Salmon with pasta

Ingredients:

I pkg      Macaroni or small shell pasta

½ cup    Creamy Garlic Herb or Lemon Dill Mix

1 Tbsp   butter

1              shallot, finely chopped (you can use a regular onion instead)

1 cup     Your favorite vegetable, like peas  or mushrooms

1 tsp      lemon juice, preferable fresh

1 can      skinless, boneless salmon

Directions:

Cook pasta according to the package instructions and drain.

In a small sauce pan, gently heat the sauce of your choice and set aside.

In a large pan, melt butter and sauté shallot and vegetables until tender. Stir in the warmed sauce. Stir well.

Add the lemon juice, pasta, and salmon to the sauce mixture.  Toss well and serve.

Doing your cardio (whatever that may be) harder and faster for longer does not necessarily produce BETTER conditioning. The conditioning training is not just about training muscles to do work at a certain intensity or duration, but also training muscles to store FUEL at an optimum rate. This involves:

• Eating enough carbs, protein, and fat DAILY to fuel all  components of your training
• Proper timing of your eating: Before, During, and After exercise
• Proper hydration

Total daily intake MUST be adequate if you are going to preserve muscle and stay lean. If you aren’t eating enough carbs, then you are potentially making up the shortage by breaking down some muscle to use as fuel. You will also be limiting the body’s ability to burn fat, making it more difficult to get and stay lean.

Let me say it again. You HAVE to eat carbs, protein, and fat for everything to work correctly. If you are short changing yourself on the carbs so you can eat more protein, then you are short changing your muscles’ ability to store fuel. There are no short cuts here. Eating lots of protein DOES NOT get stored in the muscle as fuel. It also doesn’t magically create big, beautiful biceps. Carbs are stored as fuel in muscle. Carbs fuel exercise that builds big, beautiful muscles.  Protein repairs and synthesizes new muscle. Careful here. Listen to what I said. Muscle is made of protein and needs protein to repair, not enlarge, it.  If you are eating more protein than you need, it is important you understand that the extra protein is a source of extra calories. Extra calories only have a couple of fates. They can be broken down and excreted to some degree or they can be stored as fat. Some of the extra protein is broken down into amino acids and then excreted through the urine. (bummer!) The rest of it is actually stored as fat—–a bigger bummer. A lot of times this is the very reason why a guy can be working out like a dog, taking the protein supplements, and can’t seem to get really lean.

Some of you are thinking, “Yeah, but don’t you know that carbs cause water gain? You actually look leaner when you don’t eat them.”

My reply? Yep, carbs attract water. We all know that’s why you don’t eat them before weigh in. That’s a short term strategy for a short term goal.  So what? Training is LONG TERM. It’s a terrible long term strategy. Guys that hold to that theory are the ones that don’t go 3 rounds. They definitely don’t go 5 rounds. Their only prayer is to submit in round 1. Longer than that is a crap shoot. So, the take home message? You gotta have carbs.

Let all of that digest, and next week I will talk about timing of food.

Get smart and eat like a Rudog! www.rudog.com

Written by Mary Bell RD/LD

questions? send emails to mary@rudog.net

Chicken with Lemons

Ingredients:

Juice and zest of 3 lemons

1/3 cup                 olive oil

1 tsp                      oregano

1 Tbsp                   Dijon mustard

2 Tbsp                   honey

½ cup                    chopped onion

1 clove                  peeled garlic clove (or jarred garlic)

½ tsp                     salt

½ tsp                     pepper

4                              boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Grilled lemon wedges

Instructions:

1. In a small bowl, mix together the lemon juice, zest, olive oil, oregano, mustard, honey, onion, garlic, salt and pepper. Set aside ¼ cup for basting. Place chicken in the bowl, cover and marinate for at least 30 minutes in the fridge.

2. Preheat grill to medium-high. Lightly oil grill grate. Place chicken on the grill over indirect heat. Cook 6-8 minutes each side, until juices run clear. Baste occasionally with the ¼ cup reserve marinade.

3. Serve, drizzle with a little honey and garnish with the lemon wedges.

Take a mixed green salad bag (or 2) and add the following:

• 1 cup of canned black beans (you can warm these before adding)
• 1 cup of canned mexican style corn
• Crunchy tortilla strips…I like blue ones….to sprinkle on top
• Salsa or pico de gallo
• Fresh Cilantro
• Lime juice from a fresh lime

You could always top with grilled chicken breast or fish, but this is great as is. You could also top with sliced jicama for additional crunch, in place of the tortilla strips.

