carbohydrates as well (Tipton KD, et al.).

In terms of fat, there is little research suggesting that focusing on fat before a workout will help muscle growth or fat loss.  If you eat foods high in fat before working out, you may feel more full, bloated and sluggish.

Some food recommendations:

  • Peanut Butter Sandwich
  • Overnight oats with protein and berries
  • Greek yogurt and granola
  • An apple and peanut butter
  • Sweet potatoes and chicken
  • Brown rice and broccoli

In terms of food to avoid, we go back to personal preference.  Steer clear of greasy foods such as pizza or burgers, spicy foods or carbonated beverages.  These can all lead to feeling bloated and their digestion will sap away at your energy. Overly sweet items whether desserts or fruit juices should also be avoided.  While they are a source of carbohydrates, they are high on the glycemic index and are therefore digested quickly, giving you a quick spike of energy followed by a crash.

In summary, the key factor in deciding what and whether or not to eat before working out comes down to your personal fitness goals and the type of training you are therefore looking to do.  If you are looking to gain muscle, your body is going to need fuel to allow yourself to progress in your lifts. If you are looking to lose weight, training in a fasted state may work for you so long as you are still able to maintain enough energy to get through your workout, however, when training in a fasted state having a well rounded post-workout meal is paramount to muscle recovery.

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Burger on the Brain













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Flavorful Chimichurri Sauce

One of the biggest challenges people face with eating healthy is that most of the foods that are associated with healthy eating are bland and boring.  When trying to count your calories for the day, we are pointed in the direction of chicken breast, brown rice and broccoli.  Not the most flavorful.

My favorite part about eating healthy is taking the foods that most of us perceive as boring and infusing them with flavor.  This can be a challenge.  Our go-to strategy for adding flavor to bland ingredients is usually dousing them in a sauce.  Whether it is barbecue, mayonnaise or even just ketchup, these ingredients are filled with added sugars and excessive amounts of sodium. 

My strategy against this is two pronged— for one, I try to use the freshest ingredients I can.  Think bright herbs and spices.  For this I seek out fresh parsley, basil, garlic and onion rather than turning to the dried stuff.  Don’t get me wrong, dried spices are a HUGE help in the kitchen but it just depends on the herb or spice.  Things like paprika, ground chilies, cumin or curry powder are great in their dried form and will last much longer.  From this you may notice my general rule of thumb: for herbs, go fresh, for chilies and seeds, go dried or ground.

Second, when making a sauce I try to limit myself to 5 or 6 ingredients.  This makes it much easier to translate into your calorie and macro calculations.  For an ingredient like this chimichurri sauce, the main ingredient to watch out for is using too much olive oil.  The fresh herbs, garlic and lemon juice won’t be adding much in terms of calories.

Chimichurri originated in Argentina, but there are similar “sauces” made ll around the world.  An Italian pesto or herbal salsa verde are just two examples.  These fresh sauces have been used for centuries to lend flavor to grilled meat and vegetables as well as pastas and other dishes.

Perhaps the greatest part about this style sauce is how easy they are to make.  Once we have sourced the ingredients we need (which shouldn’t be too hard, as we limited ourselves to only 5-6 ingredients), the rest is as easy as strategically throwing it all into a food processor and blending it until smooth.

I start with the garlic and a pinch of salt, the salt will help to break down the garlic.  Run the processor for 10-15 seconds until the garlic has broken down.  Now add the herbs.  I would recommend cutting the thickest parts of the stems only and utilizing the rest (if you like to make your own soups, save the leftover stems in the freezer for broth!).  If the bowl of your food processor is too small you can always add them one handful at a time.  Once the herbs have broken down add the lemon juice and red wine vinegar.  Now add the olive oil one tablespoon at a time until the sauce begins to hold together.

If you try this sauce out a really like it, you can also use it as a spread or dipping sauce.  Before adding the olive oil, add a tablespoon of mustard.  Most people don’t know it but mustard acts as a great low-calorie emulsifier substitute for eggs and oil.  Try it out on your a sandwich or grilled chicken or steak!

