Komi

We went to Komi for B's birthday. It was a wondrous experience.

Here is B in Komi Lala-Land just following the main course, which was a side of goat. Or something like that.

What I enjoyed most about our experience wasn't the food alone. It was literally everything about the evening. From the moment our server (we had multiple, kind of like everyone does everything type of deal) told us "we have no menus, so just sit back and relax while we cook for you all night" (they ask for dietary restrictions when you make the reservation, which MUST be a month in advance!), I knew it was going to be a glorious night. Lovely wine, fabulous company and a very laid back ambiance made for a perfect evening.

But yes, the food was incredible. Some of the major stand-outs were the pork belly, scallops (a number of different preparations), the salted caramel (holy COW - heavenly) ... and the goat. Said goat kind of sums up why I feel Komi does in fact deserve its #1 ranking. It was just entirely unexpected. It literally fell off the bone, and the accompanying sauces/goodies were so perfect...but honestly, I just loved the simplicity of the whole thing. It was like good old North Carolina BBQ...if North Carolina BBQ suddenly turned Greek. You know what I'm sayin', right?

Speaking of NC BBQ - Chapel Hill this weekend! And the OBX all of next week! Life is good. G-O-O-D. I also start working at Conte's tomorrow. Believe it. Come visit and buy lots of things. On that note, a parting gift. It was a moment of weakness.

Tour Champion - Cannondale from Peter Nicoll on Vimeo.

Wone

Did anyone else follow this trial? HOLY COW I cannot believe they all got off.

So Reston Was Fun.

I love that course. LOVE it. I came in 5th. Felt like crap the entire time. I have a number of excuses, but I shall refrain from listing them. Won a really sweet red backpack full of things I will never use but probably should. Thank you LP for sharing this lovely photo of me. I look super special.

Anywho, props again to the IVs who stuck it out - I think we started with around 30, and maybe half of that ended up finishing. Fun race. Next up will be our Giro...perhaps I should start riding my bike for a bit longer every now and again.

Thoughts on Soy

One of the (many) reasons I stopped eating processed foods was because I eliminated soy from my diet. I believe I've mentioned before that I think soy sucks. Here is a quickie link that further discusses the matter: Westin A Price Foundation (thanks to the cat who directed me to that site, btw!). But for me, soy was one of the ingredients that appeared to be messing up my tum. So away it went, and along with it everything between the dairy and produce aisles at Whole Foods.

Seriously. If you ever take a gander at the ingredient labels on "organic" or "natural" processed foods (cereals, bread, crackers, cookies, frozen dinners, soup, and so on and so forth....) I would be surprised if soy (in some way, shape or form) didn't pop up as the first or second or third ingredient. I used to swear by Kashi products...until I realized that all it is is puffed up soy. Sorry Kashi.

Granted, soy is a good source of protein, and if you don't eat meat/chicken/fish and you get sick of beans, I suppose this can be an option (if soy doesn't upset your stomach). But I would opt for it in it's least processed form (edamame - baby soybeans, perhaps?). Make sure it's cooked, however...apparently it's toxic to humans in raw form (from wikipedia: For human consumption, soybeans must be cooked with "wet" heat in order to destroy the trypsin inhibitors (serine protease inhibitors). Raw soybeans, including edamame, are toxic to humans, swine, chickens, in fact, all monogastric animals.^[12]). Tofu and tempeh and all the other faux "meats" are easier to digest, but they are out for me...since they are primarily just versions of congealed soy. I'd rather have an egg! Yum, I heart eggs.

Required Reading

1. The Paleo Diet for Athletes - Dr. Loren Cordain & Joel Friel

• Why? Learn how to make your own homebrew for post-ride recovery. Way better than any store-bought shenanigans.
• On top of that, while normal Paleo Diet peeps don't eat any grains, the PD for Athletes does encourage ingesting whole grains in your recovery phases. So that's good news for you gluten-loving peeps.

2. Racing Weight - Matt Fitzgerald

• Why? For those of you who are curious how many grams of protein, carbs, fats, total calories, etc...you should be taking in based on your weight and training volume, he has the answers. There is, however, something to be said for just eating according to the way your body feels - as long as you are getting the right ratio of carbs/fats/proteins in your diet. Just ask Nell. Love her blog & she is a Paleo Purist.

3. The End of Overeating - Dr. David Kessler, MD

• Thank you KenBob for recommending. This book will make you never want to eat at Chiles, TGIFridays or Applebees again. But why would go there in the first place? I digress. But seriously, ick. It may also make you feel kinda bad about eating at fancy restaurants too.
• This cat was the FDA commissioner under Bush and was instrumental in the new nutrition labeling regulation on food. He kinda knows a lot.
• I should add...there is room in everyone's diet for a splurge here and there. Especially if you ride your bike for 7 hours on the same day. You shouldn't feel badly about eating a really crazy good dinner or sweet that you totally enjoy. But only do it every once in awhile. This book explains why it's so hard to only splurge every once in awhile (for some people)...that the way certain foods (fast food, for example) are processed and prepared makes it such that your body is wired to overeat it. Ack! Scary.

I am also currently reading Medium Raw by Anthony Bourdain. Loved his first book, Kitchen Confidential. This book is way different, but still highly entertaining. More on that in a subsequent post.

Oh My...

Just came across this total gem. I realize that you can't believe everything you read on the internet, I do. But I've read enough (and learned from other reliable sources) to know that this cat is spot on. Even the eating protein before bed part. Plus, I got the link from a nutritionist I trust. Yes, what he's telling us sounds like a lot of work, and it is. But riding your bike is hard work too, no? Why wouldn't you go for that extra edge?

In other news, I learned today that taking calcium and iron at the same time inhibits the iron absorption. Drat. This is the liquid iron supplement I take, btw...thank you Katie for recommending!

I should add...that I am also getting tested for anemia by my doc, just to be certain. I have been anemic in the past (common in women endurance athletes) and had success with a supplement. In the meantime, I am not taking a full dose...and am adding more lean red meat into my diet. Important! Real food is always better than any supplement.

New Discovery

As I may have mentioned once or twice or thrice...I don't do lactose. Which means I don't do milk, of any kind.

Until...now! Very exciting moment. But first...a little history. I have experimented in the past with soy milk and almond milk, but processed soy sucks (and is no longer a part of my diet) and almond milk just didn't do it for me taste or consistency-wise. Neither of these products do much in the nutrient department, either.

So now, let me introduce to you...hemp milk. Yes, crazy! But true. I found a brand at WF that I really like - it's Living Harvest's "tempt." How playful of them. Anywho, it tastes delicious (in my opinion) and is packed with goodies.

1 cup is only 70 calories, and while it does have less protein than skim milk and soy milk, it has way less sugar and far more healthy fats - the hard-to-get Omega 3 and 6 fatty cids that are so critical to functioning like a human. It's also:

DAIRY & SOY FREE • VEGAN • TREE NUT FREE • GLUTEN FREE
CHOLESTEROL FREE • NON-GMO • KOSHER • LOW SODIUM
Hemp contains no known allergens

Ingredients Hemp Nut Base (Filtered Water, Hemp Nut [Shelled Hemp Seed]), Natural Flavors, Tricalcium Phosphate, Carrageenan, Sea Salt, Vitamin A Palmitate, Vitamin D2, Riboflavin, Vitamin B12.

And no, it doesn't get you high...there is no THC in the products at all.

I use it in smoothies and you can also use it in place of regular milk for cooking and baking! Haven't experimented with that just yet, but will report back.