3X MultiProtein Shake - A Quick Review of a Korean Protein Drink

As a lifestyle triathlete, I rely on my training and my daily routine to maximize my potential so I could continue to train and improve. While fueling during race is important, recovery is as important as it help determine your readiness to train the next day. 

I have been taking (one or combination of these two) milk (full cream), milk pwoder and Yoghurt as my recovery food after a hard workout. Combine it with balanced diet and rest and recovery, I am often ready for the next day and whatever the work/life challenges thrown at me.

Recently I was approached by Savage Gears, the sole distributor of 3x Protein in Malaysia. 

Savage Gear is coincidently the gym that my wife goes to. So imagine her surprised that I received an offer to collaborate, and she has been reading and knowing of this protein brand.

What is 3X Protein    

• 3 types of protein - Soy Isolate, Whey Isolate and Yeast Protein
• 3 types of enzyme - α-amylase, Papian and Bromelain
• 21.3grams of Protein per 40grams serving - 20x more than an average sized B egg for same serving weight (approx 1 "B"egg of up to 45grams)
• 11 vitamins and minerals - help you to supplement what you may had missed or need if your daily diet 
• Made and packed in South Korea. Distributed by Savage Gears Malaysia
• HACCP certified (aka clean process) with ingredients sourced from Kosher source.

Nice shaker too!

How is it packed and nutritional info

600grams pack for 15 servings of 40grams each scoop. 21.3grams protein per serving with stevia and coconut milk as sweetener. No added sugar. 152kcal energy. Considered to be low kcal when compared to other Whey protein of 30grams serving with up to 25grams protein and approximately 170kcal due to added flavoring (based on personal experience, whey is chalky and bitter, so most whey comes flavored)

Something different from protein shake perspective -with crunchy edibles

3 types of protein - yeast, isolated whey and isolated soy. First time seeing this, and I supposed this is how it gets the name 3X.

It includes 3 enzymes of Papain, Bromelain and α-amylase; each help break down protein and carbs for faster absorption respectively. Papain is from papaya, Bromelain is from Pineapple and α-amylase is from grain that breaks down carb. 

Packed with 11 vitamins and minerals, and essential amino acid (from yeast protein source - see below where it is sourced). Value on the low side of RDA, but it is intended to supplement, not replace your Daily requirement.

How does it mix and taste in water?

Chocolate powder dilute very well and fast in room temperature water. Protein and chocolate crunch stays crunchy after mixing.

Smooth, light chocolate, creamy texture when consumed, with crunchy bits adding to the experience. 

No noticeable typical isolated whey protein taste (chalky or bitter). I would not had thought it’s a protein shake if given to me in a blind test. Three hours in and no gastro issues. Seems to agree better than milk powder I take after hard workout.

Who it may appeal to

• Those that has just started to introduce protein supplement into their daily food intake, but afraid of gastro tolerance or tummy issues
• Those that is already taking protein and want to change brand/taste
• Those working out and looking for additional ways to increase protein intake without higher kcal consumption

Who may not be suitable

• if you are worried of the ingredient source to be non-halal certified
• if you have soy allergy
• if you already have a good daily diet and doesn't require additional protein
• if you have other health issues and your medical doctor or nutritionist doesn't approve of you taking this

Where to Buy and how much it cost

RM188 per bag of 15 servings. Purchase on the link here. Cheaper on Shopee but pay shipping. Average RM12.50 per serving. You paying for quality ingredients, made in South Korea under strict HACCP with the Yeast protein coming from Lallemand under the Engevita brand that is kosher and halal.

My Taste Review

Taste Review of 3X Protein

Join me on Instagram if you haven't. I post review such as these and also share tips on training.

Thank you 3X Protein for the tester and the shaker! Appreciate the opportunity to provide this review!

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The Goodness of Coconut Oil For Triathlete

It is true that coconut has 1001 uses. Everything from the trunk to the leaf has it's usage. Coconut juice, or water from the fruits has been known to be the best electrolytes. I have back in November 2011, wrote about Food That You Should Be Eating and has shared that coconut is one of the food you should eat more often.

