Food Worship #6: The Red Beet

I'm always looking for something new to put in my salad, and recently I've discovered the magically little root vegetable known as the red beet, or just plain "beet" for short.  Maybe you've seen them, and had to look twice because of their crazy red/purple hue.  Woah man, it's purple!  But seriously, these little guys are absolutely delicious, and positively packed with nutrients.  In fact they have quite a few nutrients in high quantity that you'd be hard pressed to find in almost any other veggie.

What I find most amazing about the beet though, is how naturally sweet it is for a vegetable!  These things have a pretty hefty sugar content for being in the veggie family, but believe me don't let that fact steer you away from consuming these wondrous sweet little treats daily. It's all natural sugar that most likely will not sabotage your diet like the processed stuff might.  I say "most likely" because it's possible to go overboard with pretty much any food, even fruits and vegetables.  But believe me, if you eat a normal portion of beets daily, you've got nothing to worry about.  That's great news, considering the awesome flavor kick they give, and the delicious texture they have when they're boiled.  

But what about these infamous health benefits I've hinted about?  Are beets really that nutritionally valuable?  Let's examine why you should definitely give these purple wonders a try in a meal of yours:

Antioxidants:  You may have noticed a trend by now that darker colored fruits and vegetables tend to be pretty rich with a blend of healthy antioxidants.  Beets are no exception, and have a whole host of these healthful substances hidden inside.  But what's surprising is that the particular antioxidants found in beets aren't found in huge quantity in any other common vegetable.  Instead of the common beta-carotene, beets have large amounts of lutein and zeaxanthin. Crazy names, yes, but extremely useful substances.  They help to maintain eye and skin health, and because they're hard to find in large quantities in most other foods, having beets once in a while would definitely be to your advantage.  

Beets are also rich in the antioxidant betalain, which is also the substance that helps give them their rich red/purple color.  These antioxidants help with general cell function in your body, and also may help prevent diseases such as Rheumatoid Arthritis.  

As I've said before, this blend of antioxidants in beets really is unique in a sense, and makes the beet a very desirable vegetable in any diet.  Here's a quote from whfoods.com that puts it into better perspective:  

"While research is largely in the early stage with respect to beet antioxidants and their special benefits for eye health and overall nerve tissue health, we expect to see study results showing these special benefits and recognizing beets as a standout vegetable in this area of antioxidant support."

Vitamins:  I bet you saw this one coming.  Beets are loaded with all sorts of vitamins and minerals!  They are extremely rich in Vitamin C (you need a whole bunch of Vit. C this time of year, or you're going to be suffering from runny noses and coughs), and Vitamin A.  They also have a large quantity of the minerals iron, calcium, folic acid, niacin, biotin, and manganese.  In fact, here's a list of some of the nutritional information about beets, and the most densely packed vitamins and minerals they contain:

Nutritive Values : Per 100 gm.

• Vitamin A : 20 I.U.
• Thiamine : .02 mg
• Riboflavin : .05 mg
• Niacin : .4 mg
• Vitamin C : 10 mg.
• Calcium : 27 mg.
• Iron : 1.0 mg.
• Phosphorus : 43 mg.
• Fat : .1 gm.
• Carbohydrates : 9.6 gm.
• Protein : 1.6 gm.
• Calories : 42

Low Fat:  This one seems like a no brainer, but is still definitely worth mentioning.  Beets are extremely low in fat, and are virtually free of ALL saturated fats.  That means that any fat that is there (though you'd be hard pressed to find much at all), is heart healthy unsaturated fat.  Win-win situation!

Low Calorie Salad Topper:  What I really love about beets though, is their flavor.  I implore you to give them a chance, because they really are a sweet, low calorie salad component that could easily make that boring old salad of yours suddenly alive and tasty as heck.  In fact, boiled, chilled beets are so juicy and delicious that I bet you'll be fine content with no other salad dressing than the red beet's delicious juices.  It'll add a whole new health factor to your salad, and may even help you to take away some of that processed salad dressing.  

How low calorie are they?  Well, half a cup of delicious red beets is less than 40 calories, and every single calorie that is there is a quality calorie packed with nutrients and other health promoting substances.  Don't ever stress about eating beets!  

There it is!  A whole nutritional profile of a vegetable that isn't quite as common in mainstream society today, but definitely, definitely, DEFINITELY is worth trying in your diet.  I bet you'll like the flavor, the soft texture, and the awesome purple hue!  I mean how cool is it to have a food that's like, PURPLE!  Anyways, enough immaturity.  Beets are awesome.  Try some. Today. Please.

Keep eating the good stuff, make that salad interesting, and as always, good luck!

To Shake or not to Shake?

