The Health-e Athlete

Healthy & Refreshing Summer Greek Recipes

2012-07-18T10:35:00.002-07:00

Who wants to use their oven during the summer months? I know I sure don’t like to! During the summer months and especially after workouts, I simply crave crisp, refreshing and thirst quenching fruits and vegetables. There’s no better, fast and easy recipes than a few of my summer staple Greek recipes! The ‘Traditional Greek Salad’ (below) is excellent for using up fresh summer produce you can find at your local farmer’s market or your very own garden!

These are quick and easy recipes, not to mention super healthy, tasty and refreshing! Great for athletes too! I’ll provide the nutrition information below!

Traditional Greek Salad

This is my summer staple salad that my husband and I always take to parties and BBQ’s. It’s always a hit!

In our household, we simply ‘eyeball’ how much we want to add, so these are simply approximations. Feel free to add more or less of the ingredients OR add other fresh ingredients not listed!

Servings: Approximately 10, 1 cup servings. It typically fills a 2.5 quart bowl.

Ingredients:

4-6 Vine Tomatoes, diced with seeds removed (see photo- I slice the tomato in quarters and then peel out the seeds)

1 medium cucumber, diced

1 medium to small green pepper, diced

1 medium to small red onion, diced

One 6 oz. can of large pitted black olives, halved (may purchase already sliced)

One 4 oz. package of reduced fat feta cheese (may come in 6 oz. pkg, can also purchase flavored)

½ cup to ¾ cup Greek Dressing (We use ‘Lite Gazebo Room Greek Dressing’ (Pennsylvania company), if you cannot find a Greek Salad dressing, you can make your own using olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice and Greek seasoning, which you can purchase pre-done OR make your own using oregano, parsley, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper)

Directions:

Dice all vegetables, add cheese and then pour dressing on top and combine.

Tips to enjoy-

The salad typically keeps well refrigerated for about 3 days. It tastes best the next day, after marinating. Enjoy it on its own for lunch or as a side. Before adding the dressing, you can use the filling for Greek Quesadillas, which is super quick and easy to prepare! You could enjoy the salad wrapped in a whole wheat pita or tortilla! We often will make chicken shish kabobs, marinating the chicken in the Greek dressing and then barbeque. You could enjoy the chicken on its own with the salad as a side OR add the salad and chicken to a pita. I have also added whole wheat pasta to the salad to stretch it and add a little more sustenance to it.

Nutrition Info:

In a nutshell, per serving there is approximately 107 calories (based on a ‘full’ fat dressing, not the 'lite' dressing I use), 4 grams of Protein, 6 grams of Carbohydrate and about 8 grams of Fat (more monounsaturated). A good source of vitamin C and A, calcium and potassium! If you would like more details on the nutrition information, please feel free to ask.

Homemade Tzatziki Sauce

If you have never tried Tzatziki sauce before, you must! It’s delicious, particularly with Greek dishes. It goes wonderfully with the chicken shish kabobs and Greek quesadillas I mentioned above! It makes a nice summer dip for pita chips or vegetables. You could also add it to the pita Greek wrap I mentioned previously.

Makes- approximately 1.5 cups

Servings- approximately 24, 1 Tbsp serving

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups Non-fat Plain yogurt (could use Greek yogurt for a more creamy texture and added protein! You could also use more or less depending on how much you wish to make)

1 Tbsp fresh Lemon juice

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

1-2 cloves of Garlic, crushed

1 Tbsp. fresh Dill, chopped

Salt and Pepper to taste

Optional- Add finely shredded cucumber

Directions: Simply combine all ingredients. Sauce tastes best after it has chilled for a few hours or the next day.

Nutrition Info:

Per 1 Tbsp serving there is approximately 14 calories, 0.9 grams of Protein, 1.3 grams of Carbohydrate and 0.6 grams of Fat. Good source of calcium. If you would like more details, feel free to ask.

These recipes and suggested combinations are great for athletes, as they’re a great source of well known antioxidants (vitamins A & C), as well as phytochemicals found in the vegetables, dill and garlic (garlic's phytochemical, may strengthen the immune system), Calcium and the much needed electrolyte, Potassium! Add the chicken shish kabob and you have lean source of protein! If you’re vegetarian, you could add on some chick peas (garbanzo beans) or your other favorite bean. They’re also simply great summer recipes that won’t get your house overly warm! Great for those watching their weight, since they’re low in calories, fairly low in fat (a good source of healthy fat, especially when using olive oil!) and full of rich nutrients!

I hope you enjoy! Here’s to a Refreshing and Happy Summer!

'Tis the Season for Cross Country

2011-08-10T07:54:00.000-07:00

Ahhh there really is nothing like the fall and cross country season. The air slowly begins to become crisp and the reminiscent smell, I don’t think I can even describe that earthy smell! Don’t get me wrong I love track, however, cross country is definitely a lot more fun especially if you enjoy running trails and sprinting on grass. Our cross country team officially begins practices next Monday and we are finishing up our evening camp tomorrow night. I recently returned from the prestigious Eastern States Cross Country Camp where I was a counselor, as well as a speaker for a round robin of sessions. I was thoroughly impressed with this classic camp! It was amazingly well organized for the 230 campers, which was mostly due to returning counselors from year after year after year! Many of these counselors were Millersville University alumni and many had attended the camp as campers years ago! I was one of the very few new counselors of the 40 on staff. In general, we would run in the morning and then again later in the evening. The hot afternoon was filled with 6 different sessions ranging from race prep/visualization, yoga, swimming, plyometrics, weight training, and finally my session on sports nutrition. I also did this nutrition lesson last night at our Marion Center Cross Country camp. Here’s a brief fill-in or re-cap for those of you who attended regarding my nutrition session…

To keep things interesting we started our session off with a Fact OR Myth activity and discussed the statements as we went through the lesson. Here are some of the topics and key points we discussed:

· The Importance of Nutrition- WHAT and WHEN you eat can most definitely either impair or improve your performance!

· Energy- We obtain energy from the foods we eat. The ONLY nutrients that can provide us with fuel are carbohydrates, protein and fat. It’s important to understand what our body actually burns for fuel. To know this answer we have to look at the Intensity/Type of exercise and the Duration of the exercise. If we are engaged in explosive anaerobic exercise, such as a sprint, our body will primarily depend on burning carbohydrate for fuel. If we are doing slow, long aerobic exercise, such as running slowly for a long time, our body will burn carbohydrate, but will also be burning fat. Depending on the workout that day, cross country runners will typically be burning both carbohydrates and fat.

· Carbohydrates- We discussed what foods are rich in carbohydrates (Grains, Fruits, Vegetables and Dairy products). We also discussed what carbohydrates are eventually broken down into, Glucose and what can happen to this blood sugar… how Glucose can be stored as Glycogen in our muscles and liver. Which as cross country runners, we can tap into this Glycogen (stored form of Carbohydrate) during a tough workout that may be intense or during a race.

· Fat- “Athletes should follow a fat-free diet.” MYTH!! We discussed the importance of fat in the diet AND since fat is energy dense, providing us with more energy than carbohydrates or protein; it’s a great nutrient to include to help us obtain the high amount of calories many of us runners need!

· Protein- “If you eat a lot of protein, you will build a lot of muscle.” MYTH! We discussed what it takes to gain muscle mass= resistance training and higher amount of calories coming from all nutrients (fat and carbohydrates), not just protein. What does protein do for us? Protein helps with muscle tissue repair, which is so important after an intense workout or downhill running. Protein also helps build NEW muscle and is important for growing teenagers!

· Hydration- We discussed the signs of dehydration and how dehydration can impair performance. How can we monitor our hydration? We discussed examining urine color, keeping track of how much fluid you’re consuming and weighing yourself before and after workouts and then replacing what you have lost.

· Sports Drinks- We discussed what activities are recommended for sports drink consumption. Activities lasting longer than 60 minutes (water is typically sufficient for activities <60 min), activity in hot/humid conditions, during intense workouts (interval workout), and finally as a post-workout drink.

· Pre-Competition/Workout Nutrition- Carbohydrates (crackers, pretzels, cereal, bread, etc.) are the best foods to consume prior to a workout/race, since they digest quicker than protein and fat.

· TAKE HOME MESSAGE FROM CAMP: Cross country runners do NOT need to “carb load” or go overboard on pasta the night before a race! X-C runners simply need to top-off their glycogen stores and so a meal that looks like the USDA’s MyPlate would be sufficient. I always tell my runners if you are still hungry later have a bed time snack, such as a small bowl of cereal, or crackers and cheese. Keep in mind, this MyPlate image is what your plate should look like every meal, especially as runners who need to follow a high carbohydrate diet.

· Post-Competition/Workout Nutrition- “Eating a snack/meal rich in carbohydrate after exercise will help you recover faster and refuel your muscles.” FACT! There is a special timeframe or “window” period to consume a carbohydrate rich snack, which is about 30 minutes after working out. During this time your muscles are better able to “take-up” glucose and store it as glycogen, which has been depleted after a workout. You will have much more energy going into practices and races that are later in the week if you are conscientious about eating something right after a workout! If the snack also has some protein, such as chocolate milk, yogurt, or a smoothie that’s even better to help your muscles repair!

