Pre-Event Eating: When and How Much?

Have you ever “bonked” or felt “flat” during your training or competition? There is a lot of hype and theories about pre-event meals but little scientific evidence to support them. This is probably because there are too many individual differences and other variables such as stress, age, time of day, exercise intensity, and duration to make across-the-board recommendations.

INTENSE EXERCISE

With intense exercise your body shifts 80 percent of its blood supply to the muscles in use. This shift deprives the stomach of the blood needed to digest food. This slows digestion and may cause an uncomfortable feeling in the stomach because of undigested food that is still present. A meal that is high in calories will take longer to digest than a lighter snack. It is suggested a three to four hour delay between high calorie meals and intense exercise.

MODERATE EXERCISE

During moderate exercise, the stomach is still deprived 60-70% of its normal blood supply due to muscle exertion. Athletes are recommended to wait 2-3 hours after a small meal and 1-2 hours after a blended or liquid meal. There are energy “boost” supplements such as PowerGel by PowerBar that are consumed by the athlete immediately before and during exercise. They can be easily digested and they provide energy during long-term events.

PRE-EVENT GUIDELINES:

Game day is not the time to experiment with foods that are unfamiliar to your stomach. Eat foods that are familiar to you.

Eat meals that are reasonably high in carbohydrate and low in fat (avoid high fat sauces on pasta and fast food). Carbohydrates will help keep the energy level high, while fatty foods delay digestion.

Drink adequate amounts of fluid (avoid dairy). The American College of Sports Medicine recommends 17 ounces of fluid two hours before exercise, as well as enough fluid during exercise to replace the water lost through perspiration. A rule of thumb is to drink enough water to urinate clear prior to performance. For the first hour of aerobic exercise use water only. Use electro-light replacement drinks after the first hour of exercising.

Use caution with foods that have a high sugar content (such as soft drinks and candy). Since athletes metabolism is higher than the average person they may experience a drop in blood sugar following consumption which can result in light headedness or fatigue and loss in performance.

Eat well the day before an event, especially if you tend to be jittery or unable to tolerate food on the day of competition.

**Remember to

1. Always plan ahead for what you are going to eat

2. Obtain adequate amounts of protein

3. Work on Flexibility

4. Supplement your diet with a fish oil and multi-vitamin

Let me know if I can help. Email me at architectsports@gmail.com

God Bless,

Alan Tyson, Physical Therapist, Athletic Trainer, Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist 

10 Low Cost Foods to Help Gain Muscle

If you have been trying to gain muscle for any length of time, you have probably figured out that training is only half of the equation. To gain quality muscular weight, you must take in more calories than you burn, with a significant portion of them coming from protein. This large food intake can be a huge drain on your wallet, especially when you already have monthly gym and other team related expenses. Here are 10, nutrientdense, muscle-building foods that will help you get the protein and calories you need without breaking the bank.

1. Eggs

With 5-6 grams of both protein and fat in each little egg, and with prices as low as a dollar per dozen in some grocery stores, this is a muscle building food that cannot be beat. If you're in serious need of calories to grow, you would do well to eat the whole egg. The yolk contains healthy mono- and polyunsaturated fats, half of the egg's protein, and several essential amino acids and vitamins that you will not find in the white.

2. Ground Beef (and a tip to make it leaner)

It's not as pretty as a nice steak, but ground beef certainly gets the job done when it comes to building muscle on the cheap. It has 6-7 grams of protein per raw ounce, fat content that varies depending on the leanness, and a price that is sometimes lower than two dollars per pound.

For those worried about the saturated fat content, here is a trick to make fatty beef much leaner. Brown the meat and dump it into a colander in the sink. You can eliminate some of the grease in this first step by pouring it out elsewhere. After you have done this, turn on the faucet and run water over the beef for a few minutes. Toss and turn the beef within the colander while the water runs over it to cause the fat to strain out. Finally, if you want to eliminate a little bit more fat, lay out paper towels on your counter and pour the beef onto them. The towels will soak up what little grease is left from the straining process, giving you much leaner beef than what you started with.

3. Whole Milk

Dairy products often get a bad rap in muscle-building discussions, but whole milk has long been a standby weight-gaining food for bodybuilders. It has 8-9 grams each of protein and fat per cup, and the price is usually around three dollars per gallon (16 cups). This is an especially good food for skinny guys that have trouble bulking up.

4. Peanut Butter

With 6 grams of protein and 16 grams of monounsaturated fats per 2-tablespoon serving, peanut butter is one of the cheapest, easiest, and tastiest ways to up your caloric intake. You can eat it by itself, add it to a protein shake, or even put it in your oatmeal.

