Carbohydrates for Athletes

Transcription

1 Carbohydrates for Athletes Exercise and Meal Timing Why Eat Before Exercise? The pre-exercise meal provides athletes with the energy they need to train hard and perform optimally; it also ensures hydration. What Should I Eat? Your pre-exercise meal should be high in carbohydrates. Why? Carbohydrates are the most readily available source of energy for your muscles to use during exercise. When Should I Eat? Before Exercise: 15 minutes You should drink 1-3 cups of fluid. 30 minutes Try drinking a sports drink. The carbohydrate in the sports drink will give your body energy to do work, while it will not leave you feeling full and bloated. 60 minutes If you are only able to eat 1 hour before exercising you should consume calories from carbohydrate. Some good choices include: a bagel with jelly, a piece of fruit and a handful of pretzels, or a sports energy bar. 2 to 4 hours You should choose a meal that contains calories and is rich in carbohydrate, low in fat, protein, and fiber. This will prevent bloating, and upset stomach. If you have problems eating solid food before exercise try a liquid meal replacement. Liquid meals are digested more rapidly and may prevent stomach distress. Be sure to drink at least 16 ounces of fluid with your meal. Sample 600-calorie pre-exercise meals: 1 cup orange juice 1 chicken sandwich on wheat bread 1 cup skim milk 1 cup vegetable soup 1 cup oatmeal or cereal 1 cup low-fat yogurt 2 slices of toast with jelly Sliced peaches 1 banana 1 cup water During Exercise: You should drink 6-8 ounces of fluid every fifteen minutes. If you are exercising for over an hour, you may choose a sports drink. Sports drinks will help maintain hydration and the carbohydrate in the sports drink will provide energy for muscle cells. After Exercise: For every pound you lose during exercise, drink at least 16 ounces of fluid. Also be sure to eat a meal with protein and carbohydrate within 2 hours after exercising. The carbohydrate will help refill your body s glycogen stores, and the protein will aid in muscle recovery. GOT CARBS? Carbohydrates are the main source of fuel for your muscles when you are working out. When you eat carbohydrates they are stored in your liver and in your muscles as glycogen. When you start exercising you break down glycogen for energy. GOOD SOURCES OF CARBOHYDRATE: You can find carbohydrates in fruits, vegetables, grains and dairy products. Choose complex carbohydrates most often. These are found in foods like whole grains, whole grain breads, cereals, pasta and rices, vegetables, fruits, and low-fat milk. Simple carbohydrates are those found in juice, candy, soft Created by: Steve Leo Director of Training Parisi Speed School Page 1

2 drinks, fruit drinks, cookies, cakes, muffins, pretzels, jellies, and table sugar. These simple carbohydrates (especially liquid carbohydrates) are good choices immediately following your workout when you may not be feeling hungry. HOW MUCH CARBOHYDRATE DO I NEED? In order to be properly fueled for exercise and to recover from your daily workouts you should eat between 6-10 grams of carbohydrate/kg body weight everyday. Approximately 60-65% of your caloric intake should come from carbohydrate. Determine your CARBOHYDRATE needs: To determine your weight in kg: Divide you weight in pounds by 2.2 Weight in pounds 2.2 = Multiply your weight in kilograms by 6 and 10. This will give you a range of grams of carbohydrate to aim for. REPLACING YOUR GLYCOGEN STORES: Following a hard workout, you have depleted most of the glycogen stored in your muscles. After your workout your muscles are hungry for carbohydrate to replace the stored fuel that they have lost. It is very important that you FEED YOUR MUSCLES after your workout to promote optimal recovery, and PREPARE for your next practice or competition. Because carbohydrate is the only fuel that can replace glycogen stores, it is most important to eat CARBOHYDRATES immediately after your workout. Breakfast: Fitting in the Most Important Meal of the Day Athletes come up with familiar excuses for skipping breakfast: I don t have time I m not hungry I need to lose weight Studies show that concentration and alertness fail without breakfast. Why? Because the brain only uses glucose, not fat, as an energy source. After sleeping you need to break the fast and put glucose back into your system. Your goal should be to eat one third of your daily calories in the morning. Here are some ideas for breakfasts that can be eaten at home, on your way to school, on the go, or in between classes:! Yogurt topped with granola or another cereal! Banana! Cheese! Bran Muffin add peanut butter and/or jelly! Graham crackers! Raisins and Peanuts (prepackage in plastic baggies)! Peanut Butter and crackers! Bagel with cream cheese or fruit spread! Cottage cheese with fruit! Plan a breakfast to go the night before: peanut butter and banana sandwich plus a juice box. These are easy to pack to eat after practice as well.! Cereal with milk, add raisins or fruit of you want! If you are really pressed for time, instant breakfast mixed with milk can be made in a water bottle! Energy bars Created by: Steve Leo Director of Training Parisi Speed School Page 2

