-- Simple Smart Nutrition

Cat’s Crazy Energizing, Fat Burning Energy Bars

Here is my latest attempt at homemade energy bars. I don’t like the ‘store-bought’ varieties, and the “Go Raw” bars I do buy are pretty expensive, so I made my own version, and they turned out great!

Well, here is another attempt at some good homemade energy bars. I don’t generally like the ‘store-bought’ varieties–so many of them have too much sugar (in the form of rice syrup, extra fruit, corn syrup, etc.), soy protein, artificial ingredients, etc.

The bars I do like best–are pretty darn expensive, so I decided to make my own version of these.

These are full of nuts, a little bit of fruit for sweetness, a touch of salt and not baked, but dehydrated at a low oven temp overnight. This preserves the natural enzymes in the ingredients, plus helps the bars hold together with just the right amount of chewiness.

And they are gluten free, dairy free, corn free, soy free and Paleo as well.

This particular rendition actually tasted a lot like Clif bars–without the grain or other additives. If you’d like them to have some extra sweetness, I’d suggest adding those miniature chocolate chips, or whole raisins–after you are done blending them.

Give these a try, these bars are excellent fuel for a longer bike ride, run, hike, or busy day.

These ingredients are all approximate. I just added ingredients to get the right consistency.

Ingredients
1/2 cup mixed nuts ( I used all natural, roasted cashews, pistachios, and almonds)
1/2-1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
1/3 cup raisins
10 or so dates
1/3 cup natural peanut butter (I suggest Trader Joe’s Valencia and flax seed peanut butter)
2-3 scoops of cold processed vanilla protein powder
1/2 raw apple
1/3-1/2 cup natural flaked or shredded coconut
2 Tbsp or so real Maple Syrup or Honey
cinnamon
sea salt
1/4 cup or so water

Directions
In a food processor, add pumpkin seeds, nuts, raisins, and dates and mix. Add peanut butter, and other ingredients and mix until well blended. Add a small amount of water if mixture is crumbly. Mixture should end up like thick cookie dough. If you’d like chocolate chips or whole raisins, stir in after everything is mixed up.

Preheat oven to 175 degrees. Grease a cookie sheet lightly with butter, and drop cookie-sized spoonfuls on sheet. Smash down till about a half inch or less thick. Cook in oven overnight–about 8 hours. Bars should be solid when done. Cool. Enjoy!!

I will keep working on these to come up with different varieties and flavors. Let me know what you think!

Till next time, Stay Healthy and Lean!

For more easy to fix, gluten free, dairy free, superfood recipes, click here to subscribe to my Simple Smart Newsletter.

Catherine (Cat) Ebeling RN BSN, is a back to basics diet and nutrition specialist. In addition to her advanced degree in nursing from a major medical school, she has spent the last 30 years intensely studying diet, health and nutrition. She also has a book titled “The Fat Burning Kitchen, Your 24 Hour Diet Transformation” that has sold 100,000 copies worldwide, and has helped thousands of people transform their lives, lose weight and improve their health.

Her mission is to help others prevent disease and live their best life ever.

Nutrition made Easy. Simple.Smart.Nutrition.

Chicken, Tomatoes and Okra, OH MY!

My favorite local organic farmer recently surprised me and dropped a big grocery bag chock full of vine ripe, red, luscious tomatoes and okra. I don’t cook a lot with okra, so I was kind of at a loss…

Well, last night, I was low on groceries and had two hungry men waiting for dinner. So, hmm…this called for a little creativity.

I had organic chicken thighs, some garlic and an onion, and, all those great tomatoes and okra. Ok then, let’s start throwing things in a pan to see what I can come up with…

Chicken, Tomatoes and Okra Saute

1 lb or so of organic boneless, skinless chicken thighs

2 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

1 large red onion, chopped

2-4 cloves garlic minced

4 fresh, ripe tomatoes, chopped

8-10 small okra, sliced in thick slices

2 tsp oregano

2 tsp basil

1/4 white wine

sprinkle of red pepper flakes

2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

sea salt and black pepper, to taste

In a large skillet, saute the chopped onions and garlic with the olive oil on medium heat. Add in the chicken and lightly brown on the outside, but don’t overcook. Add chopped tomatoes, okra, wine and seasonings. Cook for about a half hour on low heat with lid. Remove lid the last 10-15 minutes of cooking if you want your sauce to be less juicy. Add chopped parsley and serve over brown rice or quinoa. Serves four. Or Two hungry guys and one lady with a little leftover…

For more easy to fix, gluten free, dairy free, superfood recipes,click here to subscribe to my Simple Smart Newsletter.

Her mission is to help others prevent disease and live their best life ever.

Nutrition made Easy. Simple.Smart.Nutrition.

Gluten Free Quinoa Falafels

I used to always love Falafels, the Middle Eastern vegetarian meal that I always liken to something like fried hummus. They are usually made with breadcrumbs or bread. Sadly this became one of those foods I gave up when I went gluten free, until now…

I used to always love Falafels, the Middle Eastern vegetarian meal that I always liken to something like fried hummus. They are high in protein and make a delicious light meal or snack. However, they are usually made with breadcrumbs or bread, that holds them together. Sadly this became one of those foods I gave up when I went gluten free and I have not seen a substitute…until I came across this one.

This recipe is adapted from a cool cooking blog/website called “Sprouted Kitchen.”

When the temps outside are really warm, I feel like eating much lighter foods. These falafels fit the bill. Serve them with the cucumber and tomato salad for a cool refreshing meal. You can wrap these in gluten free brown rice tortillas, or if you are like me and avoid all grains, just grab a few (washed) red or green leaf lettuce or some Boston bibb lettuce, add the sauce and make a tasty lettuce wrap.

I made a few adaptations and will be trying this tonight!