5. Potatoes

When trying to build muscle on a budget, you will do well to ignore the low-carb dieting fad and at least consume a significant amount of carbs at breakfast and around training time. One of the best, cheapest foods for this purpose is potatoes. One medium-sized red potato has 25-30 grams of carbs.

6. Oats

Oats are another excellent source of quality carbohydrates. One cup contains nearly 50 grams of carbs and 6 grams of fiber. In addition to their low cost, they are extremely versatile and convenient. Unlike potatoes, rice, or other good muscle building carbs, you can easily take dry, ready-to-eat oats with you anywhere you go.

7. Whey Protein

While you should not focus your budget on supplements, whey protein is one of the best investments you can make in your physique. Most whey powders have about 25 grams of protein per serving, and with prices as low as five dollars per pound (15 servings), they provide the cheapest cost per gram of protein around.

8. Bananas

Potatoes and Oats can more than cover your carbohydrate needs, but bananas provide a cheap, tasty variation. A single banana provides around 30 grams of carbs, and prices are almost always well under a dollar per pound. You can also combine a banana with a whey protein shake after a workout for a quickly digesting blend of carbs and protein.

9. Olive Oil

Though it is more expensive than other oils, olive oil is still a very cheap source of extremely nutritious mono- and polyunsaturated fats. You can cook your eggs, meat, and potatoes in olive oil, and skinny guys can even add it to a shake to easily up their caloric intake.

10. Tuna

Last but certainly not least on this list of muscle-building foods is canned tuna. Even with rising food costs, a can of tuna still costs well under a dollar and provides 25 grams of very lean protein. You can also buy tuna packed in oil to get twice as many calories for no extra cost!

*A Word on Supplements

If you are on a tight budget, you should make food, not supplements, your priority. No amount of quality supplementation will help you build muscle if your diet isn't even in order. The one exception to this rule is whey protein, which is essentially just a powdered food product.

If you concentrate on these cheap, effective, muscle-building foods, you should be on the right track to gaining heaps of muscle.

Recovery: Also remember that as soon you finish practice, a game, training, etc that the clock starts ticking so a good protein source helps the muscles recover. This needs to be implemented within the first 30 minutes for optimal effect.

**Remember to:

1) Always plan ahead for what you are going to eat

2) Obtain adequate amounts of protein

3) Work on your flexibility

4) Supplement your diet with a fish oil and multivitamin

Let me know if I can help. Email me at architechsports@gmail.com

God bless,

Alan Tyson, Physical Therapist, Athletic Trainer, Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist

The Number One Food for Athletes

When you come into the clinic or training center and we talk about nutrition, we will often discuss how much protein you are eating each day. After that we will talk about that dreaded color that most of us don’t like on our plates and one that we definitely don’t get enough. That color is “Green” and the best vegetable that represents “Green” is Broccoli. If I could choose one vegetable that our athletes, clients, parents, etc. would eat each day it would be broccoli hands down. Take a look below at 9 health benefits of this super food. Also I highly recommend going to YouTube, type in “Sesame Street Broccoli song” and share with your love ones. This will surely bring a smile to your face and again emphasize the importance of this veggie.

9 Health Benefits of Broccoli

1. Cancer Prevention (I know athletes may not think about this but parents do)

Broccoli contains glucoraphanin, which the body processes into the anti-cancer compound sulforaphane. This compound rids the body of H. pylori, a bacterium found to highly increase the risk of gastric cancer. Furthermore, broccoli contains indole-3-carbinol, a powerful antioxidant compound and anti-carcinogen found to not only hinder the growth of breast, cervical and prostate cancer, but also boosts liver function.

Broccoli shares these cancer fighting, immune boosting properties with other cruciferous vegetables such as cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and cabbage.

2. Cholesterol Reduction (again I know athletes don’t think about this but parents do)

Like many whole foods, broccoli is packed with soluble fiber that draws cholesterol out of your body.

3. Reducing Allergy Reaction and Inflammation (now we have something that everyone needs to reduce)

Broccoli is a particularly rich source of kaempferol and isothiocyanates, both anti-inflammatory phyto-nutrients. Research has shown the ability of kaempferol to lessen the impact of allergyrelated substances on our body. Broccoli even has appreciable amounts of omega 3 fatty acids, which are well known as an anti-inflammatory.

4. Powerful Antioxidant (Great for Recovery – who doesn’t need this!)

Of all the cruciferous vegetables, broccoli stands out as the most concentrated source of vitamin C, plus the flavonoids necessary for vitamin C to recycle effectively. Also concentrated in broccoli are the carotenoids lutein, zeaxanthin and beta-carotene, other powerful antioxidants.