3 No morning appetite? You may have eaten too much the night before. Late night snacks can curb a morning appetite, contribute to weight gain, and even result in dietary deficiencies (if too many munchies replace more nutritious meals). Try snacks such as carrots and fruit. If you hold off on late-night snacking altogether, you will have the incentive and hunger to get up earlier and eat a nutritious breakfast. If you don t have the appetite for a morning meal, try drinking your calories instead. One cup (8 ounces) of fruit juice is around 120 calories and one cup of chocolate milk is about 210 calories. Eat or drink as much as you can and then take some pre-packaged food with you to eat later as a mid-morning snack. If you gradually add a little bit more each day to your breakfast, you may eventually have the appetite for a complete breakfast. Morning workouts are another reason athletes aren t hungry for breakfast. Exercised muscles are hungriest for carbohydrates within the first two hours after a workout. Breakfast promptly replaces the depleted glycogen stores and invests in the next training session. Pack your bag with dried fruit, a banana, an apple, yogurt, and a bagel. Eat these when you are hungrier even during class if you are able to do so. Skipping breakfast to lose weight? Don t be so sure! Research indicates that breakfast skippers struggle the most with weight than breakfast-eaters. You burn breakfast calories more easily than the same amount of calories eaten at night because you are much more active throughout the day. 50- calorie diet toast is not enough to satisfy your appetite! This could lead to over-eating later in the day. Here are some sample 500-calorie breakfasts for a 1500 kcal diet (but remember, you should be eating 1/3 of your daily calories at breakfast, so if you need closer to 2000 or more calories per day, breakfast should contribute around calories). Breakfast at home: Approximate calories: 1 cup orange juice 100 1! cups (unsweetened) cereal cup low-fat milk small banana 80 Total: 500 calories Breakfast on the run: Bran muffin cup vanilla yogurt 200 Total: 500 calories Non-traditional breakfast: 2 slices leftover pizza 500 Total: 500 calories Created by: Steve Leo Director of Training Parisi Speed School Page 3

4 Recovery Nutrition You may think that what you eat before you exercise is the most important meal to help you improve your athletic performance. However to get the most benefit from your workout and to help your body prepare for your next workout you need to focus on choosing the right foods immediately after your workout. When you workout you deplete most of the stored carbohydrate in your muscles which is called glycogen. When you finish working out your muscles are HUNGRY to replace glycogen stores. The only way to replace lost carbohydrate is by refueling with carbohydrates What foods are high in carbohydrates? Juice Endurox Fruit Dried Fruit (raisins) Cereal Milk Pretzels Low-fat crackers Granola Bars Bagels/Bread Rice Pasta How soon after my workout should I eat? You should eat at least calories (0.5 grams/lb) from carbohydrate within 30 minutes of the end of your workout. You should repeat that dose again within 2 hours of the end of your workout. If you are typically not hungry after you workout it is a good idea to try a juice (100% juices) or Endurox which will also help to rehydrate you. PROTEIN POWER What about protein? Protein is important following your workout to help repair muscles that are broken down by exercise. However, you should not consume protein at the expense of carbohydrate. Research has shown us that the carbohydrate to protein ratio of 4 to 1 is best for restoring our bodies following exercise. Try a bar, fruit, 100% juice or Endurox immediately following your workout and then have 3-4 ounces of lean protein with dinner. Top Recovery Tips: #1: Make your recovery meal rich in carbohydrates to replace glycogen stores quickly. For example choose rice and pasta before a juicy steak, or waffles before eggs and bacon. #2: Eat immediately following your workout. Your body is most willing to store carbohydrate in the 2 hours following exercise, so replace what you lost during your workout immediately so your body is ready for your next game or practice. #3: Eat whole fruits and vegetables that are good sources of potassium. Potassium is an electrolyte that you lose when you sweat. Replace the potassium you lose by choosing to eat oranges, bananas, potatoes, squash and raisins, or make a fruit smoothie. #4: Follow the hydration guidelines. Drink at least 20 ounces for every pound you lose during exercise, continue to drink until your urine is pale or colorless. Protein is essential for building and repairing connective tissue, muscle cells, and cell membranes along with enzymes that are important for helping all our cells communicate. The amino acids that make up protein can also be used to create glucose when carbohydrate is not available. Do athletes need more protein? Created by: Steve Leo Director of Training Parisi Speed School Page 4

