Fishing for health

I remember the day vividly. The high afternoon sun glistened off water-soaked river rocks, my eyes squinting under a faded blue and overly-curved baseball cap. With my fishing rod in one hand and my other out for balance, I carefully tip-toed my way over foot-sized stones to the middle of the small river, Birkenhead Lake beckoning just 40 feet downstream. Content with my position, I faced the lake and cast my hook and bobber into the bubbling torrent, determined to return to the treeline only with a fish in hand. Being the last day of our three day trip and having no luck during our pre-dawn canoe trip the day before, I was anxious to experience the feeling of a fish on the line, the rush of the battle.


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California Week 2 = Boost the veggies

It is week 2 here in California and it is hot! The jet stream, still hanging out in the east, is making for some strong easterly winds from the desert, pushing temperatures close to 30'C. Sunscreen and waterstops have increased greatly; fortunately I was able to pick up some watermelons so my morning and post-ride refreshments are helping me stay hydrated.

When I don't have access to watermelon, I make sure to include a lot of water to my nutrition, either by drinking 1 litre of water before any meal, especially before cooked meals, and drink upwards of 2 bottles an hour on the bike. A good baseline to know you are hydrated is to have to go to the bathroom every 2 hours. Hydrate and smash it!
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Efficiency

Plants don't run away

What is this blog turning into? I remember in 2010 when it started as a way to share the inside world of cycling...race tactics, race dynamics, travel stories and training tips. However over time it has shifted to share insights from long days on the bike, living cheap and pursuing a nutrition lifestyle that is sustainable and optimal.

Since I am vehemently opposed to supplements or even caffeine, I look to absorb the calories and nutrients I need from sources that are most efficient. I stress my body enough with pedal pushing or appeasing the cycling equipment buyers on my dismal ebay account (toque buy'n sell), why further confuse my endocrine system with poor food choices? So dear readers, if you enjoyed Dr. Neal Barnard's insight on a plant-based diet last week, here is a collection of short 1 minute videos discussing how after growing up on a cattle farm, he discovered a health solution that didn't involve animals.

A wise coach once said..."after finding the smooth path through the jungle, often times one misses the tangled chaos of the underbrush. But the smooth path is still twisty, undulating and it's destination unknown...is that not enough adventure for the young mind?"

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Is globular protein best for the common cold?

It is the middle of winter, so naturally many people, especially athletes are focused on maintaining health and avoiding the tissue box. But what happens when you get sick...what should you eat for optimal health? When we get sick, often times appetite disappears, but maybe some of those protein rich foods, that seem all the hype these days, can fast track recovery...what do you think?

What about them globular proteins that I've been hearing about? They sound great! You know, like animal protein! A protein that has been manipulated and twisted through the process of refining vegetable nutrients through a trophic cycle before it arrives on our plate. ummm...chicken soup!

Fast track here... or watch the whole thing below.

For more, check out cyclinginatoque's SugarWaterSleep unit full of 36 videos from real doctors who want you to find health.

Throw me a bone here...

What is for dinner?

After beginning my search for asthmatic relief in 2010, I have ventured far and wide, read books, surfed the internet, and spoke with as many people as I could on the matter. It has been a tumultuous rollercoaster of highs and lows, successes and failures.

So what did I discover? Well, toxins, pesticides, molds and allergens still affect my asthma, but I have been able to improve my baseline and reduce the effect of the above irritants by adopting a plant based diet. 

There is however, a lot of misinformation out on the internet and in our society today on just what a plant based diet means and how to adopt it while traveling and competing as an athlete. However I believe that this saturation of data is not a valid excuse if you are truly focused in finding meaningful answers. 

So this holiday season I send you a gift of information. Do with it what you will. Either way, this guy is the real deal and he is hilarious.

 

Genetic Roulette

Over the past two years I have changed my diet considerably but in November of 2011, I took it to another level. Since then my general health and asthma has improved dramatically. In that time, I have become a student of human physiology, agricultural biology and corporate agricultural economics. 

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Offseason Recharge

Beets, Watermelon, Steamed Kale = Nutrient High!

The twilight of the road season will come to an end over the next few weeks and with it a lot of updated blogs from cyclists.  It is too late for me to really fill everyone in on my season, but needless to say, the races that I blogged about went pretty well, while those who went under the 'blog-radar' were a little less satisfying. So instead I'd like to turn our attention to the future and help you all make gains in your general health as a continued part of my Toque Toast series here at Cyclinginatoque.

