by Alexa Bosshardt, MPS, RD, LD/N

 “Water, water everywhere nor any drop to drink” is the quote from the Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge describing the Ancient Mariner in the early 1800’s who is stuck at sea. Many of us in Florida enjoy cycling either along A1A at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, following the Gulf on the west coast or through routes that include views of lakes, ponds or rivers. All that water, yet not a drop to drink! Although it is important all year long to plan ahead and stash enough fluid and snacks for a long ride, it is critically important to be prepared to stay hydrated in the extreme heat and humidity of a South Florida summer.

 Water is the most crucial nutrient to replenish in the heat and should be consumed just prior to exercising as well as during regular intervals while on the bike or any exercise of long duration. In addition, electrolytes and carbs need to be replenished as we sweat and burn calories.  Your individual hydration and refueling needs will vary depending on many factors, including height, weight, degree of conditioning, the amount you perspire and your body’s metabolism. Humidity actually hinders the body’s ability to cool itself as it sweats and, thus, accelerates dehydration.  A starting guideline would be to drink about 4-6 oz. water every 15-20 min. and consume somewhere between 30-60 g. carbs per hour. One sign of sufficient hydration is when urine passed is either light in color or clear.

 Enhanced waters and sports drinks are appropriate hydration choices when exercising 60-90 min. or more to ensure the body is replacing electrolytes, especially sodium, lost in sweat. These choices may also include added potassium, an electrolyte that also plays an important role in the body’s ability to maintain proper acid-base and fluid balance, and the minerals calcium and magnesium, which are also lost in sweat.  Sports drinks will also provide carbs to help the body replenish depleting glycogen stores.

 Although sodium is the electrolyte we lose the most of during exercise, potassium is the electrolyte many American diets are deficient in. Any diet that is more centered on highly processed, prepackaged “convenience” foods and chain restaurant selections is likely to easily contain thousands of milligrams of sodium. The current Dietary Guidelines for Americans set the recommended daily sodium intake at 2300 mg. or the equivalent of about 1 tsp. of salt. Of course, any endurance athlete is going to take that guideline with, well…a grain of salt. However, the need for more sodium shouldn’t overshadow the body’s need for adequate potassium, as well.

 The Dietary Reference Intake for potassium is 4700 mg. Potassium is fairly abundant in a diet that emphasizes fresh and dried fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, dairy and meat. In addition, potassium is often added in small amounts to sports drinks and to gu, gels, gummy chews and other specially formulated performance aids.

 The chart, below, highlights some foods that are naturally high in potassium, as well as many other nutrients:

Watermelon-Jicama Salad with Citrus Herb Splash

One way to stay hydrated throughout the day is to choose foods that are high in water. This simple and refreshing salad will help replace water lost in that summer heat!

Yield: about 6 servings (1/2  c. per serving)

Per 1/2 c. serving: 40 Calories, 0 g. fat., 0 g. protein, 10 g. carbs, 8 g. sugar, 2 mg. sodium, 136 mg. potassium, 10% DV Vit A, 20% DV Vit C

 1 lb. seedless watermelon cut into ½” cubes (about 3 c.)

2 oz. peeled and julienned Jicama* (about 1 c.)

2 tbsp. orange juice

1 tbsp. lemonade concentrate

½ tsp. each “chiffonade” (finely julienned) fresh basil and mint leaves

 Optional: Balsamic Reduction Drizzle

To make Balsamic Reduction: Gently simmer 1 c. Balsamic vinegar down to 1/4 c. Stir in ½ tsp. honey while hot. Cool and pour into squeeze bottle. Drizzle ½ tsp. per salad portion, if desired.

 1. Mix watermelon and jicama together in medium bowl. In small separate bowl, whisk juices and herbs together with a fork and gently toss with fruit. Chill until ready to serve.

• Jicama is a crunchy tuber (actually a legume) that can be found in many grocery stores in South Florida or ordered from a produce manager, if not available.

Super Summer Salsa!

Salsa and whole grain tortilla chips are a quick and easy snack to help replenish sodium lost in sweat during your ride. This salsa is “fortified” with complex carbs and protein from the beans and healthy fat from the avocado.

 Makes about 3 c.

Per ¼ c. serving (Salsa only) : 35 Calories, 1 g. fat, 2 g. protein, 5 g. carbs, 1 g. sugar, 270 mg. sodium, 38 mg. potassium, 10% DV Vit A, 8% DV Vit C

  2 c. Mild, Medium or Hot Tomato Salsa of choice

½ c. canned black beans, drained and rinsed

½ c. (about 3 oz.) diced fresh mango

1        whole (about 4 oz.) diced fresh ripe avocado

1 tbsp. minced fresh cilantro

 1. In medium mixing bowl, gently fold all ingredients together.

2. Serve with whole grain or multigrain dipping chips of choice.

If you are like approximately 40 – 45% of the American adult population, you made one or more resolutions for the New Year; at least one of which included the intention to either lose weight/exercise more, diet/improve your diet, or stop smoking. And, if you are like almost ½ of those who made resolutions of any type, you will fail at keeping your commitment(s) by June, if not sooner! Oh, well; there’s always next year, right? Wrong! Why not make this year the year you succeed?

Explore some opportunities today to evaluate your diet, while you still have that “New Year” enthusiasm!  Unfortunately, it is difficult to clearly know where to go, if you can’t evaluate where you’re coming from. To quote the wit and wisdom of the great Yogi Berra, “If you come to a fork in the road, take it!” Although the context of this quote was meant to be applied to the many decisions we are continuously faced to make in life and to follow his guiding principle to “trust your instincts”, we can also apply this quote, metaphorically, to a fork as a symbol of our eating behavior.