After the lesson athletes broke up into groups and went over cross country/nutrition scenarios and answered questions.

Nutrition can be one of the simplest factors that you can control and change to help your performance! I was really proud of our cross country athletes this week; they all showed up to camp with a water bottle and carbohydrate snack (granola bar, banana, and cereal)!!

Good luck to all runners and coaches during this upcoming cross country season!

A Year in Passing and Looking Ahead

2011-07-21T08:49:00.000-07:00

Hello readers! I am back and am terribly sorry for leaving you last year! Life got a little crazy for me between immigration, coaching, running, moving into a new home and starting a new job. Here is a little update about what I was up to and the exciting news of what will be happening shortly….

A big relief and satisfying moment for me last summer was passing the Registered Dietitian exam. It feels pretty great after having to complete a 4-year degree and 12 month dietetic internship to even be allowed to take the exam! Later on last summer I started teaching at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Overall, I really enjoyed the experience, learned a lot and grew personally. I taught a liberal studies course, “Nutrition and Wellness,” which covered not only nutrition, but other aspects and dimensions of wellness. I was teaching full-time in the fall and therefore found it very challenging to be able to run and train for a half marathon (let alone this was my first ‘real’ experience teaching). After the holiday break I was teaching only part-time and found the time to train for the 2011 Pittsburgh Half Marathon. I ran this race the year before and was hoping to break my time of 1:31:58. Unfortunately, I ended up running 6 seconds slower. However, I don’t know what I was expecting to run considering I did the same training for the same amount of time (not even a full year, only 4 months) as I had the year before and they changed the course around. I suppose I should look at it positively and consider consistency a good thing. Of course it was a great experience, a lot of fun and I can’t even describe to you the amount of positive energy you feel from everyone running and cheering you on, which is why I continue to do these races! One aspect I greatly missed in the fall and spring was being unable to help coach cross country and track. Time just wasn’t on my side while I was teaching, but I made a huge effort to make it to the meets to cheer the athletes on!

Looking ahead…

I have always felt that opportunities are what you make of them and that sometimes you have to look outside the box and observe that there are opportunities available if you’re willing to take hold and work! And so, I am very excited to share with you the opportunities that lie ahead for me.

Coaching- This past spring I was hired on as an assistant cross country coach for the team I had been volunteering with over the past few years. I am very, very excited about this position! We have been running our once a week “fun runs” and the athletes have been doing their summer training. We begin our two week cross country camp soon, followed by our summer cross country race and pre-season training. There is nothing like cross country and I am very proud to be working with such a great group of athletes and successful head coach, whom I have been learning a lot from!

Work- I have heard recently that I will be once again teaching “Nutrition and Wellness” at IUP. This was a huge relief considering the proposed budget cuts and financial status of state schools. I am excited to be teaching again and have learned the areas I need to improve upon, which I will be anxious to see the results of what I change.

However, the real big news is that I am planning on starting my own private practice! I need to get a few more items in place, but I hope to begin next month! I am quickly learning that it takes money to make money! I finally decided to do this after being contacted by local athletes requesting help with their diet and nutrition. After much deliberation, I felt that there could be a niche for a sports nutritionist in this area, since one does not exist. I always blocked the notion of having my own business, most likely due to the fact that both of my parents have their own businesses and I have seen the high’s and low’s. I asked myself “why not?” I am feeling both excited and anxious, but see the opportunity! I have an office space in mind. My friends at the Gingerbreadman Running Company have office space available, which will be a unique and beneficial experience for both businesses! Actually, this past spring I did 3 various sports nutrition talks at the Gingerbreadman store prior to their Thursday night fun run. Hopefully this is something we can continue! I will keep you all posted on my progress! In the meantime check out the Gingerbreadman Running Co website, you can make purchases on-line! I recommend a Gingerbreadman T-shirt!

Other exciting news is that I will be presenting sports nutrition information and running with cross country runners in a week and a half at the Eastern States Cross Country Camp. Eastern States Cross Country camp is a premier camp on the east coast, attracting runners from about 7 different states. I am extremely excited about this opportunity since I will be doing two things I love, teaching nutrition and running! I am also excited to meet the camp special guest, U.S.A. distance standout, James Carney!

I may also be working with both Millersville and Mansfield University cross country teams during their pre-season training. And I am scheduled to present sports nutrition information at the 2012 PIAA State Track and Field Championship Coaches’ and Athletes’ Clinic.

As for my running, I am still setting personal goals. I signed up to run the Corning Wineglass Half Marathon . This is the first year they are doing a half marathon and I am super pumped about it, since their website states how fast their course is. I would be very happy to break 1:30, but feel a little nervous considering the race is approaching fast!

I will continue to keep you all posted about the upcoming opportunities and of course will continue to blog about nutrition. Keep an eye out this week for the roasted salsa recipe I recently made and with this extreme heat and humidity will be discussing hydration!

Keep active, nourish yourself and set goals!

Green with Envy Soup

2010-01-25T10:00:00.000-08:00

Green with envy soup?? I thought this would be a great title since, as you can see from my photo of this avocado soup, it is extremely green and is packed with plenty of healthy nutrients! Who wouldn’t enjoy this yummy soup?!

About two weeks ago, I was watching Good Morning America and they had a segment with two fellas talking about their book, “The 10 Things You Need to Eat.” They were showing recipes made from their book and one of them happened to be avocado soup! I had never even thought of using avocados in soup! The soup looked delicious and when Robin Roberts tried it the look on her face was the look of astonishment. She went on to saying how amazing the soup was. I HAD to make this soup!

If you know anything about cooking, and me you would know that I absolutely LOVE making soups! I love making soup for people too! I’m always trying new soups. Unfortunately, my husband doesn’t have a fondness for new and unusual foods. I think he would be content eating pizza for the rest of his life; so, I usually end up making a whole pot of soup for one! I eat leftovers for lunches and freeze the rest. My favorite recipe book for soups is titled “Jill’s Soups” by Jill Wilcox. If you can get your hands on this recipe book, I highly recommend it! Jill is from my hometown, London, Ontario Canada and she even has her own specialty food and kitchen shop, Jill’s Table in London! I love, love, love her store! I go in there and drool over all of the amazing products! Check it out

http://jillstable.ca/

I had a friend over one day when I was making Italian wedding soup and she said she had never made soup before. I could not believe this! She stated that she thought making soup would be, “too hard.” Too hard!! I quickly proclaimed that making soup is the easiest thing you can make! Believe me, it is!! For the most part, you simply add all of your ingredients and let the element do the rest of the cooking!

I had friends asking for this recipe with curiosity, so I thought I would share it with everyone here. I also have quite a few vegetarian and vegan friends, who I know would enjoy this soup! I also thought this would be a nice addition to the blog, maybe once a week with a recipe along with nutrition facts about ingredients from the recipe?! Let me know what you all think of such an idea…

Here we go…

RECIPE:

Avocado Soup

From Anahad O’Connor and Dave Lieberman’s book ‘The 10 Things You Need to Eat’

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/recipe?id=9536043&searchtext=avocado%20soup&criteria=&page=1

Makes 8 servings

INGREDIENTS:

1 large leek

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 medium celery stalks, roughly chopped

1 large onion, roughly chopped

2 bay leaves

1 quart (4 cups) chicken OR vegetable stock

½ teaspoon ground coriander

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

1 large ripe Hass avocado, pitted, peeled, and mashed

1 lime, juiced*

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 small bunch of scallions (green onions), finely chopped

1 small bunch of cilantro, finely chopped

DIRECTIONS:

Trim the root end of the leek, cut off the tough green leaves, cut the leek in half lengthwise, and rinse well to remove any grit. Roughly chop the leek.

Nicole’s Notes: Leeks are extremely dirty and gritty! Be sure to wash them well! As the recipe states you can cut the leek lengthwise, peel away each layer and rinse each layer well. I did it this way when I made this recipe.

OR you can simply cut the leek in half (lengthwise) and chop roughly, THEN place all rough cut pieces of the leek in a bowl of cool water. Break the pieces apart; be sure to remove all the dirt. The dirt should sink to the bottom of the bowl and the leek should float to the top. Scoop out the washed leek pieces. DO NOT empty the whole bowl or empty the whole bowl into a colander, as the grit and dirt will follow.

*An easy way to juice a lime or a lemon is to “roll” the fruit. Before cutting the lime, roll the fruit on the counter using your palm of your hand. Apply plenty of pressure while doing this. This allows for easier juicing of the lime once you cut it.

Directions Continued: Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the leek, celery, and onion and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the vegetables soften.

Add the bay leaves, stock, coriander, cumin, avocado, and lime juice and simmer for about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and serve topped with the chopped scallions and cilantro to taste.