No. 5 Eating coconut meat will provide medium chain triglycerides (MCT)

MCT in VCO
It has been close to two months and I've made the inclusion of virgin coconut oil (VCO) into my daily intake to supplement my diet. Coconut oil has been used traditionally by the Malaysian Indians in Malaysia as food and cosmetic purpose. Used on hair to provide growth and strength, gargled to check on cavities and used in cooking for that extra flavour. In fact, the list of usage of VCO is not exhaustive enough. My draw to VCO is for the MCT or medium chain triglycerides that are readily synthesised by the liver and used as energy as good as energy produced when eating carbs. The draw here is weight for weight, oil carries double (9kcal vs 4kcal) the energy and you can imagine what a spoonful of (top class)oil holds. MCT does not require energy to absorb, utilisation and storage. What this meant is that they are readily available for the body to utilise above other fuel sources, making it ideal compared to conventional (food) fuel that requires conversion to simple sugar or glucose. 
I was introduced to VCO by the same person that introduced me to Chia Seed (Thank you Roland!) and he has substituted his cooking oil with coconut oil. Back about 4 years ago, the pricing of 1liter of coconut oil is about RM70. Which made it twice the price of good olive oil. Compare to olive oil, coconut oil has high smoking point - meaning it can tolerate higher heat before "smoking" or burn. If you been frying with olive oil, you will know what I meant. Burnt oil or oxidised oil by heat treatment make the oil saturated and potentially carcinogenic (cancerous).
VCO Benefits I've Experience
Keeping it to the point and sharing what I do know, these are some benefits that i've seen after consuming VCO the past months.
- Lipid profile. My bodyfat dropped from 10.5% to 9.8% within the past 1 month of monitoring. Granted that I've been exercising daily, my diet did not change much except the inclusion of the coconut oil (up to two spoon or 30ml) everyday. Technically speaking, I should be putting on weight as the extra calories consumed equals to 270kcal everyday. My weight has increased as well, meaning I've been (technically) packing up some muscle mass. Lipid profile includes cholesterol and blood lipid changes as well. In short, it prevents arteries from clogging up.
- Consistent energy. Putting myself through discipline training as part of Ironman triathlon training has required me to keep my energy/fuel level in-check. For the past 8 weeks, the load and intensity on the training has increased. Taking in MCT helps to encourage the body to utilise fats as energy. There was not a moment i felt a dip and my training are limited by the other commitments I have, not fatigue.
- Anti-inflammatory. Joint pain. Strained muscles. They are things of the past. Apart from being well-conditioned, the joints are good and muscles pain doesn't last more than a day. While I had little or no such issues for the longest time, the inclusion of the VCO sort of act as a buffer or insurance against any possible joint issues - this is of course, unless I purposely go out and injury myself.
- Replaces milk and butter. I now drink my coffee or anything that uses milk with VCO. It adds a subtle coconut flavour, that is unnoticeable after a while. If you can't take coconut oil as it is (from the spoon), best to mix with drinks. Coconut oil has low solidifying temperature. Shake some VCO in ice and you get them solidify and you can chew on the oil like candy.
Other Benefits of VCO, as researched
Too many to list actually and some that has captured my attention were:
- Raises metabolism
- Natural moisturiser
- fight bacteria infections
- aid digestions
- Control sugar cravings
- help to increase absorption of calcium and magnesium
The above are just some that has pique my interest to know more about VCO. 
Hope this help as introduction to VCO as supplement in your daily diet. More to come from me with regards to this food. I have 4liters stocked up and I hope this won't create a craze where the oil will be snapped up, and the price increases!
Here is an interesting Carbohydrate Intolerance experiment done by a friend that went without Carb but included VCO in his diet. He lost weight and fat, and in return, obtained more energy. Thanks Sin YC!

Update Nov 28, 2016 : Check this article by Nutri Inspector's Cindy Wilson on the goodness of VCO. She offered a more in-depth and updated write up compared to my 2014 entry. Thanks Cindy!

