Tag: vegan

Simple Healthy & Delicious Recipe

Published on by Wholistic Running

Lindsey’s Simple & Delicious Chickpeas and Rice

Chickpeas, otherwise known as garbanzo beans, are jam packed with nutrients. They’re a great source of plant-based protein, fiber and carbohydrates. They are also rich in antioxidants that help boost your immune system and help prevent diseases like diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol to name just a few. Chickpeas are also a great source minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, folate and phosphorous. The nutty tasting legume has a number of essential vitamins like thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin C, A, B6, B12, and vitamin K too.

We love them because they’re so versatile and can be used in almost any dish. You really can’t go wrong with falling in love with chickpeas. This recipe was made with the ingredients we had on hand and only took about 10 minutes. It’s not complete without some sort of complex carbohydrate though so make sure you have rice or quinoa cooking in that Instant Pot before you start with this recipe.

You can use dried chickpeas but be sure to soak them overnight for about 8 hours first. We used canned garbanzo beans because we were short on time and hungry. We rinsed them well before adding them to the pan.

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2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2-3 T water
1/2 medium onion, diced or chopped
3-5 cloves garlic, minced
2 c sliced mushrooms (any kind will do)
1 1/2 t paprika
1/2 t onion powder
1/2 t oregano
1/2 t garlic powder (use only if you didn’t use fresh cloves)
1/2 t fresh ground black pepper
1:2 t sea salt
1/2 t chili powder
1/4 t thyme
Heat a 2-3 T of water in a pan. Add the onion, garlic and mushrooms. Stir until brown and onions translucent. You may need to add a little more water every once in a while to prevent burning.
Add spices and stir. Add in the chickpeas and allow to cook about 5 more minutes until heated through and slightly browned.
Serve over rice of choice. We used brown basmati rice that we cooked in our Instant Pot.
Health & Happiness,
Lindsey & Damian

Pre-Workout & Race Smoothie Recipe

Published on by Wholistic Running

What AND when you eat before a run is important especially if it’s a workout or race. Digestive problems are an all too common issue for runners during a run. That’s the last thing you want especially during a race! Needing to go to the bathroom, nausea and cramping can all be prevented if you eat correctly.

Your meal needs to be easy to digest, familiar to your body, timed correctly and provide the proper nutrients for you to run well.

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An ‘athlete inspired’ smoothie can be the perfect pre-run choice because it is easy to digest and provides a high amount of complex carbohydrates to fuel your run. Ideally, you want to eat your meal at least 2-3 hours before your run to allow your body time to process what you eat. Make sure you try out any new recipe well in advance of a race to make sure it is compatible with your body. Finally, adding specific ingredients to your meal can help you improve your performance.

Give our ‘athlete inspired’ pre-race smoothie recipe a try before your next run and feel how it improves your performance. It’s quick and easy to digest and gives you the energy you need for your run. The beets provide nitrates that are scientifically proven to enhance performance. The berries and optional ginger and turmeric provide anti-oxidants and decrease inflammation.

12 oz water or almond milk
1/4 cup fresh beet chopped
2 medium bananas
1 cup fresh or frozen berries
1/4 inch slice of fresh ginger (optional)
1/4 inch slice of fresh turmeric (optional)

Put ingredients in blender until thoroughly blended and enjoy 2 hours before your run.

Happy Running,

Lindsey Hintz, M.S. Nutrition for Sports Performance

Delicious & Healthy Ice Cream Recipe

Published on by Wholistic Running

A common misconception is that eating a healthy diet is not tasty or enjoyable. This couldn’t be farther from the truth. Learn about the health benefits of blueberries and be sure to check out our truly delicious and healthy blueberry ice cream recipe below.

Blueberries may be small, but they’re certainly not lacking when it comes to being loaded with phytonutrients and antioxidants. Antioxidants help to reduce inflammation and oxidative damage to cells resulting from free radicals produced during periods of strenuous activity or stress. Whether you’re an athlete or not, we all have stress in our lives so eating foods to help combat that is important. Blueberries have been shown to increase memory, reduce the risk of heart attack, prevent cancer and also promote healthy blood pressure. Researchers believe the high concentrations of anthocyanin, a very powerful antioxidant that gives blueberries their color, is responsible for the protective benefits.

