Experts in Corporate Health and Wellbeing
Harborough Triathlon
Welcome to my Top Nutrition Tips! – produced to help you train well,
understand and improve your energy levels and achieve good
performance.
Let us start first of all with some background on food and energy…
About Energy
The human being is very similar to most machines. It basically has the same physical
attributes.
It must be continuously supplied with energy so that it can perform the
multitude of complex functions in itself. This energy is usually the chemical energy the
body derives from the breakdown of foods. This energy that is trapped within the bonds
of our food material like carbohydrate, lipid (fats) and protein molecules. When these
molecules are broken down small quantities of energy are derived from enzymatically
controlled reactions that take place inside the cool watery medium of our body’s cells.
It is really important that we understand the levels of energy we can get from different
foods which has an impact on our training.
There are three important nutrients, carbohydrates, proteins and fats are capable of
being broken down in the body to produce energy. Since fats produce a large amount of
acetyl co-enzyme molecules in the body their energy production is considerably higher.
Here is an example of the energy levels produced as a result of 1 gram of carbohydrates,
protein and fat food groups.
1 gram of carbohydrates is equal to 4 kilocalories of energy.
1 gram of protein is equal to 4 kilocalories of energy.
1 gram of fat is equal to 9 kilocalories of energy.
Energy released from carbohydrates
The primary function of carbohydrates in our diet is to supply energy for body work.
During day to day activity aerobically, carbohydrates supply half of the body's energy
requirements. Carbohydrates are important because unless and until there is a minimal
level of carbohydrate in the food, blood and cell, lipid (fat) nutrients will not be
processed or metabolised.
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There are some foods which are called refined carbohydrates which means that they
release glucose into the blood stream much quicker giving you an immediate ‘spike’ of
energy. These are cakes, biscuits, white baked goods, chocolate, sweets, etc.
It is advisable to avoid these foods as they disrupt blood sugar balance and are not great
for our health. Having uneven blood sugar, can affect your performance!
Carbohydrates that release sugar slowly are called complex carbohydrates.
Here are
some examples of complex carbohydrates:
Vegetables
Root Veg
Artichoke, asparagus, bamboo shoots, broccoli, Brussels sprouts,
cabbage, cauliflower, celery, chard, endive, fennel, garlic, kale, kohlrabi,
leeks, mushrooms, onions, radicchio, shallots, spinach, sugar snap
Beetroot, carrot, celeriac, pumpkin, swede, sweet potato, squash, turnip,
yams
Salad Veg
Cucumber, lettuce, peppers, radish, rocket, tomatoes, watercress
Fruit
Pulses***
Apples, avocados apricots, bananas, blackberries, blueberries,
cranberries, figs, grapefruit, grapes, kiwis, lemons, limes, lychees,
mangoes, melon, nectarines, oranges, passion fruit, peaches, pears,
pineapples, plums, pomegranates, raspberries, rhubarb, strawberries,
tangerines, watermelon
Lentils, kidney beans, butterbeans, aduki beans, pinto beans etc.
Grains***
Buckwheat, millet, oats, quinoa, brown rice, wheat
Energy released from Proteins
Proteins play a very important role as an energy substrate during day to day life and
especially during exercise. Here are examples of protein food groups:
Egg
Meat
Organic or free range
Beef, chicken, duck, game, goat, lamb, mutton, ostrich, pork, turkey,
organ meat
Fish
Unsalted
Nuts
Mackerel, herring, sardines, salmon, trout, tuna, white fish, crab,
oysters, prawns, scallops, shrimp, prawns
Almonds, Brazil nuts, cashew, chestnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, pine nuts,
walnuts
Seeds
Flaxseed, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds
Pulses***
Lentils, kidney beans, butterbeans, aduki beans, pinto beans etc.
