RENEE MCGREGORSPORTS NUTRITIONIST AND REGISTERED
DIETITIAN
Eat Well Perform WellThursday 18th October 2012
Oxford University
Why is Nutrition Important?
A well chosen diet offers many benefits to allathletes, irrespective of event, age, sex or level of competition.These include:Optimal gains from the training programmeEnhanced recovery within and between
workouts/eventsAchievement and maintenance of an ideal body
weight and physiqueA reduced risk of illness and injuryConsistency of achieving high level performance
Do You Meet your Requirements?
Carbohydrates
Supplies the muscles and brain with the fuels they need to meet the stress of training and competition.
Stored in muscle as glycogenThese glycogen stores must be rapidly restored
to enable quality training and adaptation to training to be maintained.
The best time to restore the muscle glycogen stores is during the first 15-30 minutes of finishing training
Recommended 1.0-1.2g/Kg body weight per hour until your next meal.
This is particularly important if the athlete has more than 2 training sessions a day
How much do you need?
Generally work in grams/Kg Body Weight/day Your requirements are around :
5-7g/Kg BW/day So for a 50Kg athlete this will be 250=350gand for a 65Kg athlete this will be 325-455g
across the day always aiming to choose wholegrain, slow release carbohydrates at mealtimesHowever all athletes are different so no one size fits all and nutrition plans need to be individualised for optimal body composition and performance results.
What does 50g of carbohydrate look like?
50g Breakfast cereal with milk and fruit150g natural yoghurt with 1 tablespoon honey500ml low fat flavoured milk 300ml Fruit smoothie2 pieces toast with honey or jamWholemeal fruit scone with jam or honey2 x small cereal barsLarge jacket potato60g dry weight wholemeal pasta50g dry weight wholegrain rice
Protein
Plays an important role in the response to exercise.
Amino acids from proteins are the building blocks for the manufacture of new and repair of old muscle tissue; hormones and enzymes that regulate metabolism and other body functions
Provides a small source of fuel for the exercising muscle
Requirements: 1.2g/Kg BW = 60g for 50Kg athlete and 78g protein for a 65Kg athlete.
Recent studies have shown that protein intake is particularly important in the recovery phase: Helps to counteract the increased rates of protein
breakdown that occur during exercise. Promotes muscle growth, repair and adaptation
following the exercise stimulus. This can be achieved with as little as 10g protein,
while maximal effects occur with 20-25g protein
What does 10g protein look like?
2 small eggs300ml cows milk20g skim milk powder30g cheese200g yoghurt35-50g meat, fish or chicken400ml soy milk60g nuts/seeds120g tofu150g legumes or lentils200g baked beans
Recovery Nutrition Ideas
The Following provide around 65g carbohydrate and 10-20g protein:300ml flavoured or unflavoured low fat milk followed by:Wholemeal sandwich with tuna/chicken/houmous or
eggMedium jacket potato with baked beans2 pieces wholemeal toast with 2 x poached or
scrambled eggLarge tortilla wrap or pitta with houmous and saladLarge bowl of soup like sweet potato and lentil with
small bread roll
Fruit and Vegetables
Provide vitamins and minerals essential for good immune function, metabolism and recovery.
High in fibre, low in fat so great choice of snack – can incorporate into cakes/muffins – TRY carrot cake, courgette and lemon muffins, date and walnut muffins.
Smoothies are also easy to prepare and great as a snack choice between meals – add oats and ground almonds for a breakfast smoothie.
Aim to include at least 5 a day – remember include a variety of colours
Fats
Important to include essential fatty acids They help absorb fat soluble vitamins – A, D,
E and K.Studies have linked to improve cognitive
function, weight maintenance and also reduced fatigue.
Good sources include: oily fish, walnuts and walnut oil; flaxseeds and flaxseed oil; avocado; all other seeds and nuts/nut butters
Training Complications
1)Struggle to eat Breakfast before morning session:
Try one of these carbohydrate heavyand easily digestible breakfast – aiming for 50-70g carbohydrate 1-3 hours before training: Wholegrain bagel with honey or jam or marmite 50g porridge oats with milk and banana or 30g
raisins 50g unsweetened muesli with low fat natural
yoghurt Milkshake: blend 300ml skimmed milk with 30g oats
and 1 x pot flavoured fruit yoghurt
2) Long travel times to races= be preparedTry pasta salads by making extra pasta the night
before; add salad veg and tinned fish or chicken or try beans and pulses. Add lemon or lime juice/herbs and spices for added flavour and antioxidants.
filled rolls/sandwiches/bagels/wraps with houmous/chicken/fish/egg are great pre-match
Use homemade sports drinks – 300ml juice diluted with 300ml water
Take sweet and savoury oatckaesWholemeal fruit scones, currant buns or malt loaf
3) Late TrainingAim to eat your main meal during the day,
followed by one of the following as a light meal/snack post training:
Scrambled egg pittasBeans on toastSweet potato and lentil soup with bread rollCheese on toastJacket potato with tuna
Pre-event meal suggestions
Try some of these which provide around 100g carbohydrate and 20g protein:1) 120g (dry weight) wholemeal pasta with
tomato and vegetable sauce and matchbox size piece of cheese grated on top
2)90g (dry weight) wholemeal basmati rice with chickpea and spinach curry
3)100g (dry weight) soba noodles with chicken (1 medium breast) stir fry
4)250g (raw weight) jacket or sweet potato with (palm of hand) size portion oily fish and salad
Further Easy Meal Suggestions
EGG FRIED NOODLES:In a pan boil 2 portions noodles (you can buy these really cheap in most supermarkets and they come in ready portions – look in the pasta aisle); add some frozen or fresh veg. of your choice; drain. while the noodles are cooking (about 3-4 min.) whisk 2 eggs in a bowl. In a frying pan heat a small amount of oil, add the drained noodles and veg. mix, add the beaten eggs and stir until the egg is cooked – serve. You can add soy sauce, garlic and spring onions for added flavour.
