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Cooking with Metabolic Efficiency
Breakfast
Protein Sources: As an athlete, breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
Oftentimes, triathletes complete a workout before breakfast.
• Egg whites* Replenishing your body post-workout is the first step in setting
• Lean turkey, chicken, ham your day up right and your body for recovery, particularly if
• Black beans you have a second workout in the afternoon. Quick breakfasts
• Non-fat yogurt (recommend lower sugar varieties) are possible! Following the metabolic efficiency guidelines
• Non or low-fat cottage cheese
discussed select items from some of the healthy suggestions to
• Pseudo-grains (quinoa, millet, amaranth)
the left to create a balanced breakfast.
• Whole grains (wheat-berries, whole wheat, etc)
• TVP, crumbled tofu, vegetarian sausage
The most important thing is to have the ingredients ready for
• Nuts, nut butters
the morning. Either make the breakfast ahead so it’s ready after
• High-Quality protein powder for shakes*
your workout and before work, or so it’s quick to throw
Healthy Fats: together as you get ready. Eliminating delays makes getting
• Raw, unsalted nuts this meal in that much easier!
• Natural nut butter (only ingredients should be nuts and salt,
no oils or sugar) Examples:
• Avocado
• Olive oil, coconut oil 1. Egg whites (or tofu) scrambled with broccoli,
• Beans, legumes mushrooms and avocado. 1 banana.
• Seeds (flax, chia, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds)
2. Egg whites, black beans, salsa, and peppers wrapped
Vegetables: in a whole grain tortilla.
• Eat a variety in colors and textures for the best benefits
• Broccoli 3. 1/4 cup quinoa cooked with a diced apple, cinnamon,
• Mushrooms walnuts, milk (low fat or non-dairy)
• Peppers
• Spinach and other leafy greens 4. Cottage cheese with pineapple. Whole grain toast
• Onions with natural nut butter.
• Garlic
• Sweet potatoes 5. Protein shake: protein powder, banana, milk (or non-
dairy milk), frozen berries, spinach
Fruits:
• Keep in mind, fruits are high in sugars, but also vital 6. Whole wheat tortilla wrapped around one banana and
phytonutrients 2 Tbsp nut butter
• Tomatoes
• Apples, oranges 7. Yogurt, blueberries, ½c oatmeal with flax seeds
• Mangos, peaches, nectarines, apricots, plums
• Grapes 8. Make ahead frittatas: egg whites, spinach, lean meat
• Bananas or veggie sausage, tomatoes, fresh herbs baked into a
muffin pan and a side of grapes – ready to grab and
Grains *limited for ME go for the work week!
• Whole wheat bread
• Whole grain tortilla
• Small serving of oatmeal (from rolled or quick oats, not
flavored packet)
• Porridge of whole grains (brown rice, quinoa, buckwheat,
amaranth, millet, oats)
• Whole grain sandwich “thin” (such as Orowheat, smaller *Depending on your cholesterol and family history, you may want to avoid or
portion size) reduce your intake of egg yolks.
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Snacks Lunch/Dinner
Having snacks handy is the #1 way to ensure that you do not Protein and vegetables make up the majority of the
get hungry. Once hungry, it is too easy to eat things that are not metabolically efficient lunch plate. Too many people get stuck
metabolically efficient and our body begins to swing between in a grilled-chicken-breast-and-steamed-broccoli rut, only to
being low blood sugar and being stuffed with whatever food is binge on breads and sweets afterwards. Try new protein
at hand. Our bodies need regular, consistent levels of nutrient sources like tofu, beans, lentils, lean ground chicken and
dense food in order to operate at a high level. turkey, tempeh, eggs, salmon, or chickpeas (garbanzos).
Because the weekdays are so busy, it’s easy to prepare the An easy way to grasp the concept is to double your veggies
whole weeks snacks in bags or containers all at once (I prefer and halve your grains. A small handful of high-quality whole-
Mondays, as they are my training day off). Many people bring grains (or better yet, a pseudo-grain like quinoa) also has
a whole bag of trail mix or a whole bunch of one snack to protein and vital nutrients. The important thing is to rid your
work, but having portions measured out guarantees you do not dinner plate of “empty” carbohydrates like white potatoes,
eat more than your allotted amount which is vital to keeping white flour breads, enriched grains, white rice and useless
you balanced throughout the day. fillers.
If you find that you’re hungry, try splitting a can of soup into Aim for high nutrient value vegetables such as – sweet
two containers and have a cup of soup and a piece of fruit for a potatoes, lentils, beans, and root vegetables like Brussels
snack. Look for high fiber legume/bean based soups like black sprouts, parsnips, turnips or squash. Add a variety of leafy
bean or lentil soup to keep you full. The goal is to have a fruit greens (spinach, kale, chard, sprouts) and a sizeable lean
and/or veggie and a protein source. protein source from the list above.
Examples: To make matters even simpler, make enough for a lunch
portion the next day and you can cook once, and eat twice.
