I’ve been getting lots of questions lately about what I’ve been eating – through pregnancy and postpartum – to keep my energy levels high, to keep myself fueled, and to feed little Leo. The answer is surprising to many: COOKIES.
And it’s really true. Yes, there have been many many bowls of kitchari, deep vessels of noodles for dinner, broths to sip on, cups of cashew cheesecake to enjoy, and bowls of crunchy granola too. But the thing I’m eating everyday are cookies.
Before Leo was born, when I was writing my wish list of postpartum foods, I whipped up a massive batch of oatmeal cookie dough with the intention of having snacks for guests that came to meet Little Leo. Each week, my dear sister has been coming by the house and has been diligently filling a little tin on our countertop with these freshly baked cookies, Boosted Oatmeal Cookies before she leaves – ensuring that I have a couple for snacks each day. Because hunger hits so hard and so fast when I’m breastfeeding, it’s not uncommon for me to be munching on a cookie while I take a shower after a ride, or while I stand in front of the refrigerator deciding what else to eat. I have certainly found cookie crumbs in little Leo’s hair. I don’t know what I would have done without these cookies. And I can’t believe that I didn’t think of them as fuel for my rides and adventures long before he was even a twinkle in my world.
Um, yeah. They are. Not only because these particular cookies are jam-packed with ingredients that serve my body as a breastfeeding mother and athlete, but because staying fueled is the most important thing I can do for my body. If we want to perform our best (or produce the best, most breastmilk, OR make it through our next big ride or board meeting,) what we must do is consume high-quality ingredients and lots of them. And, the fact that I designed these cookies to be exactly that doesn’t hurt my case.
Full disclosure: the recipe is one that I designed to support breastmilk production. A few of the ingredients (oats, almonds, flax, dates, brewer’s yeast) all support a healthy milk supply. But all the ingredients that help these cookies be exceptional for me as a breastfeeding mama ALSO make them exceptional as athletic fuel (and double-whammy good if your an athlete who is breastfeeding!)
Absolutely not. My proof is not only in common sense and Ayurvedic wisdom, but the fact that after a month of riding with my none of my male friends (nor my husband,) have sprouted boobs and started producing milk. But they have fallen in love with these cookies, and the way they make them feel on a big ride.
When we consider ingredients in Western culture, we seem to think that they do one thing and one thing well. But all ingredients are chameleons, shapeshifting and interacting with our unique systems, providing what we need. The ingredients that activate and enhance milk production in my body, activate muscle regeneration, boost recovery, improve digestion of fatty acids, reduce inflammation and more in the body of an athlete who is NOT trying to feed another human in addition to themselves. Everyone wins!
This ingredient, critical in the beer-making process, has tremendous benefits for athletes. Brewer’s yeast delivers healthy doses of protein and vitamin B, making it an exceptional strength and endurance builder, but the yeast also helps to bolster the digestive system. The same enzymes that are beneficial for making beer help to strengthen the microbiome, improving immunity, digestive function and more.
Sweet in flavor, oats are particularly cooling and soothing for high-achieving individuals. Sweet foods help to soothe pitta, reduce inflammation, calm the nervous system and improve digestion.
Across the Middle East and in Ayurvedic traditions, dates are recognized for easing labor, keeping energy levels steady, and even reducing the heart rate and soothing teething symptoms in newborn babies. But these little morsel fruits are even more potent for athletes. High in potassium, dates help to balance electrolytes in the body and they contain a higher percentage of complex carbohydrates than other fruits, meaning they are an exceptional endurance foods because they stick with you longer as they digest more slowly.
The qualities of this tree nut are two-fold with respect to fighting inflammation – a biological condition athletes are consistently battling. In addition to being generally cooling (which helps soothe the hot qualities of inflammatory conditions,) coconut is beneficial for the liver by replenishing and soothing this critical detoxification organ with fatty acids.
These little nuts have long been used in Ayurvedic medicine to soothe the nervous system, preserve intelligence and bolster vitality in depleted patients. High protein and fat content in almonds is responsible for these beneficial outcomes. Almonds contain almost 20% more protein by weight than all other nuts, making them particularly potent for building strength and vitality. They’re also rich in fatty acids (30-60% by weight,) which helps to protect the myelin sheaths in our bodies – the protective coatings over our nerves that conduct electric neuron impulses. Almonds also help to soothe the nervous system, in addition to delivering critical minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, copper, iron, phosphorous, zinc & vitamins B1 and E.
High in omega-3 fatty acids, flaxseed meal is exceptional for reducing inflammation, the regeneration of muscle tissue, and helps boost the metabolism of fats by strengthening the digestive system.
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