It’s stil wordpress, but it’s a website not just a blog (although I still ramble). Come on over and check us out and see how we’ve grown! 
Sep
14
Hmmm, did y’all not see? I moved!
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Apr
17
Mar
22
It’s official–we have moved to our new website home. Same type of information driven towards the fabulous musicians playing their hearts out one town to the next! Hope you join us over there!
Happy Eating & Reading,
The Roadie Nutritionist
Mar
04
One resounding message I hear from “seasoned” musicians (no food pun intended) is that after years of repetitive play their joints, muscles, and bones ache. Arthritis can be the death of a musician and muscle fatigue can hinder performance. What if you could add something to your diet to help with pain and joint care? Would you do it? It’s so simple and tasty I think you should consider it!
In my quest to find the fuel to keep musicians going I have sought out research regarding arthritis and joint pain. Interesting research is developing in 4 fabulous nutrition/food areas:
- Omega-3 Fatty Acids (found in fatty fish like salmon)
- Curcumin (aka, the spice turmeric found in Indian food)
- Ginger (the ingredient I often recommend for teas and found in Asian cuisines)
- Tart Cherries (I’m thinking you are familiar with this food)
Is there evidence, and I mean the science kind of evidence? Yes, there are some studies, albeit still in the preliminary stages that show links with the above said foods to decrease arthritis and/or muscle pain. The reason I feel comfortable with this is that it’s food we are talking about–not a magic pill or supplement that will cure your aches and pains and every other disease imaginable [sarcasm]. Here are some simple ways to recover and refuel your muscles:
- Drink 8-10 ounces of cherry juice after you perform
- During performance mix cherry juice with water
- Add dried tart cherries to your oatmeal or breakfast cereal
- Make a smoothie with frozen tart cherries
- Add ginger slices to water
- Add candied ginger to your oatmeal or smoothie
- Season your favorite chicken dish with turmeric–or just go out for Indian
- Choose to eat salmon, trout, or other types of fatty fish a couple times a week
You can even mix tart cherry juice with your favorite post-show cocktails! Some recipe ideas:
- Tito’s Vodka, Tart Cherry Juice, & a Wedge of Lime
- Tart Cherry Juice & Whiskey Sours
- Tart Cherry Juice, Coke Zero & Rum
- Sprite Zero (Randy), Tart Cherry Juice, & Lime
If you are looking for more great ways to recover with Tart Cherry Juice check out this great website for more information:
http://www.choosecherries.com/redrecovery/index.html
Happy Recovery,
The Roadie Nutritionist
Mar
01
Everyone knows that it is essential to stay hydrated when you perform. Or at least athletes get it! The way I view it, musicians are not that different from athletes. You both practice, perform, run risks for injuries, and travel. From a nutrition stance my approach when working with musicians is not that different from when I work with athletes. Hydration is always a key area to focus on for both vocals and to ward off fatigue, and for the musician both are critical for your livelihood.
So, what do you drink on stage—-besides all the beer and whiskey provided for you by fans? =) An obvious choice may be sports drinks, which yes they are definitely a viable option. Do you know what goes into a sports drink? It’s actually a pretty simple concoction:
First…
You take water (bottled, filtered, tap–your choice)
Second…
Add in flavor which can either be a juice or citrus zest (I like zest!) This imparts a ton of flavor without creating gut distress like pure fruit juice can.
Third…
Add in your carbohydrate(s) (start with table sugar, then add honey, molasses, agave nectar, or brown sugar–again, your choice)
Fourth…
Add in the electrolyte (aka salt)
Fifth and final….
Stir and Serve!
Here is an actual recipe, but feel free to play this to make your own Power-Packed Sports Concoction:
Ingredients:
1 quart water (4 cups)
Zest of 1 orange, lemon, lime, or grapefruit (combos work great, too)
2 Tbsp honey (fructose)
2 – 4 Tbsp sugar (sucrose)
¼ – ½ tsp salt
Optional additions:
§ Molasses in place of honey
§ Fruit Juice (replace ½ cup of water with ½ cup juice)
§ Fresh ginger slices
§ Fresh mint
Directions:
Mix and enjoy!
Feb
25
No, not the kind you read at the stores, or perhaps ignore. Restaurants will soon be required to label all of their menu items with basic nutrition information. It’s a movement to help people become more aware of the excessive indulgence that can occur with eating out. Granted, I realize that we all go out to some restaurant and care very little about calories and/or health as we indulge in some decadent meal (for me, it’s all about my chicken fried steak!). But, is this the norm? Do you regularly throw out the idea that eating well does not matter?
When you may be on the road more days than not in a year, eating out should matter. The new labels should help you choose to either 1) throw caution to the wind and eat until your gluttonous or 2) take the slap as reality hits and choose something with fewer calories.
Often I hear from the roadies that there is a perception that you have to eat lettuce and twigs daily to eat well. Not so! Salads can often match calories and fat to a greasy burger, so buyer beware! This is one reason I like the idea of nutrition information being listed, because often there is a “deception” or misconception, that one food is healthier than the other. Example–lettuce wraps from PF Changs have over 600 Calories in an order! How about a large Asian salad from Chili’s—930 Calories. Ahhh, the unknown! I feel bad when I know a person is trying to make healthier choices and yet are deceived by the true content of the meal. This food labeling movement should help!