5. Bone Health (very important for all athletes especially females)

Broccoli contains high levels of both calcium and vitamin K, both of which are important for bone health and prevention of osteoporosis.

6. Heart Health

The anti-inflammatory properties of sulforaphane, one of the isothiocyanates (ITCs) in broccoli, may be able to prevent (or even reverse) some of the damage to blood vessel linings that can be caused by inflammation due to chronic blood sugar problems.

7. Detoxification (helps influence recovery)

Glucoraphanin, gluconasturtiin and glucobrassicin are special phytonutrients that support all steps in the body’s detox process, including activation, neutralization and elimination of unwanted contaminants. These three are in the perfect combination in broccoli. Broccoli also contains isothiocyanates (which you read about in inflammation) which help control the detox process at a genetic level.

8. Diet Aid (Most Athletes don’t need this but fiber is critical for digestive health and recovery)

Broccoli is a smart carb and is high in fiber, which aids in digestion, prevents constipation, maintains low blood sugar, and curbs overeating. Furthermore, a cup of broccoli has as much protein as a cup of rice or corn with half the calories.

9. Alkalizes Your Body

Like many vegetables, broccoli helps keep your whole body less acidic, which has a host of health benefits. Your body has a natural pH level and it likes to be7.0 or slightly lower which aids many of the body functions.

I had an Ardrey Kell athlete that I helped many years ago and we talked about less fried foods and more “green food”. He was looking for all the edges he could to become better and he took up the habit of eating broccoli multiple times a week. Not only did he become more lean and lost body fat he went on the pitch in college and the major leagues. I am not saying broccoli will earn you a college scholarship and a big league contract but it definitely want hurt.

**Remember to

1. Always plan ahead for what you are going to eat

2. Obtain adequate amounts of protein

3. Work on Flexibility

4. Supplement your diet with a fish oil and multi-vitamin

Let me know if I can help. Email me at architechsports@gmail.com

704-900-8960

God Bless,

Alan Tyson, Physical Therapist, Athletic Trainer, Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist

7 Bad Foods for Your Belly

This week I wanted share with you seven foods that you may want to avoid in order to have the best “gut” possible. None of these are absolutes but just some suggestions if you want to maximize your gut flora which helps with increased energy and health. Like before, we suggest try these for one month and I bet you feel better.

Carb-Dense Foods

This may change the way you look at “good carbs” and “bad carbs” forever. Carb-dense foods can alter the balance of our gut flora, triggering inflammation. Foods are considered carb-dense if they have a high ratio of carb grams relative to their weight. A small potato, which many consider a bad carb, weighs 170 grams, but it’s mostly water; only about 23 percent of it is carbohydrate. A plain rice cake, by contrast, weighs only nine grams, but almost 80 percent of it is carbohydrate! Found in: bagels, bread (including whole-grain breads), crackers, pasta, cereals, white rice, pretzels.

Unhealthy Fats

Three types of dietary fat are linked to inflammation and thus contribute to excess belly fat: trans fats, saturated fats, and omega-6 fats. Found in: packaged foods (trans fats), processed and high-fat cuts of meat, full-fat dairy, some candy (saturated fat), corn oil, grape-seed oil, soybean oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil (omega-6 fats).

Milk and High-Lactose Dairy Foods

One of the most cutting-edge components of the 21-Day Tummy is the avoidance of FODMAPs, or rapidly fermentable carbohydrates that can aggravate your gut. Some people aren’t sensitive to any FODMAPs, some experience symptoms after eating only certain ones, and other people develop gradually worsening effects with each exposure. Lactose, found in all animal milks, is the best known FODMAP. Lactose is broken down in the small intestine by an enzyme called lactase. Our bodies produce less lactase as we get older (since its main purpose is to help babies digest breast milk), which means dairy foods that contain lactose can torment our tummies over time even if they didn’t before. Found in: milk, regular (non-Greek) yogurt, soft cheeses, dairy-based desserts.

Excess Fructose (in Apples, Honey, Asparagus)

Foods with a lot of fructose (another FODMAP) compared with glucose can contribute to gas, bloating, and diarrhea. A 2008 study in the Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology found that patients with IBS who followed a non-fructose diet had fewer symptoms. Found in: certain fruits (apples, mangoes, watermelons), certain vegetables (asparagus, sugar snap peas), sweeteners (high-fructose corn syrup, agave nectar, honey).

Garlic, Onions, and High-Fiber Cousins

The body’s inability to digest a kind of fiber, called fructan, in these foods can cause flatulence. This fiber (another FODMAP) seems to cause more symptoms than some other kinds, but that may simply be because we eat so much of it. Found in: grains (barley, wheat), vegetables (artichokes, onions, garlic), legumes (black beans, kidney beans, soybeans), additives (inulin).

