How to Put Pinole and Chia to Work for You
So you’ve read Born to Run, right?
Then you already know all about the mind-blowing endurance of the Tarahumara. You know how they rely on pinole and chia to help them run 50 or 100 miles or more, gracefully and seemingly without effort.
And since you’ve gotten this far, you must be like me. After reading Born to Run and getting a glimpse of what the human body is capable of, you’re not satisfied going back to your old ways. You don’t want to keep sucking down sugary, processed gels, and making the same slow, gradual progress you’ve been making.
You want to figure out how to harness the energy in pinole and chia, these foods that the Tarahumara trust and that so few other runners have ever had the chance to try. You want to supercharge your own running and take your endurance to new, unthinkable heights.
And you want your running buddies to wonder what exactly it is you’re doing that they’re not.
Why the Tarahumara Don’t Use Energy Gels or Sports Drinks
I’m sure you know all about how high-tech running shoes have increased the incidence of injury, not reduced it. Well, it’s sort of the same way with commercial sports drinks and energy gels.
Most sports drinks and gels are full of sugar. Just like shoe companies want us to believe we need their shoes to avoid injury, big sports nutrition manufacturers have trained us to believe that sugar is what we need to run faster and farther. That way, we’ll keep on buying their stuff. But here’s the secret that they’re not telling us.
Sure, sugar is great for running—short distances! Sugar is a great fast-burning fuel when you need to run fast but not far. Your body can only store a very small amount of sugar, enough to run at moderate intensity for about 90 minutes. So what happens when you run out, say, during a marathon or ultra, or perhaps even a half?
Well, either your body shuts down—if you’ve ever bonked, you know the feeling all too well—or you take in more sugar to replenish your reserves. This would be fine, except for one problem.
Your stomach can only take in so much food at a time, somewhere between 200 and 600 calories per hour while you’re running. But running burns calories faster than you can refuel, so you can’t keep up. Try to run on sugar alone, and you’ll bonk long before you reach the end of an ultramarathon. Luckily, there’s a solution.
Burning Fat is Where It’s At
No matter how proud you might be of your slender runner’s body, you’ve still got tens, maybe hundreds of thousands of calories stored in the form of fat. Calories that you can use to run insane distances. The trick is getting your body to use this slow-burning fat, rather than relying on quick-burning sugar. (Think of sugar as lighter fluid, and fat as coal.)
If all you consume while you run is sugar, that’s what your body is going to burn. It’s like an addiction. You quickly run out of sugar (lighter fluid), and in order to keep it going, you need more of it, fast.
Give your body less sugar and more fat and protein, and over time it will learn to burn fat, switching over to sugar only after many hours of running, or at the highest intensities. And you’ll probably be surprised to find that when you start fueling with whole foods, rather than pumping as much sugar into your stomach as possible through artificial gels and drinks, that your stomach feels better and your GI problems disappear.
That’s why the Tarahumara eat pinole and chia (or iskiate) instead of gels and sports drinks. (That, and I have no idea where they’d buy them even if they wanted to.)
So now you know the reasons why the Tarahumara fuel their their runs with pinole and chia. And I’ll bet you’d like to do the same. But there’s just one problem.
For the modern runner, fueling with pinole and chia is a major hassle.
Maybe carrying a satchel of pinole to mix into a coarse, wet paste in the palm of your hand while you’re running works in the tribal culture of the Copper Canyon, but it’s not exactly convenient in today’s world.
And if you’ve ever tried to stomach a gritty, smoky-tasting pinole drink or to take a few gulps of a gelatinous iskiate, you probably didn’t try it again.
But we weren’t ready to give up on the promise of pinole and chia so easily. On the morning of a marathon or an ultra, we wanted these Tarahumara superfoods in our corner. Imagine how much better it feels to bring pinole with you when you run, instead of eating the sugary drinks and energy gels or nutritionally-empty bagels that so many modern runners eat in our modern, over-processed world.
So we looked around for recipes that made pinole and chia more convenient (and let’s not forget tasty). And when we found that they didn’t exist, we knew exactly what we had to do.
We had to invent them ourselves.
