Fueling for optimization
When you are a competitive athlete, highly trained and highly motivated like everyone else in your event, what can push you beyond your competitors is diet. According to Leslie Bonci, MPH, RD, CSSD, LDN, sports nutritionist for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Toronto Blue Jays and Kansas City Chiefs, nutrition can make a good athlete great or a great athlete good. Athletes spend a lot of time on their external equipment—helmet, pads, shoes, uniforms, gloves etc., but they don’t spend enough time on the internal equipment that keeps players on the field not on the bench. That internal equipment is what they eat.
I had the opportunity to sit down with Leslie Bonci when she was in Boise for a Sports Nutrition Symposium last week sponsored by the Idaho Dairy Council and the Idaho Beef Council and here is what she had to say. What are the biggest nutritional mistakes that you see athletes make?
Most athletes only think about eating the day of competition. Eating and fueling is part of the training regimen and should be considered every day. Just as a football player or soccer player runs through daily training drills for strength and agility, they should consider how they fuel up before their drills and how they restore their muscles after the drills.
How important is protein for the athlete?
There are two camps on this — those who overconsume by focusing their diets around protein and those who under consume by focusing on carbohydrates. Protein is needed to support the body structure and to maintain muscle.
The body has a natural threshold of protein that it needs — 0.6-0.8 grams of protein per pound of body weight per day, anything above this will be converted and stored as fat. So, if you weigh 165 pounds you need 99-132 grams of protein per day. This protein needs to be distributed throughout the day for maximum utilization, not just in one meal.
Ideally breakfast, lunch and dinner should each contain 30 grams of protein. Protein supplements can be spending and are unnecessary. High-quality proteins should be consumed because they provide essential amino acids that are readily taken up by muscle to optimize nitrogen balance and muscle protein synthesis.
Research suggests that of all the essential amino acids, leucine may be the limiting factor in initiating muscle protein synthesis, and that leucine-rich proteins may be the best way to boost muscle protein synthesis after intense physical activity. Foods with high-quality protein and leucine include milk products, whey protein isolates, egg whites, soy protein, bean and pea proteins, meat, chicken and fish.
What do you recommend for replenishing post-exercise recovery drinks?
Fluid is the most important. Ideally the fluid contains carbohydrates, electrolytes and a little bit of protein. Chocolate milk remains one of the best post-exercise snacks and it is high in leucine. What recommendations do you make to athletes who might want to lose weight?
The goal here is to lose weight without losing performance. Don’t do anything that is too dramatic in terms of weight loss to preserve muscle mass. Anything above 1-2 pounds of weight loss per week is too much. She recommends dividing the plate where 40 percent is fruits/vegetables; 20 percent is grains/breads and 40 percent is protein (1 gram per pound of body weight).
What are some of the best pre-game/event foods and post-game/event foods?
Timing is critical for pre-game meals. They should be eaten 4 hours before the event. If there is not that amount of time before the event, then smaller meals made up of carbohydrates, protein and a little fat are good choices. The ideal pre-exercise food 1 hour before exercise might be: 20 ounces of fluid and 35-100 grams carbohydrate and 12-15 grams of protein:
Yogurt
low-fat chocolate milk
½ peanut butter sandwich
½ sports bar (100-10 calories)
As for post event, 15-30 minutes after an event have a light snack like chocolate milk, yogurt or trail mix. Again, ideally the post-event food is something fluid like milk. Then have a regular meal a few hours later. The ideal post-event food contains 35-100 grams of carbohydrate and 12-15 grams of protein. Examples might be:
12 ounces low-fat chocolate milk
½ peanut butter sandwich
3-4 strips of jerky and ½ cup pretzels
¼ cup of nuts and a piece of fruit String cheese or cheese cubes and fruit or crackers
What are your hydration recommendations?
On a day of rest, consume 8-16 cups of fluid per day.
Drink 10-20 ounces 1 hour BEFORE exercise Add 10 ounces or greater for each hour of exercise Replenish with 20-24 ounces per pound lost during exercise — swallow instead of spit Fluid should be cool but not ice cold
Although every athlete can benefit from an individualized nutrition plan, these are some general guidelines to live by. If you are an athlete and having challenges with your diet and performance it may be worthwhile to visit a sports dietitian to help you develop a plan customized for you!
•••
SeAnne Safaii-Waite, Ph.D., RD, LD, is an assistant professor at the University of Idaho.