Complete information on Nutrition for Athletes

Nutrition: “those properties of food that build sound bodies and promote health; a balanced diet containing adequate amounts of the essential nutritional elements that the body must have to function normally.”

Nutrition by any other name still means the same thing…nourishment, sustenance, FOOD! As an athlete, you know that nutrition plays a key role in your performance. But often, this component of training is misunderstood. There is a wealth of nutritional information out there and it can get pretty confusing.

What is the best training diet? High or low carbohydrate? High or low protein? Low fat or no fat? One popular diet advises a dietary regimen of , 40% carbohydrate, 30% protein, and 30% fat at each of three small meals (about 500 calories each) and two snacks (about 100 calories each) per day. Is this the best diet for optimum athletic performance? Without delving into a lot of scientific lingo, let me shed some light on these ideas.

The favored fuel for exercise is carbohydrate. It is stored in the form of glycogen in your muscles and liver glycogen. You cannot train or compete well on a low carbohydrate, low calorie diet. You need to eat enough calories and carbohydrate to maintain muscle and liver glycogen stores. The above diet is only about 1700 calories per day; much too low for the average athlete training several hours a week. Your body stores only about 1600-2100 calories of carbohydrate in your muscles, liver, and blood. This is the energy equivalent of a 150 pound athlete running 15-18 miles. When your muscle glycogen is depleted, you “hit the wall” and feel overwhelmingly fatigued and ready to quit. When your liver glycogen is depleted you “bonk” (feel uncoordinated, light-headed, weak, unable to concentrate) because inadequate glucose is available to the brain. The bottom line is that the majority of your diet should come from carbohydrate sources to insure adequate fuel for training.

Let’s move on to protein. Contrary to popular belief, exercise, not extra dietary protein, builds muscle. Today’s popular high protein diets will not provide enough carbohydrate to fuel your muscles to allow you to exercise hard enough to meet your potential. Depending on your athletic goals your protein needs range from 0.55 to 0.81 grams of protein per pound of body weight per day, or about 80 – 122 grams per day for a 150 pound athlete. Serious weight lifters are at the upper end of the range. A diet too high in protein may make you too full to eat adequate amounts of carbohydrate to fuel your muscles. High protein diets may also promote dehydration through excess urination when waste products from protein metabolism are excreted. Finally, a high protein intake may promote a high fat intake, because many high protein foods are also high in fat.

And what about fat in your diet? How much fat do you need? Most athletes tend to err on the conservative side when it comes to fat. We avoid it like we avoid missing a workout. Fat has become the bad guy. Just about any food these days is available in a “fat free” version. Truth is, our bodies need some fat. A diet too low in fat can impair exercise performance. Fat is an essential part of hormones, cell membranes, and the nervous system. Fat is needed for the absorption of fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K. Perhaps the most obvious function of fat in your diet is that it makes you feel full and satisfied after eating. Without some fat in your diet, you may feel hungry all the time.

So what does all this mean? The best training diet is composed of 60-70% carbohydrate, 10-20% protein, and 20-25% fat. Although supplements may be convenient, there is no need to consume fancy protein powders or supplements. Save your money and spend it on good, healthful food. Eat plenty of whole grain breads, cereal, rice, pasta, potatoes, and fresh fruits/vegetables for carbohydrates; dried beans/peas, lean meats, and low fat dairy products for protein; and moderate amounts of fat from primarily unsaturated sources (olive/canola/peanut oils, nuts/seeds, avocados, light margarine/salad dressing). And remember to drink plenty of non-caffeinated fluids.

Now let’s put this in more practical terms. The average calorie needs for a competitive endurance athlete training about seven hours a week is at least 3500 calories for a male and 2800 calories for a female. This is a general guideline, so don’t worry about counting calories. Be more concerned with getting a balanced intake of a variety of healthful foods. The following is a sample 3000 calorie training diet to give you an idea of the appropriate amount of food to eat to keep you well-fueled for optimum performance:

Breakfast: 2 cups whole grain cereal 1 cup skim milk 1 slice whole wheat toast 1 Tbsp. Light Margarine 1 Tbsp. Jam 1 cup orange juice 1 banana

Morning Snack: 1 cup plain low-fat yogurt 1 cup strawberries sprinkled with 1 tsp sugar 2 graham cracker sheets

Lunch: Turkey Sandwich 2 slices whole wheat bread 3 ounces turkey 1 Tbsp. Light Mayonnaise Lettuce and tomato 1 ounce baked chips or pretzels 1 cup grapes 1 cup raw baby carrots

Afternoon Snack: 1 cup skim milk 3 fig cookie bars

Dinner: 1.5 cups cooked pasta 1 cup tomato sauce mixed with 1/2 cup cottage cheese 4 Tbsp Parmesan Cheese 3 cups mixed vegetable salad 2 Tbsp Light Salad Dressing 1 slice Garlic Bread

Evening Snack: 1 cup Light Frozen Yogurt

Food is fuel. But food is also pleasure. Your body is pretty smart. If you eat a variety of wholesome foods most of the time, then you can afford to fit in your favorite dessert or gooey treat occasionally. All foods can fit into your diet. There is no such thing as a “good” or “bad” food, only better food choices. If you fuel your body properly, then it will be better equipped to help you meet your athletic potential.

The Basics of Muscle Recovery Post Workout

By Syd Johnston RD/LD/CSCS

There are many factors to consider when you’re trying to decide what to do for post-exercise muscle recovery. Here is a thumbnail sketch of how to plan for your recovery, which begins before you work out.

