Tag Archives: Sports Nutritionist

November 21, 2014 · 1:14 pm

Loving the Bite – Holiday Menu 2014 – Guest Post Kelli Jennings

Regular readers know that I am a nearly daily bike rider here in Chicago. As such I read some cycling blogs, too. One of my faves is Loving the Bike.

And, one of that blog’s regular contributors is Kelli Jennings, an Expert Sports Nutritionist who writes Ask the Sports Nutritionist.

Kelli is not only a world class athlete, but also a first rate nutritionist who writes clearly and accurately about her healthy and intelligent eating.

She recently wrote an item Holiday Menu for 2014 that I thought would interest you. Most importantly, you do not have to be a cyclist to benefit from Kelli’s information. This menu should benefit you, too, whether you ride a bike or not.
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Loving the Bite Holiday Menu 2014:

Roasted Turkey in an Oven Bag from food.com. I’m actually just learning this technique as well for a moist, delicious turkey. Use olive oil or avocado oil rather than canola oil, and enjoy this for dinner and leftovers!

Vegetarian Main Dish: Roasted Acorn Squash Stuffed with Wild Rice Salad from Beard & Bonnet. Whether eating vegetarian or you want a flavorful side dish, look no further than roasted, stuffed acorn squash. Yum!

Roasted Beet Winter Salad from Cooking Light. Cooking Light is one of my favorite go-to sites for recipes and always comes through with delicious dishes.

Spicy Broccoli Soup from Loving the Bike. Quite simply, you won’t be disappointed with this soup. It’s refreshing, healthy, easy, and satisfying.

Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes from Food Network. In a word, these are simply delicious. To make them a bit healthier, omit sugar and use 3 Tbsp organic honey. Replace butter with coconut oil (or if using butter, try to used butter from organic fed or grazed cattle).

Roasted Cauliflower from Food Network. Good for you and Delish!

Crustless Maple Pumpkin Pie and No-Bake Pecan Pie Squares from the Detoxinista. Both are grain-less, gluten-free, and dairy free. While they are light and nourishing, they still taste divine. Enjoy!

Spiced Wine from Lush Wine Mix. These wine cocktail mixes are packed with organic and real-food goodness. They use freeze-dried fruits and organic spices (which means antioxidants from the mix and the wine!), and contain 50% less sugar than traditional mulled wine. They taste A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. Saves you time and money since you don’t have to track down all the spices yourself. (Lush is offering coupon code holidays2014 for 25% off 3 and 6-packs – US shipping only).

Just like last year, these dishes and beverages are colorful, use a variety of vegetables, nuts, and spices, and are oh-so-deliciously-whole-food. Enjoy the food, enjoy the company, and reflect on all you have to be thankful for this year.

Menu’s set. Done and done. While sticking to healthy foods, it is possible to feel a bit stuffed, still. If this happens to you, try our anti-junk food smoothie or go for the full Apex Nutrition Smoothie Cleanse (use code lovingthebike for 25% off) …you’ll feel good as new.

This year, we wish a nutritious, active, peaceful, and wonderful Holiday for you and yours. Enjoy the food, enjoy friends and family, and reflect on all you have to be thankful for this year. Cheers.

Fuel Your Holiday. Fuel Your Ride. Nourish Your Body.

Kelli

Watermelon Cooler – Guest Post Kelli Jennings

ser·en·dip·i·ty noun \ˌser-ən-ˈdi-pə-tē\
: luck that takes the form of finding valuable or pleasant things that are not looked for

Having just posted about the benefits of eating watermelon yesterday, I consider it most serendipitous to have come across this post today.

Regular readers know that I am a nearly daily bike rider here in Chicago. As such I read some cycling blogs, too. One of my faves is Loving the Bike.

And, one of that blog’s regular contributors is Kelli Jennings, an Expert Sports Nutritionist who writes Ask the Sports Nutritionist.

Kelli is not only a world class athlete, but also a first rate nutritionist who writes clearly and accurately about her subject.

She recently wrote an item Watermelon Cooler (Great Recovery Option) that I thought would interest you.

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I was in the middle of a 5-hour ride last weekend, and it was hot. For some reason, I couldn’t get the thought of watermelon off my mind. Just seemed so refreshing, and I really, really wanted some. When I got home I did get a melon. But, it sure would have been nice to have this week’s Loving the Bike Recipe ready for recovery.

