Spring Vegetable Flat Bread and My Last Issue of the Friedman Sprout!

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While the weather gods seem to have mixed up April and May this year (April sunshine seems to have brought May showers – at least here in New England), the signs of spring are definitely peaking out -  slightly warmer weather, lighter jackets, blossoming trees. And with the change in seasons comes a new array of fresh fruits and vegetables in the kitchen. After many months of belly-warming roasted root vegetables and winter squash, the light fresh greens that arrive with the change in season are welcomed with open arms in my kitchen! Spring is the season of green vegetables – arugula, asparagus, artichokes, fiddleheads, green onions, pea shoots and others have made their seasonal debut. These vegetables are bursting with flavor and require little preparation, making it easy for novice and experienced chefs alike to create a restaurant quality dish in no time.

To celebrate fresh spring flavors, I created this delicious spring vegetable flatbread for the May issue of the Friedman Sprout. After 2 years of covering nutrition science and policy news, Boston happenings, food events, and much more, this is my last issue since I am graduating in 2 weeks!

Head over to the Friedman Sprout for the recipe, and while you’re their check out some of the other articles by my fantastic classmates.

Sit at a desk all day? You probably want to check out comfort in the cubicle

Chocolate lover? Don’t be fooled by the recent study on chocolate as a weight loss too.

Don’t know what to do with all of the peels, rinds, and tops of fruits and vegetables you cook with? Think about composting and learn how easy it is to do, even in a city apartment.

Happy May everyone!

- your food and fitness friend

 

Runner’s Plate: Chocolate Milk – Nature’s Recovery Drink? Plus Other Refueling Recipes!

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Chocolate milk has gotten a lot of attention recently for its benefits as a recovery drink after endurance exercise. You see it at expos. The “got chocolate milk?” campaign has heavily advertised to athletes. The National Dairy Council has named milk “natures sports drink.” Why all the hype?

Continue reading on today’s Runner’s Plate post for more on chocolate milk and other recipes ideas for post long run (or other endurance exercise) snacks and meals!

 

- your food and fitness friend

Blog Inspiration Award

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There is this awesome chain letter type thing happening in the blog space right now. Let me start by saying that I am not a chain letter person. I never liked them in elementary school when you’d pass them around to your friends (I never really got the point), and I hated them even more when they started filling my email inbox. I’m not a superstitious person so I never really fell for the whole “bad things are going to happen to you or you will never love or get married if you don’t pass this along to 10 people” thing.

But, I think the form that it’s taken in the blog world is fantastic – it’s to celebrate bloggers and the impact they have on their readers. No threats of blog-failure if you don’t pass it along either.  Plus, it’s a way to share with your readers other blogs that you follow, because perhaps they would enjoy it! Since I first saw this on a friend’s blog last week, I have now been introduced to several new (and awesome) blogs to read. Good thing it’s finals and I have so much free time to read more blogs…

The exiting news is, I was recently nominated by Elise, a fellow Boston Blogger (over at Eat.Sweat.Balance)! I am honored to be part of this group of “inspiring bloggers” and thrilled to know that I am actually inspiring someone out there to live a healthier lifestyle through eating well and exercising. I think one of the challenging parts about writing about nutrition and health is that it’s hard to measure the impact you’re having. One of the reasons I’ve really enjoyed working with individual clients over the last several months through fieldwork I’ve done for school is knowing that I’m helping them live a healthier life. Observing the direct impact I can make on an individual is incredibly rewarding. But, one of the reasons I came to Tufts to study nutrition communication was so that I could educate a lot of people at once, not just one or five clients that I can see in one day working in counseling. So, thank you Elise for reminding me that sitting behind my computer and sharing my knowledge with all of you is actually impacting someone out there!

