nutrition

There are three fundamental factors that help maximize performance during training. They are the following:

  1. A sound strength and conditioning program
  2. A sound diet
  3. Proper rest

As you know, food is important for fueling your body and investing in your overall health. One trick to a winning nutrition is to prevent you from getting too hungry. Hunger depletes the energy you need, so you should choose the foods that both support your training program and enhance your health. There are six basic nutrients that your body needs for proper health. They are carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and water.

1. Carbohydrates: the primary source of fuel for your brain and muscles. You should get about 60% of your calories from carbohydrates. During competition this amount climbs to between 65 to 70% of daily intake. 1 gram of Carbs=4 Calories.

2. Fats: are a source of stored energy that is burned mostly during low level activity. Fats are needed to protect internal organs and to help break down fat-soluble vitamins. You should get about 20% of your calories from fat. 1 gram of Fat=9 Calories.

3. Proteins: are essential for building and repairing muscles, red blood cells, hair, and other tissues, and for synthesizing hormones. Protein breaks down into amino acids, which are rebuilt in the muscle back to protein. You should get about 0% of your calories from protein. 1 gram of Protein=4 Calories

4. Vitamins: are metabolic catalysts that regulate chemical reactions in the body. The include vitamins A, B complex, C, D, E, and K. Vitamins are not a direct source of energy.

5. Minerals: are elements obtained from foods that combine in many ways to form structures of the body and regulate body processes. Minerals are not a source of energy. Your vitamins and minerals are essential for Muscle gains, Fat loss, and max performance.

6. Water: is an essential substance that makes up about 60 to 75% of our body weight. It stabilizes our temperature, carries nutrients to and waist away from our cells, and is needed for cell function. Water does not provide energy.

Objective:
A. High Carbohydrate diet to allow the body to use energy more effectively and improve performance.
B. Low Fat intake
C. Adequate protein to provide for muscle maintenance and growth.
D. Adequate fluids to maintain proper hydration of the body tissue.
E. Include a variety of foods to allow for personal taste.

Carbohydrates
Proteins
Fats
60% of diet
20-25% of diet
15-20% of diet
Breads (whole&multigrain)
Milk
Whole Milk
Cereals (whole&multigrain)
Fish
Cheese
Vegetables
Eggs/Poultry
Butter
Fruits
Peanut Butter
Margarine
Beans
Oils
Meat
Nuts
     
Protein
Protein is important for muscle tissue repair and regeneration. It also helps strengthen the immune system. Most athletes require between 0.6 to 1.0 grams of protein per pound of body weight. For example, a player who is 200 pounds requires a range of 120-200 grams of protein/day (200 x 0.6-1.0 = 120-200 grams). Choose high quality protein sources at each meal and for snacks.

High Quality Protein Sources:
Chicken breast (skinless), turkey breast, lean beef, buffalo, wild salmon, canned tuna, eggs, low fat cottage cheese, low fat yogurt, low fat cheese, nuts, natural peanut butter, beans, soybeans, soy protein powder and whey protein powder.

Fat
Not all fats are created equal. Some will slow you down and clog your arteries, while others will keep your immune system and heart running strong. Here’s a quick list of good and bad fats. Choose more of the good and less of the bad.

Good Fats:
Olive, canola, peanut and flaxseed oils
Olive oil spray, Smart Balance spread
Fatty fish such as salmon, sardines, bluefish, tuna, mackerel
Avocados,
Pumpkin and sunflower seeds
Almonds, cashews, peanuts, walnuts, pecans, soy nuts, macadamias, and Brazil nuts
Natural peanut butter or other nut butters (cashew, almond butter)

Bad Fats:
Butter, cream, margarine, whole milk, cheese, fried foods, ice cream Anything made with partially hydrogenated oils (also know as “trans fats”)

Carbohydrate
Not all carbs are equal. Try to limit highly processed (refined, high glycemic) carbohydrates. These carbs will cause your energy level to spike and crash. Higher glycemic carbs are actually good choices for post-workout recovery foods as they help replenish energy to muscle quickly. For the rest of your meals and snacks, choose whole grains, fruits and vegetables for longer lasting energy. If you’re considering a low carb diet for weight loss, make sure you introduce some healthy carbs into your plan or you’ll soon find yourself lacking energy. As a general rule, the more active you are, the more carbs you needs.

“Good Carbs”/Low Glycemic:
Whole wheat bread (look for at least 3 grams of fiber and less than 5 grams of sugar per slice)
High fiber, low sugar cereals (Grape Nuts, Cheerios, Kashi Go Lean, Puffins, Shredded Wheat, Oatmeal)
Sourdough bread
Brown rice
Bulgur
Couscous
Whole-wheat pasta
Beans

Fruits such as apples, apricots, banana, blackberries, blueberries, cantaloupe, cherries, cranberries, grapefruit, grapes, guava, kiwi, mango, orange, papaya, peaches, plums, pomegranate (or pom juice), prunes, raspberries, tangerine, watermelon

Vegetable such as artichokes, asparagus, avocados, beets, bok choy, bell peppers, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, celery, cucumber, eggplant, greens (leafy), green beans, green peas, kale, mushrooms, okra, onions, pumpkins, romaine lettuce, snap peas, soybeans, spinach, squash, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, watercress

*Fruits and vegetables contain phytonutrients. Phytonuetrients are natural compounds found in plant-based foods that provide the rich pigment. Phytonutrients acts as the plant’s immune system and will help keep your immune system running strong. You can also find phytonutrients in whole grains, garlic, ginger, and cilantro as well as green and black teas. The more phytonutrients you eat, the better!

