Sunflower butter and Ezekiel Bread: The perfect post-workout nutrition?

 

My search for the perfect post-workout nutrition/snack may have ended at last. I feel I’ve gone back to my childhood when my mother used to give me a peanut butter sandwich because, she said, it would “stick to my ribs.” Now that I look back on that, I’m not sure that I know what that means, and I’m also quite sure many of us spend a lot time finding things to eat that we hope do not “stick to our ribs.” But I’ve come upon an all-natural variation of the peanut butter sandwich that satisfies me very much post-workout: the sunflower butter and Ezekiel bread sandwich.

Taking the ingredients one at a time, why sunbutter instead of peanut butter? I’m not a rabid peanut avoider….I actually love them, and I do not have a peanut allergy. We all tend to forget that the trickster peanut is NOT a nut at all, but a legume, like a bean. After flowering, the stalk turns downward and the peanut itself develops underground. Thus, many athletes routinely consume peanut butter for the same reason they would a legume, as a good source of plant-based protein. My preference for sunflower butter comes from its anti-oxident properties derived from the sunflower being a great source of Vitamin E. Both peanut butter and sunflower butter are high in omega-6 fat, which is inflammatory, but the antioxidents in the sunflower seed offset this and give sunflower butter a substantially better Inflammatory Index rating than peanut butter (http://inflammationfactor.com/look-up-if-ratings/), 126 vs 18 for 2 tblspns. So, sunflower butter gets the nod from me over peanut butter, particularly post-workout, when we are sensitive to reducing muscle inflammation. (Sunbutter brand even offers an organic option!)

The next (and only other!) ingredient in our extremely simple post-workout nutrition plan is all-natural, organic Ezekiel Bread. This departure from my mothers peanut butter sandwich is pretty simple to understand the “why.” I think we all know the reason why the white bread many of us ate as kids has fallen out of flavor from a nutritional perspective, but the benefits of a sprouted grain bread may not be as widely known. First, I think the stuff is delicious..with an earthy taste and nutty texture. Secondly, sprouting the grain provides a host of other benefits including: a source of complete protein, contains 18 Amino Acids, increased digestibility, increased absorption of minerals, good source of vitamin C, and vitamin B, B2, B5 & B6. Finally, Ezekiel Bread is a great source of fiber.

So, lets put this sandwich together and really see why endurance athletes should give this a look as a great post-workout source of nutrition. Post-workout, we are really looking for replacing calories, carbohydrates and protein as well as reducing inflammation. Often, we think only of a processed protein drink or shake, which does not hit the other post-workout factors we need. When we add up the numbers for our snack, the full sandwich gives us 460 calories, 19 grams of protein, 39 grams of carbohydrate and an Inflammation Factor of 123 (excellent). Obviously, if your workout is less in intensity or duration, you can eat a half sandwich! And last, but certainly not least, you’ve prepared an all-natural, plant-based, nutritious snack, (a LOT better than buying a processed protein bar or powder) and can even go fully organic on the sunflower butter should you choose to do so.

So, eat up, refuel and get ready sooner for the next big workout!