Rhubarb is my new favorite food. Where-oh-where have you been all my life? I LOVE this stuff.

Before last week, I’d never made anything out of rhubarb, other than maybe a few sugar-stalk treats as a kid. You know, when you take a fresh piece of rhubarb and dip it in the sugar bowl with each bite. Nothing like white table sugar to take the edge off the tartness. And later your mom would ask why the sugar was so gummy. Duh, I don’t know.

I belong to the Grant Family Farm CSA and fresh rhubarb was in last week’s delivery box. Along with a bunch of other amazing, early-summer goodies like garlic scapes, celery, a variety of greens, radishes, and onions. I had to figure out what to do with the rhubarb and the garlic scapes, which are interesting and delightful little chlorophyl-green, curly-cue tendrils.

That’s what I love about belonging to a CSA. You don’t get to pick and choose according to your produce comfort level. You get what is seasonally fresh, whether you’re familiar with it or not. It’s fun to experiment. And eating a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables is the foundation for a healthy diet. When you incorporate all kinds of fresh (local and organic) food into your diet, you end up eating a wide spectrum of phytonutrients, carotenoids, and health-promoting vitamins and minerals. You get the best nature has to offer if you eat seasonal foods. Your body will thank you. Listen carefully!

Here are some June fruits and veggies to add to your shopping cart — plus, a recipe I made up for GF Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler. Beware, this has some of that old fashioned sugar in it and it’s terribly addicting. Serve it when you know it will be eaten in one sitting. And not by you alone! This would be great for your 4th of July barbecue

Cantaloupe — or rockmelon to all my Aussie friends
Because of its rich concentration of beta-carotene, cantaloupe is an excellent source of vitamin A. As an aside, some people with celiac disease complain of night blindness, most likely as a result of fat malabsorption. When you have intestinal damage and don’t properly break-down and absorb fats, the result is often an inability to utilize fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K). If you are unable to assimilate the vitamin A you consume, you may end up with night-vision problems. Yep, that’s me! I feel like I have on very dark sunglasses when I’m driving at night. It’s a total bother, but now that I’ve been gluten-free for so long and feel that I’m on the mend, I make sure to eat LOTS of fruits and veggies that are high in beta-carotene. Studies have shown that a diet high in beta-carotene reduces the risk of other eye-related disorders like cataracts and macular degeneration. Cantaloupe is also high in vitamin C, which aids in boosting immune function and helps reduce the risk of heart disease. Good stuff, for sure!

Carrots
These orange veggies of June are also packed with beta-carotene. In fact, carrots are at the top of the list, providing one of the richest sources available. Your mom was right when she bugged you about eating carrots for better vision. One cup of carrots provides about 680% of the daily value for vitamin A. Wow, so she knew what she was talking about, as mom’s usually do. Well, sometimes we do.
Tip: Cut off the leafy, green tops before you store a bunch of carrots. The tops draw moisture from the root (the carrot) and causes them to wilt sooner.

Raspberries
According to the Department of Horticulture at Cornell University, raspberries are considered the symbol of kindness in Christian art. The red juice of the berry represents blood flowing from the heart, which is thought of as the center of love and kindness. (Although I think it should be the liver, but I’ll save that digression for another post.) Greek mythology suggests raspberries got their red color from the blood of Ida, a goddess who pricked her finger while collecting the berries. The Latin name for raspberry is Rubus idaeus, which means “bramble bush of Ida.” Interesting little tid-bits, wouldn’t you agree?

Now on to the health benefits, although kindness flowing from the heart has to be a good thing! Raspberries are high in antioxidants, which protect the body from free-radical damage (I’ll spare you the details). They are also full of dietary fiber, which we all need more of. (For more information, check out a previous post I did on dietary fiber.)

Rhubarb — yeah!
I guess this love affair with rhubarb is nothing new. Early records date back to 2700 BC where rhubarb was used by Chinese emperors for medicinal purposes. Wow, and I thought it was something I discovered. If nothing else, I did discover a new gluten-free treat that tastes wonderful, and once again, reminds me that adhering to a gluten-free diet is really no big deal. The fact that rhubarb is considered a medicinal plant is just crumble on the pie.

Since I know very little about rhubarb, I’ll lift some fun information from Wikipedia, rather than focus on the health benefits. I’ll just trust those ancient Chinese emperors, although I do know from preparing and cooking with it, that rhubarb has lots of fiber. Again, trust me, that’s a good thing.

Do you remember the Michael Keaton version of the movie Batman? Leave it to Jack Nicholson (the Joker) to turn rhubarb into a risque word. He warns Batman to “never rub another man’s rhubarb.” Huh? Sounds rather suggestive, but it was actually meant as an admonition to leave his love interest (Vicky Vale, aka Kim Basinger) alone.