Nicole’s Notes: You can serve this recipe hot or cold. I had it the next day and it tasted even more amazing! There were two things I would have added if I made this soup again… first, I LOVE garlic and so, I would have definitely added a clove or two to the onion, celery and leek mix! The second item that would have been tasty with the soup would have been an ice-cold Corona beer! This soup is perfect for a cold January day; it takes you away to Mexico!

Nutrition Info…

AVOCADOS-

If you have never tried an avocado, you are truly missing out on one of Mother Nature’s divine, creamy, delicious fruits! Yes, avocados are classified as a fruit.

They have a creamy texture and taste slightly bland. They should not taste bitter.

FIRST lesson about avocados: How to choose an avocado?

Avocados have a deep, dark green to brownish purple outer skin. Often, the darker the color of skin, the more ripe the fruit. If you plan on using the avocado right away, choose an avocado that is slightly soft to the touch. Apply a bit of pressure to the avocado or slightly squeeze it, if it feels soft or allows pressure it should be ripe to use right away. If you want to use an avocado later in the week, choose ones that feel firmer and allow them to ripen on your kitchen counter. DO NOT store in the refrigerator; it will not allow them to ripen and can sometimes affect their flavor.

Nutrition and Health Benefits

Like citrus fruits, avocados are grown in Florida and California, or other warm countries such as, Mexico. Believe it or not, there are many, many different varieties of avocados that come in all shapes and sizes. Usually, the most common avocado you may see in your local supermarket is the Hass avocado, but you may see other varieties. Check out this link to view the array of avocado varieties. http://www.avocado.org/about/varieties

A fruit that contains fat?!

Yes, avocados do contain fat. However, they contain more ‘healthful’ fats, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats (often referred to as the “good” fats), which have greater health benefits than saturated fats. Saturated fats are typically found in animal products and meats, whereas monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are found in vegetables and some fruits like avocados. Athletes and non-athletes alike, NEED fat in their diet! No one should exclude fat completely from his or her diet! Fat is needed for fat-soluble vitamins, A, D, E, and K, as well as carotenoids. The 2005 American Dietary Guidelines, recommend that adults consume 20-35% of their total daily calories from fat with most fats coming from sources of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids (1). The guidelines also recommend that adults consume less than 10% of their total daily calories from saturated fats (1).

Reference:

Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2005. Chapter 6: Fats. http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/Publications/DietaryGuidelines/2005/2005DGPolicyDocument.pdf. Accessed January 25, 2010.

Plenty of Vitamins and Minerals!

A great aspect about the healthy fat-containing fruit, avocados, are that they contain about 20 vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients including, vitamin E & C, folate, fiber, iron, potassium, lutein (which is important for eye health, since it is an anti-oxidant), and beta-carotene (2). Avocados also contain a plant sterol called beta-sitosterol, “which may help maintain healthy cholesterol levels” (2). Overall, avocados are an excellent fruit to add to your diet since they are a “nutrient dense” food! A “nutrient dense” food is a food that contains few calories, but contains a considerable amount of excellent nutrients, like vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and fiber!

Reference:

California Avocado Commission. (2010). Nutrition. Retrieved January 25, 2010, from http://www.avocado.org/healthy-living/nutrition

Source: Avocado Nutrition Fact Label, California Avocado Commission. (2010). Nutrition. Retrieved January 25, 2010, from http://www.avocado.org/healthy-living/nutrition

For more information, please check out these links:

Hass Avocado Board http://www.avocadocentral.com/

California Avocado Commission http://www.avocado.org/

How to Use Avocados:

I often purchase a bag of about 4 or 5 avocados or the grocery store sometimes offers a deal, such as 4 for $5. I find different ways to use and eat avocados. My favorite way to eat avocados is homemade guacamole (see my recipe below)! Add cut pieces of avocado to salads, wraps, or sandwiches. Or simply enjoy eating cut pieces of avocado alone!

Nicole’s Guacamole Recipe-

Guacamole is one of the simplest, quickest, easiest snacks to make, especially if you are entertaining!

1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted and mashed

1 large or 2 medium-small garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

½ lemon, juiced (OR Lime)

Salt and pepper to taste

Sometimes, I add fresh-diced tomato and onion.

Mix all ingredients in a small-medium bowl or container. To store for later use, use an airtight container and refrigerate. Once the avocado has been cut and exposed to the air, it can brown, just as other fruit would (apples). Lemon or lime juice is added to prevent ‘browning’ of the avocado.

For more amazing avocado recipes check out:

http://www.avocado.org/recipes

http://www.avocadocentral.com/recipes-and-entertaining

LEEKS

Leeks are part of the onion family. Like most dark green vegetables, leeks are packed with plenty of essential vitamins and minerals such as vitamin K, A, C, and B6, folate, manganese and iron (3). Of course like all fruits and vegetables it’s a good source of fiber.

Reference:

NutritionData.com. (2009). Leeks, (bulb and lower leaf-portion), raw. Retrieved January 25, 2010, from http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2470/2

Check out:

“Top 10 Ways to Enjoy Leeks”

http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/?page_id=8433

Everyone should aim to consume more fruits and vegetables in their diet, as well as a variety of fruits and vegetables! They are low in total calories and packed with essential nutrients like vitamins, minerals, fiber, phytonutrients and antioxidants. It is well known that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables is important for health and disease prevention, particularly cancer preventative due to fruits and vegetables antioxidant content.

How are you consuming fruits and vegetables?

The Stupendous, Surprising, Super, Sunshine Vitamin!

2010-01-21T10:16:00.000-08:00

Over the last few weeks, here in Western Pennsylvania, the weather has been rather typical January weather, with plenty of snow and miserable cloud covered days. However, today, and over the last few days, it has been a complete 360 as far as the weather goes. With the feeling of spring and the sun shining gloriously, it has been a true delight for everyone! For myself, it has meant being able to run outside, opposed to trudging on the infamous winter “dreadmill,” which got me thinking about my absolute favorite vitamin!

Do you know what vitamin I am talking about? If you did not catch the clue above, this vitamin is somehow associated with the sun….

I hope you said VITAMIN D! If you didn’t know this or you don’t know much about vitamin D, I am very, very excited to introduce you to the amazing world of vitamin D!

Perhaps, some of you have been hearing a lot about vitamin D recently in the news? If you have not heard about vitamin D, I think you may be living under a rock! If you are wondering why I am so “hyped up” about vitamin D, it’s because there has been a lot of new and exciting research coming out about vitamin D. I suppose you could say my fondness and growing affection for vitamin D began over a year ago thanks to my mentor and professor of the “dreaded course,” DUN, DUN, DUN… vitamins and minerals. Which, is one of the hardest and most challenging nutrition graduate courses (ask any dietitian), however, this professor did an excellent job of challenging her students and intrigued her students with her enthusiasm for vitamin D. I don’t know about my peers, but I was excited to learn more about vitamin D.

Some of you may be asking: “Why is vitamin D often referred to as the ‘sunshine vitamin?’”

Believe it or not, simply exposing your skin to the sun’s UVB rays can form vitamin D! This may sound simple, however the process, of course, is much more complex… Your skin absorbs the sun’s UVB rays this causes 7-dehydrocholestrol (found in your epidermis and dermis) to convert into previtamin D3 (1). From here the previtamin D3 is further converted into vitamin D3 due to the heat from the rays (1). This all occurs in your skin! However, vitamin D3 or cholecalciferol is NOT the Active form of vitamin D responsible for crucial roles in the body (2). Vitamin D3 has to go through further steps or metabolism to become the active form of vitamin D! It has to go through the liver and then the kidneys before it’s converted to the active form of vitamin D: calcitriol (1). Vitamin D consumed in the diet, either as ergocalciferol/vitamin D2 or as cholecalciferol/ vitamin D3, is broken down and absorbed with fat (vitamin D is a FAT soluble vitamin) (2). From here the dietary vitamin D MUST also travel to the liver and then the kidneys for the active form, calcitriol, to become available for important roles in the body (2).

What does vitamin D do? Why is it important?

In a nutshell, vitamin D’s (the active form: calcitriol) main role is to help manage levels of calcium in your blood and also helps your body absorb calcium and phosphorus (2). This is how vitamin D plays a role in bone health! If a child were to become deficient in vitamin D, it could affect and impair their bone growth and could potentially lead to rickets (weak, soft bones) (2). If an adult were to become deficient in vitamin D, it could also affect their bone health and potentially lead to osteoporosis (2).

Interestingly, there has been recent research that has shown that vitamin D (calcitriol) may be able to prevent other chronic diseases such as, high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, breast, prostate, and colon caners, fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis (3). Dr. Michael Holick summarized, “Investigators have recognized that living at higher latitudes and thus being prone to vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of dying of many common cancers, of developing several autoimmune disorders including type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis, and developing hypertension and cardiovascular heart disease” (pp. 392) (1).

I personally believe this is great reason for getting excited about vitamin D! However, I do believe more research needs to be done.

