Cycling and Leg Cramps (It’s not just about Hydration!)

You may recall, I did some traveling in May for vacation.  I don’t know about you, but whenever I go on vacation it always seems like I have to work extra hard both before (to get ready for it), and after (to catch up from being away).  For that reason, I did not get on my bike as much as I usually do.  I think I may have had one 20ish mile ride a couple of weeks before and a couple of weeks after vacation, which put me into early June with only a couple of bike rides.  Don’t worry, did not completely fall off the exercise wagon!  I was still getting in runs, swims, and some core workouts.  For me I can get a good workout in only one hour in those 3 areas, but with cycling it needs to be at least a couple of hours, which is not going to happen unless I have time to ride at least 30+ miles. 

Well, a couple of weekends ago a group of “recreational cyclists” that I occasionally tag along with posted a 40ish mile route that I had not done before.  It sounded like fun, so I decided to go for it, even though I had only been on my bike twice in the previous month, and only for short rides.  The first half was great!  We started at about 7:45 a.m. and the wind was at our back for 20 miles.  We stopped at a small general store in a little town called Andice.  There we had potty breaks and refueled. 

The way back was not pretty!  All those long rolling hills that we sped down we now had to ride UP, into a very strong headwind!  Our group quickly split in two, but I managed to hang on to the back of wheel of the first group until we hit about mile 30.  That’s when I found myself in no man’s land.  My left leg had been spasming for some time already, but I had managed to keep it from completely cramping by pulling harder with my right leg.  That turned out to not be such a good strategy because once I got on the biggest hill, my right leg started cramping up severely.  I can honestly say I have never in my life had leg cramps that bad!  It got so bad I could not pedal and had to jump off my bike for a few minutes and just stand on the side of the road.  Eventually I was able to move my legs a little, so I walked a bit before hoping back on my bike and slowly making my way back to a couple of members of the group that had waited for me at the top of the next hill. 

Let me tell you, I was definitely not dehydrated, and I was not low on electrolytes.  I know, we are in the middle of summer in Texas, but I had already consumed at least 20 ounces of fluid that contained over 600 mg of potassium and sodium (plus other minerals), and another 400 mg in a nutrition bar at the rest stop, plus at least 20 ounces of additional water.  I was able to confirm my hydration status once I got home and weighed (no change), and checked my urine (pale yellow, so had not overhydrated with water).  So what caused my leg cramps?

I am guessing a couple of things.  One, lack of fitness on the bike.  I probably could have ridden an easy 40 miles with no problem even though I had only a couple of short rides the previous month, but since this ride had a lot of hills and a strong headwind (and later I realized my brake was rubbing) my legs just were not ready.  The second thing was probably bad technique.  Once my left leg started giving me grief, I did not maintain equal pressure all the way around my stroke with both legs.  By pulling unevenly, I stressed my right leg so much that it started cramping as well. 

So if you are suffering from leg cramps, it is probably just not one thing.  Evaluate your hydration status, your electrolyte intake, AND your technique! 

Happy cycling! 

My Review of Brazier's Thrive Fitness

You probably don't know this, but I am the current book reviewer for Vegetarian Nutrition Update, which is a newsletter published by the Vegetarian Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group - a part of the American Dietetic Association.  I mention it because this week I would like to post my recently published review of Brendan Brazier's most recent book Thrive Fitness.  He is touring the US, and this Sunday through Tuesday (June 12th through June 15th) he is going to be in Austin, TX making appearances at several natural foods type stores.  So without further adieu, below is my review. 

