As an athlete you may be in a position where you are being drug tested, and it would be horrible to be cut-off from a competition because your vitamins had a banned substance and you weren't even aware it was there. This happened to an Olympic competitor recently, and all she was doing was trying to keep her body healthy. When I read about this unfortunate young woman who was removed from the team and banned for four years, I knew I needed to add this chapter to the book. I'm certainly not qualified to discuss the details of nutrition, so I asked Steve Chaney, PhD, to do it for me. Dr. Chaney has recently retired from University of North Carolina Chapel Hill (UNC-CH) where he taught biochemistry and nutrition to medical and dental students. Dr. Chaney is also a member of the Shaklee Scientific Research Team for over 35 years.
I appreciate Dr. Chaney's very interesting, medically accurate, and informative article about safe sports nutrition that will keep you at your peak performance level.
Visit his website: https://chaneyhealth.com/healthtips/ for much more information.
Simple Rules for a Diet That Supports Both Health and Exercise
Every discussion of nutrition should start with a healthy diet, and that is just as true for sports nutrition as it is for any other kind of nutrition program. Here are my top 10 tips for a healthier diet.
#1: Eat a variety of foods
Eat a variety of foods from all 5 food groups that the USDA considers to be healthy. Without this, there is no way that we can be assured of receiving all the nutrients essential to good health. One of the major drawbacks of the fast food restaurants so popular in our society is the lack of variety in what they offer. The 5 healthy food groups are protein (meat, beans, eggs & nuts), dairy, fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, and whole grains. Unfortunately, most of the food we eat is from the 6th (unhealthy) food group—junk and convenience foods.
#2: Eat less fatty meats
Few of us will want to become total vegetarians—and that's probably not even advisable for serious athletes. But we can all benefit by cutting out those meats high in saturated fat and cholesterol. Start out by choosing leaner cuts, trimming off excess fat, and eating smaller portions—4 ounces of meat will supply 30 grams of protein.
#3: Cut down on processed foods
Today we eat half the fresh fruits and vegetables that our grandparents did. We've largely replaced these foods with various processed and convenience foods. These processed and convenience foods are almost always lower in vitamins, minerals, and fiber and higher in calories, sugar, and fat.
#4: Choose whole wheat whenever possible
Processing of wheat removes 20 nutrients. "Enrichment" adds back only 4. Whole grain products add significant amounts of vitamin E, vitamin B6 folic acid, magnesium, and zinc to your diet. In addition, whole wheat is an excellent natural source of fiber in your diet.
#5: Cut down on sugar
Hidden sugar in the American diet is a major cause of obesity. Obesity, in turn, is the number one health problem in the United States today. Obesity is a major risk factor for diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, arthritis, and many other degenerative diseases.
#6: Reduce salt intake
Excess salt causes hypertension (high blood pressure) in susceptible individuals. Unfortunately, there is no way to know if you are a susceptible individual until it is too late. Your best course of action is moderation in the use of salt.
#7: Use healthier oils
Use more monounsaturated and polyunsaturated oils to decrease the saturated fat and cholesterol in your diet. Oil and vinegar salad dressings are better for you. It is also easy to replace animal fats with monounsaturated oils such as olive oil in your cooking.
#8: Limit soft drinks and alcohol
They offer no nutrients, yet they have largely displaced milk and fruit juices from the American diet. Low fat milk remains our best source of calcium and 100% fruit juices are a good source of vitamin C and many other micronutrients.
#9: Avoid artificial foods
They are often advertised as being low in cholesterol, low in fat or low in calories. While this sounds appealing, remember that these foods almost never contain all the nutrients of the foods they replace and many of them contain potential cancer-causing additives.
#10: Add supplements wisely
Add a well-balanced supplement program for optimal health. We should all try to eat as well as we possibly can. Unfortunately, even with the best intentions, most of us will still fall far short of getting all the nutrients that our bodies need.
Nutritional Demands of an Athlete in Training
Why Protein?
Our muscle fibers are largely protein, so protein is an important part of any athlete's diet whether they are a professional athlete or a recreational athlete. Weight training and other kinds of strenuous exercise damage muscle fibers. We also break down some of our muscle protein during exercise as a source of energy.
Why Carbohydrate?
The most readily available source of energy during exercise, especially high intensity exercise, is the carbohydrate store in our muscle called glycogen. Glucose in our bloodstream is a secondary source of energy and can actually be used in preference to muscle glycogen stores when the intensity of exercise is low to moderate.
Why Fat?
Many trainers treat fats as something to be avoided at all cost. In fact, as long as the exercise is of low to moderate intensity fats are a perfectly good energy source. And, training actually increases the ability of our muscles to use fat as an energy source.
Summary: My Recommendations For Sports Nutrition
- Start with a healthy diet following the ten steps outlined above
- Aim for 0.6 to 0.8 grams of protein per pound of weight per day
- Use a rehydration product before and during your event
- Consume both carbohydrate and protein immediately after your workout
- Include plenty of omega-3 fats in your diet