Get your carrots, swede, parsnip, beetroot, turnips, yams and potato varieties and jam in your seasonal roots, tasty and full of vitamins and minerals, they also pack a substantial carbohydrate punch.
The starchy goodness is filling and warming, but take care to not overeat these tasty morsels, be conscious of your portion size and timing to manage the absorption of sugars from your blood-stream into your muscle or fat cells.
Timing the roots manoeuvres for when your body is most able to use or absorb sugar into your muscles is important otherwise it will end up in your fat cells, try to eat them earlier in the day when your body will use them for energy or even better limit them to after your workout when they will be absorbed into your glycogen depleted muscles ready for your next session.
But there is one almost forgotten treasure, that can be eaten with less caution the knobbly, round, rooty veg that costs less than a pound and is as versatile as a potato, much lower in carbohydrates and tastes great………
Why not smash in a CELERIAC?
Celeriac is an edible variety of a celery root, and as a result has a slight salty celery taste that lends incredibly well in any soup casserole or dish requiring a filler, but do not relegate this vegetable just yet, it is also really tasty raw grated into a slaw or salad, and can be roasted, stewed and mashed like the humble potato, I have even made celeriac wedges in the oven with a little olive oil drizzled over and a grind of chilli seeds for a poky flavour.
It is high in naturally occurring salts (Calcium, Magnesium and potassium) and Vitamin C giving it flavour and ultimately it will aid recovery from exercise by replacing electrolytes lost through sweating. Just have a portion with your post workout meal.
It is also high in Vitamin B6. B6 is important for your metabolism to be running optimally, amongst many uses B6 aids the metabolizing of macro-nutrients in the body (glycogen to glucose for energy), and it is also known to aid the creation of neurotransmitters or more commonly known ‘endorphins’. Endorphins help us feel good, and aid in alleviating PMT (premenstrual tension), hangovers and morning sickness, further research has also suggested it can alleviate the symptoms of depression, autism and ADHD.
So best give you a recipe to try out then guys. This one comes from Jamie Oliver’s ‘Happy days with the naked chef’ and makes enough to serve 4 people as an accompaniment to any meat or fish dish
Get set:
- 1 celeriac, peeled
- olive oil
- 1 handful fresh thyme, leaves picked
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 3-4 tablespoons water or organic stock
Go:
Slice about 1cm/½ inch off the bottom of your celeriac and roll it on to that flat edge, so it’s safe to slice.
Slice and dice into 1cm/½ inch-ish cubes.
Put a casserole-type pot on a high heat, add a little olive oil, then add the celeriac, thyme and garlic, with a little seasoning. Stir around to coat and fry quite fast, giving a little colour, for 5 minutes.
Turn the heat down to a simmer, add water or stock, and place a lid on top to cook for 25 minutes, or until tender. Season carefully to taste and stir around with a spoon to smash-up the celeriac.
Some people like to keep it in cubes, some like to mash it, Jamie think it looks and tastes much better when you smash it, which is somewhere in the middle.
Refs:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_B6
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celeriac
http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables-recipes/smashed-celeriac