Nutrition and Athletic Performance: Get your diet to work for you, not against you

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I think we’ve officially hit the dog days of summer.  4th of July weekend now seems like a distant memory, and school supplies are starting to dominate the store shelves.  Many families are squeezing in their vacation before the summer months are no more, and the gyms aren’t getting any cooler.   

For those of you who have ready my story, you know that I finished my teaching career last year.  So, far be it from me to start making suggestions for curriculum changes.  But, if I did have one request, I would ask that the schools place more attention on educating our youth on the importance of nutrition, beyond the standard 1 semester Health class. 

nutrition and athletic performance

The guidelines in this post apply to all individuals, but when I focus on nutrition and athletic performance I find that most athletes place a great priority on their strength and conditioning but complement it poorly with their diet.  Their mentality is, “Look how well I’ve done eating the way I eat.  Why should I change?”  This is ignorance, and I would argue that these athletes have done well IN SPITE of the way they’ve been eating. 

We need for our athletes to start getting their diets to work FOR them rather than AGAINST them.  The bottom line is that you can’t out-train a bad diet.  A proper nutrition can improve athletic performance by helping you maximize energy, lose fat, and gain lean mass. 

With that in mind, here are my 6 beginner guidelines for health, nutrition, and athletic performance . . .

–>EAT LESS, MORE OFTEN: Huh??  Our culture promotes eating 3 square meals a day, avoiding snacks between meals, and discourages eating between dinner and bedtime.  This is a very dated approach and explains why we overeat during those three square meals and feel bloated.  It would also explain why we feel hungry and lethargic during the long stretches between meals, not to mention starved before bedtime. 

Instead, athletes and regular Joe’s alike should be eating five or six small- to medium-size meals or snacks each day to control appetite, regulate blood sugar levels to stay energized and alert, and build lean muscle mass.  If that doesn’t convince you, consider that if we don’t eat often, the most readily available substance for the body to consume is muscle, not fat.

–> TIME YOUR MEALS: You should be eating, on average, every 3 hours.  This may sound like you’re eating a lot, but it’s not if you consume smaller portions.  By eating smaller portions more often, you give your body a better chance to digest and get all of the nutrients from the food.  A good serving for a piece of fish or meat is the size of a deck of cards, while a serving of starches (rice or pasta) should be no bigger than the size of a fist.  Eat as many vegetables as you like. 

Most people go about 12 hours between dinner and breakfast without food.  Your body gets through this extended fast by tapping into your lean muscle for nourishment.  We want to shrink that window to 8-10 hours.  Your final snack or shake should at night should include something high in protein since that helps build lean muscle mass.  Carbohydrates should be consumed earlier in the day when your activity levels are higher versus at night when they are more likely to be converted to fat. 

–> KNOW YOUR CARBS: Carbohydrates have really gotten a bad rap in recent years, and it’s really not fair to some of them.  The glycemic index mesures how quickly a single food will raise your blood glucose level.  Foods with a high glycemic index number send your blood sugar sky-high but are followed by a crash that leaves you feeling sluggish.  Foods with a low glycemic number are broken down slower in the body, which causes a slower release of blood sugar. 

You want to eat mostly lower to moderately rated glycemic foods with the only exception being right after a workout.  Look for natural foods that have more color and fiber, since they control appetite, have more nutrients, and improve the health of the cardiovascular system.  Carbohydrates are an important part of your diet when you consume them relative to your activity level and within the context of the glycemic index. 

–>KNOW YOUR PROTEINS: Protein is critical to have with every meal because it builds and maintains muscles, but it will only be used to build muscle if you eat enough carbohydrate calories to provide your body with energy.  Otherwise, your body will tap into the protein for energy. 

A training athlete should consume about 0.8 gram of protein per pound of body weight.  So, a 180-pound athlete would want to shoot for 144 grams of protein per day.  A couple examples of protein in common foods would be 35 grams in 4 ounces of chicken or 40 grams in 6 ounces of salmon.  Pre-workout mixes (water or juice with some whey protein) and post-workout recovery shakes will contain 20-45 grams.

–> BREAK-THE-FAST: As I mentioned above, when you wake up in the morning, your body is in a fasted state.  During sleep, it uses the available nutrients for repair and energy, so there’s usually nothing left by the time you wake up.  Eating breakfast is going to ensure that your body body doesn’t consume its own muscle for food.  Breakfast also increases metabolism, fuels the brain, and provides energy.  Your breakfast should include protein, carbohydrates, good fats, and fiber. 

–>BETWEEN-MEAL SNACKS: You need to eat every 3 hours to keep your metabolism churning and your blood sugar levels consistent.  Like your meals, your snacks should include a combination of high-fiber carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.  For time and convenience, you can consume a protein shake or a higher-protein meal-replacement bar with 15-30 grams of protein, 8-20 grams of carbohydrates, and a few grams of fat.

The above guidelines are very general and only scratch the surface when it comes to nutrition and athletic performance.  I’ll address other considerations in future posts, but simply adhering to these principles would likely be a great start for the majority of athletes out there who aren’t allowing their diet to work for them and improve athletic performance.

Your Coach,

Brian Utley

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