Fuel Your Body: How to Cook and Eat for Peak Performance: 77 Simple, Nutritious, Whole-Food Recipes for Every Athlete
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About this ebook
This new cookbook is an indispensable resource for athletes of all ages and experience levels. Fuel Your Body: How to Cook and Eat for Peak Performance: 77 Simple, Nutritious, Whole-Food Recipes for Every Athlete is filled with nourishing recipes that are not only quick to prepare and simple enough for beginner home cooks, but don’t sacrifice flavor in the process. Whether you are an athlete at the elite level or a weekend warrior, the foods you put in your body have a direct impact on your overall health, performance, and recovery. This book compiles useful guidelines to sports nutrition and expertise from Angie Asche, a certified specialist in sports dietetics and founder of Eleat Nutrition, and can be used to help everyone reach their fitness goals through a whole-food and anti-inflammatory approach.
Whether you are a recreational half marathoner, the parent of a teenage athlete, or competing at a high level in your chosen sport, Fuel Your Body has recipes and meal plans to help you reach your full potential. This is the ultimate resource for anyone looking to educate themselves on both the nutrition necessary for optimal athletic performance and the simple recipes you can use to get there.
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Book preview
Fuel Your Body - Angie Asche MS RD CSSD
FUEL
YOUR BODY
Copyright © 2021 by Angie Asche
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without express written permission from the publisher.
Printed in China
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Asche, Angie, author.
Title: Fuel your body : how to cook and eat for peak performance: 77 simple, nutritious, whole-food recipes for every athlete / Angie Asche, MS, RD, CSSD Founder of Eleat Sports Nutrition.
Description: Chicago : Agate Publishing, 2021. | Includes index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020040118 (print) | LCCN 2020040119 (ebook) | ISBN 9781572842960 | ISBN 9781572848498 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Athletes--Nutrition. | Cooking (Natural foods) | Vegan cooking. | LCGFT: Cookbooks.
Classification: LCC TX361.A8 A74 2021 (print) | LCC TX361.A8 (ebook) | DDC 641.5/6362--dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020040118
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020040119
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 21 22 23 24 25
Art direction and cover design by Morgan Krehbiel
Cover photo by Katie Hass
Interior photography by Katie Hass and Casey Haley
Agate books are available in bulk at discount prices.
For more information, visit agatepublishing.com.
To my husband, Cody—without his endless love, support, and taste testing, none of this would have been possible.
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION: WHY ATHLETES NEED THIS BOOK
PART ONE PERFORMANCE NUTRITION BASICS
CHAPTER ONE Performance Nutrition
CHAPTER TWO Foods That Boost Performance
PART TWO MEAL PLANNING AND KITCHEN BASICS
CHAPTER THREE Meal Prep and Planning
CHAPTER FOUR Cooking Basics
PART THREE RECIPES
CHAPTER FIVE The Perfect Smoothie
CHAPTER SIX Breakfast
CHAPTER SEVEN Salads, Soups, Bowls, and Handhelds
CHAPTER EIGHT Mains
CHAPTER NINE Performance Snacks and Sweet Treats
RECIPE NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
SIMPLE MEASUREMENT CONVERSION GUIDE
INDEX
INTRODUCTION
WHY ATHLETES NEED THIS BOOK
FROM MY PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE consulting athletes across the country to my personal experience being married to one, I have seen firsthand the challenges that high-performance athletes face. Between training and competition—especially if that includes travel—cooking time and kitchen space are often limited. The majority of the athletes I meet with for the first time lack the knowledge and understanding of just how crucial proper nutrition is for optimal performance. They may also lack confidence in the kitchen or the knowledge of basic cooking skills. However, these athletes tend to be eager to learn about nutrition and how to cook nourishing recipes. And if you are reading this, I know you are, too.
Growing up as a competitive dancer and swimmer, I was always intrigued by the impact certain foods had on my performance. When I was still in high school, I was fortunate enough to shadow dietitians to learn more about sports nutrition. My passion for science grew, and I started to learn how and why foods can be either beneficial or detrimental to performance and overall health. Throughout college, I worked as a certified personal trainer and quickly realized that an exercise program alone is not enough to optimize performance.
So I decided to take an uncommon path. I graduated college with bachelor’s degrees in both exercise science and dietetics, completed a master’s degree in nutrition and physical performance, and became both a registered dietitian and a certified exercise physiologist. Combining the studies of exercise science and dietetics gave me a powerhouse of specialized knowledge that I could apply to every classification of athlete. I wanted to offer my clients something more than other nutritionists or health coaches could. As a board-certified sports dietitian, I provide evidence-based nutrition guidance and strategies to enhance lifelong health, fitness, and sports performance.
Unfortunately, not everyone has access to consult one-on-one with a professional sports dietitian. Moreover, the internet is full of conflicting information about what and how to eat to improve performance, and it can be challenging for anyone to sift through it all to find effective fueling strategies. It became my dream to create a resource that demystifies performance nutrition and cooking for athletes who train at a high level—whether amateurs, professionals, retired, or just starting out—and I’m overjoyed to finally be able to share this with the world.
The decision to sit down and write this book came directly from my athletes. Countless times, athletes have asked me for book recommendations on two main topics: (1) nutrition for improving athletic performance and recovery and (2) recipes and cookbooks geared toward athletes.