Thrive Fitness
by Brendan Brazier. Da Capo Press, 2009; 245 pages; $15.95; ISBN 978-0-7382-1362-0

Brendan Brazier is a professional ironman triathlete and vegan.  Thrive Fitness is a follow up to his first book, Thrive.  Thrive was primarily a diet-focused book, while Thrive Fitness takes a more holistic approach in instructing the reader how to gain strength, prevent disease and become more fit and  healthier.  Thrive Fitness is divided into four main sections, with a total of eight chapters.  In the first section “What Happened to Our Health?” Brazier describes the current obesity epidemic and factors that contribute to this epidemic.  He supports his statements with information from reputable sources including the Centers for Disease Control, the American Heart Association, and medical journals.  In the second section, “What is Thrive Fitness?” he explains concepts such as “high-return exercise,” “high net-gain nutrition,” the importance of quality sleep, and stress reduction.  I found this to be a very useful section in explaining how to best select what type of physical activity to choose in order to get the most out of it and prevent over-training syndrome.  I also liked the way Brazier explained high net-gain nutrition and how this can lower physical stress on our bodies by avoiding foods that would provide little nutrition yet require our bodies to work harder to process them.   “Training, Living, and Improving” is the third section and gives tips on the mental aspects of training as well as disease prevention.  My only concern in this section is when he talks about “bad” LDL cholesterol and states, “only animal products contain this type of cholesterol.” This may lead the reader to think that plant foods contain the “good” type of cholesterol, whereas plants do not contain any type of cholesterol.  The last section “Achieving and Maintaining Thrive Fitness” details starting his 6-week training plan and includes nutrients to focus on, recipes, shopping lists, a sample menu, training logs, and a Q & A section.  As an ACSM Certified Health Fitness Specialist, my main concern with this section was a description of how to do bench dips that may actually cause shoulder injury; having your upper body so far away from the bench (as described and shown in the photo) has been shown to put a significant amount of strain on the shoulder. One limitation of the book is that recipes do not include any nutritional information. Despite a few concerns, I highly recommend this book to those who want to improve their health and fitness level while at the same time following a vegan diet.

Reviewed by Christine E. Marquette, RD, LD, ACSM Certified Health Fitness Specialist

© 2010, Vegetarian Nutrition Update Newsletter; Vegetarian DPG, a dietetic practice group of the American Dietetic Association.  Used with permission. 

The Omnivore’s Dilemma - a Review

As you may recall in my previous blog, I recently read The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan.  If you have not read it, I highly recommend it.  The book is broken into 3 sections:  Industrial/Corn, Pastoral/Grass, and Personal/Forest.  Each section is further broken down into several chapters.  It includes some tough chapters on animal slaughter and factory farms, but that is only part of the book. 

Section one starts out giving a history lesson on corn and the many products in this country that have corn as some sort of ingredient.  It also details how this tremendous crop has become the bane of many farmers’ existence.  I actually learned a few things that I didn’t already know regarding the vicious cycle of corn farming in America. 

In section two, Pollan spends a week working on Polyface farm in Virginia.  For those of you who saw Food, Inc., this is Joel Salatin’s farm where all the animals are allowed to practice their natural behaviors, spend most of their time “free on the range,” and are fed their natural diet.  I have a lot of respect for Pollan actually experiencing the hard work that farmers like Joel Salatin go through. 

Pollan wraps up the book with section three, in which he debates the ethics of eating animals, experiences hunting wild pig and foraging for wild mushrooms, and prepares an entire meal from scratch using items he obtained in his section three “adventures.” 

I really appreciated the effort he put into “tracking” a particular food item from its start to where it may ultimately end up, whether it was corn from a large industrial farm, a steer in a factory farm, or a pig on a family farm.  He does a good job of including virtually all aspects of our food supply system.  As the title implies, he also contrasts four meals:  a fast food meal in section one, an “organic industrial meal” purchased from Whole Foods in section two, a home cooked meal made from non-factory farmed “grass-fed” foods - which were fresh ingredients from Polyface Farm - also in section two, and another home cooked meal made from a combination of foods he foraged for, hunted, or grew in his own garden in section three.

At the end of the book, he includes all the sources he used in writing this piece and includes his website address.  His website has many useful links, such as resources for sustainable eating, resources for gardeners/farmers/ranchers, and many more.  

If you care about your health and the health of your family, I highly encourage you to read this book and learn more about where your food comes from.  

The Vegetarian’s Dilemma

I just got back from a week of vacation with my husband down on the Texas coast; Port Aransas to be specific.  It was great!  The water was surprisingly clean, temperatures not too hot, and sunny all but one day.

