Author: Marbella Spata
What gets your motor running?
Does he? Maybe, maybe not.
Offroading on trails gets the motor running for some people, while others get their motor running by modifying their jeeps or working on their offroad rigs. Now that you’re wondering what this article is really about, I can get to the point. I am actually talking about a different kind of motor running. The kind that gets your body moving. If you don’t eat correctly before going out on a trails, you’ll start feeling sluggish quickly. You will have absolutely no energy, you might even get crabby because your sugar level has dropped or maybe even get light headed. If you are like most off-roaders, you don’t eat before going out on the trails or maybe you do, but you eat mainly carbs. Carbs are ok, but they don’t last long. Carbs are one of the first things that your boy breaks down, then fat, and lastly your body begins breaking down whatever proteins in your body. After that your body enters survival mode. That is why you may feel sluggish, cranky, light headed, etc. You don’t have enough protein in your diet. That is why it is very important to get 90 grams of protein a day, so that your body is never in survival mode.
How do you get that 90 grams of protein in your diet everyday? There are many ways to achieve it.
Here is a list of proteins you can eat everyday. Combining them is a great way to make interesting and healthy protein choices. Salads with chicken and eggs are a great way to get the nutrients you need
What is Protein? When digested, proteins break down into amino acids, the building blocks for tissues in the body. Protein is a macronutrient, why when you take large amounts of protein helps keep you healthy. Protein is needed for all humans. Even if you aren’t exercising and don’t want to build muscles. It is still very important to have in your diet. The body needs essential and nonessential amino acids. The essential amino acids cannot be made by your body, so they must come from the proteins you eat or drink. Why Protein drinks are very popular nowadays. I will tell the different kinds of proteins drinks later, but for now I want to finish telling you about why protein is needed.
The body uses protein to build and repair tissues in your body. Such as your bones, muscles, nails, hair, skin and blood. Each day your muscles and other tissues break down a bit and need to rebuild. Protein repairs them, so if you are low in protein your tissues will not repair.
Meat and fish have the most grams of protein per serving. Animal meats like chicken, have protien as well as other nutrients you need, like vitamin B12. But it is best to get a variety of protein, rather than relying solely on meat and dairy.
Remember earlier, I mentioned about protein in supplements is another way to get your protein. Protein shakes/drinks are very popular. However, you should be careful about what kind of protein supplements you take. One such supplement is a shake. The shakes are heavier and most have whey in them, those are more like meal replacements. I recommend drinking the shakes, if you are short on time and that is the only way you can get a meal in or if you are trying to lose weight. Shakes are heavy for a reason, to fill up your stomach, tricks your stomach in thinking it is full. I personally don’t like how heavy and thick these protein shakes are. I prefer a lighter protein drink. My protein supplement is basically water with flavor. I don’t like the heavy feeling shakes give you. HumaPro is what I drink and it is very light and doesn’t fill me up, so that I can eat a meal with it as well. HumaPro gives me 25 grams of protein in one 8 oz serving, then I eat additional proteins with my meal, like tuna fish with fresh vegetables in a salad, that gives me another 32 grams of protein and other nutrients that are needed to help build my tissues. I get about 57 grams in that meal alone with this combo. I am already more than halfway to meeting the 90 grams of recommended protein per day.
When I go on the trails to offroad in my jeep, I make a point to drink a glass of HumaPro at breakfast and eat some fruit. Protein breaks down slowly in your digestive system, so the protein packed food stays longer in my stomach. Protein doesn’t give you a boost of energy, it does sustain your energy. So in order to sustain your energy, it is important that you replenish throughout the day.
Snack ideas or meals for your off-road trips.
-Almonds & fruit
-cheese tray with turkey and/or chicken slices
-variety of nuts with chocolate morsels…. make your own trailmix
-dried fruit it very good as well, if you don’t want to deal with bringing a bigger cooler.
-turkey, chicken or tuna fish sandwich with lettuce, tomato, cheese and yes bread.
-Protein bars are good as well. But pay attention to the ingredients and sugar content, same goes with the protein drink/shakes you drink. Many of these products have a very high sugar count and that isn’t good either.
I hope you enjoyed reading my information and that it helps you with your everyday diet and of course helps keep you on the trails longer on your awesome offroad trips, that we all love. Every adventure requires energy, happiness and, of course, fun. If you don’t have these, then you need to make some adjustments and make it happen.
Author: Marbella Spata
