Nutrition Makes a Difference

Optimal athletic performance requires food and nutrient intake that is tailored to each athlete’s sport, training schedule and individual needs. Many athletes, especially younger ones, gravitate toward typical eating patterns which can significantly decrease their chances to reach their peak performance. The basics of performance nutrition are discussed here so your developing athlete can feel and perform their very best.

Energy is the Foundation for Success

The daily calorie intake for every youth athlete should provide sufficient energy needed for growth and development, optimal functioning and all activities. Just as a high performance car uses a special blend of gasoline to achieve peak performance, athletes also require the proper mixture of fuel (carbohydrates, proteins, and fats) to perform optimally. Therefore, the “blend” of fuel and timing of meals and snacks are critical to maximizing performance potential. Daily calorie requirements will be different for each athlete but general recommendations are as follows:

• Active girls ages 9 to 13: approximately 2,070 calories per day
• Active boys ages 9 to 13: approximately 2,279 calories per day
• Active girls ages 14 to 18: approximately 2,368 calories per day
• Active boys ages 14 to 18: approximately 3,152 calories per day
• Very active kids and adolescents may need more, especially during growth spurts

Carbohydrates – The Main Energy Source

Carbohydrates, which rapidly break down to blood sugar (glucose), are the body’s primary and favorite energy source. The nervous system, brain, and the muscles are largely fed by glucose. Therefore, a continuous supply of carbohydrates is necessary to prevent body stores from being depleted. Inadequate carbohydrate intake leads to low energy levels, fatigue and impaired performance. Proper management of the amounts, types and timing of this nutrient is required to fill and refill the main “gas tank”. Key carbohydrate guidelines are listed here:

• Carbohydrates should make up approximately 60 percent of your child’s diet.
• Starches and grains (breads, pasta, rice, potatoes, etc) should be eaten at each major meal throughout the day to provide a lasting energy source. Major meals should be eaten three to four hours apart.
• Carbohydrates such as fruit, energy bars/shakes, and sports drinks are ideal for rapid fueling before activity and immediately after exercise to optimize recovery.
• Depending on the sport, the growing athlete should consume 3 to 4.5 grams of carbohydrates per pound of body weight per day.

Protein – The Building Blocks

Muscles and other body tissues are made up of proteins. Although protein contains the same amount of energy as carbohydrates, its primary function is the growth and repair of these tissues. Because it is an inefficient source of energy, very little protein is used for fuel unless carbohydrate intake is limited or energy demands are extreme. As you see here, protein is metabolized for energy rather than to build new tissue. Eating adequate amounts of carbohydrates spares protein for building and repairing tissues and prevents the loss of lean tissue. General protein recommendations are listed below.

• Protein should make up approximately 15 to 20 percent of total daily calories which most people, including children and adolescents, meet with a typical diet.
• The daily protein requirement for sedentary youth ages 9 to 18 is approximately 0.35 grams per pound of body weight per day for proper growth and repair. However, active adults, children and adolescents require more protein – up to 1 gram per pound of body weight per day.
• Lean meats, poultry without the skin, fish, eggs and soy products are excellent sources of protein. Other sources include beans, nuts and low-fat dairy products.

Fats – The Body’s Unlimited Energy Source

Dietary fats are essential to health because they help deliver vitamins, minerals and nutrients needed for normal growth and functioning. However, most people get more than enough fat in their diet. Furthermore, fat is not the main energy source during exercise and the body’s stores cannot be depleted during exercise. This means daily fat intake is less important than carbohydrate and protein needs. In fact, what leads to fatigue – or what athletes refer to as “bonking” – is the depletion of carbohydrates. You’ll find the guidelines for fat intake below:

• Fat should make up approximately 25% percent of the youth athlete’s diet.
• The majority of fat intake will automatically come from protein foods such as meat, fish, milk and other dairy products.
• Good sources of healthy fats include olive oil, canola oil and nuts.

Summary

Based on the sport, the goal of performance nutrition is to eat carbohydrates, protein and fats in ideal amounts and at proper times to allow the youth athlete to perform at a high level and maintain normal growth and development patterns. By keeping protein intake within the proper range to satisfy growth and repair, your young athlete can consume as much carbohydrate as necessary to keep filling the main “gas tank” and leave the remaining calories for dietary fats. For information, see Proper Hydration, Loading Your Energy Systems and Pre- and Post-Training Meals and Snacks.

References

Copyright (c) 2009 Neal Spruce

Neal Spruce is chairman of the board for the prestigious National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) and founder dotFIT, LLC. Neal is a fitness specialist, author, licensed teacher, researcher, bodybuilding champion, personal fitness consultant and speaker. dotFIT is the leader in online fitness and weight loss programs.

Oranges are one of the world’s most popular citrus fruits. Originally from Southeast Asia, they are now grown in almost every area with the appropriate warm climate. While many people prefer to enjoy just orange juice, the whole orange possesses more impressive nutrition stats when eaten whole.

While oranges may vary in size, it is possible to take some average nutritional values by examining at the content of 100 grams of this fruit. In this portion, there are roughly 50 calories and no fat at all. Additionally, some 87% of the orange is made up of water. This makes the orange a very diet-friendly fruit. Additionally, 100 grams of oranges are 12 percent carbohydrates, mostly from natural fruit sugars. However, some of these carbohydrates also come from fiber, and an average orange has 5 grams of this important nutrient. Since fiber is only found in the pulp, though, orange juice only has carbohydrates from sugar. Finally, oranges have more protein than some other fruits, with nearly 2 grams per orange.

