In this segment of the ASAP~Sports Nutrition Shopping Cart, we’ll head to familiar territory: East Lansing, Michigan. That’s where Ken Mannie is located and he’s the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Michigan State Spartans. Frequently, strength coaches are sought out for their advice on nutrition. Frankly, many of them lack the qualifications to be giving out quite important information to athletes. However, there are several notable coaches who really have a great knowledge base…and one of them is Ken Mannie. For that reason, let’s take a look at what’s in Coach Ken Mannie’s shopping cart.
Super Foods for energy, recovery from hard exercise and a healthy lifestyle: If you’re looking for a short list of healthy, energy producing, and recovery aiding foods that are easy to incorporate into the daily diet, LISTEN UP TROOPS!!!
- Sweet Potatoes: A real nutritional “all-star” that is literally one of the best veggies you can eat, try to incorporate this winner in your diet as often as possible. These babies are loaded with Vitamin C, carotenoids, potassium, and fiber. Some restaurants even offer them as a substitute for French Fries (a top-of-the-line artery clogger) and regular baked potatoes.
- Grape Tomatoes: Sweeter and firmer than other types of tomatoes, these bite-size treats are perfect for snacking, dipping, and plopping on salads. Packed with Vitamin C and Vitamin A, these little health nuggets also contain some fiber and those wonderful phytochemicals you hear so much about.
- Fat Free (Skim) or 1% Milk: Check it out: Calcium, loads of vitamins, and high-quality protein without all the fat; need I say more? Caution: Don’t be fooled by 2% milk, which still has a considerable amount of saturated fat in it.
- Blueberries: Rich in fiber, Vitamin C, and the highly sought-after antioxidant group, these little sweeties are great on cereal, in yogurt, on low-fat ice cream, or all by themselves.
- Wild Salmon (not the “farm-raised” variety that has higher levels of dioxin contaminants) One of our “heart healthy heroes,” wild salmon is chock-full of the good omega-3 fats, whose health benefits are continually being unearthed, and quality protein.
- Citrus Fruits: Juicy, great tasting, and oozing with Vitamin C, folic acid, and fiber, these are much healthier snacks than candy bars that are bloated with saturated fat.
- Pre-washed, Pre-cut Bags of Greens (Kale, Spinach, Hearts of Romaine, etc.) Convenient, ready-to-eat, and high in calcium, carotenoids, folate, potassium, fiber, and Vitamin C, toss them in a salad bowl, sprinkle some blueberries, grape tomatoes, green peppers, some salmon chunks, a light salad dressing, and your favorite nuts on top, and you’ve got a healthy meal in itself.
Thanks to Coach Ken Mannie for today’s "Shopping Cart" segment. The only question to answer now is….. "Paper or Plastic?"
All Rights Reserved Copyright 2007 www.athleticstrengthandpower.com blogpost by Ed Cicale.
Article contribution by Ken Mannie mannie@ath.msu.edu