For this inspirational blogger award, I’m supposed to share with you 7 things you don’t know about me and then share 7 blogs that inspire me. So here it goes…

1. I hated my first spin class. I was bored, the class felt easy and I didn’t feel like I got a workout. Yes, I’m talking about spin. I planned to never go back – I was mad that I wasted that precious hour of my day. It turns out, I just didn’t know what I was doing. The instructor didn’t help me set up my bike (or tell me how to use it),  the music was terrible, and the instructor uninspired. My roommate at the time dragged me back to try another class with a different instructor (she was a huge fan of spin) and I’m so glad she did. I may never have found my love for spin and become an instructor if she hadn’t! So next time you try something new and don’t like it, don’t write it off until you’ve tried at least 3 times.

2. English was my worst subject in high school. Math and science were totally my thing. I even liked organic chemistry. Yes, I am that girl. I dreaded writing assignments. And now, people actually pay me to write. I think my parents are still in shock that I am about to finish a masters degree in nutrition communication. Oh, and I was the teaching assistant for a writing class this fall. Really? I have no idea how it happened, but I have come to love writing.

3. I can still do a split. I guess some things just stay with you after doing 10+ years of competitive gymnastics. I have lost a lot of my flexibility since my teenage years (especially after picking up running) but somehow I can still do a right-leg split.

4. I love football and college basketball. Not just during the superbowl or march madness — I watch all season long. And yes, I turn on games by myself at home if no one is up for meeting me to watch at the bar.

5. In my former life I encouraged people to drink more scotch, eat more junk food, and watch more TV. When I told my boss I was leaving the world of advertising to study nutrition, he was, let’s say, a little surprised.

6. Between 2008-2010 I lived in 5 different cities including both coasts and South America. After spending 3-years post college in NYC, I’d had enough of Manhattan so I quit my job and moved to San Fransisco (via Lima, Peru where I spent a summer volunteering). While SF was everything I wanted in a city (and more), I realized that it didn’t matter what city I was in if I was unhappy with my job situation. I decided to go back to school to study nutrition, which meant I had to take about 10 pre-requisite science courses before I could apply. So, after an amazing year on the west coast, I begrudgingly packed up my fantastic Nob Hill apartment and headed back to NY…this time upstate…to live with my parent…and take undergraduate science classes with a bunch of 18-year-olds (I was in my mid twenties at the time). I was starting to live up to the “crazy girl” title that I’d been given when I quit my job to move across the country (twice). Luckily it paid off and in just over 2 years since I left NYC I moved to the 5th city – Boston. To say that I’m thrilled to be staying put in Boston for a 3rd year is an understatement.

7. I spend more time wearing gym clothes than anything else. I have a closet full of ‘grown up’ clothes (and still never have the right thing to wear, like most girls), but I love wearing workout clothes…they make me feel good about myself. They are also very comfortable. Some days I go to the gym, shower, and then put on gym clothes again (clean ones!).  I’m dreading having to get dressed up for my dietetic internship this fall. And to think my mom used to (still?) refer to me as the fashion police.

And 7 blogs that inspire me (warning I read a lot of food and running blogs)…

1. 101 cookbooks: I know Heidi doesn’t really need a shout-out because her blog (and cookbooks) are so well read, but damn this woman can cook, and with so few ingredients…not to mention she always uses real food. Sometimes she puts together the strangest, yet most interesting combination ingredients. Oh and her photography skills take my breath away.

2. Ali on the Run: This girl has an infectious energy and enthusiasm for life, in spite (or maybe because of?) of her life-long battle with crohns disease. She pushes through runs that I would have stopped miles before, and does so with a huge smile.  Also, she puts more of her life on the internet than I ever would…and gives me a good laugh while she’s at it.

3. Smitten Kitchen: As a former resident of a NYC apartment that had about 1 square foot of counter space, I am consistently amazed at what comes out of this tiny kitchen.

4. The Runner’s Kitchen. Running is a priority in this girls life, but she doesn’t let it take over. She get’s in in whenever and however she can. Whether it’s a run-commute to work from Brooklyn to Manhattan or a 10p run after a full day of work and social outings, she makes sure to get her run in– without it getting in the way of her social life. I also like that she promotes eating healthy most of the time but isn’t afraid to eat a huge ice-cream cone followed by a big beer. It’s all about balance.