Sure, I could suggest several academic books on sports nutrition, but these were often overwhelming to athletes just wanting a good understanding of the basics, not the physiological breakdown of the adenosine triphosphate–phos-phocreatine (ATP-PC) system. As for cookbooks, there were plenty I could recommend, but most on the market were geared specifically toward endurance athletes, and that type of information does not align with the needs of all performance athletes, whose nutrition goals are varied and may change throughout a season or career. Consider the minor league baseball player living in an extended-stay hotel room, the college football player trying to gain 15 pounds over an off-season, or the competitive figure skater needing quick and simple recipes after 8-plus hours at the rink.
I wanted to fill this void by combining my sports nutrition knowledge, experience working with athletes, and nutritious recipes into an all-in-one book—a comprehensive resource to help all active people better understand what and when to eat to help maximize performance on and off the field (or court or rink). Whether you are an athlete at the recreational or elite level, the foods you choose to eat have a direct impact on your overall health, performance, and recovery. This book shows you what to eat, why you should eat it, and how to cook it.
Educating athletes about what foods are beneficial to their health and performance is obviously crucial. But what is often neglected in sports nutrition education is the next step: teaching them how to cook and prepare these foods with limited time and resources.
Educating athletes about what foods are beneficial to their health and performance is obviously crucial. But what is often neglected in sports nutrition education is the next step: teaching them how to cook and prepare these foods with limited time and resources. You don’t need years of experience to cook delicious, nourishing meals, and this book is here to walk you through the basics. What I’ve found is that athletes are eager to cook for themselves; they simply lack the know-how, the time, or both. These meals are meant for the busiest individuals, with symbols directing you toward recipes that take 30 minutes or less or recipes you can make even if you don’t have access to a fully equipped kitchen.
My nutrition philosophy emphasizes an anti-inflammatory diet. By placing a priority on whole-food nutrition, I aim to promote recovery, decrease inflammation, and improve overall health. I’ve included sample meal plans for weight management, weight gain, and vegan/vegetarian athletes, along with nutritional information for each recipe. Fuel Your Body provides a roadmap for selecting meals that fit your unique situation and dietary needs. Throughout this book, symbols are included to direct you toward recipes that are dairy-free, gluten-free, nut-free, vegan, and/or vegetarian.
Understanding performance nutrition can be overwhelming, especially if you lack the skills or confidence to prepare meals on your own. Fuel Your Body solves this problem. At its core, this book is about helping you feel confident preparing nourishing meals and providing you with plenty of healthy recipes for even the busiest athletes. Now let’s get started!
CHAPTER ONE
PERFORMANCE NUTRITION
Performance nutrition, also referred to as sports nutrition, is the study and field of nutrition with the goal of improving athletic performance. The focus of performance nutrition is the right types of foods, in the right amounts, and at the right times in order to optimize training ability and recovery. Put simply, nutrition is essential for athletes as it provides the source of energy necessary to perform. In other words, food is fuel.
Anyone with a physically active lifestyle, regardless of whether they are a competitive athlete or an avid gym-goer, can benefit from implementing aspects of performance nutrition. I use the term athlete often in this book. Keep in mind that when I use this term, I am referring to anyone who competes in a sport or who is habitually physically active. Performance nutrition is not one-size-fits-all, and an individual’s lifestyle, sport or activity, personal goals, and/or medical condition can all lead to variations in nutrient needs. Reading through this book in its entirety will help you figure out what’s right for you.
This chapter discusses the three macronutrients: carbohydrates, protein, and fat. It then covers what’s called nutrient timing, the ideal timing of your meals to best optimize performance and recovery. Finally, it provides a breakdown of supplements, followed by steps to calculate your energy needs, as well as the importance of implementing nourishment over numbers.
THE MACRONUTRIENTS
Macronutrients are the three types of nutrients that your body requires in large amounts: carbohydrates, protein, and fat. Macronutrients provide your body with energy (calories), and all three play crucial roles in making sure your body is functioning at its best. While most foods contain multiple macronutrients, they are typically categorized by the macronutrient that they contain the most of. For example, rice and potatoes are often categorized as carbohydrates, even though they do contain small amounts of protein. And beef and salmon are often categorized as proteins, but they do both contain fat as well. Let’s discuss each macronutrient individually to learn why all three are important for your overall health and performance.
CARBOHYDRATES
Carbohydrates are the body’s most efficient source of energy. When carbs are consumed, the body converts them to glucose, which then provides an immediate energy source for all forms of exercise. Glycogen, the body’s stored form of carbohydrates, is used during high-intensity exercise to provide both power and speed. Intense exercise depletes glycogen stores, which are then restored by consuming more carbohydrates. When you do not consume adequate carbs, you run the risk of poor concentration and focus, a decrease in performance, and a breakdown of lean muscle mass as a fuel source. There are numerous myths surrounding carbohydrates and performance, which I address in my nutrition myths section (see page 34).
How many carbohydrates do you need? The amount of carbohydrates an athlete should consume varies significantly depending on the activity, level of intensity, and duration, ranging from 3 to 12 grams per kilogram of body weight per day. This is a very wide range, because when it comes to energy expenditure, there are many differences even within the same sport. The athlete’s position, weight, body composition goals, and even where they’re at in their training cycle all affect carbohydrate needs. For example, a starting pitcher burns significantly more calories than an outfielder, but also starts only once every five days. In football, a cornerback and a defensive tackle both play defense, but they likely have very different body sizes and composition, making carbohydrate requirements extremely variable depending on the individual.
A very generalized guideline is that athletes performing at moderate to high intensities, or training 1 to 3 hours per day, should aim for at least 5 to 8 grams of carbs per kilogram of body weight