Beneficial Carbohydrate sources:

    Grains:                                                                        Vegetables                                                                 Fruits                              

    -Whole grains bread                                                        -Broccoli                                                                    -Apple (with skin)

    -Oats                                                                              -Kidney beans                                                            -Dried Fruit

    -Barley                                                                           -White beans                                                               -Raspberries

    -Bran                                                                              -Peas                                                                          -Pears

    -Whole grain pasta

          



For Endurance Athletes:

·         This includes cross country runners, marathon runners, and tiathletes.

·          It is important to understand that endurance activities are those that last longer than 90 minutes and participants are moving constantly.

·         Carbohydrate loading is a technique used to load up on carbohydrates to supply muscles with enough energy to get through the race.  It is a method that takes a week to complete and must be practiced during training before put into place prior to competition.  The protocol is as follows:

    Day 1        90 min          5g carb/kg

    Day 2        40 min          5g carbkg

    Day 3        40 min          5g carb/kg

    Day 4        20 min        10g carb/kg

    Day 5        20 min        10g carb/kg

    Day 6        Rest            10g carb/kg

    Day 7       Competition

Day of Competition:

• Supplying the body with adequate energy the day of competition is critical in the success of the athlete’s performance. 
• Due to the over-night fasting, the body is depleted of glycogen (which is the fuel used by exercising muscles) it needs to perform and therefore carbohydrates essential to restoration of glycogen before competition.
• Keeping blood sugar levels steady prior to competition is important in keeping the body running smoothly. 
•  Tapering the amount of carbohydrate intake prior to competition time is important for the success of the athlete as well. Here is a pre-race carbohydrate intake protocol to follow:

    1.0 g carb/kg          1 hour prior

    2.0 g carb/kg          2 hours prior

    3.0 g carb/kg          3 hours prior

    4.0-4.5 g carb/kg   4 hours prior

During Competition:

• Staying adequately supplied with energy is important for performance and should be taken seriously by the athlete.
•  It is recommended that an individual performing in an event lasting longer than one hour consume 30-60g carbohydrate/kg body weight every hour of competition. 
• This carbohydrate could be in the form of various sports drinks (i.e. Gatorade or Powerade), gels, or solid carbohydrates such as energy bars.  These products supply exercising muscles with quick, available energy. 

After Competition:

• Replenishing muscles after exercise is crucial to the recovery of the athlete.
•  Restoring carbohydrate stores in the muscles helps allow muscles regain strength.
•  It is important to take in 1.5 g carbohydrates/ kg body weight within one hour of finishing exercising/competition, while continuing to take in .5 g. carbohydrates/kg bodyweight every 2 hours for 6 hours after the completion of exercise.
• The type of carbohydrates taken in after exercise also depends on the preference of the athlete, but some good options may be Gatorade/ Powerade, energy bars, or chocolate milk.  Chocolate milk is an excellent source of carbohydrates and is also an excellent source of protein that aid in the promotion of muscle gain.

Protein

Protein Requirements

• The acceptable macronutrient distribution range (AMDR) for protein is ten to thirty-five percent of our daily total caloric intake.  This AMDR calculates out to be between fifty and one-hundred and seventy-five grams of protein per day based on a 2000 kcal diet.

·         The dietary reference intake for protein for individuals 19 years and older is 0.8 g/kg/day.  The U.S. and Canadian dietary reference intakes states that 0.8 g/kg/day is the recommended daily intake that adequately meets the nutritional needs of around ninety eight percent of all healthy individuals.

·         Athletes require slightly more protein than the general population does.  This is due to their high training volumes and thus higher rates of amino acid oxidation.

Endurance athletes’ dietary reference intake is 1.2 to 1.4 g/kg/ body weight per day.

Strength athletes’ dietary reference intake is 1.6 to 1.7 g/kg/body weight per day.

Too much protein?

·         There are no harmful health affects of consuming more protein than the dietary reference intake; however having an excessively high amount of protein in an individual’s body may have a negative impact on an athlete’s performance.

Deficiences

·         Protein deficiencies are very uncommon in America as long as an individual’s energy intake is adequate to maintain one’s body weight.

Protein Supplements

• Protein intakes greater than the RDA can result in greater strength improvements for athletes.

·         When to take them?

Taking protein supplements immediately after exercise will result in the greatest increase in strength and muscle mass.

Fat

Recommendations

·         The dietary recommended intake for fat is between 20-35% of daily calories, while staying below 30% is strongly recommended in a healthful diet.

·         Fat can be found grouped into three main categories: saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated

·         Saturated fat should be less than 10% of daily calories

·         Monounsaturated fat should be equal to or more than 11% of daily calories

·         Polyunsaturated fat should be 10% of daily calories

·         Cholesterol should be kept under 300 mg/day

Sources of Fat

·         Fats come from many sources, but some good sources (polyunsaturated and monounsaturated sources) include: nuts, fish, and vegetable oils such as canola, corn, sunflower, and olive oil.