5. The Sprouted Kitchen: Organic, local, seasonal, simple food. Pair it with some serious photography skills and I’m hooked.

6. Real Life Nutrition: This Web-MD hosted blog provides content from 5 accomplished dietitians. They take current topics in nutrition, food, and research, and break them down to be accessible and easy to understand for the consumer.

7. Meals for Miles: Running, nutrition, good food. What’s not to like? Oh and she kind of reminds me of, well me! Former NYC pr exec turned MS RD-to be.

While we’re talking about being inspired, you should read this article about this 12-year old boy who went from being bullied about his weight to transforming his family’s eating habits and writing the book Portion Size Me: A Kid Driven to Plan a Healthier Family with his mother. Truly inspiring.

What blogs inspire you?

- your food and fitness friend

Blogging to Boston part 6: the race is over – now what?

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ImageThe Boston Marathon is over and I hope that you enjoyed the race despite the heat! Congratulations on finishing! You have spent many months preparing for this race both physically and mentally, so it’s common to come to the end of the race and wonder what’s next. Many runners worry about how to adjust their eating plan now that training has ended. Here is a short guide on adjusting your eating after training.

Assess your weight and define your goals

Before adjusting your eating plan, assess your current weight. Did you lose, gain, or maintain your weight during training? Then, determine if you need to adjust or maintain your post-race weight.

Listen to your body

Your body is very good at adjusting your food intake for training, meaning as you increase your training, you are hungrier and as you decrease your training you feel less hungry. Therefore, within the week after the big race, your appetite should decrease. This is your body telling you to eat less.

Writing down what you eat for 3-5 days can be helpful to see when, where, and how much you are eating. Even better, record how hungry you were before and after you ate. This can help you understand if you are eating enough to prevent hunger, or perhaps you’re eating out of habit instead of hunger. It will show you where the best places are to cut back, or perhaps identify meals in which you aren’t eating enough.

Eat throughout the day

The best way to manage hunger and maintain energy throughout the day is to fuel your body on a regular schedule. People generally get hungry every 4 hours so try to plan meals or snacks at least every four hours. For example, breakfast at 7am, lunch at 11am, 2nd lunch (or snack) at 3p, and dinner at 7p. For some it may work better to break this up into more, smaller meals in 3 hours blocks, so find what works for you.

Not eating enough at breakfast, lunch, or second lunch can lead to overeating at dinner. However, since you’re exercising less than you were during training, your body may be satisfied with smaller portion sizes at each meal. But, don’t skip meals! For example, instead of eating a large bagel with peanut butter, a banana, and a large glass of orange juice at breakfast, maybe you only need 2 pieces of toast with peanut butter, half a banana, and a small glass of orange juice (or just water). Pay attention to when you feel full – your appetite is a good gauge for how much you need to eat. 

If your goal is to lose weight, fuel your body throughout the day and chip off 100-200 calories each evening. You can achieve this by eating a smaller dinner, choosing fruit for dessert instead of ice cream, or choosing to drink water instead of wine or beer. Eat a mix of carbohydrates, lean protein, and healthy fats at each meal. Choose fiber rich carbohydrates such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains to keep you feeling fuller, longer. Protein and fat also help slow digestion, adding to a feeling of satiety. 

Make an appointment with a registered dietitian

For a more personalized plan, make an appointment with a registered dietitian (RD). An RD can help assess your current weight and diet and provide you with the best eating plan to move forward. Visit the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics website to find an RD in your area. Or, visit the Sports, Cardiovascular and Wellness Nutrition (SCAN) website to find an RD that specializes in sports nutrition.

How do you plan to adjust your eating plan post-race?

