Loving the BITE: Dark Chocolate Avocado RECOVERY Pudding

12
Apr
2012

Avocado chocolate pudding?  Before you click the “dislike” button in your mind, hear me out.  In the world of foodie blogs, there’s recently been a lot of chatter, pinning, and reposting of Chocolate Pudding recipes made with avocados.  And yes, it’s delicious.  It’s whole-food, velvety smooth, super-chocolaty, relatively low sugar, and very easy to make.  But how does that help you with cycling?  By adding protein to it, it just happens to make a perfect recovery snack.

This week, we can have our chocolate and eat it too.

Recipe of the week:  Dark Chocolate Avocado RECOVERY Pudding

(adapted from http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2012/03/raw-chocolate-pudding.html)

 

Ingredients:

  • 2 ripe avocados, peeled and scooped
  • ¼ cup organic honey
  • 3 Tbsp organic coconut oil, melted
  • 1/3 cup raw cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • 2 cups fat-free Greek-style yogurt

Instructions:

Blend all ingredients except yogurt in a blender or food processor until thoroughly mixed and smooth.  Stir in yogurt until mixed.  Chill at least 30 minutes.  Enjoy as a recovery snack with a large glass of water.  Makes 4 servings.

Comments:

What makes a perfect recovery?  In a nutshell, I believe optimal recovery components include adequate calories, efficient energy sources like carbohydrates and medium chain triglycerides (MCTs), protein, electrolytes, antioxidants, and healthy bacteria.  Preferably, from whole-food sources that provide quick AND long-lasting nutrition.  Here’s why:

Adequate calories and efficient energy sources:  Your body continues to burn calories at a higher-than-normal rate long after you’ve completed your workout.  If you don’t give it calories from efficient fuel sources like carbs and MCTs, you 1) will begin to breakdown and burn muscle, and 2) won’t replenish glycogen stores properly.

When you give your body carbs after your workout, it will first replenish glycogen stores.  In fact, the enzymes responsible for replenishing these carbs stored in muscles continue to work overtime immediately after training.  Then, the additional calories from healthy fats like the MCTs found in organic coconut oil (fast-acting) and mono-unsaturated fats in avocados (slow-acting) will continue to provide your body with energy so that it doesn’t have to break down muscle.

Protein: After working and straining your muscles during training, your body can use some extra protein to repair muscles, increase glycogen storage by increasing insulin output, and spare muscles from breakdown.

Electrolytes: After sweating away fluid, sodium, potassium, and other electrolytes, it’s important to replenish them so that the body regains balance.  With this recovery mousse, you’ll get good amounts of sodium (123 mg), potassium (356 mg), calcium (110 mg), and magnesium (20 mg).

Antioxidants and Healthy Bacteria: When you train, your body goes through many more chemical reactions than it does in a sedentary state.  In aerobic endurance training, you take in and use a lot of oxygen.  All this oxygen and extra chemical reactions leads to a lot of extra “charged” molecules in the body, or free radicals.  While the exercise is great for our heart and bodies, the free radicals, in the absence of anti-oxidants, can cause harm to our cells.  To fight them, immediately flood your body with antioxidants from foods like honey, cocoa, fruits, and vegetables.  As a bonus, healthy bacteria from yogurts and fermented foods increase the amount of antioxidants your body absorbs, even in the short term.

Caution! A word on recovery and weight loss: If your primary goal is to lose weight, don’t add in extra calories with an independent recovery snack.  Rather, “time” your subsequent meal or snack to act as your recovery after you train.  One serving of this chocolate mousse actually makes a balanced, healthy meal, or a half-serving will work as a snack.

For more information on the health benefits of each of the ingredients in this week’s Loving The Bite recipe, see avocados, organic coconut oil, cocoa, and plain yogurt.

Make a healthy recovery snack a consistent habit; you will feel good, have steady energy, and be ready to go hard again tomorrow.  Fail to recover well after hard workouts and you may drag through the rest of the day feeling fatigued and famished, only to go out and have heavy legs on the bike tomorrow.

Fuel Your Ride.  Nourish Your Body.

 

Enjoy Your Ride

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6 Responses to “ Loving the BITE: Dark Chocolate Avocado RECOVERY Pudding ”

  1. Emily Smith on November 15, 2015 at 5:45 pm

    These all sound and look great — and healthy too! The chocolate avocado pudding is especially easy for us to make here in Mexico. Gotta try it!

  2. Sam on April 12, 2012 at 3:36 pm

    I’ve never tried them together but I do enjoy chocolate and avocados.  I’m mixing this up tonight.

    • Kelli on April 12, 2012 at 3:41 pm

      I’ll admit, avocados+chocolate sounded pretty weird to me at first, too.  But, the avocados give it an incredible texture.  Let us know what you think! Kelli, RD

  3. Kelli on April 12, 2012 at 3:31 pm

    Hope you like it!  I’ll admit, I’ve had it for breakfast a couple days this week – have to keep the portion small, but really balanced, nutritious meal!

  4. B Jackson on April 12, 2012 at 2:08 pm

    Now this is my kind of recovery food.  I’ll be making it this weekend and trying it out following the 75 mile ride I have planned for Saturday.  Thanks lovingthebike.

    • Kelli on April 12, 2012 at 3:32 pm

      You’re very welcome! Hope it works well after your 75 miler.  Enjoy! Kelli, RD

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Sugar Alternatives for Energy and Hydration

Question: I am using the homebrew sugar formulations (sometimes added to green tea).  I am also trying to wean myself off 1/2 dose adrenalean “lip tonic delivery system” (biorhythm brand- caffeine, hoodia g, synephrine, yohimbe) capsule for energy.

My question is other than juice, can you suggest modifications in lieu of table sugar for energy and hydration.

Answer:

Both raw/organic honey or agave can work great in the homebrew (substitute in the same quantities for the sugar, or to taste), but you do have to shake well in order to make sure they don’t settle out.  Have you tried either of these?  Also, make sure to use at least the minimum amount of salt recommended in the homebrew as the temps rise, you need the sodium replacement if you’re sweating.

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