Hi Everyone -
In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve been MIA the past week.
I gave birth to a healthy baby girl on Sunday May 17th!!
I will be taking a couple of weeks off to figure out this whole mom thing, then I will be back to the Weekly Bite Newsletters and Blog 
Please don’t hesitate to send me any nutrition questions you have!!
Take Care!
Estela
Saturday my husband competed in his first ½ Iron Man!! Wow!! The only word I have to describe the environment is HARDCORE. There were some serious athletes there!! After talking to several competitors, I found out that a lot of them were using this as a training race for the full Iron Man. For those that don’t know what’s involved in a ½ Iron Man, it’s a 1.2-mile swim followed by a 56-mile bike ride, and finally, a 13.1-mile run.
We had to figure out how to fuel him during his workouts. There was a lot of Gue’s
, Cliff Shot Blocks, Power Bars, Bananas, PB&J Sandwiches, Cytomax, Gatorade, and Endurolyte Tabs (sodium/potassium tablets). Packed fuel for the race were three 1gallon jugs of water, 4 PB&J Sandwiches, 5 Bananas, 12 Gues, 5 packs shot blocks, and cytomax mix.
Fuel before the race was a big dinner, which consisted of a beef burrito, Spanish rice, and beans. Before bed he ate a power bar, and consumed copious amounts of Gatorade the entire week leading up to the race. Morning of the race we were up at 4:30am. Here is his nutrition breakdown for the race.
5:00am Pre-race (before 1.2 mile swim)
After 1.2 mile swim (transition from swim to bike)
During 56 mile bike ride:
Fuel During Bike to Run transition:
Fuel During 13.1 mile run:
The important this to know is that he did not introduce any food or supplement into his body that he did not train with. PB&J sandwiches and bananas were a daily staple pre-workout. They sat well in his stomach and gave him the energy he needed. During his actual workouts he fueled with Gue, Shot Blocks, Cytomax, Gatorade, and Endurolyte Tabs. Hydration is extremely important during these endurance events. The high temperature the day of the race was 91 degrees… the temperature reached it’s highest during the bike ride and stayed there for several hours throughout the run. The endurolyte tabs were essential to replace the sodium and potassium the body was losing through excessive sweat.
All together, we were both pleased with his nutrition during the race. He said he wouldn’t change a thing. Immediately after the race, he said he would do it again! Even though this is an extreme sport, he said this felt better on his body than a marathon race.
Question for Readers…
If you’re a triathlete and have competed in these races before, how do you fuel during the event? I’m really interested to hear what others do!
Q: Is it important to take a daily multivitamin?
A: I view a multivitamin as a good insurance plan. It should not replace your daily intake of fruits and veggies, but it’s a great way to ensure you’re getting all the nutrients you need.
Q: What made you decide to become a dietitian? I read about your struggle with food… is that why? What’s your educational background?
A: Ironically, my struggle with food and weight insecurities didn’t start until I was in college studying to become a dietitian. I decided to go into nutrition because of my strong family history of cancer and diabetes. I was diagnosed with cancer at the very young age of 9. After a year of chemotherapy treatment, I am very happy to be in remission for 24 years now. Growing up, I wanted to do everything I could to make sure the cancer never came back. That’s where my love of nutrition came in. I learned on my own that proper diet and exercise was and still is the best preventative medicine out there! I still carry that passion today and am grateful that I get to share my knowledge each day. As far as my educational background goes, I have a bachelor’s degree in Food & Nutrition Science from Texas A&M – Kingsville and a masters degree in Clinical Nutrition from Texas Women’s University. I completed my dietetic internship in Houston, Texas.
Q: I struggle with a large appetite and feeling hungry most of the day. I eat whole grains, healthy fats, adequate protein, and drink 8+ cups of water/day. I try to eat slowly with minimal distractions so I can focus on my food. I have a desk job, but typically exercise 30 minutes to one hour every day after work. Do you have any tips or suggestions so I don’t feel hungry all the time?
A: It’s really hard to answer this question without know what your meals consist of, or knowing what your current weight is. The first thing that comes to mind is how much food you are eating at each meal. Are your meals large enough? Also, there is a difference between “appetite” and “hunger”. It’s very important to distinguish the difference between the two. Hunger refers to a physical discomfort caused by the lack of food. One common sign is a rumbling stomach. This rumbling can be accompanied by a feeling of lightheadedness and weakness. Hunger only occurs after an extended period of time since eating. Appetite is more like a desire for food, or a craving that may be prompted by the sight or smell of food. Passing a bakery and getting the smell of freshly baked bread, or seeing the dessert-trolley in a restaurant, are typical examples. In this case, we are not really hungry, but mistake the urge or craving as hunger. My best advice is to try to spread out your meals and decipher if it’s true hunger, or a craving that’s making you want more food. If you need more help, just send me an email .
Q: I am interested in lowering my cholesterol since it is high but my HDL is very good, says my OB-GYN nurse practitioner. I also need to lose a very more lbs. Any advice?
A: Congrats on having a high HDL! That’s great! From my experience, clients who start to lose weight will see a decrease in their total cholesterol. In terms of eating to lose weight and lower your cholesterol, it all about making the right food choices coupled with portion control. A diet rich in whole grains, fruits, veggies, lean protein, and healthy fats is key. A great resource for this is my blog post on “How to Control Portions.” This should be a good place to get started. Minimizing your intake of refined sugar is extremely important as well. This includes candies, cakes, cookies, donuts, etc…
Q: Hello there! I was just introduced to your website, and I think it’s fantastic! I take long and intense dance classes several days a week, and as a result I often wake up the next morning with incredibly sore muscles, even though I am really good about stretching, I do have a food-related question involving sore muscles and exercise… I was told that certain foods such as bananas help relieve sore muscles when eaten before and after exercising…what are your thoughts on this, is it true? If so, what other foods may help? Are there specific items I can include in my diet to help my body perform at its best for long workouts?
