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  • sweet thursday

    For today’s rendition of Sweet Thursday, I’m providing a list of 5 healthy foods certain to deliver a nectarous experience. These foods aren’t candy, so you’ll have to slow down, chew, and savor the experience to encounter the full burst of flavors. You’ll feel more present as a result and perhaps even experience the nutrients…

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  • Mental Breaks

    We’ve been communicating for quite some time, so I know you remember my stance on indulgences. I stress the importance of eating and training with a purpose, but I also generally value releasing nutrition inhibitions from time to time. The same can and should be said for work. I, like many of you, can wake…

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  • sweet thursday

    I’ve learned over the course of my studies and experience that nearly all sweeteners have their downfalls, and the state in which we consume them is immeasurably important. I don’t use any sweeteners in my food anymore unless I’m purposefully indulging. I understand, however, that folks are looking for healthier options when it comes to…

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  • Almond Milk

    Almonds are unquestionably better than almond milk, but almond milk is a healthier choice than some other substitutes. I’ll get straight to the point. I’m not a fan of processed products that mimic a desirable culinary experience. Between soy masquerading as bacon, Veganaise and other counterfeit products that attempt to bridge the gap, we’re led…

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  • mental health

    As a community, we spend untold amounts of money on software and games to train our brains. We’ve long known that exercise helps various neurological functions; now science says perhaps all you need is a pill.Friends and loved ones often ask me about jogging. I tell everyone that if you want to look like a…

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  • workout routines

    I’ve had extraordinary success with my current weight lifting routine because it is one I can maintain with regularity. There is no substitute for consistency as it relates to workouts. A few sit-ups, pushups and pull-ups done several times a week invariably beat the most intricate, elaborate exercise program done on and off. A slow…

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  • weight loss

    If you think that substituting Sweet ‘n Low for sugar in your iced tea will help you consume fewer calories, you’re right. If you think it will assist you with your problematic sweet tooth and help you trim down, you may be dead wrong. From Forbes.com: Artificial sweeteners may also have effects on other body…

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  • weight loss

    Improving sleep seems to be a pretty common goal. Turn on a TV and you’ll see dozens of ads; Lunesta commercials are my personal favorite. I’ve always wanted that electric green butterfly to visit me. Good sleep is so delicious that folks are willing to chance aggressiveness, confusion, hallucinations (the good kind?), risk of suicide…

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  • MLB

    Major league baseball training rooms are a popular spot for guys looking to get their daily drug fix. The drug of choice? Advil. Over the course of 162 games, plus spring training, plus the post season, an inflamed muscle here and there is impossible to avoid.I have clear recollections of taking 12 Advil a day…

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  • Traumatic Brain Injuries – Sam Fuld [Guest Post]

    As with all serious issues, if we don’t talk about concussions openly, we lessen our ability to learn how to avoid and respond to them. We listen when doctors talk about them. We listen more intently when a very recently concussed MLB player tells his personal stories. When that man speaks eloquently and without filter, and…

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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