Tuesday Tweet of the Week: School Lunches

School lunches are undoubtedly the topic of much discussion. You may have heard Michelle Obama has started a campaign to change school lunches. Jamie Oliver is hosting a TV show called "Food Revolution" in order to illustrate the difficulties in the school lunch programs, as well as see if he can help a largely obese community. As I am very involved in nutrition and eating healthy this is really exciting for me to see such big efforts being made.

Jamie Oliver has an online petition that anyone can sign in order to show the President how much America cares. A recent tweet by queen food blogger Jaden Hair caught my eye. Click on her link and go sign the petition!

@SteamyKitchen "Have 30 secs? Pls sign @jamieoliver's petition-I stand strong for better nutrition & healthy kids http://ow.ly/1sFhn (plsRT)"

Friday Food Fact: Red Meat

Are you a fan of red meat? Are some cuts better for you than others? Find out as I give you all the info in my "Athletic Foodie Tip of the Week"



Please disregard the misspelling in the video...I have no control over that:/

Tuesday Tweet of the Week: Governor Perry's Appointment

Never did I think I'd post one of my own tweets as the "Tuesday Tweet of the Week". I like to think of myself as a very humble and down to earth guy who is not one to toot his own horn. Last night I was thinking about what to feature for today's tweet. As I searched through tweets I'd seen in the previous week I couldn't stop thinking about the one tweet I've received the most response from. So I did it. I went there. I decided I had to blog my own tweet. So here it is people. Don't judge me;)

"Hot off the wire...@GovernorPerry appoints @G_WeberGale to his council on physical fitness and sport! http://ow.ly/1pkSn"

As many of you know I'm super passionate about food, cooking, and nutrition. This passion has led me to found AthleticFoodie, which is a company dedicated to helping people live a better life through better nutrition. Recently Texas Governor, Rick Perry, has appointed me to his council of physical fitness and sport. I am super pumped about this. I can't wait to help make a difference and promote, exercise, nutrition, and overall health. It is a great honor to have been appointed to this position and I look forward to working very hard to help in any way I can!

Finally I think I'm actually starting to make a difference and get somewhere with all of this:)

Friday Food Fact: White Rice vs. Brown Rice

How does white rice differ from brown rice? A friend asked me this the other day and I couldn't give the exact answer. Immediately I knew this had to be the Friday Food Fact. So I did some research and here's the skinny.

First, after the rice is harvested it goes through a huller/husker to remove the outside grain husk. After this process is complete you're left with brown rice. From brown rice the grain becomes further processed by the removal of the germ and inner husk (bran). After the removal of the germ and bran the only thing left is what's called the endosperm. Finally the grain is then polished using either glucose or talc. What's left is white rice.

In the processing of the grain many nutrients are lost including Vitamin E, Thiamin, Ribofavlin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Potassium, and Iron to name a few. In addition white rice has been totally robbed of it's dietary fiber containing about 1/4 of what brown rice contains. Often you will see white rice that has been 'fortified' or 'enriched which means they have synthetically added back some of the original nutrients into the white rice. Crazy huh?

The same process and loss of nutrients is largely true with white vs 100% whole wheat baked goods such as breads, bagels, English muffins etc.

Here's an idea. Let's get back to eating the 'whole' foods nature intended us to eat. There's no question we'd be better off for it.

Tuesday Tweet of the Week: McDonalds and Health?

Do you want to eat like an Olympian? Well according to a McDonald's commercial which aired constantly during the 2010 Vancouver Olympics now you can...by eating their food. You may remember the commercial stating, "Now you don't have to be an Olympic athlete to eat like one." Wait, really? Is McDonald's 'sweet chili sauce' really the fuel Olympians eat for performance? Although I wish there weren't two sides to this story, sadly I must confess there are.

In my experience eating in the dining hall at the Beijing Olympics, I've seen first hand that many athletes do in fact eat McDonalds. Some even eat it right before their events...I even know a couple personally (including ones who won medals). So it's evident McDonalds does have truth in their statement. I shall bear all truth, too, 'after' my Olympic events were over I too delved into some McDonalds. It was a rare treat however.

On the other hand most Olympic athletes do not eat at McDonalds during their competition schedule. In fact many athletes turn their nose up at the thought of it. While training to compete at high levels of sport can and sometimes does include infrequent fast food and junk, generally it does not.

