February is National Grapefruit Month!

I can't let February slip by without calling attention to it being National Grapefruit Month, especially since Ruby Reds, also known as "Texas Reds," are in season right now in my home state! 

Grapefruit is actually a hybrid fruit.  The grapefruit as we know it was developed sometime in the 1700s by cross breeding oranges with pomelos (which are also called "Chinese Grapefruit").  The varieties include white, pink, and red.  Grapefruits are rich in vitamin C, vitamin A, lycopene, limonin, and fiber (particularly soluble fiber in the form of pectin).  Both lycopene and limonin are antioxidants that may help prevent certain types of cancer. 

Lots of people have tried "The Grapefruit Diet" in an effort to lose weight.  Historically people lost weight following this diet for the simple reason that they were eating very few calories.  However, there have been a couple of studies that show that grapefruit may help with weight loss, but the exact reason is unclear, and it is not rapid weight loss.  One study was conducted in 2006 at the Nutrition and Metabolic Center at Scripps Clinic in California.  They found that eating half a grapefruit or drinking a serving of grapefruit juice before each meal caused people to lose at least 3 pounds over a 12-week period.  Researchers at Louisiana State University conducted another study in 2009; they found that people eating half a grapefruit 3 times a day were able to lose 4 pounds (on average) in 12 weeks even though they had not altered the rest of their diet.       

So eating grapefruit can be healthy for you in more ways than one.  However, if you are taking certain medications, it is best to avoid grapefruit because it can significantly elevate the absorption rate of these medications in your body, which can cause negative side effects.  Examples of medications that may interact with grapefruit include those that lower blood pressure and cholesterol, as well as thyroid medications and some antihistamines. 

For more information and recipes visit Texas Sweet. 

Cherries: Tasty and Good for You!

You probably all have heard that February is American Heart Month.  There are several other monthly observances in February, including National Grapefruit Month, National Cherry Month, etc.  Since I’ve been neglecting my “food specific” blogs, I thought this would be a good time to get back into food by writing about cherries! 

Cherries not only taste good, but they have many health benefits as well.  For example, researchers have found that cherries are very high in a flavonoid called “quercetin” that has been shown to help prevent heart disease.  What are flavonoids?  They are plant pigments, also called phytochemicals, that have health benefits, including their “antioxidant” properties.  Antioxidants are substances that prevent or slow down damage caused by “free radicals” that are produced as a by-product when our bodies use oxygen. 

According to the California Cherry Advisory Board, cherries are also beneficial for cancer prevention, pain relief, and bone health.  A phenolic acid called “amygdalin” that is found in cherries (and other fruits) “has been shown to reduce tumor size and further spread of cancer, as well as to alleviate the pains of the cancerous process.” 

Anthocyanins are another flavonoid found in high amounts in cherries.  Anthocyanins block inflammatory enzymes, which reduces pain associated with arthritis, gout, as well as soreness and joint pain related to exercise.  In fact, the “Red Recovery Routine” was created by dietitian Leslie Bonci, MPH, RD, LDN, CSSD to help athletes recover from exercise induced pain.

Cherries are grown in several regions in the US, but seventy percent come from four states (Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Utah). The 2 main types of cherries are sweet and sour (or “tart”).  “Montgomery” is the best-known tart cherry.  It is grown primarily in the Midwest and Eastern states and is mainly canned or frozen for use as pie filling or sauce. 

There are several varieties of sweet cherries on the market.  “Bing” is the most well known.  It is large, round, extra sweet, has a deep red skin that is almost black when completely ripe and the flesh is purple-red.  Lamberts are also sweet cherries; they are smaller than Bing cherries and are more heart-shaped.  Rainer is the variety of sweet cherry that is milder, has a yellow or pinkish skin, and is grown in much smaller quantities, and Royal Ann has a blush yellow skin and is often canned or made into Maraschino cherries.

