My Food Journey: From Processed Chicken Patties To A Lifestyle Filled With Whole, Fresh And Clean Foods
Growing up as a young kid my Mom was a Curve’s for Women owner and had a background in health and nutrition. She tried to instill in us healthy foods and eating habits. I can remember sitting at the kitchen table griping over the organic and healthy foods she put in front of us. Never did I really understand the power of good eating that she was trying to convey.
I grew up in a small Wisconsin town called New Holstein. I was the oldest of 3 in a family that played a lot of sports and ate a lot of cheese. Because what else do you do in a town of 3,000 named after a cow ;)
In high school, I was a three-sport athlete eating the typical high school cafeteria junk food like processed chicken patty sandwiches, chips and cookies. How was this affecting my performance and lifestyle? I had no idea at the time.
The high school sport glory days. I played football, basketball, baseball, and track throughout high school
I continued on to college where these same habits occurred. Piles of processed dorm food, weekly frozen pizzas, and 3-4 nights of pretty heavy drinking. You could say I was at an all-time healthy living lifestyle low without really knowing. Why? Because I was young, fairly athletic and naive. I thought my body was invincible to choices like these.
Me chomping on a BIG steak and drinking some wine before heading out for a night on the town. This included plenty more drinks and late night drunchies like pizza and chips. Now I was never what I considered overweight or had any major health issues, BUT, If I would have continued down the path I was on in and out of college, there could have been some serious complications down the line.
As I graduated college, moved away from home, and started becoming more independent things slowly started to change. Every once in a while my roommate Spencer would be cooking with new food items I never heard of like quinoa and chickpeas. Haley, my girlfriend at the time and now wife, was a D-1 cross country and track and field athlete with a food science background and health degree. She began to call out my bad food habits and cooking her boxed pasta and canned sauce for date night dinners.
I knew something needed to change. But how? That’s when I got my hands on my first ever real “clean cooking” cookbook by Purely Elizabeth. Filled with wholesome meals, snacks and treats, my mind was opened to a whole new world. I started trying new foods and experimenting with new ingredients I’ve never heard of before. I kept an open mind to trying and incorporating new foods into my diet and documenting how it made me feel. Slowly things started to change. I had more energy, felt more clear, and was able to impress Haley with new home-cooked meals.
Eating Purely
The first “real” cookbook I ever laid my hands on. To this day I use this as a resource to learn about eating purely, making whole, clean foods and share meals with family and friends
Beginning to understand how much I valued a healthy lifestyle caused me to make other changes in my life as well. I began to cut out alcohol completely and incorporated more exercise into my routine. This led me to pick up my first bicycle, a Raleigh Willard, so I could cruise around the streets of Minneapolis. I commuted to work, started participating in bike rides, and got outside on my bike whenever I could.
My first bike baby!
This is when I really began to fall in love with cycling. Changing my diet helped motivate me to get out there and push my physical limits. While there still was some room for improvement, I made giant strides forward. I participated in a two-day 150-mile bike ride for MS. I also participated in a mini-triathlon race, raising funds for a local non-profit that I was working on a website project for.
My first long haul ride. The Bike MS150 from Duluth to Minneapolis
My love for cycling grew and my overall health and well-being improved. My passion for cycling and living a healthy lifestyle led me to join the Loppet Cycle Works team as I sought out joining a community supporting cycling, youth development, and equity. My activity levels increased and so did my nutritional needs. From strength and cycling training to coaching and yoga my body needed food in a new way I never experienced before.
This opened my door to a whole new level of nutrition and performance. Diving into new books like Run Fast. Cook Fast. Eat Slow. The Feed Zone, Finding Ultra, and Salt. Fat. Acid. Heat. helped expand my knowledge about nutrition and performance along with cooking in the kitchen.
Things really took a turn when COVID-19 hit and my job became fully remote. Working from home allowed me to spend more time in the kitchen. I remember during the first week of COVID, Haley and I had a “staycation” and we cooked up a storm in the kitchen. Homemade granola, cashew cocoa energy bars, cashew spiced nut butter, and biscotti. There was nothing better and nourishing than homecooked foods.
Not only was cooking something I did in my spare time to fuel my body, but it was also a way to express my creativity and give myself a break in the day from work at home life. To me, cooking was a time when I got in my flow state and lost track of all time. This is the moment when cooking, nutrition, and cycling really took off for me.
I started competing competitively in ultra-endurance mountain bike and gravel races like The Day Across Minnesota, The MDH BUCK150, and the Co2Ut. With that also came more training, dialing in my nutrition, and just in general falling in love with the sport of cycling.
If you’re looking for a good place to start with your food and cycling adventures, look into making these 17 Homemade Cycling Snacks + Recipes To Fuel Your Next Ride
I can confidently say that my food habits and choices helped me transform my life tremendously. Not only for performing on the bike but for the overall physical and mental well-being benefits it gives me. My mind was clear and my body was able to take on the demanding, yet rewarding experiences I sought.
Cooking and cycling have since become part of my identity. What I’ve learned through this entire process though is that it’s not really about the actual cooking or cycling for me.
What it’s really about is:
Eating properly to help me cycle, adventure and see the world now and into my 80’s
Expressing myself and sharing my love of food with others
Bringing people together and making good food more accessible - whether it’s for the youth cyclists I coach, hosting family and friends for a dinner party, or running a Muesli food drive to raise awareness and funds for those living with food insecurity
One of my goals with Biked Goods is to share my love of good food and nutrition with the youth athletes I coach. Not only to help with their performance in sports, but for living wholesome and healthy lives as they get older.
Food in its own right is POWERFUL. It’s been bringing people together from all over the world since the beginning of time. In my mind, CYCLING is one of the most accessible activities on the planet (In terms of anyone being able to hop on any kind of bike and go). It gives you an enormous sense of FREEDOM, escaping the stresses of your life and pedaling away. Combine these together and you have the ultimate combo to UNITE and bring people TOGETHER to live a more fulfilling and healthy life.
Another goal of Biked Goods is nutrition education. This bike food drive was part of a campaign was to raise awareness about children and families living with food insecurity around the metro area. Funds were raised to purchase Muesli from Seven Sundays and then delivered via Bike to Every Meal where meals were distributed to families in need.
That’s why I started Biked Goods. To bring people together over two universal activities. To make good food and cycling more accessible. To put a smile on others' faces, especially during these times of turmoil.
Cooking and cycling are the two things that I look at and believe can make a positive impact in the lives of others. From small to large changes, I fully believe it starts in the kitchen and the bicycle takes you from there.
Hence my motto: #EatGoodBikedGoodFeelGood
I invite you to join me on this journey and carve up your own menu along with me. Start by signing up for the BikedGoods newsletter. This will give you a little taste of what Biked Goods is all about! Sign up to get free recipe updates and a monthly roundup of all good things related to cycling, food and community.
See you inside! - Tyler @ Biked Goods
