Weather is amazing… surprise spring day in Toronto today so I made the time to do my favorite bike ride to Pickering & back downtown (about 70 K total) - this is how I’m fueling up for it!
First I gotta say how much I love my #Vega Pre-Workout Energizer - I can’t say enough about the kick I get - an all natural and plant based kick btw - when I sip a cup of H20 mixed with this powder about 20 min before my run or ride or workout) – and I’m preaching the benefits of it not because Brendan Brazier – Formulator of Vega – was at Iam Yoga recently – rather he was at Iam Yoga recently to speak BECAUSE we believe so much in the quality of Vega – just wanted to get that straight J
To fuel up before what I knew would be a cold and windy ride – I opted for Lentil soup (with Turmeric, Coconut Oil, Garlic, and Chickpeas) which I picked up while grocery shopping at Whole Foods earlier this morning. It was the perfect way to warm me up and then I included a slice of sprouted whole grain bread with a little organic guacamole spread on it and topped with alfalfa sprouts. A good mix of clean protein, healthy fats and complex carbohydrates to keep me functioning optimally for my first long ride since before Christmas (when – imagine tears falling as I write this – I put my bike in storage for the winter)
The brand of sprouted bread in the pic I took is currently my favorite kind and you can buy from the grocery store – I picked it up at Loblaws Queens Quay FYI (if more natural options aren’t available).
So WHAT is sprouted bread you may ask?
And WHY is sprouted bread even better than your standard Dempster’s Whole Wheat Bread – or some other similar brand (still lots of less than great ingredients in those overly processed breads – remember – just because some products suggest they are ‘healthy’ on the pack – you should do your own research before trusting their claims)
Sprouted bread is a type of bread made from whole grains that have been allowed to sprout, that is, to germinate.
Sprouted breads contain the whole grain (or kernel, or berry) of various seeds, although only after they have been sprouted. They are different from ‘white’ bread because ‘white’ breads are made from ground wheat endosperm (after removal of the bran and germ)
*** Important to note here – remember when you were little and made ‘papier-mache’ stuff in school… I made an awesome ‘papier-mache’ Great White Shark when I was 7 – all the other little kiddies made puppies, monkeys and butterflies … but my shark had teeth bared and blood dripping … still makes me laugh when I think about it he he…)
So what did you make the glue from ….yep …think about it… WHITE FLOUR & WATER …SO …White Bread in your gut = slowed down and complicated digestion). And I’m not suggesting that you should cut out white bread completely – but try not to make it your staple daily bread and you WILL notice a difference in your digestion.***
Whole grain breads though include the bran, germ and endosperm, therefore providing more fibre, and naturally occurring vitamins and proteins. Sprouted (or germinated) whole grain breads have roughly the same amount of vitamins per gram but have higher proteins and lower carbohydrates. This is because the carbohydrates are converted to proteins during the germination process.
My ride was long and hard and I thank my delicious and healthy lunch for making a surprise spring day the best day for me this week!
Total time to make…10 Minutes!
Enjoy!
#fitness #iamyogalindaeats
