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  • Protein Powder Alternatives

  • Red Cabbage

    I’m sure you’ve seen the commercials for the pills and gels promising to reduce the symptoms of “low T.” “It’s just a number,” they say, then promise increased muscle and bone mass, elevated mood, more energy and a whole host of other benefits. Sounds appealing. Perhaps you can skip the pills. I have an alternate solution.…

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  • Importance of Warm Ups (and Why Traditional Warm Ups are Wrong) (with Sample)

    Ensuring you have an appropriate warm up is essential to any successful program. Warm ups prior to exercise are important to prepare your circulatory system and muscles for exertion and reduce the chance of injury. Unfortunately, traditional stretching routines are ineffective. The most potent way to warm up for an athletic activity is by performing…

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  • meal planning

    I headed to Cal State Fullerton out of high school, baseball scholarship in hand. I found myself living in a dorm room as a young 18 year old with no clue how to be a man. Everything was new, and I was totally unaware how nutrition would impact me, either on the field or in…

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  • Raw Milk

    Where have you been all my life, raw milk? Drinking milk in adulthood is not a common practice in most of the world. Americans love their milk, however, and I am no exception. Venturing to the store presents a dizzying array of options, ranging from whole to skim, and a host of milk substitutes and…

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  • college

    I headed to Cal State Fullerton out of high school, baseball scholarship in hand. I found myself living in a dorm room as a young 18 year old with no clue how to be a man. Everything was new, and I was totally unaware how nutrition would impact me, either on the field or in…

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  • cayenne

    Marketing executives must love their spice. My father doesn’t have much in common with these dudes in the boardrooms, but cayenne pepper may be a universal favorite.I’ve previously mentioned that my dad would give me a spoonful of raw honey with lemon and cayenne pepper for a sore throat. Maybe he should have trademarked the…

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  • fasting

    I’ve always trained in the morning after a big breakfast. My thought process was simple; I’d be providing high quality fuel for maximum muscle building. There is at least some degree of truth to my methodology.Recently, however, I’ve found that my larger meals consisting of five whole eggs, a giant sweet potato and several cups…

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  • Eating Healthy on a Budget

    I headed to Cal State Fullerton out of high school, baseball scholarship in hand. I found myself living in a dorm room as a young 18 year old with no clue how to be a man. Everything was new, and I was totally unaware how nutrition would impact me, either on the field or in…

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  • epic bars

    We have trained ourselves to reach for a sweet snack between meals. Break this behavior chain and you will find yourself with a world of convenient options for that 3pm craving.You know I rarely review products, but I do enjoy the tasting process. When I discover a new commodity that captures my attention, I dive…

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  • In 2013, I identified Matt Buschmann as a man with the capability to lead a baseball organization both nutritionally and from a training perspective. My assessment is informed by his devotion to trial and error, willingness to devour new information and apply data. Of course, he is also an elite athlete with the mental strength…

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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