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  • Drinks

    Having a glass of wine with lunch in the middle of your work day won’t kill you. I had never tried it until today. From healthyliving.com: “Red wine contains numerous antioxidants, including a generous amount of the rare, beneficial compound known as resveratrol. Drinking red wine in moderation offers numerous health benefits, says MayoClinic.com. If you…

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  • Mornings Matter

    What you do when you first wake up matters. Athletes who I’ve worked or played with often ask about the ideal breakfast for fuel in the offseason. There isn’t necessarily a one size fits all approach to breakfast. My go to menu is purple sweet potatoes, 5 whole eggs over medium, a full package of…

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  • sample recipe

    My editor and partner at Kaplifestyle, Stephanie, comes on. Take it away, Steph. A few weeks ago, Gabe posted about the benefits of galangal, a rhizome I used in my Thai soup. Several requests came in for the recipe. The soup is my version of Tom Kha Gai (chicken galangal soup).As we’ve spoken about before, all…

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  • Galangal

    You know our superstar, know-it-all editor and my partner at Kaplifestyle, Stephanie. You’ve seen her guest posts and recipes. We can add a new data point to her résumé. She can flavor soup. Yesterday, she introduced me to galangal. Galangal (pronounced guh-lang-guh) is often found in Thai, Indonesian, and Malaysian cooking. It’s a rhizome – an…

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  • Juice vs Soda

    Orange juice isn’t “just as bad for you as Coke.” Don’t fall for that bullshit. Somehow, this became a popular narrative. Especially in dieting circles, folks glanced at a nutrition label, noticed that the sugar and calorie content of the two drinks were similar and determined that they should be uttered in the same breath.…

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  • Protein Without Meat

    Warning! I’m going to be playful in this post. If you’re feeling sensitive, go read another washed up athlete’s blog. From Norah Jones: It’s him or me that’s what he said, But I can’t choose between a vegan and a pot head, So I chose you because you’re sweet, And you give me lots of…

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  • Essential Foods – My Top 20

    I’ve been asked about my shopping list, so I figured I’d use today’s post to present you with my must have items. I keep all of these foods in heavy rotation and find myself upset when they are not near. All other foods I can go without for extended periods of time. I buy organic…

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  • Eating Without Training Wheels

    I’ve riffed on supplements before. This is not the first time you’re hearing my views. Given how much money our nation is spending on pills, powders and oils, it’s worth continuing the discussion. Supplements are akin to training wheels on a bicycle. They might provide the illusion of mastery, but the confidence is of the…

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  • Overcoming Challenges (with sample workout)

    I woke up on Sunday to snow falling.  The light flakes were aesthetically inspiring, but set me to hemming and hawing.  The Montana cold is uncomfortable to say the least, but more importantly, snow on the ground doesn’t provide much traction. Sprinting in this weather carried the risk of a slip and possible injury. What…

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  • Solitude

    We talk all the time around here about the value of rest and recovery. We know how critical time off is to emerge with stronger muscles and healthier tissue. We also know what the optimal recipe is – stop training, sleep, eat. We grasp that philosophy for recovery from physical exertion, but what do we…

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I aim to plan and consciously choose all of my indulgences. I have the knowledge and willpower to do so, but occasionally, I will have a substantial misfire.

I was in Boston, my home away from home, for the 2004 World Series reunion. I splurged nutritionally as I had intended, but I didn’t map out my large nutritional stumble while watching the game.

I had it all pre-navigated. My two men (12 and 14) and I love to experience travel through food. We think it’s the most efficient and interesting way to explore the culture of a city. We discussed the trip ahead of time and decided on three restaurants where we would fully indulge and eat like kings. We’d start with the team dinner at a fine steak and seafood house, follow it up with breakfast the next morning at a bakery, and finish it out with lunch at a tapas joint in the South End.

The first night the three of us shared bone in filets, swordfish steaks, oysters, giant shrimp, crab cakes, lamb chops, chocolate cake, apple crisps and cold vanilla ice cream. I enjoyed a few glasses of whiskey, neat, and my boys drank Sprite. We left the restaurant 1 for 1. Remember, this indulgence was planned.

The next morning, we went to a bakery suggested by a Boston-based chef friend. The boys picked up scones and French toast; I scored big with a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich on a crusty roll with spinach and tomato. The bite came complete with a Dijon mustard finish that struck a chord with me, managing to last all day. 2 at bats, 2 knocks.

After mobbing around on the T train all morning, making our way to Harvard and back to Downtown Crossing, we landed at our destination for lunch, Toro. Theo Epstein made the recommendation after I mentioned that my boys and I were on a food adventure. This is the guy who went out to get the “washed up” 2002 version of David Ortiz, so he’s proven his scouting mettle. If he thinks it’s a worthwhile trip, I’ll take his advice.

Back to food.

Rather than turn this post into a restaurant review, I’ll keep it simple. I had an out of body experience. Every small plate that arrived was visually captivating and stunning on the palate. We sprinted the gamut. From spicy curry beef empanadas to cauliflower with golden raisins and pine nuts to the pièce de résistance, roasted bone marrow with radish citrus salad and oxtail marmalade. This dish, holy fuck. Our waiter described it exquisitely as “like rich, hot, beef flavored butter.” I was now 3 for 3 and ready for my final at bat.

A theme throughout this entire trip was advance planning. My first mistake was not preparing for this final meal. I figured my boys and I would just eat at the ballpark and didn’t put much thought into it. I knew that the options would be plentiful and come in large quantities. I wasn’t necessarily wrong, but I quickly got off course.

I was running around at Fenway from this place to that, answering questions and meeting folks. My boys were on their own and already up in the suite by the time I arrived around the start of the first inning. They had eaten pizza, snacks and fruit, totally what I expected for them. I walked in starving, my second mistake.  I reached for a plate and piled on decent looking veggies, a huge mound of guacamole, and the only available protein, stale fried chicken strips. I could have reached into my bag and opened a can of wild caught salmon. I didn’t. My defenses were down. I hadn’t snacked. I ingested that garbage and suffered strike one.

You know my stance on processed foods. Those frozen chunks of flour covered meat product provide little nutritional value. I had already experienced a whirlwind day filled with emotion and exertion, and the pizza under the heat lamp began to look lovely.

I advocate indulgence, but I advocate planned, quality indulgence. This was neither. I scarfed down a piece and the drugs hit my bloodstream. I couldn’t chew fast enough. Strike two.

The final pitch of the at bat came in and I chased it. I scarfed down a few more slices, knowing even as I did so that it wasn’t my finest hour.

3 for 4. In baseball that’s a hell of a day. Nutritionally, I expect 4 for 4s from myself almost always. I’m in control, so the high bar is appropriately set. Rather than dwell on it, I’ll do what Manny tells us to do after a rough at bat. “Turn the page, papi.”

I write this from the plane the following morning. I’ve turned the page. Today, I’ve ingested steel cut oats, fresh organic blueberries, a pile of kale, a chunk of a ham steak, a few fresh scrambled eggs and organic black coffee.

In my bag, I have a large salad with tons of fresh veggies, almonds, chicken, organic Hannah yams. I also still have that wild salmon I passed over for pizza in a box.

I’m back on track. I remember last night’s at bat and will make the adjustment without carrying the emotion of yesterday over into today’s game.

I hope you’ll share your stories of strikeouts or home runs in the comments section below.

Kap