Plant Based? Like… a VEGETARIAN??

I recently wrote a guest-blog post for my friend Tim over at Mulligan Stew (check out the post here). I’ve been thinking more about one of the aspects that I wrote about so I thought I’d expand on it a bit in my own blog!

All of the recommendations coming out these days, as well as many of the ones from the past, suggest that eating a more plant-based diet will help reduce the risk of several chronic diseases such has type two diabetes, obesity, and heart disease. It’s what the Mediterranean Diet is based on, it’s explicit in the newly released Dietary Guidelines for Americans, it’s everywhere.

While the term “plant-based” might sound pretty easy to figure out for some of us, I think that others jump to the conclusion that it means, “you must become a vegetarian.” It’s not too surprising then that those same people run to bacon and beer festivals or their local BBQ joint. You can almost hear them covering their ears and yelling “you can’t make me!” However, I think that if people understood the suggestion a bit more they would understand that there is room in a plant-based diet for some bacon and the occasional burger or steak.

Even I actually misinterpret it sometimes, trying to make my diet as vegetable and fruit-filed as possible and suggesting to friends who are looking for suggestions on eating healthy that they do the same. I figure if you focus on fruits and veggies, you’ll probably end up getting adequate amounts of other nutrients, just not in excess. However, I think that what we need to focus on to eat health is quite literally how long ago what we are eating was a plant. This doesn’t just mean that the apple in your hand was attached to a tree growing in the ground; it means that it didn’t become something else (like apple sauce with added sugar or a McDonalds apple pie).

So you go to make lunch and look through your cabinets and fridge. Which is better for you, a bowl of brown rice with tofu and veggies or a sandwich with turkey and a piece of lettuce? Which has the most ingredients that more recently were plants? That’s all I’m suggesting you ask yourself; not to become a vegetarian or eat ONLY fruits and vegetables, but to think about what process has happened to your food since it was a plant, and what non-plant ingredients may have been added to it. And if you’ll enjoy all of that plant-based food better with a side of bacon and a glass of milk, by all means! Anything in moderation.

Running is in the Air

Earlier this week was the 2011 Boston Marathon. This is an exciting time for me and hopefully for others in the area - so many visitors, all of them here for one reason: fitness (aka being ACTIVE!). You can almost feel healthiness in the air, especially if you spend the three days leading up to the marathon at the Sports and Fitness Expo which is full of - you guessed it, active people. Over 80,000 people attend the expo over three days before the race. That's a lot more than the 27,000 people who are there to pick up their race number, so clearly there are some others that are interested in sports and fitness (or at least want free stuff and good deals of things relating to sports and fitness).

The first two days I was working in the Clif Bar booth, chatting with runners and their friends and families about the awesome Clif products that we were sampling. One of the things I overheard the most was "oh wow, these actually taste good!" indicating that they'd tried some less than stellar samples that day. The last day before the race I volunteer at registration, giving runners their number and trying to answer any questions they might have. The Sunday night shift is always interesting because a lot of people come directly from the airport and are somewhat distressed, whether their flight was delayed or they got lost taking the train in.

Runners watch a video of the race course during the Expo

This all leads up to the big day... MARATHON MONDAY (otherwise known in Massachusetts as Patriot's Day). This was the first year in a long time that I had the day off and was able to watch the runners. It was a gorgeous day for it and everyone looked great! I've always said that I'll never run another marathon, but watching the runners with the big smiles (even at mile 22) was super inspiring. It made me think that maybe one of these days I could tackle it again - and since I wasn't much of a runner when I took it on the first time there's enormous room for improvement. Later that night I had dinner with my inspiring friend Rebecca who had just ran a 3:22 race and didn't look tired in the least. After a long and delicious dinner, I went home and did two things: started reading Born to Run and registered for the Madison Half Marathon.

Did the marathon inspire you to take any steps to be more active? Leave it in the comments!

A Big Bowl of Delicious

I'm a big fan of one pot - or even one bowl - meals. Yes, this is made easier by the fact that I generally have only myself to feed so it might not entirely translate for everyone. But it's convenient and most of the time leaves only one dish to wash. It's also a good way to make sure that you're putting the essentials: carbs, protein, and plenty of veggies. My roommate often peers into a bowl that I'm eating out of to try to figure out everything I've put in it (my love of one-bowl meals is even reflected in my blog logo!). Inspired by an acquaintance who recently told me that he was having a hard time figuring out what to eat for lunch during the one day a week he was eating vegetarian, here are a few of my favorite ridiculously-easy-to-make one bowl vegetarian meals...

Mediterranean Mélange: Orzo mixed with sliced cherry tomatoes, diced cucumber, garbonzo beans, feta, and some balsamic vinegar and black pepper (if desired). This one is delicious both hot and cold and can easily be stuffed into a pita for easy portability if needed.

Mexican Jumble: Brown rice mixed with black beans, canned tomato with jalapeno, frozen spinach, and reduced fat shredded cheddar melted on top. Yum. If you're an athlete wrap it in a tortilla for that extra carb boost.

Vegan Health Nut: Quinoa with diced beets, green beans, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, and parsley. This one is very pretty as the beets turn the quinoa pink!

Thai Peanut Veggie: Brown rice with steamed broccoli, shredded carrot, cubed tofu, cilantro, cucumber, and peanut sauce (either bottled or mix some peanut butter with water and soy sauce).

Creamy Noodles and Veg: Pasta shells with one or two melted wedges of laughing cow cheese (and a splash of nonfat milk), spinach, and tomatoes.

You get the gist by now: take a grain (brown rice, bulger, quinoa, pasta, couscous), add lots of veggies that complement each other (the more color variety the better), some form of protein (beans, nuts, cheese, tofu), and optional sauce or topping (balsamic vinegar, olive oil, melted cheese) and voila! Delicious, nutritious, hearty meal ready in no time.