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One of the most important ways, aside from antioxidants, that blueberries can positively affect your workout and health is through their ability to provide your body with high amounts of water. Since our bodies are composed almost primarily from water (about 70-75%), it is not surprise that we require high amounts of fluid in our bodies in order to achieve optimal results when exercising and for overall health. This is not only important to keep you from getting dehydrated, but is actually very important in promoting athletic performance. If you do not have enough water in your system, you can experience severe muscle cramps, lack of energy, brain fog, dizziness, nausea and poor digestion.

Blueberries are also a great source of fiber. One cup provides a whopping 4 grams, 14% of the recommended daily intake. Fiber in the diet is important, but especially that of athletes because it provides sustained energy throughout your workout. Most people do not eat enough fiber throughout the day and experience sluggishness, irregularity and constipation. Keep in mind, however, eating too much fiber right before a race or workout can cause digestive distress. This can simply be avoided by making sure you’ve eaten 2-3 hours beforehand and by practicing your nutrient intake with race-simulation workouts. I do this quite frequently, but especially when I’m getting ready for an “A” race. I want to be prepared the best I can and eliminate as many things within my control that could go wrong.

Blueberries contain numerous vitamins and minerals that are not only important for good health and optimal growth, but are actually very important in improved athletic performance. They are high in vitamin C, which will help your immune system to keep running strong, prevent you from getting sick and help you to recover faster from workouts. Studies have also shown that blueberries help prevent post workout muscle soreness by reducing inflammation. Blueberries have also been found to be high in vitamin K, which is important in maintaining healthy blood flow, blood clotting and helps your body absorb calcium (important for bone health). The phytonutrients in blueberries take it one step farther by protecting blood components from oxygen damage that could lead to clogging.

Now that you know some of the ways you can benefit from adding blueberries to your diet, the nice part is that they’re easy to eat and go with just about anything. I eat them everyday in my post-workout or morning smoothie, but they go great topped on oatmeal or eaten alone. You can add them to salads and let the natural sweetness serve as your dressing. Blueberries can also be mixed in with a frozen banana to make a delicious ice cream. On hot days, eating frozen berries directly out of the bag is a great option, too. However you choose to do it, make it a point to eat loads of berries every day.

blueberrybananaicecream

BANANA BLUEBERRY ICE CREAM
INGREDIENTS
  • 2 frozen bananas
  • 1 cup frozen blueberries
  • 1/4 cup almond or coconut milk
  • 1/4 cup coconut flakes
  • 1/4 t vanilla extract
  • 1/4 t cardamon powder
METHOD
  1. Remove the frozen fruit from the freezer, and let it sit for about five minutes, so it softens up a little bit.
  2. Put all ingredients in the blender, and start to blend, using the pulse button. It will be difficult to blend at first. (I make sure I have my tamper ready to help distribute the ingredients).
  3. Blend until very thick and smooth.
  4. Scoop out and serve immediately.
  5. Serves 2. It’s the perfect after dinner treat. It tastes so good, you’d think it wasn’t healthy.

Happy Running & Eating,

Lindsey Hinty, M.S. Nutrition for Sports Performance

Top 10 Nutrition Tips for Runners

Published on by Wholistic Running

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Even if you don’t consider yourself an athlete, we believe there is an inner athlete in all of us. We all may have to dig a little deeper at times but that athlete is there. So get outside and do something you love! Explore. And do it on a daily basis. Life is too short to not to.

We are advocates of a Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) diet for many reasons, but one is because it increases your quality of life from the inside out. We believe this lifestyle is best for optimal health and overall wellness and can help you and your loved ones avoid major preventable diseases. The cool thing is that it’s good for the animals and environment too.

  1. Make sure you eat enough.

Many athletes and people in general fail on a WFPB diet because they fail to eat enough total calories. Whole plant foods in general are low in calories (except for things like nuts, seeds, avocados, coconut), but that’s the beauty of it all. We absolutely love food! We would rather be able to fill our stomachs full of lots of good food rather than only a little. People transitioning from a SAD (Standard American Diet) to a WFPB diet may not realize that they need to eat more food to get enough calories for their sport. Food=Fuel.

While we don’t recommend counting calories, we do recommend being mindful of how much (or little) you are eating, where the food came from and if it’s nutritious or not. Make sure to take time while you’re eating to not only fully chew your food, but to also allow yourself to be thankful you have a wonderful meal in front of you. This will not only help you slow down and actually enjoy what you’re eating, but will help your brain access how hungry you truly are.