NUTRITIONAL GUIDE

“Not as good Carbs”/High Glycemic:

Products with high fructose corn syrup
Sugary cereals
White bread
White rice,
French fries
White potato
Potato chips
Pretzels
Enriched white pasta (large portions of it)
Juice (choose the fruit instead of juice to save calories)
Soda
Cookies and desserts

Vitamins, Supplements
Taking a basic multivitamin is good health insurance for a busy athlete-it’s impossible to eat well every day. But you can’t live on vitamins or supplements alone. To get the nutrients you need, pile good foods on your plate. Nutrition supplements are not regulated in the US. You should also check with a medical doctor before choosing any vitamins and/or supplements.

Hydration
Many factors can affect hydration needs. The weather, the type and duration of exercise can all influence your hydration. As soon as you start to dehydrate, our body responds by working harder. The heart rate increases, the muscles become starved of oxygen and your performance suffers. Sports drinks help replace fluid, carbohydrates and electrolytes that are lost during exercise. If you are exercising for over an hour, you may need to drink 6-12 ounces of sports drink every 20-30 minutes of exercise. Sports drinks all vary in carbohydrate amounts and types. Some are pure sugar. Others contain maltodextrin, a more slowly digested form. Save sports drinks for sports—they can add a lot of calories if you make them your casual drink outside of the ballpark.

Here’s a simple hydration test—look at the color of your urine. Bright yellow or dark yellow urine means you are dehydrated. Nutrition supplements and different medications may make your urine dark. You want to see a trend towards a pale, pale yellow to clear urine as the day goes on.

Meal timing
Time is everything! You should eat something every 3 hours to maintain a steady blood sugar level. This will help you stay both physically and mentally in-tune. Get comfortable with a pattern of smaller, more frequent meals and snack that work for you. Try not to rush through a meal. It should take you about 20 minutes to eat a meal (not 5-10 minutes). If you slow down, you’ll eat less and you’ll digest your food much better. This is challenging if you’re pressed for time but slowing down at the table can show up as huge improvements.

Recovery
Try to eat something within 30 minutes of your workout to help replenish your muscle glycogen (energy) stores. Your muscle cells never rely on just one nutrient so try to have a balance between carbohydrate and protein for recovery food. A combination of a high glycemic (quickly digested) carbohydrate such as white bread of a bagel with a protein such as peanut butter or eggs is ideal. Choosing a high glycemic carbohydrate following exercise helps stimulate insulin, an important hormone necessary for the transport of glucose and amino acids into the muscle. This helps with both glycogen store and protein synthesis.

Healthy Grab-and-Go Snack Choices
Piece of fruit and small bag of nuts or seeds
Low fat yogurt with handful of nuts
Cottage cheese with piece of fruit
Half sandwich with piece of fruit
String cheese with piece of fruit
Hard-boiled egg with piece of fruit
Trail mix with nuts, seeds and dried fruit
Crackers and peanut butter
Baby carrots with hummus
Infinity2 Energy Bar Natural Coconut Almond flavor
CytoSport Muscle Milk, Muscle Milk Collegiate, Muscle Milk Light Shakes and Ready-to-Drink Shakes
EAS Myoplex Deluxe and Myoplex Sport bars
EAS Myoplex Original and Myoplex Lite Shakes and Ready-to-Drink Shakes

Energy Drinks and Designer Antioxidant Drinks and Gels
There are plenty of energy drinks and antioxidant-rich drinks available to help decrease fatigue and assist recovery. Most energy drinks contain caffeine and herbs. Designer antioxidant-rich drinks and gels are concentrated juices extracted from fruits and exotic berries. While both types of drinks are fine to include in moderation, taking more than the recommended amount may work against you by adding too much caffeine and excess calories.

Late-night eating
You can’t avoid late-night eating but you can make better choices. Limit excess calories by choosing water along with your meal. Fill up on salad or vegetable and eat less starch and protein. Avoid greasy foods. Choose grilled items. Skip the restaurant and try a portable protein shake. No matter what you choose, choose less or you’ll store the excess calories as body fat.

How to Lose Fat
Sorry, but there’s no magic pill, diet, wrap or machine that will make body fat disappear. Regular diet and aerobic exercise plus a low fat, high nutrition eating habits will, for most of us, get the fat off and keep it off. Quick fix diets don’t work. Drastically lowering your calories, as often most quick diet programs do, has an adverse effect on your body. The body will think that it’s being starved, and it reacts by slowing down your metabolism to conserve fat. Good eating habits and regular exercise habits do.

Fewer Calories, More Exercise
In order to lose fat, you have to use more calories than your body consumes. Moderately reducing the calories as you increase exercise is the ticket to success and the best way to burn fat is through aerobic conditioning. By using larger muscle movements that elevate the heart rate, aerobic exercise creates an increased demand for and consumption of oxygen. Your muscles then extract that oxygen from the blood and use it to burn fat and sugar.

To step up the fat burning process, exercise longer or more often, but not harder. If your heart rate above your target amount you will be working anaerobicly (burning carbs only, no fats). Pace yourself for longer workouts by keeping your heart rate at a low to moderate beats per minute range. Research has also indicated that fat burning doesn’t end when the work is done. Regular anaerobic conditioning will raise your metabolism so you’ll continue to burn calories at a higher rate for up to several hours after conditioning is over. Remember you’ll burn more calories during aerobic conditioning, but will but them longer through anaerobic training.