Avoid Bonking with Raw Coconut and Cacao Bites

Why it's so important to fuel properly:

Have you ever "bonked" during a race or workout? “Bonking,” basically means running out of stored carbohydrate in your muscles (AKA glycogen). With a little planning, you can prolong the distance you can go before this happens, thereby enhancing performance. Whatever your activity or workout is, mid-workout nutrition is extremely important to avoid bonking.

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Mid-Workout Nutrition:

• Stored glycogen reserves in your muscles and liver start draining around the 60-min mark (when you hit the wall).
• For workouts longer than 60 minutes, you need easily digestible simple carbs as mid-workout fuel. Also, a mix of a little fat and protein can help sustain the instant energy carbohydrates provide.
• Hydration is also importance to sustain endurance.

Mid-Workout Food Choices

• To continue at your top pace, you need 30 to 60 grams of carbohydrates per hour. Great whole-food choices are dates, dried apricots, raisins, fruit juice, and Raw Coconut Cacao Bites (below)!
• For lower intensity/longer workouts, add small amounts of high-quality protein and fat, as hey help sustain the quick-burning fuel of carbohydrates. Great whole-food choices include: chia seeds, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, and nuts. Also, a nutrient-dense energy bars works awesome. 

Raw Coconut and Cacao Bites​

​1 cup of shredded coconut
1 cup of almonds
1/2 a dozen medjool dates
4 tablespoons of cashew butter
2 tablespoons of raw cacao
​1 tablespoon of coconut oil

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Directions:

1. Put the almonds and coconut in a food processor and blend for a minute or two, until a flour starts to form.
2. Add the cashew butter, coconut oil and cacao.
   
3. Blend for several seconds before slowly adding in the medjool dates.
4. Continue to blend until everything has been combined together to form a sticky mixture.
   
5. Mixture can then be rolled into balls and covered in more coconut.
   
6. Put in the fridge to firm up for an hour.