Transcript What Is Fat? - Food and Health Communications

Athletes are like race cars. They don’t
run their best on cheap gas or an
empty tank.
Topics for Today
Sports Nutrition Basics
There are 3 macronutrients:
1. Carbohydrates
2. Protein
3. Fat
Macronutrients are used in large amounts to
fuel the body.
What Are Carbohydrates?
• A class of nutrients
containing carbon,
hydrogen and oxygen
atoms
• Most are known as
sugars, starches or
dietary fibers
• There are two types –
– simple (sugars)
– complex (starches)
Simple Carbohydrates
• Comprised of single or
double sugar molecules
• Are digested quickly
• Usually do not contain
significant amounts of fiber
or nutrients
• Examples: sugars (natural
and refined), syrup, honey,
molasses
Complex Carbohydrates
• Take longer to digest
• Usually packed with fiber,
vitamins and minerals
• Examples: Vegetables,
breads, cereals, legumes
and pasta
• Whole grains are superior to
refined grains
– higher in fiber
– higher in vitamins and
minerals
Carbohydrates: Fuel
• The type of sugar that we may be
most familiar with is glucose
– Glucose is the major fuel of the body
• Glucose circulates freely in the blood
• Glucose is stored in the body as glycogen
– Muscles
– Liver
Glycogen Converts to Glucose
• Glycogen is broken down by
the body when your blood
sugar levels start to fall or
when you are doing exercise
• In addition, the very organ
that is allowing you to read
and comprehend this show
requires glucose for energy
Glycogen Storage
• The muscles
store 2/3-3/4 of
all glycogen
• The liver stores
1/4 to 1/3
• A small amount
is present in
blood sugar
muscle
liver
What Is Protein?
• Comprised of amino acids
• Essential components of muscle, skin, cell
membranes, blood, hormones, antibodies,
enzymes and genetic material
– Amino acids are the building blocks of protein
and they can be linked together to form
thousands of various proteins.
– Proteins have a role in almost all body tissues.
– By weight, the body is approximately 18%
protein and proteins are 75% of body solids.
Purposes of Protein
• Proteins are involved with:
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Growth
Repair of tissues, ligaments, tendons and cells
New cell growth
Maintenance of a circulating protein pool
They are also utilized for digestion and
transportation of enzymes
– They help maintain fluid balance and are used in
the blood to help maintain acid-base balance
– Proper immune function
Protein Sources
• Dietary sources of protein include
red meat, fish and seafood, poultry,
eggs, beans, nuts, seeds, dairy
products, and grains.
Does Eating A Lot of Protein
Really Help You Build Muscles?
• It is a myth that eating a lot of
protein helps you build muscles
• Weight training and being
involved in weight bearing
exercise helps you build muscle
• Typical intake of protein as 15 to
20% of your overall calorie intake
more than covers your needs
as an athlete
Most Americans
consume 2-3 times
the RDA for protein
What Is Fat?
• Fat is one of the three macronutrients (along with protein
and carbohydrates) that
supplies calories to the body
• Fat provides 9 calories per
gram, more than twice the
number provided by
carbohydrates or protein
• It is the best storage form for
extra fuel
Fat offers qualities
that make food taste
good.
Dietary Fat Facts
• Fat belongs to a group of
substances called lipids
• Fats that are liquid at room
temperature are composed
mostly of unsaturated fatty
acids
• Fats that are solid at room
temperature are composed
mostly of saturated fatty
acids
Saturated fat has
been shown to raise
cholesterol.
Fat’s Functions
• Fat is an important energy
source
• For prolonged activity or
exercise, the body depends
on stored fat calories
• It helps insulate the body
• Healthy skin and hair are
maintained by fat
• Fat helps in the absorption,
transportation and storage
of fat-soluble vitamins: A, D,
E and K
A little fat is good but
eating too much can
lead to excess body
fat stores.