A: Bananas are a potassium rich food. Symptoms of deficiency of potassium in the diet include diarrhea, vomiting, weak muscles, breathing abnormality, hypokalemia, and more. Those who have a potassium deficiency may often have muscle cramping (like a Charlie horse). As far as sore muscles… this can be caused by a couple of things. You may be pushing your body differently with each dance class. When you use new muscles, you will most likely feel sore. One thing that can attribute to sore muscles is dehydration. You want to make sure you keep yourself well hydrated before, during, and after your dance classes. As far as nutrition goes, fueling properly for long workouts is extremely important! If you don’t fuel properly, you will feel week. Getting proper amounts of carbohydrates, protein, and fat is vital. Potassium rich foods include the bright colors fruits and veggies, as well as dark green veggies. Some examples are: Apples, Apricots, Bananas, Brazil Nuts, Brown Rice, Cantaloupe, Figs, Honeydew, Kiwi, Legumes, Lima beans, Milk, Oranges, Orange Juice, Peaches, Potatoes, Prunes, Rasins, Roasted Peanuts with skin, Spinach, Squash, Vegetable Juices, Wheat Bread, White Rice, Winter Squash, Yogurt
Q: Hi, I have been reading your blog for a while now and really appreciate the great information. I have a question I hope you can help me with. I recently gained back the 40 lbs I lost (and kept off for 5 yrs) plus another 10. My workouts are stellar but I know I am eating too much and not always the right foods. I want to lose the weight again but am lacking the motivation to get started. I already feel defeated because it’s so overwhelming. I know the thing that will get me motivated will be results, but I have such little patience! What can I do to get some quick results that will keep me pushing towards me goal?
A: I wish I could give you an answer for some quick results… but when it comes to healthy weight loss, there is really no such thing. The first thing that needs to be done is to recognize why you gained back the 40+ pounds. Once you recognize and address that reason, it will make it easier for you to move forward. It can be very overwhelming when it comes to losing weight, but instead of looking at total number of pounds you want to lose, break it down into small goals. Permanent weight loss involves patience. Lack of patience is one of the main reasons we tend to gravitate towards quick fix programs. Do something each day that will push you towards the right direction. If you haven’t been exercising, set a small exercise goal each day. Set a goal to eat breakfast each day, or to not mindlessly snack between meals. More importantly, tell yourself you are going to take it one day at a time, one meal at a time. Little by little, the weight will come off. If you have anymore questions, I’m happy to help!
Got a question for Weekly Bite? Submit your question on this blog post and I’ll put in the next Q&A.
It’s so enticing… walking through the vitamin/supplement aisle of your local health food store. There are boxes and boxes and detox quick fix promises… all promising to lose weight fast. Even some high profile celebrities promote detox liquid diets for quick weight loss. As a dietitian, I’m NOT a proponent of these quick fixes. In writing this article, I wanted to provide you with the REAL info on detox diets from a professional who practices this with their clients. For this, I turned to Naturopath Doctor Luck Bennett. Here is what she had to say about detox diets.
Detox diets should be primarily plant-based (organically grown whenever possible), if people want to consume animal protein, it should come from free-range organically fed sources or wild-caught fish. The whole purpose of a detox is to decrease the body’s toxic burden, so we want to decrease the amount of toxins coming in to the body (i.e. organic foods, filtered water) while increasing the body’s ability to remove both the toxins it creates and the toxins we encounter as part of daily living. For many people, a detox diet is a pretty dramatic departure from their regular diet (which is part of the reason they may need to detox in the first place!), so it can feel like they’re depriving themselves. But a detox diet is NOT about calorie restriction – it is about changing where those calories come from.
There are detox diets out there that are quite extreme and do restrict calorie intake, but these are very difficult to maintain over an extended period of time and people frequently fall off the wagon, so to speak. Additionally, there are some people for whom an extreme detox diet would be contraindicated, but a more nourishing detox diet can be quite beneficial. For Lucky’s clients, her preference is for them to stay on a detox for 4-6 weeks, so a diet that can sustain them for that period of time is very important.
As far as detox supplements are concerned, most of the commercially available supplements have a fiber component that increases stool bulk and frequency and usually some herbs that support the liver’s detoxification pathways and the kidneys’ eliminative function. Lucky feels it is important for people to remember that while these herbs can be very effective, they can also interact with the metabolism of prescription and over-the-counter medications. If people have questions about whether or not the supplements are appropriate for them, they should consult with someone who has experience the herbs.
The detoxes Lucky guides her clients through always involve other components such as aerobic exercise, sweating, deep breathing exercises, and proper hydration to support all of the body’s primary pathways of eliminating toxins. The diet is the primary way we can influence the toxins coming in, but we can’t forget to address the ways the body rids itself of toxins either. Lucky believes that to effectively detox, it isn’t enough to take some pills for a week or two and expect miraculous changes.
Lucky provided me with some great information! Detox diets don’t have to be extreme. My interpretation of the information was that the goal is to eat “REAL” food, food that is as close to nature as possible… this CAN be a huge departure from someone’s regular diet, which can make them feel deprived. Slowly moving your diet towards more real foods and away from processed artificial foods can be an easy naturally progression towards a healthier diet. Like Lucky said, this is not about reducing calories, but changing the source of where calories come from.
I hope this info was helpful! If you have any questions about detox diets, submit them in the comment section of this post and I will pass them onto Lucky.
