Fitness Food: Chefs Take On Sports Nutrition

THERE'S A FINE LINE between mussels and muscles for Dennis Marron. If he hadn't grown up to be the chef at the Grille at Morrison House, there's a chance he'd have followed his other childhood dream: to be a gym teacher.

Although he may have settled for football metaphors over games — "Cooking is a team sport. A lot of chefs think of themselves as coaches or quarterbacks," he opines — that doesn't mean he stuffed his love of surfing, volleyball and other active pursuits to the back of the pantry. In fact, Marron is in his final weeks of training for the Marine Corps Marathon and plans to tackle a triathlon next.

As it turns out, his kitchen savvy comes in handy for fueling his lengthy training runs along the Potomac. Those barely edible energy bars most athletes choke down? "I'm not sure how long they've been sitting in a warehouse," he says. Besides, they often have that unappetizing "doughy mouth feel."

So, after a bit of messing around — there was a variation that involved gummy bears — Marron crafted his own recipe with ingredients he knew would taste good.

One of those bars along with some fruit and yogurt rev Marron up in morning so he can jog over to Roosevelt Island or Mount Vernon, and then return to the restaurant to whip up dishes such as escargot gratin and profiteroles. And if he wants to indulge a bit, he can get away with it. "After a 16-mile run, it doesn't matter what you eat," he says.

Even though Jeff Tunks — the chef behind DC Coast, TenPenh, Ceiba and Acadiana — prefers cycling due to a bum knee, he operates his body with a similar principle.

"I work out so I can eat more," says Tunks, who has managed to shrink his waist from 54 to 42 inches over the past few years. Adjusting his eating habits from endless grazing followed by late-night binging to a more sensible amount of sampling and thoughtfully portioned meals has helped, as has a devotion to cardio and resistance training.

Like Marron, Tunks has found his culinary training comes in handy when planning his personal menu. "For breakfast, I eat three eggs but just one yolk. I scramble those up and have whole-wheat toast and V8 juice. The higher-protein-based breakfast lasts me longer," he says. When lunchtime rolls around, he can take advantage of a restaurant kitchen full of prepped veggies and lean proteins to throw together a satisfying salad.

A better diet hasn't just led to an astounding weight loss — more than 100 pounds — but Tunks now snoozes more soundly after curing his sleep apnea, no longer aches in his joints, and takes off for skiing vacations. And more importantly for his diners, eating well has given him more endurance in the kitchen.

"We're on our feet all day long. We're constantly walking and lifting. If you don't have your body, you can't cook," agrees chef Amy Brandwein of Fyve, who credits her stamina to a lifetime of running and soccer.

Her wonder food? Whole-wheat pasta. Tossed with broccoli rabe, garlic and pecorino, it's a favorite. Or she'll throw in chickpeas, tomatoes or chicken. "I like it because it's more steady with the way it releases sugar," she says.

To those who complain that whole-wheat pasta can't be tasty, Brandwein argues they're doing it wrong — cook it in salted water and then fortify it with olive oil and herbs, like hot pepper, paprika or cumin. "There are ways to infuse flavor without calories," she says.

If you're running the Marine Corps Marathon, you can taste for yourself how delicious pasta can be. Both Brandwein at Fyve and Marron at the Grille have special carb-loading menus scheduled for competitors on the eve of the race. And maybe you can persuade Marron to slip you one of his wonder bars.

Marron's Marathoner's Bar

Makes about 4 dozen bars

» INGREDIENTS: 1 cup John McCann's Steel Cut Irish Oatmeal; 1 1/2 cups dried apricots, finely chopped; 1 1/2 cups dried cherries; 1 cup shredded unsweetened dry coconut; 1 cup blanched almonds, chopped; 1/2 cup nonfat dry milk; 1/2 cup toasted wheat germ; 2 teaspoons butter; 1/2 cup light corn syrup; 1/2 cup honey; 3/4 cup brown sugar; 1 1/4 cups chunk-style peanut butter; 1 teaspoon orange extract; 2 teaspoons orange zest; 2 cups semisweet chocolate baking chips; 4 ounces paraffin (optional)

SPREAD OATS in a 10-inch x 15-inch baking pan. Bake at 300 degrees for about 25 minutes until oats are toasted. Stir frequently to prevent burning.

Pour apricots, cherries, coconut, almonds, dry milk and wheat germ into a large bowl and mix well. Combine hot oats with dried fruit mixture.

In a frying pan, combine corn syrup, honey and sugar. Bring to a rolling boil over medium high heat and quickly stir in the peanut butter, orange extract and orange zest.

Pour over the oatmeal mixture and mix well. Quickly spread in buttered pan and press into an even layer. Cover and chill until firm (at least four hours or until the next day).

Cut into bars about 1¼ by 2½ inches.

Place chocolate chips and paraffin (if using) in a double boiler over simmering water. Stir often until melted, and keep heat on low. (Note paraffin will make a smoother, more durable shell).

Using tongs, dip one bar at a time into chocolate and hold over pan until the chocolate mixture coats and stops dripping (with paraffin, the coating firms very quickly). Place each bar on a wire rack set above waxed paper.

When firm and cool, serve bars or wrap individually in foil. Bars can be refrigerated for up to four weeks and frozen for extended usage.

Photos by Lawrence Luk/Express