November 20, 2009, Newsletter Issue #119: Thanksgiving Week: Eat Well, And Indulge A Bit!

Tip of the Week

Be honest, part of your motivation for that fall marathon training was so you could preemptively burn off some Thanksgiving treats, right? Ok, maybe not, but for all the foodies and runners, this week I'll share some of my favorite Thanksgiving foods.


I'll start with something healthy--squash! Of course, how healthy it is depends on what, if anything, you add to it when you eat it, but squash is a great source of beta-carotene, which helps promote muscle endurance, among other things.


Winter squash (any type) also is a huge sources of potassium. According to Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook, 1 cup of cooked winter squash (that's acorn, butternut, Hubbard, spaghetti, or any of those hard-sided squash you see at a farm stand or grocery store starting in the fall) gives you a whopping 890 mg of potassium, compared with approximately 565 for a cup of cooked spinach, 420 mg for a cup of cooked potatoes, and 340 mg for a cup of cooked broccoli.


One of my favorite winter squash varieties is the ugly but flavorful Hubbard squash. These are monster squash, so if you cook one, you can serve it to a tableful of guests and still have some left. I recommend getting some freezer containers ready and freezing some in smaller (2 cups works well for me) portions for future eating on its own or in other recipes (squash risotto!)


You can cook winter squash in the oven or the microwave. If you choose to cook a whole squash in the  microwave, be sure to put some knife holes in it so it doesn't explode!


For basic squash info and descriptions of different types, check out the What's Cooking America website:


http://whatscookingamerica.net/squash.htm


Happy Running!

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