Cherries are generally in season from May to August, but can be found dried, frozen, or canned year round.  When buying fresh cherries, choose those with the stem on.  They should be bright, shiny, and free from blemishes.  Sweet cherries should be firm and tart cherries should be medium-firm.  Avoid cherries with cuts, bruises, stale/dry stems, or that are soft. 

Store unwashed cherries in the refrigerator in a plastic bag or in a single layer in a pan covered with plastic wrap.  Good cherries should last for up to a week.  Wash cherries just before eating, and allow to come to room temperature for better flavor. 

You can also freeze cherries by rinsing and draining thoroughly.  To avoid having the cherries take on an “almond” flavor, remove the pits prior to freezing.  You can either place them in a plastic bag or spread on a cookie sheet and freeze “individually” prior to placing them in a plastic bag for storage. 

Recovering After the Marathon

First, I want to wish good luck to all my peeps running the Austin Marathon and Half Marathon this coming Sunday!  What a way to celebrate Valentine’s Day!  You all will definitely deserve a celebration dinner afterward! Now, let’s talk about how to recover after running 26.2 miles.

Recovering properly means you need to take into account both nutrition and activity.  I remember when I ran my very first marathon; I ran way too many miles each week (and way too many “other” races!) and didn’t do enough cross training.  I also had some issues with my form (partially due to lack of core strength). As a result, I ended up with ITB Syndrome and had to walk a lot of the second half of the marathon because I was in so much pain and my right leg just would not bend.  I was so tired when I finished that I didn’t feel like eating initially and instead took a nap for about 6 hours! I knew that not eating enough within a couple of hours (max) was not good, but I had no idea how just laying around would make things so much worse.  I got up for a light snack, then went back to bed and didn’t get back up until the next day.  I had a lot of trouble walking the first couple of days; both of my legs were sore for at least a week!  Back then, I was not aware of the benefits of an ice water bath or a short walk later in the day.  

Now I know better!  The more marathons I have run, the less sore I am afterward.  At this point, within a few days I am back to running short mileage, and within 2 weeks, back up to 10+ miles for my weekend “long runs.”  Maintaining a high level of fitness year round and knowing all the little “tricks” to recovery have helped tremendously.  I have found that the single most important thing for my own personal recovery is how well I trained prior to the event.  Hopefully you have followed a training plan that included a good amount of base mileage as well as other exercises to keep your muscles in balance; that is the foundation for your recovery.  If you have not trained properly for your marathon, you will definitely feel more pain both during and after the event.

Some other “must do’s” to speed your recovery: 1. Eat the snacks provided at the finish line.  At the bare minimum drink some sports drink AND water, but ideally eat some solid carbs as well, such as fruit or bars.  Make sure you have a balanced meal that includes protein and some healthy fat a few hours later; 2.  Do an ice water bath for 20 minutes within a few hours of finishing.  You will be amazed at how well an ice bath will reduce inflammation and muscle soreness; and 3.  Go for an easy 10 – 20 minute walk later that evening to loosen up the leg muscles.

It is normal to start feeling muscle soreness after the event, which can last for a few days (and in some people up to 1 week) afterward.  The next day, it is not uncommon to feel a little “down,” especially if it is your first marathon and the soreness and fatigue start to settle in.  That’s o.k.; just try to take it easy.  If you want to go for a run, make sure you run on a nice flat surface, preferably something soft such as a track.  Make sure to take it easy and listen to your body!  Limit your self to just 10 – 15 minutes.  Try some light stretching.  Go to bed early as your body is still rebuilding and repairing tissue that was damaged the day before.  Also be sure to get a massage a couple of days after the race to help flush out any knots.

Even though it may seem like a lot of people run marathons, those of you who complete a marathon are still part of a relatively small percentage of the overall population.  After accomplishing such a big feat, most people experience an incredible high.  Sometimes it is hard to know what to do after meeting such a big goal.  The first week after, try not to make any specific plans.  Continue to eat well-balanced meals and do some light physical activity, but definitely do not push yourself.

