Food As Fuel Blog

Vitamin D

Wed, 23 May 2012 04:11:00 GMT

It's summer time and hopefully we are all getting a good dose of Vitamin D from the sun. Did you know there can be serious complications from a Vitamin D deficiency? Such as: unhealthy bones, upper respiratory tract infections, cancer, cardiovascular disease, inflammation, depression and autism, to name a few. Recommended levels for starting supplementation appear to be around 10,000IU per day and then after 4-5 weeks reduce to 5,000IU per day. Check out this article to learn more:

http://www.eatmoveimprove.com/2009/10/a-closer-look-at-vitamin-d/

Vitamin D

The Second Brain

Fri, 18 May 2012 04:15:00 GMT

Sorry I haven't posted in a while! We are moving in two days and I have been swamped! I thought I'd post something from a really long time ago that bears repeating. The information below is from Coach D:

So I have been reading a book called The Maker's Diet, and I love it because it talks about ALL aspects of nutrition: the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. Now, before you all tune this out thinking this is a "fluffy, feel good" book and blog post, think again, it is also very scientific. For any of you who know anything about me (Tina), or Darin for that matter, the scientific part of my brain far outweighs any creative part, so I need "meat" in my information...just so happens I need it in my diet too! So let me cut to the chase of this post, "the second brain".

The author of The Maker's Diet, Jordan S. Rubin talks about the fetal development of the brain, and the gut - that is before we are even born. Turns out, that the same lump of nerves splits to form the central nervous system (the brain, and spinal cord) and the enteric nervous system (the system of nerves that control our gut (stomach, and intestines). I vaguely remember learning all of this in school, but I never paid much attention to the fact that there is an immense collection of nerves in our gut. There are as many nerve ending in our gut as there are in our brain! Not only that, but they are connected to the brain by the vagus nerve after this split during development.

What does all of this mean, you might be wondering...ALOT! Have you ever heard the term "gut instinct" or had "butterflies in your stomach" (like before a WOD)? Ever wonder why being stressed out can make you feel sick to your stomach? Well, this is why! Dr. Rubin goes on to point out that many of the "neuropeptides" (chemical) found in the brain are also found in the gut in high concentration. Many of these are chemicals found in recreational drugs like opiates and popular mood controlling prescription medications! The gut is a powerful place that can make or break not just our weight but our mood, feelings, and overall well-being. No wonder a big-old-greasy-burger can feel like a lump in our stomach and weight-on-our-minds, or a WOD can trigger a "gut-wrenching" sensation just before we start. For more information, check out The Maker's Diet by Jordan S. Rubin. There is a wealth of information presented there that will change the way that you view your diet and your health.

Grains - Why they are unhealthy

Wed, 09 May 2012 13:47:00 GMT

One of my favorite sayings is "Bread is the enemy!" At least for me it is! Over the years I have figured out that if I want to enjoy a piece of bread I might as well just go ahead and paste it to my thigh! That's the way my body handles grains. But there are several other reasons to avoid grains all together.

Mark's Daily Apple posted a very informative article on November 5, 2009. Here are a few misconceptions about grains:

"You need the fiber" - no you don't.

"You need the vitamins and minerals!" - not from a grain source.

"But it forms the foundation of the governmental food pyramid!" - we already know the government is certainly no expert on what we should really eat!

Click this link to find out about the toxic anti-nutrients found in grains:

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/why-grains-are-unhealthy/#axzz1uNbBBod2

Posted by: Michele Deaton

Celiac Disease and a Gluten-Free Diet

Sat, 05 May 2012 04:47:00 GMT

The May issue of Baylor Health magazine has an article on Celiac Disease. 97% of people with celiac disease go undiagnosed. Celiac disease is basically an intolerance to gluten. Gluten-free foods reduce the painful, embarrassing and harmful symptoms of celiac disease. Symptoms include inflammation in the lining of the small intestine, diarrhea and malabsorption, abdominal pain, bloating, iron deficiency, osteoporosis and fertility issues.

Celiac disease is often diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 40. Some children show signs of celiac disease. One sign in children is improper development. Diagnosis can be determined by a blood test or endoscopy, or both. One of the best ways to begin a diagnosis is to keep a food journal.