So, rhubarb means a sweet, louscious little tart? I guess so, and here’s my rendition.

Melissa’s Strawberry Rhubarb Juicy Crumble Tart
(if you can think of a better name, let me know)

what you need (for the fruit mix)
• 1 lb strawberries (washed, trimmed, and chopped)
• 5 or 6 rhubarb stalks (washed and chopped)
• 2/3 cup turbinado sugar (maybe a touch more depending on how tart your rhubarb is)
• 2 tablespoons Pamela’s GF Baking & Pancake Mix
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• dash sea salt

what you need (for the crumble topping)
• 1/2 cup turbinado sugar *
• 3/4 cup Pamela’s GF Baking & Pancake Mix
• 1/3 cup Earth Balance Vegan Butter Sticks (cold)
• 1 cup chopped pecans

what you do
• put prepared fruit in large bowl
• mix up the list of ingredients for the fruit mixture in a medium-sized bowl
• pour over fruit, gently folding until all fruit is covered
• put fruit mixture in greased deep-dish pie pan (I used a large pottery pie dish)
• mix up all ingredients for the crumble topping (use a medium-sized bowl)
• using two knives, cut Earth Balance “butter” into crumble topping mix (you want pea-sized pieces)
• place crumble firmly over fruit mixture
• bake in preheated 400 degree oven for 40 to 50 minutes
• check after about 30 minutes to make sure crumble topping doesn’t over-brown
• you may have to cover with tin foil to prevent burning
• place tin foil on the bottom of the oven in case the fruit mix boils over — it makes a mess

Serve warm and bubbly topped with vanilla ice cream. YUM!

* I know, I know — lots of sugar. Just remember, sugar is not inherently evil, we just eat WAY too much of it. This is a treat, so go easy on it and don’t make a habit of it. I say that as I make my 2nd batch of this in a week. Hey, I have to use all the rhubarb Josh and Susan from Grant Family Farms forced on me. It’s not my fault. Plus, I had to perfect the recipe before passing it along to you. It took a couple of tries to get it right.

* Don’t eat the leaves of the rhubarb, just the stalks. The leaves have some potentially toxic substances.

Enjoy!
Melissa

This post will focus on sport-specific fuel for energy — gluten-free fuel no less. Balancing GF food sources for optimal physical performance is easier said than done. In this case, eating and snacking for sustained energy while hiking and backpacking in Colorado’s high country. Fueling up for “peak” performance (bad pun, I know).

But before I launch off on fats, carbs, and protein, I’d like to thank Mike and Adam for giving my blog a spring cleaning and a sweet make-over. Nice job, guys — I love it! As you can see, it’s much more organized, offering an easier way to track down topics of interest.

Onward…

I took this photo about a quarter of a mile into a hike up Mt. Parnassus, a 13,579 foot peak in Colorado’s Front Range. Last week! Yes, it was snowing in mid-June and it came down harder the higher we went. June appears to be the new February, at least around these parts. The point is, be prepared for anything if you’re hiking in the Rocky Mountains. That goes for clothes, snowshoes, ice axes, and food. Well, you might be able to skip the ice axe, depending on where you’re headed. But there’s still a LOT of snow up there this year!

There’s a possibility that I may be taking a long backpack trip this summer, so I’ve been busy dehydrating and preparing my own food since most ready-made backpacking meals are laden with gluten. Yes, it’s everywhere, it’s everywhere! Plus, a lot of the processed stuff isn’t all that nutritious or tasty. I need both. I’m way past the age where I can get by lugging a heavy backpack and plodding along above timberline with a package of Ramen noodles for fuel. Even if they were gluten-free. I need more help than that at this point in my life. No room for error. Not much, anyway.

So, here’s what I need — consistent, high-quality nourishment for long days of hiking; several high-octane boosts when I start wandering up above 12,000 feet; and plenty of recovery fuel. Oh, and lots of antioxidants and essential fatty acids to take care of my very stressed out cells. Think fatigued muscles, sore feet, high-altitude sunburn (hard to avoid, even with sunscreen), strains, scrapes, bruises, and electrolyte imbalances. Sound like fun?

Actually, I can’t think of anything I’d rather be doing on a beautiful summer day than exploring the wilderness, climbing peaks, and traveling in the backcountry. I’ve had a long-standing love affair with nature. But in order to stay healthy, carry a loaded backpack, and do so efficiently and injury-free, I need to eat right and sleep well. That’s sometimes hard to do at 10,000 feet.

I expect a lot from my food. Here’s how and why.

