I write a weekly newsletter primarily about nutrition topics and, on occasion, other things. I’m re-printing last week’s newsletter here because it is an important issue. If you would like to subscribe to my weekly newsletter, go to www.eatingforperformance.com, enter your email in the box, and reply to the confirmation email. The archive can be found here.

Enjoy!

We encounter so many numbers in our daily lives. Speed limits, serving sizes, weight, and . . .clothing sizes. Clothes shopping is one of my least favorite activities. Clothing manufacturers do not make clothes to fit my body. And, different stores and different lines seem to enjoy randomly assigning sizes to clothing. In one store I may be a 6 and in another a 12. And, let’s not even get into talking about shopping for jeans.

I have finally accepted that the number on the tag is just that – a number. Just like the number that shows up on the scale, it does not determine my self worth. It is not like anyone sees that number and knows my size (unless I wear my shirt inside-out, or they work in the clothing industry). When I try on something that does not fit, rather than starting negative self-talk, I tell myself that it was not made for me. If I have to go up a size, I tell myself that that is not cut right for me and, perhaps a larger size may fit better. I also will go up a size to get one part to fit (hips, for example), then have it tailored.

I have also learned that I cannot expect clothes to fit off-the-rack. I have a great tailor who can make all sorts of adjustments. Neckline too low? Take a little out of the shoulders. I’m also curvy, so I almost always have to have the waist taken in on pants and skirts. If I’m not sure if she can alter something, I will buy it and take it to her for her opinion. If she can’t fit it, I take it back.

Even thought I know all of this, clothes shopping is not on the top of my “fun things to do list.” But, I am getting better at it and learning to enjoy it. Next time you step in that dressing room and what you are trying on does not fit, just tell yourself “that size is just a number, and it was not made for me.” Then, decide if you want a different size or if a tailor can fix what is not fitting just right.

John and I were looking for an alternative to oatmeal and wheat-based breakfast cereals.  A friend of mine recommended we try Teff.  She ran across it at Whole Foods.  Teff is a North African grass.  The grain can be ground into flour and used in baking. Teff is kind of like millet or quinoa in terms of cooking.  The Teff we use is a tiny red grain, but I understand it comes in other colors. It is considered high protein – 7 grams -  has 4 grams of fiber and 37 grams of carbohydrates per 1/4 cup dry.  That 1/4 cup dry grain cooks up to just over 1 cup of cooked Teff.  And, that cup of cooked Teff is very filling.  The flavor is different from any other grain I have eaten – hence another reason why it is a good breakfast alternative.

To cook your Teff, bring 1 cup of water to a boil, add the 1/4 cup Teff, cover and simmer for 15 or so minutes – until it is thick and all of the water is absorbed. You will want to stir it occasionally as well. The alternative is to make a big batch and keep it in the fridge for a few days. To reheat, measure out your serving in a bowl (a larger one that gives it room to expand), add a little extra water, cover and cook in a microwave on high for 2 – 3 minutes.  Serve like you would oatmeal.  I used a little butter, brown sugar, and goat milk.

You can find Teff at stores like Whole Foods. I would also suspect that health food stores may carry it. Or, you can order it online. Bob’s Red Mill has both the grain and Teff flour you can use for baking. We haven’t tried baking with it yet, but it is on the list to try.

Clients often ask for recommendations for bars and other quick, portable, and shelf-stable foods they can keep with them for when they get in a food crunch.  They need something they can throw in a purse, bag, or glove box.  One of my favorite items to keep handy are KIND bars.

KIND bars are whole food packed with nuts, fruits, and other good things.  They are higher in fat than other bars, but that is because they have nuts in them.  Lots of nuts.  Nuts also provide some protein.  Those nuts also mean they are crunchy and take some work to eat.  That extra work can slow you down and allow your body to get signals to you saying it is satisfied.

KIND bars are available at a lot of grocery stores and health food stores.  If you are looking for a portable snack remember to be KIND to yourself.

I have learned to really enjoy cooking over the past few years.  I used not to enjoy it because I wasn’t very good at it.  I have invested in some good books and classes to help.  However, the one thing that has helped more than anything is just getting in the kitchen and cooking.

I took a class on “Saving Summer” at Williams-Sonoma last Saturday. One thing the instructor said that stuck with me is that “cooking should be fun.”  She is so right!  And, to make cooking more fun, it helps to have the right tools.  Yes, you do not need a tool for every job, and a lot of tools can multi-task.   But, occasionally treating yourself to a new cooking tool can give some incentive to get in the kitchen.  That cooking tool could be a class, or an actual piece of equipment.  One of the tasks I do not like, and am not good at, is hulling strawberries and tomatoes.

