Sheep's hearts cooked in red wine

This is a nice recipe for lamb's or sheep's hearts. Hearts from an adult sheep will need slightly longer cooking than lamb hearts.

To serve 4.

4 lamb or sheep hearts

Marinade:
100 ml table vinegar
2 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried)
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 laurel leaves
salt and pepper

For cooking:
100 g butter
100 g smoked bacon, finely chopped
10-15 shallots, sliced
1-2 tbsp

Thoughts on Supplements

I get asked about supplements a lot. In fact, I just gave a presentation about it last weekend. My take home message from that talk, which I would like to share with you, is this: 

“In the sports world, where millions of products with special ingredients are marketed with claims of enhanced performance, it is ironic that sports foods containing an everyday nutrient (carbohydrate) may be best able to deliver on these claims.”

 -British Journal of Sports Medicine

There are so many products that promise everything, literally! However, the best thing you can do (and most delicious!) is to make sure you are meeting your energy demands, or calorie, by eating enough carbohydrate. That is the fuel your body really needs. Consider adding sport drinks, gels, or other food products that are rich in carbohydrate to supplement your training and leave the other stuff alone. I think you will be happy with the results!

Reference:

BJSM reviews: A–Z of supplements: dietary supplements, sports nutrition foods and ergogenic aids for health and performance Part 2Br J Sports Med 2009;43:10 807-810

Stress and Food Cravings

How well do you handle your stress? Stress is a part of life, but there are ways to help cope. Do you think that it causes you to choose unhealthy foods? Read this article from Food & Nutrition Magazine, "Does Stress Lead to Food Cravings and Weight Gain?" Follow the simple steps outlined:

1. Relax! Physical relaxation techniques.
2. Change your thoughts. Be positive!
3. Get out and move
4. Connect and confide
5. Think small. Small steps to big changes!