Deliciously Refreshing Watermelon Cooler Recovery Drink

Ingredients:
1 cup cubed watermelon
1/2 cup frozen berries or cherries
½ cup coconut water (or plain water if no coconut water available)
6 ounces organic plain yogurt or 1/2 scoop protein powder
5 grams l-glutamine (optional)
1 Tbsp fresh minced ginger (optional)
ice, if needed for consistency
Instructions:
Place all ingredients to your blender and blend until smooth.

Comments:
Watermelon seems to be popping up at more and more aide stations across endurance races. And for good reason. Not only is this hydrating fruit a refreshing choice, it’s also packed full of great nutrients for athletes. Here’s what a little watermelon can do for you:

Like other red fruits and vegetables, watermelon is high in lycopene. Lycopene is a carotenoid phytonutrient that’s especially important for our cardiovascular health, and an increasing number of scientists now believe that lycopene is important for bone health as well. Cardiovascular and bone health and function are incredibly important to a cyclist.

Citrulline – an important amino acid. Citrulline is an amino acid that is commonly converted by our kidneys and other organ systems into arginine (another amino acid). When our body absorbs this citrulline, one of the steps it can take is conversion of citrulline into arginine. Particularly if a person’s body is not making enough arginine, higher levels of arginine can help improve blood flow and other aspects of our cardiovascular health. In fact, arginine is used to help produce nitric oxide in the body, the same muscle and vessel relaxant that’s increased with beets intake. This can mean improvements in blood and oxygen flow and uptake by the muscles, which is especially important for performance and recovery.

Phenols in watermelon have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant functions. These can reduce chronic cellular inflammation in the body and fight free radicals and oxidative stress, which damage cells and tissues.
Although watermelon is a wonderfully healthy choice most anytime, it can be especially beneficial for athletes before, during or after training. If a hot day on the bike has you daydreaming of this sweet, satisfying, hydrating, fruit, don’t be afraid to make it a part of your recovery. In my opinion, whole foods are the best recovery choice when you’re able to use them. Watermelons are deliciously in season this time of year. This week, use your melon and recover well!

Fuel Your Ride. Nourish Your Body.

Kelli

2 Comments

Filed under biking, Kelli Jennings, watermelon, Weight, weight control

Tagged as biking, healthy eating, Kelli Jennings, Sports Nutritionist, watermelon, weight

April 3, 2014 · 4:01 am

Green Ginger Grapefruit Smoothie – Guest Post Kelli Jennings

Regular readers know that I am a nearly daily bike rider here in Chicago. As such I read some cycling blogs, too. One of my faves is Loving the Bike.

And, one of that blog’s regular contributors is Kelli Jennings, an Expert Sports Nutritionist who writes Ask the Sports Nutritionist.

Kelli is not only a world class athlete, but also a first rate nutritionist who writes clearly and accurately about her subject.

She recently wrote an item Green Ginger Grapefruit Smoothie that I thought would interest you.

I hate to be a downer, but I’ve got some bad news. Grapefruits are tough to come by in the summer. The prices go up and they’re not as plentiful. I know, this likely ruined your Thursday. I guess the only thing to do is eat ‘em up, while you can.

This week, we’ll review why grapefruits should be one of your go-to fruits and we’ll “wake it up” with a wonderfully refreshing grapefruit smoothie. Grapefruits go above and beyond the nutrients of many foods, even other ones found in produce section. Did I mention they can help you lose weight? Bring on the grapefruits!

Recipe of the Week: Green Ginger Grapefruit Smoothie

Ingredients:
3/4 cup Greek yogurt or 1/2 scoop protein powder
1/2-1 pink grapefruit, peeled well
3/4 cup berries
1/4 avocado
1 cup spinach or other greens
1/2″ slice ginger
2 Tbsp chia seeds
1/2 cup water ice, if desired for consistency

Instructions:
Place all ingredients in the blender and process until smooth. Enjoy!

Nutrition information: Approximately: 385 calories, 44 gm carbs, 11 gm fiber, 15 gm protein.

Comments:

1) In the picture, this smoothie is obviously not green. I call it “green” because it includes a whole cup of green. The berries’ color overtake the green. Either way, it’s not easy being green, and it’s all good stuff.