A Little Running Here, A Little Running There

I was raised to be the type of person that can't really sit still on a vacation. In my family, vacations included going to countless museums, castles, churches (ask my parents how much I loved those as a teenager!). The idea of going somewhere to just sit on a beach day in and day out has always been foreign to me. So it's no surprise that for me, travel often goes hand in hand with some sort of physical activity. I've found that triathlons have been a great way for me to explore New England, visiting various spots in New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont that I never would've gone to otherwise. Running and biking is also a great way to explore a new city, race or no race. I recently did a 10-mile run in Salem, MA that took us past the historic House of Seven Gables, to the rocky shores of Marblehead, and back to the city of witches (see photo).


Going for a training ride or run or signing up for a race in a new or exotic location can also be a great way to stay active on your vacation. Sure, you might spend the rest of your time there doing little else besides eating the local cuisine and sampling the local drinks, but you'll feel much better about it if you've done something to earn it! It's also a great way to bond with family members that live far away. My brother and I live halfway across the country from each other, but we've gotten together to do a triathlon in Maine, a Livestrong Challenge in Texas; he and my dad have done a trail half marathon in California as well as a marathon in Austin. The point is, while there's never a bad place to exercise, why not take a vacation to an awesome place to exercise?

Depending on your sport of choice, here are some links you might find helpful in planning your destination event:
Best Marathons in North America
10 Most Scenic Triathlons
Road Trippin Triathlete Blog
Top 25 Best Half Marathons
Destination Marathons (suggested by Lululemon)

Oh Hello Awesome LOGO

This post has nothing to do with eating, drinking, or being active. Let's just take a moment to admire my brand-spanking new logo, designed by my good friend Chris. Looking for a logo or other website/design help? He's your man. He took my stick figure drawings on index cards and made it into the awesomeness that you see above. E-mail him at molarfilms at gmail dot com.

Total Immersion

Yes there is a swim-instruction company with that same name, but I'm referring of course to my brand spanking new IMMERSION BLENDER!

Isn't she beautiful? I love the aqua color, it contrasts so nicely with that amazing carrot soup that I made. Here are some reasons you need an immersion blender:

• You love soup - who doesn't?!
• You hate washing out a blender
• You don't want to scald yourself by pouring hot soup into a blender or deal with the mess when your gazpacho overflows in your mini-prep blender (true story)
• You want to be able to put the end of the blender in the dishwasher and not have to deal with it
• You like seeing things blend in front of your eyes
• You crave creamy soups or sauces but don't want the calories that come along with them when someone else makes them

I made this Carrot Soup from the 101 Cookbooks blog the other night and it turned out super well (thanks Angie for making this for me when I was in DC!). It's crazy how few ingredients are in it, yet how complex and creamy it tastes. Literally the only ingredients are carrots, onion, garlic, veggie stock, and lemon juice. Totally vegan and nutritious, and totally delicious.

I'm just itching to try out other recipes with my new toy. If you're interested in buying one I would of course suggest that you visit your locally-owned kitchenware store. However, if you don't happen to have a locally-owned kitchenware store nearby or don't like to leave your house/apartment, here's a link for you: Immersion Blender in Turquoise or if you want it in pink: Immersion Blender in Pink or in boring white: Immersion Blender in White.

Here's the finished product from the soup-making night:

Post in the comments section if you have a favorite immersion-blended recipe that you think we should all try!

Body Mass = Body Fat?

A reader made a comment after I posted the Motivation Station blog in which "Andy" is inspired to lower his BMI that the BMI is not a good representation of whether or not a person is healthy. As this was how the health and wellness program at Andy's office was measuring health, I didn't get into it then. However, now's the time to talk about (everyone's favorite subject...) BODY FAT!

So, as many of you may know, what the BMI (Body Mass Index) takes into account is two things: your height and your weight. That means that two people could have very similar BMIs but one of them could look skinny and muscular and the other could look flabby and out of shape. This is because it does not take into account the weight, or mass, of muscle. I still believe that for some people in the general population, the BMI can be a useful tool to help gauge whether or not they need to lose weight, but it is definitely not good for athletes to use.

Well, if the BMI is not going to work, how are you going to find out your body fat percentage? Good question. I realize that not everyone is enrolled in a nutrition class where they get to pinch their classmate's fat with a caliper (fun!). There are several ways that you can find out your body fat percentage. The most accessible way to people who don't have a caliper (and a person to skillfully utilize the caliper) is a bioelectrical impedance scale. Many scales on the market these days have this added feature; you need to stand on the scale with bare feet so that it can send a totally painless electrical current through your body to figure out how much fat is there versus water. Yes, there is a margin of error, and it does depend on how recently you have peed or had any water, but it can be a good way to figure out if you're carrying excess body fat. (You can also find a hand-held version that does not give your weight.)

How much is too much? It's different for men and women, but it is essential for men to have 3% body fat and for women to have 12% (essential meaning that health issues arise if it drops below). Women need more due to the whole child bearing thing. An athletic man should have 6-10% and an athletic female 10-15%. An ideal man, 11-14% and an ideal female, 16-23%. If a male has over 21% body fat he is overweight, for a woman it is 31%. Obese is over 25% for a man and 37% for a woman. Yes this skips over some numbers and no I'm not sure what it means if you're a woman and have between 23 and 31% body fat (like me!). I guess it means you should monitor your fat intake, get plenty of exercise, and aim to bring it down into the ideal range.

Remember, muscle burns fat. Don't let the number on a scale dictate what you eat or how much you exercise - that number is not taking into account your awesome, heavy muscles. Instead of being a slave to the scale, do plenty of strength-training to build those muscles, eat a healthy diet, and watch your percent body fat in order to gauge results.