Why I Really do Triathlon…It's The Food!
It is a good thing that I enjoy training so much
because I also love to cook and eat well. Here are some of my favorite dishes
that are low fat and some are low carbohydrate. Low fat cooking has
come a long way, but there are more "misses" than "hits".
If you are just starting to eat a low fat menu, your taste preferences will
change with time, so give it a chance. Most of the recipes do not require much
preparation time. As you expand your cooking repertoire, you will become more
proficient and be able to make recipes quickly.
A food processor simplifies chopping vegetables and
mincing garlic and ginger.
If you like eating rice, buy a rice cooker. You can usually find one on
sale at department stores for $20.00 to $30.00. Just add the rice and water, and presto! The rice always comes
out just right without having to monitor. If you haven't made any dinner plans, you can have a rice plate meal
ready while you shower after your workout. Brown rice is recommended for its high nutritional value and fiber. If
brown rice seems too crunchy at first, try basmati rice, it is excellent. Sushi rice is sticky and great with raw
slices of fresh ahi tuna, but has a very high glycemic value. Read Dr.
Richard Rafoth's analysis on eating
rice for optimal cycling performance.
Grilling fish and chicken is easy, quick and does not require using oil
or butter. Mesquite charcoal adds a wonderful flavor to the food, do not use charcoal fluid, it leaves a
terrible taste. There are some chimney-like devices that allow you to light the charcoal without fluid that are
sold in stores that carry BBQ equipment. Indoor grills work pretty good, too. They are faster and
easier to set up and clean. I have had a couple, and the fastest and easiest to
clean is the George Foreman Grill.
If you have trouble eating enough protein, try
cooking on a grill. Meat usually taste better grilled, and the clean up is
generally easier. Try to prepare the marinade at least a few hours before cooking. Allowing the meat to
absorb the marinade really enhances the flavor.
For cooking, go for high quality oils like canola and olive. If
the oil is used for sautéing, you can substitute vegetable spray or chicken broth and save at least 100 calories
and 13g of fat. For salad dressings, or
any oils that cannot be used for cooking,
try flax seed oil. Flax contains high amounts of Omega-3 and lignons. Do
not eliminate fat from your diet-you will
only experience intense cravings for high-fat foods. If you have been
unsuccessful in trying to
lose weight on a low fat diet, add more good fats to your
meals. One teaspoon per meal is standard. It is well worth reading
the chapter on Fatty Acid Deficiency in The
Diet Cure to understand how important it is to get enough of the
right fatty acids.
Stevia is an extraordinarily sweet herb...200-300 times sweeter than sugar, and is almost calorie-free. Unlike sugar, it does not trigger a rise in blood sugar. You won't get a sudden burst of energy followed by fatigue and a need for another "fix." Each brand taste a bit differently. This is the best price on the brand I like: http://www.thebetterhealthstore.com/BrandSubgroupItemList.asp?brandid=KAL&subgroupid=STEVIA
Tips for
Healthy Cooking, Nancy Clark, MS, RD: Strategies and time-savers for low
fat cooking
Blending Exercise
Into Family Life: If you are really serious about losing weight and living
a healthy lifestyle, you
need to change your eating patterns and develop an exercise program. Good
article for those just starting out. One of the best ways to get on an exercise program is to set a fitness
goal for the year. It could be a local 10K race, a marathon, (Check out
the AIDS Marathon Training Program: http://www.aidsmarathon.com or the Danskin Women's Triathlon, or cycling the AIDS LifeCycle Ride. ) All of these memorable events are lifetime accomplishments, you will
feel very proud of what you achieved physically and mentally through the training.
Watch your portion amounts
with low-fat foods. Eating too many carbohydrates like pastas, rice,
potatoes, and flour products can put on the weight, too. Most races and century
bike rides provide lots of high carb food during and after the event. It is
easy to develop a bad habit and overeat! You do not lose weight by eating a
lower percentage of carbs, but rather by the combination of consuming less
calories overall and burning more. If you restrict carb intake you restrict
your primary energy sources for running, especially in long distance training
and racing. The majority of sports nutritionists and sports doctors do not
agree with a low-carb plan for losing weight.
Check out the Glycemic Index
link in the Links section below for more information. Also, if you are
overtrained, you maybe producing too much cortisol, and this
will undermine your efforts to lose weight.