If this is your first marathon, it may take you a full month to recover completely and feel like you are back to your pre-race level of fitness.  Don’t let this high level of fitness slip away!  If you don’t feel like you want to run a lot at first, try something else.  Consider cycling, swimming, or hiking.  Maybe try your hand at triathlon.  But please, do not stop exercising.  Your body is at a high level of fitness; keep building on it.  

Best wishes for a great race and a speedy recovery, and I will see you all at the race!

Countdown to the Austin Marathon

Well, it’s that time of year again!  The Austin Marathon is less than 2 weeks away!  At this point, you should be in taper mode, as there is nothing more you can do to get physically ready for this race.  You may remember last year I also wrote a blog post about what to do the week before the race.  If this is your first marathon, you may want to review that post for specifics on nutrition, hydration, preparing your race gear, etc.  In this post, I’d like to spend some time on the “mental preparation” that needs to happen for you to have a successful race. 

The marathon is not for wimps!  26.2 miles is a long way, and anything can happen.   Whether this is your first marathon or whether you have done several, no two race experiences are exactly the same.  If you tend to get nervous before events, or if you have had bad experiences in races in the past, it is important to be prepared mentally for whatever happens. 

Visualize your perfect race: how do you feel at the start?  Visualize yourself running the first few miles at an easy pace, getting your body warmed up.  You hit your water stops with ease, tolerate your nutrition with no stomach queasiness, and the miles just seem to click by.  Before you know it, you are at the halfway point and feeling great.  You feel so good that you start to pick up your pace a little bit.  Now you are at the 30K mark, having a great race.  You are remembering to drink your water, take your supplements, eat your snacks, and wave to the crowd.  Now you are entering the home stretch.  You only have 0.2 miles to go.  You wipe your face off, straighten up your shirt and bib, and smile for the cameras.  Now you have less than 0.1 miles to go; you pick up speed, starting to pass other runners as you cross the finish line, arms lifted in triumph!  The crowd goes wild!!!  You slow down, get your medal, and head into the finishers area to collect your goodies. 

Sounds great, doesn’t it?  But we all know that unexpected things can happen that can cause your race to be less than perfect.  Maybe it’s super windy that morning, or raining, or hot!  What will you do?  Having a mantra that you truly believe in, or some type of mental picture of someone (yourself or someone else) overcoming adversity is a powerful tool that you can use to get yourself through tough patches.  If you have run in my training group, you have already experienced all sorts of weather extremes, so you know you can handle it.  Draw on those positive past experiences and know that you can handle the weather. 

What if you start to cramp?  If it is a side stitch, push into the area where you are experiencing the tightness and breath slowly and deeply in and out. You may need to slow your pace down a little.  If you have had side stitches before, you know that they will pass.  Use your mantra or visual image.  

What if you start to experience pain in your knee/back/ankle, etc?  First, assess the pain level.  Is it so severe that you are starting to run with a limp?  Are you recovering from an injury?  If not, is this a “phantom” pain?  Often times if we have not had any injuries in training, as we start to feel fatigued during an event, our mind and body can start to play tricks on us.  Focus on keeping your form, remember to breathe, and continue to run for at least 2-3 more minutes (time yourself), then re-assess.  Again, use your mantra or your visual image.  Use the crowd for support! 

What if your stomach starts acting up?  If you tolerate some type of antacid (such as Tums, Rolaids, etc.), plan to carry some with you “just in case.”  Don’t be afraid to stop and use the port-o-potties because you’ll “lose too much time.” If you try to avoid stopping and run too long on an upset stomach, you will likely feel worse, slow down your pace significantly, and eventually end up having to stop at a port-o-potty anyway.  Once you start running after your “pit stop,” again re-assess how you feel and determine whether you can safely continue.  If you can safely continue, lean on your mantra.   

If you are recovering from injury, know your limitations and lower your expectations.  If you are already planning to finish “no matter what,” be prepared to have to walk. Take in the crowd, the bands, the volunteers and plan on just enjoying the fact that you are still physically able to walk in a marathon! 