Falafels
1 Cup or so cooked quinoa
1 Cup finely chopped or grated carrot
1/2 Cup thinly sliced green onions
3 Tbsp. chopped parsley and 3 Tbsp chopped cilantro
15 oz. can garbanzo beans
2 eggs
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
1 tsp. cumin
2 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds or sesame tahini paste
2 cloves minced garlic
sea salt
1/4 tsp or so of red pepper flakes or 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
2-3 Tbsp coconut oil

Tahini Sauce

1/2 Cup plain yogurt
1/4 Cup sesame tahini paste
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp olive oil

Directions

Place veggies in blender or food processor and pulse until chopped finely. Add garbanzos,sesame seeds or tahini, lemon juice, eggs, garlic and seasonings. Pulse until roughly combined. Add quinoa, and mix. Chill in fridge for an hour or longer.

Heat a skillet over medium high heat with 1 Tbsp. of coconut oil. Scoop out portions of about 2 Tbsp, and roll and flatten into patties. Cook in oil in hot pan for 3 minutes on each side. Add a little more oil if needed for second batch.

Serve at room temperature on a bed of arugula or wrap in green or red leaf lettuce, with a drizzle of the yogurt tahini sauce on top. Add some thin sliced cucumbers and shredded carrots and enjoy!

Till next time,

Stay Healthy and Lean!

Catherine (Cat) Ebeling RN BSN, is a back to basics diet and nutrition specialist. In addition to her advanced degree in nursing from a major medical school, she has spent the last 30 years intensely studying diet, health and nutrition. She also has a book titled “The Fat Burning Kitchen, Your 24 Hour Diet Transformation” that has sold over 60,000 copies worldwide, and has helped thousands of people transform their lives, lose weight and improve their health.

Her mission is to help others prevent disease and live their best life ever.

Nutrition made Easy. Simple.Smart.Nutrition.

Stop Muscle Cramps With This Common Ingredient

Keeping cool in the heat of the triple digit summer temperatures and high humidity is pretty darn difficult. The key thing that helps our bodies adjust and adapt to physical activity in high heat is sweating. And for athletes…

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Keeping cool in the heat of the triple digit summer temperatures and high humidity is pretty darn difficult. One of the key things that helps our bodies adjust and adapt to physical activity and high heat is sweating. And for us athletes, it seems we spend a lot of time working and perspiring out in those sweltering temperatures.

Training outdoors in the heat of the summer can be tricky and downright dangerous. Key is to keep from overheating and avoid dehydration. Read more about that here: “What athletes NEED to know about heat and humidity”.

The other big factor that comes out of working out in the heat is muscle cramps. Muscle cramps generally can come from two things:

Extreme fatigue from overexertion in a particular muscle.
Electrolyte imbalance and/or dehydration, often from sodium loss.

The common solution when someone else complains of muscle cramping or a ‘Charlie horse” is to eat a banana. Bananas are known to be fairly high in potassium, and this always seems to be the ‘go-to’ food for cramps. This may or may not help.

Another common one is that cramping is due to a loss of magnesium and calcium.

Perhaps…

Electrolytes are tricky. It isn’t usually one solution for everyone.

If you have a better understanding of how electrolytes work, you may have a better idea of how to keep them in the right ratios for your optimal performance.

Your body’s electrolytes must be in the correct balance and in the right ratios for the body to function correctly. If you have an excess of one electrolyte, it will throw off the other electrolytes that need to be in the correct balance.

For example, an excess of calcium in the diet or in supplements will throw off magnesium levels, meaning that your body will need more magnesium to balance out the calcium. Low magnesium levels can cause cramping and twitching in muscles.

Potassium and sodium also must maintain the correct balance, so an excess of potassium will throw off the sodium balance and vice versa.

Properly controlled muscle contractions require a very close balance in the interstitial fluid (the fluid surrounding the cells), and an imbalance will lead to excessive muscle contractions, which can manifest as cramping.

Trying to ‘fix’ muscle cramping can be tricky, but since cramps are usually attributed to an imbalance of electrolytes, once you can correct the electrolyte issues, you will find relief.

Fluids lost through sweat contain mostly sodium and chloride, or salt. Muscles tend to hold on to potassium, calcium and magnesium over salt, so your best bet to cure cramps or fatigue from heat and excessive sweating would be to try to replace the salt first.

People lose varying amounts of fluids through sweat, with some folks being very prolific ‘sweaters’, and others who sweat very little.

The amount and concentration of salt in sweat varies from person to person as well. Some people are very salty sweaters and others are not. One athlete might only lose a gram or two of sodium during outdoor activity, and another athlete can lose 20 or more grams of sodium.

Sodium is an important mineral that works with nerve signaling and enabling movements in the muscles, so losing too much salt will make muscles irritable, and can make you dizzy, foggy headed and tired feeling as well.

When you combine a loss of salt and fluids with intense physical effort in the heat, muscles can start contracting uncontrollably, leading to cramping and early fatigue, even bonking. I call it a ‘heat bonk’.

In a case study reported in The International Journal of Sports Nutrition (Bergeron, 1996),

“…an elite tennis player was found to lose more sodium in his sweat during several hours of play than he consumed throughout the entire day. During intense play that resulted in sweat loss of 3 quarts an hour, the player knotted up with the cramps. It was recommended that the player add salt to his diet and sports drink. The addition of sodium reduced subsequent cramping episodes. Whenever the player felt cramps coming on in a game, he drank a sports drink with salt, and the cramps ceased.”

Let’s talk for a minute about salt. For many years, we have been told that salt is BAD for us, that it makes our blood pressure go up and that we should avoid it. However that is NOT true. We need salt. And some of us, depending on our diet, lifestyle and other factors need more than others. Probably way more than you’d think. Check out this most recent article in the New York Times on salt consumption and health issues.

And, Paleo dieters or those on a lower carb diet lose large amounts of salt and fluids through the more efficient filtering of the kidneys. That’s one of the reasons that people who go on a low carb diet immediately lose a lot of water weight. The kidneys are simply more efficient and process out fluids quicker.