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Hotel Cooking

Yummy

Cooking in the hotel room! It is a great way to make sure you get the nutrition you need! This year I set up a small carry-on size luggage bag with a few key cooking ingredients.

#1: Standard hot plate. They are cheap and many different foods can be cooked in them. Steam vegetables, fry an egg, cook a soup or stew. Anything!

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Toque Toast: Beet Detox

Welcome to Toque Toast Week 2! This week it's Beets! Not only a powerful blood cleanser, beets provide a great mix of flavor and texture to your next meal. In the cycling world, they have been made famous by Dr. Allen Lim's The Feedzone Cookbook, in which he recommends a small glass of beet juice every morning. Plus Garmin's Christian Vande Velde also launched his new blog by discussing his favorite beet salad recipe...the stars are aligning...it must be the week of the beet.

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Toque Toast: Yam Sushi

"How do you get so big
eating food of this kind?"

Toque Toast! I'm excited to start sharing some easy and quick training food tips with you all. Although each week won't necessarily feature a brand new recipe, each post will add a new twist either through packaging techniques or new tasty spices.  Originally I wanted to do a video this week but it didn't work out so we'll have to make do with a regular post so without further ado, I bring you Yam Sushi from my 2011 training grounds of Dagoba in Portland, Oregon. Enjoy!

With the end of the base building phase coming to a close in January, my on-the-bike intake of saturated fats like avocado, coconut oil and olive oil decreased for the quick energy of carbohydrates like sweet potato.  Potatoes are good too but I prefer Sweet Potato and Yam. Each sweet potato is in the range of 500-600 grams, which is about 400 kcal and 100 grams of carbohydrate according to CalorieKing.

Step 1: While cooking breakfast, wash & clean 1 yam. Chop into even pieces and boil.

Step 2: Once cooked (10-15 minutes), immediately drain with strainer to avoid mushiness. Move to a baking pan or something with a wide surface area to assist in cooling. Mash with a fork and add a large amount of sea salt (2-3 tbsp). Let it cool during breakfast or place in refridgerator.

Step 3: Once cool, you are ready to package! Cut a piece of tinfoil (or alternative) about 5 inches in length. Distribute approximately 1/2 cups of mashed sweet potato onto Sushi Nori seaweed. Add a thin amount of honey. Roll upwards and close the sushi with the help of a bit of water rubbed along the top edge. Turn sushi to fit within the confines of the tinfoil, fold the bottom first, the from right to left, finally twisting the top portion to close, leaving you with a thin Buritto-style sushi about 7 inches long making it easily accessible as the top portion protrudes from one's jersey pocket.

If I am doing a 4 hour ride with 2-4 sets of tempo, I'll divide my sweet potatoes into 4-5 pieces of sushi. I'll start eating at about 45 minutes in and aim to finish all of the calories with one hour remaining in the ride. Ideally I aim for 50 grams of carbohydrates per hour in training, so that is 1x550 gram sweet potato every 2 hours.

Try it and let me know what you think!

Stocked up for 2 weeks of training!

Sliced!

Mashed

Ready for tempo intervals!

Plus...I'm super stoked this week that Cyclocosm is BACK! 

Toque Blog On Tap: April 5-15th

The B.I.K.E.S program is really starting to take off thanks to Team Exergy's Press Officer, Jill Klein. Thanks Jill! I am also going to start a few new things here at the blog including weekly "Toque Toast" series. Each Friday there will be a new recipe for you to try during your weekend training rides or race events. This first week we'll discuss training food.

Also, here is a preview to the next ten days here at the Toque Blog.

Sun 4.8:  Toque Toast: Training Food

Tues 4.10: Toque Torque Coaching: Spring Update w/ new clients and race wins

Thurs 4.12: Lifestyle Vignette

Sunday 4.15: Presbyterian Hospital Invitational Report (Wiki + Website)

   

Oat Bag

My diet has changed dramatically this year. Working with my coach David Youngblood of Generic Nutrition, we have introduced a variety of changes that have reduced my asthma symptoms and improved general health. How's getting a cold and then getting over it in all in 24 hours for a test! January 10th was that day!

Although I cannot share all of David's knowledge with you, here is a list of my three new favourite foods and why, along with those that I miss the most.  For those of you interested in learning more about Generic Nutrition, information will become available in time at this source.