If you are interested in what diseases vitamin D research has been conducted on check out the National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health’s Medline Plus website about Vitamin D. They have given ‘grades’ to research of vitamin D on various diseases. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/patient-vitamind.html

I also highly recommend that you listen to the CBC radio’s Quirks & Quarks program titled “The Vitamin D Miracle Cure.” There are also great links there about vitamin D.

http://www.cbc.ca/quirks/archives/07-08/jun07.html

How much exposure do I need from the sun to make vitamin D?

According to many health professionals and texts the recommended exposure is 10-15 minutes everyday (2, 3, 4). However, wearing sunscreen will prevent the skin from making vitamin D (1, 3). Without wearing sunscreen for 15 minutes, exposing your face and hands should be adequate if you have light colored skin. If you have dark colored skin the recommendation for sun exposure is doubled at 30 minutes, due to skin melanin content (4). There are other factors that can limit production of vitamin D via the sun such as, the season (ex. Winter months), time of day, and latitude (ex. northern hemisphere, north of 42 degrees) (1). Interestingly, researchers and health professionals are finding that even those living in southern states may be deficient in vitamin D. For example, Jacobs et al. (2008) concluded, “Despite residing in a region with high chronic sun exposure, adults in southern Arizona are commonly deficient in vitamin D, particularly blacks and Hispanics (abstract). Another group at risk is elderly adults. As we age we have a decreased ability to make vitamin D when exposed to the sun’s UVB rays (1).

How much vitamin D do I need?

The following are the Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) for vitamin D, which include the Adequate Intake (AI) and the Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL). (These do not account for vitamin D made by exposure to sunlight, only dietary sources.)

Age (years)

AI (micrograms/day) (IU/day)

UL (microgramsg/day) (IU/day)

Men & Women

19-50

5 (200 IU)

25 (1000 IU)

Men & Women

51-70

10 (400 IU)

50 (2000 IU)

Men & Women

> 70

15 (600 IU)

50 (2000 IU)

Pregnant & Lactation

< 18

19-50

5 (200 IU)

5o (2000 IU)

(1, 2)

About 2 cups of milk (fortified with vitamin D) per day would provide you with 5 micrograms or 200 IU (2).

With much recent research, many health professionals are recommending people consume much higher amounts of vitamin D than the recommended amounts (1). The position of the American Dietetic Association, Dietitians of Canada, and the American College of Sports Medicine: Nutrition and Athletic Performance (2009) also acknowledge this point, “A growing number of experts advocate that the RDA for vitamin D is not adequate.”

Dr. Michael Holick, a renowned researcher in the field of vitamin D recommends and states the following, “Sensible exposure to sunlight during the spring, summer, and fall can satisfy most of our vitamin D requirement. In the absence of sun exposure, 1000 IU/day of vitamin D is effective in maintaining 25(OH)D levels in what is considered to be a healthy range” (pp. 393) (1).

As with other vitamins and minerals there is a thing called “too much” or toxicity! That is why there is the tolerable upper intake level for people to follow. I realize the UL is 1000 to 2000 IU for most individuals, yet many researchers and health professionals are recommending people consume the UL of 1000 IUs! Dr. Michael Holick writes, “Although the safe upper limit (UL) for vitamin D intake for children and adults was recommended to be 2000 IU/day by the Food and Nutrition Board, mounting evidence indicates that levels greater than 10,000 IU/day of vitamin D are more likely to cause vitamin D intoxication” (pp. 392) (1).

I highly recommend if you are interested in more information and research regarding vitamin D that you check out Dr. Holick’s website:

http://www.vitamindhealth.org/

Dr. Holick is also a very informative and entertaining speaker, so I recommend that you check out a presentation by him:

Vitamin D and Prevention of Chronic Diseases- Presentation by Dr. Michael Holick

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cq1t9WqOD-0

What are some sources of vitamin D besides sun exposure?

Unfortunately, there are not a whole lot of foods rich in vitamin D, but thanks to fortification we do have some good sources of vitamin D (2).

Fortified Sources (be sure to read the food label) (2,3):

Milk

Cereals

Some margarine

Fortified yogurts

Fortified orange juice

Fortified soymilk

Natural Sources (2,3):

Fish oils

Salmon (especially canned with bones)

Sardines

Herring

Egg Yolks

Liver

If you want to know how much vitamin D (along with other nutrients, vitamins, and minerals) is in your favorite foods check out the following link:

http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/

Simply enter the name of the food in the search box and a list will appear. Choose the food that best match your food and hit submit at the bottom. Then enter the amount you eat or ate and hit submit. The nutrition information will appear for your food.

Am I at risk for being deficient in vitamin D? And what about athletes?

There are certain individuals who may be at a greater risk of being deficient in vitamin D, but before I continue on, if you are concerned about your vitamin D status and are interested in supplementing your diet with vitamin D, you should consult your primary physician first or a Registered Dietitian (RD)! The following are individuals and athletes, who may be at risk of being deficient of vitamin D:

Indoor athletes- athletes who train indoors throughout the year, such as gymnasts and figure skaters are at risk, especially if they do not consume foods rich in vitamin D (3, 5).

Allergies/Lactose Intolerant individuals- if someone is allergic to foods rich in vitamin D or those who are lactose intolerant to dairy foods rich in vitamin D (3).

Geographic location- Individuals who live at northern latitudes (1, 5).

Diet- individuals consuming fewer calories or restricting calories (3, 4).

Vegans- who does not consume any animal products may be deficient in vitamin D as well as other important vitamins and minerals (3).

Older Adults- remember above I mentioned how it becomes harder for older adults to be able to synthesize vitamin D from the sun. Also, older adults often consume fewer calories (3).

Obviously good bone health is imperative for athletes to be able to perform at their sport! Along with all of the new and exciting research about vitamin D and various chronic diseases, I hope you are now as excited as I am about vitamin D! Be sure to get some sun and foods rich in vitamin D daily! Hopefully this gives you some good reason to get outside and be active!

Disclaimer: I am not a licensed medical practitioner. The content expressed are my views, opinions and thoughts. I make concerted effort to use and reference scientific and evidence-based information and research. Before changing your diet or exercise regime you should speak to your primary physician. If you are interested in taking vitamin or mineral supplements you should consult your primary physician. The information expressed is for your pleasure and interest, it is not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any disease.

REFERENCES:

Holick, M.F. (2006). Vitamin D. In Shils, M.E., Shike, M., Ross, A.C., Caballero, B., & Cousins, R.J (Eds.), Modern nutrition in health and disease (10^th ed.) (pp. 376-395). Baltimore, MD: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Hedrick Fink, H., Burgoon, L. A., & Mikesky, A. E. (2009). Practical applications in sports nutrition (2^nd ed.). Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.

Clark, N. (2008). Nancy clark’s sports nutrition guidebook (4^th ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

Dunford, M (Ed.). (2006). Sports nutrition a practice manual for professionals (4^th ed.). Chicago, IL: American Dietetic Association.

Position of the American dietetic association, dietitians of Canada, and the American college of sports medicine. (2009). Nutrition and athletic performance. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 109(3), 509-527.

Links for more information:

http://www.vitamindhealth.org/

http://dietary-supplements.info.nih.gov/factsheets/vitamind.asp

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/patient-vitamind.html

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002405.htm

Vitamin D

http://www.eatright.org/Public/content.aspx?id=6795

Vitamin Needs of Athletes

http://www.eatright.org/Public/content.aspx?id=7087

UW research finds athlete vitamin D levels wobbly; general public probably worse

http://uwadmnweb.uwyo.edu/UWAG/news/Vitamin_D.asp

Phys Ed: Can Vitamin D Improve Your Athletic Performance?

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/23/phys-ed-can-vitamin-d-improve-your-athletic-performance/

Vitamin D and Prevention of Chronic Diseases- Presentation by Dr. Michael Holick

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cq1t9WqOD-0

New Years Resolutions: The Healthy Way

2010-01-12T09:27:00.001-08:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Holiday Season and enjoyed some special Holiday foods?!

And so, it is that time of year, where people make New Years resolutions… Oh boy, here we go again!… ughhh

If you are sensing my rather sarcastic affection for New Years resolutions, you are on the right track to understanding how I feel about them. Don’t get me wrong, I think they can be useful, if done appropriately and thought through thoroughly. I suppose they irritate or frustrate me because of what I see or hear of what people plan to do, which may not be the most healthful things to do. You may be thinking, well most people try to do “health-related” things for New Years resolutions?! You are absolutely correct, but it’s how people go about it that I don’t always see as “healthy” or thought out thoroughly, which often leads people down the path of failure. I’m not saying everyone needs to be perfect, we learn from our mistakes, hopefully the first time!

