"Diet and Nutrition"

And as much as you are a different individual, diets will vary for different people due to the different body make-ups and different metabolisms. So if a skinny guy with a wide open metabolism can wolf down loads of pasta, a different person that has trouble keeping the weight off shouldn’t be eating all that pasta.

So a couple of things that should be known to everyone is to stay away from fast food. Again, parents listen up. By being lazy, and making excuses that you don’t have time to cook the family good, healthy, nutritious food , understand that your kids will follow your example. I feel people who live on fast food are in a hurry to get to the grave! There is absolutely no nutritional value in that crap. This is not to say that you can’t occasionally eat non-nutritious food, but moderation is the rule. Also, you must stay away from over processed foods, like white bread, and candy, and sweetened cereals. I challenge everyone to go to your pantry, pull out random packages of food, and read the labels. Scary, what is in all those big long words on the labels? What are we putting in our bodies? Chemicals and preservatives, bleach, additives, fillers any every unhealthy thing known to man. Oh, I forgot to mention pesticides. Here’s the key, learn to shop. Be smarter than that vegetable lying there, read labels, and know that the closer to NATURAL, the way God made it, the better.

Our bodies are designed more for eating a vegetarian diet. I’m not saying to give up on meat, but certain meats are better than others. We have over 30 feet of intestinal tract, the meat-eating animals like the large cats, dogs and predators have about 3 feet of intestinal tract. That’s because meat needs to get in and right out of your body. Meat can spend up to a week in our bodies due to the length of our digestive tract, and think what this means on race day when you’re all clogged up. Sorry for that description, I just want you to start to understand how things work inside one’s body. On the other hand, fruits and vegetables, grains and cereals, which have much more nutritional value, move rapidly through your system. Also fish, and some poultry. So this should make up the largest part of an athletes diet.

One more thing that will ruffle some feathers with Mom, is how to cook a nutritious meal. No offense, but I do know something on this subject too ( I used to be a chef ), but the tendency is to over cook everything. Also, don’t fry foods, or cook with so much butter, avoid fatty foods, sugars, dairy products, especially cream, to much salt, hamburger and hot dogs. When cooking vegetables, like stir frying them or steaming them, when they are at their brightest color, they are done, keep them a little firm. Marinating sliced veggies in olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and some herbs, then grilling them is the easiest way to get kids eating vegetables. Do not use canned vegetables, I repeat, do not use canned vegetables. YUK!

GOOD FOODS- fruits, vegetables, fish, seafood, rice, especially brown rice, beans, almonds, flax seed, salads, pasta, tofu, breads, cereal, nuts, potatoes, lean meats ( pork, chicken, turkey ), skim milk, water, juice, eggs, raisins, fresh herbs, soy beans, lamb, some energy bars, and BIONX supplements.

AVOID- high fat, sugar sweetened foods, processed foods, dairy, cheese, red meats, fast food, potato chips, candy, doughnuts, pastry, sweet cereals, mayonnaise, alcohol, caffeine, tobacco, Coke, Pepsi, or other carbonated drinks, bologna, sausage, hot dogs, hamburgers, pretty much everything you are now eating.

Remember that moderation is the rule, if you absolutely must have a burger, either have it on Monday, or try a "Harvest Burger" or a "Black Bean Burger." You can eat dairy, but skim, milk, or even 1% will be better than whole milk. Just try to make some changes in the right direction, so when you start to get closer to making a career out of riding, you will already be prepared. Success is a journey, not a destination.