New Staples:

1) Quinoa: It's gluten free, goes well with almost anything and comes in a variety of colors
2) Beets: They help clean the blood of toxins, which helps my asthma. Plus they make the bathroom way more fun!
3) Nuts: For years I've been allergic to nuts. By cutting out other common allergens, like gluten, dairy, soy, & corn, I have had no reactions to this powerful plant-based protein source.

The Knots*:

1) Ketchup: Used to love it. Now avoid it like the plague...too much sugar
2) Restaurant Bread: No gluten for me, thankfully with knowledge comes power.
3) Ice Cream: I love ice cream. I can't wait for October. By then I'll be able to wallow my lactose-intolerant ass slowly around the house all day.

Plus..I visited Josh at the team house in Ventura where he was building bikes! BAM! 3 Days, 2 Sleeps and 1 Training Day left till BLAST OFF 2012! Stay tuned.

* I'm still living on the boat! Thanks to Team Exergy manager Scott Cross and his wonderful wife Deb for hosting me this week. I've had a blast! Maybe I should think about buying a boat?

Lentil Chicken

Good Morning, wow I am up early today. 5am! I'll have to take a nap later in the day. If all goes according to plan, my housemate Zac and I will be traveling to Walla Walla today to catch up with some old friends. I am wicked excited. This upcoming week will also be my final week of four weeks of training so I foresee an easy start as I'm sure Tuesday and Wednesday will whiz by.

Last week, during one of those "wow we have a lot of beans and stuff" moments, I pulled out a package of lentils and figured it was time to add them to my recipe repertoire. I put together a great dinner with the help of some chicken breasts and of course my new favorite ingredient as of late, ginger. As I learned in college, not from Martha Stewart, citations are a good thing.

First, cook the lentils in a boiling pot of water. Remember to use a lot of water (2.5 cups of water for every 1 cup of lentils). Since they recommend 25minutes for salad-ready lentils and 45minutes for soup-ready lentils, cook the lentils for 35 minutes. Drain them afterwards with you favorite straining device, hopefully you have one that has a cool color, like pale green.

If frozen, boil the chicken for 5-10 minutes in a boiling pot of water (as opposed to a frozen pot of water). Cut into bit size pieces. Add seasoning if you are feeling brave, a little lemon pepper is always a safe bet.

Then, when mentally prepared to create the "what is smells good in here, what'cha cookin?" moment pending the arrival of your dinner guests (also works well if you go walk around the block once before you eat in case you are rocking out solo these days), add finely chopped garlic, ginger, onions to a sauce pan. Add the chicken shortly thereafter. Once the chicken is mostly cooked throughout (3-5 minutes), add the lentils and vegetable broth. This is also a good time to add harder vegetables like carrot, broccoli and cauliflower. Cover and reduce to low-medium heat. Watch it periodically. It only take 3-6 minutes at this point.

Before serving, go for a 5-10 minute walk around the block and when you get home....BAM! What'cha cooking? Smells good in here!

Ingredient List:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, diced

scant teaspoon fresh ginger (or WAY MORE!)

2 green onions, sliced

1 chicken breast

1/3 cup dry lentils, washed

2 cups broccoli heads

1 1/2 cups chunked fresh sweet potato (or REGULAR POTATO)

1 1/2 cups chicken broth (try to find the lowest sodium content you can. I prefer Organics Vegetable Broth w/ 570mg of sodium per cup or Pacific Northwest Foods Organic w/ 530mg if you can find it).

Give it the gas w/o the gas: Nitro Bars

It's only a few minutes now before I head out for a big day on the bike. With a couple of lactate intervals planned I'll definitely be digging into the cookie jar today and with my new nitro bars, I'll have enough sugar flowing through my system to finish the workout strong. Tired of paying too much for power food, I started making my own about two weeks ago. Although I may have used a touch too much sugar and syrup, the batch turned out very tasty and very effective.... they get you home! Since they are a bit intense, I make sure I only use them on my hardest days, like an emergency bar. So if you plan on doing a lot of intervals or have a big hill between you and home after 3-4hrs, this recipe might be just what you need to finish it off strong.

Enjoy!

Based off the Big Sur Power Bar recipe.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a baking pan/casserole dish with butter. Add all the hard ingredients and toast them in the oven for 7-10 minutes (oats, rice krispies, shredded coconut, peanuts, craisans, dried apricots). During this time, combine the brown rice syrup, sugar, salt, espresso (ground coffee beans) and vanilla in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly until it comes to a boil.

