Re: Re: People diet for endurance (long reply)

["lori cox" <blaircox@safeaccess.com>]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Robyn Levash"


Thank's Robyn, that's exactly what I wanted to say but didn't want to take
the time to type it all out!
I switched to a mostly vegan diet 5 years ago because of health problems and
low energy. I had been taking Verapimil (sp?) for 7 years for mitrel valve
prolaps, my Dr. said there was nothing else I could do.
Within 6 months of changing my diet I was not only off my heart medication
but all my other health problems went away....alergies, acne, aches and
pains and more that I don't even remember. I no longer get as sore when I
ride in fact if I ride my mare who is much smoother then my gelding, I don't
get sore at all! I just rode 4 days of the fall XP and felt fine afterwards!
   Last year I had a blood work up done, and my protien level was toward the
high end, the nurse was shocked when I told him I was a vegetarian! No, I
don't use soy products for protien, you get plenty from fruits and veggies
in a form your body can use.
  I also use a product called Barley Green made from the juice of young
barley plants and carrot juice when I take the time to make it.
   I no longer need electrolites on rides in fact they seem to make my hands
swell up. On ride mornings I have one tablespoon of Barley Green and a
banana, A couple hours later I eat an apple, if I feel like it at lunch I
might have an almond butter and jelly or veggie sandwich. I always eat a
Cliff bar (no refined sugar)somewhere along the way and snack on dried
fruit.
If I really want something sweet I might mix carrob chips and raw cashews
together, really good on a hot day when they get all melted together!!