·         When choosing foods, choose low fat options such as chicken breast without skin, fish, and lean cuts of meat as well as low-fat dairy products

Fat’s Role in Sports:

·         Fat is another fuel the body uses when exercising

·         It is used for endurance, typically for exercising at low to moderate pace for an extended amount of time

·         Low fat diets are detrimental to the success of endurance athletes due to the fact that low fat diets are typically low in calories as well.  The low amount of energy consumed leads to increased time to fatigue as well as not being able to meet the energy demands of growing and developing athletes

·         Low fat diets lead to deficiencies in essential fatty acids as well as fat soluble vitamins (K, A, D, E)

·         Proper training leads to increased use of fats for energy thereby conserving carbohydrate stores: trained muscles generally have higher amounts of muscle lipase and muscle lipoprotein lipase essential for fat breakdown for energy

              Hydration                                                             

Maintaining proper hydration is EXTREMELY important, especially for athletes!  Even minor dehydration, such as only 1% loss of body weight, can have a negative effect on the body’s ability to handle physical activity.

Hydration Recommendations

·         There is not one fluid intake recommendation for everyone.  It is difficult to determine a general water recommendation because water needs differ depending on diet, activity level, temperature, and humidity.

·         According to the 2004 Dietary Reference Intake recommendations for water and electrolytes state that the adequate intake for…

Males:  3.7 liters (equivalent to about 16 cups) per day

Females:  2.7 liters (equivalent to about 12 cups) per day

·         It is not necessary to actually drink 16 or 12 cups of water every day.  Hydration can come from other sources of food or from other fluids as well.

·         When exercising in warm weather, the amount of fluids an individual needs increases greatly!

-An athlete could need as much as 10 liters per day even! 

-Adequate hydration reduces the risk of dehydration, maintains cardiovascular function, and improves performance during exercise.

·         It is recommended for athletes to train to drink fluids during exercise.

Fluid Loss during Exercise

·         The body loses electrolytes and fluids more during exercise.  The most substantial way we cool down our body temperature when exercising is through sweating. 

·         The amount an individual sweats can differ greatly depending on the environmental conditions, individual’s body type, and intensity and duration of the exercise.  Average sweat loss amounts for a long distance run are between two and three liters an hour. 

·         If not enough fluids are consumed during exercising, the heart responds by increasing its heart rate and decreasing its cardiac output, which ends in an increased core body temperature.  Dehydration and fatigue correspond to a higher core body temperature and a decrease in an athlete’s performance.

Dehydration

·         To test for dehydration, you can look at the color and volume of your urine.  If your urine is darkly colored and is of small volume, it can be a sign of dehydration.  This is the easiest way to check for dehydration, however if your urine is a dark yellow color it does not necessary mean you are dehydrated!  There are many other reasons why your urine could be this color.

·         Another way to test for dehydration is to weigh yourself before and after exercise to see if you have adequately hydrated yourself while being active. 

-If you weigh more after you finish exercising, you have probably consumed an excessive amount of fluids.

-If you weigh less after you finish exercising, you have probably not consumed enough fluids during your workout and may be dehydrated. 

·         Dehydration dramatically decreases exercise time to exhaustion!  It also decreases exercise performance and increases DNA damage when exercising to exhaustion.

·         If dehydration becomes greater than 2% body mass, it will have negative effects on an athlete’s performance!

Warning signs of dehydration

·         Unusual fatigue, lightheadedness, headache, dark urine, and dry mouth

·         You CANNOT judge if you are dehydrated simply by thirst!

Tips for staying hydrated and avoiding dehydration during exercise

·         Always make sure you have fluids with you

·         If you do not have fluids with you, make sure you can find them somewhere near (drinking fountain, gas station)

·         Drink fluids early and often throughout exercise

·         Keep a comfortably full stomach when exercising

·         Freeze a water bottle the night before so it remains cold longer

·         Drink fluids early and often throughout exercise

·         Keep a comfortably full stomach while exercising

·         Bring a variety of beverages with you

·         Record your weight before and after exercise

·         TRAIN yourself to drink water during exercise

Overhydration and Hyponatremia

·         Overhydration is less common than dehydration, but is still a serious issue.  It can lead to hyponatremia, which is when an individual is overhydrated to the point of having lower than normal blood sodium levels. 

·         Hyponatremia can lead to seizures, coma, and even death.

Symptoms of Hyponatremia

·         Headache

·         Vomiting

·         Fatigue

·         Wheezing from water in the lungs

·         Swollen hands and feet

·         Confusion caused by the brain swelling up from the excessive amount of water

Sodium

·         It is good to consume sodium during intense or long durations of exercise in which you sweat a lot.  You can get sodium through sports drinks, which will help to replace some of the sodium you lose through sweat.  Salty snacks, such as pretzels, V-8 juice, or soup can also help increase sodium levels.

·         Since athletes tend to sweat out much more sodium than inactive individuals, you will need to make sure you are taking in an adequate amount of sodium.

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