If you suspect you may have celiac disease, you can start by avoiding food with the following ingredients:

Barley
Rye
Triticale (a wheat-rye hybrid)
Wheat (also durham, graham, khorasan, semolina, spelt)
Malt, malt flavoring, malt vinegar

Medications and nutritional supplements may also contain gluten.

By following a gluten-free diet symptoms should clear up rapidly.

Posted by: Michele Deaton

Avoiding Genetically Modified Foods

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 22:07:00 GMT

What is "genetically modified"? GMO (genetically modified organism) is most commonly used to refer to crop plants created for human or animal consumption using the latest molecular biology techniques. These plants have been modified in the laboratory to enhance desired traits such as increased resistance to herbicides or improved nutritional content. Unfortunately, there is a growing concern that introducing foreign genes into food plants may have an unexpected and negative impact on human health. For optimal health it is recommended to steer clear of GMO's.

Here is an article by Frank Lipman, founder and director of Eleven Eleven Wellness Center in New York City. He gives tips for avoiding GMO's.

http://www.drfranklipman.com/what-practical-tips-do-you-suggest-to-avoid-gm-foods/

1. Avoid “At Risk” Ingredients

The commonest crops that are genetically modified are Soy (91%) Canola (88%) Corn (85%) Cotton (71%) Sugar Beets (90%) and Hawaiian papaya (more than 50%). So in general, avoid foods with ingredients derived from corn or soybeans. Fortunately there is no GM popcorn or blue or white corn.

2. Avoid Processed foods in general

This is the most reliable way to prevent purchasing GM foods as most processed foods have GMO ingredients in them. Processed foods using products made from corn and soybeans contain the most GM ingredients.

3. Buy Organic

Organic foods can be labeled in 3 different ways

a) “100% organic” – all ingredients are organic.
b) “organic”- at least 95% of ingredients are organic. The remaining 5% has to be non-GMO.
c) “made with organic (name of ingredient)”- 70% of ingredients are organic. The remaining 30% has to be non-GMO.

4. Look for “non-GMO” labels

5. Use shopping guides

Download these non-GMO shopping guide which provides information directly from food producers.

http://truefoodnow.org/2010/07/15/shoppersguideapp/

6. Avoid factory farmed animal products

Most factory farmed animals and fish are fed GM feed. Buy “organic”, “wild caught” (fish) or meat and dairy from 100% grass –fed animals. Do not buy dairy products from cows injected with GM bovine growth hormone (rbGH or rbST)

Visit www.responsibletechnology.org for brands

7. Avoid the sweetener Aspartame

Also called Nutrasweet® and Equal®, it is a GMO derivative and is found in over 6000 products including soft drinks, gum, candy, desserts, mixes, yoghurt, tabletop sweeteners and some pharmaceuticals such as vitamins and sugar-free cough drops.

8. When eating in Restaurants…….

Try to go to restaurants that prepare foods from fresh whole ingredients rather than from packaged processed mixes that more than likely will contain GM ingredients. Try to find out what kind of oil the restaurant cooks with. Many cook with vegetable oil which is usually made from GM soy, corn, cottonseed and canola. If that is the case, then ask if your food can be prepared without oil or if a non-GMO oil like olive, sunflower of safflower oil can be used instead. Make sure the olive oil is not blended with canola oil which is common in restaurants.

If you are not sure which items on the menu are GM, ask your server or the chef. GM foods may include salad dressings, bread, mayonnaise and sugar from GM sugar beets. In addition, when ordering a dairy item, find out if the dairy is organic or rbGH free. Bottom line, don’t be shy to ask questions!

Posted by: Michele Deaton

CFFTW Cookbook Project

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 18:54:00 GMT

Calling all cooks! We are collecting your favorite Paleo-friendly, Zone or just plain healthy recipes for our CrossFit Fort Worth cookbook!

We currently have the Recipe Book Forum on our website, but it's a little hard to locate and doesn't seem to be getting much traffic. So, just in time for Mother's Day, we decided to make a hard copy!

