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Posts Tagged with 'food'Is Chocolate Milk a Good Recovery Drink?on August 13th, 2010 by Matt
The chocolate milk surge/craze is a crest of the next wave of alternatives to sports drinks and muscle recovery drinks. I started seeing studies about the use of low-fat chocolate milk for muscle recovery back in 2006. The ratio is usually close to the 4:1. Just take note of the non-fiber carbs and protein in the milk of your choice. Then, enter those carbs divided by the protein into a calculator to get the ratio. You are looking for a number close to 4 for a decent match. This is definitely a more cost-effective way to satisfy that 60-minute window for recovery. Be aware that the little bit of fat you will be taking in is saturated, so go easy. The exact amount you should take depends on your intensity, but the safe rule is to go with around 20 grams of non-fiber carbohydrates and 5 grams of protein. Also, if you are getting a powder to mix with milk, like Carnation or Nestle, be sure that your calculations include the milk you will be adding based on the serving suggestion on the back of the mix. For more information supporting the low-fat chocolate milk recovery alternative, check out some of the articles listed below.
Good luck and have fun!
Tags: fitness, food, health, p90x Vitaminson April 5th, 2010 by Chrissy
I have issues taking pills – I have for a long time – but I really like taking daily vitamins. I was determined to find a solution this time. Since I exhausted all of my options at GNC, or at least all of the options from a few months ago, I went to Vitamin Shoppe to see if they had an alternative. I even talked to the girl behind the counter. She helped a lot and told me she had the same problem. She showed me what she uses and told me some hints & tips other customers have told her too. I ended up buying the Vitamin Shoppe Multi Vitamin & Mineral Powder to mix with water, milk, juice, or a liquid of my choosing. She also recommended a product called Perfect Food Berry that adds even more good stuff to the vitamin shake and said that it really helps mask the taste of the multivitamin powder. I bought that too. The result. I have taken my vitamins all week and with no issue or stress. The little extra money is so worth it to have that stress lifted. I just have to gradually increase my intake over the next few weeks to coincide with my weight and all should be good. I mix the vitamin powder with Simply Apple Juice and it actually tastes good. My bamboo whisk that we got with our DoMatcha tea also has a second purpose now – to mix my vitamins. To me, the look doesn’t even make it unappealing either…
Tags: food, products, supplements, tools Crab Soupon February 12th, 2010 by Chrissy
I made crab soup for the first time ever. I found a recipe and tried to follow what I could and then add replacement items for stuff I didn’t have. I purchased crab meat in the grocery store about a week or so ago in hopes to make something with crab and all of the cold weather made soup seem like the perfect option. Substitutions (that worked well) since we didn’t have certain items :
It was awesome. A little spicy and good flavor. And it made about 8 2cup servings.
Tags: food, recipes P90X: The What, When and Why of Supplementson July 31st, 2009 by Matt
It can be really tough knowing exactly what supplements to take, when to take them, and why you should take them while on the P90X fitness plan. This especially difficult for those of you that want to save a little cash with alternatives to the P90X supplements offered by Beach Body. I am providing this guide to help clear the murk. This is not a comprehensive guide, but it should answer many questions and give you enough knowledge to research more on your own, if you need to. VitaminsA rich multi-vitamin targeted to your gender and active/sport/athlete users is ideal while embarking on the P90X journey. I use the GNC brand Mega Men’s Sport multi-vitamin formula. However, you can find something else by printing out the nutritional information of the P90X formula and comparing it to other multi-vitamins for a close match. Due note that you will likely pee bright yellow the next time you go, after taking your vitamins. This is just your body passing the unused/unabsorbed vitamins and minerals that are in excess for the formula chosen. Accept it and do not be concerned. I take my multi-vitamin in the morning with food to help absorb it and make use of it throughout the day. Some people find it hard to take 2-4 capsules at the same time of day and take half in the morning, half in the evening. This works if you are not taking other vitamins. Once you start adding in other vitamins, you chance offsetting the balance provided by your multi-vitamin. Many of the vitamins, minerals and herbs found in a multi-vitamin show extreme percentages (e.g. 3,000% RDA). This should not alarm you about overdosing if you are following the directions. These numbers are so high for some of them because several vitamins and minerals counteract each other. Others fight for absorption. There is no perfect one-a-day vitamin for this reason, but it is much better than nothing at all. Your body will need the vitamins and minerals that you do not get from food. Protein SupplementationThere are many options for protein formulas. You can get protein supplements from whey, soy, and even pea. This gives us quite a bit of selection to meet our lifestyles and possible allergies. If you are allergic to dairy, avoid whey. Allergic to soy, avoid those proteins. If you are allergic to both dairy and soy, or you are vegan and cannot handle soy, get pea protein. It is as natural and safe as it gets. I use GNC’s brand of whey protein. I can get a 5-pound tub of the stuff for half the price of the other brands. Sure, it’s not the same as the others (primarily, it lacks L-glutamine), but it does the trick. I also eat Clif Builder’s Protein Bars as my bar portion. I intend on trying the newer pea protein formulas soon as well. Never take your protein supplement (or much of any other protein) right before your workout. If you take a lot of protein just before a workout, you will tank. You’ll be lucky to make it 10 minutes into your workout before feeling like jelly. Any other time you want to ingest protein is fine; even just before bed if you must stop hunger. I do not recommend taking more than 1 serving of your protein supplement within a couple hours of each other. The protein supplements are not absorbed by the body as fast as food-based proteins (which you can eat a ton of in a sitting if you want).
