Tag Archives: eat

Chew on this

17 Feb


Don’t eat so fast! Do you have a train to catch? Chew your food! How many times did you hear something like this as a kid (and now a an adult) sitting at the dinner table painfully getting through a family meal as fast as possible so you could get outside and play or plop down in front of the TV to catch the last quarter of the game.

Done reflecting??? Let’s move on to the punch line…

Well folks, I’m afraid to break it to you BUT your parents were giving you valuable disease fighting advice for free!!! (aka they were RIGHT)

I know what you’re thinking…  “I was starving and trying to quench my hunger” or “I was in a rush and didn’t want to skip a meal all together”

Regardless of the reason it doesn’t change the fact that it’s important to chew your food thoroughly.

Here’s why:

  1. Digestion is aided with the first chew.  Chewing tells your gut to get the juices flowing because food is on its way.
  2. Optimal Digestion. Proper chewing breaks down the food in the mouth so the gut can easily absorb nutrients without having to work overtime.
  3. Prevents Gas.  Swallowing food chunks that are too big can cause bacterial overgrowth and gas. If you have suffered from this or been around someone who has then you know it’s not pleasant.
  4. Prevents Overeating (aka weight gain).  Chewing more means eating slower and giving the body ample time to release and receive the proper signals related to hunger.
  5. Tastes better. Taking the time to chew gives you time to taste what you are eating.
  6. Stronger jawline. If all of the above reasons are not compelling enough then maybe a more defined jawline will nudge you to chew more. Chewing works out the masseter muscles.

Chew on it. Chew your food at least 20- 30 times until your food is emulsified and you can no longer identify the texture of what you are eating.

As always don’t take my word for it. Try it out and post your findings to comments….

n!

Ritu Riyat

Paleo Lobster Night!

10 Jan

I have to say I love lobster but it’s the type of meal that’ll break my piggy bank in no time! So you can imagine my joy when a good friend opted to cook me a Paleo bday LOBSTER dinner. What better way to ring in a bday than with a 2lb lobster sitting in front of me in my own kitchen- YUMMY!  The actual cooking part was not so yummy for me though. I realized I would have made a sucky Paleo Chick and would have either a. lived off of grass b. scavenged dead animals or c. found an awesome paleo dude to catch me some lobster (the more likely answer).  Once the lobsters made it to the pot it was smooth sailing. In 20 minutes I had a steaming hot lobster ready to be enjoyed. The great thing about fresh lobster is that it tastes delicious on its own, without any extra seasoning or sauces. The not so great thing is that it puts your CF skills to use with all the shell cracking and meat pulling involved. Nonetheless it was an amazing meal prepared in less than 30 minutes and it WON’T break the piggy bank! Recipe below.

Fresh lobster served with asparagus and shitake mushrooms

Lobster Preparation:

  1. Boil a pot full of water(enough to cover the lobster); add about 2 tbsp of sea salt
  2. Add lobster to boiling water and leave for 10 minutes for the first pound and 3 additional minutes for each additional points
  3. Drain the water and serve hot

Optional: Heat butter over flame and use as dipping sauce

Asparagus and Shitake mushroom Sautee Preparation:

  1. Add olive oil (or oil of your choice) to pan on medium heat
  2. Add 5 cloves of chopped garlic  and sauté 4-5 minutes until garlic is crisp
  3. Add asparagus and shitake mushrooms, sauté for 5 minutes
  4. Remove and serve as a side

n!

Ritu

Eat before you’re hungry…. drink before you’re thirsty!

4 Jun

ALC 

Short and sweet post before I head out for my ride down to LA. One of the biggest lessons I have learned over my last 5 months of training is this: eat before you are hungry, drink before you are thirsty. DUH! Yes, it seems like a no brainer but when life gets busy, training gets longer, and you get lazy, this simple rule gets pushed to the back burner. I alway stress to my clients and in my seminars to not let more than 5 hours pass between meals and snacks. We have all skipped meals here and there and have gotten through the day and been just fine. However, throw in hours of intense exercise whether that be endurance, strength, or cross training, that 5 hour period becomes extremely important. I experienced something called "bonking" for the first time a couple of weeks ago, basically my blood sugar dropped during endurance training, and my the time I realized it (had symptoms) it was already too late. I could dump all the bars, chews, and gus down my throat and it would still take a good hour before the symptoms of headache and fatigue dissipated. Bottom line, don't wait until its too late! Plus, your friends will appreciate your blood sugar consistency since other symptoms may include EXTREME crankiness!

So lesson learned… Eat and drink (water that is) … before you feel hungry and thirsty, it'll be a life saver.

A quick shout out to my Crossfit Milpits Fam… good luck at the Regionals!

And to my AIDS/Lifecyle riders, see you all bright and early to conquer this 7 day adventure! And congratulations to the organizations for being the largest fundraiser for HIV/AIDS in the ENTIRE WORLD!

Nutritionize!

Ritu Riyat

 

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