Healthy Recipes for the Runner/Athlete: Night Vision!

As it gets darker earlier, and earlier, and earlier....those outdoor enthusiasts who dread treadmills and feeling like a hamster in a cage have to be ok with something I've always struggled with: exercising in the dark.  The woods are beautiful under a harvest moon, the eyes of the deer and bears and bobcats (you never know...) in our forested foothills glow wild yet welcoming out of the darkness...if you have a decent headlamp, and decent night-vision. 

I am hoping Santa brings me a very, very strong headlamp for Christmas this year because I love running outside in the winter, its just impossible to do sometimes during the daylight as we get closer and closer to the winter solstice.  I also bike to work, and the darkness does not stop me there either.  Thank you, Thomas Edison.  

I have no plans, anytime soon, or ever, to run a 100 mile race.  I have joked to my husband though, who is a very strong night runner, that if he found me a 100 miler, in Alaska or Scotland (read: above 64.0000° N, 150.0000° W latitude) during the summer, when it never got dark, I might consider it....

so, in order to keep those eyes sharp while you're looking out for rocks and roots and twists and turns in the trail, or uneven parts or black cats darting across road crossings, here are three recipes using the night-vision super-power granting gourds and starches, pumpkin (again!), butternut squash, and sweet potato (not yams!) 

Antioxidants, including beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin, protect the macula from sun damage. Get these antioxidants from dark leafy greens, egg yolks, yellow peppers, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, and carrots. Notice any color patterns here? Current research shows that consuming yellow, orange, and green vegetables can help prevent age-related macular generation, a leading cause of blindness.  The macula is a small and highly sensitive part of the retina responsible for detailed central vision.  The macula allows us to appreciate detail and perform tasks that require central vision such as reading.

Without getting way to nerdy, I'd like to explain very briefly why these beautiful, bright orange colored vegetables are 1) orange and 2) why the reason behind their bright autumn pigment is beneficial to our ability to see better in dim light. 

Why are they orange? Beta Carotene, part of a family of chemicals (healthy, naturally occuring chemicals) called the Carotenoids, is the molecule which give my favorite fall foods their citrusy, sun-shiny color.  Here is the cool part: The long chain of alternating double bonds (conjugated) in Beta Carotene is responsible for the orange color. The conjugated chain in carotenoids means that they absorb in the visible region - green/blue part of the spectrum. So beta-carotene appears orange, because the red/yellow colors are reflected back to us.

Why do they help us see better in the dark? Beta Carotene is a pre-cursor to Vitamin A.  The retinol in Vitamin A is oxidized to its aldehyde, retinal, which complexes with a molecule in the eye called opsin. When a photon of light hits the complex, the retinal changes from the 11-cis form to the all-trans form, initiating a chain of events which results in the transmission of an impulse up the optic nerve. So cool! 

So, when you eat your pumpkin lasagna or your butternut squash soup, think, gee, this is happening right now, starting in my stomach, going into my blood, and then into my eyes! 

So, a few servings a week of some of these superstars of fall and winter, a good headlamp (carry an extra pair of batteries), and you're good to go on your midnight run in the mountains. 

Slow Cooker Pumpkin Tofu Ricotta White Bean Spinach Lasagna

Kale Tahini Lentils over Baked Sweet Potato

Butternut Squash Apple Soup with a Kick

Butternut Squash Apple Soup with a Kick

A perfect starter or side dish to a Thanksgiving or Winter Holiday Meal!

 

Ingredients:

such cute, loveable vegetables

2 tablespoon of coconut oil

1 medium yellow onion, diced coursely

1 butternut squash peeled, seeded, and chopped into approx 2" cubes

4 small or 2 medium red tart apples (like pink lady) chopped (do not have to peel!)

2 teaspoons of course sea salt

2 tsp of ground cumin 

1/2 tsp of ground coriander

1/2 tsp of ground ginger OR 1 tsp of freshly grated ginger

1/8 tsp of Cayenne Pepper

Several grinds of freshly ground black peppercorn

2 cups vegetable stock or broth

2 cups of water

1 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced

Low-fat plain Greek yogurt (for garnish)

Handful of lightly toasted Pepitas (pumkin seeds, or butternut squash seeds)

 

Directions:

1. Melt Coconut oil in large heavy bottomed sauce pan on medium high heat (I LOVE my 5 Quart Dutch Oven from Le Creuset)   

2. Add onion, cook, stirring every few minutes until onion begins to soften and brown, about 5 minutes.  Add squash, toss to coat in oil, then keep stirring about every 1-2 minutes until slightly mushy, about 10 minutes.  

3. Add apples, salt, spices, veggie broth or stock, and water.  Bring to a low boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until vegetables are very soft, about 20 minutes. 

4. Puree CAREFULLY with an immersion blender (or in batches in a stand up blender)  until very creamy looking and smooth.  Heat over low, adding a little more water or broth if needed so its not too thick.  

5. To serve, ladle into pretty bowls; garnish with a dollop of yogurt, diced jalapeno, toasted pumpkin, seeds if you like. 

Coming up next:

Slow Cooker Pumpkin Tofu Ricotta, White Bean and Spinach Lasagna :)