Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition

Oh the things I do for performance gains. Good sleep, proper recovery, mobility work and eating!! Seeing that food is fuel, it should be no added extra to your day to make sure that good food gets inside your body in order to give you energy and to nourish your many working systems. Cooking should not be seen as a chore, like cleaning your bathroom or taking out the trash. Sure, it's something on your to-do list but it is a skill that should be learned and appreciated through all the years of life. For me, I love to eat the food that I cook and I love eating the food that Karel cooks but I also love being inspired by food that is prepared by others. I really enjoying trying new creations but more than anything, I love real food. I really value where food comes from, the effort that goes into preparing a meal, the presentation of a meal and knowing the purpose of the meal (nourishment, fuel or pleasure). Cooking is a process and although it does involve time, patience and eff...

Karel and I take our eating just as seriously as our training. In other words, without counting calories, measuring food or recording/logging what we eat, we make a conscious effort every day to use food for nourishment, disease prevention and for fuel, while timing our nutrition with our training to best adapt to training stress. We do not have an off-limit food list, we never feel deprived, stuffed or guilty when eating, processed food IS consumed and we even eat gluten, dairy and sugar.   What a refreshing statement seeing that so many athletes struggle with developing a healthy relationship with food and the body. Having said all this, like any human being, creating a sustainable, enjoyable and healthy style of eating is always a work on progress. A typical week of eating for me is very different than how I ate 10 years ago and how I ate when I was a teenager. Even though I have been a vegetarian for almost 25 years, my definition of "healthy" eating...

The Paleo diet is marketed as a "lifestyle" as it it is described to be  "the healthiest way you can eat because it is the only nutritional approach that works with your genetics to help you stay lean, strong and energetic because our modern diet is at the root of degenerative diseases such as obesity, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, depression and infertility." It's a way of eating based on the supposed habits of prehistoric hunger-gatherers or caveman.  I absolutely agree that the Western diet is too full of refined foods, added sugar, unhealthy fats, extremely processed food and fast, convenient food. As a dietitian, there is absolutely nothing wrong with any dietary approach that favors a reduced intake of processed food and emphasizes real food. However, there is no basis to removing major whole food food groups, like dairy, whole grains and legumes from the diet. Foods that are wholesome and contain a variety of ...

There's something about the taste of grilled food that makes my taste buds excited. And this is coming from a vegetarian! On Sunday evening, Karel and I decided to fire-up the outdoor grill for a delicious dinner to finish a great weekend of training. Although my training volume/intensity is low relative to Karel (who is training for Ironman Mont Tremblant in a few weeks), we were both in need of a good meal to nourish and fuel our bodies. My garden is overflowing with basil so the first thing that came to mind was pesto. I just love pesto on a grilled mushroom (thanks Katie Malone for the idea!) and as I was feeling extra creative, I didn't follow a recipe but instead, I made up my own -  a handful of fresh basil, a small handful of Parmesan and Asiago shredded cheese, a few long drizzles of olive oil and a sliced clove of garlic all into a food processor. My pesto was extra garlicky and had a nice kick to it. (I found this recipe  for you in case you want to make your own p...

Over several years, I've slowly changed my lifestyle habits and moved myself more and more away from a heavy processed and convenience-food diet toward a very real food diet. Some dietary changes happened quickly whereas other changes required a different appreciation and time to create new habits. I really value what real food can do for a body, when it comes to health and performance so I've worked really hard over many years to make some swaps when it comes to incorporating more real food into my diet. I'm not against processed food and don't cringe at the thought of "food" in a bag but I do believe that some foods, like well-fortified foods, help to keep people healthy in all parts of our world. And since I don't have an off-limit food list, I never feel guilty, anxious or remorseful if I eat something processed. I have a most of the time diet and then there are foods that I eat some of the time/on occasion. The great thing is that neither one i...

picture source             Are you looking for an easy dietary switch that will quickly improve your health?                 Are you looking for an easy lifestyle change to boost your immune system?        Are you looking for a simple way to eat smarter in order to take your training to the next level?                              Look no further because the magic answer lies in real food.  This is the ingredient list for flavored oatmeal. Regardless if you are choosing low sugar for the "healthier" option or an instant flavored packet is more delicious and convenient, you can clearly see that there is more to oatmeal than oats in this package. Guar Gum, Artificial flavor, creaming agent, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, flavored and colored fruit pieces, corn syrup solids..... I realize that oats...

We are off to Madison, Wisconsin tomorrow!!  The weather is looking GREAT for race day and our bodies are feeling healthy thanks to a lot of great, delicious, real food! I thought I'd share a few yummy creations that we have enjoyed over the past 2 weeks.  Don't forget to yum! Chia crepes and egg and kale omelet 1 cup whole wheat flour 1/2 cup skim milk 2 tbsp chia seeds 1/8 tsp salt Dash of cinnamon 3/4 - 1 cup water 1 egg Olive oil 1. Mix ingredients in bowl for crepes until thin consistency.  2. In a medium skillet on low heat, drizzle olive oil to lightly coat bottom of the pan.  3. Pour crepes (around 1/3 cup) in middle of skillet and spread to make a large, thin pancake with back of spoon (you need to do this quickly and your pan can not be hot, it needs to be on the low setting. You may also use this batter for pancakes).  4. Cook for 1-2 minutes until firm on edges, then flip and cook for 1 minute.  Omelet 1 ...

The other day, someone asked me what I eat when I am really busy. I suppose I needed to give the reply of what fast food I order out or what's my favorite microwave dinner when I have no time to cook. Now, there's always an exception as I do not believe that there is a perfect way of eating but you will not find a microwave dinner in our freezer and Karel and I rarely (less than 5 times a year) go out to eat (unless we are traveling).  This doesn't mean I am good and you are bad but there's a reason why I wanted to write this blog.  I absolutely love real food and I make time to cook, even in my busy lifestyle. I know you can do it too. It's a lot easier than you think. You, me.....we are all busy. Who isn't busy? If there were more hours in the day, we would find a way to fill those up as well.  But it is because of my/your health that we are able to thrive in a world of craziness, business and never ending to do's.  The foo...