DR. PAUL'S DISCUSSION

In the first two parts of this three part series, I spoke about how I group foods into three general categories..."gold”, “silver” and “bronze”.  In my last post, I listed some foods that would fall into each of those categories ("Dr. Paul's Nourishment For Optimal Performance - Food List”) to help athletes understand that certain foods may contribute to athletic success (or failure) more than others. This categorization is not meant to objectify food but simply provide “real-life” connections between “what” you eat and your athletic performance on any given day.  In this final post of a 3 Part Series, let's discuss how this directly affects your performance output and recovery on those all important "Training Days" and "Race" days.

Training Day
One of the most important meals of the day is the one you eat within 30 minutes of waking up in the morning. This turns “off” the protein breakdown pathway and turns “on” the protein building pathway. Choose a carbohydrate to protein ratio of 2:1 such as a peanut and banana rice cake sandwich, an egg white omelet whole wheat wrap, steel cut oats with a scoop of vanilla whey protein, or a whey protein, banana and greek yogurt smoothie. You only need about 150-200 kcals at this meal. Occasionally, it is a great idea to forgo eating in the morning prior to an early morning workout to “kick-start” your body’s fat burning machinery. Research shows that athletes who abstain from eating in the morning prior to exercise increase their muscles ability to burn body fat! And you do not sacrifice your performance if you follow this regimen either so it’s a win-win situation – lower your body fat and enhance your performance.

Immediately after your workout within 30 minutes, eat a carbohydrate to protein ratio of 4:1 and consume fluid to replace water and electrolyte loss during exercise. This is a good time to let your “sweet tooth” take over, just don’t over-do it! I suggest a peanut butter and honey rice cake sandwich with a glass of chocolate milk (yummy!), a handful of nuts/seeds and dried fruit, a turkey wrap, a whey protein banana-fruit and juice smoothie, or an energy bar that has a 4:1, which includes almost all of them. As I mention above, this is my top recommendation for athletes; eat and drink the right combination of foods and fluids immediately after exercise to increase their overall performance the following days.  

Race Day
Follow the same pre-race preparation as above for Training Day, but try to consume your last small meal 3-4 hours prior and then stay hydrated in between. Most importantly is to eat a quick infusion of carbs and protein (4:1 ~200kcals) right after you complete each race (within 15-30 minutes is best). These carb to protein (4:1) mini meals right after exercise helps promote muscle growth and repair, replenishes energy stores and bolsters the immune system so you are ready for the next race.

In my last post, "You Need to Eat "IT" to Get "IT", I was explaining the importance of “real-life” connections between “what” you eat and your athletic performance on any given day.  To begin, I emphasize to athletes all the time that your performance on race/event day is almost always dependent on how well you eat and rehydrate immediately following the previous days’ workout or event.  What this means is that if you want to perform your best on race day, make sure you have consistently nourished your muscles (and body) with “gold” medal type foods immediately within the first hour following all your workouts, especially the day before the race. We refer to this time-period as “post-exercise recovery nutrition”.  Many sports-performance nutritionists, me included, believe this is the most important time to nourish your body in relation to the exercise you perform. Before I share with you the best post-recovery nutrition, here are some great food choices for everyday nourishment for optimal performance.

DAILY TRAINING/WORKOUT AND DAY BEFORE COMPETITION FOOD LISTS (eat a combination of these food:  Carbohydratesz(CHO)-50%; PROTEIN-25% ;  FAT-25% ... every 2-3 hours during the day!   That's about 6 small meals)

Gold Medal Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are important to maintain blood glucose levels and replace your muscle energy stores of glycogen, lost during bouts of exercise. Carbs should comprise 50% of your total food intake at each meal and consist of:

Whole Grains – whole grain pasta/breads/rice cakes/cereals, steel cut oats, millet, quinoa, wild/brown rice, barley, spelt, buckwheat
Vegetables – all types of leafy greens (spinach, lettuce, kale, escarole, chicory, collard greens, beet greens, mesculin greens, arugula, etc), summer/fall squashes, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, broccoli, peppers, carrots, etc.
Fruits – all types of berries (blueberry, boysenberry, cranberry, acai, blackberry, strawberry, raspberry, etc), pomegranate, apples, bananas, melons, oranges, grapefruit, kiwi, pineapple, etc.