• 2 Medjool dates, split in half stuffed with 1 Tbsp
Efficiency is the athlete’s best friend!
almond butter
Examples:
• 1 banana with 8 walnuts
• Stir fried tofu or chicken with bok choy, broccoli,
• Raw trail mix (nuts, dried fruit) – add salt on your carrots, orange peppers, and cabbage over a small
own if desired in moderation handful of quinoa.
• Apple and light string cheese • Chicken breast stuffed with a small bit of low-fat feta,
a few kalamata olives, roasted red peppers and served
• 8 oz non-fat Greek yogurt + berries
alongside a large spinach salad with tomatoes,
shredded carrots, and sprouts with a balsamic
• 8 oz non-fat cottage cheese + fruit
dressing.
• Small salad with spinach, diced peppers, dressing of
• Pita pizza – pita bread layered with marinara, sautéed
spoonful of salsa combined with a spoonful of plain
lean ground turkey (or tvp or tofu), mushrooms and
yogurt, pumpkin seeds, avocado
olives. Topped with a little feta and baked until crisp.
• Fruit salad (made ahead) + ¼ cup assorted raw nuts Serve with a salad (dark leafy greens, colored raw
veggies)
• Hummus + veggies (celery, bell pepper, carrot,
endive) • Sprouted grain wrap high-fiber wrap stuffed with
grilled chicken, romaine, pineapple, walnuts, feta,
• 2 hard-boiled eggs, mashed and rolled up in small dressing of white balsamic vinegar and non-fat
wheat tortilla with salsa yogurt.
• 1 cup legume soup or chili + piece of fruit (divide 1 • Small handful wild rice, grilled salmon with lemon, 1
can of soup for two days, look for quality soup with cup roasted kale tossed with 1 tsp pine nuts
real ingredients)
• Taco salad: mixed greens, black beans,
• Find some natural, whole food type snack bars to tofu/tempeh/lean ground turkey, bell peppers,
keep in your bag, car, purse or desk just in case! Look avocado, tomatoes, dressing of non-fat plain yogurt
for fruit/nut based, not sugar and grain. and salsa (mixed). Topped with pepitas.
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Ways to Improve ME of Meals Counting and Numbers
The metabolic efficiency ratio is calculated as follows: There are a few methods to figuring out how efficient your
meals are. On packaged goods, it’s easy to apply the formula to
Carbohydrates (g) – Fiber (g) the left. Finding out what homemade meals are on the ME
= ME Ratio scale is a little more complicated. Training Peaks has a good
Protein (g) system for finding out what a home-cooked meal is comprised
of by simply creating a New Meal and entering the ingredients
The higher a meal is in protein and fiber, the lower your ratio into the form. Drag the meal to a day, enter the amount you ate
will be. Eating metabolically efficiently means eating at a of the total recipe and voila, your numbers are calculated.
lower ration when possible. On heavy workout days, your body
may require more food or higher ME ratio foods. On off days, I would suggest checking out a few lunches and dinners for a
your body may be content eating mostly 1:1 and 2:1 meals. week to see what you really are eating. It’s easy to
The key is to listen to your body and to play with this number underestimate how much you’re eating. Most people serve
as much as you can. themselves 2-3 servings of cereal in one sitting without
thinking! Once you get a feel for what a serving is, making
Increasing fiber and protein will not only benefit you health- metabolically efficient meal choices is much easier.
wise, but balance out your carbohydrate intake and keep you
fuller, longer. Can you eat pasta? Absolutely! However, make The simplest way is as follows:
sure that your plate is ¼ pasta, ¼ protein and ½ vegetables
instead of a plate of spaghetti covered in meat sauce and
cheese. Reach for twice the amount of vegetables and half the (Good) ME Dinner Plate
carbohydrate. Try open-faced sandwiches, sandwich thins, and
whole grain wraps instead of large pieces of nutritionally Protein
vacant bread, bagels and rolls.
Healthy Fats
Take a look at some of your regular meals. How can you make
Fruit/Vegetables
them more metabolically efficient? Keep your plate size the
same and change the quantity of ingredients. Add more Carbs/Starches
vegetables, more leafy greens, more legumes and beans, more
fresh food. Less fatty meats, less oils, cut out the “empty
whites” (white bread, white pasta, white rice, white sugar) and
replace with smaller portions of whole grains (or pseudo- (Not So Good) Non-ME
grains)!
Dinner Plate
A successful diet is a consistent diet that incorporates healthy Protein
eating behaviors with a healthy mindset about food. Food is
fuel for the athlete and your performance and your recovery Healthy Fats
heavily depend on it. You cannot put dirty oil in a Ferrari Fruit/Vegetables
engine and expect it to run well lap after lap on a track. Carbs/Starches
Regular, well-balanced meals – it’s as simple as that!
Vegan / Vegetarian / Gluten-Free
Contact
Vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free or interested in trying a plant-
based diet? So are numerous successful endurance athletes. Feel free to contact me with any questions!
There is NO reason why you cannot be plant-strong and active. Rose Cameron
Contact Rose at bitemekitchen@gmail.com for more detailed bitemekitchen@gmail.com
information, suggestions and ideas. www.bitemekitchen.com
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