The Importance of Potassium

As many of us know, what we eat will affect our exercise performance.  We often focus on the macronutrients such as carbohydrates, fats, and protein, but what about those micronutrients such as potassium and sodium?  In our society today, the typical American diet involves high sodium with very low potassium intake.  While both of these electrolytes are important in exercise, many of us consume too much sodium with too little potassium.  For optimal performance, we want to aim to keep our potassium-sodium levels as close to each other as possible or have potassium exceed sodium.  In short, without getting too scientific, potassium and sodium work together in sending electrical impulses to induce muscle contraction. When potassium and sodium are in balance, it can lead to better muscle contractions and thus, better performance. 

Now we know the effects of potassium, so how do we get it?  We get potassium from whole foods such as fruits, vegetables and some lean protein sources.  Some of the best sources of potassium are:

• Spinach
• Sweet potato/Potato
• Beans
• Bananas
• Salmon 
• Greek yogurt

There are many other great sources out there as well, but these are some of the best and most common.  Try adding in more whole foods to your diets and see how your performance can improve.

- SW

Cookies? Yes, cookies.

Yes! We sell cookies. Get over it!

We made the decision to bring in the full line of Liz Lovely cookies to CPC. Bringing this product line into CPC has raised a few eyebrows, and questions, so I'm going to try to address some of the concerns and inform everyone about our decision.

The cookies have been well received (particularly by yours truly), but there have been a couple of skeptics. We've heard things like, "OMG! that's a lot of calories!" or "Whoa, do you know how much sugar is in this?". The short answer: YEAH, I do. IT'S. A. COOKIE! Cookies are supposed to have sugar, otherwise it wouldn't be a sweet and delicious TREAT!  The fact is that these cookies are meant to be just that - a treat. All cookies, brownies, cakes, cupcakes, ice cream, etc. are meant to be consumed occasionally.   

For the record, the whole staff at CPC eats cookies. True story. And we all love the Liz Lovely cookies. We all love them but we don't have them everyday. We recognize that they are not a 'health' food and shouldn't be eaten regularly or in excess. Too much of anything can be bad for you. Avocados are delicious - and great for you! - but eat them 24/7 and let me know how you feel.  So have a cookie once-in-a-while.

Speaking of 'health'.  These cookies are not a health food by definition, but they are gluten free, dairy free, egg free, kosher, non-gmo, and vegan. All great stuff! To make a couple of comparisons: the sugar and calorie contents of the Liz Lovely cookies are right on par with some "100 calorie cookie/snack packs" that are out there and if we're being honest ... most people don't have just one pack.  The big difference between those packs and the Liz Lovely cookies? The ingredient list on the Liz Lovely cookies is half the size and we can pronounce the whole ingredient list.  Whether it's a cookie, or a salad, we want to choose something that is wholesome, minimally processed, high quality, and doesn't contain things you can't read. I don't know about you, but my health, and the health of my family, is more important than getting caught up in the sensationalized propaganda of calorie counting. Be concerned with where the calories come from rather than how many there are. 

One last thing: I know many endurance athletes who have a problem with eating before exercise and getting an upset stomach.  I encourage you to try a cookie, or half a cookie, as a pre-workout meal.  Just like the Garuka Bars, the Liz Lovely cookies have those sugars that can help fuel you but also keep you from having stomach issues.  Give them a shot.  

CPC is here to try to give you as much good information and products as possible to help you make good choices. We gave you the information. Now it's up to you to do what you will with it.  

- Mike