If you are wondering whether I make New Years resolutions, the answer is, yes, somewhat. I just prefer to call them goals. Over the last two months, I had two goals on my mind. The first goal was that I wanted to learn how to knit. I wanted to learn how to knit because I realized how empowering and sentimental it could be to MAKE something! So, I gave myself a deadline, by the end of December I was going to learn how to knit. And, I did it! The other goal on my mind was that I had this desire to run a marathon in 2010. I thought about it thoroughly, realistically, and what it would take to get to that point. I thought I couldn’t just throw myself into a grueling marathon without preparing appropriately and healthfully. So, I came up with a plan that I feel would be realistic and achievable for myself. I would run a half marathon in May, commence training in January and potentially run a marathon by late October, early November. If any of you are interested in setting up running goals or New Years resolutions related to running, my cousin in-law wrote a great blog post about this, especially for first time runners, check it out… http://neverhomemaker.blogspot.com/2010/01/how-to-run.html She also has really terrific, healthy recipes on her blog, I love it!

Enough about me, back to what I want to help people with… a healthy lifestyle with healthful behaviors for life, NOT for a few months. With this New Years resolution discussion comes the words, DIET and WEIGHT LOSS… BLAHHHHHHH! I despise “diets,” even the word “diet.” I don’t like them because they are often short-term, don’t promote healthful behaviors for life, sometimes categorize foods as “good” and “bad,” and simply don’t work, often leading people down the road of a failure cycle (lose weight, gain weight, lose weight, gain weight, etc.). Every time I turn around, there is another diet book on the shelf or commercial for some “magical” weight loss pill on the television. The diet and health industry continues to thrive on people believing there is some “magic bullet” out there for them to lose weight. COMMON, let’s get real people! I laughed a few weeks ago when I saw the news reporting that science has once again shown that weight loss occurs through a healthful diet and exercise. Well, DUH!

I have learned a lot through my studies, particularly through my dietetic internship. Many people have the misconception and fear that if you go see a dietitian, they will put you on a “diet.” Quite the contrary, dietitians work with you! There is no “magic bullet” for weight loss. What works for one person, will not necessarily work for the next. Each person has his or her own particular taste preferences first of all! If you ever do see a dietitian they will work with you through nutrition counseling and with this they will help you with your eating behaviors for the benefit of your long term health.

Another one of my pet peeves is when people classify foods as “good” and “bad.” I like to tell people, and I think most dietitians would agree and state that “ALL FOODS FIT!” Meaning, you can enjoy ALL types of foods in your diet. Sure, some foods have more healthful properties than others, YES! But, if you enjoy a particular food, don’t neglect yourself from having a little bit of it from time to time, hence “moderation.” What happens when you neglect yourself from having a particular food? You crave it even more don’t you?! Don’t fall into this “good food, bad food” trap. All foods fit!

I keep getting side tracked, back to New Years resolutions and Goals! Often with nutrition counseling a dietitian may help you with goal setting. When I was counseling during part of my dietetic internship, I often helped clients set goals for themselves. And with this I often referred to S.M.A.R.T Goals.

The acronym stands for goals that are:

SPECIFIC- Answer the 5 W’s; Who, What, Where, When, Why
MEASURABLE- Answers the How questions. How much? How many?
ATTAINABLE- Do you feel you can succeed?
REALISTIC- Do you have the tools to succeed?
TIMELY- Set a start and end date.

Please visit the American Dietetic Association’s website for more details:
http://www.eatright.org/Media/Blog.aspx?id=4294967734&blogid=269

Too often when I would counsel a client, they would state, “I want to lose weight.” In the beginning this is what they thought was their goal. Or they would state, “I want to lose 50 lbs.” Are these specific or realistic? No. I would often try to help the client understand or see what THEY CAN CONTROL as behaviors. How can you lose weight? You want to increase your exercise, okay... “I will walk for 20 minutes on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday this week.”

This goal is Specific; it states what this person is going to do, walk. It could be a bit more specific, stating where they are going to walk. It states when this goal is going to occur, this week.
This goal is Measurable. They state how long they will walk for and for how many days they will walk.
This goal is Attainable for this particular person. They feel comfortable that they can succeed and aren’t setting themselves up for failure.
This goal is Realistic for this person. They know they have the time available to do this activity on these set days and that they have room for flexibility.
Finally, this goal is Timely for this person. They have set an end date, the end of the week.

I hope this helps some of you with your goals or New Years Resolutions. I know it helped many of my clients during my dietetic internship. It’s also important to go back and re-assess your goals to see if you are having any “roadblocks” and how you can overcome these. It’s also useful to monitor your progress, so start a journal tracking what you do, how you do and importantly how you FEEL. Sometimes it also helps to have some sort of incentive for achieving your goal. BUT it should NOT be FOOD related. For example, if your goal was similar to the clients’ goal above, your incentive should not be “I can eat 10 cookies.” A better incentive could be, “I going to go see a movie Saturday night, if I achieve my goal.” Finally, it can really help having support from someone you know and trust.

Keep in mind; if you are an ATHETE, who is IN SEASON, you should not be trying to lose weight, but rather maintaining your weight and fueling yourself properly! For athletes, weight loss should be done, IF NEEDED, during the off-season!

I highly recommend that everyone explore the American Dietetic Association’s (ADA) website: http://www.eatright.org

AND, if you are interested in weight loss please visit the ADA’s page on weight loss: http://www.eatright.org/Public/content.aspx?id=6843

What are your Goals or New Years Resolutions?

Click on "Healthy Eating for a Healthy Weight" below:

A Closer Look at "Types" of Carbohydrate

2010-01-07T09:42:00.001-08:00

A few weeks ago, after writing about carbohydrates, a follower of mine on Twitter asked a question. He was interested in knowing whether simple carbohydrates should be consumed between close spaced workouts and complex carbohydrates during longer rests?

To answer this question we are going to have to take a closer look at the types of carbohydrates.

As I previously discussed, carbohydrates can be classified as simple or complex or as sugars and starches. But, they can also be classified as “quick” or “slow” in a system, I am sure many of you have heard before, the glycemic index (GI). The textbook, Practical Applications in Sports Nutrition (2 nd ed.), defines the glycemic index as “an index for classifying carbohydrate foods based on how quickly they are digested and absorbed into the bloodstream. The more quickly blood glucose rises after ingestion, the higher the glycemic index” (p. 78). Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Guidebook defines the glycemic index as, “how 50 grams (200 calories) of carbohydrate (not counting fiber) in a food will affect blood sugar levels” (p. 107). To give you an example, if you were to consume a high GI food, such as white bread, it could cause a quick rise of your blood sugar, whereas, if you were to consume a low GI food, such as kidney beans, it would cause a slower increase of your blood sugar.

Many people often associate simple carbohydrates with high GI foods and complex carbohydrates with low GI foods, perhaps this is what my Twitter follower thought? (Perhaps not and I apologize if I am wrong Twitter follower ☺)
However, there are quite a few foods that do not fit this assumption. Complex foods can have a high GI and believe it or not, simple carbohydrates can have a low GI. For example, fructose, a simple carbohydrate has a low GI. And a baked potato, a complex carbohydrate has a high GI.

SO, why does any of this matter or does it not matter at all??

Originally, the glycemic index was designed and intended for people with diabetes, as a means of helping them control their blood sugar levels. The glycemic index examines foods as single food items, not combination foods, such as lasagna. Of course scientists started to become interested in the glycemic index and its potential in aiding athletic performance. There have been quite a few research studies performed. However, results are mixed and the Sports Nutrition A Practice guide for Professionals (4th ed.) states, “additional studies are warranted” (p.18).

There are pros and cons to the glycemic index. The glycemic index can be affected by many factors. And so, I personally believe there are many limitations to the GI and athletes shouldn’t get all worked up about the glycemic index.

The following are factors/limitations that can affect the GI of a food (1):
• Fiber content of a food
• Protein and Fat content of a food (can delay a rapid increase in blood glucose levels)
• Liquid versus solid form
• Timing of the meal
• Consuming a variety of foods at one time (meal) (Remember: the GI only examines a single food item, not combinations)
• Consuming more than one carbohydrate food at a time

ALSO…

“Each of us has a differing daily glycemic response that can vary approximately 43 percent on any given day” (2). AND, remember well-trained athletes’ muscles quickly use carbohydrate in the bloodstream, meaning that athletes produce LESS insulin and therefore, do not have increases in blood sugar levels, like unfit people can have (2).

Based on these limitations of the glycemic index and through my own experience, the best advice I can offer is to consume foods high in carbohydrate (they are a main source of FUEL for an athlete) that digest well, taste good, and that work best for YOU! I always tell my athletes, just as you practice for your sport, you have to practice eating for your sport! Try different types of carbohydrate before, during and after your workouts to know which ones work well for you. What works well for you, may not work well for your friends or teammates! You want to make sure that they digest well and don’t cause gastric distress. Keep in mind, the time to try a new food or drink should be around times of practice, NOT competition, you don’t want to try something new on the day of a race!

However, if you want to know what some of the research says and try it out for yourself, here is what some research recommends (Remember…more research is needed and there are NO set recommendations for athletes regarding GI)

1.) Pre-exercise meal: Low GI carbohydrate foods (theorized to provide sustained energy) (1, 3)

2.) During exercise: Moderate to High GI carbohydrate foods (For high-intensity or long endurance sports, there is a need for carbohydrate, especially if glycogen stores are low or depleted. These foods can quickly supply glucose for energy) Example: Sports Drinks. (1, 3)

3.) Post-exercise meal: Moderate to High GI carbohydrate foods (As mentioned above, these foods can quickly supply glucose for energy, but they can also replenish glycogen stores quickly) (1, 2, 3).