Social responsibility. The 'appropriate' phrase which came to mind when I saw McDonald's Olympic commercial. Is it socially responsible to link healthy Olympic athletes to unhealthy, yet tasty food...and imply that by eating it you too can be like an Olympian? Obesity in America continues to break historic records. Companies like McDonalds continue to try and align themselves with health through special meal programs, and commercials like the one discussed here. In this case, McDonalds should be ashamed. Do they not realize the negative effect they're having on society? Just like some of you, there were some other thoughts that went through my mind when I saw their commercial...explicit ones!

The following tweet reignited my thoughts about the McDonald's Olympic commercial, which brings us to the Tuesday Tweet of the Week. The tweeter is a guy named Rich Roll who is an UltraMan. Rich is as fit as they come. Check out his website to learn more about the crazy races he undertakes.

@RichRoll "Weight Watchers deal with McDonalds!?! This enrages me. Just another way McD is co-opting American health. MUST READ http://bit.ly/agjd35"

What are your thoughts? Please let us know!

Training Our Lungs with Underwater Bikes

I'm basically holding up over 250lbs there...no big deal baby!
Just cruisin'

Poppin' a wheelie. Holla!
Just another sweet trick in my arsenal...

Stretchin' out for max points

Friday Food Fact: Some Food Life Facts

For a few minutes let's just imagine humans could live on air. What if the feeling of hunger is simply to force us to get together and communicate with other people? I don't obviously mean this in a literal sense but what if this were true.

2010, the birth of the "Friday Food Fact" here on the Food and Water blog. 2010, my first experience in attending foodie/chef potlucks here in Austin. How could I have only found out about these this recently? A potluck...what a genius idea! Great food, unique drinks, new and interesting company...brilliant. What's even better is that you're not solely relied upon to create everything. My mind tells me the more potlucks the better. We'll see if my midsection agrees.

Fact: I've met more new and exciting people in a few short months attending food-enthusiast potlucks and food events than I have in the previous couple years in Austin.

Thoughts: The more I get involved and intertwined in the food and cooking world the more I realize how food can bring people from all walks of life into one conversation. People from all over the world from different socioeconomic backgrounds, different races, different ethnicities etc. can all discuss food. Of course they can all technically discuss anything but food is something everyone has at least some knowledge about. For instance, what foods did you eat growing up, what's the family traditional cuisine, were there certain crops or staples used in what you ate/eat, how do spices vary among cultures???...the list goes on. Not to mention, everyone attending is totally into the fact that we're about to eat some really legit food baby. The environment is set for a great time as well as the perfect place to meet like-minded people.

Fact: Before cooking in Italy and New York I was always very apprehensive about cooking for others. My expectations were always very high which always led me to think my food was never good enough.

Thoughts: Working in a kitchen in Umbria, Italy for over a month this past summer and doing a "stage" working at restaurant Daniel in NYC gave me a huge boost of knowledge, skill, and confidence. They also gave me the "kitchen cred" to spend time in other kitchens. My expectations are still high (they always will be) but now I'm getting closer and closer to meeting them. Just like anything the more you do the better you become. No longer do I shy away from having others over for food. Cooking for potlucks has made me even more fearless. (Check out the stuffed striped bass above from Wednesday's event.) At a potluck I attended last month I was the only non-chef to prepare an entree. I made Bison heart. Not only was this an odd thing to make but I had no idea what I was really doing. The final product was delicious and got rave reviews from other chefs. Let's keep this going. I love getting more and more confidence in the kitchen...such a pleasure.

So Happy! Clearwater Tomorrow

A weekend of fast swimming followed by a week of hard training. Boom. Getting back into the swing of things fast. I am on a mission to get more fit. I want my core to become freakishly strong. The weight room is where I'll be. Iron is what I want. Power is what I want. Blazing swimming is what I expect. I'm so reinvigorated and excited for this summer season. Fast swimming is in store.