That means Paleo and low carb dieters need more salt in general—whether exercising or not. And for those transitioning over to a lower carb diet, salt is very important just for everyday functioning to avoid fatigue and dizziness.

For athletes, the need for salt is even more crucial.

Without enough salt in the body, blood volume will fall short, and during activity in hot weather, your body will not have enough fluides for sweating or to adequately circulate your blood well enough. In essence, your blood becomes thicker, causing your heart to work even harder to pump this thick stuff through the body. This causes dizziness and intense fatigue, and ultimately cramps and dehydration.

Cramping can also be a result of dehydration. That may sound obvious, but you’d be surprised how many athletes don’t drink enough water during the day and during training/competition. You may be shocked at how much water and fluids you need to replace on a hot day! Yes we need salt and electrolytes, but most of what comes out in sweat is just plain water.

The sodium-potassium balance is an important factor in cramping for athletes. However, remember that too much sodium can cause cramping as well, so if extra sodium does not help, then add in potassium.

Fluids containing sodium and potassium are retained in the body much better than those that don’t.

Ever get dehydrated and drink a ton of water to replace the fluids lost and immediately urinate it all out, but still remain thirsty? Well this is because without sodium and potassium, your body will not retain the needed fluids.

Electrolyte balance can get complicated, but if you remember it’s a balancing act, then a little educated trial and error will help you maintain the right balance.

For salt to be effective it must be added to drinks an hour or so prior to any training or competition, and also during the competition. Too early and it does no good.

So next time you venture out in the heat of the summertime, add in a pinch of sea salt to your pre-training drink, and add some into your drinks during the workout as well. Generally about a 1/3 to a half of a teaspoon (give or take) will help replace the sodium lost in sweat. Experiment with this a bit and see how you feel.

If the salt doesn’t solve the cramping problem, next add in more potassium. Potassium can be found in abundance in many foods including: potatoes, oranges and orang juice, bananas, avocados, cantelope, kiwi, beans, spinach, any dark green leafy vegetable, tomatoes, asparagus, lettuce and mushrooms to name a few.

I am not a huge fan of commercial sports drinks. Generally I think they have way too much sugar or, even worse, corn syrup and citric acid in them, along with artificial colorings and a host of scary chemicals, to even be effective. The citric acid alone has been proven to actually eat away at tooth enamel. And the corn syrup–yuk–don’t get me started!

I often make my own sports drink with about half and half water and orange juice (high in potassium), and a pinch of sea salt. For a great instant sodium-potassium replacement, try a V-8. Coconut juice or coconut water is also an excellent electrolyte replacement drink, but remember you still may need extra sodium. My latest drink concoction was half coconut water, half regular water, the juice of half a lemon and a pinch of sea salt. I felt great!

If these two electrolytes don’t work, or if you find you are waking up in the middle of the night with ‘charley horses’, you may need to supplement with magnesium. Over 80% of the population is deficient in this mineral and if you are an athlete you are even more likely to be deficient, as some of this is lost in sweat.

Besides eating a lot of leafy greens, nuts, and pumpkin seeds, you can take a magnesium supplement before bed to help relax the muscles. Because magnesium takes longer to be absorbed into muscles, supplementing with this mineral should be done several days ahead of any training or competition to be entirely effective. And watch the dose and start out slowly or get a slow, time-release type of magnesium because it can cause diarrhea.

Other health issues like diabetes, neurologic or vascular problems can also play a part in getting cramps. And supplements or over the counter medications like sudafed, creatine and caffeine may bring on muscle cramps as well. If cramps suddenly occur without a prior history, check with your doctor to rule out more serious causes.

So follow these things when outside in the heat to avoid cramps and dehydration:

1. Drink plenty of fluids before, during and after exercise

2. Replenish sodium lost from sweat (a half teaspoon, more or less)

3. Eat more healthy carbs to fuel high intensity exercise

Till next time,

Stay Healthy and Hydrated!

Catherine (Cat) Ebeling RN BSN, is a back-to-basics diet and nutrition specialist. In addition to her advanced degree in nursing from a major medical school, she has spent the last 30 years researching diet, health and nutrition.

Her book titled “The Fat Burning Kitchen, Your 24 Hour Diet Transformation” has sold over 100,000 copies worldwide, and has helped thousands of people transform their lives, lose weight and improve their health.

Her mission is to help others prevent disease and live their best life ever.

Nutrition made Easy. Simple.Smart.Nutrition.

References:

Bergeron, M., Heat Cramps During Tennis: A Case Report. International Journal of Sport Nutrition 6:62-68, 1996.

Craig Horswell, Ph.D., Gatorade Sports Science Institute

Steve Phinney, “Low-Carb preserves Glycogen better than High Carb”, 4/14/11

Auger InAUGERal Cyclocross Race

The Auger is here. I came home from working on Thursday and found a very large QPD box sitting on my porch. Shockingly fast, light, stiff and incredibly nimble through turns. I did a few figure eights in the grass, and immediately fell deeply in love with it. And those Disc brakes…

The Auger is here. I came home from working on Thursday and found a very large QPD box sitting on my porch. (Glad I live in a nice neighborhood!)

The “Dude”, handy guy that he is, put the bike together perfectly in no time flat. A couple runs up and down the street and we had the fit dialed in just right. Rode down to the nearby elementary school soccer field and I did a few hot laps to try it out.

Shockingly fast, light, stiff and incredibly nimble through turns. I did a few figure eights in the grass, and immediately fell deeply in love with it. And those Disc brakes…

A few other first impressions:

Great geometry. I really love the solid, steady feel of the bike. It’s an interesting mixture of lightness and stiffness combined with a really rock solid feel.

It’s quick handling, but not twitchy by any means, so it goes where you want, when you want, how you want. Love that.

It’s fast. The overall stiffness of the bike translates into quick acceleration. It’s gonna be fun to race this bike.

The looks. Beautifully understated. Up close, the frame finish is a gorgeous soft charcoal with some really pretty gradations of gray/silver along the top tube. From far away, it just looks incredibly BADASS.

