2647: The ABC's of Sports Nutrition by Nancy Clark on Eating Advice for Athletes

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[00:01:01] wonderfulpistachios.com. This is Optimal Health Daily, episode 2647. The ABCs of sports nutrition by Nancy Clark of nancyclarkrd.com and I'm Dr. Neal Malik, your host. Welcome back to Optimal Health Daily or welcome for the first time if you're new here.

[00:01:21] This is the podcast where I act as your very own personal narrator and read to you from some of the most popular health and fitness blogs online. Alright, and with that, let's keep this intro nice

[00:01:31] and short and get right to it as we optimize your life. The ABCs of sports nutrition by Nancy Clark of nancyclarkrd.com. Believe it or not, eating a good sports diet can be simple, yet too many

[00:01:49] athletes have created a complex and confusing eating program with good and bad foods, lots of rules, and plenty of guilt. Let's get back to the basics and enjoy performance-enhancing fueling with these simple ABCs for winning nutrition. A. Appreciate the power of food and the positive

[00:02:09] impact it has on athletic performance. Also, notice the negative impact of hunger on your mood, ability to focus, and energy. As an athlete, you're either fueling up or refueling. Every meal and snack has a purpose. Be responsible. B. Breakfast. Eat it within 3 hours of waking

[00:02:29] for a high-energy day. If you're not hungry in the morning, trade evening snacks with little nutritional value for a wholesome morning meal. Alternatively, eat that wholesome morning meal at night in place of the snacky foods. C. Carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are the preferred

[00:02:48] source of muscle fuel for hard exercise. Do not stay away from pasta, potato, bread, bagels, and other starchy foods that have wrongly been deemed fattening but actually help keep muscles well fueled. Serious athletes who minimize carb intake risk having poorly fueled muscles.

[00:03:06] D. Dehydration. Dehydration needlessly slows you down, so plan to drink extra fluid 45 to 90 minutes before a hard workout. That's how much time the kidneys require to process fluid. Schedule time to tank up, urinate the excess, and then drink again soon before you start to exercise.

[00:03:26] E. Energy bars. Energy bars are more about convenience than necessity. Bananas, raisins, fig newtons, and granola bars offer convenient fuel at a fraction of the price. If you prefer pre-wrapped bars, choose ones made with wholesome ingredients such as dried fruits,

[00:03:43] nuts, and whole grains. F. Fortified foods. Foods fortified with iron can help non-meat eaters and vegetarians reduce their risk of becoming anemic. Iron-fortified breakfast cereals such as Raisin Bran, Grape Nuts, and Wheaties offer more iron than all natural brands with

[00:04:01] no added iron such as Kashi, old-fashioned oats, and granola. G. Gatorade. Gatorade and other sports drinks are designed to be used by athletes during extended exercise, not as a mealtime beverage or snack. Most foods contain far more electrolytes than in sports drinks. H. Hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia

[00:04:23] or low blood sugar as characterized by lightheadedness, fatigue, and inability to concentrate is preventable. To eliminate 4pm low blood sugar, enjoy a hearty and nutritious mid-afternoon snack. I. Intermittent fasting. Intermittent fasting might offer health benefits for an individual

[00:04:42] with excess body fat or is underfit or sedentary, but it is not designed for athletes. Extended time without food may put your body into muscle breakdown mode. J. Junk food. Junk food can fit

[00:04:56] into your sports diet in small amounts. That is, you don't have to have a perfect diet to have an excellent diet. The goal is 90% quality foods and if desired 10% fun foods. K. Keto. Keto, paleo, and other fad-reducing diets work because they limit calorie intake. But when dieters escape

[00:05:18] from food jail, backlash takes its toll. Your better bet? Learn how to eat appropriately, not diet restrictively. L. Lifting weights. Lifting weights is key to building muscles. Carbohydrates provide the energy needed to lift heavy weights. To support muscular growth,

[00:05:37] choose carbohydrate-based meals with a side of protein as opposed to protein-based meals with minimal carbs. M. Muscles. Muscles store carbohydrate like grains, fruits, and veggies as glycogen. When replenishing depleted glycogen to prevent needless fatigue,

[00:05:54] muscles store about 3 ounces of water with each 1 ounce of carb. Hence, an athlete might gain 2-4 pounds of water weight when refueling on a rest day. N. Nutrient-dense whole foods. Nutrient-dense whole foods are so much better for your health than ultra-processed foods.

