Food and the Athlete - Make it a winning combination!
- Dr. Steven Horwitz
- Jul 16, 2016
- 5 min read
SPORTS NUTRITION
“The foods and drinks that players choose to consume can affect how they perform in sport and help them to stay fit and healthy. All players should choose foods wisely to help achieve their goals in sport."
The British Journal of Sports Medicine says, "Food is composed of six basic substance: carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals and water. Each one of these has specific function in providing nourishment for the body. For the sportsman, it is of critical importance to recognise what each does to his body under the physical, mental and emotional strains of competition." (Emphasis is ours)
Here is what Olympian Elizabeth Beisel says about the importance of the foods she eats to her performance:
"[My diet] has completely changed," she said. "For any 15-year-old girl, they can pretty much eat whatever they want. As a 15-year-old, you can recover a lot faster. As a 23-year-old woman, it's totally different. I just remember I would get my lunch at the cafeteria in high school, and I'd always have a cookie or curly fries or hash browns. There's no way I could have a cookie and French fries with every lunch at my age now."
The internet and book stores are filled with books and articles suggesting everything from Vegan to the Mediterranean to the Paleo. Most "experts" agree on several things:
Food and proper hydration are critical to athletic performance.
Eating nutrient dense foods, preferably organic, provides you with the best sources of macro and micro nutrients. That means as little processed food as possible! Buying foods from local farmers who use organic farming practices (even though they may not say organic - it is expensive to have that label). Eating from a small box is likely to put you in a bigger box sooner than later (think about it!). Look at EWG's Dirty Dozen and Clean 15.
Vegetables (and we don't mean ketchup and french fries) are good! Wash them thoroughly like this before you eat them!
Fruits are good! Eat them in moderation.
additives, preservatives, dyes, MSG, and artificial sweeteners.Chemicals are bad. That means anything you cannot pronounce that is on a label like
It is up to the athlete to experiment and have a full understanding of which foods and liquids work (i.e. help performance) and which do not.
Trying a new food or drink or supplement on game day is always a bad idea!
Avoid GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms) foods. See this list!
Of course, we have our take on proper nutrition and supplementation. We agree with the above-mentioned points and add:
Carbohydrates: Most athletes will not be able to get enough "carbs" from fruit and veggies alone. The best sources are sweet potatoes, squash, brown rice, quinoa and other non-wheat based grains and beans. Please learn how to soak your grains and beans if you choose to eat them. Eat only what you really need to continue to train. In other words, eat as much as you need to feel energized and no more. Like we said, you must experiment.
Protein: This is a loaded topic! Once again, you need enough to recover and rebuild the muscle you have torn down. Excess is not better. There are many formulas used to determine protein needs, but we will go simple .... one gram of protein per pound of lean body mass (not total weight) as a general guide. And let's put an end to the myth of protein and kidney function. Click here.
Fish: Low mercury (low toxin) such as sardines, herring and anchovies. Unfortunately, tuna, swordfish and Chilean sea bass can be high toxin fish.What type of protein? Well, there are plenty of plant based protein only advocates out there, but our take is that grass fed (organic) meats (sustainably raised) are good as well. Here's some recent evidence.
Meat (Animal Protein): Is meat really bad for you? Read this.
Fats: No trans fats! And let's put the "saturated fat is bad" myth to rest. Read this research paper.
Best cooking oils:
No soybean and canola oil.
Low heat: Sunflower, grassfed butter, Pumpkin
Medium heat: Olive, Hazelnut, Sesame, Macadamia
High heat: Coconut, Palm, Ghee, Avocado; medium heat
Good fats: grassfed meats, organic butter, raw nuts, pastured eggs (eat the yolk!)
Dairy: you must experiment. Remove dairy for at least a week or two and see how you feel. Then add back what you miss eating. Grass fed butter, raw and fermented cheese, raw milk (unpasteurized), organic, full fat goat's yogurt, organic Greek yogurt, and kefir are great choices. Introduce one at a time for several days each and see how you feel. Regular grocery bought milks and cheeses (any type) are very poor choices.
Micronutrients: Another minefield! The bottom line is that even if you eat all organic, the soils in which these foods are grown are most probably nutrient deficient or insufficient. Is organic really better? Yes, it is. Read here.
And this paper clearly explains that food alone may not provide enough micronutrients to prevent deficiency in the non-athlete.
Most vegans and vegetarians are micronutrient deficient in B12, Iron, Omega 3s, Iodine, Vitamin D, Calcium, Zinc. Click here to learn how to prevent these deficiencies if you are vegan or vegetarian.
Salt: The conventional wisdom that salt is bad has been challenged and refuted by recent studies. As this article's title says, it is time to end the war on salt. The current research supports an intake between 3000 and 7000 milligrams of sodium (1.5 to 3.5 teaspoons of salt) per day. Regular table salt is heavily processed, full of additives and devoid of minerals. Look for sea salt and check the label.
Supplements: Based on the above mentioned soil nutrient deficiencies, we feel supplementation is is helpful for most people. The really loaded question, is how do you know what you need?
To help determine your likelyhood of micronutrient deficiency and amount of envornmental toxicity exposure, see the Micronutrient Deficiency/Environmental Toxicity Questionnaire.
Given the fact that most people do not even come close to eating the minimum amount of recommended fruits and vegetable, probable micronutrient deficiencies are ubiquitous. And since sports performance is about optimal nutrition, not just preventing deficiency, we feel proper supplementation is not only safe, but necessary.
Food Sensitivities: See this page for sources of gluten, corn, soy, and dairy in foods and how to read labels.
We are finishing the new book: THE ATHLETE'S GUIDE TO SPORTS DIET AND NUTRITION to help guide you down this path. Stay tuned!
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