Juicer: The Triathletes Friend

Endurance athletes demand a lot from their bodies. Hours of training depletes micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) and stresses cells. Although some supplements can help replete important micronutrients, research suggests repletion through whole foods is far superior. Whole, unadulterated foods contain thousands of enzymes. At the current time, the complete role of these enzymes in our bodies is not fully understood, however it appears that one role the enzymes play is to make micronutrients more bioavailable to the cells. As science moves forward, it is my guess that we will learn these enzymes are critical to our health.

An easy way of ensuring you are getting all of your micronutrients and the associated enzymes is through juicing. I MUCH prefer the blender type of juicers, where you get 100% of what you put into the blender out. I use a Vitamix blender.

In creating your juice, it is optimal to include both fruits and vegetables. As a general rule of thumb, the deeper the color, the better it is for you. Here are some of my favorite ingredients to use in juices:

• Kale
• Chard 
• Beets
• Blood Oranges
• Apples
• Carrots
• Spinach
• Yams 
• Pears

A favorite recipe of mine that is power-packed with nutrients is the following:

Kale 

Red Chard

1 Small Beet

1 Blood Orange

1 Pear

3 Large Carrots

1/2 Small Yam

1 Cup Orange-Pineapple Juice

3 Cups Water

Breakfast Smoothies:

Another great utilization for the blender is breakfast smoothies. During training, it is important that you are starting your day with a meal that provides sustained energy. I prefer to start my day with a protein smoothie. Protein is essential in your diet during training. It is crucial to muscle recovery. 

Here are a couple of my favorite breakfast smoothie recipes:

Shake #1:

1 Large Banana

1 Tbsp Peanut Butter

1 Scoop Vanilla Protein Powder

1 Tbsp Honey (optional) - adds calories, so if you aren't burning them be careful

1 Cup Frozen Mixed Berries or Frozen Strawberries 

1 1/2 - 2 Cups Vanilla Almond or Coconut Milk

Shake #2:

1 Large Banana

1 Tbsp Almond Butter

1 Scoop Vanilla Protein Powder

1 Large Mango

1 Kiwi

3 Strawberries

1 1/2 - 2 Cups Vanilla Almond or Coconut Milk