15 Pinole and Chia Recipes that Fit Your Modern Lifestyle
Introducing Fuel Your Run the Tarahumara Way, a 37-page downloadable e-cookbook that includes:
- 15 easy pinole and chia recipes made from real ingredients, so you’ll know exactly what you’re putting in your body—no mystery ingredients here
- Recipes for portable pinole- and chia-based snacks and meals you can carry with you on your run to fuel like the Tarahumara
- Less sugar than commercial gels or sports drinks, to help train your body to burn fat instead of sugar
- Why the Tarahumara corn is unlike most cornmeal—and the common grocery-store ingredient you can buy that is almost identical to what the Tarahumara eat
- Pre-workout breakfast recipes—start your day with the foods you always love for breakfast: waffles, pancakes, smoothies, and muffins, made from pinole and chia
- Energy bars and brownies—better than what you buy in a store and at a fraction of the cost
- Updated versions of the traditional recipes—an iskiate smoothie and a pinole porridge to satisfy your modern tastes
- Savory bean-and-pinole dinner recipes that provide complete proteins to repair muscle tissue after workouts
- Hidden nutrition—beans baked into energy bars and the brownies taste so great you’d never guess the secret
- Easy digestion for sensitive stomachs—over the long haul, real, whole food will keep your stomach in check
- Nutrition facts—every recipe includes protein, carbohydrate, and fat breakdowns to help you Tarahumara-ize any nutrition plan
Who We Are
You can count on these recipes to deliver because of the people who created them. One of us, Matt Frazier, is an ultramarathoner who has run two 50-milers and is training for his first 100. (Matt also runs the 3,000+ subscriber website, NoMeatAthlete.com.) The other, Christine Frazier, is a professional baker with a knack for sneaking serious nutrition into delicious energy bars and baked goods.
But we didn’t stop with tasty, healthy, and portable: We made sure that the recipes in this book were simple enough to be made not by chefs, but by endurance athletes who’d much rather be running 20 miles in the woods than stuck inside cooking.
Read How Fuel Your Run the Tarahumara Way Has Helped Other Runners and Triathletes!
“I’ll admit I was wary of what weird crap Matt might have come up with to make chia and pinole interesting and palatable…”
This book made the Tarahumara ‘super runner’ nutrition principles I read about (and was really jazzed about) in Born to Run accessible for me — as someone who didn’t want to carry a bag of toasted corn flour around or drink mucousy iskiate as the Tarahumara do. I’m not a vegetarian. I eat the normalest of normal-guy food, and I’ll admit I was wary of what weird crap Matt might have come up with to make chia and pinole interesting and palatable. And — let’s be honest — I was further wary when a recipe for BROWNIES used PINTO BEANS. But man, you just have to try some of these recipes and have faith, because he’s made some great creations here. Even if you’re a mainstream carnivore, chances are you’re bound to really enjoy the recipes in this book.-Johnny B. Truant, JohnnyBTruant.com
“No stomach issues. Serious amounts of energy.”
My biggest issue was finding a solid food that would give me energy on my long runs through the woods. My stomach can’t handle a lot of things and I hate energy gels. Pinole has been the answer for me. I eat a little before my run and stuff a little bit in the pocket of my hand helds.No stomach issues. Serious amounts of energy. Long live pinole!
-Sean Cunningham, Columbia, SC
“After hours of gels, it was great to have something I could chew.”
Thanks for introducing me to the wonderful world of pinole. While training for my 50-mile trail race this summer, I frequently enjoyed the pinole waffles. I’d make a batch ahead of time, cut the waffles into strips, and take one along on my longest runs (4-6 hours). After hours of gels, it was great to have something I could chew. I loved their taste and texture, and—bonus!—they never upset my delicate GI system. And this fall, I have been enjoying the pinole porridge recipe. It fills me up work day, and keeps me from snacking at my desk. Thanks for the cookbook!-Erica Lake, Salt Lake City, UT
“Other bars wear off early into the long runs and bikes but these seem to keep on providing energy for much longer.”
I was aiming at breaking 6 hours for my 1/2 Ironman distance.
I read Born to Run and shortly after, I Googled ‘pinole’ to see if I could get some and I came across your book. The biggest thing has been the additional energy the pinole energy bars seems to give me late in the long runs and bikes. Fueling up with these bars instead of the store brands seems to provide me with more sustained energy. Other bars wear off early into the long runs and bikes but these seem to keep on providing energy for much longer.
Training became more effective. Eating even half a bar seemed better than doing a full store-bought variety. And these bars did not upset my stomach as much as store-bought bars. I make a big batch and keep some in the freezer and some in the refrigerator. Even my finicky running partner likes the bars.