Protein is not stored by our bodies like fat and carbohydrates are. Protein is absorbed to repair and build muscle. Whatever is not used is passed through. This makes protein safe to eat before bed if you absolutely need to. It also makes it extremely difficult to workout while the body is processing protein. That is why you should not take much (really any) within a 30-60 minutes of a workout. Recovery DrinkThe key here is to find a formula that has a 4:1 ratio of carbohydrates to protein. Just make sure the total grams of carbohydrates is 4 times that of the total grams of protein on the label. You must fully ingest your recovery drink within 45-60 minutes of completing a strenuous workout. If you miss this opportunity, you might as well skip the drink. It is really unnecessary after 1 hour of your workout. This helps the body repair those recently torn muscle fibers before the optimal window of opportunity passes. If you do this correctly, you will not be as sore the next day and should be able to perform your next workout without loss of capacity. Without a recovery drink, you will not be able to perform as well the next day; not to mention the soreness. I use Accelerade as my recovery drink of choice. Again, others may have a little L-glutamine, and even some creatine, added, but the real key to a good recovery drink is the 4:1 ratio.
Tags: fitness, food, health, p90x, supplements Creatineon July 30th, 2009 by Matt
Today’s fitness warriors hear a lot about the different types of supplements they can ingest to boost their success with their fitness goals. The biggest problem is; what can you believe? The topic for this post is creatine. What is Creatine?Creatine is an organic acid (amino acid) found naturally in humans. In fact, it’s found naturally in all vertebrates. It’s purpose is to supply energy to our muscles. Primarily, it is focused and stored in our skeletal muscle. Creatine is not a steroid, vitamin, mineral, hormone, or herb. We primarily get creatine into our systems from fresh meat, like fish and beef. Vegetables do not contain creatine whatsoever. Many vegetarians looking to gain muscle resort to supplementing creatine in their diet. Is It Safe?There is still a lot of uncertainty around the safety of creatine. It seems obvious that the creatine we acquire from food is not an issue. What is the focus of study and concern is the intake of creatine via supplementation. Creatine supplementation has only been in mainstream use for about 15 years; in 1992 at the Barcelona Olympic games. There simply is not enough data to support whether creatine supplementation is safe or not. No studies have conclusive results with short-term or long-term use of creatine supplements. Until such information is certain, it is up to the consumer to take on all risk. This is no different than eating artificial sweeteners; you must decide if it is worth taking without knowing all the facts. Do know that no data has been collected showing that creatine is harmful as a supplement. No reports of toxicity have been found. That is the main reason bodybuilders use creatine daily. With no proven side effects, many people have decided to use creatine to build lean muscle and increase energy. Why is It in My Fitness Drink or Other Supplement?Creatine monohydrate is sometimes added to fitness drinks or other supplements as a way to increase your energy and production of lean muscle. It definitely does just that. Amazing results are usually seen with a consistent use of concentrated creatine. When and How Should I Use Creatine Monohydrate?You will likely see it added to fitness foods that are high in carbohydrates. It is known to work best when combined with a base of high carbs. A good idea is to mix the powder with a non-acidic juice. Grape juice is a common drink used to mix creatine monohydrate with. Do not let a creatine powder sit in a liquid for more than a few hours before consuming it. It will be wasted if it sits too long. Many claim that the best time to ingest creatine supplements is about a half-hour before a workout. However, the benefits of creatine are noticeable regardless of when you take it. Should I Supplement with Creatine?That is a decision left entirely to the individual. The benefits of supplementing with creatine are tremendous. However, the unknown is always something to be concerned with. In the end, we all have to make the choice for ourselves and live with the results. Good luck and good health!