Lori Cox
>
> I had the same problem, among other problems. Here's what has worked for
me:
> I've eliminated all dairy products, oils, and animal products from my
diet,
> and have turned toward a plant based diet for about a year now. I have
tons
> more energy, more staying power, and do not get nearly as tired as I used
> to. My every day career is building houses. It is long exhausting hours so
I
> cannot afford to be tired.  I also reserve a few hours of the day to ride,
> and play with the horses (this keeps my sanity). Endurance rides are my
> funtime/ vacation ( I know not exactly relaxing is it?) Just did a tough
50
> mile ride yesterday , and felt consistently great the whole way threw. I
> used to feel like crap a lot of times at the lunch stop when I ate the way
I
> ate before. A lot of people worry about not getting enough protein,
calcium,
> ect. when on a plant based diet. It is important to eat a variety of
foods.
> Just like it is ideal for horses to eat a variety of plant sources. Fruits
> and vegetables are loaded with vitamins and minerals. Beans, nuts, and
dark
> leafy vegetables are loaded with calcium. Yes milk is loaded with calcium
> too, but it is also loaded with calories and cholestrol. Just think of
> horses and cows. They get everything they need nutrional wise from plant
> sources. They get all the calcium they need to support their large bone
> structures from plant sources alone. Just like too much calcium and
protein
> is not good for them, it is not good for us. The typical American diet is
> rich in fat (calories), calcium, protein, and artery clogging cholesterol.
> What is also interesting is that foods from animal sources  are high in
> cholesterol . . plant sources have NO cholesterol.
>
> I just had a blood panel done about six weeks ago, and it came back very
> good. My protein and calcium levels were right smack in the middle of the
> required ranges. My cholestrol level was on the lowest range.
>
>  What I try to also stay away from on ride day is excessive sugar, as it
> will make me feel draggy. I drink water with no elytes. I eat  a lot and
> frequently,  like every 2-3 hours. At rides I tend to eat alot of fruit,
> vegetables, salad, pasta, vegetable soups, I make a garbanzo bean salad
> spread for sandwiches (this is great for the lunch stop). I eat oatmeal
with
> bananas and rice milk with a little brown sugar in the morning of the ride
> (actually every day). Oatmeal is filling and keeps me going through out
the
> day --- there is a BIG difference when I don't eat it in the morning.  I
eat
> a variety of foods, and have found several delicious recipes to eat like
the
> good stuff --- pizza, burritos, Mexican foods, Chinese foods, soups, vegan
> burgers ect.. This was my biggest challenge at first because there was no
> way I could live on salads alone --- I would starve to death! I was very
> surprised to find that there are actually many great healthy food
alternates
> that IMO taste better than the things I used to eat like non-dairy ice
> cream,  Boca Burgers, Rice milk ( I personally don't care for Soy Milk),
> ect. I really had no idea the great tasting healthy alternatives that are
> out there. Yes, it was tough for me to adapt to this plant based diet at
> first, but believe it or not your taste buds do change. Also, the more you
> learn, and the better you start to immediately feel --- the results speak
> for themselves. The foods that used to make me feel bad (or didn't know
made
> me feel bad until my body was detoxed)  became no longer tempting anymore.
I
> have done experiments, and have found that if I try to go back to eating
> what I used to eat, 95% of the time,  I feel horrible, or get royally
sick.
> I completely believe that it's true " We are what we eat."
> Another great thing is that the grocery bill is considerably less. Yes,
some
> health foods, and healthy alternatives are expensive, but if you make your
> own meals for the most part then you'll find you get a lot of food for the
> money:)
> If you'd like to learn more,  I highly recommend  reading Dr. John Mc
> Dougall  books. He has a few   National Best Seller books that are
available
> in any bookstore. They are very enjoyable to read, and make a lot of
sense.
> What I like is that he provides scientific research/ data for what he
> says --- it's not like a lot of these fad diets out there that are based
> purely on opinion and fluff.
>
> Yeah, I also find it funny now that most of us spend so much time and
> concern learning about how to optimize our horse's diet and performance,
but
> we tend to forget about learning how to optimize our own health and
> performance. To tell you he truth,  I never really thought twice or even
> cared about my diet until I started getting a health problem that gave me
a
> huge "wake up call."
> Well, this is just what has worked for me.
> You all take care and happiest of trails,
> Robyn
> ---- Original Message -----
> From: Carolyn Burgess <carolyn_burgess@hotmail.com>
> To: <Ksmuts@sarcc.co.za>; <ridecamp@endurance.net>
> Sent: Friday, September 21, 2001 6:57 AM
> Subject: RC: People diet for endurance (long reply)
>
>
> > <<<I suffer from extremely low blood pressure and my blood sugar can be
> > normal one minute and drop like a boulder down a ravine the very
next.>>>
> >
> > Kristene:
> >
> > I have asked this same question, and have gotten minimal response.  It
> > appears that most endurance riders don't care about their own bodies as
> much
> > as they care about the horse.  My concern is that if I am not cared for,
> how
> > can I possibly care for my horse.  I have the same problem that you do,
> and
> > I've found that carbo loading is not the way to go.  My blood pressure
> > hovers around 100/60, on a good day it is 110/70, and I also have blood
> > sugar issues as well.
> >
> > To maintain good blood pressure, you will need to electrolyte and
hydrate
> > yourself.  That means a combo of water and electrolyte fluid, or in your
> > diet, if possible (I can't do it by diet alone).  The best electrolyte I
> > have found is Gatorade.  Powerade does not have as much electrolyte as
> > Gatorade, but Gatorade really is not sufficient either, but it is the
best
> I
> > have found so far.  I have been told about other electrolytes used by
> > endurance athletes of other sports (super marathoners, triatheletes,
etc.)
> > but there electrolyte beverages have other stuff that I don't think
you'd
> > want. You need to be well hydrated all of the time, and especially
before
> a
> > ride.  I like to drink 16 oz of fluid per hour, a mix of 3 bottles of
> water
> > to 1 bottle of Gatorade.  This means that I need to have someone at the
> > holds to swap bottles.  I buy 16 or 24 oz bottles of water and Gatorade
> and
> > my Snugpax can hold these bottles in place of the Snugpax bottles.  At
the
> > hold, I pull the empties and replace with fulls.
> >
> > Food is another issue.  With low blood sugar issues, carbo loading can
> make
> > you worse not better, because there is no staying power, or slow release
> > into the blood stream.  You get a big shot of sugar and then the
plummet.
> > To control blood sugar in our situation, you can give yourself a "shot"
of
> > sugar (should be a complex carbohydrate as straight sugar is not good
for
> > us) with a bagel or other carbo source, but follow with a vegetable
> protien,
> > that will slow release, like peanut butter (just ground peanuts, not
> Skippy
> > or Jif, which has sugar) which not only has complex carbohydrates, but
has
> > protien and fat.  You need all three elements to maintain blood sugar
> > levels. Foods like beans, peanuts, sunflowers, are good.  Just make sure
> > that if you eat something like orange juice, to give your blood sugar a
> > shot, that you follow with something that will be releasing suguar to
the
> > blood as you come down off of the orange juice sugar high. Also, people
> like
> > us need to eat continuously in small meals, to maintain blood sugar.
> >
> > Even though I am not a diabetic, I tend to eat like one, with the
> exception
> > of the addition to complex carbohydrates to the diet.  I like food for
> > dinner like: steak, chicken or fish, lots of vegetables like portobello
> > mushrooms, zucchini, green beans, asparagus (low carbo veggies), I might
> > have some corn on the cob or a baked potato with butter, and bread, and
I
> > would start hydrating with Gatorade and water at this time.  Breakfast
the
> > day of the ride would maybe be eggs or yogurt, some fruit like a banana.
> I
> > would take some kind of snack with me for the ride, like sunflower
seeds,
> > pumpkin seeds, and I would probably have a peanut butter sandwich for
> lunch.
> >
> > I'd really like to hear if others have a better source of electrolytes
for
> > humans.  Gatorade only has sodium and potassium in it and I can get the
> > equivalent by salting foods using either regular of light salt.
> >
> > Carolyn Burgess
> >
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