Proper nutrition forms the foundation for physical activity — whether it’s hiking, walking, or playing tennis. Food provides the chemical energy, or fuel, to do mechanical work. Nutrients also provide the essential elements for the repair and maintenance of the body and the synthesis of new tissue, which is very important when you’re running yourself into the ground on a long backpacking trip. Carbohydrates (glucose), protein, and fats are biological fuel. If you want to enjoy your activity, improve your performance, and recover more rapidly, proper fueling is essential.

Glycogen is the body’s version of premium fuel. It’s the principle storage form of glucose (sugar) and is stored in the liver and muscles. Carbohydrates provide the body with glucose, which can be stored as glycogen. Topped-off glycogen levels will increase the amount of time you can hike and will also improve your performance. Or at least prevent stumbling head-on into the “wall.” Or falling off a log into a raging stream. If you don’t refuel while exercising, once the original glycogen stores are depleted, fatigue sets in. Rapidly.

Eating carbs during intense activity will help reserve glycogen stores and provide blood sugar for your brain and muscles to use. Not only do you want to maintain your muscle strength, you also want to think clearly and make good decisions. The higher you go, the harder that gets. Eating the right nutrients and replenishing glycogen stores soon after a hard day in the mountains helps facilitate recovery, helps you sleep better (on lumpy ground while listening for bears) and gets you ready for the next day. Believe me, you’ll be happy you ate well the night before when you roll over in your sleeping bag at 6 AM and have to work the kinks out just to climb out of your tent.

What you eat prior to hitting the trail impacts how your day starts. Regardless of whether you’re hiking a level and well-traveled trail or climbing a mountain, you’ll need to focus on maintaining your energy. And that means doing it day after day if you’re backpacking. Here’s a simplified version of how specific foods are broken down, absorbed, and used by the body. Simple sugars are absorbed fastest, next comes low-fiber complex carbs, then high-fiber complex carbs. Proteins and fats take longer to break down and assimilate, so ideally, you want a mix of these fuel sources. Backpacking requires all aspects of physical activity. Plus, you’re asking your body to sustain the intensity all day. Now add in altitude, hydration issues, and marginal weather, and your fuel needs are major.

Here are some basic principles for maintaining energy and fueling your backcountry diet.

Complex carbs
High-fiber, complex carbs will help you log long hours on the trail. They’re digested more slowly and help maintain consistent blood sugar levels so you don’t crash when you need to pick up the pace if threatening clouds are moving in. Or, you think something is following you in the woods. Brown rice, quinoa, gluten-free pasta, oatmeal, buckwheat pancakes — foods like that should be at least half your trail diet.

Simple sugars
Say you’ve been plodding along at a moderate intensity for 3 or 4 miles. You check your map and suddenly realize you have a substantial climb ahead, what do you do? Other than break down and sob. Your first thought is to stomp your feet, but you quickly realize your boots are too d**n heavy to bother. You need a quick fix and that comes in the form of simple sugars; something that is digested and sent out to your working muscles ASAP. The quicker, the better. Before you cry as your brain slowly translates how closely spaced the contour lines are on your map.

I’m a nutritionist and eat a fairly good diet most of the time. I rarely eat packaged foods, I stay away from processed sugar, and avoid junk foods at all costs. Here is where all rules go out the window. Now is when I grab the power shot or start downing jelly beans. I’d drink cheap maple syrup straight from a BPA-laced plastic bottle at this point if I could. Thank goodness for the fine folks at Clif Bar for coming up with a more manageable and packable version of quick energy. My current favorites are Clif’s Vanilla or Mocha Energy Gels. I also like Whole Foods organic jelly beans. That’s a great thing to keep at your fingertips while hiking (stick a baggy full in your pocket). Pure sugar. Aaahhhh, I love it, especially when facing down a 2,000 foot elevation gain in a short distance. Other good choices are dried fruits, trail mix, chocolate chips, or raisins.

Fat
Fats have been given a bad name, rightly and wrongly so (as I’ve said before). We need good fats for all-day, steady-state energy production. Especially when hiking day after day. Fats also help keep your engine warm on cold nights in the mountains. Healthy fats like nuts are an important part of a backpacker’s diet — and they’re easy to travel with. Salmon jerky, which is high in good fat and protein, is another good food to munch on while hiking. Even sausage and cheese make good trail food. An extended backpacking trip is not the time to go on a low-fat diet, just make sure your choices don’t contain transfats or hydrogenated fats.

Protein
Protein helps repair the muscles and connective tissue you break down during long hikes. Beef jerky, brown rice pasta, quinoa, and teff make great building blocks for muscle and tissue repair. Backpacking stresses your muscles day after day, adequate protein intake will help mitigate that and keep you strong and healthy.

Now go out and explore!

Next time I’ll focus on antioxidants, essentail fatty acids, and electrolytes. I’ll also include a recipe for gluten-free power bars.

In good health,
Melissa