Going back to my Twitter followers’ question… “Should simple carbohydrates be consumed between close spaced workouts and complex carbohydrates during longer rests?”

From the glycemic index perspective and research, High GI carbohydrate foods should be consumed between close spaced workouts, again, because they provide glucose quickly and can restore glycogen quicker than low GI foods. Again, you want to consume foods that are easily digested between workouts! FYI… carbohydrates digest quicker than protein and fat! You also want to make sure you are consuming enough carbohydrate between workouts as well. The last thing you want is not having enough energy! I will talk about this topic more when I discuss pre- and post-exercise meals. But, a general guideline to follow for post-exercise carbohydrate intake is the following:

1- 1.5 grams of carbohydrate/ kilogram of body weight immediately after exercise (2, 3)
Additional 1- 1.5 g of carbohydrate/ kg 2 hours later (3)

As for carbohydrate intake during longer rests (such as 24-hours), there is some research that supports a Low GI diet. This information relates back to information from my “carbohydrate rebuttal.” For example, “the low-GI diet might facilitate better replacement of intramuscular fat stores (important for endurance) as well as enhance the use of fat for fuel, instead of the limited (and limiting) glycogen stores” (2).

In summary, carbohydrates are very important for energy and should therefore be consumed in an athletes diet everyday. How you choose what “types” of carbohydrates to consume is up to you. However, they should be easy to digest and work best for you. I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to consume carbohydrates after workout or between workouts, as well as during workouts lasting longer than 90 minutes! All types of carbohydrates are important, especially fruits, vegetables and whole grains, as all of these provide specific vitamins, minerals, fiber, and phytochemicals. If you decide to try and follow the GI index and the proposed recommendations for athletes, go for it, BUT keep in mind the limitations of the GI, the various factors that can affect the GI of foods, and that it is not easy to follow the GI.

If you are interested in more information about the glycemic index or want to check out an index of various food GI go to this website:
Home of the Glycemic Index
http://www.glycemicindex.com/

REFERENCES:

1. Hedrick Fink, H., Burgoon, L. A., & Mikesky, A. E. (2009). Practical applications in sports nutrition (2nd ed.). Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.

2. Clark, N. (2008). Nancy clark’s sports nutrition guidebook (4th ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

3. Dunford, M (Ed.). (2006). Sports nutrition a practice manual for professionals (4th ed.). Chicago, IL: American Dietetic Association.

My Carbohydrate Rebuttal

2009-12-17T10:44:00.000-08:00

This is my response to a comment from a reader about my carbohydrate blog entry...

Thank you for reading and commenting on my blog, I truly appreciate it!

I agree with you that a high carbohydrate diet is not for everyone. Perhaps, I came off that way, but in my personal opinion a BALANCE of ALL macronutrients; carbohydrate, protein and fat, as well as total calorie intake are extremely important for athletes. Fat and protein should not be omitted from an athletes diet! Nor should carbohydrate!

YES, there has been some recent research studies examining high-fat diets and ENDURANCE athletes. The results of many of these studies have been intriguing and interesting.

Any information that I post on my blog, I want it to be scientific and evidence-based. I often turn to the American Dietetic Association (ADA) for scientific, evidence-based information. And so...

The 2009 Position of the American Dietetic Association, Dietitians of Canada, and the American College of Sports Medicine: Nutrition and Athletic Performance states the following:

"Approximately 50% to 60% of energy during 1 to 4 hours of continuous exercise at 70% of maximal oxygen capacity is derived from carbohydrates and the rest from free fatty acid oxidation (3). A greater proportion of energy comes from oxidation of free fatty acids, primarily those from muscle triglycerides as intensity of the exercise decreases (3). Training does not alter the total amount of energy expended but rather the proportion of energy derived from carbohydrates and fat (3). As a result of aerobic training, the energy derived from fat increases and from carbohydrate decreases. A trained individual uses a greater percentage of fat than an untrained person does at the same workload (2). Long-chain fatty acids derived from stored muscle triglycerides are the preferred fuel for aerobic exercise for individuals involved in mild- to moderate-intensity exercise (4)."

So, yes, a "trained" endurance athlete can use energy derived from fat sources, sparing energy from glycogen stores. Again, it is amazing how our bodies can adapt. I did know that endurance athletes use carbohydrate and fat as a fuel source, I don't know if I mentioned it in this entry, but I may have in the protein entry, because a small amount of protein is also used for energy for endurance athletes.

Yet, the ADA, Dietitians of Canada, and the ACSM go on in this position paper to recommend the following:

"The Acceptable Macronutirent Distribution Range for fat is 20% to 35% of energy intake (17). The 2005 Dietary Guidelines (16) and Eating Well with Canada's Food Guide (28) make recommendations that the proportion of energy from fatty acids be 19% saturated, 10% polyunsaturated, and 10% monounsaturated and include sources of essential fatty acids. ATHLETES should follow these general recommendations."

"Consuming < or equal to 20% of energy from fat does NOT benefit performance. Fat, which is a source of energy, fat- soluble vitamins, and essential fatty acids, is important in the diets of athletes. High-fat diets are not recommended for athletes."

"Carbohydrate recommendation for athletes range from 6 to 10g/kg body weight per day. Carbohydrates maintain blood glucose levels during exercise and replace muscle glycogen. The amount required depends upon the athlete's total daily energy expenditure, type of sport, sex, and environmental conditions."

The protein recommendations are similar to the ones I mention in my protein blog entry.

In my personal opinion and based on the position of the ADA, Dietitians of Canada, and the ACSM, I feel that more research needs to be conducted before recommending a high-fat diet. I think that fat is essential and important for an athletes' diet, as well as carbohydrate and protein. I don't think that any athlete should follow a non-fat or low-fat diet.

If you want to extract information out of running books, Runner's World, "The Runner's Body" (2009) by Ross Tucker, PhD, and Jonathan Dugas, PhD, also discuss fuel sources, both carbohydrate and fat. These authors also discuss how the well trained long-distance runner can adapt to use more fat as a source of fuel, sparing glycogen stores. They state, "the scientific research on high-fat diets and fat-loading is still equivocal." They go on to explain how some research has "found that fat-loading actually improved performance during endurance exercise (p. 144)." They also explain how there is evidence of individual variation, meaning a high-fat diet may help some athletes, but may impair other athletes' performances. They conclude, "given our lack of understanding of the interindividual responses to high levels of fat intake, the prudent approach, for now is to focus on a high carbohydrate diet and make sure that you are not compromising performance by depleting your glycogen stores before exercise... for the average runner engaging in marathons and shorter races, adapting to a high-fat diet is unlikely to yield significant benefits (p.144-145)."

Finally, as to the reasons I explained in my carbohydrate blog entry, carbohydrates are important to athletes as a source of energy, as are fats and protein! No athlete should follow a fat-free or low-fat diet!

Clearing up Carbohydrate Confusion

2009-12-15T10:10:00.000-08:00

In recent years there has been a lot of hype in the media about low carbohydrate diets, such as the Atkins diet, as well as negative messages about carbohydrates. It is no wonder that many people are very confused about carbohydrates. Before we begin, what do you think about carbohydrates? What do you know about carbohydrates? Do you know what foods contain carbohydrates?

Similar to the protein entry, I would like to clear up any carbohydrate confusion, dispel myths, and have you thinking positively about carbohydrates by the time we are done.

If you read my entry about protein, you should at least know that carbohydrates are very important for athletes! This is because carbohydrates are the MAIN source of FUEL for your muscles! Especially if you take part in any anaerobic, high intensity sport or exercise (ex. sprinting), as well as endurance exercise (>60 minutes), these types of activity rely primarily on carbohydrates for energy. Whereas, low intensity exercise, such as walking, uses fat for energy.

Carbohydrate 101… again, like protein, we need to learn some basic information about carbohydrates to understand how and why carbohydrates are important for athletes.

What are carbohydrates??

Sure you are probably thinking of examples of food sources such as, bread, cereal, pasta and sugar, but let’s get specific because not all carbohydrates are the same. In the chemistry world, carbohydrates contain a “carbon backbone with attached oxygen and hydrogen molecules” (1). You are probably thinking, “I don’t care, borrrrring!” But this gives you a bit of a clue as to why carbohydrates are named carbo- (carbon) hydrates (H20)! Anyway, carbohydrates can be broken down into 2 groups or families, which are simple and complex. I’m sure you have heard carbohydrates called one of these two groups. But, do you know what they mean? Like its’ name, simple carbohydrates are simple in their structure. Meaning they only have 1 or 2 sugar molecules. In the nutrition world, they are called monosaccharides and disaccharides (mono= 1, di= 2, saccharide= sugar) (1, 2). Examples of monosaccharides include, glucose, fructose, and galactose and examples of disaccharides are, sucrose (table sugar), lactose (milk sugar), and maltose (1, 2). Disaccharides have 2 monosaccharides attached, for example sucrose is a combination of both glucose and fructose. Like the analogy I gave to amino acids, think of monosaccharides as single pieces of Lego. If you connect two or more of these simple carbohydrates together you get a complex carbohydrate. Examples of complex carbohydrates are starches (grains, legumes, potatoes) and fiber. Whether you consume a simple or complex carbohydrate, it eventually gets broken down into exclusively glucose. Even if it’s a mono or disaccharide, it breaks down into glucose (2). Glucose is extremely important because it travels through the blood as blood glucose and provides energy to cells (1, 2). Have you ever participated in a fast or skipped a meal? Were you able to think clearly? Probably not too well and that’s because the brain relies exclusively on glucose for energy!