Whether you're new to the fitness scene, or a seasoned veteran in the gym, chances are you drink a protein shake at some point during your day (usually around your workout, though I've known some who decide to chug one any old time.)  If you've got a good brand of protein, I bet you love the shake, and I bet it feels great to give your body what it needs right after a tough workout.  You may have even seen some pretty good gains off of the stuff, both in the strength and looks department.  There's no doubt protein shakes are great fitness tools, and it's easy to see why so many are sold on them for daily usage.

But why stop at one?  I've known many people who decide they'd like to get bigger and stronger, and decide in order to do so they'll just stick another protein shake in their diet at some random point in their day.  And so now, they chug one protein shake after their workout, and one whenever they feel like it.  If they feel like they'd REALLYYY like some more muscle, they may even stick a third in there somewhere.  Heck, I've known some people to drink as many as 5-6 shakes a day, all in hopes to gain lean muscle mass quickly.  I don't care who you are, 5-6 shakes a day is a LOT of whey protein.  But still, what's the big deal, it'll work...right?

Eh...not so much.  Listen for a second.

What many people in the fitness world fail to realize is that whole food (actual meals, chicken, corn, beans, rice...etc...) still drastically outranks any protein shake in the nutritional department.  To start removing all those fantastic nutrients from your diet in exchange for a shake is a very bad idea, because you will start to leave yourself starved of most of the good stuff.  Your body wants whole food, and trust me it'll go a lot farther than a liquefied shake.  

Shakes just don't have the same kind of nutritional value as whole food.  Sure they've got a ton of protein, but they're lacking many essential nutrients to regular bodily function.  And you know what?  It may be confusing to hear, but in the muscle building department, protein ISN'T EVERYTHING.  You can overload your body with as much protein as you want, and your body will still only use a fraction of it.  Most of it will go right in and right out of your system, doing nothing but wasting your time and money.  Your body needs a very specific environment in order to build a lot of muscle as quickly as possible (which isn't very quick no matter what, mind you), and guess what's the easiest way to ensure you're providing this ideal bodily atmosphere?  EAT FOOD.  You need carbs, you need fat, you need natural, non-synthesized nutrients in order to help your body use all that extra protein you're giving it to its fullest potential.  I'll repeat again, if you're just drinking a ton of protein shakes, more than likely they're going in and washing right out.  

Food also has a thermic effect on the body.  This means that it requires energy to digest, where as shakes are predigested and absorb much more quickly into your system.  After a workout, this is great, because you get nutrients as fast as possible, but any other time of the day this isn't needed and is NOT an ideal scenario.  You need to work your digestive tract, and you'll burn more calories doing so anyway.  

There's also speculation about what excess protein supplementation can do to your kidneys.  Believe it or not your kidneys have to work pretty hard to filter all that junk out of the water it's dissolved in, and the more protein you take in, the more work they have to end up doing.  Will it cause kidney problems?  Probably not, especially if you're drinking enough water.  In fact I truly doubt you'll ever see any negative effects of protein shakes as long as you're not going overboard.  But ya know what?  It's something to think about, and in order to keep your kidneys healthy, and be safe rather than sorry, I'd suggest limiting your protein shake intake and increasing your water intake.  

And finally, DON'T BE AFRAID TO EAT.  It all comes down to the most effective meal (nutritionally) for the calories you're consuming.  Guess what, if you're trying to get a few more quality calories in, protein shakes are NOT the answer.  Sure they'll give you a ton of protein, but again, that protein will do diddly squat without other nutrients to support it.  Enjoy real food.  Try new recipes every day.  Give your body what it really needs.  Protein supplements are just that...SUPPLEMENTS...meant to be taken only when it is more convenient to do so (like right after a workout at the gym, where I doubt you have an entire kitchen setup to make a nice healthy meal right after that last set.)  Would I replace my post-workout shake with a real meal if I could?  You bet your bottom I would!  It'd probably do me a lot more good than some shake, no matter how delicious that shake is.  In fact, let me put this is bold:

TO SEE MUSCLE GAINS, YOU DO NOT NEED PROTEIN SHAKES.  YOU CAN GET BETTER GAINS OFF OF REAL FOOD THAN YOU COULD WITH ANY SHAKE ON THE MARKET.  

Here's my recommendation:  Drink 1-2 shakes a day, max.  Drink one after your workout, as this is the time your body needs it most.  If you leave your body starved after working it to the breaking point, you're completely screwing yourself over for any sort of gain.  The second shake you can drink when you want, but I'd suggest it in the morning, when your body is crying for food after not eating all night.  I have whey protein powder in my oatmeal, but hey, close enough.  Those two times are generally the most effective for protein absorption   If you can have a real meal instead though, do it.  Just make sure you're getting all your required nutrients.

Shakes are meant for convenience.  They are not an excuse to be lazy nutritionally.  Cook your food, plan your meals, design them to fit your caloric and macro nutrient needs.  Put some work into it!  You'll see better results in the long run, I guarantee.  

