Nutrition, Diet and Peanut M&M's

Here's what I remember about food from my childhood:

going to the farmer's market every Saturday (it was cheaper and better, I was told)

homemade fresh squeezed juices

no sugary cereals allowed

lots of oatmeal and kasha

watermelon, cantaloupe, & honeydew were dessert treats

yogurt was a snack

cottage cheese and farmer's cheese were staples

honey was a sweetener

drinking lots of hot tea

buying french bread and croissants at Vie de France

getting fresh tortillas and chips at a hole in wall Mexican restaurant to bring home

shopping at Trader Joe's

buying deli meat, cheese and bread at a real Italian deli

eating entire avocados

lots of fish, tuna, etc.

'salt will make you blind'

'butter is gross'

'for the cost of a McD burger, I could make four burgers at home!'

'if you're going to eat candy it better be chocolate, preferably Toblerone, not that sugary crap'

we never ate kids meal, always shared our parent's food

I was lucky, really, really lucky I think.  My mother was all about organic and whole foods before there were even such terms.  I learned to appreciate food for how it tasted naturally and loved it.  I grew up healthy and never had any weight issues or problems with eating.

I had my first Twinkie at 22 and learned to appreciate french fries.  But still I stuck to my mainly healthy diet.  It's been easy for me.  When I've gained a little weight, I've worked out a little more and eaten a little less.  When I'm in Italy or Paris, I eat everything is sight, cuz I know I can work it off easily.  I know I'm lucky.

The first time I had to really pay attention to nutrition was when I was training for my first marathon.  I added long (12-17 mile) runs to my work-out, but then would still head to the gym to take my favorite step or spin class and lift weights.  Looking back that sounds nuts, but hey, that's me.  It took a large amount of food to keep me going in those months and since I don't cook, I had to get really creative.  That's when I first learned about gu...yum!

Mountain biking, both riding and racing, required a totally different perspective on nutrition for me.  When I was running and going to the gym, I had to fuel my body, but my stomach had to be almost empty for at least two hours before a workout to avoid cramps and an upset stomach.

Riding allowed me not only to eat right before and during a ride but also hydrate which was quite novel.  I don't have any secrets to share.  I do the usual, bagels with peanut butter, or Cliff protein bar before a ride, and then gu's along the way.

On a little gu note, I love, love, love the Accel Gels.  They 5g of protein in them and I have found that they last much longer than any other gu's I've tried.  And the flavors are all awesome, for a gu that is.

Anyway, the one food I never ride without is peanut M&M's.  I actually did take a few months off and it hurt me.  Turns out I'm faster, have more umph, and happier with my favorite candy.  Oh and if you really want to know the details.  I bite each peanut M&M in half, only through the candy shell and chocolate, and eat the one half that the nut ends up in.  I throw away the other all chocolate halves.  That's the nut / chocolate ratio that works for me!