Pre- and Post-Event Homemade Nutrition Recipes from Stephanie Howe

Stephanie Howe, Western States 100 Champ and current doctoral student in Nutrition & Exercise Physiology at OSU, spoke at FootZone a week ago, and shared some delicious recipes for homemade pre- and post-event nutrition - great for those of us who'd like to save a bit on nutrition products, or who'd like a bit more control over ingredients! 

Make sure you check out Stephanie's blog for more great info and recipes!  http://stephaniemariehowe.blogspot.com

Tell us what your favorite pre or post run food is, in the comments!

Endurance By Stephanie
www.endurancebystephanie.com 

Homemade Nutrition for Athletes
Ergonomic aid: any substance, device, or practice that may enhance athletic performance.

Supplement	Action	Research
Caffeine	Muscle contractility, endurance, fat metabolism	Supports
Nitric Oxide	Aerobic performance, lowers energy cost of exercise	Controversial
Carbohydrates	Time to fatigue, improve endurance performance	Supports
Energy gels	Quickly supply CHO during exercise	Supports
Protein	Optimizes muscular growth & repair	Supports
Sports drinks	Endurance perf., supplies CHO, electrolytes, fluid	Supports
Anti-oxidants	Protects against free radicals, reduce muscle damage	Controversial
Anti-inflammatories	Reduce muscle damage & pain	Supports
Electrolytes	Prevents dehydration, Na+ depletion, and fluid loss	Supports

Pre-Run
Carbohydrate availability before exercise improves performance and delays time to fatigue. Ergonomic aids:
1. Caffeine. Improves aerobic endurance, stimulant, can make you feel more focused, enhances fat metabolism (explain this- mobilizes FA from adipose cells to the blood, doesn’t burn more fat).
2. Carbohydrates. Yes, CHO are a performance aid. They provide substrate (glucose) to be used for energy during exercise. CHO availability is a performance enhancement.
3. Nitric Oxide. Or Beetroot. Nitric oxide is a vasodilator, which can improve oxygen perfusion to the working muscles. Claims to improve performance by lowering energy cost during submaximal exercise.
Post-Run
Recovery is faster and more complete if you fuel immediately following exercise. Nutrients, such as antioxidants, anti-inflammatories, and electrolytes can also help with recovery from exercise. Ergonomic aids:
1. CHO + PRO. CHO & PRO are most important for recovery. CHO provides substrate to replace muscles glycogen and PRO helps repair muscle damage.
2. Anti-oxidants. These help combat against free radicals, which are produced as a result of exercise. Free radicals, or unstable electrons, are constantly being produced in our bodies, but during exercise are particularly damaging to our cells.
3. Anti-inflammatories. Help to reduce swelling and damage that occurs post-exercise. Anti- inflammatories can attenuate the DOMS and reduce recovery time after muscle damaging exercise.
4. Electrolytes. During exercise we lose a lot of electrolytes due to sweating. Post-run, we want to replace them to keep our body in homeostasis.

Recipes 

Simple Pancake (or waffle)
Benefit: CHO
• 1 banana
• 2eggs

• 1⁄2 tsp baking powder
Mash banana in a small bowl. Whisk in the eggs and baking powder until you have a smooth consistency. Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add 1⁄2 the mixture to the pan and slightly reduce heat. Cook for 3-5 minutes, and gently flip (wait until you see small bubbles on top). Cook an additional 3-5 minutes and remove. Cook second pancake following the same instructions. Serve with yogurt, berries, nut butter, and maple syrup


Matcha muffins
Benefit: caffeine, CHO

• 2 c almond meal
  
• 1/3 c almond milk
  
• 2 ripe bananas
  
• 2eggs
  
• 1 tsp lemon juice
  
• 3-4 T agave
  
• 1⁄2 tsp vanilla
  
• 1⁄2 t cardamom
  
• 1-2 T matcha powder (depending on tatse preference)
  
• 1 tsp baking powder
  Mash bananas in a medium bowl . In a small bowl add lemon juice to almond milk and let sit for a few minutes. Add to banana mixture. Add eggs, agave, vanilla and stir well. In a separate bowl, combine almond meal, cardamom, matcha powder, and baking powder. Stir to combine. Add wet ingredients and mix thoroughly. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Fill muffin tins 3⁄4 full and bake for 20-30 min.
  