Anytime we travel, I usually try to research food options ahead of time, particularly since we are vegetarian.  I did for this trip as well, but had limited success because many of the restaurants in Port Aransas do not have websites.  Of the few restaurants who had websites, not many had vegetarian options, hence the name of this blog!  Even so, it really was not a big deal since we stayed in a condo and prepared most of our own meals.

However, there were a few restaurant options we tried.  Shell’s Pasta and Seafood had 4 different vegetarian pasta dishes available on their dinner menu, as well as a couple of different appetizers and desserts. We ate dinner there one evening in which we split an appetizer, had our own (different) entrées, and split dessert.  It was very good; all together, including a couple of glasses of wine, was only $40. Our waitress said they had a different lunch menu, but we did not have a chance to go back and check it out.  I would definitely go back to this restaurant. 

The Venetian Hot Plate only had one vegetarian entrée (pasta), a couple of appetizers and a couple of salads.  We ate dinner there one night; it was o.k., but because of the very limited variety and high cost, I would not go back. 

Port A Pizzeria had lots of options (sandwiches, pizza, a salad bar and buffet) but we did not actually eat there.  We did eat a vegetarian pizza at the Port A Brewery, which if I recall correctly was the only vegetarian “meal” option available there at lunch/dinner. However, they did also have vegetarian desserts.  It was good, average in cost, and we did go back on our last day to get some cinnamon rolls to go! 

Overall, if you plan to stay in Port A for a whole week and are vegetarian or vegan, I recommend staying some place where you can prepare some of your own meals so you do not get bored eating the same things daily! 

Besides researching places to eat, whenever I take a “beach” vacation, I always pack a few books to read.  This trip’s selection included one book purely for enjoyment, one for learning more about our food supply, and one about fitness.  Usually I can finish 3 books in a week, but this time I lacked about 50 pages to finish my last one (the book about fitness).  Oh well, guess I spent more time than usual napping and playing in the water!  I started with the “pure enjoyment” book, which was about dogs, and finished it in the first two days of the trip. 

My second book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan, was a bit heavier and took me three days to finish.  I was so impressed by this book that my next blog is going to be entirely about that book, so stay tuned! 

Can Factory Farming Cause Food Allergies, Asthma, Headaches and More?

I recently read a book called Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer.  I already knew what goes on in factory farming from reports I have seen on the evening news, videos put out by various "animals' rights" organizations, and the movie Food, Inc., however, this book went into a lot more depth than anything I had previously been exposed to.  It was a very difficult book to read, but as a "nutrition professional," something I felt I needed to do. 

I know a lot of people may not be that concerned about animals' rights, but everyone ought to be concerned about "human rights" and what eating factory farmed meat can do to your health.   I really appreciated the extensive list of references in the "Notes" section of this book because it allows the reader to go and verify the information he writes about.  

For example, according to an article published by the National Ag Safety Database: "Farmers have an increased prevalence of many acute and chronic health conditions including cardiovascular and respiratory disease, arthritis, skin cancer, hearing loss, and amputations."  This article goes on to say that research is lacking in a lot of areas regarding agriculture and human health, particularly in its present state.  However, there is quite a bit of research regarding respiratory diseases from exposures to organic dusts such as grain processing and Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs, also known as "factory farms").  For both swine and poultry CAFOs, there is mounting evidence that endotoxins found in organic dust cause many respiratory diseases in farm workers.

There are many potential pollutants associated with conventional agricultural production, such as fine particulates from diesel engines, pesticides, hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, nitrogen oxides from fertilized fields and internal combustion engines, methane from dairy cows, and other volatile organic compounds from animal manure.  People living in the surrounding areas can have their health affected by these pollutants. 

The Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production (IFAP) has put together a report called Putting Meat on The Table: Industrial Farm Animal Production in America that details how the current system evolved and its impact on public health, environmental risks, animal welfare, rural America, and gives recommendations for a more sustainable system with fewer negative consequences.  One of the first negative examples given is regarding animal waste; it is usually left untreated (or minimally treated) or sprayed on fields as fertilizer.  Animal wastes contain many pathogens and chemicals, which can potentially contaminate the surrounding air, water, and soil.  In 2006, the CDC determined that an E. Coli outbreak in which 200 people were sickened and three people died was likely caused by animal runoff from an IFAP.

