Eating well is a key strategy for injury recovery, as outlined in an earlier post. Tendons and ligaments are made of collagen, and foods that support collagen formation may be beneficial to heal ligament tears or tendon ruptures.

There are several nutrients that support collagen synthesis.
* Proline, hydroxyproline, lysine and hydroxylysine are amino acids, the building blocks of protein. Gelatin contains ample amounts of these particular amino acids.
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​Eat healthy carbs. This advice is often given to athletes and couch potatoes alike, but sometimes it is hard to know which carbohydrates to choose. Fall is a great time to enjoy your healthy carbs in the form of roasted vegetables, which are loaded with vitamins, minerals and fiber. Popular and nutritious vegetables for roasting include:

• Beets – good source of folate
• Brussels sprouts – good source of vitamins C and K
• Carrots – good source of vitamins A and C
• Onions – contain bioflavonoid anti-oxidants and allicin (anti-tumor compound)
• Parsnips – good source of Vitamins C and K and fiber
• Potatoes (skin on) – good source of vitamins B, C, folate, and niacin and potassium
• Rutabagas – good source of vitamin C
• Sweet potatoes – good source of vitamins A,B6 and C and potassium
• Turnips – contain vitamin C
• Winter squash – good source of vitamin A

Injuries can interrupt training and competition for even the most experienced athletes. When injuries occur, attention to sports nutrition can help get you back in action sooner. It can be tempting to slack off on your usual attention to eating well, but this is definitely not the time to indulge in junk food!
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Three key nutrients for healing are calories, protein, and water. It can be challenging to adjust your calorie intake when injured. You want to promote healing, but avoid unwanted weight gain. You will need to consider how much your training volume has decreased and how aggressive your rehab regimen is. Calories should not be restricted too much, because you need to protect your existing muscle mass as much as possible. When you don’t eat enough calories, muscle may be broken down. There is also a calorie cost to the body’s healing process, and too few calories may slow things down. Focus on eating nutrient dense foods and avoiding highly processed and high sugar foods. Check your weight frequently and adjust your intake up or down based on trends that you notice.

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​In my recipe box is a mimeographed recipe attached with yellowed tape to a file card. It is the first recipe that was “mine,” and it comes from my seventh grade home economics class way back in 1967! When the ripe apples arrive each fall, this Apple Crisp recipe still gets the call to spice up our meals.
 
Apples are a consumer friendly fruit. They are convenient to carry around for snacks and lunches.
In the refrigerator they store and keep well, and they will even stay fresh for a day or so in a fruit bowl at room temperature. A wide variety of preparations are possible from salads to desserts to side dishes.
Two of the ways I like to use apples as a side dish are:

What do Registered Dietitians eat on vacation? I recently made a trip with 5 friends from my dietetic internship and thought it was interesting to see some trends. This trip started out with a car trip to our central destination, Pipestem State Park in southern West Virginia. From there we did long day trips to Beckley and to the Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs. Based on my observations of how this group of RD’s (pictured at right in front of the Greenbrier) combined vacation fun and healthy eating principles, here are 4 tips for eating well on vacation.

Season's Greetings friends and welcome to the Off-Season's new blog! With this blog we will share the abundance of knowledge and wisdom that our diverse staff has aquired during their careers.

In this post our staff will share some tips on how to avoid pain and injury during the busy holiday season. The unfortunate thing about about pain and injury is that a good portion of it comes down to "stress."