Combine these two mixtures in a large bowl (or an extra big bowl if you accidently used a whole jar of brown rice syrup....) It gets sticky!

Put it all back into the large baking pan/casserole dish to cool. If you used too much syrup like I did, you can place the pan back in the oven for 30 minutes at 270 degrees, this will dry out the bars. Once cooled, cut into the bar size you want and wrap them up.

I have been keeping mine in the fridge and they have been fine now for over two weeks.

1 tablespoon coconut oil (or regular butter)
2/3 cup (unsweetened) shredded coconut
1.25 cups rolled oats
1.5 cups rice krispies
1.5 cup brown rice syrup (Lundberg Sweet Dreams Organic BRS)
1/4 cup natural cane sugar
1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
2 tablespoons ground espresso/coffee beans
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

290g Peanuts & Craisans (NW Delights PB& J Mix)

340g Dried Apricot (Safeway Selects Dried Pitted Mediterranean Apricots)

Approximate Nutrition Facts per bar (assuming 25 bars)

Yum!

Ride HARD!

Not your Regular Spaghetti

Since I have finished up my part-time work at Contech, I had have a little more time to spend focusing on my cycling. I have always wanted to spend more time learning how to make meals that regular people will enjoy as opposed to my regular human garberator customers (me), so I have been experimenting with energy bars and tasty dinners these past three weeks. Living in Portland, there is a big bike commuting culture which ties in with the city's green image. Of course a major part of that type of lifestyle is living local and buying local. Although I can't say that I have been buying only local foods....I'm on a tight budget and I like to eat avocados (last time I checked, Chile doesn't count as buying local), I can say that I have been eating seasonal! So lots of squash, potato and onion. After experimenting periodically with acorn squash last winter, this year I've tried out some of the other types available. My new favourite by far is Spaghetti Squash. I've managed to come up with one tasty dinner and one awesome breakfast burrito recipe. Squash provides a lot of fibre and it also fills you up so I hope you enjoy. Tomorrow will be my new NITRO energy bar recipe; they are so rich that I can only eat them on certain training days but wow, do they ever get you home!

Dinner #1: Spaghetti Squash w/ herb

I got this original recipe off the food network and the legendary Emeril Lagasse but of course who just does the regular, ya gotta make it your own! So first cut the spaghetti squash lengthwise. Leaving all the seeds in, place the two pieces "cut-side" down in a casserole dish, filled with 1/2 inch of water. Place in a 375 degree oven for 45 minutes then flip both pieces for an extra fifteen minutes. Let it cool a bit, then remove the seeds. Then remove the squash from the shell and place in a bowl, add herbs of your choice (basil, parsley).

Melt some butter in a skillet at medium heat, add chopped onion, ginger, garlic. Once sauteed, add the squash to the skillet. Shortly there after add your choice of hard vegetables (chopped broccoli, cauliflower). Add 1/2 cup (maybe more) of vegetable broth and place a lid on top. Let it cook for 3-6 minutes (until most of the vegetable broth has been steamed into the vegetables), then serve and enjoy!

If the taste is not quite right, vodka spaghetti sauce is a great addition.

Breakfast #1: Spaghetti Squash Breakfast Burrito

Prepare the spaghetti squash as in the dinner meal except stop before you add the hard vegetables. In the morning, melt some butter in a skillet. Add the squash, two eggs, chopped green onion and a little bit of cheese if you want (personally I hold the cheese). Also add some BBQ seasoning. Scramble the skillet as if you are making scrambled eggs. When the egg is cooked, toss the mix into a pesto burrito wrap, add a little bit of real mayonnaise and you are all set!

Green eggs and Ham!

I just got back from a great ride with a training partner of mine, Austin. It was warm today! 55 degrees and a bit wet but it didn't even matter because of the heat. Yes I said heat! In January. I had a breakthrough ride today also with a bunch of intervals and some tempo at higher than normal wattage. This is great news and I am stoked as I have tough days planned for both Saturday and Sunday.

Tomorrow I will let you in on my Nitro Bar recipe. Enjoy your weekend!

I cleaned up the Machine yesterday. New brake pads, shifting cables/housing, fender and a full clean made the whole thing feel lighter today.

Also, Dunco and Jack have been pressing out some flash beats. They have put together four mixes that I have been grooving to all week (Sexy, Heavy, Set 3, Boner Jams)