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A New Take on Lasagna

The holiday season is one that can be both rewarding and stressful.  It involves a lot of travel, eating and family time. I for one am challenged by managing my time with friends and family while traveling across the country to the cold northeast.

It also involves a lot of cooking for family dinners, work parties and potlucks.  If you have been blessed with the ability to cook, then you know the great responsibility of feeding everyone during the holidays.

I love the food we eat around the holidays because there are so many memories attached to the dishes served, many of which have been prepared since before we ourselves were old enough to cook.  These are different for every family depending on cultural and geographic origins. Many native Italians recreate the feast of seven fishes. In Venezuela and other parts of Latin America, Hallacas are arduously prepared every year, and Christmas dinner in Japan typically features fried chicken.

For my family, it is more of an Italian-American spread of lasagna, vegetable sides and garlic bread on the night before Christmas and a roast ham for Christmas supper.  Whatever your family’s traditions may be, it is important to continue to pass on these customs to younger generations. They may not care now, but they become more meaningful as time goes on

I like to use this as an opportunity to teach friends and family more about the benefits of cooking healthy meals themselves, rather than resorting to restaurant or take-out meals that can be both expensive and unhealthy.  For many, cooking seems to utilize a bit of sorcery that feels out of their grasp. By recruiting others to help, you can begin to show them the rewards of becoming independent in the kitchen.

In these situations I challenge myself to recreate nostalgic recipes with healthier ingredients while still achieving the same flavor that conjures up so many memories.

This year I took on the classic lasagna recipe.  Lasagna is typically high in carbs and fats without containing much by way of vegetables.  To avoid this, I swapped out the pasta for eggplant. After all, who doesn’t love eggplant parmesan?  This does require a little bit of olive oil to get the eggplant tender as it cooks, it also adds a serving of vegetables to the final dish while reducing the number of carbs.  

I then make the sauce from scratch to have more control over how much fat is added from oil, and to the same end using 90% lean ground beef. While this might seem daunting, being able to cook a homemade red sauce is one of the most versatile skills you can have in the kitchen.  It can then be used in anything from pizza sauce to pasta sauce and you can tailor it to your own tastes every time.

Using low-fat or fat free ricotta helps to balance out any fat from the olive oil we used on the eggplant and in the sauce.  Simply whisk together with the eggs, a little parmesan and of course salt and pepper and you are ready to assemble the lasagna.

Begin with a layer of sauce on the bottom, followed by a layer of eggplant.  They do not necessarily need to be overlapping, I just try to spread them out so you do not have all large pieces on one side and small ones on the other.  Add a thin layer of the cheese spread over the eggplant and repeat this process until you have filled the pan.

This is a great recipe for family dinners, potlucks or for meal prep throughout the week.  One casserole dish should be enough to feed at least 8-9 people. This is also a great recipe to recruit other family members to help with, and the more you can delegate, the less work you have to do!

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Healthy Thai Beef Salad with Rice

One of my favorite Thai Beef Salad recipes

One look in my pantry and you will be able to tell what my favorite type of food is.  My cupboards are full of ingredients that seem foreign and random to most, but to someone familiar with cooking Thai or other southeast Asian cuisines they would be common and familiar.  

Working in a Thai restaurant really changed my outlook on food.  Both in terms of flavor and health. While at first, the cuisine was completely foreign to me, I soon came to respect the use of fresh, bold flavors and the care for balance in bringing out the perfect taste.  

In many dishes, this flavor is achieved without using added sugars, and as fish sauce is relied upon for savoriness, they are typically low in sodium as well.  Many familiar dishes use soy sauce, but this is actually a Chinese influence on Thai cuisine. 

In addition, many dishes come together fairly quickly, making them ideal for a quick meal or snack.  Once you have a few staple items in your pantry, it’s just a matter of knowing how much to add.

The type of dish I am making today is typically referred to as a Thai “salad” and comes together in minutes.  While “salad” might not be the most accurate translation, think of it as seasoned meat that lends a big punch of flavor when served alongside plain rice.

We start by grilling the steak (usually on the rare side, but you are free to cook it however you like).  While grilling, we combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and stir them together to allow the flavors to combine.  