Mary Bell RD/LD

• It travels well and can be kept in your car or gym bag.
• No mixing.
• It’s in a container with a screw top.
• You can order it online and get it pretty reasonably.
• It’s whey protein
• It’s only 3-4 oz and it provides 26-35g protein, depending on which one you buy.
• Has BCAAs

I don’t sell this product and I am not affiliated with anyone who does,  I am just offering my objective opinion. I would certainly love feedback from anyone who is or has used this product. You can post here on the Rudog site or go to the fanpage and do it there! www.facebook.com/rudognutrition/

Mary Bell RD/LD

For a 3000 kcal diet, a reasonable fat goal would be 20-25%, or 600 – 750 kcals. That’s the equivalent of 66 – 83 fat g/day. This would mean that the carb intake would be around 50-55% and the protein intake around 20-25%.

On diets that are a little higher in protein, they tend to be a little higher in fat. That’s because animal based protein carries with it more fat. For example, a 6oz portion of fairly lean beef is going to have upwards of 42g of fat. The same portion of chicken breast will only have 18-30g fat. The type of meat you select will greatly affect the amount of “fun” fat you can build into the diet. Dairy products are often used as protein sources and they can carry additional fat (especially saturated fat) as well.

It’s also important to point out the if you prefer to use whole grain foods and higher fiber foods, they will typically be a little higher in fat than lower fiber choices. The bran portion of the grain is where the fat content is contained. Cereals (think granola) that are higher in fiber can also be higher in fat because of the nuts they use to boost the fiber. They also cook or roll the granola in oil, be sure to read the label.

It is certainly easy to get too much fat, but you don’t want to be so careful that you don’t get enough. Many of the guys I work with admit that they are afraid to eat fat at all. Here are a few of the problems that can happen if you don’t eat enough fat:

• You will end up feeling not satisfied. This eventually leads to a “binge” where you seek out pizza or something that has the fat you are craving in it.
•  Fat in the diet provides a mouth feel that communicates to the brain “this is yummy and I like it it.” It signals the serotonin response that tells your brain you are satisfied and done. If this “trigger” doesn’t happen, your body puts itself on a mission to make it happen.
• Over time, when there isn’t enough fat in the diet, you put yourself at risk for essential fatty acid deficiency. There are lots of special fats and fat soluble vitamins that are present in fat. When you over restrict fat, you miss out on these. This can cause drying of hair and skin, brittle nails, hair that breaks, and an overall dullness to the skin.

If you are eating a balanced diet (which means adequate carbs, protein and fat) that provides the right amount of kcals, and you aren’t going crazy with high fat food choices, your fat intake will be right on target without you having to measure it. However, if you want a little help or affirmation that what you are doing is right for your training goals, just have a simple diet analysis done to see what and how you are actually eating. Knowledge is what gives you the power to change.

Mary Bell RD/LD

www.rudog.com

It’s extremely important to be able to read supplement advertisements with a critical eye.  Your health depends on it! With this article you are going to learn how to decide if a supplement is legitimate or not and what kind of questions are good to ask. First, start with common sense. Ask things like:

• Does this sound too good to be true?
• Does the add use lots of fancy terms and make big promises?
• Is it expensive?

If the answer is “yes” to any of those questions, you should be suspicious. Then , ask more questions like the following:

• What kind of research was done on the product? Was it done by a company NOT owned by the manufacturer? Was it a double blind study?
• Has more than one study been done? Did any studies show the product NOT effective?
• Was any of the research published in MAJOR peer-reviewed science journal (Journal of American Medical Association, Journal of Clinical Nutrition)
• Is this product being promoted primarily by testimonials instead of scientific research?
• Have there been any risks or side effects identified with use of the product?
• Were the studies done on animals or people?

If an advertisement references clinical studies that have been done on their product, they are trying to make it sound like hard core, irrefutable studies have been done. You need to find out.  It’s important to know who PAID for the study to be done.  Results are more believable when studies are paid for and conducted by people who aren’t related to the product being studied. This removes the bias.  For example, if I am Gatorade and I have a new product that is supposed to help people run faster, I want to do research that actually yields this result. I am not interested in research that might say it doesn’t work. So I would do the research and studies myself. Hmmmmm….questionable.  However, I could hire a company to test my product for me.  That would be much less questionable. See the difference?