How does the body use carbohydrate for fuel?

After eating a carbohydrate rich food, your body breaks it down into the simplest molecule, glucose (monosaccharide). Glucose is then used for immediate energy (blood glucose) and the extra glucose gets stored away as GLYCOGEN. Remember… a molecule of glucose is like a single Lego piece and so, if you connect multiple pieces of glucose you make glycogen. Therefore, glycogen can be classified as a complex carbohydrate, since its’ structure is similar to that of starches and fiber. Glycogen is stored in your muscles and liver and is easily available to be used for energy during exercise (1, 2). You may be wondering, how large are these glycogen stores in the muscle and liver? They are not very large stores and can be easily depleted after an intense workout. This is why it is important to consume foods high in carbohydrate everyday in order to ensure sufficient energy for daily practices and competition (3). The amount of stored glycogen varies person to person, but muscles contain the largest amount of glycogen (about 300-400g or 1200-1600 kcal), then the liver (about 75-100g or 300-400 kcal) and finally blood glucose (25g or 100 kcal) (3). Did you know that a well-trained muscle can store much more glycogen than an untrained muscle (2, 3)?! It’s true! Elite endurance athletes’ glycogen stores will be much greater than occasional exercisers’ glycogen stores. Pretty cool how our bodies can adapt, isn’t it?!

Hitting the Wall…

Remember in my entry about the importance of nutrition, when I mentioned distance runners “hitting the wall?’ Well, it relates to muscle glycogen stores and endurance athletes. It occurs when athletes’ muscle glycogen stores become depleted (depending on intensity of activity, usually after 60-90 minutes), the athlete begins to feel tired, fatigued, and the brain tells the athlete to stop (2). Remember the term “bonking?” This relates to liver glycogen stores. Liver glycogen stores are responsible for maintaining blood glucose levels, which, remember, the brain uses glucose exclusively for energy (2, 3). Picture this, an athlete is racing in the morning and they choose to skip breakfast or eating anything before their race (their liver glycogen stores are low, especially after a night of sleeping). How do you think this athlete will feel? Chances are they will feel light-headed, weak, and unable to think clearly. There are ways to overcome these situations, such as eating adequate carbohydrate before exercise, during exercise, and replacing what’s been lost after exercise.

Demands of Daily Training…

If an athlete trains hard everyday and consumes a low carbohydrate diet daily, this athlete will feel constantly fatigued, particularly by the end of the week. There is scientific evidence that if an athlete consumes a diet low in carbohydrate for consecutive days (ex. 3 days or more) this athletes’ muscle glycogen levels will become increasingly depleted each day (2, 3). Again, this is why it is extremely important that athletes consume a diet rich in carbohydrates daily and consume carbohydrate after a workout!

How much carbohydrate should I be consuming??

Recommended DAILY Carbohydrate Intake:

In general for athletes carbohydrate recommendation ranges from 6- 10 grams/kilogram/day OR 55-65% of your daily calories should come from carbohydrates
General training needs- 5- 7 grams/kg/day
Endurance athletes (>60minutes)- 7- 10 grams/kg/day
Ultra endurance athletes- >11 grams/kg/day

Recommendations taken from Dunford, M (Ed.). (2006). Sports nutrition a practice manual for professionals (4^th ed.). Chicago, IL: American Dietetic Association.

Let’s do an EXAMPLE to help you understand, I will use myself…

I am an endurance athlete (7-10g/kg/day); I weigh 125 lb (125 lb/ 2.2lb/kg = 57 kg)

7-10g/kg/day X 57 kg = 399-570 grams of Carbohydrate per day

How many calories is that??

1 gram of carbohydrate = 4 kcal

399-570 grams X 4 kcal/g = 1596-2280 kcal of carbohydrate

I would consume the lower end of this range, 400g of carbohydrate, since my overall calorie needs are not very high and my mileage is not very high either.

FYI

1 gram of carbohydrate = 4 kcal

1 gram of protein = 4 kcal

1 gram of fat = 9 kcal

1 gram of alcohol = 7 kcal

*I will go over carbohydrate recommendations before, during, and after exercise, as well as carbohydrate loading in another entry*

SOURCES of Carbohydrate-

Fruits, Vegetables, Grains (rice), Pasta, Starches (potatoes), Legumes (beans) Breads, Cereals, Dairy Products.

In SUMMARY…

Whether you participate in intense sports, such as basketball, football, hockey, soccer, or compete in endurance sports, such as cycling, running, or swimming, carbohydrate is a primary source for fueling your body! Consuming a diet low in carbohydrate can impair your athletic performance, and who wants that? As you have learned about glycogen storage, hopefully you understand why it is important to consume a diet high in carbohydrate daily, as well as the importance to consuming carbohydrates before, during and after exercise!

For more information, check out:

“Do high carbohydrate diets improve exercise performance?”

http://www.gssiweb.com/Article_Detail.aspx?articleid=900

REFERENCES

1. Hedrick Fink, H., Burgoon, L. A., & Mikesky, A. E. (2009). Practical applications in sports nutrition (2^nd ed.). Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.

2. Clark, N. (2008). Nancy clark’s sports nutrition guidebook (4^th ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

3. Dunford, M (Ed.). (2006). Sports nutrition a practice manual for professionals (4^th ed.). Chicago, IL: American Dietetic Association.

More about Protein

2009-12-10T09:23:00.000-08:00

Hopefully after reading "Protein, Protein, Protein...What's the Hype About?" you know more about protein than beforehand. If you have any questions, please feel free to comment.

I thought I would pass along some links to excellent articles about protein.

Remember if you want to gain muscle mass it takes extra calories, not an excessive amount of protein!

This link to the article titled, "Performance Playbook: Nutrition for Muscle Mass," reiterates this point.

http://www.gssiweb.com/Article_Detail.aspx?articleid=753

"Protein Do Extra Amino Acids and Protein Build Bigger Muscles?"

http://www.gssiweb.com/Article_Detail.aspx?articleid=609&level=3&topic=2

"Protien: Power or Puffery?"

http://www.gssiweb.com/Article_Detail.aspx?articleid=338&level=3&topic=2

"Sports Science News: The Role of Protein in Promoting Recovery from Exercise"

http://www.gssiweb.com/Article_Detail.aspx?articleid=692&level=3&topic=2

Print or Download the PDF "Protein for Athletes: A Practical Guide"

http://www.gssiweb.com/Article_Detail.aspx?articleid=745&level=3&topic=2

Protein, Protein, Protein… What’s the hype about?!

2009-12-10T08:34:00.000-08:00

Athletes and non-athletes alike have a common misconception about protein. The misconception goes something like this; “athletes need A LOT of protein in order to gain A LOT of muscle.” If this is what you think, ask yourself how do athletes get larger muscles? Don’t get me wrong; there are certain groups of athletes that need more protein than the typical, sedentary adult, but for different reasons, which I will discuss shortly. Have you ever gone to the gym and overheard the rather large, muscular athletes lifting free weights talking about protein and protein supplements? I realize that this may sound like a stereotype, but this is a group of athletes that typically believe that they need to consume an excessive amount of protein in order to be bigger. It doesn’t help that the media and muscle magazines have tons of advertisements pushing their newest, greatest, and not to mention $expensive$ protein supplements. At the other end of the gym, you may have overheard cardio athletes talking exclusively about carbohydrates. And there you are asking yourself, what is the right balance for me? I would like to clear up this misconception and any other confusion about protein.

Before I dive in, let’s address the question I left with you above. How do athletes get larger muscles? Well, obviously it isn’t from eating an excessive amount of protein. Athletes get larger muscles from resistance exercise, such as lifting weights, doing pushups, etc.

