Angie Asche MS - Fuel Your Body: How to Cook and Eat for Peak Performance: 77 Simple, Nutritious, Whole-Food Recipes for Every Athlete

Copyright 2021 by Angie Asche

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without express written permission from the publisher.

Printed in China

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Asche, Angie, author.

Title: Fuel your body : how to cook and eat for peak performance: 77 simple, nutritious, whole-food recipes for every athlete / Angie Asche, MS, RD, CSSD Founder of Eleat Sports Nutrition.

Description: Chicago : Agate Publishing, 2021. | Includes index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2020040118 (print) | LCCN 2020040119 (ebook) | ISBN 9781572842960 | ISBN 9781572848498 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Athletes--Nutrition. | Cooking (Natural foods) | Vegan cooking. | LCGFT: Cookbooks.

Classification: LCC TX361.A8 A74 2021 (print) | LCC TX361.A8 (ebook) | DDC 641.5/6362--dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020040118

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020040119

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Art direction and cover design by Morgan Krehbiel

Cover photo by Katie Hass

Interior photography by Katie Hass and Casey Haley

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For more information, visit agatepublishing.com.

To my husband, Codywithout his endless love, support, and taste testing, none of this would have been possible.

WHY ATHLETES NEED THIS BOOK

F ROM MY PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE consulting athletes across the country to my personal experience being married to one, I have seen firsthand the challenges that high-performance athletes face. Between training and competitionespecially if that includes travelcooking time and kitchen space are often limited. The majority of the athletes I meet with for the first time lack the knowledge and understanding of just how crucial proper nutrition is for optimal performance. They may also lack confidence in the kitchen or the knowledge of basic cooking skills. However, these athletes tend to be eager to learn about nutrition and how to cook nourishing recipes. And if you are reading this, I know you are, too.

Growing up as a competitive dancer and swimmer, I was always intrigued by the impact certain foods had on my performance. When I was still in high school, I was fortunate enough to shadow dietitians to learn more about sports nutrition. My passion for science grew, and I started to learn how and why foods can be either beneficial or detrimental to performance and overall health. Throughout college, I worked as a certified personal trainer and quickly realized that an exercise program alone is not enough to optimize performance.

So I decided to take an uncommon path. I graduated college with bachelors degrees in both exercise science and dietetics, completed a masters degree in nutrition and physical performance, and became both a registered dietitian and a certified exercise physiologist. Combining the studies of exercise science and dietetics gave me a powerhouse of specialized knowledge that I could apply to every classification of athlete. I wanted to offer my clients something more than other nutritionists or health coaches could. As a board-certified sports dietitian, I provide evidence-based nutrition guidance and strategies to enhance lifelong health, fitness, and sports performance.

Unfortunately, not everyone has access to consult one-on-one with a professional sports dietitian. Moreover, the internet is full of conflicting information about what and how to eat to improve performance, and it can be challenging for anyone to sift through it all to find effective fueling strategies. It became my dream to create a resource that demystifies performance nutrition and cooking for athletes who train at a high levelwhether amateurs, professionals, retired, or just starting outand Im overjoyed to finally be able to share this with the world.

The decision to sit down and write this book came directly from my athletes. Countless times, athletes have asked me for book recommendations on two main topics: (1) nutrition for improving athletic performance and recovery and (2) recipes and cookbooks geared toward athletes.

Sure, I could suggest several academic books on sports nutrition, but these were often overwhelming to athletes just wanting a good understanding of the basics, not the physiological breakdown of the adenosine triphosphatephos-phocreatine (ATP-PC) system. As for cookbooks, there were plenty I could recommend, but most on the market were geared specifically toward endurance athletes, and that type of information does not align with the needs of all performance athletes, whose nutrition goals are varied and may change throughout a season or career. Consider the minor league baseball player living in an extended-stay hotel room, the college football player trying to gain 15 pounds over an off-season, or the competitive figure skater needing quick and simple recipes after 8-plus hours at the rink.

I wanted to fill this void by combining my sports nutrition knowledge, experience working with athletes, and nutritious recipes into an all-in-one booka comprehensive resource to help all active people better understand what and when to eat to help maximize performance on and off the field (or court or rink). Whether you are an athlete at the recreational or elite level, the foods you choose to eat have a direct impact on your overall health, performance, and recovery. This book shows you what to eat, why you should eat it, and how to cook it.

Educating athletes about what foods are beneficial to their health and performance is obviously crucial. But what is often neglected in sports nutrition education is the next step: teaching them how to cook and prepare these foods with limited time and resources.

Educating athletes about what foods are beneficial to their health and performance is obviously crucial. But what is often neglected in sports nutrition education is the next step: teaching them how to cook and prepare these foods with limited time and resources. You dont need years of experience to cook delicious, nourishing meals, and this book is here to walk you through the basics. What Ive found is that athletes are eager to cook for themselves; they simply lack the know-how, the time, or both. These meals are meant for the busiest individuals, with symbols directing you toward recipes that take 30 minutes or less or recipes you can make even if you dont have access to a fully equipped kitchen.

My nutrition philosophy emphasizes an anti-inflammatory diet. By placing a priority on whole-food nutrition, I aim to promote recovery, decrease inflammation, and improve overall health. Ive included sample meal plans for weight management, weight gain, and vegan/vegetarian athletes, along with nutritional information for each recipe.