Get those recipes in to us ASAP, along with a picture of your dishes and nutrition information, if possible.

Deadline for submissions is Friday, May 4th, so please send them in to Missy at md3deaton@yahoo.com. The completed book will be $10, preordered, so send in your submissions and let us know how many you want to order!

Posted by: Michele Deaton

Eating Out on The Zone

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 14:16:00 GMT

If you follow The Zone Diet you know that each meal consists of "blocks" of protein, carbohydrates and fats. For more information on "blocks" and to calculate the number of blocks you need, go here http://www.zonediet.com/tools/zone-classic

Dr. Barry Sears, Ph.D. has suggestions for going out to eat and staying in The Zone. These tips come from his books A Week in the Zone and What To Eat in the Zone.

Never eat the rolls or chips
Always choose low-fat protein entree from the menu first
While waiting for dinner, enjoy a glass of red wine or bottled water instead of munching on bread or chips
If the protein entree is greater in size than the palm of your hand box up the extra and take it home for later
If you eat zone-favorable carbohydrates you can have double the volume of carbohydrates compared to the protein portion
If you really want to have dessert, skip the carbohydrates at your meal. Enjoy half of your dessert, unless it is fruit and then you can have the whole thing

Chinese Restaurant - skip the rice. Grilled fish or chicken, stir-fried chicken and tofu are good protein sources. You can enjoy lots of high-quality carbohydrates.

Italian Restaurant - Order the chicken or fish entrees with extra vegetables instead of pasta. Add olive oil to salads and cooked vegetables. Skip the bread.

Japanese Restaurant - generally more Zone balanced than Chinese restaurants. Just stay away from the rice. But even sushi is a pretty good balance of protein and carbohydrates.

Mexican Restaurant - Steer clear of the basket of chips! Choose chicken fajitas with corn tortillas. Order extra vegetables instead of rice and beans. Add a little guacamole for good fat.

French Restaurant - you will have no problem staying in the Zone here. You will enjoy a small serving of protein and plenty of crisp colorful vegetables drizzled in olive oil. Enjoy red wine with your meal.

Pizza Restaurant - you can still eat pizza and stay in the Zone! Be sure it is topped with cheese, chicken or anchovies. Order THIN CRUST and only eat every other crust. Enjoy the toppings only on every other slice. For more satisfaction, order extra vegetables on your pizza. Pizza should be an occasional meal.

Fast Food Dining examples:

McDonald's - order the grilled McChicken sandwich and a salad. Add the chicken from the sandwich to the salad and tear up 1/4 of the bun for croutons. Always try to choose the chicken entrees.

Wendy's - 12 oz. of chili

Burger King - BK Broiler without mayo. Remove 1/4 of the bun.

Taco Bell - Chicken tacos

Grocery Store Fast Food - load up on precut vegetables at the salad bar. Be sure to add some olives for good fat. From the deli, add 1/4 pound of lean protein such as chicken, turkey or tuna.

If you eat out often, get a copy of What To Eat in the Zone. It has a chart of foods from various fast food restaurants. These menu items are listed with their coordinating blocks.

Posted by: Michele Deaton

Sleep - How it relates to Nutrition

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 01:40:00 GMT

This week ABC News reported on the results of a new sleep study. We have all heard that sleep is important for our overall health. But did you know a lack of sleep could contribute to weight gain?

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2012/04/11/sleep-problems-linked-to-obesity-diabetes/

Lack of sleep puts people at greater risk of obesity and diabetes, a new study published in the journal Science Translational Medicine confirmed. Sporadic and irregular sleep may cause a decreased metabolic rate, which could contribute to weight gain and a myriad of long-term health problems.

Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston found that disrupted sleep patterns raised blood sugar levels and slowed the body’s metabolic rate, or the rate at which the body burns calories while at rest.

While several studies have analyzed sleep patterns in humans through observational epidemiological studies, this is the first to examine sleep behaviors in a completely controlled laboratory environment by mimicking jet lag and typical shift work sleep hours over a significant period of time.