The ride. Smooth, forgiving, and easy on bumpy terrain. My old bike tended to jar my fillings loose tearing across a bumpy dry CX course, so by the end of the race, I’d feel like I had been beaten up. This smoother ride is going to be great and probably more efficient in the long run–leaving me a little more energy for those last few laps.

And the brakes. The new disc brakes are awesome and will be fantastic in a muddy, wet CX race! A stroke of genius allowing those on a cyclocross bike. Makes it that much more of an all-around great bike.

I even like the stock tires that came on it. They grip uneven surfaces nicely but roll smoothly and easily. Great tires for virtually everything.

But the best way to test out the new Auger…a cyclocross race.

Now it’s not cyclocross season, but it just so happens that Ballwin Days puts on a heckofa fun CX race in the middle of June. It’s a great course–hilly and bumpy, with two sand volleyball pits, a LONG stair run up, some asphalt, some curbs, and tons of really steep, off-camber hills. Not a dull moment, that’s for sure.

I signed up and entered the ‘A’ race, which according to the registration guidelines was for “racers.” However, when I rolled up to the start line, it was me and a bunch of really fast mountain bikers. Ten laps, as opposed to the 5 for the ‘B’ race. Ouch.

Looks like I’m in for some suffering…

Not sure why I like CX so much. I just do.

Maybe it’s that feeling of being totally redlined most of the race, that ‘survival-of-the-fittest’ feeling that you have to go as if your life depends on it. I dunno…I always feel like I’m gonna puke and die about the third lap of every race, but by the 5th lap or so, my heart has finally caught up, I’m breathing in O2 and I’m in the Zone. And when you get done, it’s a buzz like nothing else. (Or is that the post-race beer?)

I was delighted with the Auger’s ability to fly through the sand pits. We are talking about some deep, loose sand here. I hit both sand pits at the highest speed possible without wiping out, and found that the bike floated through on those nice fat tires until I got nearly to the other side. Then it was either pedal hard (weight off the handlebars-thank you, Alison Powers) or steer over to grab a little bit of grass for traction, and it was right on through. Love it.

My slowest spot was the curb back up onto the course after the front straightaway. I can do a decent bunny hop, but not having been on the new bike long, and not being totally used to it, I opted to go the safe route and put a foot out to get over. That slowed me down a little, especially with the guys who had mountain bikes and were just easily hopping over that obstacle.

This hilly runup and turn were a lot of fun…

And you just cannot see how long and steep this hill was, but it was one of those you look at and wonder how the hell you’re gonna make it up there… The Auger carried me through this turn like a champ. Well, except for that second to last lap, when my legs started turning to Jello and my back tire slipped on the very last hard pedal stroke before the turn. Crap. But, one foot down and around and I was back in the game.

The steep off camber hills were no big deal, and actually quite fun. I liked testing the limits of how fast I could go along the edges of those hills and make the turns. The Auger carried me through all of it with ease.

In my fuzzy oxygen deprived state I had a funny realization that I was going steadily uphill at least half of the race, but the uphill sections really felt no different than the level parts of the race course. This bike loves hills! Thank God for that.

Race over, I lived through it, and I did a pretty decent job. The Auger was fantastic. No question about it’s race-worthiness.

And if I were purchasing a new CX bike, this would certainly be at the top of the list. No question about it.

How many more days until CX season starts? Bring on the rain and snow and foul weather. I cannot wait.

We are off to the Farmer’s Market today, my Auger and I.

My Favorite Top 55 Flat Belly Foods

My good friend, health and fitness specialist and co-author of The Fat Burning Kitchen, Mike Geary has a great list of his (and Mine) favorite Flat Belly Foods.

I thought you’d like to check out what he says–it’s a good way to put together a healthy grocery list.

Check it out here–

Mike’s Top 55 Flat Belly Foods

Till next time,

Stay Healthy and Lean!

Her mission is to help others prevent disease and live their best life ever.

Nutrition made Easy. Simple.Smart.Nutrition.

It’s Over, and…WE DID IT!!!

I saw my name under the list of winners. Utter amazement.
Then that awesome, delightful feeling like a kid on Christmas morning…
OMG!! I just won a Foundry BIKE!!!

Well, the craziness has died down and the Foundry Cycles Tradesman Voting contest is over. I must say it was long and intense. It sort of took over my whole month, and I became obsessed. On Monday night the 30th of April, I resigned myself to the realization that the new bike was going to Gus Hemingway, a fierce competitor up in Michigan. Oh well, I did give it my best shot, short of making enemies of everyone and we all tried.

Tuesday morning dawned bright and early and I was up frantically finishing book edits for Mike Geary and my new book due out on Amazon Kindle soon, The Flat Belly Kitchen Diet. I took a quick look at Foundry’s Facebook page and saw they had posted the final results–just like I thought. No big surprises here. Well, back to work.

I snuck a glance at my own FB page, thinking I should write some sort of nice comment thanking everyone for all the incredible support and encouragement. Nothing like fellow cyclists supporting a cause, that fierce competitiveness shows up and–I love this–my friends did not want to give up. I had people sending me messages at the 11th hour trying to figure out ways we could overcome that 400 vote advantage.

Nice post on my FB wall from my fellow Momentum teammate. Wait! What??? He said, “Cat, looks like you got a Foundry bike after all!” Huh?? I hadn’t had enough coffee to fully process this…

I took a look again at Foundry’s FB page. The little “see more” under the winner’s announcement was something I missed the first time.

I clicked.

I saw my name under the list of winners. Utter amazement.

Then that awesome delightful feeling like a kid on Christmas morning…

OMG!! I just won a Foundry BIKE!!!

Wow!

Most fun was telling all those folks who really helped me out. Nothing like putting your heart and soul into something and then realizing all that work brought forth the results you wanted. WOW!!