Keep eating, love those whole foods, and as always, good luck!

All About Glycogen

I bet you've all had them.  Those days when you drag yourself to the gym, and for some reason can't lift even fractions of what you normally could.  You'll end up frustrated beyond belief at the end of your session, wondering why weights that you generally pull with ease just won't budge.  You may look in the mirror, and feel as if your muscles looks smaller, softer, and less "bulky" than they usually are.  You just may feel weak, a shadow of your formal, beastly self.  Why has all your progress suddenly come to naught?

The answer?  Glycogen depletion.

Glycogen is an extremely important substance that is stored in your muscles and in your liver.  It is the body's usable source of carbohydrates.  You've always wondered how all that food you ate ended up as usable energy.  Well, glycogen is the answer!  Your body basically converts ingested carbohydrates into glycogen, and saturates your muscles and liver with the stuff to use as an efficient and powerful fuel source.  Hence, after your workout (in which you've hopefully depleted a large amount of your glycogen stores), it would definitely be in your interest to consume carbohydrates with your protein (the ratio is under scrutiny, some say 2:1 carbs to protein, others say as much as 4:1) in order to initiate both protein and glycogen synthesis.  

Easy enough right?  To keep those glycogen stores topped off, keep some carbs in that post-workout meal.  But because you've read my other articles (you have, haven't you?) , you may, upon considering this information, have reached a quandary about replenishing glycogen stores.  You may have realized that there are multiple types of carbohydrates (namely simple, and complex).  So which does a better job of fueling up those muscles after a hard workout?  Or maybe you're wondering if it matters at all, as long as your muscles get those much needed nutrients.

Well we've established in previous examples that IN GENERAL complex carbohydrates are a more effective energy/nutrient source for your body.  They are released slowly and used efficiently, and are less likely to be stored as fat.  They'll give you lasting energy for long periods of time, and are the better choice for filling up those glycogen starved muscles.  Why aren't simple carbs quite as good?  Well here's a quote from a website I found that describes it better than I could:

"… complex carbohydrates … are more effective in replenishing glycogen stores than simple sugars. This makes sense because complex carbs are released slowly whereas simple sugars are released very rapidly, potentially overwhelming the glycogen synthesis pathways and "spilling over" into fat stores. Furthermore, the increased insulin release resulting from simple sugars causes more of the sugar to be converted to fat (Parillo, p.20)."

So there you go, glycogen stores are more effectively replenished via complex carbohydrates.  Good examples of easily consumable complex carbohydrate sources are maltodextrin and brown rice syrup, both of which can easily be mixed into a post workout protein shake.  

Brown Rice Syrup...lovely isn't it?

But simple, sugary carbs also have their place post workout.  In fact they play a very important role in initiating both glycogen and protein synthesis.  Simple sugars (like dextrose, a commonly used sugary carb in the fitness scene) will quickly spike your blood sugar, which allows muscles to rapidly absorb all sorts of nutrients.  In fact, post workout is about the only time you really want to voluntarily "spike" your blood insulin because it allows for all that good synthesis material such as amino acids, carbs, vitamins, minerals, you name it, to be sponged up by those soft, tired muscles in no time flat.  Pretty nifty biochemistry, if I don't say so myself.  

There it is, a simple explanation of muscle glycogen, and why it is so crucial in the strength/fitness scene.  Low glycogen levels=poor performance, and believe me nobody wants to feel like crap in the gym.  If you've come off a long training cycle, chances are your glycogen stores are very low.  Don't be afraid to take a day off and eat a good amount of quality carbohydrates.  Everybody needs a re-feed every now and then!

Keep those muscles fueled, lift heavy and run like the wind.  Good luck!

Reference Article (A great read if you have the time, delves into more complex topics about glycogen replenishment):  http://fitnessforoneandall.com/nutrition/article/glycogen.htm

Triple-Nut Butter *YOUTUBE PREMIER*

Hey guys, check out my latest endeavor.  It's a new Youtube account where I will put all sorts of food/recipe related videos.  This one involves the creation of Triple-Nut butter, something I thought of one day before Thanksgiving break and wanted desperately to try when I had some time.  The stuff is DELICIOUS!

The caloric information is about the same as peanut butter, around 200 calories for 2 tbsp.

But the greatest part has to be that this butter contains:

No hydrogenated oils


No high fructose corn syrup


No added sugar (and barely any sugar at all to begin with!)


High protein density

A ton of  healthy, unsaturated fat, great for weight loss and heart health!

And this recipe is easily modified to include all sorts of other goodies.  More nuts, flax seed, wheat germ, whey protein, you name it, you can easily throw it in there.  Let me know what you guys think, and enjoy!