We are constantly barraged with food cues, primarily external, that influence what, why and how we eat. Media advertising, the convenience and availability to buy food virtually everywhere, traditional and familial dietary habits and economic and social/peer influences affect our purchasing and consumption behavior. Many of us respond more to these external cues, which stimulate appetite, more so than to our own internal cue, hunger, which drives our physiological need to eat.

Dr. Brian Wansink, Ph.D, professor and director of the Food and Brand Lab at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY and his team of researchers found that the average person makes more than 200 food related decisions every day. In his 2007 book, Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think, Dr. Wansink concluded that many of us are guilty of unstructured dietary behavior that results in impulsive purchase decisions and consuming more Calories than we actually need.

Are you a “mindless eater”? Ever consume an entire bag of popcorn in a movie theatre while waiting for the movie to start? Eat peanuts directly out of a 1 lb. can instead of counting out the 16 nuts that constitute a 1 oz. “portion”? Continue to eat off a “shared” platter of wings while watching a football game at a sports bar, even when you’re full? Finish off an oversized restaurant entrée while waiting for the others at the table to finish? Snack at your desk, in the car and while otherwise multi-tasking? These are examples of mindless eating. Research has also found that many people reward themselves after a workout with more Calories than they actually burned off because they feel they earned the right to indulge.  That can definitely be a factor contributing to why many never achieve their weight loss or fitness goals. If you are not closely tracking the portions of food you consume, even the most seemingly healthful foods can be contributing extra Calories that the body does a terrific job of storing indefinitely as fat until you might need them. Planning on being marooned on a deserted island anytime soon? If so, then all that stored fat will come in handy; otherwise, maybe today is a good time to look at where the Calories in your diet are coming from. Many of us can benefit from more mindful and structured eating patterns, even if we’re not overweight.

Could the excuse for your less-than-ideal dietary behavior be that you are kitchen phobic? Or, do you truly believe you don’t have time to cook?  Do a disproportionate number of the Calories you consume consist of portable and liquid protein and performance enhancing/recovery shakes and fortified energy bars, gels and shots? Think about how much time you spend sitting in the car in a line at a drive through window, standing in line waiting to pay for take out or at a table in a restaurant waiting to be served. A fraction of that time could have been spent preparing and eating real and more nutritious food, rather than filling up on over-processed snacks, over-portioned and high fat combo meals or supplements and meal replacement bars. The one and only Julia Child proclaimed, “The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking you’ve got to have a ‘What the hell?’ attitude.” In a 2004 New York Times article on Julia Child, columnist RW Apple, Jr. proclaimed her to be a “Champion of moderation and a foe of abstention”. These words can guide us all in the New Year! This can be the year you learn to prepare simple, healthy recipes that can immediately improve the nutritional profile of your diet!

Get rid of the attitude that there are “good” foods and “bad” foods and, instead, focus on the principle that there are only good diets and bad diets. Nobody likes to feel totally deprived! Include those foods you enjoy and crave in your diet, but that are less nutrient-dense, in smaller, more moderate portions and, maybe, less frequently than you do today. Foods that contain large amounts of white flour and sugars of any kind are included on this list as are foods that derive a high percentage of their Calories from fat and processed foods that are high in sodium.

Take a close and accurate look at your current diet by logging onto the www.mypyramid.gov website. Establish a profile and keep a dietary record for a week or so. This requires that you consistently and accurately weigh and measure absolutely everything you eat and drink. It may be a bit tedious but it is a good start. Some foods and supplements may not be available in the database and their nutrition information will have to be calculated manually. To help interpret the analyses you can generate and print about your diet, consider hiring a Registered Dietitian, an expert in food and nutrition, to assist you with your diet and training table needs. To find a Dietitian who specializes in Sports Nutrition visit www.eatright.org and input the requested information under “Find a Dietitian”.

In the meantime, start the New Year off with this simple and healthy recipe:

Four Bean Salad, Salsa and all-around Great Topping

This recipe is a great way to add fiber, complex carbs and protein to your day!

Yield: approx 1 qt. (4 cups) or 8 servings
Serving: ½ c.
58% Calories from Carbs
22% Calories from Protein
20% Calories from Fat 

1 c. shelled frozen edamame (soybeans)
2 tbsp. minced red or sweet yellow onion
1 c. each canned and drained kidney beans, small white beans (or navy bean) and black beans*
½ c. julienned roasted red pepper (1/2 of fresh red pepper) or 3 1/2 oz. jarred
1 tsp. (1-2 cloves) minced fresh garlic or ¼ tsp. garlic powder
¼ tsp. or to taste Sriracha or other hot sauce of choice
3 tbsp. Brown Rice Vinegar
1 tbsp. safflower oil 

1. Boil or steam edamame according to package directions and drain. Mix hot edamame in 1 ½ qt. mixing bowl with onion to soften raw onion.
2. Stir in all remaining ingredients until well blended. Chill until ready to serve.
3. Hold refrigerated up to 5 days

* Rinse and drain beans to lower the sodium content

Serving Suggestions:   Serve on its own as a nutrient-rich side dish

Complement a green salad or a tomato/mozzarella salad, adding fresh basil, if desired. Much better than all that dressing!

Top grilled salmon or tuna steaks and serve with fresh lime wedges, if desired, for a high protein entree

Mix into cold whole grain pasta or rice for a filling carb-loaded, high fiber vegetarian meal

Add 1 Hass avocado, cubed to salad and serve as a dip with whole grain tortilla chips