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The Challenge of Eating While Travelling

The biggest challenge of eating clean while away from the normalcy of home and food familiar to you often wreck havoc if you have the need to "eat clean". I have previously shared 13 tips to workout during travel and part of the equation is the food portion. Often, we eat more than we should when travelling due to the local fare and food. However, if you are like me being able to eat to survive, as opposed to "survive to eat", you will find it difficult to choose the food amid the big spread of hotel buffets and what is served on your table during those business dinners. This is my 5-days in Cebu amidst the 5-star resort known as Shangri-La Mactan.
Breakfast

Image of the actual place I have my breakfast and lunch. Tides at Shangri-la Mactan. Photo from AsiaTravel.com

Most important meal of the day and the right food will set you off the right way for the rest of the day. Hotel buffet spread for breakfast has limitless possibility to overfeed yourself. The spread from the usual cereals, bread, cheese, cold cuts, noodles, rice (if you are in an Asian country, this will almost be staple), more rice (of different way of cooking), sausages, pancakes, fruits, juices and lastly deserts. Super tough. However, as I've worked out every morning before the meetings/work, I have limited time, perhaps 15mins for breakfast and that was all I needed. For the full 5-mornings, I have these without fail and it carry me over until lunch. 

Fresh Fruits - won't go wrong. Shown here are the famous Cebu Mango and melon

Mango Puree - because this is what this place is famous for

Banana and Apple - great post workout food

No Joke. That was what I had for 5-morning together with the compulsory rolled oats mixed with nuts and raisins. Most hotel buffet will have oats (and if you are lucky, rolled oats) and that would go great with the full cream milk and you polish up the morning with a serving or two of fruits. Take the apple and Banana to go, as the other things to look out for will be the Morning Break, which will have many dangerous calorie laden food that you will not need.

Morning Break
Meetings and working meetings are often laden with food. It seems that universally, people need food every alternate hours and this time, as part of the package, we were served snacks twice a day. Careful with the choices of snacks as some carry more calories you won't need. Here are some actual food served and I took only one piece of each to taste and came to the conclusion that I will not have it the next time - not because it's not delicious, but it's more of keeping/maintaining the discipline.

Tuna Salad and Egg

Looked good to me

All vegan

Close up

The above two looked passable for a healthy snack. The Tuna and egg sandwich was a tad too salty due to the Tuna being dressed in too much salt. The egg (yolk) was well cooked and allowable consumption is limited to two servings. It is either one (tuna) or the other (vegan), not both. Remember, Breakfast was already calorie dense with a good mix of simple sugar (high GI) and complex carb (low GI). It should carry you over till lunch.

Sugar coated croissant - avoid at all cost

Together with the above two choices, there were a third serving of a sugar coated croissant. This should be avoided as this pastry is rich and sweet. Becareful what you put on your plate, and becareful what you take as second serving. Always ask yourself if you are just eating or eating because you have to.
Lunch

People usually over eat during lunch. Being the mid-day meal, we have the impression that we will be hungry. Ever felt sleepy after lunch? That's a sign of "Happy Hormone" working due to over-indulgence on carbs (read : sugar rich food). Rice is staple food for Malaysians and most Asian countries. The white rice we eat are high glycemic index food and many would drown the rice in gravies. If you haven't know, gravies are mostly fats or oil. Those of you that cook will be able to confirm what I've just mentioned. 
So what would be good? Any decent hotel will have a small section of Japanese sashimi (or raw fish/seafood cuts). This below was my food serving on Day 2 and 4. Yes, this was what I had for lunch.

Protein loading

The sate or kebab were observed (when raw) to be lean meat and the temptation to put on gravies were there. However, why cover a nicely marinated skewer of meat with some hot sauce? The above sate were good as it was. 

Day 3 saw us being served a bento lunch set. Choices of fish (salmon) or Chicken (teriyaki) and I went for fish. The box set came with adequate serving of fruits and two makimono (otherwise known as sushi roll) and a side of raw vegetable (salad) in sesame dressing. I had half the served rice as the usual "serving" on an Asian plate is actually equal to TWO servings. For more knowledge of portioning your food, click here

Wished the fish were a full piece and option of brown rice

The food for Day 1 and 5 were similar as I went for my favourite seafood - squid. They are tasteless but when grilled, it's heavenly. I had it with grilled pumpkin and ladies finger/okra and with mango and sate (respective days) Yes, I am a creature of habit and I can eat the same thing over and over again and won't get bored. 