The design of the study contributes to the validity of the results. It’s important to point out that studies done on animals is cheaper and less complicated than using people. Usually, products have to be tested on animals before they can test on humans.  The bigger the study, the more complicated, the longer, the more control, the better. These are more expensive, though, and take much more time.  A random trial, or study, is preferred. This means the people in the study receiving the product were picked randomly and not pre-selected. Even better is a double blind study.  A double blind study means that the people in the study do not know if they are actually being given the product being tested, as well as the people conducting the study do not know who is being given the actual product. This is the best, but much more complicated and difficult to implement.

When a product has been well tested and has nothing to “hide”, it will be published in scientific journals. Not just magazines, but highly respected journals that are peer reviewed. This is important, because a journal that is peer-reviewed means that very strict criteria have been met by the article before it can be published. It has been reviewed, or looked at, by other professionals and has been thoroughly critiqued. This means the professionals have asked questions about the design of the study and the interpretation of the results. The author(s) of the article have to defend it. Once it is satisfactorily defended, only then will the peer group recommend it for publication. This is really, really important. Journals that do this are probably not ones that you read, but that you have heard of. JAMA, or Journal of the American Medical Association, is one. JCN, or Journal of Clinical Nutrition, is another. Popular magazines do NOT do this.  So, just because you read about something in a muscle or health magazine doesn’t necessarily mean you should accept it as fact. It means you should look for more information to back up what you have read.

Perhaps most importantly, you need to find out if the studies that were done showed any side effects (or death!!)  to use of the product.  Many times studies will say that no serious side effects were experienced after 6 weeks, or 6 months. But it is extremely important to know if there were any side effects after 1 yr, 5 yrs, 10 yrs, and 20 yrs! That means they have to study it for a really long time and spend a LOT of money to do it. That’s why many of the products in the supplement industry are questionable. They have not put the time and money into showing the safety of the product over a long period of time and at variable dosages.

So, based on what you have read here, you should have a pretty good comfort level with being able to assess whether or not a supplement is worth considering.   A few easy ones to start with:

• Is this too good to be true?
• Has it been independently studied? On animals or people?
• How long was it studied for ?
• What journals has it been published in?
• Side effects?

When products can show that they have been independently researched, well published, and that the studies have produced consistent results, then you can start to consider them seriously.  Everybody wants a quick answer, but quick is rarely wise.

Figure out how many chicken breasts, lean burgers, pork chops, fish fillets and turkey burgers you will need and cook them all at the same time. Wrap them well and keep them in the fridge until you’re ready to eat them. 7 days is about as long as I would recommend keeping pre-cooked food. While you are grilling your meats, boil a dozen eggs so you have hardboiled eggs to grab throughout the week as an easy protein addition to meals and snacks.

Grill now, eat later

Generically speaking, your daily intake should look something like this:

This ends up being around 48% Carbs, 22% Pro, and 30% Fat

Right on target for a balanced diet that will provide enough fuel and carbs to train hard and recover well.

Please note that the foods choices are in no particular order, but they are grouped into meals that happen 5-6 times a day. So at a minimum, you should be eating at least 5 times a day, with no more than 3 hours between each time you eat. The actual food can be whatever you like to eat, but the meal should contain some carbs, some protein, and a little bit of fat. This helps even out the blood sugar levels, as well as helps you feel “satisfied”, rather than hungry all the time.

Another, even simpler, way to keep tabs on whether or not you are eating the right quantity of foods is by making sure your plate looks like this:

• At least half your plate should be made up of starchy foods.
• About ¼ of the plate should be covered up with protein.
• The rest of the plate should be covered with veggies, as high as you care to stack them.

The chart below will give you a visual of what I am talking about.

What my dinner plate should look like

This is a great guideline to get you started on the right track. If you think you might benefit from more specific meal planning, that’s what Rudog is for! Set up your consultation today and get your meal plan your way. (Does this sound like a Burger King add??)

Eat like a Rudog!

Mary Bell, the Fight Dietitian

mary@rudog.net