2) This is not Jamba Juice. If you want your smoothie to taste like Jamba Juice, you’ll have to go there and pay for a smoothie much higher in sugar and processed ingredients. If not, I think you’ll feel refreshed and satisfied having started your day with some ginger, greens, and grapefruit. I know I do!

Next, there’s lots of good reasons to eat grapefruits while you still can. On the list, is potential weight/fat loss. You’ve heard of the grapefruit diet, right? Eat grapefruits and lose weight. And of course, most cyclists wouldn’t mind losing fat and improving strength to weight ratio. But, is it science or quackery? Is there something magic to the grapefruit? Well, you can rest assured that I’m certainly NOT recommending you eat nothing but grapefruits. But, it may help to add them. Here’s some food for thought: Continue reading →

Let Ginger Be Your Medicine – Guest Post Kelli Jennings

Regular readers know that I am a nearly daily bike rider here in Chicago. As such I read some cycling blogs, too. One of my faves is Loving the Bike.

And, one of that blog’s regular contributors is Kelli Jennings, an Expert Sports Nutritionist who writes Ask the Sports Nutritionist.

Kelli is not only a world class athlete, but also a first rate nutritionist who writes clearly and accurately about her subject.

She recently wrote an item Let Ginger Be Your Medicine which I thought would interest you.

With an average 80 revolutions per minute on the bike, knee flexion and extension occurs about 4800 times an hour. That’s a lot of joint use. Perhaps joint overuse throughout an entire season. It’s estimated that 50% of cyclists experience knee joint pain as an overuse injury, in addition to other joint overuse pain in the back, hands, and shoulders.

As you head into the on-season, you can plan to protect your joints. In fact, you can do so with your foods.

This week, we’re heading into the kitchen to whip up a wonderful dip for vegetables, meats, sandwiches, and more. It’s loaded with foods that protect, heal, and reduce pain in joints.

Recipe of the Week: Delicious Spicy Ginger Dip

Ingredients:
Avocado Mayo:
1 avocado
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
6 Tbsp. olive or avocado oil
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp water

Ginger Dip:
1 Tbsp. liquid aminos or soy sauce
1 teaspoon white vinegar
5 Tbsp. fresh ginger (finely chopped) or 2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 tablespoons minced onion
1 dash habanero garlic hot pepper sauce

Instructions:
First, mix all ingredients of avocado mayo until smooth in food processor (or by hand if okay with more coarse mix). Then, add in the remaining 5 ingredients to make ginger dip. Use as a dip/sauce on chicken, beef, seafoods, vegetables or kale chips.

***Ginger tip: If using fresh ginger, easily remove the skin of ginger by scraping it with the edge of a spoon.

Comments
To a cyclist, joints are supremely important. They are what make the pedals go round. And when they hurt, they put the ride to a halt fast. Revolution after revolution, you need healthy, happy joints. And, believe it or not, some foods are pro-healthy-joint. This week, we’re reviewing the benefits and research on ginger and joints.

First, ginger is loaded with anti-inflammatories, antioxidants, and phytochemicals (trust me, all good things!), and specifically it has benefits for joint pain and joint health. Additionally, studies in the last few years show that it’s effective in reducing muscle soreness in athletes. In fact, in one study, participants took either 2 grams ginger or placebo each day for several days before strenuous exercise, and the ginger participants had a 25% reduction in soreness indicators vs. those on placebo.

To use ginger to reduce soreness (along with rest days, l-glutamine, recovery snacks, hydration, and activities like foam rolling), aim to get 2 grams per day. You can choose 4 ginger pill supplements per day (check out the label, but most are 500 mg each), 2 teaspoons of fresh ginger each day, or 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger.

Reduced muscle soreness is great, but what else do you get from ginger? You’ll get strong anti-inflammatory nutrients with (anti) inflammation score of +129, slightly better than garlic. Since inflammation plays a role with almost every chronic disease, oxidative stress, obesity, and fatigue, it is very beneficial to include as many anti-inflammatory foods in our diets as possible. Ginger also promotes gut health, may be anti-cancerous, is immune boosting, and anti-inflammatory.

Bonus: Find additional ginger recipes here.