- your food & fitness friend (in conjunction with Nancy Clark, MS RD)

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Blogging to Boston Part 5: Race Week Eating with Sample Meal Plan

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The Boston Marathon is in one week! The week leading up to the race can be exciting, yet nerve-wrecking. Tapering, an essential part of training, can be difficult for some runners. Figuring out what and how much to eat adds another challenge.

In the week leading up to the race, you need to build up your glycogen stores so you have as much available energy during the race as possible. This will help you avoid “hitting the wall” and will improve your race performance (and marathon enjoyment).

Building maximum glycogen stores is usually accomplished by training less (AKA the taper), and consuming a foundation of carbohydrate-rich foods at each meal. Aim for 60-65% of your calories to come from carbohydrates. This should include fruits, vegetables, grains (whole grains are preferred), and legumes. The best way to do this is to include carbohydrates at every meal and snack, rather than loading up only at dinner.

Here is a sample of what a day might look like :

Breakfast: 2 pieces whole-wheat toast with 2 tbsp peanut butter & 1 medium banana

Morning snack: Medium apple & 1 serving pretzels (or crackers)

Lunch: Turkey & Swiss cheese sandwich on whole wheat bread with 1-cup minestrone soup

Afternoon snack: 1-cup plain yogurt with 1-cup strawberries and ½ cup low-fat granola

Dinner: 1 1/2 cups whole-wheat spaghetti with marinara sauce and 2 turkey meatballs, a side salad & small whole-wheat dinner roll.

Evening snack: 1 Orange & 1 oatmeal raisin cookie

Note: This is an estimate based on a 2,500-2,600 calorie per day diet. Depending on your gender, body size, and training load, you may need more or less calories throughout the day.

The original “Ahlborg” method of carbo-loading included a depletion phase, in which the marathoner would increase training intensity about 7 days from the race, while decreasing carbohydrate consumption, thereby depleting glycogen stores. Then, 3 days pre-race, the runner would increase carbohydrate consumption and decrease training to re-fuel. However, research has now shown that this period of depletion is not necessary.

In the week pre-marathon, you want to eat similarly to how you’ve been eating throughout your training. This is not a time to try new foods or new eating patterns. You also don’t need to eat more than you’ve been consuming throughout training because you will be exercising less. Your body will simply store more of the carbohydrates in your muscles (muscle glycogen) instead of burn them off.

It’s common to feel slightly bloated, and even to gain up to 3-4 pounds during the week before the marathon. Don’t worry! Carbohydrates are naturally stored with water. Therefore, as you store carbohydrates, you will add water weight and volume to your muscles.

Lastly, and most importantly, on the night before the marathon, eat what you’ve eaten the night before your long runs. This is not the time to try a new food; you don’t know how your stomach will react the next day.

Best of luck to all of you running the Boston Marathon!

What’s your favorite meal to eat the night before a big race?

Eat well, run hard, and enjoy the race! Welcome to Boston!

- your food and fitness friend (in conjunction with Nancy Clark, RD CSSD)

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Going-gluten free: how the food industry and media sensationalized a gluten free diet

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I have some exciting news. I was recently selected to be a student blogger for the American Society for Nutrition (ASN). ASN is a non-profit organization dedicated to “bringing together the worlds top researchers, clinical nutritionists, and industry to advance our knowledge and application of nutrition.” You can read more about ASN here.

Yesterday, my first post on the ASN blog went live!

The Gluten Free Health Halo

The gluten-free aisle of the grocery store is growing exponentially. While this explosion benefits many individuals, it also contributes to a growing number of misconceptions about gluten and it’s role in weight, energy, and other health concerns. Are you one of the 7-10% of Americans with Celiac or gluten sensitivity? Or, have you jumped on the gluten-free bandwagon because Oprah said so? Continue reading to find out how going gluten-free became a mainstream diet choice, and why it may not be promote your weight loss goals and overall health.

Enjoy my latest post on ASN and please feel free to come back here to share your thoughts!