I just gotta say, I have some totally awesome friends and I am a bit blown away by that. In the grand scheme of things, it was just a contest, but I really found out how supportive everyone can be.

You guys all rock. Totally.

So, a Foundry Auger will soon be making its appearance in a venue near you. I will be doing a lot of riding on it as soon as it comes. I can’t wait! I also can’t wait for CX season, because I am really going to put this new tool to work.

Stay tuned for the Auger Adventure here. We DID IT! You rock. Thank you!

CAT

Foundry Cycles, Team Awesome

Her mission is to help others prevent disease and live their best life ever.

Nutrition made Easy. Simple.Smart.Nutrition.

Why the Heck Would Foundry Want This Racing Chick Riding a Foundry Bike?

The Foundry Cycles Tradesperson contest is over and Foundry has awarded me one of their awesome bikes!! Soon a beautiful Auger will be here, and I can’t wait to start riding it and sharing it’s awesomeness with everyone. I will be writing and posting more about the Auger here, please stay tuned! The Auger Adventure is just starting!!

Why would Foundry want me riding their bike?

Who would have thought that mother of three teenagers would end up not only riding, but racing—and winning, and beating 20, 30, and 40 year olds—on a road bike, Cyclocross bike, and a mountain bike in the short span of 3 years?

Buying a nice road bike to get out, have fun, and meet cool people after a divorce is what inspired me to start riding, and frankly, I was really bored with working out at the local gym.

Being the competitive athlete at heart that I knew I was, I decided to try my hand at racing.

In my first year…

…as a Cat 4, I dabbled at racing, trying some road races, a few crits here and there, and–I did pretty dang well.

So the next year, I decided to get serious about racing, and started winning some bigger cat 3/4 races.

Indiana State Crit Championship, 2010. I won that one. 🙂

2010 St. Louis Gateway Cup Series, Giro Della Montagne. Last lap. (I’m on far right)

The Gateway Cup race series in St. Louis was a big deal…

2010 St. Louis Gateway Cup Series, Second place Omnium cat 3/4 . Women from 12 or more states across the US competed in this series.

On to Cat 3 as a road racer for me…

Based on my road racing success, I decided to try my hand at a few cyclocross races.

Well, cyclocross is a whole different animal to a sprinter like me, and certainly not easy for someone who likes short, intense, fast races.

It hurt, it was grueling, and for some strange reason, I liked it and I had a lot of fun.

I loved the exhilaration of finishing a race and knowing I had gone as hard as I possibly could.

And yes, I felt like puking sometimes, but then doesn’t everyone?

I knew I’d be back next season for more of this…

I enlisted the help of one of the country’s top-ranked female pro cyclists to coach and train me and I got a little more focused on training, racing and hitting the podium a time or two, or three or four.

And… I did.

St. Louis Gateway Cup Series, Giro Della Montagne, 2011–me in front on the last lap–and that’s the finish line.

I finished up a successful crit racing season with a sprint down a long straightaway to win one of the the Midwest region’s biggest races– something I had been working on, visualizing, and planning on all season.

Rolling across the finish line…what a great feeling!

A sweet victory for sure! I beat the reigning Jr. National Crit and Road Racing champion, along with some very tough women from 10 or 12 states.

We even got a podium guy to present the awards.

Not bad for an old chick, eh? 🙂

Cyclocross last season as a cat 3 racing in the ‘opens’ went very well, coming off a successful road racing season.

I learned how to suffer, how to race against some really tough ladies, and how to do well.

I learned how to sprint for the hole shot…

Yeah, I got that one!

I also learned to maneuver through the tricky turns…

mud…

hilly, off camber trails…

Me, on left.

and sprint like crazy for the finish line.

Dust, heat, rain, cold, snow, sleet, mud–no matter what the weather, I loved it!

And, oh yeah, did I mention, I have FUN!!???

Halloween CX, 2011

The annual top secret, team Seagal, CX-mas ‘non race’, December, 2011. I won. 🙂

I love those gnarly, technical trails and the maneuvering it takes to stay on the bike and navigate a tricky course. And mud–what can I say about mud?

I love the challenge of trying to stay upright and pedal through the mud, when everyone else is slipping and sliding all around me.

But then I race mountain bikes and do pretty well, so it seems natural to me.

My goal this year is to KILL IT in Cyclocross and I am training to peak at just the right time so I can race in the National CX Championships and the World CX Championships as well.

Not just to race, but to stand on the podium!

But if I am going ‘up’ my game, I need to upgrade my CX bike. Most definitely! My old bike isn’t bad but it’s time for a major upgrade to top of the line, carbon fiber, better components, and disc brakes.

The Foundry Auger is the bike that I’ve been looking for! With that incredibly badass, understated design, plus SRAM components, a light, stiff, responsive carbon fiber frame and a state-of-the-art disc braking system, there is nothing better. This is the bike for me–and the bike that I will ride to the podium in CX races this year.

Who am I and why would anyone pay attention to me?

Well, I am the author of two very successful online (and soon to be available on Amazon Kindle) books on diet and nutrition, with a successful website/blog and following. I write, research and study about diet, fitness, health and nutrition. My first book has already sold about 100,000 copies worldwide.

When I started winning races, people started paying attention to what I was eating, how I was training, what I was riding, etc.

And, by the way, my bike racing team is sponsored by Momentum Bicycles, a proud Foundry bike dealer.

I will happily talk up my awesome Foundry CX bike, the cutting edge design, its badass speed, and amazing disc brakes, and I will ride it proudly!

My Foundry bike will get it’s own tab on my website www.simplesmartnutrition.com, where I will be blogging about my racing, my bike and my training. I know I would love showing off my Auger, blogging about, talking about it, and riding it like crazy!

(Btw, did I mention I have over 1,000 ‘friends’ on Facebook–many who are cycling fanatics themselves–who follow my posts?)

I think my new Foundry Auger and I will look very good crossing finish lines in first place, don’t you? I am already in love with it…

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“I’ve been working with Cat for over 2 years and she continues to be one of the most motivated athletes I coach. Cat desires improvement each year and won’t settle for anything less.