So, on my 60th birthday, in Augusta, Georgia this past September, I dropped 25 minutes off my previous best time, and raced a 5:50 1/2 Ironman. Might be something to these bars.
Thanks for the book and recipes.
-Garry ‘Maddog’ Mattox
“This cookbook does not disappoint.”
After learning about the superhuman ways of the Tarahumara, I knew I had to have a copy of Fuel Your Run the Tarahumara Way. This cookbook does not disappoint. Not only is it fun to read, the recipes are easy to make and deliver clean energy in a unique way. I was so impressed with Fuel Your Run the Tarahumara Way that I decided to cook and blend my way through the book on my own blog!-Courtney Carver, BeMoreWithLess.com
“I have hopefully used gels for the last time.”
Prior to purchasing Fuel Your Run the Tarahumara Way, I was struggling to find the right balance between eating enough carbohydrates and protein prior to my long run and not overeating. These recipes are awesome, because I do not have to worry about protein and carbs, since the book lets me know how much each recipe provides my body.
After heading to the local healthy food market, I obtained most of the key ingredients. The night before my long run, I made the No-Bake Pinole-Chia Granola Bars. I was surprised at how easy they were to make.
During my run, I had plenty of energy, and even better, I had no stomach or digestive issues like I sometimes get with trying to fuel on carbohydrates prior to my run. I have hopefully used gels for the last time.
I have been stressing on what I can eat prior to my upcoming marathon, since I will not have a fridge and kitchen available. Now I know I can bring a few biscuits, pinole-chia granola bars and maybe a few pinole muffins and brownies to eat the night before, pre-race, during the race, and after the race.
The Strawberry Iskiate Smoothie makes an excellent post-run smoothie. I never felt good about store-bought recovery drinks but I used them because they are convenient and they claim to help my body recover. The Strawberry Iskiate Smoothie is very easy to make, tastes much better, and I felt my recovery was fast. I am looking forward to the muffins, waffles, pancakes and, well, just about everything.
-Brian Hagan, Brighton, MI
The pinole recipe is easy…the only problem is I go through the stash of pinole so fast! I ate both the granola and the smoothie before my recent long run and it went really well…no fatigue and no stomach issues. So thank you for putting the recipes together, and if you have a second edition, put me on your mailing list! I will pass it on!
-Monique L., Salem, OR
That’s not all!
Download Fuel Your Run the Tarahumara Way now, and you’ll also get a bonus recipe — a natural, unprocessed energy gel made with chia seeds that you can use in place of the expensive, processed, commercial gel you’re currently using on your runs.
Not only will you be able to pronounce the name of every ingredient in this gel, you’ll also know that you’re getting the water-retaining and joint-lubricating properties of chia that are the reason for all those legends of ancient soldiers relying on it before battle. Plus, this natural chia energy gel takes just a few minutes to make, and weighs in at only 66 cents per serving! When the alternative you get in a running store costs well over a dollar (sometimes two!), this one won’t take many runs before it pays for itself.
Still Not Sure? Here’s Why You Don’t Need to Worry.
Your satisfaction is 100% guaranteed. Give our pinole and chia recipes a try. If within 30 days they haven’t completely transformed the way you fuel for long runs, go ahead and email a copy of the book to someone else you think it might be a better fit for. Then let us know that it wasn’t for you, we’ll be happy to give you a full and courteous refund, no questions asked.
Are you ready to become a runner that does things your own way?
You came here searching for pinole recipes, and now you’ve found them. Try Fuel Your Run the Tarahumara Way today and discover how far the ancient superfoods can take you. You can be running with pinole and chia tonight.
For $15.95, you’ll get instant, downloadable access to the book with all 15 recipes, plus the bonus chia energy gel recipe. Isn’t finding just one go-to recipe you can depend on to get you through the tough miles worth far more than that?
You can either go back to fueling with expensive, processed gels, or (for the price of a handful of them) start powering your runs with natural pinole and chia. Over 800 of your competitors already have.
Click the button below to download Fuel Your Run the Tarahumara Way and the bonus chia gel recipe now! You’ll be redirected to the download page as soon as your purchase is complete.
Note: This is an ebook. There is no physical product to ship, so you won’t pay any shipping.
P.S.: You’re not risking anything by trying this out. If you get the book and decide you don’t like it, just send me an email at support@pinolerecipes.com for a hassle-free refund, faster than you can say Rarámuri.