- your food and fitness friend

 

 

Review of Grass Fed and April issue of the Friedman Sprout

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When the neighborhood favorite brunch spot, Bon Savor, closed last year, I knew it wouldn’t be long before someone scooped up the prime Centre street real estate down the block from Jamaica Pond. Within a few months of closing, the signs of construction and new ownership began. After wondering for weeks what was happening behind the brown-paper covered storefront windows, I passed by in mid February and there was a sign on the door! Grass Fed. A local meat shop? Or a restaurant? I immediately went to Google. A new burger joint, from Ten Tables’ Krista Kranyak. Normally I would not be very excited about a burger place, but when I read that they would only be serving locally sourced (and obviously grass fed) meat and craft beer, I was intrigued!

After much anticipation, and several teased opening dates, Kranyak announced the grand opening date via Twitter – Wednesday, March 28th.

Continue reading “JP Residents are Hungry for Happy Meat: A Review of Grass Fed” in the April issue of the Friedman Sprout, the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy’s student-run newspaper.

While you’re there, I recommend checking out some of the other articles by other fantastic Tufts Friedman students. Some highlights include a seriously in-depth review on how to stay injury-free when running (I could have used this advice 4 months ago!) from our resident exercise physiology expert, some clarification on the latest study on red-meat and risk of death, and a review of the Boston food truck scene, along with many more!

Anyone else out there tried Grass Fed yet? I’d love to hear about your experience!

Enjoy!

- your food and fitness friend

Blogging to Boston Part 4: Recovering from a long Run

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What to eat or drink after a long run is a hot topic among runners. What you do or don’t consume can effect how you feel later in the day, as well as at your next workout.

Rehydrate

After a long run, your biggest priority should be to replace fluids lost from sweat. Hopefully you drank some water or sports drink on your run, but you will still need to replace some fluid. The best way to determine how much to drink is to weigh yourself before and after your run (without clothes). For every pound lost, drink at least 16 oz of water; better yet,  24 ounces. At this point, there is little need for sports drinks, as long as you’re planning to eat something shortly. Your next meal or snack will replenish the lost sodium and glucose. However, sports drinks can be a good option if your stomach isn’t ready for food. Chicken broth, cola, or ginger ale are other popular options that may help settle a queasy stomach.

Remember to continue to drink fluids throughout the day to continue to stay hydrated. You can monitor your hydration by the color and amount of your urine. When properly hydrated your urine will be a pale yellow (unless you take supplements, in which case, the color may be brighter), and you will urinate every 2-3 hours.

Refuel

In addition to properly hydrating, you will want to eat shortly after a long run to replenish your glycogen stores. Make sure this meal or snack is a mix of carbohydrates (to refuel) with a little protein (to repair). While many runners strive for a ratio of 4 to 1 or 3 to 1 carbohydrates to protein, the exact ratio isn’t mandatory. Just be sure you fill-up with more carbs than protein. Some easy to prepare carb-protein recovery meals include:

-       Fruit smoothie made with yogurt or milk

-       Turkey sandwich with a piece of fruit

-       Yogurt with fruit and granola

-       Bowl of beany soup such a minestrone, with whole grain crackers and low fat cheese

-       Oatmeal with milk, dried fruit, and nuts

-       Peanut butter (or other nut butter) and banana sandwich

-       Vegetable omelet with toast

If you aren’t ready for a meal after your run, make a small snack such as a glass of chocolate milk, a bowl of cereal with milk, or an apple with peanut butter.

Rapidly refueling by eating immediately after a run is most important for people who will be running again in the next 4 to 6 hours. Most of us can simply eat within an hour after running and will recover well. Yet, a benefit to eating shortly after your run is to keep the cookie monster from showing up!

Even if your stomach doesn’t feel hungry post-run, your muscles want fuel. Feed them! Signs of hunger include irritability and fatigue. Eating even just a small snack post-run and then your meal a few hours later, can keep you from becoming ravenous and overeating later in the day. You will also likely feel more energized and recover faster.