The Pew report goes on to summarize public health concerns related to IFAP as: higher risks of pathogens passing from animals to humans, the emergence of antibiotic-resistant microbes (due primarily to the widespread use of antibiotics and anti-microbials in animals), food-borne illness, worker health concerns, and "dispersed impacts on the adjacent community at large."  These "dispersed impacts" fall into two main categories: 1) respiratory symptoms, disease, and impaired function (such as asthma), and 2) neurobehavioral symptoms and impaired function (such as depression, anger, confusion, fatigue, and impaired balance, memory, and intellectual function).  I encourage you to go to their website and read either the Executive summary or download the report in its entirety. 

Mistreating animals meant for human consumption through the use of factory farms (by confining them to tight quarters, preventing them from practicing their "normal" behaviors, feeding them an un-natural diet, etc.) is ultimately causing preventable health problems in the people who are working with them, eating them, and living near them. 

I know, that is a lot of bad news!  So what can we do?  Plenty!  First of all, as consumers we can "vote with our dollars," meaning we can purchase foods produced by farmers/ranchers who use sustainable methods.  Check out this "Eat well guide" to find restaurants, farms, bakeries, etc. that use sustainably produced products in your area.

We can also advocate for better environmental and animal welfare regulations of farms.  Most importantly, educate yourself.  Sustainable Table is a great website with a lot of information on food production.  Learn where your food comes from and what goes into producing it.  Any business person will tell you consumer demand is what drives the markets; let's demand sustainably produced food!  

Increase Physical Fitness and Follow a Plant-based Diet to Lower Your Cancer Risk

You may recall from my previous blog that I recently attended the American College of Sports Medicine’s Health Fitness Summit here in Austin, TX about a week ago.  I was able to attend many useful sessions on nutrition and fitness, including one on how to lower cancer risk through physical activity and diet.  Because April is Cancer Awareness Month, I’d like to highlight some of the recommendations from that session.

This workshop gave us 10 recommendations for lowering your overall Cancer risk.  These recommendations come from the second World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF)/American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) Expert report Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity, and the Prevention of Cancer: a Global Perspective.  You can access the complete report here.

Eight of the recommendations are for everyone and the last two are for special populations (women who are breast feeding and cancer survivors).  Listed below are the recommendations:

1. “Be as lean as possible within the normal range of body weight.” “Normal range” refers to ranges defined by national governments or the World Health Organization.  For example, using BMI the lowest “normal” BMI is 19, which is calculated by dividing your weight in kg by your height in meters squared.
   
   
2. “Be physically active as part of everyday life.”  This is defined as at least 30 minutes daily of moderate activity, which is equated to brisk walking.  For people who are already fit, 60 minutes daily of moderate activity or 30 minutes daily of vigorous activity is recommended.
    
3. “Limit consumption of energy-dense foods.  Avoid sugary drinks.”  Energy-dense foods are defined as foods that have 225-275 calories per 100 grams.  This recommendation also refers specifically to “processed foods,” not naturally energy-dense foods such as nuts/seeds. 
   
4. “Eat mostly foods of plant origin.”  This is specifically referring to getting a majority of your calories from fruits and non-starchy vegetables, although starchy vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and seeds are also recommended.
   
5. “Limit intake of red meat and avoid processed meat.” Red meat is defined as beef, pork, lamb, and goat from domesticated animals including that contained in processed foods.  No more than 18 ounces per week is what is recommended.  “Processed meat” is defined as meat preserved by smoking, curing or salting, or addition of chemical preservatives, and the recommendation is ideally to avoid completely. 
   
6. “Limit alcoholic drinks.”  This means two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women (which takes into account the possible cardio protective benefits of alcohol). 
   