2. Make sure you eat QUALITY.

I’m talking nutrient density here. Whole foods such as fruits and vegetables, whole grain Complex_Carbscomplex carbohydrates (oatmeal, buckwheat, brown or wild rice, quinoa, amaranth, millet, teff, popcorn, sweet potatoes, squash and other tuber vegetables), beans, lentils, chickpeas, peas, nuts (also nut butters) and seeds (chia, hemp, sesame, pumpkin) are all packed full of high quality nutrients that your body craves as an athlete.

These types of foods also give your body natural energy, reduce cravings, keep your immune system running well and help your body to recover faster by reducing inflammation. Do you see a pattern here? Pretty much any food that grows from the ground or a plant is considered quality. You can’t go wrong with whole foods. And that means eliminating anything refined and processed.

3. Eat often and eat the rainbow (and we’re not talking skittles here).

We recommend eating every 3-4 hours to help keep your blood sugar stable and your metabolism running high. This will also curb cravings and help you to not gorge yourself at dinner. Eating consistently throughout the day will leave you a happier, healthier person. We recommend eating bigger meals early on to make sure you’re giving your body the fuel it needs. Also aim to eat a variety of colors each day of fruit and vegetables. This ensures that you’re getting an array of disease fighting phytonutrients and antioxidants to keep your immune system running strong. Mix it up and have some fun. And don’t forget about fresh herbs and spices!

One thing that Damian and I do with some of our favorite meals it to constantly change the recipe and see what new ingredients we can add to a dish. Or just try a new fruit or vegetable each week. This helps keep food from getting boring, but also helps you get those 4-5 servings of fruits and vegetables each day.

4. Always have a plan and extra food on hand.

Stuff happens and you always need to be ready. That’s pretty much the life of an athlete right? We always need to expect things to go wrong and have a backup plan of what to do next in order to succeed. The same rule applies to food. If we’re going somewhere, we always bring lunch, some extra snacks and water in case we end up being there longer than expected. This not only helps you stay on track with healthy eating, but also minimizes excuses…. “well, I was hungry and the donut was right there….” Besides, who knows how long that hike you’re on will last. We always tend to be out in nature longer than expected because the “majesticness” of it all sucks you in.  Check out our recipe for energy bites if you happen to be out longer than expected too.

Continue reading “Top 10 Nutrition Tips for Runners” →

Are You Eating Enough Protein? Plus Plant-Based Diet Tips

Published on by Wholistic Running

Many people are switching to a vegan or whole foods plant-based diet for health, environmental, animal rights, performance enhancement or additional reasons. As long time plant-based elite athletes for over 14 years and certified in Plant-Based Nutrition from Cornell plus an M.S. in Plant-Based Nutrition for Athletes, we wanted to share our tips on how to successfully become and stay plant-based.

Torre Washington Fruit_mini
Long term vegan and pro bodybuilder Torre Washington

This series of blogs will focus on the common mistakes people make on a diets with real solutions on how to thrive on a whole foods, plant-based vegan diet.

Mistake #1: “But Where Do I Get My Protein From?”

Whether you eat a vegan diet or not, you may worry about if you eat enough protein. In reality, most Americans consume too much protein. What’s the medical definition of protein deficiency? It’s called kwashiorkor and you probably never heard of it because it doesn’t happen very often. People do not fail on a vegan diet from a lack of protein. Instead, people sometimes fail on a vegan diet because they do not eat enough calories especially if they are very active.

From the Physican’s Committee for Responsible Medicine: “An average women needs about 46 grams of protein per day; the average man about 56. If a person were to eat nothing but broccoli for a day, a 2,000-calorie diet would provide a whopping 146 grams of protein. Yes, green vegetables are loaded with protein. A person eating only lentils would get even more—2,000 calories’ worth of lentils pack 157 grams. Of course, no one would eat only broccoli or only lentils, and it is much better to combine foods—beans, grains, vegetables, and fruits—to get complete nutrition. The point is that plant-based foods clearly provide abundant protein. The average American actually consumes too much protein, according to the CDC, with most people getting nearly double the amount they actually need.”

So, instead of focusing on eating enough protein on a plant-based diet, focus on eating lots of whole plant foods. Yes, you get to (and HAVE to) eat lots of food! What other ‘diet’ tells you to eat LOTS of food? Plants are nutrient dense and mostly low in calories which is super helpful for most Americans since they eat too many calories and then gain weight. If you are not consuming enough food and therefore calories on a plant-based diet, you will feel tired and weak in the long run. Instead, focus on eating LOTS of whole plant foods and you will get plenty of protein, macro & micro nutrients and feel amazing.

