Sweet (and juicy) success

Ever since the low-carb fad came along, many folks have avoided fruit because it contains sugar. Well, new research proves that fruit is a sweet and juicy way to stay slim! A new study has concluded that frequent fruit eaters experience less weight gain over time compared to people who report low fruit consumption. Fresh fruit is high in fiber and low in calories, especially for how filling it.

So stop feeling guilty about fruit and ENJOY!

Junk Food Justified

I'm just back from running the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu and boy,what an experience! Exercising all day at high altitude requires the 4 big sports performance enhancers:

1. salt
2. water
3. high-glycemic carbs
4. caffeine

...in other words, lots of the tasty processed foods you can't normally justify!

Crackers, energy bars, granola bars, pretzels, energy drinks, candy, bread, chocolate-covered espresso beans are all good ways to get quick energy when you're in the middle of serious endurance exercise. You actually need low-fiber, high-calorie foods at this time because they are fast and easy to digest. Your stomach isn't too good at digesting high-fiber foods when your muscles are using up most of your blood and oxygen.

Enjoy these junky foods during long bouts of exercise because after you recover, it's time to get back to the fresh fruits, veggies, whole grains, lean proteins and unprocessed foods that are full of nutrients and fiber.

We all crave a little junk food sometimes and, in my book, this is one good reason to take up endurance sports!

Texture Tips

Often when we enjoy a food, it isn't the taste we like so much as the texture. For example, potato chips and pretzels are little more than salt flavor made crunchy. Why eat extra fat, sugar and unwanted calories if it's just the texture you want?! Think about the textures you enjoy in your foods and come up with some healthy ways to get them.

For example...

For crunchy snacks try:
cucumber slices
jicama
water chestnut
dill pickles
hearts of palm
baby carrots
kale chips (bake de-veined kale leaves at 350 for 10 min and add seasoning if you want them to be salty or spicey)

For smooth creamy snacks try:
nonfat yogurt
nonfat pudding (sugar free is also available)
pureed fruit (like applesauce)

For frozen treats try:
popsicles
fudgesicles
carbo-lite frozen yogurt
no-sugar-added, fat-free blended coffee drinks (Coffee Bean makes the only ones I know of)

Please let me know if you have other ideas for good texture substitutes!