On thie page you will learn:
What nutrients you need for optimum performance
What you should eat on a daily basis
How to maintain hydration
What to eat before, during and after exercise

"A proper diet can't make an average athlete elite, but a poor diet can make an elite athlete average." Costill, 1983

This quote seems to sum up what role nutrition plays in the performance of an athlete or active person. Genetics, attitude, training, and rest also affect how you perform, however without good nutrition, you cannot reach your athletic potential.

The human body requires about 50 nutrients for optimum performance. These nutrients cannot be made by the body and therefore must come from food. They are classified into six main groups: carbohydrate cho), fat, protein (pro), vitamins, minerals, and water.

During digestion, cho, fat and pro are broken down into small particles for absorption and transported to cells.
Cho is broken down into glucose
Fat is broken down into fatty acids
Pro is broken down into amino acids

Fatty acids and glucose are the body's primary energy sources.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates include sugars and starches which are both converted into glucose, a form of sugar that is transported to the cells for energy. Any glucose not used by the cells is converted and stored as glycogen in the muscles and liver, and the excess is converted into fat. The body has a limited capacity to store glycogen. The average 150 lb athlete stores about 1800 calories as glycogen.

Simple carbohydrates are found in foods such as honey, jam, sugar, and corn syrup and also occur naturally in fruits, sweet vegetables such as carrots and peas, and in milk and yogurt.
Complex carbohydrates are found in grains and grain products such as bread, pasta, rice and cereal, legumes and some vegetables such as potatoes and corn.

Although both forms of carbohydrate provide energy for the working muscles, complex carbohydrates as well as fruits, vegetables and milk products are the preferred source (instead of sugar), because they also provide vitamins, minerals and fibre.

Fat

Remember that the body has a limited capacity to store carbohydrates. Well it is quite different for fat. The human body has a large capacity to store fat. The average 150 lb athlete will have 80,000 calories stored as fat. This is enough fat to run several marathons in a row! Even so, it is healthy to consume some fat on a daily basis for several reasons:

· Fat supplies essential fatty acids that are involved in hormone production and help to keep the immune system in good working order
· Fat is required for the body to absorb the fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E & K)
· Fat helps to satisfy the appetite for 3 to 6 hours
· Fat is needed to maintain healthy skin and hair

Recommended intake…

Recommended fat intake is 15-30% of calories.

For the average female that translates into about 30-60 grams of fat a day.
For the average male that translates into about 45-90 grams of fat a day.

The healthiest fats to consume on a daily basis are vegetable oils such as olive, canola, sunflower, safflower, corn or soybean oil and products made form oils such as some salad dressings, nuts and seeds and fatty fish such as salmon and sardines.

Protein

Second to water, protein makes up the largest percentage of material in the body, about 45%.

Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. There are 20 common amino acids, 9 of which that are essential (they cannot be made by the body so they must be obtained from food).

Animal proteins as well as soybean products such as tofu, contain all the essential amino acids (complete proteins). Other plant proteins do not contain all of the essential amino acids ( incomplete protein). However different plant foods can be combined to make complete proteins.

Legumes can be combined with seeds to make a complete protein (chick peas and sesame seeds)

Grains can be combined with legumes (peanut butter sandwich)

Protein does not provide very much energy for exercise but it does help the body build and repair muscle, helps transport oxygen to the muscles, is a component of enzymes and hormones and is needed for a healthy immune system.

Eating too little or too much protein can be detrimental to health and performance. I've seen many people who start buying expensive protein supplements in hopes that this will help them gain muscle mass. Others want to ensure that they eat enough carbohydrates for energy that they forget about the protein and end up not eating enough protein. Eating too much protein increases the body's water requirement and may contribute to dehydration. Consuming too little protein can also have detrimental effects related to it's various functions, including decreased athletic performance and compromised immune system. It is true that active people (both those who are aerobically active and those who lift weights), need a bit more protein than those who are sedentary. However these protein needs can easily be met by consuming a well balanced diet.

Canada's Food Guide to Healthy Eating is an excellent guide to achieving the right balance. The servings below are based on Canada's Food Guide and take into account athletes with higher energy needs. The number of servings required from each group will differ between individuals depending on energy needs.