The study included 21 health people who underwent sleep cycle tests for six weeks. Not only did researchers control how many hours of sleep each participant had, but they also controlled when they slept and other lifestyle factors, including activities and diet. Researchers varied the participants’ sleep patterns. After a period of optimal sleep, or 10 hours, study participants then only slept about 6 during a 24-hour period. The sleep was sporadic throughout the cycle and intended to mimic a rotating shift work pattern. Participants ended the study with nine nights of recovery sleep.

In the study, researchers found that the pancreas insulin response to a meal was lower in people who had not slept properly. Because of the slowed response, glucose levels rose higher and for longer after a meal, slowing the resting metabolic rate.

In other words, blood sugar went up and metabolic rate went down, putting people at greater risk of obesity and diabetes.

I don't know about you, but I'm going to sleep now!

Posted by: Michele Deaton

REAL Food

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 04:03:00 GMT

A friend shared this with me today and it's amazing! If you haven't already watched it on our Facebook page, you've got to watch it now! It's about 18 minutes and worth every minute!

http://www.wimp.com/realfood/

The information in this video is astounding! It really makes me cautious about what I eat and feed my family. And it compels me to prioritize my budget to purchase organic produce and hormone free meats.

Do any of you have any food allergies or know anyone who does? Did you know that in the 1990's new proteins were engineered into our foods without any safety studies? Those are foreign substances in our food supply that our bodies want to reject! These are proteins that all 27 countries in Europe didn't allow! These are also proteins that elevate hormone levels linked to breast, prostate and colon cancer. The U.S. has the highest rates of cancer than any country on the planet!

Would it surprise you to know that 9 out of 10 breast cancers are environmentally triggered? Your food source could be the culprit!

Watch this video!

Sometimes ignorance is bliss, but in this case it could be a matter of life or death!

Posted by: Michele Deaton

Nutritional Do's and Don'ts

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 01:43:00 GMT

I ran across some excellent guidelines for nutrition at http://www.gotrimax.com/TriMaxNutritionForDummies.htm

They are in no particular order, but all equally important!

10. Drink half of your body weight (in oz) of water each day (i.e. you weigh 150 lbs, drink 75 oz of water each day—incremental to the liquid consumed during a workout). Proper hydration is like proper oil levels in your car, fueling and muscle repair demand appropriate hydration levels.

9. Eat every 3 hours—regardless if you feel hungry or not. To keep your metabolism turned ‘on’, you must introduce fuel every 3-4 hrs. Such frequency tells your body that more fuel is coming and there is no need to store (create fat stores) calories.

8. Eat to train, don’t train to eat. The mentality of ‘eating to train’ ensures that you are thinking about how to fuel a training session—how much fuel do I need for a successful session?. Training to eat says, “I’m going to eat this massive bowl of ice cream, then train for two hours to burn it off”.

7. Eat 3-4 blocks of each nutrient source at every meal. It is vital to fuel your body with muscle repair elements (protein), muscle fuel (carbohydrates) and fat (long term energy store, foundation for virtually every cell in your body). If you do not ‘fill’ all 3 of these buckets, you will shortchange your body’s ability to fuel and repair itself.

6. Have a glass of chocolate milk after every workout! Yes. Chocolate milk. After a workout, your body is craving fuel (carbohydrate) and muscle repair elements (protein). Chocolate milk has the perfect 4:1 carb to protein blend to make sure your body receives the fuel and restorative proteins used for successful recovery.

5. Pig out for one meal every 5 days. Once your body becomes acclimated to fueling with a quality diet, it can become ‘lazy’ in how it processes calories. A high calorie meal (pizza, cheeseburger and fries, fried chicken, etc.) The introduction of a high calorie, high fat meal can shock your body into high gear as it is surprised with a new style of nutrition.

4. Eat more to lose weight. Not more calories, more frequently. When you restrict your calories, your body immediately thinks that food intake is threatened and stores all available fuel into fat. When you increase your frequency, (5-7 meals a day) your body continues to burn calories as the meal frequency is telling your body that fuel plentiful and can continue to be burned.

3. Eat more to work out more. As you tax your body with longer or harder workouts, it is vital to up your caloric intake—especially with complex carbohydrates (potatoes, oatmeal, etc). Your body needs this fuel to continue to produce the efforts you are aiming for. Even if you are trying to lose weight, you should only aim for a 300-500 calorie deficit per day.