Beans and Nuts

We lack the enzyme to break down a FODMAP in these foods, so our gut bacteria must digest them, which produces gas. Found in: Most beans and some nuts (cashews, pistachios).

Natural and Artificial Sweeteners

Sugar alcohols, low-carb sweeteners naturally found in some foods and added to others, are another FODMAP. They don’t easily pass through our cell walls, so gut bacteria digest them, which can cause gas and bloating. Found in: some fruits (apples, blackberries, nectarines, peaches, pears, plums), vegetables (cauliflower, mushrooms, snow peas), artificial sweeteners (isomalt, mannitol, polydextrose), sugar-free foods.

**Remember to

1. Always plan ahead for what you are going to eat

2. Obtain adequate amounts of protein

3. Work on Flexibility

4. Supplement your diet with a fish oil and multi-vitamin

Let me know if I can help. Email me at architechsports@gmail.com

God Bless,

Alan Tyson, Physical Therapist, Athletic Trainer, Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist

3 Recovery Foods to Consider After Your Workouts

If your body is your vehicle, then food is its primary fuel. However, not all fuel is created equal. Certain foods can set you soaring for hours while others will “faceplant” you in 15 minutes. So, what should we be eating to truly charge the body through its days of running, cycling, swimming, skiing, dancing, or any type of sustained workout?

It's true that different things work for different people and eating a variety of foods is key. However, there are still scientific tidbits that focus on the properties of certain foods, and their reactions inside the body when it's working for long periods of time.

These three nutrient-dense food groupings should be “go to” foods after a workout or sporting event.

Coconut Products

Around 25 percent of an athlete's diet should come from fat, but just like any therapeutic diet, nailing the amount is only half the battle. Athletes must also pay attention to the types of fats they are consuming, and coconut oil stands out among the others.

Coconut oil contains MCT's—medium chain triglycerides (fats) that are absorbed in the bloodstream more like a carbohydrate than a fat—making it excellent for endurance, recovery, and stamina especially when consumed in small amounts throughout the day. It can be added to smoothies or used for cooking. It can even be thrown into baked goods instead of butter. It can be purchased at almost any grocery store, and stored at room temperature.

Another coconut product great for recovery is coconut water. Coconut water is perfect for electrolyte and carbohydrate replacement and can be consumed before, during, and after any activity. If you're going to sweat for more than an hour, take a swig! Or mix it with one part water and drink throughout the day.

Omega-3 Fats

Redness, pain, heat and swelling are the four symptoms of chronic inflammation, the root cause of disease. Over-exercising can take its toll on not just the muscles and joints, but the organs of the immune system, and when combined with stress, chronic illness and poor eating habits, you're left with a large recipe for inflammation.

Because the typical American diet contains pro-inflammatory foods high in omega-6 fats, the body needs the anti-inflammatory omega-3 fats to maintain an appropriate balance. Because the body doesn't make them on its own, these fats are considered essential, which means we must get them on our plate.

Fish like wild-caught salmon, sardines, black cod and herring are great sources for omega-3 fats. Algae and fish-oil supplements are also encouraged, since they contain the longer chain EPA/DHA fats. Also try ALA chain fats such as walnuts, flaxseeds and chia seeds.

Whey Protein

Yes, runners; it's for you, too! Just because you're not weight lifting doesn't mean the muscles don't need to be fed. Sometimes runners can focus way too much on the carbohydrates, and forget what's responsible for not only maintenance and repair, but nearly every chemical reaction that takes place in the body.

Whey protein is one of our favorite forms of complete bio-available protein— meaning it contains all of the essential and non-essential amino acids. These amino acids are in charge of preventing muscle tissue breakdown. They keep blood glucose (blood sugar levels ) steady when combined with a slow-releasing carbohydrate creating the perfect balance of stamina and energy.

For an extra bonus, whey protein contains cysteine, which aids in the formation of glutathione, protecting the cells from free-radical damage, thereby supporting the entire immune system.

An easy way to consume whey is in the form of a shake. One scoop should contain approximately 20 to 30 grams of protein. Feel free to add a small amount of fruit— 1/2 to 1 cups—or one tablespoon of a healthy fat—ground flaxseed, raw nut butter or coconut oil.

As training methods continue to improve, one secret to training hard is to make sure you recover completely after each workout or game. These three food groupings will certainly help. Best of Luck!

**Remember to

1. Always plan ahead for what you are going to eat

2. Obtain adequate amounts of protein

3. Work on Flexibility

4. Supplement your diet with a fish oil and multi-vitamin

Let me know if I can help. Email me at architechsports@gmail.com

God Bless,

Alan Tyson, Physical Therapist, Athletic Trainer, Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist