Nutrition topics on this page are: The myths of sport drinks; nutritional milk or fruit shakes for a quick fix weght loss? Glycemic index basics;
Then check David Holt's nutrition links to: Zone diet myths and energy bars; fat reduction pills; and, dumping syndrome.
The well trained athlete derives minimal benefit from the energy in drinks--provided his glycogen stores are adequate before he commences the run. The undertrained athlete lacks endurance because his muscles have not been educated (trained) to exercise for long periods. If you are undertrained, 16 ounces of a sugared solution before the start, then 8 ounces of half strength sports drink taken every 15 minutes during, can increase the distance you’re able to run at a set speed...by 12 percent. Half of the increase will occur with water alone, that is, by staying hydrated. Beware the research on this and related subjects. Unless you see a group of international class runners--not bikers, they can consume all they wish--who have reached their limit from training...your training is the best way to get faster. If you have no interest in going beyond 40 miles a week, sugar drinks can help delay the wall.
Think you’ll be able to lose five pounds in five days on the new three shakes a day diet--you can--provided you burn 4,250 calories every day. Most people who need to lose weight burn about 2,000 per day; which is part of the reason they are overweight--the second reason is over-consumption of food. To lose one pound of fat you need to burn 3,500 calories. Add in the 750 or so from those three shakes, and you see where the 4,250 came from. Yet the advertisers keep a straight face when they make their claim. Actual weight lose is mostly from the shunting of fluid which occurs when you suddenly deny yourself food. You will use up some of your glycogen stores, which contains lots of water. The day you re-commence normal eating, the glycogen stores, and the water, is replaced. Follow the advice in Chapter 22 of Running Dialogue--make subtle changes to your eating habits.
The glycemic index is a tool used to describe how fast a source of sugar is absorbed into the bloodstream. The typical baseline uses white bread as 100. High numbers mean the sugar is absorbed faster. Post exercise, eat foods with triple digits first, add in foods with a lower index until you reach your real meal as described elsewhere. Note...different researchers use different bases: you may not be able to compare the index from book A with other foods covered by someone in book B. In a pleasant quirk of nature, overripe fruit has a higher glycemic index than under-ripe fruit...its sugar is absorbed faster. This is due to the starch changing into free sugars--the body won’t need to do as much digesting. Stick to the starches if you want slow absorption. The general rules are: A. The smaller the individual item of food, e.g. small shaped pasta Versus large spaghetti. B. The longer you cook the food. C. The riper the food is... The higher the glycemic index will be for that food. Thus, rice or spaghetti cooked for five minutes has a much lower index than if cooked for fifteen minutes.
If you need a Registered Dietician, call 1-800-366-1655 for a referral by zip code.
Looking for a healthy heart diet, healthy diabetic diet; want to decrease cancer risk; want a diet supported by the Natianal Institute of Health. You can have all at the same time. There is now one "good to go" dietary quide for all of us...and it's simple.
Decrease fat, especially saturated fat. Increase consumption of fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Plus, remember and act on the fact that
Eat healthy and take a multivitamin with iron each day and you should not need additional supplements.
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