Step one foods have a profound effect on your body’s ability to deal with stress of training as well as your everyday life. A chronic exposure to stress (metabolic: training, Environmental: heat, flu season, Emotional: dealing with the media, finances) and inflammation has recently been identified as a major factor in contributing to the onset of heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, neurological disorders, and host of auto immune diseases.
Carbohydrates provide the body with energy it needs to do quality work. Both starches and sugars are considered carbohydrates. Your body eventually breaks all carbohydrates down to sugar in our blood. How quickly the sugar gets into our blood is measured by the glycemic index (0 – 100, with 0 taking the longest).
When carbohydrate levels are low in the blood, your body will fatigue quicker and you will lose a step. Muscles that are naturally slow to relax between contractions are those most likely to become fatigued. These muscles will become tight and are more vulnerable to cramping and pulling. Over time, slight strains can lead to the scarring of tissue within the muscle which can ultimately lead to an increased risk of a chronic problem within the muscle.
High blood sugar levels (too much carbs in the diet) can promote the accumulation of body fat and a host of problems associated with Type II diabetes. Kidney damage, high blood pressure, and the decreased ability of antioxidants to cope with stress are all effects oh high blood sugar.
Spreading protein intake throughout the day is important to improve our efficiency or rate of recovery as well as promoting tissue remodeling after your workout. Your rate of protein synthesis (rebuilding) is at its peak about three hours after activity and again while you are sleeping.
Fluids and Hydration:
Hydration is a major issue for those who exercise. Dehydration is a serious issue and can lead to many medical issues including death. If you wait until you are thirsty to drink, you have simply waited too long. Symptoms of dehydration are headaches, nausea, dizziness, clumsiness, and possibly a loss of consciousness.
One method to monitor your hydration level is to “see your pee”. A well hydrated person will have light to clear urine. Dark concentrated urine is a sign of dehydration and/or heavy supplement use.
During workouts, a person needs about 8 – 16 ounces of water every 15 minutes. Sports drinks such as Gatorade help to stimulate the drive to drink due to the sodium in the formulas. Water can often diminish the athlete’s drive to drink. Sports drinks also contain dilute levels of fast digesting carbohydrates to help prevent the blood sugar levels from falling too low, resulting in fatigue.
If you don’t take in fluids as you sweat, your blood actually thickens. This physiologic change requires your heart to pump harder and faster therefore leaving the exercising muscles in a nutrient and oxygen depleted state. Result: cramping, muscle tears, and lactic acid production.
Fuel Before and After Workouts/Competition
The Pre-Exercise Meal
The pre-event meal serves two purposes. First it keeps you from feeling hungry and sluggish before and during exertion, and secondly it helps to maintain optimal levels of energy (blood glucose) for the exercising muscles during training and competition.
Eating before exercise can be challenging for most people. While they need fuel to perform, they should not exercise on a full stomach. Food that remains in the stomach during training or competition may cause indigestion, nausea, and possibly vomiting. A good recommendation is to eat a meal 2- 4 hours before exercise. If a person is nervous about his or her performance, the digestive process may take even longer.
The ideal pre-exercise meal should be primarily carbohydrates, moderate in protein and low in fat. Carbohydrates are digested rapidly. Protein and fat take longer to digest. Pre-exercise meals high in fat (like a lot of options at school and fast food restaurants) can cause stomach upset, gas and bloating.
The Post-Exercise Meal
Eating for peak performance also includes making wise food choices post-exercise. The right post-game meal replenishes a person’s muscles for the event or competition around the corner. In fact, muscles are most receptive to recovery during the first 30 minutes after competition. Individuals should follow these tips:
1. To completely restore muscle energy, eat within 30 minutes after exercise and then eat small meals at 2 hours and again at 4 hours.
2. If you can't take solid foods 30 minutes after exercise, or they are not available, try drinking 2-4 cups of a sports drink or eating an energy bar, then eat more solid foods 2 and 4 hours later.
3. Be sure to hydrate after a workout or game. Weigh yourself and drink 3 cups of fluid for each pound lost during the competition.
4. Choose high-carbohydrate, moderate protein foods like the examples shown below:
Get in the Habit: Know WHAT to eat and WHEN to eat it.
Keep a snack supply in a backpack or locker to prevent exercising on empty. The same kind of high-carbohydrate, power-packed foods are recommended for BOTH before and after an event or competition:
4 or more hours before AND 4 hours after
Grilled chicken/rice/fruit
Turkey sandwich/raw carrots
Spaghetti with meat sauce
String cheese/grapes/crackers
Energy bar/Sports drinks
2-3 hours before AND 2 hours after
Cereal/lowfat milk
Fresh fruit
Bagel with peanut butter
Sports drink
Energy bar
1 hour or less before AND 30 minutes after
Yogurt, Sports Drink, Pretzels, Energy Bar, Raisins
Today’s work weeks, academic schedules, and sports demands impose great resistance to our efforts to maintain healthy eating habits. The foods below are recommended as foods to consume throughout the day when finances are tight and time is at a minimum.
Nutrient rich foods that you should snack on throughout your day:
Oranges, orange juice (Antioxidants)
Cranberry juice (Antioxidants)
Grapefruits (Antioxidant)
Apples (Antioxidant)
Green Tea (Antioxidant)
Sunflower Seeds, Almonds, Peanuts, Cashews (Anti-inflammatories)
Whole wheat and multi-grain bread (Slow digesting carbohydrates)
Oatmeal and granola (Slow digesting carbohydrates)
Pretzels (Fast digesting carbohydrate with salt replenishment)
Beef Jerky (Amino Acids)
Skim Milk, 2% Milk (Amino Acids)
Protein Shakes (Amino Acids)