The photo did no justice

With sate, i took less squid. It is about control

Overeating will usually cause you to be sluggish and sleepy. Calorie control is not only good for the body, it is actually good for the mind too in terms of alertness. Next, come Dinner.
Dinner
Super duper tough as the food were pre-ordered and comes in set. I am not the wasteful type, so I had to maximise on what was served on the plate and within acceptable limits. Some may say I am taking the fun out of eating. I agree to a certain extend - but at least I won't need to feel guilty about overeating and blaming the food for the increased bodyweight. Here was what I had on the second night (first night I've skipped dinner for Gym)

Bread, with relish

Mushroom soup from mushroom (earthy taste and smell) with cream and olive oil

portion of lala or mussels. More shell than food

A side of salad, in olive oil

Main of rib, served on mash potatoes

I've finished all of the above short of the mash potatoes and the gravy. The meat was lean with some traces of fats (it's rib) very well stewed that very little residual inter-fiber fats were present. The meat tears away easily.

On Night three, it was Thai food, as some of the meeting participants has never had Thai food before (yes, in Philippines haha!) and mine was limited to padthai, which was sufficient for me. Night four as free and easy as I joined two Muslim participant and ended up with grilled fish served with a lot of vegetables. I skipped the last night with double session in the gym.

I am happy that I managed to keep with the non-availability of my usual dinner of steam fish or light carbs. Comparatively, the meals (for dinner) I had in Cebu is already more than what I usually would consume at home. Living a little eh?

Coffee - lifesaver

In recent years, I've turned into a coffee drinker. At 0-kcal, the thoughts of not drinking a cup a day is hard to pass. Thank goodness there were free flow of brewed coffee over the week I was there! Black, no sugar, no milk for the win! 

And tea too!

Snacks
I've made it a habit that if i were to travel, I will bring along a container of nuts and raisins mixture. It make great snack and nutritious too. Not tough to mix one yourself and you are limited by what you can find in a baking shop or in your fridge. Here is mine in a Nutella container that kept me entertained while in transit!

And a good book!

And one last tip - Stretch everywhere you can, especially if you can't workout (while in transit). Nothing shy to do this and people looking. It is better than sitting in a cafe eating away or trying to look busy getting wi-fi signal in a foreign land!

Selfie - fail

Hope the sharing today helped with some of you that travel much and always not too sure how to "structure" your meal. Keep it to the thumbs rule of KISS of Keep It Simple, Silly and you will not go wrong. Sure, you can have a bit more if you are in a foreign land, but remember that moderation is utmost important and always choose the healthiest options you can. You client may be paying, but no reason to overeat just to compensate for the time away from training (or home).

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How To Eat An Apple Like A Man

Today's post may sound non-sensible. I mean, writing about "how to eat apple"? The idea came about when Mohan Marathon told me that if I were to eat the apple a certain way, I will be able to finish everything leaving nothing to waste.
So, what do a man travelling, with an apple in hand and obviously some time to kill do? 

Apple, as how you know it.

He Eats The Apple The Mohan Way
Mohan told me, the best way to eat an apple is not from the side, like how we all grow up to eat them. Because the middle portion will not be eaten, and hence, thrown away, creating rubbish/domestic waste. So, if you do not eat apple from the side, where do you eat them then?
Yeap, from the other two end aka the top or bottom!
As the apple I took had a stem at the top, i decided to eat from bottom up. 

Don't get any funny conclusions ok

The first task was getting over the fact I am eating apple from the non-conventional way. After the first bite and I am convinced it still taste the same.

Trying to not bike the bottom black part...but...it has to happen

Chomping away, it did not really bother me after a few more bites. In fact, I made my way through half the apple with no issues.

Not too bad

Then came the middle part where the seeds were. Two-minded about to eat the seeds or spit them out, i decided to just go ahead and bite the apple seeds - after all, we do eat melon seeds and sunflower seeds, right? Apple seeds is not as bad tasting as I thought it will be when compared to lemon or orange seeds where they are usually a bit bitter.

