Eat While you Train

May 10th, 2012

Just wanted to remind those of you who are training at the professional/competitive level that you should be eating something during your training sessions if your sessions go longer than an hour. Many of you train twice a day for 2-3 hours at a time, plus do additional cardio or strength training outside of the gym. This is a huge fuel demand on the body. If the demand isn’t met properly, you increase your risk for injury. This could be due to physical fatigue, mental fatigue, or both.  The goal is to fuel your body so that your training time is as high quality as it can be. If you are barely making it through your sessions, or frequently feel like you hit the wall during training, then you definitely need to be consuming some calories. I’m not talking about a sit-down meal, I’m talking about 15-20g of carbohydrate  every 15- 20 minutes. It doesn’t sound like much, but it is exactly enough to maintain you blood sugar levels so that you don’t fatigue as easily. Here are the guidelines to use for when you will be doing extended training sessions:

1. Use an energy bar of your choice, (like a Rudog Bar) that has about 250-300 kcals. Cut it into 5 or 6 bite size pieces and have it with you when you train.

2. About 45 minutes into your exercise session, take a 2 minute break and have a bite of the bar and a good drink of water, or whatever your training beverage is. Get back to training.

3. Repeat this every 20-25 minutes until the bar is gone.

You should notice that you don’t have the “slump” that usually hits in the middle of the workout AND you should feel like you have a little gas left in your tank when you get to the last 15 minutes or so of the session. This is extremely important!! When your blood sugar is well maintained, you are less likely to be mentally fatigued and make a mistake that can result in injury. Think about it. When do most of you guys get hurt? At the end. That last wrestling or sparring session. You are being pushed to keep going, the pressure is on to not quit, you are so tired you can’t think straight……and you drop your hands, or you don’t block the kick to the head, or you can’t defend the armbar properly…..and then you are hurt. Sometimes so badly that you have to pull out of your fight. That sucks. And it is preventable. If you train and eat together.

I’m not saying you will never get injured, but you will certainly decrease the odds of injury due to fatigue. Doesn’t that sound like a good thing?

About the Rudog Bars:

Rudog Bars

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rudog Bars have about 260 calories, 7 g protein and 4 g fat. They are mostly carbohydrate and specifically designed for pre and during exercise consumption. They are homemade with nothing artificial in them. They sell for $15 a dozen and can be kept in the freezer. You can order them by emailing me at mary@rudog.net.

 

Fuel to Train!

Mary Bell, Fight Dietitian

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Looking for a good vitamin?

May 2nd, 2012

Aren’t we always looking for the perfect supplement or vitamin? It’s definitely one of the top 5 questions I get asked. People always want to know what I recommend for a good multivitamin. Before I answer, I usually ask them what they are currently taking or are considering taking. The answers are fascinating. Sometimes they are taking an expensive supplement line from “Company X”, sometimes they are taking an organic vitamin from a specialty store, some are doing nothing, and so on. In spite of this, they seem to still feel like there is something better out there, and so they continue to search. Hopefully, my answer here will help.

First, it’s important to understand that the vitamin industry is unregulated. That makes it a little risky. It means that the FDA does not inspect each vitamin maker out there and it does not make them prove that what they say on their label is in fact what is in the bottle, let alone each pill. With this in mind, choosing a manufacturer/company that has a strong reputation and has been around a long time is a good place to start.

Second, please remember that you are choosing a supplement. This means your diet should already be in pretty good shape. That would mean your diet is already providing a good portion of the vitamins and minerals you need each day, so you really only need a supplement that provides up to 100% of the Recommended Daily Intake (RDI). Many supplements on the market today provide upwards of 1000%, sometimes 25,000% of the RDI. That is just completely unecessary and potentially very dangerous. Your body will absorb what it needs and then you will pee the excess out, so why take more than you need?

Third, consider your pocketbook and choose a vitamin or supplement that fits your budget. You don’t need to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars a month on anything. A good, reputable multivitamin should cost you less than $30 a month. Take the savings and go spend it on extra groceries!

So, what do I recommend? Personally, I take a Flintstones Complete every other day. Don’t laugh! One Flintstone chewable provides 100% of everything I need, plus a good dose of iron. There are a couple of “minor players” (like calcium and magnesium) that are a little lower, but that is typical and my diet provides the rest. It’s EXTREMELY affordable and I like picking which character I am going to chew each time. I also have the rest of the family on them, too. If Flinstones ain’t your thing, One a Day or anything similar to that is an excellent choice.  For those of you that prefer a little more science in your pills, check out DaVinci Labs out of Vermont. They are a smaller scale private manufacturer that have a wonderful selection of supplements, vitamins, and herbal products. Many are organic, vegan, and/or gluten free as well. They are pricier than something right off the grocery store shelf. but they aren’t ridiculous. I use a couple of their products and have been VERY pleased. If you plan to purchase from them, please use the link provided in this blog. It lets them track hits and traffic back to Rudog. :)

Mary Bell RD/LD

Rudog Owner

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Rudog Energy Bars for Workouts and Snacks

March 26th, 2012
Rudog Energy Bars

Rudog Energy Bars with fresh fruit and hints of dark chocolate. Not actual size shown.

