The Athlete’s Kitchen
Copyright: Nancy Clark MS RD CSSD Sept 2011
Gluten-free seems to be the latest sports nutrition buzzword. Gluten is a protein in wheat, rye and barley that must be avoided by people (including runners) with celiac disease, an inherited autoimmune disorder. Symptoms of celiac vary greatly and can range from digestive problems (diarrhea, constipation, bloating, gas) to health problems such as anemia, stress fractures, infertility in both men and women, migraine headaches, canker sores, easy bruising of the skin, swelling of the hands and feet, and bone/joint pain. The person feels lousy. Yet, some runners don’t even realize they have celiac disease. They feel fine—until they experience iron-deficiency anemia or stress fractures due to poor absorption of iron, calcium, and vitamin D. Other runners complain about “runner’s trots” and undesired pit stops.
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The Athlete’s Kitchen
Copyright: Nancy Clark MS RD CSSD August 2011
Why Is Weight Loss So Hard?
(part 2 of 2)
To read part 1, click Why Is Weight Loss So Hard? (part 1)
Weight loss tactics: So what’s a hungry athlete to do???
Drugs are not the answer. For the past 20 years, no successful weight-loss drugs have been developed and none are in sight in the near future. Drugs that regulate appetite impact many other regulatory centers and create undesired side effects. Hence, we need to learn how to manage the obesity problem at its roots—and that means prevent excessive fat gain in the first place, starting in childhood. Here are a few tips on how to do that.
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The Athlete’s Kitchen
Copyright: Nancy Clark MS RD CSSD August 2011
(part 1 of 2)
How to lose weight is the number one reason runners choose to make a nutrition appointment with me. They express frustration they “cannot do something as simple as lose a few pounds.” While none of these runners are obese, their frustrations match those of dieters in the general population.
At a conference presented by Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard Medical School, and the Boston Nutrition Obesity Research Center (July 13-14, 2011), researchers addressed some of the issues that contribute to difficulty losing weight. Perhaps the following highlights might offer insights if you are among the many runners who struggle with shedding some unwanted body fat.
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The Athlete’s Kitchen
Copyright: Nancy Clark MS RD CSSD June 2011
Nutrition for Injury Recovery: Update from ACSM
Each year, more than 5,000 health professionals gather at the Annual Meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM; www.acsm.org). At this year’s meeting (Denver, June 1-4, 2011), exercise physiologists, sports medicine doctors, and sports nutritionists shared their research and offered updates. One of the updates will be of utmost interest to women runners.
Nutrition for Injuries
Unfortunately, part of being a runner seems to entail being injured; no fun. Runners with injuries should pay attention to their diet. If they are petrified of gaining weight (yes, petrified is a strong word, but it seems fitting to many injured athletes who seek my counsel), they may severely restrict their food intake. One marathoner hobbled into my office saying, “I haven’t eaten in two days because I can’t run…”
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The Athlete’s Kitchen
Copyright: Nancy Clark MS RD CSSD May 2011
(Second of a two part series)
The question arises: What’s so bad about cravings in the first place? Is there really something wrong with eating what you truly want to eat? Cravings are not addictions. That is, if you crave a bagel because it tastes good, why should you not enjoy the bagel?
When you eat a food you crave, your brain experiences a biochemical change that signals happiness. Can eating an appropriate portion (as opposed to overeating “the whole thing”) be a bad thing to do?
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The Athlete’s Kitchen
Copyright: Nancy Clark MS RD CSSD May 2011
(First of a two part series)
“If I crave a candy bar, should I eat a candy bar?”
That’s the title of one of my most popular blog posts! Clearly, food cravings and sugar addictions are a source of concern and frustration for many runners who believe that eating one chocolate bar (or whatever food they crave) will lead to eating ten of them, expand their waistlines, and ruin their health. They avoid chocolate like the plague. Instead, they righteously snack on only “healthy foods” like apples and oranges.
While the natural goodness of fruit is indeed the more nutritious and health-promoting choice, some nice chocolate, enjoyed in response to a hankering, can also fit into your sports diet. By regularly enjoying chocolates, you can avoid the strong cravings that lead to eating a sickening amount—not because you are “addicted to sugar” but because you are doing “last chance eating” before you go back into your self-defined food jail.
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The Athlete’s Kitchen
Copyright: Nancy Clark MS RD CSSD April 2011
Carbs, Protein & Performance
(second of a two part series)
Train low, compete high?
Should I train with poorly fueled muscles, as a means to teach my body to burn more fat, so it spares the limited glycogen stores?
Training with low glycogen stores (“train low”) drives up the metabolic adaptations to burn more fat. By burning fat instead of glycogen, you’ll spare the limited glycogen stores. Theoretically, this should enhance stamina and endurance because glycogen depletion is associated with fatigue.
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The Athlete’s Kitchen
Copyright: Nancy Clark MS RD CSSD April 2011
Carbs, Protein & Performance
(first of a two part series)
What percentage of my diet should come from carbohydrates? … Should I exercise on empty? … How much protein should I eat after I lift weights? … Is whey the best source of protein?
These are just a few of the questions addressed at the 27th annual meeting of SCAN, the Sports And Cardiovascular Nutritionist’s practice group of the American Dietetic Association (www.SCANdpg.org). Over 400 sports dietitians gathered to learn the latest news from prominent sports nutrition researchers. I hope this information will help you choose a winning sports diet.
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The Athlete’s Kitchen
Copyright: Nancy Clark MS RD CSSD March 2011
When Food Has Too Much Power Over You
“I think about food all the time. I finish one meal and start thinking about the next.”
“I don’t keep cookies in the house; I end up eating them all.”
“I’m afraid if I start eating, I won’t be able to stop…”
If any of those thoughts sound familiar, you are among a large group of runners who struggle with food. I routinely counsel food-obsessed joggers and marathoners alike who fear food as being the fattening enemy. They think about food all day, stay away from social events involving food, give themselves permission to eat only if they have exercised hard, and white-knuckle themselves to one meager portion at dinner.
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The Athlete’s Kitchen
Nancy Clark MS RD CSSD Copyright January 2011
Supermarket Shopping: Decisions and Dilemmas
Question: How many food decisions does the average person make in a day: 25, 80, 100, 200? According to Bonnie Taub-Dix RD, weight loss specialist in New York and author of Read it Before You Eat It: How to Decode Food Labels and Make the Healthiest Choice Every Time, the answer is 200 food decisions a day. No wonder grocery shopping can be mind-boggling and a source of overwhelming confusion!
Time and again, runners wistfully comment, “Nancy, I wish I could take you food shopping with me.” They are confused about which foods to buy so they can eat healthfully. They wonder if they should buy organic or standard foods? fresh or frozen vegetables? low-fat or fat-free milk? Their list of questions seems endless. While I can answer their questions about food shopping, Taub-Dix’s newly released book can guide everyone through the grocery store. Read it Before You Eat It is a handy resource for all hungry runners. Here are just a few tidbits that I gleaned from this easy-reader.
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