Protein 101…we have to start with some basics about protein in order for you to understand and appreciate protein. I’m sure you have heard of amino acids or essential amino acids. Common, I know you know of at least one! After Thanksgiving, I’m sure you have heard of tryptophan? Tryptophan is an example of one amino acid. But, do you know what they are? I won’t get into their chemical structure, but in essence they are the “building blocks” for protein. Think of them as Lego pieces. Do you know how many amino acids are used in the human body? Take a guess… 20. Eleven amino acids are made by the body and are called nonessential, meaning you don’t have to consume them through your diet. However, the other 9 amino acids are essential and therefore, you HAVE to obtain them through your diet (1). Now, you may be wondering how to obtain these necessary amino acids? Let’s look at sources of protein…

There are animal and plant sources of protein. We can then categorize them into “complete” and “incomplete” proteins. Complete proteins are those that contain ALL 9 essential amino acids. Animal products such as meats, fish, eggs, dairy products, and soy (plant protein) are considered complete proteins. An incomplete protein does not have all essential amino acids. Examples include plant sources such as, legumes, beans, nuts, seeds, vegetables, fruits, and grains. To my vegetarian readers, do not worry! You can obtain all of the essential amino acids! You probably do it everyday and don’t even realize it. By combining two or more foods that lack essential amino acids (incomplete proteins). For example, beans and rice (legume and grain). In the nutrition world these are called “complementing proteins.” (1, 2).

Okay, you just ate a meal containing protein. Your body breaks the protein down into amino acids and then what happens? These amino acids get used to form new proteins to be used throughout the body. Protein has a lot of amazing functions in the body!! These proteins can be used for the structure of muscle, bones, ligaments, tendons, hair, nails, skin, and organs. Proteins can also be used to make enzymes, hormones, and antibodies, which help with immune function. Finally proteins are used to transport substances, maintain fluid balance and acid-base balance within the body, but I won’t go into any further depth with all of these functions (1, 2, 3). Hopefully, you can see with all of these amazing functions why protein is important.

Ah yes, but what about for the athlete? There are a few “extra” functions for the athlete. Protein can be used to repair damaged muscle and build new muscle tissue. There is one more function. Can athletes burn protein for energy? Only under certain circumstances. First, athletes burn carbohydrates and fat for energy (NOT typically protein). Once these sources are depleted, the body will then use a small amount of protein for energy. AND this only happens to particular athletes: endurance athletes (marathoners, ultra-marathoners), athletes involved in very intense exercise and athletes not consuming enough calories (dieters). Burning protein for fuel is not as efficient as burning carbohydrates or fat due to the chemical reaction to break it down. AND look at all of the functions above; don’t you think it would be a waste to burn it?! Take note: the body does NOT store protein like it does with carbohydrates or fat. For example, there is not a special or magical storage place just for protein. If you eat more protein than you need, it gets stored as fat or glycogen (storage from of carbs) (2, 3).

HOW much protein do I need??
Most people and athletes in our society consume more than enough protein. Although, there are certain groups of athletes that need more protein than the average person, which include:
• Endurance athletes & intense exercisers
• Dieters- restricting calories and intake
• Youth & Teen athletes- need protein for growth and muscle development

There is scientific evidence that athletes need more protein than sedentary people, remember why? Look above at functions for the athlete. However, there is no scientific evidence that consuming more than 2 g of protein/kg provides any physical advantage (2).

Daily Protein Recommendations:

Sedentary adult 0.8 g Protein/kilogram
Recreational exercising adult 1.0-1.5 g Protein/kg
Endurance athlete, adult 1.2-1.6 g Protein/kg
Strength training adult 1.5-1.7 g Protein/kg
Growing Teen athlete 1.5-2.0 g Protein/kg

Recommendations from Clark, N. Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Guidebook (4th ed.). 2008.

Let’s do an example to help you understand. I suppose I will use myself…

I am an endurance adult athlete; I am going to use the range 1.2-1.6 g Protein/kg.

1.2-1.6g Protein/kg X 57 kg = 68-91 grams of Protein/ day

I would aim to consume the lower end of the range, 68 to 78 g of protein per day because I am a female and since my total daily and weekly mileage is not high yet. As my mileage increases I will need to increase the total amount of calories I consume and I will more than likely increase my protein intake.

*To get your weight in kg, divide lbs/2.2 example. 125lbs/2.2 = about 57 kg

Have I consumed 70g protein today?

Breakfast- Whole wheat bagel 10 grams Protein
Egg 6 grams Protein
Raspberry yogurt 5 grams Protein

Lunch- 1 % milk 8 oz. 8 grams Protein
2 slices whole wheat bread 10 grams Pro
Peanut butter (1 Tbsp.) 4.5 grams pro
Large Banana 1.5 grams pro

Dinner- Chicken breast roasted, 4 oz. 35 grams pro
Brown rice, ½ cup 4 grams pro
Broccoli ½ cup 2 grams

TOTAL= 86 grams of Protein
As you can see, I easily consumed more protein than I need.

What about consuming protein right after a workout?

It is very important that you re-fuel your body after a workout. Again, I will write a separate post about post-exercise nutrition. Remember, carbohydrate is the key fuel source, so you should be consuming carbohydrate rich foods after a workout. Although, there is some scientific evidence that suggests that a small amount of protein should also be consumed after a workout because it can help with muscle recovery after endurance and weightlifting exercise (4).

How much is this “small amount of protein?” About 0.1-0.2grams/kg (4)
Using myself as an example again: 0.1-0.2g/kg X 57kg = 6-11 grams of Protein

An example of post-exercise snack I enjoy is a glass of chocolate milk, which would contain 8g of protein/8 oz. or sometimes I enjoy a Clif bar, which has 10g of protein/bar.

In summary, protein has many important functions and is an important nutrient for athletes. Protein is especially important for endurance athletes (marathoners, triathletes) since it can provide a source of energy. And, yes, athletes involved in endurance, strength, or team sports do need slightly more protein than the average, sedentary adult. Most of us do consume more protein than we actually need, as you saw in my example. Finally, there is no need to purchase expensive protein supplements when you can obtain the recommended amount of protein through food. Most foods that contain protein have other important and valuable vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals. Think about it, the cost of a protein bar alone is going to be just as much as a jar of peanut butter, which could last you an entire week!

REFERENCES

1. Hedrick Fink, H., Burgoon, L. A., & Mikesky, A. E. (2009). Practical applications in sports nutrition (2nd ed.). Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.

2. Clark, N. (2008). Nancy clark’s sports nutrition guidebook (4th ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

3. Benardot, D. (2000). Nutrition for serious athletes. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

4. Dunford, M (Ed.). (2006). Sports nutrition a practice manual for professionals (4th ed.). Chicago, IL: American Dietetic Association.

Why is nutrition important?

2009-12-08T08:30:00.000-08:00

Some of you may be wondering why is nutrition important? Others may believe it isn't important at all. Many of you probably have lots of questions, concerns, or perhaps even firm beliefs about nutrition. Undoubtedly, thanks to the media and the consumer market with their wide array of products and new foods with outlandish claims, you may feel somewhat "overwhelmed" or confused. My goal is to help clear up any confusion or questions you may have about nutrition, in particular, sports nutrition.

As for the athlete and nutrition let's look at the analogy of fueling your vehicle... You are about to embark on a long trip driving across the country (Which I would love to do!). Obviously, you would not start your trip without stopping at the gas station to fill up your car. You wouldn't get very far without fuel! The same idea applies to your body and muscles. If you were about to go for an hour long run or play a game of basketball or any other sport, you would need to make sure you have "fueled" yourself so that you have adequate energy to perform!

In the competitive world of athletics, athletes are constantly looking for that physical or psychological "edge" over their opponent. In order to achieve this, an athlete may practice or train hard, but essentially an athlete must take care of their body. Proper nutrition is extremely important because what and when you eat can either enhance or impair your performance.

I'm sure many of you have experienced a time when you did not fuel yourself properly for an event. Hopefully, you learned your lesson. Personally, I have had my fair share of hard lessons. Once I ended up in a hospital, but that's another story! Even for those of you who are not athletes, have you ever missed breakfast? How did you feel? Could you think clearly? I could start going on about nutrition and the brain, but I'll leave that for another post... Anyway, as a runner, I know that if I don't fuel myself properly throughout the week and post exercise, I do NOT perform well by the end of the week. I feel sluggish, heavy, and not to my best. Have you ever heard runners say they "hit the wall" or "bonked"? Perhaps, you have experienced this yourself. I will discuss what this means in another post. I have learned the hard way and through education the importance of nutrition for performance. My hope is that you too will learn!

Here is a video by ADA's dietetic practice group Sports, Cardiovascular and Wellness Nutrition (SCAN) titled, "Sports Nutrition: Who Delivers?"

Check out SCAN at http://www.scandpg.org

WELCOME

2009-12-07T09:16:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my Health-e Athlete blog! I have never blogged before, so this is a whole new experience for me! This blog is for athletes of any age and level to learn more about nutrition and health. I welcome feedback and would love to know what athletes out there want to learn about! I am very passionate about helping people become active and living a healthy lifestyle.

	Age (years)	AI (micrograms/day) (IU/day)	UL (microgramsg/day) (IU/day)
Men & Women	19-50	5 (200 IU)	25 (1000 IU)
Men & Women	51-70	10 (400 IU)	50 (2000 IU)
Men & Women	> 70	15 (600 IU)	50 (2000 IU)
Pregnant & Lactation	< 18 19-50	5 (200 IU)	5o (2000 IU)