This past CX season, I was very impressed with her CX success each race. She has worked hard to dial in her bike handling skills and it has paid off. She made dramatic improvement and wants to do even better this year.

With her sights set on National and World Championships, this is the perfect carrot she needs to raise her game up to another level. Lastly, Cat is a good person. She is friendly, thoughtful, and great to work with.

-Coach, Alison Powers, ALP Cycles Coaching, NOW-Novartis Cycling Team

“I can’t think of anyone who would represent Foundry Cycles better than Cat Ebeling. Cat has raced for Momentum for the past three years and is one of the few riders I know that excels in road, mountain and cross racing.

No matter what the conditions or venue Cat always represents us well and with enthusiasm. She’s always pushing everyone who rides with her to aim for a higher level and no matter whether she wins, which she often does, or just finishes with the pack she does it with class and humility.

Those are the traits that make Cat the perfect choice to race the Auger and proudly represent Foundry and Momentum Cycles.”

-Steven Maas, Momentum Racing & Momentum Cycles, St. Peters, MO

“I have been a teammate of Cat’s since the fall of 2011. She has been such an inspiration to me. Cat welcomed me to the team and has been great about giving advice and even working with me on new skills.

Being new to racing, I could not ask for a better teammate. Her bike handling skills during the CX season were amazing! She puts forth 100% effort in everything that she does and would be a great spokesperson for Foundry. I don’t know anyone else who is as friendly and willing to help as Cat is. She truly is role model for women and men alike.”

-K.P., Momentum Racing Teammate

“Cat is an inspiration on the bike, she trains hard, races hard and welcomes all with her Joie de Vivre. She has quite a big fan club and we all watch what she does–with interest!”

-L.V.N., One of her biggest fans

Enhance Your Athletic Performance

It’s hard to read sports news anymore without hearing about someone getting caught for illegal use of performance enhancing drugs.

Even though most of us are not competing with such high stakes, virtually everyone is looking to enhance their athletic performance and there are ways to do that without cheating and resorting to illicit medications.

If you continually fuel your body with the best nutrition, you will definitely see noticeable improvements in speed, endurance, and recovery, as you train. On the other hand, fueling with junk will promote injuries, strains, sprains, early fatigue, bonking and burnout.

It really can make a huge difference.

Young or old, all athletes need the lots of nutrition to push their bodies to the limit, and an athlete needs more nutrition-packed foods than the average person.

While there are literally thousands of supplements marketed towards athletes and improved performance, I wanted to over the purely natural ones you can get just from a healthy diet alone.

We all know you need a good mix of carbs, proteins, and healthy fats in the right proportions, but the actual food source of each of these is extremely important as well.

All protein is not alike, nor are all carbs, or all fats.

Carbs and fat store energy for muscles. These two nutrients are converted to energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, which fuels muscles. These two macronutrients are converted to usable energy differently.

Carbohydrate is converted into blood glucose and is the first fuel burned during high intensity activities. The best carbohydrates are actually organic fruits and vegetables, which supply longer lasting energy than grain or sugar based energy sources–without causing the blood sugar spikes and resulting nosedive.

Grain and sugary forms of fuel are quickly converted into glucose in the body and after blood sugar spikes, insulin is released and the result is even lower blood sugar. In an athletic competition, this can become a bonk, as your body burns through the glucose and then searches for another fuel source. Bicycling magazine has a great article on this subject here. It seems that low glycemic foods eaten prior to a race result in far greater returns that high glycemic foods like sugar and grains. So an apple is far better than a cookie or a bagel.

Fat is actually a better source of slower burning energy for the athlete.

Healthy fats supply almost 20 times the ATP in the muscles as carbohydrates, and blood sugar levels remain stable, so no bonk. Good sources of healthy fats are the anti-inflammatory omega 3 fats, virgin coconut oil (a medium chain triglyceride, which is immediately used for energy), virgin olive oil (high in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory ingredients) grass fed butter (packed with vitamin A, D, and K2–a difficult to find but essential vitamin) and nuts (rich in antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and omega 3 fats).

Switching from a sugar burning diet, to a fat burning diet for energy and athletic performance may require a breaking-in period, as your body will search for the most easily accessible form of energy.

If it is used to getting glucose in the form of sweet and starchy snacks, then you will need to slowly wean yourself off of these, instead of just going cold turkey and expecting great results.

Muscles must have good quality protein to function well, repair, recover and regain their strength–especially after a hard workout.

Protein provides the building blocks for your muscles, and after a hard workout muscles are depleted, often with microtears, and need protein in order to rebuild. It’s best to eat protein within a half hour after working out, and some studies have shown that protein during and after a workout is best for maximum muscle recovery.

Many athletes are turning to grass fed beef as one of their primary protein sources, which has a much higher ratio of the energy boosting omega 3 fats to omega 6 fats; is full of muscle-building and fat-burning Conjugated Linoleic Acid, is more easily digestible, and avoids the antibiotics and hormones of regular conventionally raised meat.

Recently, CNBC ran a story on grass fed meat and athletes. Dr. Keith Pyne, a peak performance specialist who works with elite athletes, is a fan of grass-fed beef:

“Especially in the last five years, athletes have begun to understand that their diet and what they put in their bodies can have a [huge] effect on their performance,” said Pyne of SportsLab NYC. “Understanding the [omega 3:6] fat ratios in what they are eating and lowering their glycemic index is now on their mind.”

The Essential Fatty Acids of omega 3 and 6 also play an important role in the functioning of the human body.

While vegetable based omega-6 fats promote inflammation, the omega 3 fatty acids work to reduce inflammation, strengthen the immune system, and aid in muscle recovery and energy.

Since the days of the cavemen, we have evolved on a diet with a ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 of about 1:1. Huge changes in dietary habits over the last few centuries has changed this ratio to something closer to 20:1 which causes trouble in many ways, especially for an athlete.