Again, why care? Let me walk you through a scenario and you can let me know if you relate or not…
- You perform on the road >200 days per year
- You eat out regularly at fast food and or quick restaurants daily
- Eating out regularly is linked to increase in weight
- Increased weight can lead to feelings of being sluggish, sick, and cause GERD (reflux disease)
- If you sing, GERD can damage your vocals
- If you play an instrument, GERD can make you want to hurl after a set or feel like you’re having chest pain
- Increase weight can hurt your overall performance (both on and off stage!)
I am not saying get skinny or drop weight, but what I am illustrating is how easy it is to increase your weight while touring. So, I hope you start looking for the labels that are already starting to show up at some restaurants. For more info check out the NY Times article: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/17/health/nutrition/17cons.html
If you are interested in finding out the calories of your favorite meal check out the restaurant’s website and locate nutrition information or go to www.CalorieKing.com and search your restaurant.
Cheers to wise eating~
The Roadie Nutritionist
Picture source: http://media.syracuse.com/healthfitness/photo/caloriejpg-84e29fc3a01940e3_large.jpg
Feb
17
I have been spending my time behind library walls and under piles of research articles. Some interesting finds and plenty of questions unanswered yet by research. There are a lot of myths out there regarding nutrition and musicians. Do you have a food or drink that you stay clear of before you perform? I’ll let you know the ones that really don’t hinder performance and those that really do hinder vocal or stage performance. You might be surprised.
Something to chew on…
How hydrated are you? Just like an athlete you need to drink plenty of water all day before you hit the stage, and try your best to take plenty of “swigs” during the show. Key time to hydrate is right when you get off stage! Best to replenish than to have the residual feeling of dehydration in the morning.
Drink:
- 1-2 glasses of water every hour prior to performing
- at least 1 cup of water during your show (if you can manage to drink more that’s great!)
- 2-4 glasses before you head to bed
- wake up and starting drinking again (not the fermented kind!)
Now it’s my turn to enjoy being home and relax a bit from my studies. I’m around and will try to get back up and running soon, but for now I need a mental break!
Stay healthy~
The Roadie Nutritionist
Feb
09
I realize it’s not really Ryan and the boy’s movie, but I went to see it because of them! The raspy, sexy voice of Ryan Bingham just launched on to the big screen in the movie Crazy Heart. Crazy Heart portrays a burned out, drunken country singer (Jeff Bridges as Bad Blake). The story begins in a bowling alley in New Mexico with Ryan Bingham and the Dead Horses (Corby, PawPaw, and Elijah) playing back up for Bad Blake. Ryan is just so darn endearing. (I can say that, I am a girl!) His shy and humble persona came off on screen. Unfortunately, the movie only gives a taste of his voice at the beginning, but at the end Ryan’s song, Weary Kind, came through and finishes with his amazing voice (and the best version to listen to). The Oscar’s even love it! Don’t miss out on the movie. Jeff Bridges, Robert Duvall, Maggie Gyllenhaal all provided moving performances. For me, any movie that has Robert Duvall casted is a great one! Call and request Weary Kind on your radio stations!
I am a huge fan of Ryan Bingham and the Dead Horses for many reasons. Their music is unique and has a ton of soul. Take a listen and decide for yourself. Don’t illegally download it, either! They deserve you buying their albums!
Corby Schaub, Mark Ford, and Ryan Bingham (Casbah in San Diego)
The movie is timely for my research, as well. What does alcohol do to a performer’s voice and stage presence? There are a lot of connections between alcohol and musicians, unfortunately not a lot of scientific research. From a nutrition stand point, if you consume a lot of alcohol (I’ll say it that way since many don’t consider themselves alcoholics) you tend to be low in Vitamins B-1 (Thiamin) and Folic Acid. If you find yourself on the road, drinking a heck of a lot of alcohol then consider taking a multiple-vitamin daily due to some possible deficiencies. Stay tuned for more links, info, and research on other various topics relating to nutrition and musicians.
Quick question: Do you think there is widespread use of drugs (to include alcohol and marijuana) amongst musicians?
The Roadie Nutritionist
Me & my good buddy, Corby Schaub (most talented mandolin player!)
Feb
08
Food for thought
Do you think there is a link between your diet and…
- Arthritis?
- Vocal issues like GERD?
- Use of marijuana?
- Alcohol use?
- Stage hydration?
- Eating on the road?
- Sleep disturbances?
There is. Think of how much better your performance could be with making subtle changes to your health by eating better.
I hope your appetite is hungry for information, because over the next 3 months I will be working on finding links to the above set questions for y’all. If you have an area of concern or a question, please ask!
Cheers,
The Roadie Nutritionist
Jan
31
Since I can only be in Texas “part-time” I try to get my fill of Live Texas Country Music whenever I can and just about anywhere I can go! Yes, desperation tends to set in for me. I end up checking Myspace accounts, Facebook accounts, band websites, iLike, etc. to find who is playing and where. With that said I am thrilled with my new find of Live Texas Music Map:
http://www.livetexasmusicmap.com/index.php
Ahhh, no more checking a variety of links to find the answer–on top of that, I can plan my trips home now with ease. Thank you Live Texas Music Map! I heart you!
The Roadie Nutritionist
Fuelin' Roadie 
