My overdue book review of Feed Zone Portables, A Cookbook of On-The-Go Food for Athletes, by Biju Thomas and Allen Lim.
Note: I received this book free through the BRS for review.
Nice quality book. Hardback, glossy pages, durable, nice pictures. I have put this book through some abuse on road trips. Have not spilled any ingredients on it yet, but plan to. The book does have a cycling theme, but I think it works well with runners also.
So what is a portable? You might hear the term "real food" in the trail and ultra forums or out with your running friends. Basically, portables are made from scratch and are then packaged for on the go. Now I have nothing against gels and sports drinks, but I do like having other options and these things are tasty. Think little snacks for on the go. Rice balls, mini pies, and cakes make up the majority of the recipes.
Contents: A couple of forwards from elite cyclists then a preface. The Introduction (my opinion the best part of the book). Portables Recipes (the bulk of the book). Appendixes, Index, Acknowledgements, About the Authors, and Credits.
The most interesting part of the book, the Introduction, contains a lot of information and I plan to reread it many times. Discussion on traditional fuels like gels, mixes, and trail bars, hydration and sweat rates, calorie charts, solid vs. liquid food, and portables. Too much information to go over here, but it really made sense to me. Especially with the last two years of Ultra running and working at Ultra events. I did read the book right before my 100 mile race and it did influence some of my food choices at the aid stations. No stomach problems.
The recipe section is great. Now you could get most of these off the internet or come up with them on your own, but having them all in one place is nice. I have only tried a few recipes, but plan to try many more. It has also given me several ideas to implement at the aid stations at our ultra events and I have been showing the recipes to the Race Director and the Aid Station manager.
Conclusion - get the book. It's a valuable resource.
Thanks for the opportunity to review the book.
Rick
Note: I received this book free through the BRS for review.
Nice quality book. Hardback, glossy pages, durable, nice pictures. I have put this book through some abuse on road trips. Have not spilled any ingredients on it yet, but plan to. The book does have a cycling theme, but I think it works well with runners also.
So what is a portable? You might hear the term "real food" in the trail and ultra forums or out with your running friends. Basically, portables are made from scratch and are then packaged for on the go. Now I have nothing against gels and sports drinks, but I do like having other options and these things are tasty. Think little snacks for on the go. Rice balls, mini pies, and cakes make up the majority of the recipes.
Contents: A couple of forwards from elite cyclists then a preface. The Introduction (my opinion the best part of the book). Portables Recipes (the bulk of the book). Appendixes, Index, Acknowledgements, About the Authors, and Credits.
The most interesting part of the book, the Introduction, contains a lot of information and I plan to reread it many times. Discussion on traditional fuels like gels, mixes, and trail bars, hydration and sweat rates, calorie charts, solid vs. liquid food, and portables. Too much information to go over here, but it really made sense to me. Especially with the last two years of Ultra running and working at Ultra events. I did read the book right before my 100 mile race and it did influence some of my food choices at the aid stations. No stomach problems.
The recipe section is great. Now you could get most of these off the internet or come up with them on your own, but having them all in one place is nice. I have only tried a few recipes, but plan to try many more. It has also given me several ideas to implement at the aid stations at our ultra events and I have been showing the recipes to the Race Director and the Aid Station manager.
Conclusion - get the book. It's a valuable resource.
Thanks for the opportunity to review the book.
Rick