Before Exercise

The best way to make your muscle recovery plan effective is to go into your work out in a well-nourished state to prevent depletion of energy, water, and nutrient stores. Our first consideration, water, is the fluid medium in which virtually every biochemical reaction in the body .The body is approximately 65-70% water, and skeletal muscle is on the high end at 70% water. When we become dehydrated our performance and physical health become compromised. Adequate fluid balance (hydration) is essential for optimal performance and for effective recovery from training or exercise.

Eat a carbohydrate rich meal with adequate protein and fat; one that is agreeable to you and if prior to competition, will not react adversely with pre-competition jitters. Timing is important as well, so you probably will not want to eat any closer than two hours to ninety minutes prior to exercise while maintaining hydration through liberal consumption of water and/or sports drink before competition.

Daring Exercise

It is essential that during exercise, especially in the heat, 4- 8 oz. of water or sports drink beverage be consumed regularly (every 15-30 minutes) to prevent dehydration. Even with regular intervals of rehydration fluid losses will still occur.(l) Post-training you may need to consume anywhere between a pint to as much as a gallon or more of water or sports drink depending on the intensity of training and the environmental conditions in which you may have exercised.

Any athlete who has ever exercised in the heat for a period of more than 30 minutes knows what the repercussions are for lack of proper hydration: muscle cramping, nausea, dizziness, heat stroke, and possibly even a heart attack if the exerciser or athlete is not acclimated and is seriously dehydrated. Any one of these is enough to throw a wrench in anybody’s post-work out muscle recovery plan and might even make you wish you had not gone out at all. So my advice is, drink up!

After Exercise

For most people, the first order of business comes about very naturally: we rush to find the nearest source of water whether it be a fluid-filled backpack, water fountain or bottle of water or sports drink. After quenching your thirst your next thoughts might turn to replenishing your body with carbs, protein, and electrolytes. Another consideration might be how to best recover from delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS).

Basic guidelines for rehydration after exercise are that for every pound of weight you lose from a workout, 2-3 cups of fluid should be consumed to replace it. Weigh yourself prior to exercise and again after exercise to determine how much weight you have lost. It is virtually ail fluid weight lost through sweat, water droplets in expired air, and insensible losses. The amount of weight lost is the amount of fluid you need to consume. Water or sports drinks are the best fluid-replacement choices.

In prolonged exercise in the heat sweat loss may deplete up to 13 to 17 grams of sodium in a day, which is about 8-10 grams more sodium than is consumed in a typical American diet. Potassium loss through exercise usually is negligible except under the most extreme conditions such as endurance training in desert heat. Consumption of fruit such as oranges, honey dew melon, or raisins will provide sufficient repletion of any potassium lost in a typical one to two hour workout. If exercise is prolonged extra sodium may need to be consumed. This can be done by consuming an oral rehydration solution (sports drink) or simply by adding some salt to your food; about one teaspoon will do.

The consumption of carbohydrates post-work out is vitally important for restoration of lost glycogen. Glycogen is the storage form of glucose which is derived from the carbohydrate-containing foods we eat. It is the major energy source from which muscle derives its power during exercise. An athlete who trains aerobically at high intensity for an hour or more can decrease liver glycogen by 55% and can significantly decrease glycogen levels in the exercised muscles such as the quads and hamstrings in the case of a runner. Activities of high intensity for a minute or more with short periods of rest can dramatically decrease muscle glycogen content in the exercised muscles. Examples of such activities are ice hockey, soccer, track running drills, or moderate to high volume resistance training with short rest periods.

Carbohydrate needs post-work out vary from person to person and are dependent upon intensity, duration of exercise, and of course, body size. In general, for every hour of exercise 50-75 grams of carbohydrate should be consumed up to a total of 500 grams post workout. Foods such as white rice, pasta, grapes, raisins, bananas, or any food that is high in carbohydrates and low in fat and fiber are excellent choices. Foods high in fiber like apples, pears, tomatoes, bell peppers, squash, beans, whole grains, and/or high in fat like candy bars, ice cream, peanut butter, and whole milk should not be eaten post-work out because they will delay gastric emptying and thereby prevent rapid repletion of muscle glycogen.

Protein may also be used as an energy source, especially if the athlete is following a low carbohydrate diet or is near the end of an intense competition or training session and his/her glycogen stores are near depletion. When glycogen stores become depleted or are near depletion the body will begin using free amino acids as a source of energy. This inhibits anabolism, which is contrary to the goals of athletes. In terms of exercise, the longer you exercise, as in the case of an endurance runner, it is very likely that amino acids will be catabolized (broken down) to glucose to supply energy to working muscles as well as to sustain necessary metabolic processes. This can occur when a person either has not adequately fueled-up on carbohydrate and fat, or has exercised past the point provided by stored glycogen and it becomes easier for the body to utilize the free amino acids than to liberate and oxidize stored glycogen and lipids.

Practically speaking, break up your protein intake into four meals per day, with one of those meals being your post- workout meal. For example, based on the protein needs of an endurance athlete weighing 82 kg discussed below, each meal should contain roughly 25-30 grams protein, including the post-workout meal. The strength training individual weighing 82 kg will need between 30-41 grams protein post workout with the same provision of 4 meals day with roughly similar amounts protein per meal.

Time your post-workout meal based on adage: “the sooner the better”. Typically consumption of carbohydrates and protein should occur within 30 to 90 minutes post-exercise to achieve the greatest recovery benefits.