Nutrition

Healthy Holiday Eating: Tips from Chef Kim Braunsroth

Chef Kim Braunsroth is a former competitive saber fencer, cyclist and racewalker, and specializes in cooking for athletes of all levels. A member of the United States Personal Chefs Association, she currently operates Fit Chef Personal Chef Service in Atlanta, GA. She trained at Le Cordon Bleu, and is a graduate of the Culinary Business Academy. For more information, check out www.fitchefatl.com.

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Of all the challenges training athletes face during the fall and winter, holiday food is perhaps the greatest. The food itself is usually seductive, if not downright decadent - Apple-Cranberry Bread Stuffing with Sage Cream, Cherry-Chocolate Cheesecake Tarts - talk dirty to me, baby. The usually enjoyable post-workout peanut butter-on-a-bagel doesn’t stand a chance of satisfying anyone but the most militant athletic Spartan. And then there is Aunt Mabel, who cannot even fathom the concept of caloric balance, and insists that my avoidance of her Deep Fried Fat Bombs with Caramel Sauce is the result of some deep-seated resentment over the fact she gave me the Barbie RV (instead of the Barbie Corvette) on my 7th birthday.Navigating such treacherous waters can be tricky. Here are some guideposts - heed them well, and you won’t be mistaken for a beached whale come January 2008.

1. Eat a snack before you head-off to the big family dinner. An apple, some cheese and whole grain crackers - the plan here is not to tank-up on calories, but to dull the edge of your appetite before you have to face the Fancy Living Magazine-worthy spread your in-laws have laid out. Try for some protein and some low glycemic index carbs.
2. Eat everything…in small amounts. Think of any holiday dinner as a tasting party. Take an appetizer-sized portion of each dish on the table. No one gets offended, you get to enjoy everything, and - best of all - your plate is full, warding-off your mom’s comments that you don’t eat enough.
3. Gravitate towards dishes that have some redeeming nutritional value. WARNING: this is not a green light to eat a huge slice of pecan pie just because it’s made with nuts, and nuts have protein. Use your head - turkey is a great lean protein, everyone else is giving short-shrift to the salad anyway, sweet potatoes are an awesome source of fiber…make the best choices you can under the circumstances.
4. Bring your own food. Of course, you don’t have to tell anyone what you’re really doing…just offer to make a few dishes at the gathering. YOU bring the steamed vegetables and the whole-grain rolls. Live out loud - be the voice of reason amid the clamor of insanity.
5. If all else fails, remember that one day won’t kill your training diet. In fact, the holidays can keep you on track better than any other time of year. Let the big food events be your reward for adding an extra hour to your endurance workouts, or not blowing off a single training session for 2 weeks straight, or achieving some other goal that has, until now, remained elusive.

Feeling better about the days to come? Good. Here’s a simple side dish for those of you planning on executing Tip #4. Enjoy!

Baked Wehani Rice
This is a good, whole grain side dish that serves six. Wehani is a variety of brown rice available from Lundberg Farms. If you can’t find it, regular brown rice works just as well.

• 1 cup Wehani Rice (or brown rice)
• 4 tablespoons red and green bell pepper
• 1/3 cup carrots, finely diced
• 1/3 cup celery, finely diced
• 1/3 cup red onion, finely diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons margarine, or margarine substitute
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon basil
• 2 ¼ cup chicken stock
• 1-2 tablespoons parsley, finely minced

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a small casserole pan, place the rice, all vegetables, garlic, margarine, salt and basil. In a small saucepan boil the stock, and then pour it over the rice and vegetables. Gently stir until the butter melts, then cover the pan with foil (or a lid, if it has one).

Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until done. Stir in parsley, or use as garnish.

Nutritional Information
Per serving: 167 calories, 5g fat, 3g protein, 27g carbs

© 2007 The Outdoor Journey.