It’s Super Bowl Week…what better time to bust out the SuperFoods? If you’re looking to have a Super Bowl Party with nutrient-loaded foods that can make you healthier, stronger, leaner, smarter, faster, and of course, better looking, look no further than our Loving The Bite Super Bowl Party Menu: Party Appetizers: Black Bean &...
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Want to be a happy cyclist? How about a smart one? One with a strong heart and good lungs? Heck yeah, sign me up. This week, we’ll focus on a food that combines the nutrients needed to deliver on all these promises. It’s not a magic potion or a gimmick. It’s simply a Loving...
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If you’re like me, you may love to eat drupes and not even know it. There’s a new one, right? Drupes are actually just “fruits” that have a pit or a stone at their core, surrounded by a fleshy, edible portion. They include foods such as the mango, cherry, peach, plum, apricot, nectarine, and...
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It’s a lean, mean, green, cancer-, cholesterol-, allergy-, oxidative-stress- and inflammation-fighting-machine. And, you’re in luck because it’s likely sitting in your refrigerator right now. With over 300 studies to support its whole-food, nutrition power-house goodness, broccoli is a sure-fire way to improve your health. Specifically, it fights 3 cellular problem areas that can contribute...
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It was once known by Incan warriors for stamina and power. Today, Loving the Bike cyclists can reap the same benefits. Quinoa. If you don’t know what it is, don’t worry, you soon will. Don’t know how to pronounce it? No problem, we’ll get to that too. For starters, it’s a grain-like seed that’s...
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Not long ago, at the beginning of all the Holiday-feasting, we gave you a green detox super smoothie recipe. Our purpose was to offer a chance to take a whole-food smoothie-cleansing break from the extra foods, the extra sweets, and any extra alcohol drinking that can accompany the Holiday Season. Our super smoothie was...
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Sometimes the Holiday season feels like nothing more than a blur of hustle and bustle. And while we try to savor the moments, it can be tough to stop and enjoy it in the midst of a long to-do list. To make it a little easier on you this year, we’ve scoured the web...
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After a super-tough ride on the bike, what’s your best nutrition option for recovery? In the world of sports nutrition, there’s a lot of buzz about low-fat chocolate milk. Since I generally like simple, whole-food nutrition over chemicals and processed foods, the thought of it appeals to me (although many cheap chocolate syrups are...
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What comes to mind when you think of Christmas carols? Is it children singing? Hay rides? Sleigh bells? For me, it’s figgy pudding. And, although I’ve never actually had it, figs intrigue me. One of my favorite pizzas boosts a healthy serving of figs. This week, we’ll keep it simple and serve up a...
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Sometimes big things come in little packages. This is certainly the case with this week’s key ingredient. Big-time nourishment comes from a tiny sesame seed. Nourishment that can help cyclists with stamina, achy joints and migraines associated with electrolyte depletion. They’ve certainly stood the test of time, dating back to as early as 1600...
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Green, yellow, orange, or red? This is the question when picking out a bell pepper. In terms of nutrition, it does make a difference. As cyclists, we want all the antioxidants, phytochemicals, and health-promoting whole food components we can get. Choose the wrong one and you’ll get a lot of awesome nutrients. Choose...
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So, your Thanksgiving menu’s set. But what about the day after? We suggest our after-Thanksgiving-back-on-track Green Detox Super Smoothie. Why? Simply because most people don’t wake up feeling super great the day after Thanksgiving. Even though they had good intentions for healthy Thanksgiving eating, and they actually feel like they did pretty well (this...
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I generally eat pretty healthily and stay relatively fit but I wonder if I’m getting enough vitamins and minerals. Is there a product (available in the UK) that contains the right mixes of daily vitamins and minerals and if not, which individual supplements should I take to compliment a healthy lifestyle. (ps… I don’t want to take so many pills that I rattle!)
Kelli’s Answer:
Thanks for the question! First a disclaimer: It’s always important to talk to your personal health care provider about supplements -some should not be taken due to medication interactions and individual conditions.
Now, my general recommendations:
Although a healthy and balanced diet is most important, I do believe that most people, and athletes especially, need a good multivitamin/multimineral, extra vitamin D, and fish oil (or another source of DHA/EPA omega-3s) in addition to healthy foods. Mostly, I recommend this because our soils have been over-farmed (which decreases the amount of nutrients in our foods), our waters are polluted (which is one reason we can’t eat as much seafood as we’d like), and our ability to get outside and get sunlight year round has decreased with more time spent inside and at a desk. And, there’s a lot of exciting research that supports higher levels of vitamin D supplementation than previous recommendations.
Generally, I recommend these daily supplements:
Additionally, individual athletes may need extra iron, probiotics, calcium, etc. But, these 3 pills are a good place to start for most healthy athletes.
As you look for supplements, the keys are to find ones that 1) have what they claim they have (no exaggerated claims) and 2) don’t have anything that’s harmful. You don’t want lead or other dangerous heavy metals, and I try to stay away from colorings, flavorings, and unnecessary additives. Since this industry is not really regulated, it can be hard to find good brands that have support from a 3rd party expert. I often www.consumerlab.com, a completely impartial 3rd party site that tests supplements and reports on their ingredients. They don’t have every brand, but it can be a good starting point. I hope this helps!
Please send us your questions for our Expert Sports Nutritionist, Kelli Jennings to “Ask the Sports Nutritionist“. Kelli Jennings is a Registered Dietitian with a passion for healthy eating, wellness, & sports nutrition. For more information go to www.apexnutritionllc.com.
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