Oranges are best known for being rich in vitamin C. In fact, 100 grams of the fruit can provide more than 80 percent of the recommended daily value of this nutrient. Vitamin C is important for preventing cell damage and is particularly associated with a decreased risk of colon cancer. It can also diminish inflammation associated with arthritis, asthma, and other uncomfortable conditions. Oranges are also a great source of potassium, which is essential in aiding muscle growth and health. A single organe has roughly 10% of a person’s daily potassium needs. Oranges also contain some vitamin A, calcium, and even a minimal amount of iron.

Oranges are especially powerful antioxidant foods because antioxidants increase effectiveness when they interact with vitamin C. Thus, oranges have been associated with preventing cancer and other dangerous diseases. They are loaded with bioflavanoids and carotenoids, which are known to protect the body from cancer, as well as phytochemicals that fight heart disease. Oranges are also high in herperindin, which is associated with helping to lower blood pressure and cholesterol.

Other nutrients found in oranges include folate, potassium, and even some small percentage of calcium. Folate is a B vitamin that is especially important to pregnant women. Meanwhile, potassium aids in muscle performance and can also counteract excess sodium in one’s diet. Finally, calcium helps build strong bones and is essential for all people.

Ultimately, oranges are one of the world’s most common and healthiest fruits. In fact, a study done in Finland found that orange eaters halved their risk of heart disease. Meanwhile, other studies showed oranges, with their high fiber and water content, can suppress a dieters’ appetite for up to four hours at a time. These are just a few of the orange’s many benefits, and it should be included as part of a healthy diet.

Robert Harden, fitness coach at Extremely-Fit, invites you to visit http://www.extremely-fit.com for more fitness and nutritional articles, like this one. For a great nutrition and workout plan, try P90X.

Everybody probably knows what the #1 most important meal of the day is. It’s breakfast. That fact has been drilled into us since we were little. It sets your body’s tone and metabolism for the day. Fat loss is virtually impossible with out it.

Problem is a lot of people don’t know about this little fat loss secret I’m about to share with you. What you eat before a workout is one of the most important things you can do during the day for ultimate fat loss. Without a solid pre-workout nutrition regiment your post-workout meal will be a lot less effective.

The questions I get asked the most are "what" and "when" to eat this meal. First off let’s talk about why you need to be eating this meal.

The pre-workout meal ensures that you will have adequate nutrition to make it through your workout. You should concentrate on getting fuel into your body. And the body’s best fuel source is carbohydrates. Most importantly you want to concentrate on complex or fibrous carbs, which are the carbs that give you sustained energy. What you are doing with these carbs is making sure that your glycogen levels (stored carbohydrates) are full, because when you workout your body pulls the carbs out of glycogen storage to be used as energy. So if you your levels are depleted, like when you wake up in the morning, and you skip the pre-workout meal then you have no glycogen to pull out. So the body will resort to pulling lean muscle tissue off your muscles to fuel the workout, which results in less muscle mass, decreased metabolism, and increased fat gain.

You also need to get a lean source of protein. Protein should be consumed with every meal regardless, to keep the protein (amino acid) stores up.

If you workout on an empty stomach your body doesn’t have any energy. You can’t give 100% intensity, and if you do you will most likely feel sick, light-headed, and nauseous. You will reach fatigue a lot quicker also.

When to eat this meal ideally would be at least 60 minutes before hand. And about 60-90 minutes is a good time range. This will give the body enough time to digest the meal and give the body a full dose of energy for the workout. If this is not possible, as in an early morning workout then 20-30 minutes should suffice, but the meal should be a lot lighter. Early morning workouts are ideal for a meal replacement shake, especially if you have trouble eating so early.

Now to the part you probably care, and want to know the most about—what to eat. The best carbohydrate source to eat before a workout would be oatmeal in milk, or some added whey protein if lactose intolerant. It supplies long lasting energy and is a good source of protein when combined with milk. Other things you could consider would be a bowl of cereal, peanut butter sandwich on whole wheat, fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and energy bars. But be careful with the bars, I only really recommend Lara Bars, Luna, Cliff Bars, and Prograde Cravers, other then that it pretty much is just eating a bunch of sugar and chemicals.

Good choices of protein would be whey protein shakes, chicken breast, turkey breast, lean cuts of steak, fish, or meal replacement shakes or bars.

The meal replacement shake I use is Prograde Lean. It’s definitely the best tasting one I’ve found. And the whey protein I use is Buy Bulk Whey. It’s a natural protein, which is good because you can mix it with almost anything and it will maintain its flavor. I add it to yogurt, pancakes, Gatorade, fruit juices, and a lot of different recipes.

Jason Yun, a certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and Sports Nutritionist, is the owner of Yun Strength and Fitness Systems, LLC and runs Yun Fitness Bootcamps in Columbus, OH and the Metabolism Makeover Nutrition Course. Please visit the website for more information about pre-workout nutrition supplements at:
http://www.Yuntraining.com/lean.html and http://www.Yuntraining.com/whey.html