From Dr. Liz Sutherland, ND:
“Losing weight and
maintaining weight loss is challenging, and best results involve a change in
lifestyle and perhaps outlook. …you may have a good outlook, but you might not
be aware that stress can actually promote weight gain. Cortisol is one of the
hormones our body produces to help us deal with stress. When that stress is
chronic, the tendency of cortisol to promote fat-storage becomes a habit.
So, you might want to think
about what you can do, besides exercise, to alleviate stress. Yoga, meditation,
guided imagery, even though these may seem like passive things, their benefits
can translate into some obvious changes in your body. In addition, aerobic
exercise is more likely to lead to weight loss than anaerobic exercise like
weight lifting.
There are many dietary
regimes recommended for weight loss. I think a balanced diet is best to promote
health. By a balanced diet I mean lots of vegetables, fruit, and legumes. Low
amounts of saturated fat, high amounts of fish. No refined sugars, very low in
simple carbohydrate. It goes without saying, of course, that you need to
maintain a healthy diet, particularly avoiding caffeine and alcohol during
times of stress or when you're trying to recuperate..”
The Don't Diet, Live-It Workbook, is full of in-depth information, moving personal
stories, and insightful writing exercises to help people understand and resolve
their food, weight and body issues. The website is a forum for the discussion
and education of food and weight issues. Overeaters Anonymous is a fellowship of
individuals who, through shared experience, strength and hope are recovering
from compulsive overeating. San Francisco OA.
Links
Eat to train:
The
Glycemic Index & Weight Loss: Lists of acceptable and
nonacceptable foods according to the Glycemic Index.
Interesting to read how these foods affect performance, and why a low fat diet
doesn't always lead to weight loss. Try to substitute foods that are lower on the
list for any higher glycemic foods than you have been eating.
Certified Farmers' Markets on the Web: A
fun way to buy the freshest produce, usually organic, from local farmers.
Lunardis Supermarket: My favorite market,
but not enough locations. Excellent produce and seafood. Try Raymonds Sourdough
Bread and Buds Ice Cream (even their house brand ice cream is good).
Trader Joe's: Excellent store to buy natural groceries, some fresh produce
and meats, vitamins and supplements at low prices. Even if it is busy, it is usually easier and faster than
shopping at the supermarket.
Train to eat:
Ben & Jerry's Low and No-Fat Frozen Yogurt
Dr. Walford's Foods
Database Access: Search engine to find complete nutrient
information for any food. Produce
Nutrition: Good sources of various nutrients in fruits and vegetables.
Fast Food Facts lists the
calories and fat of menu items at several fast feeders, it also gives some
alternative lower fat food choices. Try
the Food Finder, you can set your own
parameters for maximum fat and calories at these fast food restaurants.
Lee's
Favorite Restaurants: You
can read about them in San Francisco Magazine Readers
Restaurant Poll or SF
Chroncile Best 100 Restaurants. Check
the guides, these picks range from elegant establishments to dives, but the
food is excellent.
Overall Favorite-New
American cuisine-Boulevard.
East-West-Hawthorne Lane.
Italian-Delfino, Scala's
Bistro, and Ristorante Marcello’s, a longtime family run
establishment.
Mediterranean-Mecca,
PlumpJack Cafe.
Seafood-Farrallon, Aqua,
Plouf, Swan Oyster Depot (unique San Francisco experience).
Sushi-Sushi Groove, We Be
Sushi (good value)
Chinese-Yank Sing
(Dim Sum) and Eric’s.
Mexican-Pancho Villa.
Pervian-Fresca.
"Roadhouse"
Cuisine-Mustards in Yountville, Buckeye Roadhouse.
Romantic-Shadowbrook
in Santa Cruz.
The Ritz-Carlton has a wonderful harpist playing in the dining room.
Thai-Khan Toke Thai
House.
Asian Fusion and good fun
(drag show)-AsiaSF.
Good Homey Food and
Value-American Eclectic -Chow's.
French- Fleur de Lys, Isa
(small plates).
French Fusion - French Laundry in Yountville, (must do
eating experience, beyond compare). Tartare, incredible ahi tartare
(yes, better than Michael Mina’s!) by Chef George Morrone (former co-chef of
Aqua) and Michael Mina (also a former co-chef of Aqua).
Jewish Deli-Saul's in
Berkeley.
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