Meat raised by conventional means on grain products contains large amounts of omega 6 fats, as opposed to grass fed and free range animals with healthier omega 3 fats. Research has shown that the correct balance of Essential Fatty Acids not only improves stamina and endurance; inflammation and muscle soreness after exercise, but also uses the amino acids from protein better to build and maintain muscle mass.

Athlete or not, everyone can benefit from the right balance of EFA’s , which in today’s world means more omega 3’s and less omega 6’s.

Whey is also a popular protein for sports drinks, energy bars and as an additive for smoothies and shakes. Cold processed whey protein powder is an excellent source of protein, even surpassing whole eggs, soy, meat, and other dairy sources with its excellent bioavailability and its ability to deposit nitrogen in the muscles.

Whey from a grass fed source is the absolute highest quality form of whey you can get, full of large amounts of Conjugated Linoleic Acid and omega 3 fatty acids, and none of the residual pesticides and hormones.

Whey is the only protein source that contains immunoglobulins, which are essential in maintaining immune system function. Whey protein builds up cellular glutathione levels. Glutathione has been called the ‘master antioxidant’, and regulates the actions of other antioxidants such as vitamin C, and vitamin E within the body.

No other antioxidant is as important to overall health as glutathione.

Be sure the whey source you use is cold processed as heat processing denatures the fragile protein molecules in the whey and renders them virtually useless. Unfortunately, most protein powders and protein additives use heat processing.

Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) is another important fatty acid that enhances athletic performance. Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) works not only as a powerful anti-oxidant, but also fights cancer and strengthens the immune system.

While CLA is known as a fat burner, the other key benefit of this important fat is that it triggers an increase in muscle mass and strength. CLA comes from diet, mostly from beef and dairy fats such as grass-fed beef, butter, cheese, and raw whole milk.

Cows raised on grass have about 5 times as much CLA as conventional meat and dairy cows.

While some health food stores will sell CLA supplements, most nutrition scientists agree that naturally occurring CLA from food is utilized better in the body.

Another supplement, creatine, is extremely popular with athletes and body builders. It is found naturally in the skeletal muscle, and is essential for the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the cellular fuel that is burned by muscles.

Creatine is actually a natural ingredient of red meat.

Creatine is manufactured in the body from the amino acids glycine, arginine, and methionine.

The primary energy-producing molecule for bursts of vigorous muscle contraction is adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP, or adenosine triphosphate, lasts in the muscles for about 10 or so seconds, after which time your body must produce more to keep your muslces going. Your ability to supply more ATP to the muscles and make more ATP depends on creatine.

Large reserves of creatine help with endurance, buffer lactic acid, and aid in muscle fatigue. Creatine enhances the ability of the muscle to maintain high power output during brief periods of intense exercise, as in a sprint or interval training. Creatine also revives tired muscles, allowing them to work harder for longer time periods. So for short hard efforts, creatine is a valuable nutrient to add to the athlete’s diet. Creatine supplements are available, but can cause a few negative side effects, including severe stomach cramps and digestive issues.

Vegetables and fruit serve a dual purpose in an athlete’s diet, and as a healthy slow-burning complex carbohydrate, they are excellent. Yes, vegetables are carbs.

Veggies and fruit also contain loads of powerful phytochemicals and antioxidants, which serve to power your performance with tons of energy, supply crucial vitamins and minerals, but also help to minimize inflammation, reduce injury, protect the immune system, and guard cellular health.

Recent studies have shown another valuable nutrient in many vegetables, most notably the oft-misunderstood beet. It has been found that certain vegetables including beets contain nitrate, which is converted in the body to nitric oxide.

Dietary nitrate reduces oxygen needs during exercise and so, boosts athletic performance.

Drinking 500 ml of beet juice 2.5 hours before a cycling time trial improved 4 km TT time by 2.8% and 10-mile TT time by 2.7% compared to the placebo group. Not impressed?

How about this: the 4K time trial with beet juice, was 6.26 minutes vs. 6.45 minutes without, and the 16K was 26.9 min. with the beet juice, vs. 27.7 minutes. That’s almost a minute! A minute is a lot in a TT.

Look at it this way: we cyclists pay a couple thousand dollars for lightweight aero wheels. As shown on the Zipp wheels data, for a 1080 front and a sub9 disc wheel (total cost about $3200) you can expect to save 108 seconds, over a 40K race. That’s equivalent to 43 seconds over a 16K race, while the beet juice saved people 48 seconds over a 16K race. $3200 for wheels, or down some beet juice at 6-8$ a bottle.

Hmm…I’m trying beet juice.

The effects of nitric oxide have been known for years.

Some of these effects scientists are not quite clear on, such as increasing mitochondrial action in the cells. We do know, however, that nitric oxide causes vasodilation , or dilating blood vessels. Researchers think that this is how it helps get oxygen to the working muscles more efficiently.

Another nutrient that vasodilates is magnesium.

Magnesium as you may or may not know is responsible for over 300 cellular functions and is extremely important to the athlete. Athletes lose more Mg than sedentary folks from working out hard and from sweating. Magnesium helps muscular strength and energy, as well as helping the heart pump slower and more smoothly; it relaxes the airways and dilates the blood vessels; all of which help to aid in athletic performance.

Cherry juice is another one of those magic elixirs for athletes. Tart cherry juice can actually help prevent inflammation, muscle soreness, and promote deep, restful sleep. Read the whole article on cherry's benefits.

There are a zillion other nutrients that aid in athletic performance and recovery, but these are some of the most significant.

Bottom line is this: avoid the processed, sugary junk which clogs up the system and slows you down, eat tons of healthy veggies and fruits, eat good amounts of high quality protein and healthy fats and you will find that your workouts will pay off in a big way!

Till next time, stay healthy, lean and energetic!

P.S. Look for my new Superfoods recipe book coming soon!!