2. Don’t punish yourself. Miss a meal? Eat too much at the Memorial Day picnic? Don’t worry about it. Just get right back on track and move on. It takes almost 3500 incremental calories to add a pound of fat, so one would have to work pretty hard to get significantly off track.

1. Have fun! Remember our cheat rule? Got a wedding reception coming up or a night out on the town? Enjoy it! Make sure you plan ahead to enjoy the simple things in life without compromising your nutrition lifestyle. By planning for such events, we can be motivated to reward ourselves with such meals that do not compromise our overall goals.

For more information on "blocks" click here: http://www.gotrimax.com/TriMaxNutrientSources.htm

This follows The Zone Diet recommendations.

Posted by: Michele Deaton

Pre-Exercise Nutrition

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 02:22:00 GMT

Our website has great resources available in the Toolbox section on the left sidebar of the home page. Here is a portion of the Paleolithic Nutrition for Athletic Training .pdf file. You can access it in the CFFTW Tool Box and print.

I've had recent questions about what to eat prior to a WOD. Here you go!

Prior to and after athletic events, it is important to consume specific macronutrients to support optimum levels of performance and recovery.

Pre-Exercise Eating Goals

ü Satisfy Hunger

ü Re-Stock carbohydrate stores depleted by the overnight fast

ü Re-establish normal body fluid levels

ü Optimize performance

ü Prepare the body to recover quickly post-exercise

Pre-Exercise Eating

ü Consume 200 to 300 calories per hour prior to exercise. Eat no less than 2 hours prior to workout/event 3 hours is usually better.

ü Take in mostly carbohydrates. Quality carbohydrates with slightly lower glycemic indexes and lower in fiber. (see pre-exercise food choices)

ü Reduce the glycemic index fo the meal the more time you have before the start of the race or workout

ü Keep the meal low in fiber, grains, cereals are too high in fiber for quick digestion

ü Include protein, especially the BCAA’s

ü Hydrate well

ü Take in water only in the last hour before the event, no sports drinks, sodas etc…

Pre-Exercise Food Choices

ü Fruit with Eggs-One large egg contains about 6 grams of protein and 1.5 grams of BCAA. Combine this with fresh fruit low in fiber, bananas, peaches, cantaloupe, honeydew, and watermelon.

ü Applesauce mixed with protein powder-Un-sweetened applesauce with 2-3 tablespoons of whey protein.

ü Baby food- including animal products-chopped and pureed fruits, vegetables, chopped meats.

ü Liquid Meals-Blend low fiber fruit, fruit juice and 2-3 tablespoons of protein powder.

ü Sports Bar with protein-Zone bars, Lara Bars, Clif. Less favorable choice but acceptable. Harder to digest due to dry higher fiber content so lots of water needed.

ü Drink Fluids including water-Coffee, tea, natural fruit and vegetable juices. Good choices are apple, tomato, and orange.

ü 10 Minute rule- 10 minutes before you start an event it is acceptable to consume carbohydrates. Lower gylcemic content carbs should be eaten. This can be performed because by the time the body responds with an insulin increase, athletic activity will have started.

Posted by: Michele Deaton

Reheat and Eat

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 11:36:00 GMT

I love Mark's Daily Apple, one of the links I gave you below. I try mainly to follow a Paleo or Primal diet and this site is an awesome resource for me.

Check out these tips for freezing prepared meals and reheating them to save time. Nothing is worse than being ravenous and having nothing healthy ready to eat! Be sure to click the link for the full article and a delicious meatloaf recipe! There are also many links within the article for other easy to freeze recipes.

Wouldn’t it be great to just open your freezer and have a selection of home-cooked Primal meals ready to heat up? With a little planning, this dream can be your reality. Set aside one day a month when you cook and stock your freezer, or get in the habit of doubling recipes so you can freeze half for later.