I have been looking for the perfect energy bar for years. I would even consider it a success if I could just find one that tastes like real food. I am still looking. Why do the bars have to be so chalky, dry and disgusting? Not to mention expensive. In addition to my personal hunt for the bar that is truly desirable and edible, I have also been looking for one that is well tolerated as a fuel source for my fighters during workouts. This has been a challenge. Many are just too rich, too dry, too chewy, and too expensive. Frustrated by this, I decided that maybe I could just create one myself. So I did.

I wanted certain features in my bar, so I used these criteria as a basis to create my recipe.

  1. Had to taste good
  2. Had to be moist, but not sticky or fall apart
  3. Had to be made without oil or butter
  4. Had to be well tolerated during high intensity workouts
  5. Had to be under $2
  6. Had to have no salt, no artificial sweeteners, or additives
  7. Finally, had to taste good with coffee!! :) (ok, that part was just for my personal benefit)

What I ended up with was a bar that does exactly all of that. I am excited to say that the bars have been a big hit so far. Because of their unique texture, they travel well and are easy to eat on the go. They don’t fall apart and they don’t make a mess in the car. Kids like them, too. They need to be kept in the fridge or the freezer since they don’t have any artificial ingredients or preservatives. You can take them from the freezer and they are thawed within about 10 minutes. A nice chilled temperature for eating on the run. You can also zap them in the microwave for 10 seconds and that produces the same result.

 

The bars contain primarily oats, fresh fruit, dark chocolate and are sweetened with honey and brown sugar. If you are allergic to nuts, these aren’t the bars for you because occasionally they may contain small amounts of nuts or foods that have nuts in them. They are purposefully NOT super sweet, but are full of flavor.

Currently, the bars can be made with strawberry, dark chocolate chunks, blueberries, or any combination of those. I have to admit that the best combination is a fruit with the chocolate.

The bars average about 260 kcals, 6g of protein, 4g of fat, and 4g of fiber. They sell for $15 a dozen. I can mail them to you, and the additional cost would just be for related shipping and handling. I am not a large operation, so I don’t have any special postal rates. The postage will certainly vary based on quantity and destination. If you are anywhere in or near the Dallas area, I have designated drop off locations where I can meet you.

Orders are taken during the week, bars are baked on Sundays and delivered or shipped on Mondays. Please email me to order at mary@rudog.net or call directly at 972 880 8443.

Mary Bell, the Fight Dietitian

 

 

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Spice up your salmon

February 27th, 2012

If you are a salmon lover, you will appreciate this easy spice rub that can add some new life to your grilled or broiled salmon. I typically only use kosher salt and a little bit of olive oil, just to keep true to the natural flavor of the fish. However, sometimes you just need a change.

Penzeys Spices is  a company that I have really come to like. They have high quality products for very reasonable prices. They also have some truly amazing blends. Regulars at my house are the Turkish, Adobo (and it is NOT like the Adobo you buy at the store!), Chicago, Ozark, and Zatar blends.

For the North African-Inspired Salmon, combine the following:

  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp smoked Spanish -style paprika
  • 1 tsp brown sugar
  • 1 tsp garlic powder

This should make plenty of rub for future recipes, so only use what you need! Rub the spice mixture into the salmon and grill, broil or pan-sear to your desired level of doneness. I generally do about 3 minutes a side. If it is right out of the fridge, it may cook a little longer.

You can serve this with a side of rice and a steamed veggie or serve on a salad with a dressing of your choice.

Remember, salmon is an excellent source of omega 3 fatty acids. Wild

Atlantic salmon has a little bit more omega 3′s per 3 ounces than farm raised, but wild salmon is dryer. For more tender, flaky fish you will want farm raised.

Mary Bell, the Fight Dietitian,

www.rudog.com

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How much can you press?

February 19th, 2012

I don’t mean bench press!! I mean press with a panini press. I have always loved sandwiches, and hot ones are no exception. After all these years I finally purchased a panini press. I don’t know what took me so long. These things are amazing. It really takes sandwich eating to a whole new level. You can put any  kind of sandwich in the press and it comes out delicious. The bonus part is that you can cook lots of other foods on the press, too. Steaks, burgers, quesadillas, and more. I have reheated sandwiches in the press and just heated flatbreads to get them warm for dipping.

If you are looking for a really easy way to make sandwiches not boring, this is a great way to do it. Personally, I have the Breville panini press and I love it. It’s a great size, not too small not too big. I am sure there are others that are good, too, but this is the only one that I have experience with.

I will say that I used to have the Cuisinart sandwich maker, and it is kind of like a panini press, but not really. This would be the cheap way out, and you have to not mind all of your food being in a triangle shape. :)

Here are a few examples of the sandwiches being made on my press:

Breakfast Panini:

  1. Scrambled egg with crumbled bacon and cheddar cheese on sourdough bread.
  2. Ham with havarti on English muffin

Lunch/dinner:

  1. Ham, havarti, olive spread, sourdough bread
  2. Turkey, goat cheese, sourdough bread
  3. Turkey, Swiss cheese, Jewish rye
  4. Turkey, ham, avocado, havarti
  5. Smoked ham with shredded Gruyere.
  6. Burgers!

I could keep going.

The answer is: You CAN’T press enough.

Get a press and let the rest of us know how you like it. (and be sure to share your ideas!)

 

Mary Bell, the Fight Dietitian

 

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