During the class, the instructor used this Strawberry Huller to hull the tomatoes.

The people around me kept saying, “I just do that with a pairing knife.”  And, yes, I know you can do it with a pairing knife.  I’m just not comfortable doing it with a pairing knife (I have visions of the knife slipping and hitting my thumb).  I decided that if that cute little tool would help me in the kitchen (and save more of the fruit), then that would be a good addition to my kitchen.  And, when I made grilled tomatoes last night, I got a little excited to use the new huller for the first time.  It worked like a charm!

If you are not comfortable in the kitchen, pick a couple of things you can do to help.  It could be taking some beginner cooking classes, or buying some beginner cooking books.  Or, one of the most helpful books I have in my kitchen is The Well Tooled Kitchen. If I don’t know what that tool is called for in a recipe, I can look in that book and find it.

Cooking is a way to take care of yourself and those around you.  It allows you to control what goes into a dish, and to modify recipes to suit your tastes.  Cooking is an art form – a way to express yourself.  But, it is an art form accessible to everyone – including you.

I’m intolerant to cow’s milk and the products made from cow’s milk.  Unfortunately, that includes ice cream.  I have not really been impressed by the alternatives until recently.  I stumbled on La Loo’s goat milk ice cream and frozen yogurt.  I seem to tolerate goat milk just fine, which makes these an option.  One of my favorite treats is chocolate-covered cherries.  The first flavor of La Loo’s I tried was Cherries Tuilerie Frozen Yogurt.  It is a mix of vanilla yogurt, cherries, and dark chocolate.  Yum!

Today, I picked up another carton of Cherries Tuilerie Frozen Yogurt and a carton of Deep Chocolate ice cream.  I can’t wait to give the Deep Chocolate a try.  They also have ice cream sandwiches.  I hope my local Whole Foods has them soon.

If you are looking for an alternative to cow milk ice cream or frozen yogurt, you might want to give this one a try.

*I did not receive compensation of any kind for this post.

John, my husband and I, have been enjoying Meatless Mondays.  We take turns picking dinners during the week, and taking turns on Mondays always produces a surprise.  I’ve found some amazing recipes on the Meatless Monday website including Lemon Mint Qunioa Salad.  We have pulled out our favorite vegetarian cookbooks including Deborah Madison’s great Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone.  Quick-Fix Vegetarian is another favorite.   And, I’m still craving the watermelon salad from Runner’s world.

We went to a friend’s house on July 5.  She said, “You’re still doing Meatless Mondays, right?  I hope so, because I fixed vegetarian.”  She had some great dishes that have inspired me to continue playing around with my own recipes.  We have also discovered a new to us grain – teff – which makes a great breakfast.

I’m looking forward to next Monday to see what lands on the table.  John made pasta with a tomato sauce including sundried tomatoes and goat milk feta.  I’ll have to see what I can find to top that. . . .

John, my husband, and I have been enjoying Meatless Mondays.  We have some favorite vegetarian recipes, and are having fun finding some new ones.  I thought I’d share a couple with you.

First, I made Lemon Mint Quinoa Salad last night.  Rather than just the white quinoa, I used white, red, and black.  It was very colorful.  One of the keys (we learned the hard way) is to rinse the quinoa for a couple of minutes in a sieve.  This removes the bitter outer coating called saponins.  You’ll know if you don’t rinse long enough.

The second recipe is one John found in this month’s Runner’s World – Watermelon Salad.  One of my favorite things about summer is watermelon.  Neither of us thought the salad would be filling, but were we wrong!  I’ve shared this recipe with several others and everyone is craving it.

Let me know if you give them a try!

Several of my RD and foodie friends have been talking about the “Meatless Monday” movement.  This is a movement started by John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health to promote a reduction in meat consumption to improve public health and the health of the planet.   Reducing meat consumption can help lower your risk for several diseases including some cancers, heart disease, obesity, and diabetes.  It also helps the planet by reducing the need to produce, process, and transport meat to stores.

What’s involved in “meatless Mondays”?  Simple, not eating meat on Monday.  The John Hopkins group has established a website where you can find recipes to help you go meatless on Monday.  You can also sign a pledge and sign up to receive weekly newsletters to help you have a meatless Monday.

I’ve signed the pledge and am looking at recipes for Monday.  I should also add it to my calendar to remind me until it becomes a habit.

Here’s to going meatless on Mondays!

There are two very important members of my marathon training village I forgot to mention in my last list.