Good luck to everyone! 

Food 101

Did any of you watch Oprah this past week when her show was titled “Food 101 with Michael Pollan”?  Michael Pollan is not a nutritionist; he is a journalist and book author who has been researching food and health for over 20 years.   Due to his vast years of research on the food industry in our nation, and diets around the world, I think he can legitimately be considered an expert on how food is manufactured and how it affects our health.  He currently has a new book out called Food Rules.  His previous 3 books include The Omnivore’s Dilemma, The Young Reader’s Edition of the Omnivore’s Dilemma, and In Defense of Food.  I have to admit I have not read any of his books (yet!), but I am familiar with his research and I did watch the documentary Food Inc. in which he appears.  I was really glad to see Oprah take on the subject of where our food comes from, factory farms versus local farmers, and the fact that how we treat animals and what we feed them has a direct impact on our own health.

At the beginning of the show, Oprah gave everyone a little “food” quiz.  One of the most interesting (and disheartening) questions asked was regarding antibiotic use in the livestock industry: “Americans take 3 million pounds of antibiotics a year.  How many pounds are given to livestock?”  The answer:  28 MILLION pounds!!!  And we wonder why so many antibiotic resistant diseases (such as MRSA) are popping up. 

Pollan noted that there are all sorts of different types of diets around the world (e.g the Inuit in Greenland have 75% of their diet come from fat – primarily in the form of seal blubber, one particular tribe in Africa eats a lot of beef and drinks cow blood, other countries eat high carbohydrate diets, etc.).  The thing these diets have in common is that they are made up of whole, fresh foods and not heavily processed foods.  What else do these people have in common?  They have virtually no incidence of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, etc.  The point Pollan was trying to drive home is that we can eat a variety of different types of diets, but the key to being healthy is using minimally processed foods.  This is something I have really tried to emphasize to my clients as well. 

Part of the problem I have run into in trying to get people to eat more fresh food is the cost.  A lot of people I work with complain that it is too expensive to eat healthy.  According to Pollan, thirty plus years ago, Americans spent 18% of their income on food and nationally Americans spent about 5% on health care.  Today Americans spend only 9% of their income on food, less than any other population on the planet, yet nationally Americans spend 17% on health care.  Between health care and food, in total we are spending about 3% more now than we did in the past.  What does that tell you?  Would you rather spend a little more on eating healthy and in turn feel better, have more energy, and get sick less often; or would you rather have the convenience of buying and eating cheap, heavily processed food but then need to visit the doctor more often to get medications for allergies, insomnia, blood pressure, diabetes, etc.?  We all have to make a decision about who we would rather pay; the farmer or the doctor.  

Oprah also had Alicia Silverstone, actress and co-author of the book The Kind Diet, appear via satellite.  Alicia has been a practicing vegan for the past 10 plus years, and her new book is basically a “guide” of how to eat a more plant based diet including a number of recipes and other tips.  She gave her own personal testimonial about how improving her eating habits improved her health.  She also took viewers on a virtual grocery shopping trip and demonstrated preparing a recipe out of her new book.  Her role was showing that eating healthy does not have to be difficult or take a lot of time. 

Another guest was Steve Ells, founder and CEO of Chipotle restaurants.  Steve is a chef who had a desire to open up his own restaurant when he first finished culinary school.  He now has Chipotle’s all over the country.  Even though Chipotle is considered a “fast food” restaurant, they do not provide your typical highly processed food.  Ells stated that all of their produce is fresh with the exception of corn (frozen), and each restaurant purchases from local farmers when seasons permit.  In addition, 45% of their beans are organic, 60% of their beef is “naturally raised” (meaning the cattle are not given antibiotics or growth hormones and are allowed to graze on grass rather than fed grain in feed lots), and 100% of their pork and chicken is naturally raised. 