Hello there!

So, I continue to chomp and chomp and before I know it...I went past the "psychological" seed parts...

Where's the seeds?

And what was left at the end was just the stem - which was too hard for me to chew and swallow, though I can pretend it is some capsule and do it ;-)

No wastage!

Why is it easier?
Human is creature of habits. We were taught to bite the apple from the side. There is absolutely no right or wrong way to eat it. Like Kiwi, where I even eat the (furry) skin, it is a matter of getting over the initial thoughts of eating it differently. Once that barrier was breached, it became easy.
Go on and try it, especially if you are in a location where you won't eat an apple because you have no idea where to throw the middle part. 

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5-Steps To Healthy Eating

New year resolution to lose weight and be healthier? Signed up for gym and yet, failed to keep the resolution after (soon) 5 days? Perhaps what you really need is self-discipliine and stop being in denial about how you want to approach your diet and/or workout. Over the years I've shared many write ups and tips on how to be better fitness wise and health wise. Let's re-visit some of the previous sharing. Today's focus will be on the FOOD we eat, that is important and often, we end up justifying our exercises (and kcal burn) with food. I was guilty of this practice before, but has since wisen up, as the old saying of "we are what we eat" is true. If you are training for better health, there is nothing more important that eating right and eating well.

1. What To Eat More
Oldies from the 2011 write up. Relevant until today and these food has been mainstay and my constant "must eat". It supplied me with nutritions and all the needed vitamins and minerals, not just energy. Eat more of these:
http://www.tristupe.com/2011/11/food-you-should-be-eating-part-1.html
http://www.tristupe.com/2011/11/food-you-should-be-eating-part-2.html
http://www.tristupe.com/2011/12/food-you-should-be-eating-part-3.html
Yes, chocolate are included in the food list, but be aware of what chocolate you take, for not everything in shade of chocolate brown equates to real stuff. I have included one processed food item as a "must" have too. Read the above links to find out more ;-)

2. What To Eat Less (or not eaten at all)
With all things being equal i.e. your exercise level and daily routine, we tend to start to eat about the same thing everyday - i mean, even if you ever live next to a food court with 250 stalls, you will be bound to only stick to perhaps 4 stalls and continue to eat the same thing day in and day out. Why? Because human are creature of habit. We do everything almost the same way, everyday. But, is the food you are eating everyday good for you?
http://www.tristupe.com/2011/10/food-that-will-kill-you-slowly-part-1.html
http://www.tristupe.com/2011/10/food-that-will-kill-you-slowly-part-2.html
http://www.tristupe.com/2011/10/food-that-will-kill-you-slowly-part-3.html
http://www.tristupe.com/2011/11/food-that-will-kill-you-slowly-part-4.html
It is no secret that sugar provides energy, but it will kill you. Your Teh Tarik kurang manis potentially has as much sugar, if not more than a can of soda. No kidding. Or the Nasi Lemak you love to have every morning, are they cooked with real coconut milk, which has more benefits (nutrition wise) or shortcut using transfat in form of non-dairy creamer? I made no secret (or friends) revealing most of them in the links above.

3. Utilising Fat as Energy
Fat contains 9kcal/gram, which makes it twice as much energy compared to carbs and protein. However, not all fats are created equal and when I mention fat in this context, it is the good fats which are the good oil, such as olive, grapeseeds, coconut, fish oil, oil from nuts and seeds and the "liquid" fat as energy sources. Using fat to fuel? No, I am not pulling the lard out of you.
http://www.tristupe.com/2012/09/training-your-body-to-burn-fat-part-1.html
http://www.tristupe.com/2012/10/training-your-body-to-burn-fat-part-2.html
Having said the above, this is not an excuse to binge on high fat food (fried food), because any heat treatment to oil/liquid fat will change it's property and will make it more dense, and less likely to be used immediately/readily as energy. Once you have taught your body to use fat as fuel, you be a walking furnace. 
And we all love "hot stuff".