[00:06:13] By satiating your appetite with hearty breakfasts and lunches, you'll curb your desire for afternoon and evening chips, cookies, instant meals, and other highly processed foods, and may not even miss them. O. Obsessed. Obsessed about food and weight? If you spend too much time thinking about

[00:06:31] what or what not to eat, meeting with a sports dietitian can help you stop the struggle. Eating should be simple. By the way, a quick way to know whether a dietitian has a specialty in

[00:06:42] sports nutrition is to ask them whether they have two things – a registered dietitian credential, abbreviated RD, and a board certification as a specialist in sports dietetics. P. Protein. Protein is an important part of a sports diet. It helps build and repair muscles

[00:07:01] after hard workouts, but it does not refuel muscles. A recovery drink should offer 3 times more carbs than protein. Choose a fruit smoothie made with Greek yogurt instead of a low-carb protein shake. Q. Quality nutrition. Quality nutrition is best found in natural foods.

[00:07:20] Be sure there are more apple cores and banana peels than energy bar wrappers and ultra-processed food packages in your wastebasket. R. Rest. Rest is an important part of a training program.

[00:07:33] Your muscles need time to heal and refuel. Plan one or two days with little or no exercise per week. Expect to feel just as hungry on rest days as on exercise days. Your muscles need food to

[00:07:45] replenish depleted glycogen stores. S. Sweet cravings. Sweet cravings are a sign you've gotten too hungry. Experiment with eating enough breakfast and lunch to feel satiated. Don't stop eating just because you think you should. You'll have more energy in the afternoon,

[00:08:02] better workouts, and far less desire for sweets and treats later in the day. T. Thinner. Thinner does not equate to performing better if the cost of being thinner is skimpy meals and poorly fueled muscles. Initially, a lighter athlete might set some personal records,

[00:08:20] but stress fractures and injuries will ultimately take a toll. The better bet? Focus on being well-fueled and powerful. U. Urine. Urine that is dark-colored and smelly indicates a need to drink more fluid. This includes coffee and watery foods like fruits and vegetables.

[00:08:38] Well-hydrated athletes have pale-colored urine and urinate every 2-4 hours. V. Vegetarian and vegan. Vegetarian and vegan athletes should include plant protein at each meal and snack. Peanut butter on a bagel, hummus with pita, and beans and chili are just a few

[00:08:56] suggestions. W. Weight. Weight is more than a matter of willpower. Genetics plays a role. The apple doesn't fall too far from the tree. Forcing your body to be too thin is abusive. X. Extra vitamins. Extra vitamins are best found the all-natural way – in dark,

[00:09:16] colorful vegetables such as broccoli, spinach, peppers, tomatoes, and carrots or in fresh fruits such as oranges, grapefruit, cantaloupe, strawberries, and kiwi. Chow down! Y. Yes, you can optimally fuel your engines. The trick is to prevent hunger. When too hungry,

[00:09:36] you'll likely grab the handiest but not the healthiest food around. Experiment with front-loading your calories. And Z. Zippy and zingy. Zippy and zingy – that's how you'll feel when you fuel with premium nutrition. Eat well and enjoy your high energy. You just listened to the post titled

[00:09:58] The ABCs of Sports Nutrition by Nancy Clark of nancyclarkrd.com and I'll be right back with my commentary. In 2011, a group of high school cheerleaders began exhibiting a bizarre mix of neurological symptoms – tics, twitches, and strange outbursts. Desperate parents and

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[00:11:03] You can binge all episodes of Hysterical early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery Plus. Dr. Neil here for my commentary. I want to go back to what today's author Nancy mentioned about intermittent fasting for athletes. I've talked about the pros and cons of

[00:11:20] intermittent fasting before, but usually I talk about how intermittent fasting relates to weight loss. I haven't really mentioned how intermittent fasting may affect those that exercise regularly. I looked for some studies on the topic and did find one meta-analysis that looked at whether

[00:11:37] intermittent fasting was helpful for those that are physically active and perform resistance training regularly. The researchers found that intermittent fasting did not slow down muscle growth. Now, you may stop for a second and think, uh, Dr. Neil, didn't today's author Nancy say

[00:11:54] that intermittent fasting may lead to muscle breakdown? What gives? Well, let me finish. The authors of this meta-analysis go on to say that while these results seem promising, these conclusions are based on small-scale, short-term studies. They also go on to say

[00:12:11] there is a huge gap in this area of research, especially as it relates to whether intermittent fasting is helpful for athletes in the long term. In fact, another review study concluded that fasting doesn't appear to be beneficial for athletic performance. Now, does that mean every

[00:12:28] athlete should avoid intermittent fasting as a pattern of eating? No. Some may find it works great for them. Instead, the point of all this is to not get carried away in thinking that intermittent fasting is any better than fueling the body throughout the day, just as Nancy described.

[00:12:46] All right, that'll do it for another episode of Optimal Health Daily. Thank you so much for listening. Thank you for sharing this show with someone. I hope you're having a great weekend, and I'll see you back here tomorrow as usual and where your optimal life awaits!