Nourishing Beanless Beef Chili
This dish features: grass fed ground beef sautéed in a cast iron skillet; lots of sautéed veggies - onions, carrots, garlic, red pepper, chipotle peppers, & celery; boiled then roasted delicata squash, & sweet potatoes; bone broth; chili powder; sea salt & pepper; & balsamic vinegar. Let me know if you would like the recipe!
Beef provides an excellent source of a complete protein as well as vitamin B12, zinc, selenium, iron, niacin, vitamin B6, riboflavin, phosphorus, & choline. Beef is also an abundant source of the amino acid, leucine. Leucine stimulates muscle protein synthesis (process to build new muscle, which you WANT, especially as we age & begin to lose muscle) & that trigger becomes more sensitive as we age, which means we need more leucine, around 2.5 - 3g in a meal (2 - 3x a day). You can get that in a little over 4 ounces of beef. Leucine is richest in animal foods. Paying attention to this has been a game changer to my strength, muscle (re) development, & performance. Muscle is your body armor & so much more. It adds a level of protection for those inevitable falls, muscle cross talks with your bones, keeping them stronger, & muscle also plays a KEY role in maintaining an effective immune system.
Bone broth is rich in minerals, & provides a number of benefits for joint, gut, & skin health.
A common challenge shared by many runners of all ages & genders, my ferritin (a protein that stores iron), tends to go down when my miles go up & red meat on cast iron is a tried & true way to bring it back up. Runners lose iron through what is called foot strike hemolysis, through sweat, through the GI tract, inflammation, (& through blood during menstruation). Symptoms include (not limited to) low grade/lingering headaches, low energy/fatigue, rapid heartbeat, hair loss, sleep disruptions, & for athletes, low iron can negatively affect performance. It’s not common for doctors to order a full iron panel that includes ferritin so it’s important for athletes to self advocate & if challenged, present the multitude of recent studies easily found on Pubmed (I had to do that for my middle son when he ran HS XC!).
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