Nutrition for Athletes

Under eating. The common mistake when eating Paleo for athletes is not getting enough calories, carbohydrates, protein, fats, and micronutrients like vitamins and minerals.

Athletes on a Paleo Diet are at risk for what?

Reduced bone density (Osteopenia) and a higher risk of bone fractures.

Not getting enough calories and changes in menstrual cycle are associated with what in women?

Inadequate nutrition - either total calories, or macronutrients like protein or carbohydrate, or micronutrients—vitamins and minerals Inadequate sleep Not taking enough rest days between exercise sessions Having a high stress level.

Overtraining may really be caused by under-recovery or inadequate recovery due to what?

~ 1-2 weeks

People that are underrating in the morning will initially have a hard time taking in significant amounts of protein in the morning. How long will it generally take before their hunger returns in the morning?

1. energy deficiency, not eating enough calories 2. menstrual changes 3. bone loss, osteopenia or osteoporosis

Females who train hard are at risk for the female triad. What is the female triad?

Pure Paleo by Designs for Health. It's a complete protein that's made from beef, it's well-tolerated by most of my patients, and it has the advantage of having protein from glycine, which protects against the possible harmful effects of eating too much methionine, which is an amino acid that comes from lean protein sources. Pure Paleo contains about 21 grams of protein per serving.

Getting enough protein for athletes can be difficult which is why protein powder is a good addition to their diet. What are a couple of advantages using Pure Paleo protein powder by Designs for Health?

Calculate it based on percentage of calories. So an athlete needs 25-35% of their calories to come from protein which can be well over 200 grams of protein during the day.

Higher protein intake is definitely beneficial for most athletes, especially those looking to build muscle and/or lose fat. The evidence supports at least 0.8 grams of protein per pound of body weight for optimal muscle synthesis. Some studies have shown benefit at 0.9 to 1.4 grams per pound of body weight for protein intake. If you take activity level and weight together into account, what is a better way of calculating daily protein intake for an athlete?

Clinical examples of these kinds of formulas include the Harris-Benedict Formula or the Mifflin-St. Jeor Formula. For a quick and dirty approximation, you can multiply weight in pounds by 12 to 14 to get a baseline range of calorie needs, and then you would add 100 calories to this number for every 10 minutes of moderate- to high-intensity activity.

How do you calculate an athlete's need for calories?

Hydration is crucial for athletic performance; that's well established in the scientific literature. A 2 percent fluid reduction in the body can cause a 10 to 20 percent decrease in performance.

Hydration is crucial for athletic performance; that's well established in the scientific literature. A 2 percent fluid reduction in the body can cause a _________ percent decrease in performance. a. 10-20% b. 20-30% c. 5-10% d. 40%

Consuming carbohydrates 30 to 45 minutes pre-workout can help to increase muscle building; it has an anabolic effect.

If fasted training at high intensity causes increased muscle breakdown and impaired recovery, was would be the solution?

Moderate to high. So 30-40%.

Some activities rely on both endurance and explosive movement, so examples of these would be football, soccer, basketball, lacrosse, and rugby. What percentage of carbohydrate would they require?

1. Total calorie intake 2. Daily protein intake 3. Meal timing

The most important determinate for muscle building is what? Second most important? And third?

Pea protein is acceptable but not optimal for most people and I would avoid soy and egg protein powders because of the potential for allergies or sensitivities.

What about pea, soy, or protein powders that use egg whites?

Cutting down on activity, if only temporarily Increasing intake of calories, and then also carbohydrates and protein, depending on the person Aiming for eight to 10 hours of sleep nightly Implementing stress reduction techniques Cross-training, so not doing the same high-intensity activity Integrating other activities that are lower-intensity like yoga or swimming or bicycling Resting more between workouts

What are some strategies you could give patients that are struggling with "overtraining"?

Whey stimulates insulin production and therefore may further boost muscle growth. Whey also has the advantage of increasing glutathione levels. As long as the person doesn't have a sensitivity to whey.

What are the advantages of whey protein?

Depression or anxiety Unintentional weight gain or weight loss Recurrent injuries or illnesses Digestive distress Muscle strength loss or poor muscle growth Decreased performance Fatigue and exhaustion Brain fog Amenorrhea or dysmenorrhea in women.

What are the symptoms of Inadequate recovery or "overtraining"?

They're going to have to have 4 ounces (palm-sized) of animal protein per meal (3 meals) and many will have add a 4th protein dense meal into the day. Some will have to fit a snack in between as well. So they have to have meat on top of eggs or add protein powder into the metal planning.

