Cereal for Rock Climbers
- November 2010
- Hi Steph Simple Living Vegan
Hi, I’m megan. I am 9 years old and I live in Cary Illinois. I’m just starting to rock climb at the North Wall and I have a question to ask. I really want to become a rock climber but my mom said that I have to eat healthy cereal like life, oatmeal squares, and cheerios. so I wanted to ask you what cereal do you eat mostly? Also I have started to read your book.(I got it for my birthday.) your fan, Megan
Dear Megan,
Thanks for writing to me!
I agree with your mom, and I think you should read your cereal ingredients. A lot of times there is a lot of sugar in cereal, even if the name makes it sound more natural (unfortunately, even Cheerios and Life have a lot of sugar in them) and refined sugar does not do anything good for your health or athletic ability. Sometimes they call the sugar different names: corn syrup, evaporated cane juice, high fructose corn syrup. Sometimes you’ll see ALL of those listed, AND sugar. The smartest thing you can do is to pay attention to the food labels and try to avoid sugar.
Sometimes I eat cereal for breakfast, but what I like most is muesli. This is a mix of regular (plain) rolled oats, and different kinds of nuts and dried fruit (raisins, apples, dates). I like to eat it cold with soy milk or soy yogurt, or else I cook it with water or soymilk if I want it hot. It’s really good! And the dried fruit makes it a little sweet.
You’ll be really surprised, if you start avoiding regular sugar and corn syrup, at how sweet things like fruit and natural foods start to taste.
I hope you have fun climbing!!
Steph
I totally agree with you Steph about the sugar thing. Unfortunately the cereals on the market tend to really push it! I wish someone had told me about that when I was 9 and I’d be so much healthier [and a better climber].
Here’s a good link to how to read nutrition labels: http://www.lambtonhealth.on.ca/nutrition/readlabels.asp
I make my own granola and have vanilla (no sugar added) almond milk, which I like to change up with different local fruits that are grown seasonally. It’s really fun to make- just mix in a bowl: oats, nuts (like almonds and cashews for healthy fats), seeds (pumpkin, sesame and sunflower seeds are good for you), then mix in a bunch of unsweetened apple sauce [add enough to make the oats combo wet) and some cinnamon, then put it in the over [325 degrees]on a cookie sheet sprayed with olive oil. Every 10 minutes or so, just mix it around so it doesn’t burn. You’ll know it’s done when it’s browned and crunchy. You can add shredded coconut [if you like it] fresh fruit or dried fruit (watch out for sugar sweetened fruit in the dried fruit section!) and put yogurt or milk or almond milk. I also add a spoonful of hemp seeds with that it too, because that adds extra protein. (remember protein builds muscles!)
Healthy eating will help you feel good for climbing[physically and mentally]!
Cheers to you Megan for being so on top of it all!
Thanks for the great recipe, Suzanne, I’m looking forward to making that granola too!
Since changing over to a high-raw food diet I was eating Ezekiel sprouted grain cereal for a long time along with a smoothie, now I pretty much just have smoothies. The sprouted grain cereals are very good for you, I would always use almond or rice milk and sweeten with some bananas and agave nectar on occasion. Goji berries are also the occasional treat.
Do you make the muesli fresh or buy it? I have never heard of muesli, but now want to try it.