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NUTRITION
What to Eat and Drink for Peak Performance
By Sabine Weber Morris
Whether you are the weekend warrior or a professional athlete what goes in your mouth – or what doesn't – will ultimately affect your performance. Many athletes don't realize that a bad workout one day may be the result of what they did the day before. Carbohydrates consumed before, during, and after exercise can improve performance. Especially for those activities lasting 60 minutes and more in duration. Eating carbohydrates and preventing dehydration are the two most important nutrition interventions to improve exercise performance.
CARBOHYDRATES
FOR FUEL
Carbohydrates are getting a bad rap these days and, too often, athletes
are focusing on protein and "skimping" on the carbs. Individuals
who exercise regularly are an exception to the general population and
need to remember that carbohydrates are the main energy source used during
activity.
Yes, all people benefit from decreasing processed carbohydrates and sugars and can easily maintain a healthy balanced diet with less than 50 percent of total calories from carbohydrates. However, athletes should maintain a high carbohydrate diet with an average of 60 percent of total calories.
Carbohydrates are the only energy source that can replenish carbohydrate stores in muscles (referred to as glycogen). It is important that a high carbohydrate diet be maintained to keep glycogen stores full. When these stores are depleted during activity the athlete may be unable to exercise in the capacity he or she normally would.
You may hear terms like "hitting a wall" or "bonking." In these cases, the athlete must rely totally on carbohydrates eaten during exercise to use for energy. If you're in the middle of hiking, running, biking or paddling without food or sports drinks – you're out of luck.
Why Carbohydrates
for Performance, Not Protein?
I am not saying that protein is not important because it is just as important
to have adequate protein in the diet, as it is to have adequate carbohydrates
and fat. But, energy will always come first in the body. So athletes with
high-energy needs that DON'T consume adequate amounts of carbohydrates
will use protein for energy.
Therefore, protein will not be available to the body in the right capacity to build and repair tissues, including muscle, synthesize hormones, enzymes, red blood cells and much more. For this reason it is extremely important for athletes to focus on adequate carbohydrate intake for energy and performance, to spare protein from being used for energy.
Carbohydrate
Recommendations for Most Athletes
Most athletes should consume 6-10 grams of carbohydrates per kilogram
of body weight per day depending on the hours of exercise per day. To
determine your carbohydrate needs, first convert pounds to kilograms:
Divide weight in pounds by 2.2 = weight in kilograms. If you exercise
1-2 hours per day, consume 6-8 grams of carbohydrates per kilogram body
weight. If you exercise 3-4 hours per day, consume 9-10 grams of carbohydrates
per kilogram body weight.
When to
Consume Carbos
Performance often depends on the timing of carbohydrate intake. Before
exercise, most athletes should consume 1-4 grams of carbohydrate per kilogram
of body weight one to four hours. Whether you exercise in the morning
or later in the day will impact how much carbohydrate you take in prior
to exercise. This will usually range from 75-400 grams of carbohydrate.
Pre-exercise meals should be low to moderate in fat and protein, and high in carbohydrate. High fat or high protein meals will take more energy out of your body for digestion. Digestion is slowed during exercise, so that cheeseburger and fries is out! Carbohydrate is readily used for energy during activity.
During exercise, consume 30-60 grams of carbohydrate every hour. This is essentially why sports drinks, gels, and some bars were created. They contain mostly carbohydrate that is turned to energy very quickly with little digestion. Too much carbohydrate at one time during activity can lead to diarrhea, abdominal cramping, and dehydration. Therefore, it is important to experiment with these products and use the ones that work best for you.
Carbohydrates should be consumed every 15 to 20 minutes. 15 grams of carbohydrate every 15 to 20 minutes would equal 45-60 grams carbohydrate an hour. Sports drinks are usually the best choice because you can get your fluids, carbohydrates, and replace electrolyte losses with one product. Bonus: You can pack less when exercising!
After exercise, consume 1.5 grams of carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight within the first 30 minutes. Followed by another 1.5 grams per kilogram approximately 2 hours after exercise. For most people this will usually fall in the range of 75-150 grams of carbohydrate.
Carbohydrate intake following exercise is extremely important because this is when glycogen stores are most receptive to replenishment. Not replenishing these stores can lead to poor performance and fatigue, especially with concurrent workouts. It is also beneficial to have small amounts of protein with carbohydrate. This has been shown to help muscles recover quicker. So foods like yogurt or fruit smoothies made with skim milk or soymilk and fresh fruits are great choices after exercise.
FLUIDS
FOR FUEL
Dehydration may also lead to poor performance and fatigue. Before exercise,
consume 16 ounces two hours before activity and 8-12 ounces 15 minutes
before activity. During exercise, consume 5-10 ounces every 15 to 20 minutes
with a minimum of 20 ounces per hour. After exercise, consume 24 ounces
for each pound of body weight lost after exercise.
Tips to improve exercise performance – Maintain a high carbohydrate diet, eat 3 meals and 3 snacks per day (don't skip meals), don't exercise on an empty stomach, and don't exercise more than 60 minutes without food or fluids.
High carbohydrate foods for pre and post exercise – The following snack combinations each provide 50-75 grams of carbohydrate:
- 1 cup vanilla yogurt + 1/2 cup grape nuts + 2 tablespoons raisins
- 1 cup vanilla yogurt + 1 cup fresh fruit
- 1 cup juice + 1 banana
- 1 slice banana nut bread + 1 cup skim milk
- 1 energy bar + 8 ounces sports drink
- smoothie: 2 cups skim or soy milk + 1-1/2 cup mango or berries + 2 tablespoon soy protein
- 1-1/2 cup multigrain cereal + 1-1/2 cup skim milk
- 1 bagel + 1 banana + 1 tablespoon nut butter
- 1 cup cottage cheese + 8 whole wheat crackers + 1 apple
- 4 rice cakes + 1 banana + 2 tablespoons peanut butter.
APRICOT
HONEY OATMEAL
Serves 4 (Source: Quaker Oatmeal)
3-1/2 cups water; 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots; 1/3 cup honey;
1/2 teaspoon dried cinnamon; 1/4 teaspoon salt (optional);
2 cups quick or old fashioned oats, uncooked
Bring water, apricots, honey, cinnamon, and salt to a boil. Stir in oats and return to boil. Reduce heat to medium; cook about 1 minute for quick oats (5 minutes for old fashioned), stirring occasionally. If desired substitute raisins, dried peaches or pears, dried cranberries or blueberries, dried apples, dates or diced mixed dried fruit for apricots. Per serving: Calories 280, Carbohydrate 61 grams, Protein 6 grams, Fat 2.5 grams, Dietary Fiber 6 grams.
Sabine Weber Morris, MS, RD, CDN, is a Registered Dietitian and Certified
Nutritionist. She is the owner and operator of Adirondack Nutrition Consulting
in Lake Placid. Sabine lives in Wilmington and enjoys skiing, snowshoeing,
hiking, running, biking, and rock climbing.
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