  
  
  
  Strawberry Beet Jam
  Benefit: nitric oxide

• 1 large beets
  
• 1 c strawberries
  
• 1⁄2 c water
  
• 2-3 T sugar (optional)
  
• 3 T Pectin* (optional, but better consistency)
  Roast a large beet in foil at 350 degrees for about 40-60 min. Slice into small chunks and combine with strawberries in a food processor. Blend until desired consistency (smooth or chunky). In a large saucepan, dd puree mixture, water, sugar, and pectin. Heat over medium high heat until boiling. Stirring occasionally. Boil for 1 minutes and remove from heat.
  Once cooled, store in refrigerator for up to 7 days or follow canning instructions. *Pectin is a gelling agent made from plants (it’s all natural).
  

Homemade almond milk
Benefit: CHO/PRO

• 1 cup almonds
  
• 1-2 cups water
  
• 1-3 medjool dates, pitted
  
• pinch salt
  Soak almonds in water overnight or for at least 6-8 hours. Drain water. Add almonds, dates, salt, and 1 cup of water to a blender or food processor. Blend on low for a few seconds, then turn up the speed. When you have a thick, consistency, add additional cup of water and blend for another minute. Strain almond mixture through small mesh bag or cheese cloth, squeezing out the extra liquid. Transfer liquid to a jar or container and store in the refrigerator.
  
  Almond meal: Take the leftover almond pulp and spread out on a baking dish. Heat oven 10 100- 150 degrees and add baking sheet. Turn the oven off ad allow the almond meal to dry for 6-10 hours. You may need to re-heat the oven an additional time. Store fully dried almond meal for a few days in an air tight container or freeze for later use.
  
  
  
  
  
  Pre-run Mocha
  Benefit: caffeine, CHO/PRO

• 1 c. Coffee/espresso
  
• 1/3 c Steamed almond milk
  
• 1 tsp Cocoa powder
  
• 2 tsp. honey or sugar
  Add 1 c coffee to a large mug. Whisk cocoa and sweetener into coffee until well combined. Steam almond milk or heat in a saucepan (or microwave) until warm. Add to coffee mixture and serve.
  
  
  Post-run Chocolate Almond Milk
  Benefit: CHO/PRO
  

• 1 c almond milk
  
• 1-2 T Cocoa powder
  
• 1-2 T honey or sugar
  Add almond milk to a small saucepan and heat over medium heat for 1-3 minutes. Whisk in cocoa and sweetener and increase heat to medium-high. Heat for a few minutes stirring constantly. Serve immediately.
  
  
  Post-run Smoothie
  Benefit: anti-oxidant, CHO/PRO replacement
  

• 1⁄2 c blueberries
  
• 1 banana (frozen)
  
• 1 c (1-2 large handfuls) Spinach/kale
  
• 1⁄4 c or (1 handful) of Cashews/almonds or other nuts
  
• 1 c homemade almond milk
  
• 1⁄2 c greek yogurt
  
• 1-2 tsp Udo’s oil or other nutritional oil
  

• 1 T flax seeds
  
• 1 T chia seeds
  
• 1-2 T honey or maple syrup (optional)
  
• ice (optional)
  Add all ingredients to blender and turn on. Serve immediately. Feel free to customize with seasonal fruit or spices.
  
  
  Tart cherry Electrolyte Drink
  Benefit: anti-inflammatory/electrolyte replacement
  

• 2.5 oz tart cherry juice
  
• 2-3 T honey
  
• 27 oz coconut water (water)
  
• 1⁄4 tsp salt
  
• Options: ice, 1 oz Lemon juice (1/2 lemon), strawberries, Combine ingredients in a tall glass or jar. Serve over ice.
  
  
  Simple Guacamole
  Benefit: CHO/PRO (when served with chips/beer)
  

• 3 ripe avocados
  
• 3 T salsa
  
• 3 T nutritional yeast
  • 1tsalt
  Mash avocados with salsa, nutritional yeast, and salt. Serve with blue corn chips and an IPA.