Tags: fitness, food, health, p90x Scalloped Potatoeson April 22nd, 2009 by Chrissy
I had never made scalloped potatoes before today. I looked at over 5 recipes and wasn’t happy with any of them. So, I took bits and pieces of different recipes and added an idea of my own. Below is the result of the concoction. It is not the typical scalloped potatoes but all of the major ingredients are there and it tastes great. Plus, 4 out of the 5 ingredients are organic. The only ingredient I haven’t found in an organic variety is cream cheese… one day.
Ingredients
Directions
Nutritional Information
Makes 10 servings
Tags: food, recipes Trail Mix Recipe Modon February 20th, 2009 by Chrissy
Recently, we have been making our original Trail Mix recipe on the lighter granola side (maybe a winter thing) and since I make our granola from this blog every time, I thought I would update the recipe. There are only 2 modifications: double all of the non-granola ingredients (or cut the granola in half with respect to the other ingredients) and remove the dates (we were not enjoying them) and replace them with 1/2 raisins and 1/2 cranberries.
In a large bowl, mix the following ingredients:
Note: All ingredients are listed in grams, ounces, and measuring device depending on how specific you want to be and what your scale reads. If you want something more exact with a closer repeatability, use the grams/oz measurements. If you want something a little bit more random or want to put it together really fast, use the Tbsp/cup measurements. Store in an air tight container and enjoy. We store the bulk of it in a large air tight container and then put small 30 g servings in small air tight containers that we can take to work or throw in our bags when we have to run out the door quickly. It gives a whole new meaning to fast food. Nutritional Information… coming soon
There are lots of substitutions that can be made. Some substitutions are:
If there are any allergies, remove those foods and either add more of something already in the recipe or something else. The trick is to keep a preferred ratio of granola to the additional ingredients. If you like it more on the granola side, then add more of it and if you don’t, then add less. Trail mix is so easy to make and it relatively good for you in small quantities when not exercising; and, it is a great energy food when hiking or such. Just remember to write down what you do end up making so you can make it the same way or know what to increase or decrease next time. Just remember, trail mix is supposed to be an energy food not junk food.
Tags: food, recipes More Peanut Butter Product Recallson February 6th, 2009 by Chrissy
I received an email from Drugstore.com today notifying me that there was an update to the “Peanut Butter and other Peanut Containing
Tags: food Body + Soul Challenge Day 4on January 29th, 2009 by Chrissy
Stay on Track Healthy food for all week. Check. I made a crock pot full of rice, quinoa, lentils, split peas, veggies, and spices. I can only wonder if something in this concoction is breaking my face out. I am used to eating healthy, but I am new to quinoa and a few of the spices I used. Also, I may not be accustomed to all of the extra virgin olive oil (healthy fat) that I am using in our food lately. We have enough of this food though to eat all week, so once it is gone, I will see if some ingredient in this dish is the cause. Reflect Q: What are your main day-to-day stressors? Purifying Bath Oops. Last night as I was reading ahead for the next couple days so I could be prepared for what is coming next, I read this section. I need ingredients that I don’t have and it is too late to run out and get them. A few tasks will just be out of sync. This would have derailed me last year when I attempted this challenge, but this year I am not going to let it. The ingredients don’t seem so bad at least: Epsom Salts, Grapefruit Oil, Baking Soda and possibly Jojoba or Almond Oil. I can find most of these items at our local health store and what I don’t find there, I can find at any drugstore hopefully. Other Findings I am probably not doing as well with the media detox as I should be. Positive moments: no watching of news, no unnecessary web surfing, less general computer time. Not-so-positive moments: more watching of TV than normal (design shows were building up on my DVR and I didn’t want to loose them), can not get out of checking my email before bed but trying to figure out a way, I am journalling on my computer rather than a notebook which increases my computer time but in no way compares to normal computer time.
Tags: B+S Challenge, food, health Going Out of Business Sale: The Dinner Companyon October 29th, 2008 by Chrissy
As you may have learned from my previous article, The Dinner Company in Salisbury, MD is closing its doors. They are having a raffle and a Going Out of Business Sale. Below is an excerpt from an email I received from them regarding the Going Out of Business Sale:
In a flyer that accompanied the email, they also stated that “Many items will be 50-75% off” and listed many of the items they are selling:
So, please visit The Dinner Company located at 810 Beaglin Park Drive, Salisbury, Maryland 21804 in the same shopping center as the Old West Steak House on Saturday, November 1st thru Monday, November 3rd during the hours of 7am-7pm.
Tags: food, stores The preceding is the opinion of the author(s) and is not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, or individual. The views of the writer are his own, and do not in any way reflect the views of the site they are posted on, other sites affiliated with this site, the staff involved with the site, or any other members of this site. For more information, review the full Terms of Use for this site. |
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