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Best Benefits of Ginger

By Laurel-Lea Shannon

It’s hard to believe that a gnarled piece of root can have so many health benefits. Although I’ve used fresh ginger in my cooking for years I only recently discovered that ginger, in addition to being a delicious, aromatic, spicy herb is also a medicinal powerhouse. During a recent bout

Read more . . . Best Benefits of Ginger

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Pulse Power: What’s the best pulse to power your pedal stroke?

By Sarah Bonner

illustration- pulsecanada.com

Vegetarian or not, every cyclist should include pulses in their diet because pulses are naturally high in nutrition. Part of the legume family, pulses include lentils, chickpeas, dried beans and dried peas, and are high in fibre, protein, carbohydrates, B vitamins and iron. According to dietician Adrian Penzhorn

Read more . . . Pulse Power: What’s the best pulse to power your pedal stroke?

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Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight

By Laurel-Lea Shannon

Do you put weight on easily and have trouble taking it off? If so, wheat may be the culprit. Many women claim that just looking at a piece of chocolate cake adds inches to their waistline. Of course, that’s an exaggeration but the fact is, wheat can take a toll

Read more . . . Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight

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Pantry Staples for Cyclists

By Sarah Bonner

Ever find yourself famished from a training session with no food in the house? Ever go grocery shopping when hungry? Well, we all know how that ends: twice the bill and twice the calories. So there are a few pantry staples I always keep on hand that are healthy, quick,

Read more . . . Pantry Staples for Cyclists

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Pocket Energy for the Food-Sensitive Cyclist

By Sarah Bonner

Talk to a cyclist with a dairy intolerance and their fastest interval may be a mid-ride dash to the bushes after mistakenly eating a sports bar containing lactose. Food intolerances are quite common but it’s still hard to find pocket-friendly food that is gluten, dairy, or soy free that meets

Read more . . . Pocket Energy for the Food-Sensitive Cyclist

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Chocolate Almond Energizers

By Deb Gleason

Looking for a quick snack between workouts or something to help you start your recovery right after a tough workout? I created these snacks out of whole foods which means not only do they contain real food  but they really fill you up because there are no empty calories

Read more . . . Chocolate Almond Energizers

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Protein: An Essential Nutrient

By Gillian Scobie

There’s a lot of confusion about protein: why you need it, how much you need, and whether to have it before or after a ride. First of all, why do you need protein? There are three important reasons.

One, after you exercise, you need more protein because exercise breaks down

Read more . . . Protein: An Essential Nutrient

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Fueling For Cycling

By Laurel-Lea Shannon

Cycling burns a whopping number of calories. Because of that you need adequate fuel so you have the energy to power up steep hills and to battle headwinds on the flats—often for hours at a time. It may sound counterintuitive but if you’re trying to lose weight, you’ll burn even

Read more . . . Fueling For Cycling

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Watch Portion Size, Not Calories

By Laurel-Lea Shannon

We come in all different shapes and sizes. What is important is maintaining a healthy weight for your size and body type. But don’t spend your time counting calories. Instead, eat healthy whole foods and watch your portion size.

Cycling is a high-calorie-burning sport. But does that mean you can

Read more . . . Watch Portion Size, Not Calories

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Exercise Keeps Your AGE Down

By Gillian Scobie

Maybe it’s not surprising that something that speeds up the aging process is called AGE, or advanced glycation end-product. The research is ongoing but there is strong evidence that glycation (from the Greek glucos (sugar)) is involved in degenerative diseases and aging.

AGEs are harmful molecules that are created when

Read more . . . Exercise Keeps Your AGE Down

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Plant-based Foods for Better Recovery

By Deb Gleason

Feeling sluggish or run down? Having a hard time recovering from your last workout in time to get to the next one? It might have something to do with low pH levels in your body (pH measures how acidic or alkaline your body is). Maintaining a balanced pH is important

Read more . . . Plant-based Foods for Better Recovery

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A Calorie is Not Just a Calorie

By Laurel-Lea Shannon

Many diets encourage counting calories, because they treat all calories as equal. To lose weight they recommend eating low calorie foods. Low calorie foods usually translates into low fat foods. What’s the problem with this? All calories are not equal and the low fat, high carb diet that’s been

Read more . . . A Calorie is Not Just a Calorie

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Six Smart Carbs

By Laurel-Lea Shannon

Not all carbs are created equal. There are good carbs and bad carbs. Good carbs have a low-glycemic index, and keep your blood sugar levels balanced, giving you more energy and helping you to stay fuller longer. Bad carbs, such as the old starchy standbys—pasta, potatoes and bagels–quickly convert to

Read more . . . Six Smart Carbs

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Nutrition for Century Rides

Q: I’m doing my first 100km ride this fall. How do I know how much and how frequently I need to eat before, during and after the ride?