5 There are mixed messages in the popular press concerning the importance of protein for athletes. Protein needs vary depending on the type and intensity of the activity you participate in. Athletes participating in intensive weight training, endurance athletes and athletes who are still growing have higher protein requirements than an average athlete. Use the table below to determine how much protein you need. Protein Needs for Active People Current RDA for sedentary adult Recreational exerciser, adult Competitive athlete, adult Growing teenage athlete Adult building muscle mass Athlete restricting calories Maximum usable amount for adults Grams protein per pound 0.4g/lb g/lb g/lb g/lb g/lb g/lb 1.0g/lb * Source: Rosenbloom, C. Sports Nutrition: A Guide for the Professional Working with Active People 3 rd ed. Chicago, Ill: The American Dietetic Association; Do I need a protein supplement to meet my protein needs? The average American diet contains ~15% of calories from protein which is about 100 grams/day. This is generally adequate for most athletes. If an athlete is concerned about their protein intake, they should make an attempt to include rich sources of protein in their diet before using a protein powder. Examples of good protein sources are eggs, milk, yogurt, meat, fish, chicken and beans. Is it possible to eat too much protein? It is important to remember that in the long term high protein intakes (greater than 2grams/kg/day) causes calcium to leach from bones which could potentially lead to weakened bones. More research is needed to find and confirm the effects of prolonged high protein intake. Created By: Beth Calder RD, Created by: Steve Leo Director of Training Parisi Speed School Page 5

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7 High Carbohydrate Foods in 50 gram Portions Cereals 1 cup Frosted Mini Wheats 2 cups Cheerios 2 cups Corn Pops 1 cup Cracklin Oat Bran " cup granola with raisins! cup Grapenuts 2 2/3 cups Kix 1.5 cups Oh s 1.5 cups Life 2 cups Wheaties 100% Juices 14 ounces apple 10 ounces cranberry 10 ounces grape 16 ounces orange juice Whole Fruits 2 medium apples 2 medium bananas 1 cup applesauce 3 cups grapes 2 oranges 2 pears! cup Raisins Bars/Snacks 2 Nutrigrain Bars 25 Cheddar cheese Combos 2 Milk N Cereal Bars 2 ounces pretzels 2.5 ounces Tortilla Chips 2 Trail Mix Bars 1 Bagel 12 Fat Free Saltines 32 Wheat thins 5 Ritz 6 jolly ranchers 22 gummi bears 14 Red Hot Dollars 6 Starbursts 2 ounces of skittles 1 cup cooked rice (white or brown) 1 # cup macaroni or spaghetti Created by: Steve Leo Director of Training Parisi Speed School Page 7

8 High-Calorie Breakfast Ideas Sample breakfast 1: Entire breakfast provides:! 2 cups Total Cereal 1003 calories! 1 cup 2% milk 173 grams carbohydrate! 1 banana 33 grams protein! 2 cups orange juice 23 grams fat! 1 bagel! 2 tablespoons peanut butter Sample breakfast 2: Entire breakfast provides:! 4 buttermilk waffles 1142 calories!! cup pancake syrup 218 grams carbohydrate! 2 cups 2% milk 30 grams protein! 2 oranges 18 grams fat Sample breakfast 3: Entire breakfast provides:! 2 slices cheese pizza 992 calories! 2 cups fruit juice 144 grams carbohydrate! 2 apples 46 grams protein 27 grams fat Created by: Steve Leo Director of Training Parisi Speed School Page 8

9 The Importance of Sleep Sleep is essential to have success both on the field and off! We must rest our bodies on average 7-8 hours of sleep per night (it is also important to know how many hours of sleep YOU need per night to wake up energized and well rested). The lack of sleep can deprive the release of growth hormone which is released from the pituitary gland at the base of the brain. GH stimulates muscles growth and repair, bone building, and fat burning, and is thus one of the key hormones which help athletes recover from tough workouts and improve physiologically. Studies show that when an athlete loses sleep, growth-hormone release diminishes. This may be a key reason why extended sleep loss can harm performance. Important facts to know! Sleep deprivation can: Decrease mental performance Rate of perceived exertion increases Decreases time till exhaustion by about 10% Decreases ability to produce peak power while exercising Harm coordination and efficiency Decreases mental functioning leading to less efficient control of the muscles by the nervous system Decrease strength Increases rate of increased body temperature during exercising Created by: Steve Leo Director of Training Parisi Speed School Page 9