Geeezzz and I'm soooo happy too. Why am I happy? I can't put a finger on exactly why I'm so happy. One thing for sure was some fast swimming last weekend. Training is going well this week. My relationship with both of my coaches is strong (so important to me). I'm cooking my little butt off. Being in the kitchen always makes me feel good and relaxed. My food career is coming along nicely with a couple cooking gigs planned in the next month. My social life is what I want it to be! Yikes...all is great with the world:)

Tomorrow I'm traveling with my friend and training partner Matt Lowe to Clearwater, Florida to train with the big man, Randy Reese. I love going down and training with Randy. He's such a trip... First off he has the most dry and hilarious sense of humor of anyone I've ever been around. The man tells you exactly what he wants from you, exactly what he thinks of you, exactly what you need to do to get where you want to go... He's exactly my kind of guy...no BS! Matt and I will be there for a little over two weeks and expect to get our butts whooped everyday. I can't wait.

Check back tomorrow for the Friday Food Fact. I hope y'all are doing great. Do what you love...all the rest will work itself out:)

Tuesday Tweet of the Week: Addie Broyles Gives SXSW Eats

At every turn my food knowledge, writing and experience are seemingly becoming greater and greater. There is no doubt I'm completely in love with food and cooking. Heck, I want to make a career out of it. Rather, I am going to make a career out of it. One of several great occurances so far this year has been my intro to the world of foodies and other bloggers in the Austin area. The scene here is really well represented with enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and humble people. So far I've done several things with different 'food' groups and every one has been great.

This weekend is the start of a big festival called South by Southwest. Characterizing this event is difficult. It spans many days, includes music, food, movies, tech seminars and more. Sadly, I won't be around to experience any of the food festivities as I'm leaving Friday morning to go train in Florida for a couple weeks. I'll depend on others to keep me up to speed.

One of the true leaders of the Austin foodie world is named Addie Broyles. She is a well respected food writer for the Austin American Statesman, a food blogger, and no doubt a twitterer. One of her recent tweets really caught my eye. My initial emotion was excitement, followed by a bit of sadness in that I'll be unable to attend. This tweet however is a great one for all of you who will be in town for SXSW and/or are interested in the general food scene here in Austin. Make sure to also check out Addie's blog and twitter feeds.

@relishaustin: "SXSW Eats: Parties where food is the headliner http://bit.ly/bVOxQw"

Dang I wish I could go to some of those!

Old school?? You bet, as tribute to Matt Biondi

When Aaron Piersol laid down the gauntlet, I had to give it a try. How about instituting a "Man Law"...? Check out this article in The Austin American Statesman gives the rest of the story.

Friday Food Fact: Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12

You might have heard about this essential vitamin in health class, at your nutritionist, from your doctor, a coach, or maybe even in one of the famous Roger Clemens testimonials. What's certain is that B12 is an essential vitamin humans need to sustain a healthy life.

Effects of B12:

• Supports the production of red blood cells which helps prevent anemia.
• Helps our cells metabolize proteins, carbohydrates as well as fats.
  
• The Mayo Clinic states it, "helps maintain healthy nerve cells and red blood cells and is also needed to make DNA, the genetic material in all cells."

Best sources of B12 include Sardines, Venison, Shrimp, Scallops, Salmon, Beef, Lamb, Cod, milk and eggs. The book 'The World's Healthiest Foods' by George Mateljan says, "Vegans must pay attention to their intake of vitamin B12 since this vitamin occurs primarily in animal foods..." In order for vegans to ensure they are getting an adequate amount of B12 you may want to consult a doctor and/or nutritionist to see if a B12 supplement is suitable for you.

An interesting fact...George Mateljan also states, "vitamin B12 cannot be made by animals or plants, but only by microorganisms, like bacteria. When plant foods are fermented with the use of B12-producing bacteria, they end up containing B12."

Tuesday Tweet of the Week: Slow Cooking Seafood

A few weeks ago I read a really interesting article @JasonFalls tweeted which talks about how Twitter is more of who 'you' follow than who follows you. After reading this I sat and thought about the concept for a bit. What a great point. What I did was started to go through people I already follow and find other interesting people they follow. I know this is probably already what most of you do but I'm just a bit slow to catch onto the practical application of Twitter. I now use twitter as a means to learn from others. Ain't no thang;)

Soon thereafter I began following @amandahesser who is a Food columnist at the New York Times, an author, and was a founder of Plodt.com and food52.com. One of her tweets really caught my eye...

"My method for perfectly cooked seafood that even the most distracted cook couldn't bungle http://bit.ly/9Xodrc"

If you like seafood you'd better click the link!