Beth Mansfield: The Best Energy Booster for the event day is a Carbohydrate-Rich DIET!

* Prevent the need

Read more . . . Nutrition for Century Rides

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Carbs: How Much is Enough?

By Laurel-Lea Shannon

In “Good Carb, Bad Carb” you learned how to tell the difference between healthy carbs, like fruits and vegetables, and not-so-healthy carbs, like processed white bread and bagels. And how eating lower GI carbs keeps you healthier. But how many carbs does it take to fuel your

Read more . . . Carbs: How Much is Enough?

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Good Carb, Bad Carb

By Laurel-Lea Shannon

For the past thirty years, athletes of all kinds, including recreational athletes, have been encouraged to load up on starchy carbohydrates like pasta, potatoes and bagels to fuel their training. Not any more. Today it’s recognized that not all carbs are equal. Some are good, and some are bad.

What

Read more . . . Good Carb, Bad Carb

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More Power with Protein

By Laurel-Lea Shannon

It used to be that carbohydrates were considered the powerhouse in an athlete’s nutritional arsenal. Not anymore. Now it’s protein that’s the rising new star. “Physical activity like cycling breaks down muscle,” says Christine Gerbstadt, an MD and sports dietitian. “And studies show that in the immediate post-exercise

Read more . . . More Power with Protein

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Eat Smart

By Laurel-Lea Shannon

If you’ve stepped on the scales lately and cried, “YIKES!,” you may panic and decide to restrict your food intake to lose weight. Stop! Don’t do that. If you do, you’ll trigger your metabolism into conservation mode.

Our bodies are designed to survive times of famine. When you restrict food

Read more . . . Eat Smart

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Healthy Snacks for Less than 180 Calories

Do you struggle with your weight One thing that can help you maintain a healthy weight is snacking between meals. That may sound counter-intuitive but think about it. When you let yourself get too hungry, chances are you’ll overeat at the next meal, and that’s a problem. Eating excess calories at one time

Read more . . . Healthy Snacks for Less than 180 Calories

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Are Granola Bars Healthy?

It’s easy to feel virtuous when you eat granola bars. Everyone knows oats are good for you, right? Well, that depends. Some granola bars have more sugar and sodium in them than cookies. Many are fat-laden and smothered in chocolate—in fact, nutritionally they’re not that different from a chocolate bar.

Companies

Read more . . . Are Granola Bars Healthy?

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Fuel for Cyclists

By Sheila Ascroft

What to eat (and drink) on a long bike ride depends on your stomach. And, like fingerprints, no two stomachs are the same. The choice depends as much on what your digestive tract can handle as the cost, convenience, effectiveness, or taste. Some people I know do fine on

Read more . . . Fuel for Cyclists

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Nuts Prevent Heart Attacks

By Dr. Gabe Mirkin

A review of 25 studies shows that eating nuts (including peanuts) lowers cholesterol to help prevent heart attacks (Archives of Internal Medicine, May 10, 2010). Eating an average of 2.5 ounces of nuts per day lowers total cholesterol 5.1 percent, LDL (the bad cholesterol) 7.4 percent, and triglycerides 10.2 percent.

Read more . . . Nuts Prevent Heart Attacks

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The Skinny On Fat

By Laurel-Lea Shannon

Fat has been vilified by the medical community for decades. But did you know your body needs fat to function properly? Healthy fats may be your biggest ally in the battle against weight gain.

Eating healthy fats will make you feel full faster and for longer because fat is digested more

Read more . . . The Skinny On Fat

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Caffeine Boosts Hot Weather Performance

A study from Toledo, Spain shows that giving caffeine to dehydrated bicycle racers helps them ride faster, longer and with more power in hot weather (Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, July 2008). When combined with water and carbohydrates, caffeine ingestion increases the force of muscular contractions which helps them to pedal with more

Read more . . . Caffeine Boosts Hot Weather Performance

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Boning Up: Why Calcium is So Important

Although calcium is the most abundant mineral in the body, most people are deficient because they consume only about half of what they need—500 to 700 mg a day. Too low an intake of calcium causes calcium reserves in the bones to be withdrawn resulting in osteoporosis or osteopenia. Should you take supplements or get

Read more . . . Boning Up: Why Calcium is So Important

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Cup O’ Joe With That Exercise

For all you coffee drinkers out there, here’s another good reason to make a pit stop at your favourite coffee shop before exercising. Recently, researchers at the University of Georgia found that caffeine reduces thigh muscle pain during cycling. You can read the science behind it here.

And there’s more good news. A study

Read more . . . Cup O’ Joe With That Exercise

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