7. “Limit consumption of salt.  Avoid moldy cereals (grains) or pulses (legumes).”  Aim for less than 2.4 grams of sodium daily.
   
8. “Aim to meet nutritional needs through diet alone.”  For most people, supplements are not recommended specifically for cancer prevention. 
   
9. First special population recommendation: “Mothers to breastfeed.”  Children should be breast fed for six months. 
   
10. Second special population recommendation: “Cancer Survivors: Follow the recommendations for cancer prevention.” 

If you visit the website and download “Chapter 12” (which gives details on the recommendations), you will see a chart that shows different types of cancer and diet and lifestyle factors and their effect on lowering or increasing the risk of developing those specific types of cancer.  Of all the items listed, alcohol and body fatness had the biggest impacts on increasing cancer risks.  Alcohol can increase the risk of developing 5 different types of cancer, and excess body fat can increase the risk of developing 6 different types of cancer. 

Physical activity and consuming fruits and non-starchy vegetables had the most impact on decreasing risk of developing cancer (3, 4, and 3 different types of cancers, respectively). 

So make sure you follow these recommendations! 

Farm Fresh Eggs, from “City” Chickens!

This past week was super busy for me; the last half of the week I attended my first “American College of Sports Medicine Health & Fitness Summit” (which means VERY long days), including the first part of Saturday, followed by a farm tour of Springdale Farm (located in the actual CITY of Austin), followed by 6 hours of Krav Maga Self Defense training. 

I have so many things to share, it was hard for me to decide what to blog about this week, so I may end up posting two!  We’ll start today with my tour of the Springdale Farm.  This is another local farm that is actually located in the City of Austin, practically downtown!  Paula and Glenn Foore are the wife and husband duo that run this farm, along with volunteers and employees from their landscaping business.

The Farm is 5 acres, and is primarily a vegetable farm, but they also have chickens (and therefore fresh eggs).  They have just acquired “runner ducks” and will soon have duck eggs as well.

They use sustainable, organic farming methods, and are in the middle of applying for “official” USDA Organic status.  One of the things they do is plant flowers in the vegetable garden areas to help increase pollination, as well as spare the food crops from some bugs (some flowers are known to “repel” certain types of insects).

You may recall in my previous blog post I wrote about Stryk Dairy how excited I was to have a local dairy source.  Well, I am now equally excited to have a local chicken egg source!  There are several different types of chickens at Springdale Farm; I asked Farmer Paula and she rattled off the names (there were too many for me to remember, and I didn’t have a pen & paper handy, sorry!) and described how the eggs look different from each.

I found it quite funny that Paula and Glenn both mentioned that on the farm, the animals have multiple jobs.  The chickens not only provide eggs, but also manure for fertilizer, as well as entertainment!  Farmer Glenn specifically said the chickens are very good stress relievers; they are always happy to see him and never talk back!  The hope for the runner ducks is that they will eat bugs in the garden (since they are not fond of vegetables; the chickens will eat the vegetables if left to roam in the garden areas!), as well as supply eggs.  It was good to hear how much Paula and Glenn care about their animals. 

They are a small CSA, and also have a small “farm stand” on site Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.  This is a time when anyone can stop buy and purchase fresh eggs and vegetables.  Right now they are growing broccoli, leaf lettuce, head lettuce, cauliflower, cabbage, Swiss chard, beets, spinach, collard greens, arugula, turnips, carrots, cilantro, basil, chives, chamomile, fennel, parsley, marjoram, thyme, dill, scallions, garlic, shallots, onions, Brussel sprouts, rutabaga, mustard green, Chinese cabbage, Napa cabbage, lavender, oregano, turnips, parsnips, and more.  I was able to take home half a dozen fresh eggs, spinach, scallions, leeks, some herbs and a little lavender plant as part of my “tour.” I must say, everything tasted wonderful!  Yesterday I made spinach omelets with jalapeño cheddar cheese and scallions and they turned out super yummy (everything but the salt and pepper was from local farms!). 

If I haven’t convinced you already, I HIGHLY encourage you to become a member of a local CSA or shop at your local farmer’s market.  You can’t beat the quality!