Santa Cruz Volleyball Forum

Stay Healthy this Holiday Season!

It is almost November and that means holiday fun! For a lot of people it also means stress, parties, and eating foods that aren't normally part of your eating plan (read: tons of SUGAR!). Stay on track this holiday season by making sure you have plenty of healthy snacks on hand between your parties and events. Choose snacks high in dietary fiber, like raw fruits and vegetables to keep you full. Be sure your snack has a good amount of protein as well--this will help stabilize your blood sugar and keep you from grabbing sugar at will!

Here is a recipe for one of my favorite spreads--a Raw Sunflower Seed Pate. Make a batch and keep it in the fridge with vegetables for a healthy, anytime snack:

Sunflower Seed Spread
Makes about 2 cups

This raw spread is so freakin’ delicious! Sunflower seeds are a great source of protein and are loaded with B vitamins and minerals. This is a great spread to enjoy with vegetables, or a filling for sandwiches. Be sure to add your favorite vegetables to your shopping list to eat with this spread if desired.

1 1/2 cups raw sunflower seeds, soaked overnight*
1/2 cup lemon juice
4 scallions, chopped
1/4 cup tahini
1/4 cup tamari (soy sauce)
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more to taste)

In a food processor, process the soaked sunflower seeds, lemon juice, scallions, tahini, tamari, parsley, garlic and cayenne until the mixture is a smooth paste. Season to taste, adding more tamari or cayenne as needed.

*Soaking the seeds overnight makes them more digestible and easier to blend into a creamy paste. Discard soaking water and rinse seeds, removing hulls that have come off. If you don’t have time, you can soak for an hour instead.

Jennifer Brewer, MS, CNS is a Nutritionist and Natural Foods Chef in Santa Cruz, CA. For more eating tips, healthy recipes and upcoming cooking classes and workshops, be sure to visit www.nourishingnutrition.com.

Jenny:
What special nutritional needs do you see for competitive volleyball players? What foods should be a regular part of my daily diet since I train 6 days a week? I've read a lot of conflicting information about protein, fat and carbo requirements. If you have time, I would be interested in hearing what your educated view is. Thank you, Cynthia

Jenny: I forgot to ask about your opinion of sports drinks like Powerade and Gatorade while playing? Thanks, Cynthia

HI Cynthia,

Sorry to be just getting back to you. In response to your first question, the most important consideration for competitive athletes is that you are meeting your caloric requirements (see formula below). That said, carbohydrates provide the main source of fuel for exercising muscles and should be the primary focus of the diet for volleyball players (approximately 60-65% of total calories). In a properly fed state, your body stores enough carbohydrate for approximately 90 minutes of exercise. So, it is crucial that you replenish these carbohydrate stores during long days of volleyball and on your off days. The healthiest carbohydrate choices are whole grains (like brown rice, oatmeal and quinoa) and fresh fruit.

I will post one of my favorite recipes for a Quinoa and Black Bean Salad—loaded with healthy carbohydrates from quinoa and black beans and oh-so-tasty!!

Here’s a simple formula to determine what your daily caloric needs are:
1) multiply your weight in lbs. By 10
2) multiply this number by 0.5
3) on days that you exercise, add 10 calories per minute of exercise
4) add the results from steps 1,2 and 3

To answer your second question, in my opinion, sports drinks can be an easy way to insure you are replacing fluids and electrolytes, although you can also do this with water, fruit and a salty snack. If you do prefer the convenience of a sports drink, I would recommend one that is sweetened with a natural sweetener (not high fructose corn syrup like Gatorade) and doesn’t contain artificial additives. I like Recharge by Knudsen which is sweetened with fruit juice. You can find Recharge at natural food stores like New Leaf Community Markets.

Hope this helps! Don't hesitate to ask other questions and be sure to check out my website http://www.nourishingnutrition.com and sign up for my free recipes and tips to make it easier to eat healthy, nourishing foods.

Take care!
Jenny

Quinoa and Black Bean Salad
Serves 4-6

Quinoa Rocks! Quinoa is a whole grain that is a complete protein (meaning it has all 8 essential amino acids), is gluten free and cooks in 15 minutes. Need I say more? Okay, I will—it is loaded with iron and calcium. This salad is loaded with healthy carbohydrates, fueling your muscles for long days of beach volleyball!! You can find quinoa in the bulk section at your favorite Natural Food Store.

1 cup dry quinoa, rinsed well
2 cups water
2 TBSP olive oil
2 TBSP lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
4 scallions, sliced
1 15-oz can black beans, drained
1 red bell pepper, diced
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds

In a saucepan, boil water and add quinoa, lower heat and simmer until water is absorbed and quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes. Allow to cool.

In a bowl, combine oil, lemon juice, cumin, chili powder, cilantro and scallions. Pour over quinoa and stir in beans and peppers, mixing thoroughly. Season to taste with salt and pepper and refrigerate until service. Right before serving, stir in pumpkin seeds.

Want more healthy recipes? Check out my website at http://www.nourishingnutrition.com and sign up to receive free recipes and tips on eating healthier.

Jenny: The information posted is very helpful. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. I know it took a lot of time to write out everything. I found your answers to be very beneficial. I'm interested in pursuing more about nutrition, especially since I'm training hard as a triathlete and volleyball player. Your website is very friendly too! Cynthia