A few notes on ingredients:  sticky rice powder is a common ingredient in these types of Thai salads.  If you will never use sticky rice for anything else, I would recommend just using plain white or jasmine rice.  Simply toast uncooked rice in a dry pan, tossing frequently, until browned and then give it a few pulses in a coffee grinder or food processor.  A quarter cup at a time will go a long way, and you can store it in an airtight container for a month or so.

The chili flakes are optional depending on your heat tolerance.  A touch of spice will really add to the flavor so I would recommend a pinch to start and then you can add more as you like.

Once the steak is finished cooking, let it rest for about 5 minutes (this allows the proteins to relax and allows the juices to redistribute within the meat), then thinly slice against the grain (perpendicular to the lines/striations you see in the meat, this will help prevent it from getting stuck in your teeth, if you were ever wondering) into bite sized strips.

Now just toss all of the ingredients together in the bowl and spoon over a bowl of rice.  Your taste buds will be grateful, it will taste so good it feels like you’re cheating on your diet!

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Our Favorite Fall Comfort Food

Since we are well on our way through the fall, and many places are already seeing an inch or two of snow, we are all craving foods that will comfort us and keep us warm

For a lot of people, the first thing to come to mind when thinking of comfort foods is not the most healthy.  Dishes with fattier cuts of meat such as brisket (think a Reuben sandwich) or pork shoulder (think pulled pork) and lots of butter (think mashed potatoes).  Not to mention pizza or mac and cheese, dishes we are tempted by year round. In moderation, these are all ok. Most of these dishes are connected to a memory of childhood or a favorite restaurant or holiday and a single bite can take you right back to that moment.

Soups are a great way to bridge the gap between unhealthy comfort foods and foods that may fit more easily into your personal diet goals. Be warned, however, soups can lie on either end of the spectrum. Clam or corn chowder and broccoli and cheddar soup can be deceiving as a lot of that delicious flavor comes from the use of lots of cream, butter and/or cheese.

This is another instance where homemade is always the way to go.  When you cook something yourself, you can add anything to it you want and cater it to your exact tastes.  This can seem intimidating at first but the payoff, in the long run, is well worth it. The more you cook a particular dish, the more it becomes your own as you are able to add your twist to it, making small changes each time.  Once you become confident cooking for yourself, you can start sharing your food with others. For me, there is nothing more rewarding than sharing food with someone and having them be as excited about it as I am.

Butternut squash is one of my favorites and its arrival just in time for winter could not be better.  This squash is naturally sweet and contains a lot of Vitamin A and potassium. All it takes to draw out the natural flavor is some time roasting in the oven.

By minimizing the use of butter or oil, we can cut down on a lot of the fat that can be found in pre-made or restaurant versions of this soup.  For this reason, I have also made milk or almond milk optional. If you like the added creaminess, you can add as much or as little as you want, or omit it entirely.  The hardest part about this recipe is peeling the squash itself. If you are confident with a knife you can go that route, as in the video below, or to be safe a vegetable peeler will work just fine.  Once peeled you will need to scrape out the seeds with a spoon and cut the remaining squash into roughly 1-inch cubes.

While you are cutting the squash, you can have the oven heating up to around 350ºF.  Once you have the squash cubed throw it in a bowl and spray it down with some nonfat cooking spray (feel free to use olive oil or coconut oil if you would like), just enough to coat the squash.  Toss it around with some salt and pepper and now it is ready for the oven.

To save time while the squash is roasting, you can get your onion and garlic diced up and ready to go.  The size of the cut isn’t incredibly important here, as everything is going to end up in a blender at the end anyway.  After about half an hour you can start cooking the onions, as the squash should only take 30-45 minutes. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a pot and allow the onions to cook down.  Once the onions are soft add the garlic, I wouldn’t recommend adding the garlic at the same time as the onions, as it will cook faster and burn, adding a bitter flavor.

When the squash is “fork tender” (meaning there is no resistance when pierced with a fork or knife), add it to the pot and stir it around with the onions to combine.  You can now add the stock or water. This will allow the squash to cook down a little more and make it easier to blend in the next step.