Ells opened his first Chipotle in 1993; last year his restaurants served over 700,000 people and had over $1 Billion in sales!  He has shown that you can be successful at using fresh, organic, and naturally raised meats while still providing consumers with a reasonably priced meal.

You can read more about the show, as well as take the quiz, by visiting Oprah's website.

Running a Marathon after the Flu

This past Sunday, January 17, 2010, my husband and I went to Houston, TX to run the Chevron Houston Marathon.  It was our first race in Houston and we had both been looking forward to it as we had heard that the race was very well supported and a “fast, flat course.”  Living in Austin, we are used to running up some massive hills, so our marathon is not exactly a “fast” course! 

Unfortunately, he came down with the flu the day after Christmas, and I got it one week later.  So, he had just recovered about 2 weeks before the race, and I just had one week of recovery under my belt.  Needless to say, neither of us expected to have a very fast time, but we were still expecting to have fun.  After all, it should be much easier than what we are used to running, we told ourselves! 

As you may remember from my blog a couple of weeks ago, when you are coming back from a sickness involving a fever, you should really take at least 10 days to ramp back up to your previous workout level.  Unfortunately, I did not have that long.  Running the marathon meant that I was going to go beyond my “pre-sickness” workout level after just 7 days, as my previous long run was just a 30K.  Knowing that my body was still in “ramp up mode,” I decided the safest course of action was to run the race at a slow, even pace (which for me means I started out running about 30 – 45 seconds slower than my normal marathon race pace).  I also planned to have more protein, in addition to carbohydrates, immediately before as well as during the race to hopefully keep myself well fueled and able to handle the demands of a race my body really probably should not have been doing so soon after being sick. 

As far as pre-race nutrition, we did our normal things for the most part.  Since this was a “destination race,” the night before we made sure we would be able to get food either at the hotel restaurant, or at the hotel’s “grab and go” area.  I had also packed us plenty of snacks in case we would not be able to get what we needed.  Luckily, the restaurant opened at 5 a.m., while the grab and go area was open at 4 a.m.  Plenty of time, and lots of options!

I had a bowl of cold cereal with milk about 2 hours before the race was scheduled to start, while my husband had a cup of orange juice, a cup of black coffee, a small bowl of oatmeal, and some fruit (he’s much taller/bigger than I am!).  About one hour before, we both had a boiled egg, along with some water (I had brought the boiled eggs from home and had them stashed with a freezer pack in our room).  About 30 – 45 minutes prior to the race, my husband and I also both drank a full 20 ounces of Accelerade (sports drink with both carbohydrates and protein, in addition to electrolytes).  In addition, he ate a full Lara bar and I ate about half of one (this is something we have not traditionally done in the past, but I felt like we could use the protein).  

Normally, I would pop a sports gel of some sort (or sports beans) about 15 minutes before the race, but because I had just had half a Lara bar, I really didn’t feel like I needed one, so I skipped it.  I did pack 4 for during the race “just in case.” I also packed some “real food” (by that I mean I had a snack size baggie of dried apricots and the other half of my Lara bar!).   

During the race, besides running slower, I also planned to stop and walk at each water stop, which is something I usually do anyway because I’ve never been very good at running and drinking at the same time!  For about the first half, most of my walk breaks were around 15 – 30 seconds, but as the miles ticked on, these breaks got up to 1 minute.  I ate 1-2 apricots at most of the stops until I ran out (around mile 16), then I took a few more miles to finish the rest of my bar.  While I was eating the apricots and the bar, I just drank water at the stops because Gatorade was the sports drink on the course and I do not normally drink Gatorade and was afraid of what it would do to me.  Eventually, I went to my gel (Cliff shots); actually I only used one, which was around mile 22 or 23.  I did have a couple of sips of Gatorade at the last 2 or 3 water stops, but I also had some water afterward to get the taste out of my mouth! 

In general, I felt pretty good during most of the race.  I did have a much harder time breathing than I normally would, and I did have a slightly upset stomach, but nothing unbearable.  I also slowed way down the last 3 miles, but this was due to some knee pain I developed going down a stretch of the course that had severe banking. 