Energy Released from Fats
Fats in the body represent the most plentiful source of energy. Good fats are essential
to the body and energy. Here are some examples of good fats:
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Fats
Ghee, butter (for cooking – heat stable)
Oils
Coconut oil (for cooking as heat stable), olive oil (steam frying and cold
usage), nut oils, seed oils (cold usage)
Nuts
Seeds
Almonds, Brazil nuts, cashew, chestnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, pine nuts,
walnuts
Flaxseed, pumpkin seed, sesame seed, sunflower seed
Fish
Anchovies, herring, mackerel, salmon, sardines, trout, tuna
Vegetables
Avocado, green leafy vegetables
***Where possible replace these with complex carbohydrates from vegetables. Grains
and pulses need to be soaked for around 8hrs and the water from soaking discarded.
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Top Tips for Healthy Sports Performance
Tip 1: Water, Water, Water! - 1 litre of water per 40lbs (18k or 2.85stone) of body
weight - equates to about 2-4 litres a day depending on training. If you sweat
more, adjust your intake. A good water alternative is coconut water which
contains an excellent of electrolytes,
Tip 2: Have a Healthy Plate - Ensure foods from Protein, complex carbohydrates and fat
groups appear on your plate at each meal
Tip 3: Do not skip meals – blood sugar balance is essential. 3 substantial meals a day
comprising of protein, complex carbohydrates and fats is ideal. Depending on
your training regime, a post exercise snack may be required (See Tip 6)
Tip 4: Protein should be around 1g protein for each KG of body weight
Tip 5: Eat plenty of Antioxidants (berries, leafy green vegs) - your body releases ‘free
radicals’ when exercising – nutrients from antioxidants will immobolise the bad
free radicals. Antioxidants are just as important as exercise!
Tip 6: Protein shake after exercise – wait about 30 minutes for body to relax. You will
get the maximum use from the nutrients if you have something like a shake after
exercising (see paleo protein shake recipe). There are Protein powders available
– whey protein, soy protein powders, or pea protein. Mix with berries to get
antioxidants after exercise. This will help the body to use the protein well. If you
don’t have time to make a shake then Pulsin protein bars are an excellent
alternative.
Tip 7: For aching muscles – Epsom salts in the bath. Available from Mistry’s Chemist or
most health food stores. Full of magnesium which your body will soak up in the
bath. Alternatively, magnesium oil spray or UltraMuscleze by Nutri powder.
Tip 8: Keep a nutrition and training diary – this will help you to gauge whether your
nutrient intake is right against your performance. For example, if are feeling
that your energy is low, review your protein, complex carbohydrate and fat intake
and adjust.
Happy Training!
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Paleo’s Power Smoothie
It’s a ‘Power’ smoothie simply because it’s packed with good fats, proteins, antioxidants
and flavor and is also very satisfying and will keep you going for hours.
I won’t give you a recipe that’s too specific here because the possibilities are too plentiful
to limit ourselves, but I’ll tell you general things I like to put in it.
1. Start with a base of coconut milk, I usually use a whole can.
2. Add plenty of any fruit you’d like. I like to use frozen berries. I use either mixed
berries, strawberries, blackberries or even cranberries, which give a very tangy
taste to my smoothie. The berries add lots of great color to the smoothie and
provide lots of beneficial antioxidants.
3. Add one or two whole raw eggs. I wouldn’t worry about having them raw
especially if you use free range, naturally fed and organic eggs. The taste will not
bother you either, it passes completely under the radar, I just put in the eggs for
extra proteins and fat.
4. Optionally add one or two spoonfuls of your favorite nut butter. The taste will be
really subtle in your final smoothie, but it will still be there as a nice aftertaste.
5. I like to put in a good dose or pure vanilla extract to finish this flavor explosion.
Here you go! You can see that this is a pretty simple recipe, but it’s intended that way.
Either you on your way for your daily activities or to hit the gym, you probably don’t
have time for elaborate concoctions, so I think this simple smoothie will bring everything
you need for your taste buds as well as your health.
www.paleodietlifestyle.com