Now its time to break out the blender or food processor.  One note on which one you use: there is a trade-off. The food processor will break everything down a lot easier than a blender, but the blender will yield a smoother soup.  Depending on the quality of the blender, you may have to continuously shut it off and stir things around to make sure everything is blending consistently and use smaller batches.  I just set a mixing bowl or another pot on the side to separate the blended from the unblended.

Once blended, you can serve immediately if it is still hot, or allow it to cool down before putting it in the fridge to enjoy throughout the week on those especially cold nights.  I would recommend hiding it in the back where no one else can find it!

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Healthy Brunch Decisions

We’ve all heard it:  Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  It’s been repeated to us so many times throughout our lives that I don’t think we even take it seriously anymore.

Scientifically, breakfast is defined by the American Heart Association (AHA) as the first meal of the day eaten within two hours of waking up (Summit Medical Group, 2017).  If you continue reading, you will find that it can be so much more! Eating breakfast has been connected to having a lower BMI (body weight to height ratio), consuming less fat throughout the day and better mental performance (Rush University Medical Center).  The thought process here is that by consuming a well-balanced meal bright and early in the morning, you are setting yourself up for success throughout the day. This jump starts your body’s metabolism and allows it to start burning calories, rather than immediately going into conservation mode, which would make you feel tired and groggy (and for a lot of us, hangry).  It has also been shown that people who skip breakfast are almost five times more likely to become obese (Piedmont Healthcare). This may be due to the fact that if we do not take the time to eat breakfast while we can, we will simply graze on unhealthy foods until we can finally take the time to sit down and eat lunch. In addition, if you skip out on breakfast you may find it harder to take in all of the desired macronutrients and micronutrients throughout the day which, depending on what your goals are, could make them harder to achieve.  So we get it. There’s a lot of pressure on breakfast to be awesome.

For most of us during the week, there’s just plain everyday breakfast.  Simpler, easier and more efficient. According to an ABC poll, in America, that means a bowl of cold cereal or, only marginally more exciting, a plate of bacon and eggs (Langer, 2005).  It’s no wonder the American staple in almost any diner is two eggs your way, bacon, sausage or ham and your choice of toast. While this may seem like a well-rounded breakfast (albeit lacking in any fruits and vegetables whatever), it is certainly not receiving any creativity points.  On the flipside, however, it IS much easier to control what you are eating when things are kept simple. For some, if you’re counting your macronutrients and/or calories, this means weighing out every aspect of your breakfast. For others, it can mean choosing a healthier portion of fresh fruit and low-fat yogurt.  Either way, there is certainly an argument to be made for simplicity.

Somewhere in between breakfast and dinner, there’s a random meal.  Lunch is usually pretty unexciting, just there to help us survive until we can get home and have the dinner we’ve been waiting for all day.  This can vary from person to person and culture to culture. Some people place more emphasis on lunch than dinner, and some simply eat it as a large snack while working away at their desks.

The classic American Breakfast

Then on the weekends, something magical happens.  Breakfast and lunch unite forces and become something almost unrecognizable.  Brunch. Brunch manages to defy the stereotypes of both breakfast and lunch. Throwing caution out the window, becoming at once wildly more creative and, dare I say, fun.  It is also one of my favorite meals. I would eat “brunch” foods for breakfast every day of the week if I had the time. Despite its questionable health qualities, or lack thereof, brunch has the potential to offer the most savory, comforting foods of any meal.  So where did brunch come from anyway?

As with anything supernatural, there are multiple stories of origin.  The first combination of breakfast and lunch started with the upper class in Great Britain, where after an early morning hunt a decadent spread of breakfast and lunch foods would be laid out to be feast upon (Butler, 2014).  While the actual content of this meal may not have been what we identify as brunch today, the idea was the same. An array of comfort foods to provide an abundance of calories for the rest of the day, and perhaps some relief from the previous night’s debauchery.  The term brunch was first used in 1895 in an article by British author Guy Beringer titled “Brunch: A Plea”. In it, he states, “In the first place, [brunch] renders early rising not only unnecessary but ridiculous… You are, therefore, able to prolong your Saturday nights, [and] the fear of the next morning’s reaction.” and that, “brunch is cheerful, sociable and inciting.  It is talk-compelling. It puts you in a good temper…” (Beringer, 1895).  Who knew the Sunday Scaries, and their apparent cure, dated all the way back to the 1890s.

