A Wild Week February 20, 2012

This week I have bitten off quite a big bite. I have 2 cooking classes (see last week’s post for more info) and a nutrition expert panel on Friday night. I’m really excited to be doing this panel with my good friend and fellow sports dietitian, Kerri Napoleon. The event is at Jacksonville Running Company (Batram Park location) at 7pm. It’s free and open to all. Come join us and bring all your nutrition questions.

On another note, I spent some time reading my nutrition journal today. I read some great studies on phytonutrient intake and shaping children’s eating habits. I look forward to sharing some interesting tidbits with you later this week.

Please be patient with my writing this week. Between developing recipes and caring for the fam, I won’t have a lot of extra time. Follow my twitter posts (@jbraddockrd) for updates on the week.

Oh, one more thing. I’m very excited to announce that some fresh changes are coming to Fresh Food Perspectives. Stay tuned and please spread the word about this site.

Have a healthy week!

Some Nerves February 11, 2012

I’m running a half marathon here in Jacksonville tomorrow morning. I’m getting excited. My bag is packed and my clothing picked. My fuel is going to be Stinger chews and peppermint patties ( my favorite race fuel).

I am most nervous about the weather. It’s going to be cold and windy tomorrow morning. So please think of me at 6:30am and pray for sunshine and no wind. (Did I mention 6 of 13.1 miles on are a huge bridge over water? Yeah, that’s why prayers are needed for no wind.)

Tomorrow afternoon, as I am recouping, I’ll fill you in on the race and on feeding Jackson.

Here’s to adventures in healthy living!!

Cherry Juice Update October 17, 2011

 

I know I am probably belaboring this cherry juice thing but I just keep stumbling on the topic. Here is one of the research studies suggesting cherry juice to be beneficial for reducing pain and inflammation. Here is a link for purchasing one type of cherry juice. Enjoy!

Department of Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA, 97239. kuehlk@ohsu.edu. Abstract BACKGROUND: Long distance running causes acute muscle damage resulting in inflammation and decreased force production. Endurance athletes use NSAIDs during competition to prevent or reduce pain, which carries the risk of adverse effects. Tart cherries, rich in antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, may have a protective effect to reduce muscle damage and pain during strenuous exercise. This study aimed to assess the effects of tart cherry juice as compared to a placebo cherry drink on pain among runners in a long distance relay race. METHODS: The design was a randomized, double blind, placebo controlled trial. Fifty-four healthy runners (36 male, 18 female; 35.8 +/- 9.6 yrs) ran an average of 26.3 +/- 2.5 km over a 24 hour period. Participants ingested 355 mL bottles of tart cherry juice or placebo cherry drink twice daily for 7 days prior to the event and on the day of the race. Participants assessed level of pain on a standard 100 mm Visual Analog Scale (VAS) at baseline, before the race, and after the race. RESULTS: While both groups reported increased pain after the race, the cherry juicegroup reported a significantly smaller increase in pain (12 +/- 18 mm) compared to the placebo group (37 +/- 20 mm) (p < .001). Participants in the cherry juice group were more willing to use the drink in the future (p < 0.001) and reported higher satisfaction with the pain reduction they attributed to the drink (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Ingesting tart cherry juice for 7 days prior to and during a strenuous running event can minimize post-run muscle pain.

Cherry Juice October 2, 2011

Last year I visited the sports dietitians at the University of Florida to learn about collegiate nutrition. They exposed me to cherry juice, which they give to athletes as a recovery beverage. Why cherry juice? Cherries are very high in anti-inflammatory antioxidants. This means they help protect and repair cells from the oxidative stress produced during exercise. They also have vasodilation properties which opens the blood vessels and allows blood to travel more easily to body tissue to deliver needed nutrients.

I have been looking for a commercially available cherry juice ever since my visit. (The kind they use at UF, CherryPharm, it not available in retail settings.) So for the past year I have been recommending pomegranate or pure grape juice to my athletes instead. Both of these dark fruits have similar properties to cherries. Last week my search ended as I ran into this product below at my local Publix. It was located with the Greenwise products on the juice isle. I tried it out and it’s great. It takes just like drinking cherries.

Cherry Juice

I recommend this product to endurance or power athletes. Drink one 8 oz or less post workout to help your body recover. This is in addition to the carb/protein combo post workout.

Check it out and let me know if you like it!