By: Michelle Kruse

If you haven’t checked out the recipes on the O’Keefe’s blog, make sure you do so. As the self-appointed head of the tasting committee, I must say the results were fabulous. Joan O’Keefe brainstormed some color and protein combinations and came up with some unique ideas. Disclosure – I am NOT a picky person. I like almost all foods, even the healthy ones. So, to make the tasting fair, we asked some of the world’s pickiest eaters (a couple of them are right here in our office) to give our recipes a try.

Remember the old Life Cereal commercials? Let’s see if Mikey likes it? Well, we’ve got a few Mikey’s on staff. But, even the pickiest eaters in our office enjoyed our recipes – especially those that included blueberries. The mandarin oranges were also a big hit. After some tweaks, the pumpkin recipe received a lot of favorite votes. It smells delicious, too. It’s comfort food that’s really, really healthy. It’s like pumpkin pie with huge health benefits, not huge guilt. I’m going to test that one on the kids tomorrow – I’ll let you know how it goes.

The goal of providing these recipes is to get people to enjoy whey protein. It’s one of the best things you can give your body. It’s one of the cleanest, purest proteins available and the benefits are astounding. In fact, I’m off to have my mid-day whey protein and some berries right now… I’ll be full until dinner time!

By Michelle Kruse

We talk a lot about the cardiovascular benefits of omega-3, and for good reason! However, I thought I’d show everyone an article written by my eye doctor, Dr. Thomas Anderson, of Smithville Eye Center. Omega-3 has terrific benefits for your eye health. I discovered one of the benefits by accident. Several years ago, my contacts were bothering me so badly that I simply stopped wearing them. My eyes were so dry that my contacts were unbearable. Around the same time, I upped my omega-3 fish oil intake. All of a sudden, it didn’t hurt to wear my contacts. I really didn’t relate the two until shortly after that I read a study that linked low DHA intake to dry eyes. It was definitely an “AHA” moment.

Omega-3, and in particular DHA is a vital nutrient for your eyes. Did you know your retinas are made of DHA (so is a large portion of your brain)? (No wonder they put so much of it in infant formula – help those developing eyes – and brains). Download Dr. Anderson’s article below.

By Michelle Kruse

Ironman 70.3 – conquered! And I had a blast! Seriously, it was fun. My pre-race anxiety was unnecessary. I did not sleep at all the night before the race (too wound-up, I guess) and that added to my nerves. It’s the swim that stresses me out. It’s all-out war. I hate watching people get beat up in the swim. Really, the girl next to me at the bike transition had a bloody lip. It scares the heck out of me that I’m going to get hit and thrown under water. Fortunately, that didn’t happen. I did have to stop and tread water near the finish just to find a spot to get into the finishing “corral.” Bodies were everywhere.

Fortunately, I made it through in one piece and it was onto the bike. Having the swim behind me eased my nerves and I was ready to enjoy the rest of the race. The bike wasn’t easy, but it wasn’t difficult. I held back a little bit b/c I wanted to be all right for the run, but I finished the bike faster than I thought I would. Then, the run went great! I walked through every water stop (all 12 of them) and felt strong the entire run. It was wonderful to high-five my kids as I ran by (four times) and seeing my husband, my parents and friends on the route made it truly enjoyable.

I wasn’t in this thing to “win,” obviously. I was there for fun and to challenge myself. In the end, I beat my best goal by half an hour and had I known how close I was to going under six hours, I would have pushed just “one minute” somewhere on the race (like not chatted for an hour with the girl next to me on the run – but that’s part of what made it so fun). I finished in 6 hours, one minute and 24 seconds. The best part is I finished strong, happy, and ready to do it all over again and finished with my husband, kids, parents and friends hugging me at the finish line. I’m truly proud of this accomplishment!

What’s next?