What does the amount of protein look like per meal for an athlete and how frequent are they going to have to eat to reach their daily protein target?

The average person doesn't need a pre-workout meal or post-workout meal for lower-intensity exercise, especially if the goal is weight loss or leaning out. If someone just wants to get more lean, working out in a fasted state and not eating immediately after the workout is a better choice.

What does the average person need for pre and post workout meal for lower-intensity exercise and especially if the goal is weight loss?

The post-workout anabolic window may extend up to three hours post- exercise, so I think from what I've seen in the research and working with athletes, a pre-workout meal and snack is more important than doing a post-workout meal immediately after the workout. Most people are going to eat within three hours of their workout afterwards, so what you want to emphasize more is consuming carbohydrates 30 to 45 minutes pre-workout if your patient is concerned with building muscle.

What is more important, the pre or post-workout meal?

c. total calorie intake Total calorie intake is the most important determinant of muscle growth—it's even more important than protein or carbohydrate intake, which is what is talked about most often—and in my clinical experience, inadequate calorie intake is extremely common in the Paleo community, so you really have to pay attention to your athlete's overall diet and calorie intake if you want to help them to optimize their performance.

What is the most important determinate for muscle growth? a. protein intake b. carbohydrate intake c. total calorie intake

If you go under that number, then you're actually going to engage hardwired survival mechanisms that will push back or fight against the weight loss efforts.

What is the problem if you undercalculate a patient's daily caloric needs?

PMS Stop menstruating (amenorrhea)

What menstrual changes/symptoms would you look for in women who are training hard and not getting enough calories?

These are endurance activities and rely more upon fatty acids. The ideal carbohydrate range for most athletes is 20 to 50 percent of calories in their diet. 20-30% for endurance athletes.

What percentage of daily calories should come from carbohydrates if an athlete is in sports like distance running, cycling, cross-country skiing, or triathlons?

These are explosive, power- based activities and they utilize more glucose so a higher carbohydrate diet is necessary. 40-50% of daily calorie intake should be from carbohydrate.

What percentage of daily calories should come from carbohydrates if an athlete is in sports like tennis, volleyball, baseball, boxing, CrossFit, heavy weightlifting, sprinting, or martial arts?

I recommend salting food to taste and also adding salt to water during a longer athletic event. Athletes may need to supplement with magnesium, potassium, and extra minerals in general.

What recommendations could you suggest to athletes to maintain their electrolyte balance?

Electrolytes like sodium, potassium, and magnesium all help to maintain proper fluid balance in the body and are all crucial for people who are performing intense athletic activity.

What three electrolytes help maintain proper fluid balance in the body and are all crucial for people who are performing intense athletic activity?

The ideal pre-workout meal would contain about 30 grams of carbohydrate and 15 grams of protein. Of course, this will vary depending on the weight of the person that you're working with, and their activity. But examples would include a half a sweet potato plus two ounces of beef jerky, one banana plus two hard-boiled eggs, or one-and-a-half cups of pineapple plus one cup of Greek yogurt.

What would the ideal pre-workout meal contain?

8 cups of water daily and 2 cups for every hour of vigorous exercise. Optionally, you could instruct your patients or clients to drink 2 cups of water for every pound of body weight lost during a sporting event, and this can require weighing yourself pre- and post-event to get the adequate intake of fluid right.

What's the general rule of thumb for water intake for athletes?

Sports drinks can supply essential electrolytes, but you need to pay attention to the quality of ingredients. You want to of course avoid sports drinks with high-fructose corn syrup and added refined sugars, and sports drinks are generally unnecessary at all if the sport lasts for less than an hour.

What's your opinion about sports drinks?

It's not a complete protein, but it provides important amino acids and it also balances the effect of high intake of methionine from eating muscle meat. If your athletes are eating a lot of protein from chicken and beef and fish and things like that, and they're not eating significant amounts of bone broth or other sources of collagen, then hydrolyzed collagen should definitely be part of their routine to balance out that methionine intake. Hydrolyzed collagen has another benefit in that it's easy to mix into hot beverages and cold liquids.

When would you consider using hydrolyzed collagen protein?

Fasting after exercise can cause high testosterone and PCOS-like symptoms in women, and if women already have PCOS, that can of course exacerbate the situation, so I recommend 30 grams of carbohydrates within 60 minutes post-workout for women with elevated testosterone and/or PCOS-like symptoms.

Why is post-workout nutrition more important in women than men?