SALMON PARCELS WITH SWEET POTATO:
Take one salmon fillet and put in some cooking foil, squeeze half a lemon and add chopped garlic – wrap and place in the oven at about 190-200oC for about 30 – 40 min. At the same time place one medium sweet potato in the oven too. 10 min before the salmon and sweet potato are cooked, boil up some veg. – frozen or fresh, serve with cooked fish and baked sweet potato.
SIMPLE SAUSAGE CASSEROLE:
Chop up veg. – try courgettes, carrots, green beans, sweet potatoes, broccoli and place in an oven proof dish. Add chopped garlic and ginger for flavour (but optional) and also add to dish. Cut uncooked but defrosted sausages into 2 inch pieces and add to dish. Pour over tomato based pasta sauce of your choice, add the same amount of water. Place cover on dish and put in a medium hot oven for 1 hour. Check all veg. and sausages cooked, serve with toast or jacket potato.
VEGETABLE AND BEAN HOTPOT: makes one large pot and should last 2-3 servings.chop garlic and ginger and place in an oven proof dishchop a variety of veg. broccoli, carrots, green beans, courgettes, peppers etc and also place in the dish.Add I x 400g drained tin of beans – chickpea or kidney or red lentils.Add 1 x jar tomato based pasta sauce.Season as required.Place dish into oven for 1 hour – serve with toast or jacket potato. SWEET POTATO AND LENTIL SOUP:should last 2-3 servings.chop garlic and ginger and fry in a pan in a small amount of olive oil.Add 2 peeled and chopped sweet potato and ½ a cup of uncooked Red lentils.Add 1 litre vegetable stock.Bring to the boil and simmer for 30 minutes; blend and serve with a small bread roll.
Other Essential Nutrients
Calcium - necessary for strong bones; studies have also shown a favourable body composition with high intakes of calcium, particularly from low fat dairy sources.
In athletes requirements are 1300mg/day which is the equivalent of 4 servings of dairy/day where one serving:
1/3 pint of milkMatchbox size piece of cheese150g portion yoghurt
Iron –necessary for good oxygen transport within body.
a deficiency can cause: tiredness; shortness of breath; poor appetite; lack of concentration;
Often pale with dark blue tinged circles under eyes.Requirements: boys 11.3mg/day; girls 14.8mg/d.Good sources: red meat; eggs; beans and pulses;
green leafy vegetables; some dried fruit; fortified cereal but all plant based sources should be taken with a dose of vitamin C.
E.g. Bowl of wholegrain cereal with a glass of orange juice
Immunity
Aim for a balanced diet to ensure all vitamins and minerals.
Ensure you are well hydrated at all times as this will ensure saliva production which is first defence against cold and flu bugs.
Sleep and rest – studies show a minimum of 8 hours sleep a night can reduce risk of infection.
Studies have shown that probiotic drinks can reduce occurrence of infection - may be related to better maintenance of saliva IgA levels during a winter period of training and competition.
Studies have linked low Vitamin D levels with increased occurrence of infections.
Hydration
Dehydration can contribute significantly to fatigue and be detrimental to performance – not just physically but also mental skill and decision can be affected.
To calculate how much an athlete is losing in sweat during a session they can weigh themselves before and immediately after the training session.
A loss of 1Kg is equal to losing a litre of sweat
The athlete should aim to rehydrate by drinking 1.5 times the fluid loss over a period of 1-2 hours.
How to Avoid Dehydration
Drinking plenty of fluid throughout the day not just when in the pool
Never being thirsty – being thirsty means you are already dehydrated
Take a sports drink – homemade or commercial or water to all training sessions.
Sports drinks can have an advantage over plain water as they are rapidly taken up by the body and provide extra carbohydrates- but watch out for dental hygiene.
How to check!
Alcohol and Sport
Social aspect of university lifeExcessive intake will affect performance:- causes dehydration- causes low blood sugars- poor decision making- your body will always absorb alcohol first
instead of essential recovery nutrition- be sensible; aim to eat before drinking and
try to rehydrate alongside
Take Home Messages
Good nutrition will improve performanceRecovery nutrition is very important
especially if you are training more than once a day or have less than 8 hours between sessions.
Every day try to include:1) complex carbohydrates2) lean sources of protein (especially in
recovery)3) At least one portion of good fats4) A minimum of 4 servings of low fat dairy5) Aim for your “5 a day”Every week aim for :1)At least one portion of oily fish2)One portion of red meat