4. Portion Your Food - Learn How 
My one plate of food may not be your one plate, size is subjective unless we have things to compare against. So, are you having "A deck of card" serving of meat? A "tennis ball" sized serving of Yoghurt? A "light bulb" sized berries? Learn here:
http://www.tristupe.com/2012/03/determining-your-food-portion.html
Now that you know better, how about doing it one level up? Learn to do it in 15-ways.
http://www.tristupe.com/2012/03/15-easy-ways-to-portion-healthily.html
Still skeptical on why portion? Perhaps these numbers may give you a scare of just how much calories you are consuming in one seating? Here is the typical (estimated average) of typical Malaysian food. Remember, you need only the low of 1500kcal or a high of 1800kcal everyday to "live". Even myself, that exercises (hard effort) everyday do not eat more than 1800kcal. Do it wisely.
http://www.tristupe.com/2012/03/malaysian-food-caloric-guide-part-1.html
http://www.tristupe.com/2012/03/malaysian-food-caloric-guide-part-2.html

5. Eating ONE BAD meal won't hurt you and eating ONE GOOD meal won't make you healthy
Moderation, that is the keyword. I have seen, over the years how people justify their food consumption. Indeed, moderation is subjective too. Remember the story about a friend that eat a variety of different fastfood everyday and call it "moderation because I don't eat at the same fastfood(brand) everyday"? 
Same as eating healthy. One healthy meal won't benefit you in the long run. Healthy eating and healthy living is a LIFESTYLE, it is not a FAD. There are many FAD diets out there but nothing work best with a very disciplined removal of sugar food, fried food and calorie intake. When you start to see the benefit of eating right and eating healthily, you will begin to realised just how easy it is. It's January 3, 2014 today. It is NOT too late to start. Do it today and reflect on it every quarter on your personal progress. Weight loss is not the only KPI, best indication of improvement is how well you fit into your (tight) clothings and of course, the new energy level you obtained from healthy proper nutritional food.

Have a good year ahead! A lot of sharing today in the blog via this compilations of past postings specific on food. Ready to give up that Greasy Burger yet?

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Lyn Kong's Guide To Fitness For Busy People

"I would like to invite you to come for my book launch", Lyn Kong messaged me about two weeks ago. 

WOW! Another friend wrote a book. It was scheduled for a weekday and I decided to take time off to be part of this historical event of hers. 

Side Plank Made Easy, only if you are Lyn

Under the MPH Masterclass series, Malaysia-based authors will write a line of "How To" books of popular topics. Clearly, fitness for busy people is one of them. It promises to offer a step by step and explanations, including the right attitude to achieve the goal. Lyn Kong operates Get Active Sdn Bhd based in Mont Kiara. I was informed that Lyn is now out on her own and operating independently. (apologies for the wrong info)

awesome

Lyn is a certified CrossFit instructor and a Personal trainer. She has been helping people to get back in shape and stay in shape. The book is the next step to share her knowledge. 

Enjoy some of the event photos taken below.

More photos, including shots of you readers (that came for the launch) with Lynn is here at my FB Page. 

Review of the Book

I was given (an autographed) copy of the book and read it cover to cover. As many of you already know, I am training for Ironman Malaysia in 2014. I was hoping to pick some tips up and I wasn't disappointed. Going through the book allowed me to "fine-tune" some aspect of my current training.

Reading the book provides me with some reaffirmation of the things I've been doing right and has been sharing in my blog (this blog). Many of the advices and sharing covers the three aspects of life as a working adult, seeking fitness, and performing sports on weekly, if not daily basis. The core of Living well, Eating well and Exercising well were the mainstay of the book as Lyn brings you page through page on things you can improve on.

As Lyn is a certified CrossFit coach, her approach to diet specific to the sports are what many should seek to emulate - Paleo or eating as much real food as possible. This meant minimal processed food (even cheese or flour-based products) and concentrating on eating wholesome food. This is something I can fully agree on.

She also set to break some hearts if you are fan of desert of sweet-toothed. Yes, that has to go as well if you are seeking (ultimately) a healthy body. 

In the book, Lyn stayed as true to her own lifestyle as possible - having her family involved and being the core of how and what she is today. She walks the talk (of fitness and living healthy, and fully), and the general consensus I get from people that know her was consistent with my own personal experience of knowing her - we met back in the early 2000 during one of those AXN Urban Challenge races. 