Whatever you’re freezing, keep these tips in mind:

Food must be completely cooled before freezing it
Freezing food in small portions helps it freeze quickly, which maintains good flavor and texture
Freezer wrap (thick paper with a moisture-resistant coating) works well for wrapping solid food. Plastic freezer bags work well to store all kinds of frozen food because they take up less room in the freezer than containers and are easy to label.
If using freezer bags, remove all the air from the bag before sealing
Always label the contents and date it was made
Most cooked food tastes best if eaten within 3 months of being frozen
Usually, the best place to defrost food before re-heating it is in the refrigerator
Reheating food that is still frozen and hasn’t been defrosted often takes double it’s regular cooking time in a 350 degree F oven
Food safety regulations recommend re-heating frozen food to an internal temperature of 165 F before eating it

Posted by: Michele Deaton

Quick and Easy Recipes & Resources Links

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 11:19:00 GMT

Resources for paleo-friendly, primal-friendly, zone-friendly & gluten-free recipes:

www.elenaspantry.com

www.everydaypaleo.com

www.honeyvillegrain.com

www.paleokits.org

www.marksdailyapple.com

Here is a cool website where you can enter recipe ingredients and it will break it down by serving size and give you all the nutrition information you want to know:

www.sparkrecipes.com

Posted by: Michele Deaton

I Love My Ninja!

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 02:53:00 GMT

I love my Ninja food processor! My sister gave it to me for my birthday about a year ago, and the best thing I have found to do with it is make my morning protein smoothie. Yummy!

I strongly encourage you to get one of these handy, super easy to use, contraptions if you don't already have one or something like it. Mine came with 3 sizes of containers. The one pictured is perfect for 8 oz. of coconut milk, my whey protein and a few frozen berries. There are 2 larger graduated sized containers with pour spouts. I came really close to burning out the motor mixing up Paleo brownies the other day because the batter is so thick. I almost panicked! So, check it out at Bed, Bath & Beyond. I just got a coupon in the mail, so watch your mailbox! I love my Ninja!

Posted by: Michele Deaton

Eating Like the French - Part 2

Sat, 17 Mar 2012 14:56:00 GMT

I know it's St. Patrick's Day, but having helped my daughter do research on traditional Irish foods during a project for school a few years ago, I don't think many of you would as interested in "porridge" as in a little more info on what we actually found in France.

Let me just say, I'll probably be working for a month on the damage I did in France! We found it virtually impossible to find any decent protein in that country. Believe it or not, the best opportunities we had were at McDonald's (which, by the way, has a much more interesting and healthy menu than McDonald's in the US!) and the hamburger some of us enjoyed at a Middle Eastern restaurant in Vichy. Aside from a couple of mornings at one of our hotels where we actually found scrambled eggs and Canadian bacon, the rest of our meals pretty much consisted of bread! There is no shortage of delicious fresh-baked bread! So, it became very evident to me that the Dukan Diet described below is NOT the normal diet of the French population. Oddly, the French people are very small and we saw very few overweight people during the week we were in France. Those we did notice I suspect were also visiting.

We remain baffled by this observation. One thing is for sure, the French people walk A LOT! There are small cars, lots of them in Paris, and narrow streets with very little parking. So most people walk and use the Metro system. Driving or riding bicycles or motor bikes is dangerous so the majority do rely on their own feet.

We did not find the very small portions we were expecting. Actually, they were quite large. However, the only thing we can figure is that the French people must walk off the calories they consume. Their diet is definitely "carb heavy". We were also surprised at the lack of fruit. Mostly we saw apples, pears and a few strawberries. Salads were basic. Just some leafy lettuce with black olives and a couple of croutons. You can get a cheese plate, but it's not as prevalent as we expected. Sandwiches were readily available, but they were an entire baguette with just a "little bit" of ham or chicken, cheese, lettuce and tomato. We never found any turkey. We found beef only a couple of times, and were afraid to order a steak. It was very expensive, and let's face it, we know good beef! So we didn't want to risk an expensive disappointment!

I have to say, as much as I loved our visit to France, I'm glad to be home where I have so many delicious healthy choices! And "normal sized" cups of coffee! A "large" coffee in France is smaller than a Tall Starbucks!

Pear Tart and Cafe Au Lait

Posted by: Michele Deaton