Bonus: More joint health with dark cherry juice here.

You can keep your joints feeling great, and rotating smoothly this season. You can proactively nourish them. Let your food be your medicine.

Fuel Your Ride. Nourish Your Body.

Tony

Super High Energy Snack – Hot Roasted Chickpeas – Guest Post Kelli Jennings

Regular readers know that I am a nearly daily bike rider here in Chicago. As such I read some cycling blogs, too. One of my faves is Loving the Bike.

And, one of that blog’s regular contributors is Kelli Jennings, an Expert Sports Nutritionist who writes Ask the Sports Nutritionist.

Kelli is not only a world class athlete, but also a first rate nutritionist who writes clearly and accurately about her subject.

She recently wrote an item Hot Roasted Chickpeas (World’s Best Snack) which I thought would interest you.

I can’t stop eating these. Seriously. I just about ate the whole dang batch. I hate to brag, but they might be the best snack food in the world. I’ve saved about 1/2 cup for my family to share. And the only reason I’ve saved it and not finished them off myself? To brag to them.

This week, we’re talking chickpeas. We’re seasoning them (with real spices and not monosodium glutamate, right, corn nuts?), oiling them, lime-juicing them, and roasting them. The whole prep process takes 5 minutes. Then, just stick ‘em in the oven…simple as that.

Have I convinced you to give them a try yet? If not, hold on tight because there are many compelling nutrition aspects for a cyclist to consider as well. Also, I may or may not have just licked the roasting pan.

Recipe of the Week: Hot Roasted Chickpeas

Ingredients:
• 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, thoroughly drained and rinsed (about 3 cups)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• juice from one lime
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Directions:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 400°F.
2. Place all ingredient in a large bowl and toss urntil thoroughly mixed.
3. Spread the chickpeas in a single, even layer on baking sheet and bake until crisp, about 40-45 minutes.
4. Try about 1 cup for a snack. These may also work well as a spicy, salty fuel option for long rides. Keep it to just 1/4 -1/2 cup or so at a time. They are a great source of carbs and sodium, but the extra fiber may be too much for some cyclists while riding.

Comments:
These really are a great snack food. How can I tell? When I’m looking at a recipe or a commercial product, I start with the ingredients, NOT the nutrition label. You see, companies can make all sorts of non-real-foods seem good by manipulating them to appear good on the nutrition label. Then, they make all sorts of unsubstantiated nutrition claims about their nutrient-manipulated non-real-foods. What a crock. Instead, simplify. Look for real, whole foods in the recipe or on the ingredient list. If these check out, then move to the label (if you want) to see if they fit into your goals at hand. Looking for carbs before a ride…take a look. Need protein in recovery…check it out. And, for a snack? How about a real food like chickpeas and spices that provides carbs, protein, and fiber. Done and done. Nutrients can be important, but ALWAYS start with the ingredients.

And here’s some information on three of ours:
Chickpeas: Chickpeas are a high nutritious superfood that provide carbohydrates, protein, and fiber. What’s more, they’ve been shown in research to suppress the appetite and allow for those trying to lose weight to eat less; improve blood fats and reduce LDL, total cholesterol and triglycerides; improve blood sugars and insulin secretion; and, improve digestion and intestinal health. Sounds like a winner, huh?
Cumin: Cumin might be my favorite spice. It’s delicious. It’s flavorful. And, it’s good for you. Find out all the details here.
Chili: A spice with a punch! Real chili (freshed or dried/ground) can clear sinuses, add antioxidants, and even rev up the metabolism. If you want to know more, read about chili here.

Then, we round it out with lemon juice, salt, and olive oil.
How do corn nuts, a snack food some might think is similar to ours, “round it out?” How about some high omega-6 corn oil (not good) and monosodium glutamate instead of real salt (no thank you).

This week, it’s easy, it’s compelling, and it’s very tasty to snack smart. It’s the perfect snack food for a cyclist who wants to maintain a lean weight and promote health and wellness. Most of my meal plans suggest a snack of about 150-200 calories for most clients…so about 1 cup of these will do nicely. As if you can stop there! Hopefully you have more self-control than me.

Fuel Your Ride. Nourish Your Body.

I especially like Kelli’s comments on paying attention to the ingredients in a product and not being distracted by the nutrition label.

Tony