Catherine (Cat) Ebeling RN BSN, is a back to basics diet and nutrition specialist.

In addition to her advanced degree in nursing from a major medical school, she has spent the last 30 years intensely studying diet, health and nutrition. She also has a book titled "The Fat Burning Kitchen, Your 24 Hour Diet Transformation" that has sold over 60,000 copies worldwide, and has helped thousands of people transform their lives, lose weight and improve their health.

Her mission is to help others prevent disease and live their best life ever.

Nutrition made Easy. Simple.Smart.Nutrition.

Sources:
Dr. Al Sears MD, Health Confidential Newsletter, Jan 22, 2009, Iss. 35
Hajoway, Mike, “What CLA can do for you”, Bodybuilding.com, 2011.

Fritsche S, Rumsey TS, Yurawecz MP, Ku Y, Fritsche J. Influence of growth promoting implants on fatty acid composition including conjugated linoleic acid isomers in beef fat. Eur. Food Res. Technol. 212:621-629 (2001).

Lowery LM, Appicelli PA, Lemon PWR. Conjugated linoleic acid enhances muscle size and strength gains in novice bodybuilders. Med Sci Sports Exerc 1998;30:S182 [abstract].

Thom E, Wadstein J, Gudmundsen O. Conjugated linoleic acid reduces body fat in healthy exercising humans. J Int Med Res 2001;29:392-6.

Essential Steps For ‘Gluten Free-dom’

Ok, so you found out you are sensitive to gluten. Now what? It can seem like an overwhelming task to figure out what to eat, what not to eat, how to make meals, snacks, etc.

Don’t be upset–there is still a way to enjoy many of your favorite foods! I’m here to help walk you through the maze of gluten free.

I have had problems with wheat and gluten for about 25 years. Going wheat and gluten free was not near as easy back then and the easy to find substitutes that are available now, did not exist 10-20 years ago.

Over the years I found easy ways to cook without gluten, and how to avoid it when going out to eat, so I am here to help you find ways to enjoy most all of your favorite foods without feeling deprived.

First of all, let me point out that gluten sensitivity and celiac disease are all one and the same. While some doctors may distinguish between the two, both are essentially the same disease, just a difference in the severity of the reaction.

And it’s important to know, gluten sensitivity is inherited, so if someone in your family has it, the chances of someone else having some degree of gluten problem is about 1 out of 4. And sometimes it takes time to develop noticeable symptoms. Many people don’t realize they have problems with gluten until they are adults, or even middle-aged or beyond. Often it’s easier and healthier for everyone in the family to adopt the gluten-free lifestyle, rather than having the tempting off-limits foods around the house, making it hard for the gluten sensitive person to avoid.

Ok, so first of all, how the heck do ya’ cook gluten free?

Well, you CAN make most of your favorite recipes. The easiest solution that I have found is Brown rice flour, which you can substitute for most everything. Rice flour does not have the gluey-ness that regular wheat flour has, so some things may tend to crumble more easily (like cookies) but it does work. I use brown rice flour for everything from breading and coating meat, thickening sauces and gravies, to pancakes, waffles, cakes, cookies, muffins and more. Often nobody can even tell the difference between the brown rice flour and regular flour.

There are plenty of different gluten free baking mixes out there, but I generally prefer not to use them. Many of them use a lot of refined tapioca starch, corn starch and other refined starchy additives, so really you are just trading in one bad food for another. Check out your favorite health food store, Whole Foods, your local grocery store or online for flour, baking mixes and prepared foods.

There are many other flours out there worth experimenting with–one of the newest is coconut flour. This has a much heavier texture than rice flour but it is low glycemic, lower in carbs and can be mixed with rice flour for extra fiber. I have used coconut flour in several recipes with great results. Generally you need to use a ratio of about 1 part coconut flour to about 4 parts rice flour. And coconut flour requires you add a little bit more liquid as it tends to absorb liquids more readily.

Sometimes cooking your own favorite recipes may take a little bit of ‘tweaking’ to get them perfectly right, but I have found I can eat most all of my favorite goodies that I once ate with a little bit of experimenting.

So, where to start…

-Learn to read and recognize ingredients that contain gluten. Many prepared sauces, gravies, soups, and other foods will contain wheat, wheat flour, barley, barley malt, or modified food starch (usually ‘iffy’ since you can never be of the food source).

-Shop the gluten-free section of your food aisles carefully. Many of the gluten free substitutes may taste good but they are of little value as food, since the ingredients may be highly refined grains and starches.

-Learn to make your own gluten free food. Obviously the safest place for gluten free foods is in your own kitchen, since you have control over both the ingredients and the method of preparation.

-Move towards eating WHOLE foods with one ingredient. There is no mistaking the ingredients in an apple, a handful of raw nuts, a slice of cheese, or a fresh, healthy salad. (Watch out for the dressing though!)

–Celiac.com has one of the most informative websites on gluten sensitivity and celiac disease.

And stay tuned to www.simplesmartnutrition.com as I will continually be adding more recipes all the time. Check the ‘Recipes’ section on the menubar for new gluten free recipes added frequently.

Watch for my new book, The Fat Burning Kitchen Superfoods Recipes, full of delicious, healthy, easy to fix recipes that are gluten, dairy, corn and soy free. Healthy simple foods for your health and enjoyment.

And feel free to email me with any questions you may have about gluten, dairy, corn or soy allergies. I’m happy to help! cat@simplesmartnutrition.com

Catherine (Cat) Ebeling RN BSN,is a back to basics diet and nutrition specialist. In addition to her advanced degree in nursing from a major medical school, she has spent the last 30 years intensely studying diet, health, food allergies, and nutrition. She also has a book titled “The Fat Burning Kitchen, Your 24 Hour Diet Transformation” that has sold over 60,000 copies worldwide, and has helped thousands of people transform their lives, lose weight and improve their health.

Her mission is to help others prevent disease and live their best life ever.

Nutrition made Easy. Simple.Smart.Nutrition.