Concerned about going plant-based and not being strong enough as an athlete? Don’t worry. There are many professional bodybuilders, weightlifters and endurance athletes that are long time vegans.

Also, when you go plant-based, you do not need to worry about ‘complete proteins’ or ‘protein combining’ which are scientifically proven myths. There are many sources out there for plant-based recipes that are abundant in protein. A good place to start is Forks Over Knives which offer lots of 100% plant-based recipes.

If you are still concerned about getting enough protein, it’s easy to get additional plant-based protein from supplements such as Hammer Nutrition’s Vegan Protein which has 20 grams of protein per serving. Get Hammer Protein for 15% off HERE.

Finally, if you are interested in a plant-based nutrition coach, Lindsey Hintz , M.S. in Plant-Based Nutrition, is the best out there. If you are interested in a plant-based coach for sport, I’ve had tremendous success as a coach for over 7 years and love helping athletes of all levels succeed.

Look out for more blogs from us soon with more tips on how to lose weight, gain energy and thrive on a plant-based diet. Sign up for our newsletter HERE

Plants for the win,

Damian Stoy & Lindsey Hintz

Easy, Quick Ways to Improve Your Running

Published on by Wholistic Running

All runners want to get better and for some that means running faster and others it means running farther, injury-free or with more joy. Whatever your goals are, we at Wholistic Running are here to help. Here are two suggestions you can do today that are easy and can have tremendous benefits to your running and health. Continue reading “Easy, Quick Ways to Improve Your Running” →

Memorial Day Sale! Plus a recipe for runners.

Published on by Wholistic Running

Greetings Runners,

We here at Wholistic Running hope your running season is off to an amazing start. We’d like to help you stay injury-free and perform your best this year. With our Injury Prevention & Performance Plan, you’ll do just that. Our plans are individualized and designed specifically for YOU. They are $50 OFF through Memorial Day.

Chia seeds are perfect for runners! They are full of omega-3 fatty acids to reduce inflammation and tons of nutrients to help with recovery.

Chia Seed Pudding

1 1/4 c- 1 1/2 c unsweetened almond milkchiaseedpudding

1/4 c chia seeds

1 T maple syrup or 5 drops stevia

1-2 dashes of cinnamon

1-3 drops vanilla or coconut extract (optional)

Mix all ingredients together and let sit 1-2 hours. Best when chilled. This will be one of the most delectable desserts you’ve ever eaten!  **fun tip**Chia seeds can be used to replace eggs in any recipe. Combine 1T chia to 3 parts water = 1 egg, let sit until gel forms and wahla!

Want to be a Plant-Based Athlete?

Published on by Wholistic Running

As a plant-based athlete on the prestigious list of ‘Greatest Vegan Athletes‘, I can attest to the power of a plant-based diet. It has allowed me to run 40 ultra marathons (mostly 50 and 100 mile races) without a significant injury for over 12 years. Eating plant-based has helped my performance, reduced injuries and gives me tremendous energy. A plant-based diet has not only helped me but countless other athletes as and this is why Wholistic Running offers Nutritional Consulting and Online Coaching to help you perform and feel your best. –Damian Stoy, founder of Wholistic Running

Damian & Lindsey are both certified in Plant-Based Nutrition from Cornell. Lindsey has an M.S. in Holistic Nutrition for Athletes and is a top-level runner. If you want to learn from the best, find out more about Lindsey and Damian and how they can help you today!

 

 

 

Want to Run FASTER? Plus tips!

Published on by Wholistic Running

Do you have a race coming up this Spring or Summer? We would love to help you exceed your goals!

Running more efficiently is the quickest and easiest way to run faster. That’s why we offer online Performance Enhancement Plans. We also offer Online Coaching Plans for runners of every level. Our plans are individualized and personalized for every runner!

Try this on your next run: Instead of pushing off or reaching out in front of you to run faster, try slightly leaning from your ankles (not your hips!). See if this simple change helps you run faster. Then, take your lean away and notice that you slow down. It’s NOT magic, it’s one of the many easy biomechanic tips we give runners to help them run faster and with less impact.

Happy running and we look forward to helping you exceed your goals!

Damian & Lindsey