Her "10minutes approach to fitness" will attract many to want to find out "how to do it" and I found myself in a ever familiar High intensity interval training state-of-mind. Yes, this is part of my routine for training and it was a good reaffirmation on my own training log.

If you want to know better on how to improve on your current state of mind, your health and most of all, a quality living; this easy to read, non-technical, very layman approach guidance will provide adequate information, inspiration and motivation to flip through the pages more than just once. You may find yourself scribbling through as you add in your own notes - and that is how learning should be.

Lynn's book can be purchased at MPH bookstore nationwide or you can buy them online here. 

Standing tall and giving it all

Lyn can be found on Facebook Page Here

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Essential Nutrition To Support Prolonged Training

2-weeks into my base Ironman triathlon training and I am already feeling the training stress. Juggling multiple roles in life and work takes a lot from the body. I've been aware of my own body changes and reacting to the training. Just yesterday, after a (just) 30minutes of trainer on Turbo (which meant high cadence), I felt what I've not felt for a long time - difficulty in standing upright upon coming off the bike. Fair enough that the training mileage has been increasing the way it was planned, the following four weeks of base training will only start to demand more from me physically and mentally. Recognising these, nutrition, apart from rest comes into the equation. Honestly, this is two area I am personally struggling as I squeeze more time to do other things that matters more, like spending time with the family.

The idea of nutrition or some would call it supplement is to protect the body from extensive tissue damages, boost the immune system and to lessen oxidation stress. While all these may sound complicated, I aim to (again) use myself as an experiment to see how I would react to these lack or excessive nutrition. I aim to be as natural as possible, if that is not possible, an alternative would be suggested.

Vitamin C - With less rest and more training, adding on to a prolonged training, your immune system will start to get weaker and a normal cold will turn into a full blown flu which will render you not able to train for days, if not a week. Most of us fail to see this coming thinking it will tide away. Vitamin C will help to protect cells from oxidation apart from helping with iron absorption. Lack of Vitamin C will also prolong wound healing (like small cuts or blisters).

Food rich in Vitamin C : All fruits generally with Guava, Kiwi, Orange to be a very good and affordable source of Vitamin C. Don't forget your vegetables such as Broccoli. Eat as much as you want. As a general guidance, two oranges provides 1000mg of Vitamin C, which is what a normal person need per day. As an athlete, go for a the acceptable upper limit (UL) of 2000mg. Excessive Vitamin C will be purged through urine and study has shown mega dose of 5000mg will cause diarrhea.

Vitamin B Complex - There are eight type of Vitamin B researched and each provide different functions. Combination of these eight Vitamin B is known as B Complex. Generally, Vitamin B is known to help with metabolism of fuel to energy. Fuel in this sense is the carbohydrate, protein and fats we eat everyday. Vitamin B Complex help support the neuro system as well. It is known that Vitamin B will help those under stress. It is known to support the heme (iron) profile in the body - which is essential for endurance athletes. Lack of Vitamin B will also contribute to prolonged fatigue, heart palpitation, loss of appetite, numbness or pins and needles sensation and even sore-throat. These are symptoms we take for granted everyday and overlooked without attempting to understand the basis of it happening; lack of Vitamin B or deficiency.

Food rich in Vitamin B Complex : Vitamin B Complex is high in unprocessed food. Meat, fish, nuts, leafy vegetables are high in Vitamin B. It is hard to over-dose on Vitamin B as it is water soluble (similar to Vitamin C) and will be excreted via urination - which explain the wastage that occurs when one takes Vitamin B supplement more than the body can absorb. Avoid energy drink that usually add in high concentration of Vitamin B and claim to "help you get energy". It is not sustainable. If the need arises, a good Vitamin B complex supplement suitable for pregnant women would be the best and cheapest option. 

Good oil/Omega 3 and 6 - Good oil, Fish oil or oil/food rich in Omega-3 and 6 is good as an anti-inflammatory supplement especially if the training involves a lot of impact like running. Apart from that fish oil or food rich in Omega-3 and 6 provides the body a better lipid (fat) profile and assist the body to use fat as fuel - which from the endurance athletes point of view, is a big win. I need to bump up my intake of these good stuff. 

