My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
A lot of nutrition books seem to fall into two categories: gimmick, or text book. A gimmick: http://www.amazon.com/Fat-Smas… It may work, but it’s not for everyone, however everyone buys it because it has an attractive title. A text book: http://www.amazon.com/Nutritio… It’s got a lot of information, but man… $118 dollars?

“Nutrition for Women” excels beyond the traditional gimmick, or text book parameters for nutritional books. Elizabeth Somer has a rich background as an RN, and she’s used it to gather information that applies not only to women, but everyone involved in a woman’s life. And she does this in a way that is not intimidating, but easy to read, and retain the information.

It’s a great read for anyone looking to get information that will help improve, or augment your eating habits.

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rating: 4 of 5 stars
Great book if you want to get technical. It offers some quality training advice, but where the book shines is in its nutrition content. A warning, though… unless you’re a nerd about nutrition for runners/athletes, this is going to be a bit boring. I love learning about the intricate details of what your body needs during certain training cycles, so it worked for me. I’ll probably read it again just to make sure I digest all of it.


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With that in mind, from our Sunday dinners

Sweet and Tangy Chilled Bean Salad.

Ingredients:

1 16-ounce can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 8-ounce can of pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 8-ounce can of garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
4 seeded and chopped large tomatoes
1 cup finely chopped red onion
1 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
4 tbs fresh lime juice
1 tbs olive oil
2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp ground cumin

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients into a bowl as you prepare them. Mix, cover and set in the frig for up to an hour. Keeps for 1 day (and it gets better and better as it marinates in the frig. I recommend making this a few hours before your guests arrive.)

This morning I found a chart that illustrates an idea called “eating clean.” The objective is to eat clean throughout the week, allowing yourself two or three cheat-meals (meals that include foods from the “dirty” categories). This keeps me healthy without 1: causing me to obsessively read countless sports nutrition books and magazines, clipping out recipes and nutrition tips, and driving my boyfriend crazy by talking about food 24/7 and 2: giving me the freedom to indulge a few times throughout the week, keeping my “leech-mind” satisfied.

Eat this: Clean food

Protein

• Fish (salmon, tuna, and sashimi-any raw fish)
• Eggs (mostly egg whites; 3-4 whole eggs/week is fine)
• Skinless chicken breast
• Milk protein (whey protein, casein protein; seen mainly in protein powders and ready-to-drink protein shakes)
• Fat-free milk
• Lean cuts of beef
• Soy protein (in protein powders or drinks)

Carbohydrate

• Vegetables
• Dry beans
• Whole oatmeal
• Brown rice
• Yams, sweet potatoes
• High-fiber, low-GI fruits

Fat

• Fat from cold-water fish
• Olives and olive oil
• Peanuts, peanut butter, and peanut oil
• Nuts
• Flax oil
• DHA/EPA supplements

Not that: Dirty food

Protein

• Fatty meats
• Lunchmeats
• Whole milk
• Hot dogs
• Carbohydrate
• White bread
• Pasta
• White rice
• Most Cereals
• Fruit juice
• Bagels
• Sodas with sugar
• Pastries
• Cookies
• Cakes
• Candy
• Crackers
• Pizza
• Desserts
• Any drink that contains calories (for example, beer)
• Anything with lots of sugar
• Anything in a package!

Fat

• Butter
• Margarine
• Fat from fatty meats and lunchmeats
• Fat from fried foods
• Hydrogenated oils and trans fats (seen in lots of packaged goods)
• Ice cream