Food Groups	Servings per day
Grains	5-15+
Fruits and Vegetables	5-15+
Milk Products	2-6
Meat and Alternatives	2-4

Examples of 1 serving for each food group

Grains:
1 slice of bread
½ cup (125mls) of pasta, rice or other grain
30 grams of cereal

Fruits and Vegetables:
1 medium fruit or vegetable
½ cup (125 mls) of fruit or vegetable
½ cup of juice

Milk Products:
1 cup (250 mls) of milk
¾ cup (175 mls) of yogurt
1 ½ oz (45 grams) of cheese

Meat and alternatives:
2-3 oz (60-90 grams) of meat, fish or poultry
½-1 cup (125-250 mls) of legume
1-2 eggs
2 Tbsp peanut butter
1/3 cup (100 grams) of tofu

Following these guidelines for serving sizes, will help you to consume a high carbohydrate diet and at the same time get the right amount of protein. Remember to limit your fat intake so you have enough room for carbohydrate foods to help fuel your working muscles. Use add on fats (butter, margarine, salad dressings, mayonnaise, oil) in moderation ( 1 -2 teaspoons per meal) and choose lean meats, chicken without the skin, and 2% or less milk or yogurt.

Water has the potential to affect athletic performance more than any other nutrient.

When dehydration occurs, the blood volume decreases. This results in less blood and oxygen getting to all parts of the body including the heart and muscles. The negative effect is decreased performance in daily activities as well as during exercise. Weight loss of 1-2% of body weight during a bout of exercise can impair performance. It's estimated that with moderate to heavy exercise, one can sweat out 4 - 6 cups of water per hour, which is roughly equivalent to 1-2% of body weight. When exercising in the heat, one can lose 8 - 12 cups of water per hour!

Common symptoms of dehydration are thirst, fatigue, headache, dizziness and dark, scant urine. These symptoms can occur during exercise or at other times during the day.

Preventing dehydration

During the day:
· Drink a minimum of 6-8 cups of fluid (1.5 - 2 litres) throughout the day
· Light coloured urine and going to the washroom frequently are both good signs that you're getting enough fluid. Note that if you take vitamin supplements, your urine may be dark at certain times during the day so going to the washroom frequently is a sign you would use to ensure you're getting enough fluids

Before exercise:
· Drink 1 - 2 cups (250-500 mls), 15 minutes before
· Avoid or limit beverages containing caffeine (tea, coffee, cola, chocolate) and alcohol

During exercise:
· Drink about ½ - ¾ cup (125 - 175 mls) every 15 minutes

After exercise:
· Drink beyond thirst and until urine is clear
· Drink 2 cups of fluid for every pound of body weight lost

Any weight change during exercise is fluid loss and is a good indicator of the amount of fluid lost.

Pre-exercise eating

The most important factor in good performance is how the body is fuelled on a daily basis, not the pre-exercise meal or snack.

Eating breakfast within an hour of getting up and re-fuelling every 3 - 6 hours throughout the day can help maintain energy levels.

The timing of the pre-exercise meal or snack depends on the eating schedule during the day, the length of the activity and individual tolerance.

Purpose of the pre-exercise snack:
· To prevent hunger during exercise
· To prevent low blood sugar and it's symptoms of fatigue, dizziness and blurred vision
· To provide adequate fluid

The pre-exercise snack generally doesn't provide energy to working muscles unless you're exercising for more than 1 ½ to 2 ½ hours. If the glycogen stores are full, they will provide energy for 1 ½ to 2 ½ hours of moderate intensity exercise.

Characteristics of the pre-exercise meal or snack:
· High in carbohydrate
· Low to moderate in protein
· Low in fat

When to eat:
· Generally allow 3-4 hours for a large meal to digest
· 2-3 hours for a smaller meal
· 1 hour or less for a snack

Suggestions:
· low fat crackers or cookies (soda crackers, arrowrooots, graham wafers, melba toast)
· fruit
· dry cereal
· bread, bagel

During exercise

For exercise that lasts less than an hour, water is all that is needed. For exercise lasting longer than an hour, consuming carbohydrates may help to improve performance.

Either solid foods or liquids can be consumed, however liquids tend to be tolerated best.

Suggestions:
· Sports drinks (those that contain 6 - 10 grams of carbohydrate per 100 mls)
· Diluted juice (1 part juice, 1 part water)
· Soda crackers, fruit, fig newtons

After exercise

Attention should be given to replenishing glycogen stores after exercise. This is most important if one exercises day after day or regularly exercises for more than an hour. It takes about 24 hours to replenish glycogen stores in the body. Muscles will store energy or glycogen the quickest right after exercise. The longer one waits to eat, the longer it takes to replenish glycogen stores.

High carbohydrate foods replenish glycogen stores:
· Start consuming carbohydrates 15-30 minutes after exercise
· Fruit, juice, breads, pasta, milk

Recent research suggests a combination of carbohydrate and protein enhances glycogen repletion right after exercise so you may want to try to eat some protein afterwards also (milk, yogurt, cheese and crackers, meat sandwich).

Whether you exercise regularly or are a weekend warrior, making the right food choices can help give you the energy to perform at your best…at work and at play.