First is Gabriel Brooks.  He is an amazing PT and my body mechanic.  Any time my body breaks, Gabriel is the one to pick up the pieces and put me back together.  When I was running 15 miles a couple of months ago, I heard a “pop” and felt a horrible pain in my right knee at about mile 13.  I walked then ran it in.  Then, was in pain after finishing 3 miles.  I emailed Gabriel.  He fit me into his busy schedule and did a video analysis of my running gait.  I knew my gait was less than perfect, and the video showed it was worse than I thought.  Gabriel gave me a few exercises, made a shoe suggestion, and things to watch when I run.  Like Tonja, Gabriel knows my body.  He is also an athlete and understands what I’m trying to accomplish.  I can honestly say that I wouldn’t be running in Paris if it weren’t for Gabriel.  Gabriel works in the Sports Medicine clinic at Texas Childrens Hospital.

The other member I forgot is Trigger Point.  I guess this isn’t a member, but a tool.  I use their tools after my long runs to help speed recovery.  A day doesn’t go by that I’m not using one or more of their tools right now.  They are helping my body recover from the last run and be ready for the next.  For example, one area Gabriel identified as a problem is the knots in my calves.  I use the Trigger Point tools to really get in there and work them out.  The balls are much better than tennis balls and the rollers much better than foam rollers because they have solid cores.  That means the outside gives a bit, but the core is there to allow you to really get into a knot and work it out.

The more I think about all the people it takes to get me to a marathon, the more I am glad to be surrounded by them and the tools they provide.  I can’t do it alone because . . .it takes a village.

I ran my first two marathons in 2001 – Houston in January and Marine Corps in October.  At this point, I was a novice runner.  I been running under a year.  I remember the training being a challenge, and each race was a challenge for different reasons.  But, I also remember the thrill of coming across the finish lines.  Now, nine years later, I’m training for the Paris marathon.  What a difference nine years makes.

I like to think of myself as an independent person.  However, I’m not sure if it is that I’m a more advanced runner, or understand my body better, but I’ve discovered that marathon training takes a village.  First, I have my husband who will be running the race as well.  He supports me in every way.  Then, come my training buddies – Theresa, Moya, and Jen.  Theresa and I got to know each other when training for Houston almost ten years ago.  We finished Houston, and she talked me into running Marine Corps.  We have forged a strong friendship over countless miles on the road.  She has been doing my long runs with me.  I’m not sure where I’d be without her.  She told me that someone asked her what race she was training for.  When she responded “Paris” the person got all excited for her.  She had to tell them that she wasn’t running it, but a friend was.  It is a true friend who will run 15, 18, and over 20 miles with you when she isn’t going to run the marathon herself.

Training also takes nutrition.  Luckily, since I’m a sports dietitian I have that kind of covered.  However, I use Infinit* as my sports drink.  I use and recommend Infinit because you can custom mix your sports drink including how strong you want the flavor.  I placed an order earlier this month and their usually speedy service was a bit delayed.  I emailed and got a response back from Laurie Walter.  We emailed back and forth.  I explained about having two long runs left and needing to test my new mixture before Paris (I added caffeine – first time to try it).  Lauire understood and upgraded the shipping so I could have it for my run this weekend.  Laurie and the Infinit gang are now a part of my marathon training village.

Taking care of my body and all of its various parts has also become critical.  I’m not sure if it is because I’m older or if I’m more aware of my body, but massage has become another key piece of my training.  I have a fabulous massage therapist, Tonja Samford, who I’ve used for eight or nine years now.  I think she knows my body better than I do.  I’ve learned the importance of pre- and post-run massages to prepare and recover.  A post-run massage has become part of the reason for finishing these last few long runs.  Tonja is  a member of my marathon training village.

Another group of members of this village are all of my non-training, non-running friends who are lending their support.  It is exciting when they ask about how training is coming, and express excitement about the upcoming run.

The final, and in some ways most inspiring members of my marathon training village, are those who have donated to my Challenged Athletes Foundation Race for a Reason.  This is the first time I have raised money for an organization.  The encouragement and financial outpouring is exciting to see.  I know that each step I will take in the Paris marathon will benefit those who, due to physical disabilities, face greater challenges that I do in being physically active.  To all of you, I say “Thanks!”

Actually, to my entire marathon training village, I say “Thanks!”

The next time you take on an endeavor, be it physical or other, think about the your village who helps you get there.

*If you would like to try Infinit, enter “penny” in the Special Codes area for a 10% discount on your orders.  I do receive a small referral fee when you use this code.