What’s your favorite thing to eat after a long run?

Happy eating and running!

- your food and fitness friend

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Blogging to Boston…Part 3: Fueling up during the run

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Now that you know what to eat before your long run (and have hopefully been practicing), it’s important to figure out your fueling plan for during the race. When exercising for more than 60-90 minutes, it’s important to consume quickly absorbing carbohydrates to keep your blood sugar and energy levels stable throughout your run. Here are some recommendations on what and when to consume during long runs and race day.

How much to consume?

The amount of carbohydrates needed will vary from person to person (body size, speed, intensity, and training will all effect this), but aim for between 150-250 calories of carbohydrates per hour. This can be from a mix of sports drinks like Gatorade and food like Gu, candy, or dried fruit.

What to consume?

The goal is to consume food that is primarily made up of carbohydrates. When running for many hours, such as during the marathon, you will want to vary your food choices to keep you from getting tired of eating the same thing for 4+ hours. It’s easy to get through a half marathon relying only on Gu, candy, or dried fruit, but it’s difficult to keep that up for twice the time. You’re likely to get “sugared out,” meaning your taste buds or stomach may not tolerate the same food for that many hours. Varying both flavor and texture can help you get through the race without feeling like you can’t eat as much as your body needs. So, try out a few different options during you longer training runs to see what your stomach and GI tract tolerate and what gives your body the most energy.

Engineered vs. Real Food

The big advantage to engineered food such as Gu, Chomps, Sport Beans, and the like, is convenience. Most come in pre-packaged 100-calorie servings, and they are easy to carry with you. However, real food can work just as well, particularly for slower marathoners who will be pounding the pavement for more than four hours. Here are some common choices among runners:

-       Raisins, dates, dried cranberries—or any dried fruit

-       Swedish fish, jelly beans, gummy bears, or other chewy candy

-       Pretzels

-       Dried cereal

-       Mini peanut butter and jelly (or honey) sandwiches*

-       Banana (with peanut butter or other nut butter)*

* If you choose foods that aren’t convenient to carry in your pocket, ask friends or family to stand along your race-day route at points when you know you will need fuel.

If you drink Gatorade or other sports drinks, remember that this contributes to your carbohydrate intake. Just pay attention to how much you are consuming so you can adjust your food intake. Diluted fruit juice can work well for some too.

When to consume?

Your breakfast will likely get you through the first hour to hour and a half of the race. So, most runners like to start consuming carbohydrates whether it’s from a sports drink or food beginning at 45 minutes to an hour into the race. But, pay attention to how you feel during your long training runs to figure out when is a good time for you to start fueling. Some runners choose to start slightly earlier or later. Earlier signs of hunger (or fuel needs) include thinking about food, reduced energy, or tired legs.

As noted above, plan to consumer 150-250 calories per hour. You can spread this out over 15-30 minute intervals, and mix it up between drinks and food.

Remember that it’s important to test this out during your long training runs to avoid any race-day surprises!

What’s your favorite fuel during your long runs?

- your food and fitness friend

Runner’s Plate: 10 ways to enjoy Greek yogurt

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Happy first day of spring! The sun is up, the air is warm, and the birds are chirping! You know what that means? Besides wanting to spend my days outside exploring instead of in the library writing papers,  my morning bowl of oatmeal has been replaced with Greek yogurt topped with fresh fruit, and my favorite granola.

The Greek yogurt section of the grocery store has exploded over the last couple of years, and for good reason. Greek yogurt is an excellent source of low-fat, high quality protein and calcium.   Pair it with some carbohydrates (fruits, veggies, grains) and you’ll have a well balanced snack or meal.

Greek yogurt is also a great substitute for sour cream, mayonnaise, cream, and cheese in many dishes. You’ll end up with less fat and more protein – all without compromising taste.

Continue reading for 10 ways to use Greek yogurt on Runner’s Plate

- your food and fitness friend