The great thing about cycling is the guilt free carbo loading ... until I started reading about inflammation in the body. Not all carbs are the same.
I only caught onto it because apparently one should test for gluten intolerance when diagnosed with Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Often the two go hand in hand. Inflammation in the body causes the autoimmune function of your body to kick into action. If the autoimmune system is already screwed, well, anything upsets the fragile balance... but I don't want to bore you with the details (there is plenty of good reading out there on the net if you are interested) and better get to how this may relate to everybody.
Research shows that inflammation in the body apparently is the main cause for aging!
Got your attention here, hey?
Inflammation in the body also doesn't help with peak performance. You reckon?
Well, the chef of the Garmin team is onto it: "Pasta in general is a good carbohydrate ... but ... creates inflammation so what we try to do is replace pasta with other very efficient carbohydrates like rice, couscous, other grains that don't create as much inflammation and is better for their (the rider's) recovery."
Over are the days of guilt-free indulgence. Label reading has become one of my most hated pastimes. But I still love cooking up a feast, a gluten free semi-vegetarian feast. Tonight on the menu:
Roasted Salmon Stuffed with Spinach, Feta and Ricotta
and
Broccolini Bake
and
Broccolini Bake
Maybe not the food for peak performance but with a glass of Australian Sauvignon Blanc from Margaret River it was food for the soul.
Photos by AMR and Groover
17 comments:
Mhm, am I invited to dinner ;)
...oh, great...
...i get home from work, it's 5:00am & i'm starving...
...heat up some whole grain spelt tortillas, big healthy smear of 'toffuti soy cream cheese', chopped tomatoes n' black olives...yum, good stuff...kick back, more than happy & read groover's blog...
...hey, her take on carbs, cool...
..,know what ???...it was the fotos that did me in...you just can't find stuffed salmon nowhere, nohow @ 5 in the morning...
...damn...
I'm looking at this at 6:13 a.m. before heading out of my motel for the Hillside Road Race... and I think I'd rather stay for dinner! MMMmmm.
bon appetit :)
noooooo! i love bread and pasta, particularly bread with pasta-how are you meant to mop the sauce up?! very interesting though. we tend to eat a lot of bulgar wheat, is that ok?
That looks delicious! Whenever the price comes down we're lucky over here to have Wild Pacific BC Salmon. By the way, I can bring over the bottles of wine.... DRAT! I live in Canada! Oh well, Bon Appetit!
I love bread too, and I'm not even German as far as I know. I should be eating lots of haggis and potatoes since I have Scottish and Irish ancestry. Maybe my Choctaw ancestry is nullifying the European in me. Gez, Americans are such mutts. Oh well, I still love bread. In fact, I just finished off a nice olive bread only yesterday.
I'm generally very watchful about fat intake and do tend to eat mostly carbs throughout the day. I don't eat big meals but graze when I get hungry. My big downfall is the amount of sugar I eat since it's in almost everything in the states. I'm trying to do better with the sugar. Another problem I have is I really don't cook much because preparing a meal for one is harder than it sounds, at least for me. I tend to microwave a lot. Something I've eaten a lot lately are vegan sausages with a slice or two of bread and some of those steamed vegetables in a plastic bag you can microwave.
I've only recently started paying attention to gluten. To be honest, I couldn't tell you if I have intolerance or not, and I really don't know the symptoms or even much about gluten. It's all new to me.
By the way, where did you learn the word, "reckon"? I thought only people around here said that.
Oh well, I guess I'll go on a walkabout and maybe get myself some Vegemite. :)
...she's one smart cookIE, I tell you!
Great post chickee :-)
...'berto...you're gonna end up eating those words...
...or at least the tasty results...
...groover...the original reason i mentioned 'whole grain spelt' was because i wondered if your concern was gluten of any type or wheat gluten in particular ???...i know a lotta folks have an intolerance to wheat products...maybe more than realize...
...semi-non sequitur: the 'good earth natural food store' here in town does a gluten free macaroni made w/ goat cheese that is a sinful delight to those of us who don't eat cow products...
Liebe Sandra !
Das ist ja ein tolles Gericht ! Da läuft der Speichel und sappert den ganzen Schreibtisch voll ! Aber auch ganz schon Kochkunst muß man da beherrschen ? Sieht sehr lecker aus ! Und schmeckt vorzüglich ?
Müssen wir kosten kommen !
Deine Eltern
Nils und Anke - You are just down the road anyway. We do welcome dinner guests. :-)
bgw - I felt so sorry when I read your comment. Sorry, that was mean and inconsiderate of me. LOL I think they are taking gluten of any kind cause inflammation but some to a lesser extend than wheat. Rye for example has gluten but is fine to eat when you are just wheat intolerant. I haven't actually done the test and I'm just experimenting at the moment. I know, they say to get tested first because the lining of your stomach starts repairing once you get on the diet and then you can't be properly diagnosed anymore but ... to answer your question: Right now I'm trying to leave ALL gluten out.
Once Known as The Badger - How did you go in your race? Hope the thought of salmon did not distract from the task at hand.
Kate - Bulgar wheat is on the no no list, too. Quinoa is ok. Buckwheat, too. I found this really good gluten free sour dough bread from a local bakery, which makes life almost worth living again ... :-)
Richard - Now, wild salmon sounds just perfect. Let me know if you care for the recipe.
Richard - It's worth looking into it and it appears it effects everybody, not just people with an intolerance for gluten or celiac disease. Wheat, rye, barley and oats are the main grains that contain gluten. Rice, corn, quinoa, buckwheat etc are all fine. And I'm not a big fan of vegemite either but all Aussies reckon it's just the best, mate. :O
Lawrence - Thanks. Great to read you feel so much better. Awesome news.
Mum&Dad - Hahaha, da musste ich tatsaechlich gestern abend beim Abendessen an Euch denken und wie Euch das Gericht auch geschmeckt haette. Jetzt aber den Schreibtisch abwischen, mensch!
Okay, shoot me the recipe and I'll give it a go.
..."laugh out loud" right back at 'cha...believe me, groover, despite my appreciation of your delightful meal, my little belly sez it all about moi...
...today, rode for several hours in 98 to 105 degree(f)...drank more water & sprayed myself over & over to survive...wet lycra & even a warm breeze is a good combo but it entailed stopping several times to refill those bottles...
...bottom line beyond a great ride ???...came home to a nice vegetable salad & AND those aforementioned spelt tortillas wrapped around fresh bay shrimp w/ a little lemon juice & canola mayo, topped w/ shredded cabbage...
...simple, easy & absolutely delicious, the way i like it...as you can see, this boy ain't hurtin' in the culinary department...
Looks very tasty indeed!
Since going gluten free (GF) one of the biggest benefits I've noticed is my recovery time after rides. After rides where I should be feeling it in my legs the next day there's nothing, I'm ready to go for another hard day. For our family it wasn't too bad to go GF, it costs a little more to purchase GF options and a bit more time to prepare but it can be done. My wife makes GF bread for sandwiches and last night she made GF lasagna. Pretty much everything that traditionally has gluten can be prepared GF and still taste good (cookies, cakes, pancakes, pasta, pizza, etc.)
I seem to do so much better on rice then pasta...maybe it's just in my mind!?!
That salmon looks amazing!
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