I am happy to report that we both really enjoyed the race, and were pleasantly surprised by our finishing times, which were close to “normal” times for both of us; mine was actually a PR by a few minutes!  The race was extremely well supported; there were lots of people throughout most of the course cheering on all the runners; most of the water stops were well staffed and stocked; there were LOTS of port-o-potties shortly after the water stops (so many that I actually decided to stop around mile 11 because there was no line!  I lost about 3 minutes, but it made for a much more comfortable rest of the run!); and at the end there was a very nice sitting area where you could enjoy a hot meal, along with hot coffee, hot chocolate, hot tea, or cold drinks. 

So, running a marathon after getting sick late in training can be done, but you have to be very diligent about listening to your body, running at an easy pace, and fueling properly before, during, and after the race.  Aim to just have fun rather than expecting to get a PR!  

Can Genetic Testing Help You Lose Weight?

Have you tried several different diets in an effort to lose weight, but can’t seem to find one that works for you?  Were you successful at the low carb diet, but not the low fat diet, or vice-versa?  Have you found that no matter how much exercise you do, you can’t seem to lose weight?  Well, now there may be an answer to these questions!  For those of you who are fans of my Facebook page, you may remember that back in December I posted a question asking people if there was a genetic test available to help them lose weight, would they take it.  Several people did comment that “yes” they would.  I am happy to report that genetic test is now here! 

Ever since the Human Genome project was completed in 2003, scientists around the world have been using that information to develop drugs, tests, etc. for various health conditions.  Interleukin Genetics, Inc. is one such company.  It is a personalized health company that focuses on genetics research and how to utilize knowledge about our genes to improve our health. They have developed 5 different genetic tests for various conditions (including bone health, heart health, dental health, etc.) and in 2009 launched their health and wellness brand “Inherent Health™” to market these tests.    One of these tests is specifically for weight management. 

Starting in 2006, a team of scientists at Interleukin Genetics teamed up with researchers at several universities around the world (including Harvard and Stanford), as well as other industry researchers, specifically to analyze data for all genetic variations associated with body weight, body fat, or body mass index.  After three years of research and testing, they were able to develop the “Weight Management Genetic Test Panel.”  This test is able to determine what percentage of carbohydrate, protein, and fat works best for your genotype.  In general, this means it will tell you whether you should follow a balanced diet, a low fat diet, or a reduced carbohydrate diet.  The other really useful piece of information that this test will tell you is whether you need to work out at a low, moderate, or high intensity to lose weight.  For more information, check out the Inherent Health website.

This is definitely not for everyone.  It is by no means a “magic bullet”, you still have to be willing to continue to work on improving your diet and tweaking your exercise according to your genetic make up to lose weight.  You also still need to work with your dietitian to determine what calorie level to eat for weight loss and for weight maintenance.  The test does not tell you that, it merely tells you what percentages of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats you should be eating. 

I have had the opportunity to listen to 2 dietitians who were part of the research and development team (Ruth DeBusk, PhD, RD; and Colleen Fogarty Draper, MS, RD), the Chief Scientific Officer (Ken Korman, PhD) and CEO of Interleukin Genetics (Lewis H. Bender) and ask them questions about the test, as well as how the dietitians use it with their clients.  I have to say, I do think this test can be very useful for the person who has “tried everything” to lose weight, but has still struggled to lose or keep it off.  For that reason, I have decided to make this kit available in my practice to those of you who would be good candidates for this type of weight management program. 

As with everything “new,” Inherent Health was kind enough to provide several test kits at a reduced cost to me, so that I could pass the savings on to you!  Normally the test costs $149, as you can see on their website.   Right now, I have a limited supply that I was able to purchase for $120.  If you are interested, contact me ASAP.  Once these are gone, they are gone!  I will still have access to the kits and be able to provide them in my office, but not for such a low price.