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Athlete’s Salad

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More Than Just Greens

Big bowl of salad with shaved carrots on top.Our TrueFood Athlete’s Salad is a salad prepared as the main dish. Fresh salads are great for recovery, but in order to replace what was lost during sport, salad must be more than just greens. While fresh greens provide plenty of vitamins and minerals important for recovery, they do not restore your energy levels. Carbohydrates, such as fresh or dried fruit, grains, pastas, potatoes, breads, or tortillas, are the main source of energy for athletes.

Protein is also essential in the TrueFood Athlete’s Salad, as it helps repair and build muscle post-exercise. Some great protein sources include local eggs, free range poultry, ethically caught fish, grains, beans, or soy. Athletes also need fat, especially those from healthy oils, such as olive oil, nuts, seeds, or avocado. Fat is a great energy source and also delivers vitamin E and other antioxidants that protect cells from damage and aid in quick recovery.

Ingredients

  • 2 handfuls of fresh, seasonal greens
  • 1/4 cup of carrots
  • 1/4 cup of radishes
  • 1 medium potato
  • 2 local eggs
  • 1/4 cup beans, soaked and cooked
  • 1-2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 3-4 Tbsp vinaigrette (see our Springtime Vinaigrette Dressing recipes)
  • Fresh or dried herbs
  • Fresh or dried fruit, nuts, seeds
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

For a TrueFood Athlete Salad, it’s important to include a protein source (such as eggs),
a carbohydrate source (such as potatoes), and a fat source (such as olive oil.) The above
ingredients were selected because they are in season in the spring and early summer. Choose
different ingredients based on what’s in season.

  1. Toss all greens and chop ingredients to desired size.
  2. Scrub potatoes and cut in half.
  3. Add olive oil and toss in a roasting pan.
  4. Roast at 350°F for 25 minutes.
  5. Place salad in a mixing bowl, add a vinaigrette.
  6. Pan poach or boil eggs to your liking.
  7. Arrange salad on plate and sprinkle with beans, fruit, nuts, and seeds.

*This recipe can be made: Vegan, Gluten-free, Dairy-free, or Nut-free.

 

This recipe was inspired by the Venetucci Farm in Colorado Springs. To learn about the impact of this farm on sport nutrition graduate students visit: www.uccs.edu/swell. 

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Hi, I’m Kara Winger, Olympic javelin thrower, and true sport athlete. Today I want to talk to you about body image and I have three things I’d like you to know. First, healthy thoughts often lead to healthier bodies. Second, there are varying body types and no one’s body is exactly like another. And third, true beauty goes deeper than the skin. As a multi-time Olympian, I’ve experienced a lot of variation and progression in my training. My coaches and I adapt to my training frequently, all with the goal of supporting my long-term success and health in the sport of javelin. I’m talking to you about body image today because sometimes even with the best of intentions and a common goal in mind, the changes you make to your training habits can prove to be detrimental if made for the wrong reasons. In the lead up to the 2012 Olympic trials, I was told in order to improve my performance on the field, I should try to become a leaner, skinnier version of myself.

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Hi, I’m Izy Isaksen, Team USA, Modern Pentathlon, Olympian, US Army Sergeant, and True Sport Ambassador. Today, I want to talk to you about being a good sport. There are three things I’d like you to know. First, real winners act the same toward their opponent, whether they win or lose. Second, follow the rules and be a gracious winner and respectful loser. And third, sportsmanship reveals your true character.

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I believe that sportsmanship reveals true character. So, no matter what situation I encounter during competition, I know it’s important to always treat people with respect and be a good sport. Remember, be a fierce competitor, find grace in all your victories and losses. And I hope to see you out there.

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Edwin Moses: You’re a coach. Maybe what you want is very simple, for everyone to just run in the right direction, score for their own team, to try and try again and again. Maybe you want your athletes to become all stars. You want them to earn trophies, medals, win titles. You want them to reach the highest height their sport allows. And wanting all of that, of course, that’s good. But as every great coach discovers, developing a great athlete means nurturing, nurturing the even greater person within. Truth is, you have even more influence than you know.

You have the ability to affect even deeper change, to take what’s in your hands and do something even more extraordinary. You can be both the coach who provides the skills needed to win the game and the coach who helps them learn and succeed beyond the sport, to become all stars wherever they land in the future, and to enjoy their lives more now, because the confidence and courage they find working with you will stay with them when they need it the most. There are games to be won, lives to change. Coaches have the power to do both.

I’m Edwin Moses, and the lessons I’ve learned through sport have challenged me, guided me, and shaped my life forever. What kind of coach do you want to be?

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At first glance, dietary supplements look the same. They seem safe and healthy, but just because the label says a product is a dietary supplement, that doesn’t mean it’s safe. Unfortunately, you can’t tell whether a product is safe or not just by looking at the label. Most vitamins, minerals, fish oil, and other supplements containing nutrients are probably just fine, but supplements are not evaluated or approved by FDA before they are sold. Although it is rare for vitamins or minerals to be contaminated with drugs, there has been at least one case of a vitamin containing an anabolic steroid.

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