As for what we can expect on the brunch table today, any number of waffle and pancake flavors from pumpkin to lemon-ricotta.  Benedicts doused in creamy hollandaise sauce with the traditional ham or even fresh crab. Biscuits in savory sausage gravy, or perhaps some fried chicken between them or accompanied by more waffles and drizzled with maple syrup.  Avocado toast. And don’t forget the eggs– frittatas, quiches, omelettes. The list goes on, and the beauty is, each dish has infinite variations per the chef’s’ whim. And of course, we can’t forget the bloody marys and mimosas!

A fresh take on breakfast

Just how healthy are most brunch dishes at your average restaurant?  Not very. All that flavor is derived from adding extra butter, oil and sugar to those delectable dishes.  Believe me, I’ve spent years serving brunch to the masses. Aside from eggs and meat, most brunch plates contain little to no protein and if there is a protein present it is usually in the form of a fatty cut of meat.  This, combined with a lack of fiber, can skyrocket blood sugar. For example, one single waffle could come in at up to 500 calories or even more if it is drowned in syrup. While eggs benedict may seem like a classy choice, it typically contains around 1,000 calories.  Biscuits and gravy? Upwards of 1,200 with two biscuits (Smith). While these are of course ballpark estimates, it should be pretty obvious that to enjoy brunch guilt-free, we need to find some healthier options that are still flavorful.

That’s where we come in.  As someone who loves brunch, and who also tries to maintain a healthy diet, I’m always looking for ways to cut calories while navigating the menu.  One easy go to–eggs. The simpler the better. Most restaurants allow you to build your own omelette with your choice of veggies, protein and cheese.  You could even do two plain eggs with toast and a side order of potatoes. If you’re craving a benedict, have the hollandaise on the side so YOU can control how much you add.  Are pancakes your guilty pleasure? Look for whole grain or buckwheat options that will contain more fiber, protein and micronutrients. As for the guest starring drinks, alcohol is always going to add on empty calories.  A bloody mary could easily add up to 200+ calories. A mimosa may be a little less, however, with around 100 calories.

A spread with shakshuka and common condiments

Cutting calories at a restaurant is always going to be tough, and seeing what your friends are ordering only makes it harder.  Even though the kitchen strives to send out each dish the same every time, the truth is you never know exactly how much butter or oil is going into a pan to fry a couple of eggs.  When cooking at home, however, you have complete control over everything that goes into a dish. A brunch at home can be even more fun (and more affordable, both financially and nutritionally) than going out.  My top pick for a healthy brunch? Shakshuka. Shaka-what? Shakshuka is a  Mediterranean dish I have recently fallen in love with for its bold flavor and versatility. It is also very easy to make! From a base of garlic, onions and tomato sauce a spicy and savory breakfast meal can be made.  Once you have the flavor of the sauce to your liking with a mix of cumin, cayenne and chili powder, you can add almost anything. For example, spinach can be cooked in for added nutrients. Whole eggs are then dropped into the tomato sauce and slowly poached to perfection. A dish for one, with two eggs and about a cup worth of tomato sauce is only around 250 calories and can be easily scaled for bigger groups if you have a large enough pan!  I like to accompany this dish with a few small pieces of toasted crusty bread to make it a little more filling and to soak up the delicious sauce of course.

Another crowd-pleasing dish is a frittata.  Think quiche without the buttery flaky crust.  Frittatas are also very customizable, easily utilizing any vegetables you have left in the fridge. Once you have it mastered, prepare to amaze your friends.  A little butter or fat-free cooking spray, about 6 eggs and some milk and cream and you’re on your way to fluffy frittata perfection. I personally like to start with a base of garlic and onions for flavor.  Then, any number of fresh vegetables can be added and sauteed until just wilted (after a few tries, you will be able to easily eyeball how much vegetables to add per amount of egg) before the eggs are added, stirred together and then baked until just set and slightly browned.  Cut into 6 pieces and depending on the vegetables added, each slice comes in at around 105 calories. This leaves a room for a mimosa after all!

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