Food rich in Good oil/Omega3 and 6 : Good oil such as virgin olive, virgin grapeseed, virgin coconut, (virgin?) fishoil is a good start. If you are considering to replace your oil at home, always read the label first. Not all oil are created equal as many are refined from pomace or known as second press. The gem is in the first press. Don't forget the good old avocados with good (plant) fats that is another superfood. For food rich in Omega3 and 6, but you hate the smell and taste of fish, there is always the super food known as Chiaseed. I've written about it before. You can read it here. If you have been taking fish oil, be aware of the fish oil source as to minimize taking in contaminated sources (mercury poisoning on mega dosages or accumulative ingestion)

Iron - Feeling tired, over-trained and under-rested? Fatigue may come in various ways masquerading the underlying cause of iron deficiencies in triathletes. The demand of iron in training triathletes (and any endurance sports people for that matter) are the most overlooked factor and many took it too lightly. I had a bout of low iron level that was not funny at all. There is a limit on how much iron can be processed and absorbed by the body. Typical absorption rate is between 1 to 5mg/kg of body mass per day. How did the iron dip happen? When this happened to me in 2009/2010, I was under stress at work and had to keep up with my Ironman training. The body reacts to training and it adapts by increasing the total amount of blood in vessels, including iron-rich red blood cells (that carries the previous oxygen). The concentration of hemoglobin in your blood stays roughly the same, but more iron are used up– and a result, the body start dipping into the iron reserves. Iron depletion has caused many world class athletes their career and even with sophisticated and planned training, it could go undetected. It happened to me and by the time rectification were implemented, it was too late. 

Food rich in Iron - Plant based iron rich food such as soya bean and lentils offer high iron per serving. Traditional spinach is known to be iron-rich. Meat, the red variant and host of shelled seafood carries high level of iron. Key point of iron in food is the bio-availability of this mineral taking into account the body absorption rate. Due to my condition that took close to 6-months to fix, I am on 500mg of ferrous glutanate, which is a more readily available iron supplement. If you are taking iron supplement, don't forget to boost the Vitamin C intake as it will help the absorption.


Powdered green - Powdered green refer to plant based, phyto-rich food that are concentrated and allow the body to readily absorp the nutrition. Some example of this is super food such as spirulina, wheat grass, algae, barley grass. Why are they so needed and potent? One thing is because we can never eat enough green food such as the super food broccoli, spinach, alfalfa and other leafy green. Powdered green functions as a supplement to the already robust diet that incorporate healthy vegetable profile. Remember that this is not to replace real food and if you are, you shouldn't be training for any sports anyway.

Food supplement recommendation  - My choice would be spirulina. Go for the powder form instead of the tabs as it offers better value for money per serving.

Whey Protein - Whey protein is the highest grade of protein you can purchase with your money. Whey protein originates from milk and a by-product during cheese making. Whey protein is almost pure protein when compared gram to gram. Go for the highest concentration, which could be as high as 80% protein per serving. During high intensity exercises, your body will deplete glycogen (sugar) and uses sacrifices muscle mass for energy. As our body regenerates at all time, a demanding training schedule will inevitably wears you out. Refuelling correctly using Whey protein is one of the investment you can put in. Just careful and read the labels. As much as possible, up to two serving can be taken separately per day to allow better absorption and less wastage. 

Food supplement recommendation - no hard and fast rule here. Whey protein should not be mistaken as a "protein shake" or as a meal replacement. Again, it is meant to supplement an already healthy diet for an active training triathlete. Avoid sugar laden "protein drinks" and stay away from those high in fats. Remember to look out for at least 80% purity. 

For more reading on good food we should be eating more, head over to these three articles I've shared back in 2011.
http://www.tristupe.com/2011/11/food-you-should-be-eating-part-1.html
http://www.tristupe.com/2011/11/food-you-should-be-eating-part-2.html
http://www.tristupe.com/2011/12/food-you-should-be-eating-part-3.html

Do share with me your thoughts on what other good food that can be options to sustain an active and support the demanding training that will only get tougher as the day rolls by.

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