Food to Fuel

I’m currently training for the OXFAM 100km walk this April 10 with my team, Team Supercool, with three other team members.

Teams are given 36 hours to complete the race in, walking through the night going from dawn to dawn with no sleep. It’s a huge challenge, one that I’ve been training for since December last year - it will probably be the hardest thing I’ve ever done!

We’ve been trail blazing over Auckland’s Waitakere and Hanua ranges, learning a lot about how our bodies work over long distant hikes which can range from as short as 8km to as long as 42+km in distance.When you are hiking such long distances fuel is obviously important. We’re always trying new and natural energy foods that steer away from preservatives and from what I call false energy sources such as caffeine and high amounts of processed sugar.

Below is an easy recipe for incredibly tasty banana oat treats, we have been eaten these on our hikes, they are so yummy, have no added sugar or solid fats. Plus it’s a great way to use up your ripe bananas and it’s so much easier to make than a banana cake. I’m sure the children in your OSCAR Programme will love them !

Banana oat treats
3 bananas
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup chopped dates, or sultanas etc
1/3 cup vege oil – can be reduced by adding a bit more banana
1 tsp vanilla extract
Mash bananas first then combine the other ingredients, let sit for 10 mins then roll into truffle sized balls on oven tray and bake on 180 for 20minutes.

Get creative! If allergies aren’t an issue, to increase the protein content, think about combining a few seeds or nuts with the oats to give you those complete amino acids, perfect for us vegetarians.

Anastasia