By Michelle Kruse

You’ve heard the buzz: get more omega-3 . These days, just about anything can be fortified with omega-3. But, how much do you really need and what type? There are different types of omega-3 fatty acids, and while they’re all healthy choices, not all omega-3 fats provide the same benefits to your body. DHA and EPA are omega-3 fats found in fish. DHA and EPA have been found to provide the most benefit to cardiovascular health. DHA and EPA may also play a role in brain health and DHA in particular may benefit fetal development and perinatal health and eye health. Benefits from plant-based omega-3, or ALA (Alpha Linolenic Acid), found in flaxseeds and walnuts, are not as great because the body converts only a small portion of ALA into DHA and EPA. Omega-3 enriched foods often contain small amounts of ALA only.

To read more about the benefits of different omega-3, download our article and get the facts!

By Michelle Kruse

I’m over my disappointment from the marathon. I spent a week in Phoenix, AZ visiting family and friends and attending a great conference. The ADA subgroup, Sports Cardiovascular and Wellness Nutrition’s annual meeting was great for CardioTabs as well as for me to get some information about my nutritional needs-and hopefully resolve my cramping issues.

Now that the marathon is over, I’m focusing all my efforts on training for Ironman Kansas (70.3). I asked the advice of Sally Brown, RD of Ebodyfuel.com and Heather Fleming (nutritionist with conscious nutrition). Both think it’s possible that I’m not getting enough sodium and that my electrolyte replacement choice wasn’t good enough. I read so many papers about cardiovascular health and heart disease and follow that dietary advice pretty well. My dad had his first heart attack at 40, so salt has been missing from my diet for a LONG time. Since the majority of Americans get too much salt, who’d have thought I’d be getting too little? I’m a very salty sweater and I’m possibly not replacing enough of that salt lost during exercise.

I was told to try a mix of Cytomax and Carbopro for long workouts. I was also told to make sure I was consuming my CardioWhey within 30 minutes post-workout. Yes, even though I work for the company, I wasn’t following the advice perfectly. Doing this should aid in my recovery and help my muscles repair themselves between workouts, even help bolster a weak (post endurance workout) immune system. Yesterday, I biked 30 miles then ran two miles (pushing both kids in the jogging stroller – seriously tough). I used the Cytomax and no cramping yet.

Today’s swim should be a good test of the new formula. On Saturday, I’m planning to bike the 56 mile course for the half Ironman. I’ll use all three products and see what happens.

By Michelle Kruse

Maybe I’m a little too easily disappointed. At least that’s what everyone keeps telling me. I ran my second marathon Saturday and missed my goal by 5 minutes. I took 2nd place in my age group (the benefit of running a smaller race), but I’m still mad about missing my goal. At mile 21, I thought I had it locked. I could run nine and a half minute miles and still finish with a Boston Qualifier (BQ). Easily done, or so I thought. Just into mile 21 was a right turn. I turned and my foot wouldn’t. The dreaded cramp. I had been so good at taking my electrolyte capsules every few miles and getting plenty of water, even eating, so why was I cramping now? I walked it out and started running again, just to cramp some more. I ended up continuing the race in this pattern and missing my goal.

My running partner, who has 29 marathons under her belt, keeps reassuring me that this was a spring marathon and that my expectations should not be high for spring races. She swears if I keep up my training I’ll run a BQ in the fall. (We’re doing the Kansas Ironman 70.3 in June, so another marathon is out of the question until that is over.) Everyone else keeps telling me my time was great and to be happy.

I think I am over it. I’m now focusing on how to get rid of my cramping problem. What am I not doing nutritionally or what am I doing wrong that is causing this? (I am cramping all the time – my feet and hands at night and when I’m writing, etc, not just during races, so something really is amiss. Am I doing something wrong with my recovery, too?) Luckily for me, my job at CardioTabs comes to the rescue. I’m attending the Sports Cardiovascular and Wellness Nutrition subgroup of the American Dietetic Association’s annual meeting this weekend. I’m planning to pick the brains of the real experts in the field. What timing! I’ll post my findings next week.