Most Inflammatory Foods (part 2): Alcohol

sarah cuff Avoiding Injury, Brain health, Heal Injury, Heart Health, Inflammatory Foods, Performance, Run Faster, Run Recovery, Run Stronger 4 Comments

In part 1 of this Most Inflammatory Foods series, I covered processed oils. In part 2 here, I will cover alcohol – admittedly not a ‘food’ but it does contain calories. The body can make some limited energy from these calories but they are empty – that is, there is no nutritional value found in them and the processing of …

Most Inflammatory Foods (part 1): Processed Oils

sarah cuff Avoiding Injury, Heal Injury, Inflammatory Foods, Performance, Run Recovery, Run Stronger, Running Performance Leave a Comment

Generally speaking, I prefer to highlight the foods and beverages that are beneficial to building optimal health and strength. In doing so, I hope that by including more of these foods we might, by default, crowd out the less than optimal choices. However, this ‘soft’ approach, as useful as it can be in some situations, doesn’t fully educate or bring …

Metabolic Efficiency: How to Get There

sarah cuff Digestive Health, Endurance Sport, Gut Health, Heart Health, Performance, Run Faster, Run Stronger, Running Performance, Training, weight loss Leave a Comment

Improving Metabolic Efficiency Series (PART 2) In my last post, part 1 of this series Metabolic Efficiency: Why You Should Care, I talked about what metabolic efficiency is, its benefits, how it’s related to our metabolism and how our body makes energy. Personally I’ve used metabolic efficiency to help me achieve my goals and perform well many times over – …

Your ONE Nutritional Strategy for a Strong & Healthy Heart

sarah cuff Food for Runners, Fruit, Nuts & Seeds, Vegetables Leave a Comment

When I was nineteen I worked in a florist shop and in the days leading up to Valentines Day, spent many hours de-thorning roses. Making beautiful red rose bouquets for lovers to present to their loves. That’s what Valentine’s Day was about in my mind at that time, all red roses… And chocolate of course. I know there are still …

Cacao: Good for Your Heart & Running Performance

sarah cuff Food for Runners, Phytonutrients, Recipes for Runners 5 Comments

With Valentines Day just around the corner I thought we might talk about something commonly associated with this day — chocolate. Well, raw chocolate that is – raw cacao, which is really just a fancy way of saying cocoa. Or maybe it’s the ‘official’ way of saying it. After all, the small evergreen tree where chocolate comes from is called …

3 Reasons to Love Hemp Hearts

sarah cuff Food for Runners, Nuts & Seeds, Run Recovery, Superfoods for Runners 3 Comments

As a runner, I am constantly looking for ways to improve my nutrition and my training. Training aside (because I’m here to talk food with you), I refuse to believe that I’ve ever reached the point of perfection. There is always room for improvement. That’s why I’m using hemp more, especially as my protein source in my recovery shakes this …

Are You Eating Enough Protein?

sarah cuff Food for Runners, Macronutrients, Superfoods for Runners Leave a Comment

Protein. It’s the stuff that helps us build our muscles and repair the damage from hard workouts, so that we are stronger for our next run. We know we need protein. But how do we know if we are getting enough? Standard recommendations call for between 0.8 grams (for sedentary individuals) and 1.2 grams (for active individuals) of protein per …

Top 10 Shakes to Fuel Your Running

sarah cuff Beverages, Food for Runners, Recipes for Runners, Run Recovery 4 Comments

Shakes and smoothies are a runners best friend, for a couple reasons: One – Super Post-Run Awesomeness — Shakes are a fantastic way to deliver nutrients to your body after a long or hard run. They’re more appetizing to most than solid food (we tend to have suppressed appetites immediately following a run even though it’s actually a good time to …

Why Coconut Water Rocks (even if you think you don’t like it)

sarah cuff Beverages, Food for Runners 9 Comments

You’ve heard the hype about coconut water, right? Your fridge is stocked? After all, it’s another one of my top 10 foods for runners… When I first heard about coconut water I was so on board. I mean, what could be better than a natural sports drink? No sugar added (no glucose-frucose or any other refined sugar), no colourings, no …

Top 8 Pre-Run Snacks

sarah cuff Food for Runners, Recipes for Runners 4 Comments

(updated April 2018) I’ve talked in previous posts what you might want to consider eating for breakfast before you head out for a run… But what if you’re running middle of day or, more commonly, later in the day? Ideally you’re eating a carbohydrate rich snack that contains about 2-2.5 grams of carbohydrates per kg of bodyweight about 2-4 hours …