Gold Medal Proteins
Protein is essential for muscle growth and function, as well as a strong immune function to resist infection. You should consume at least 25% of your total food intake as protein at each meal, consisting of:

Fresh Poultry – free range, anti-biotic and hormone free turkey or chicken
Fresh eggs – free range eggs (especially egg whites)
Fish – wild salmon, haddock, orange roughy, halibut, tuna, cod, snapper, wahoo, mackerel, sardines, etc.
Wild game meat – free range beef, cattle, bison, etc. 

Whey Protein, micro-filtered isolate , concentrate
Dairy:
Milk (low-fat, skim, chocolate)
Yogurt (Greek, regular low-fat)
Cottage Cheese
Legumes – split green peas, lentils, black/kidney/garbanzo/chickpea/cannellini/pinto beans, etc. 
Nuts/Seeds – walnuts, peanut, almonds, pumpkin, sunflower, flaxseed, etc.

Gold Medal Fats
Fats are essential for healthy nerve development and function which in turn helps your muscles function better. Fats also help make hormones our body’s need and provide insulation and a strong immune function to resist infection. Fats should comprise 25% of your total  intake at each meal and consist of:

Avocados,
Olive oil,
Flaxseeds,
Nuts (Walnuts, almonds, peanuts, etc.) Fish (and fish oils) and
other vegetable Oils (sunflower, safflower, canola)

As a sports-performance nutritionist, my primary goal is to provide athletes with the best chance of "optimal performance" each and every time you train or compete. So, I recommend you consume a combination of: nutrient dense carbohydrates; lean proteins; and healthy fats throughout the day and following all your training workouts and races.   My next post will cover the "day of" and "post-training/event" meals. 

Many of us have dreamed about it, some of us have witnessed it, but fewer of us have lived it and “been there”.  The “it” I am referring to is being among the best at your sport or activity. There are many reasons why some athletes make it to the top and others do not, including genetic (physical/mental) endowment, motivation, sacrifice, quality of coaching and training, and of course, nutrition. There are many exercise physiologists and sport performance nutritionists, like myself, who place nutrition at the top of the list. After all, “you are what you eat”.  In this sense, I like to break food down to “gold”, “silver” and “bronze” categories (see my upcoming blogs on “Dr. Paul’s Nourishment for Optimal Performance - Food List”) to help athletes understand that certain foods may contribute to their athletic success (or failure) more than others. This categorization is not meant to objectify food but simply provide “real-life” connections between “what” you eat and your athletic performance on any given day.

To begin, I emphasize to athletes all the time that your performance on race day is almost always dependent on how well you eat and rehydrate immediately following the previous days’ workout or event. What this means is that if you want to perform your best on race day, make sure you have consistently nourished your muscles (and body) with “gold” medal type foods and meals immediately within the first hour following all your workouts, especially the day before the race. We refer to this time-period as “post-exercise recovery nutrition”.  Many sports-performance nutritionists, me included, believe this is the most important time to nourish your body in relation to the exercise you perform.

Too many athletes have good intentions with their physical training, mental preparation, skill/technique development, etc. but end up neglecting this essential time period of refueling and replenishing energy stores in their body. Along the same lines, properly nourishing your body before your workouts/races is critical to pushing yourself as hard as you can to benefit from your training and standing on the podium in the Winner’s Circle, with a smile, on race day!

As a sports-performance nutritionist, my primary goal is to provide athletes with the best chances of experiencing the “it” for yourself as often as you want. I recommend you consume a combination of: nutrient dense carbohydrates; lean proteins; and healthy fats prior to all your training workouts and races.  In my next few posts, I will provide some specific guidance for each of these situations: training, pre-race, post race.    All the best in Performance, Health and Wellness!   Dr. Paul