Some Fatty Acids Are Essential
• Dietary fat provides essential
omega 3 and omega 6 fatty
acids
• On a 2,000 calorie diet, the
average person would need
about
– 1-2 g of omega 3
– 4-8 g of omega 6
• These amounts can be found
easily in 8-10% calories from
fat on a healthful diet
Essential fat must be
attained by diet
Essential Fat Sources
• Omega 6 is found in fruits, vegetables, beans and whole grains
• Omega 3 is found in fatty fish – a 4-ounce portion twice a week
would fulfill this requirement
• Canola oil contains both, while olive oil contains little of either
Proper Diet + Nutrition
= Success in Sports
Nutrition must fuel the workout and the
recovery
“Aerobic”
• Exercise that
causes the cells to
utilize oxygen to
produce energy
• It involves increased
breathing and
increased heart rate
• Pace is generally
comfortable and can
be sustained
Aerobic Exercise
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Cycling
Cross country skiing
Dancing
Elliptical
Jogging/running
Rowing
Skating
Soccer
Swimming
Tennis
Walking (brisk)
Importance of Diet and
Nutrition for Aerobic Exercise
• Body primarily relies on
carbohydrates for energy
• If exercise is of greater duration
than 30 minutes the body will
shift its dependence from
mostly carbohydrate to a
mixture of carbohydrate and fat
for energy
• The amount of fat burned at rest
is greater in a highly-trained
athlete versus a sedentary
individual
Importance of Diet and
Nutrition for Aerobic Exercise
• Carbohydrate stores in the body
are limited
• Stored fat is much greater
• The goal is to maximize the
carbohydrate storage and to train
the body to rely a little more on
fat for energy during exercise
and rest
• The fitter you are, the more
efficiently your muscles use fat
and the longer you can work out
“Anaerobic”
• Exercise that
utilizes energy
for short-term
bursts of power
output
• Anaerobic
exercise breaks
down glucose
without the use
of oxygen
Anaerobic Exercise
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Football line play
Lifting weights
Serving in tennis
Sprinting
• Resistance training:
–sit ups
–push ups
–pull ups
–stomach crunches
Importance of Nutrition
for Anaerobic Exercise
• Anaerobic exercise uses
mostly glucose (blood
sugar)
• Lactic acid, phosphates,
creatine and other related
compounds are also used
• Availability of these
compounds is greatly
limited and exhausted
quickly during exercise
Optimal Eating Plan
• Optimal ratios of the
macronutrients:
– 55 to 70%
carbohydrate with at
least 40% of the
complex variety, you
may go higher closer
to the event
– 15 to 20% protein
– 10 to 30% fat
Examples of foods that
meet this profile:
• French toast with fruit
• Fruit and yogurt parfait
• Oatmeal with skim milk
• Spaghetti with lean meat
sauce
• Baked potato with light
margarine and fat-free sour
cream
• Lowfat chili with rice
• Chicken teriyaki with rice
and vegetables
What should you eat/drink
before a race or performance?
• Make sure that you have a highcarbohydrate meal the night before
• Eat early the night before an early morning
event
• 1-2 cups of fluid the hour before –
preferably a carbohydrate fluid
• It is important to eat something small (a
few hundred calories of foods that you are
comfortable with) 90 to 120 minutes prior
to the event
What should you eat/drink
after a race or performance?
• Post exercise should be a
carbohydrate/protein
combination in a shake, drink,
bar or food
• Recent research has indicated
that a carbohydrate/protein
combination drink after
exercise enhances muscle
protein synthesis rates as well
as promotes greater glycogen
storage
Sports Drinks
• During – 6% carbohydrate
beverage:
– For the most part, sports
beverages are for the endurance
athlete or events of more than
one hour
– Drink them while you are
exercising in order to spare
glycogen so you can exercise
longer
• After – higher carbohydrate
foods and beverages
Sports Bars
• Most sports bars contain up to
three or four times the amount of
calories as the sports drink
• Good source of energy for long
distance endurance events
(triathlon, cycling)
• Also useful for the athlete who
cannot eat enough to meet their
metabolic demands, although
whole foods offer a better
nutritional profile
Sports Gels
• The sports gel is perfect during
long events such as triathlons,
cycling and running
• It easily ingested and does not
cause stomach upset during
exercise
• The sports gel does not really
fit into the diet outside of the
endurance event because
foods offer a better nutrition
profile
What about hydration?
• Dehydration adversely affects
muscle contractions, heart rate,
blood pressure, thermoregulation,
mental acuity and much more
• Every pound of weight lost during
exercise should be replaced postexercise by two cups of fluid
• This helps ensure normal
hydration
• Aim to drink 4-8 ounces every 20
minutes
Practice
• Practice the use of
drinks, bars and
gels during training
• Don’t wait until the
day of your race or
athletic event to try
something new
Hyponatremia
• This dangerous condition occurs when blood
sodium levels fall too low
• It results in swelling of the brain; can be fatal
• Causes:
– Excessive drinking of water – drink more than lost
in sweat (before, during, after exercise)
– Excessive loss of salt in sweat
– Athletes who drink too much before and during
prolonged exercise in warm, humid climates are at
risk of developing hyponatremia
– Anti-inflammatories (like ibuprofen)– alters kidney
metabolism which causes an increase in salt
excretion – very dangerous
Hyponatremia
• Symptoms:
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gastrointestinal discomfort
nausea and vomiting
throbbing headache
restlessness
swollen hands and feet
lethargy
confusion
wheezing
seizures
Hyponatremia
• Prevention:
– Stay hydrated, but do not over-hydrate
– If you are engaging in prolonged
exercise (more than 1 hour), especially
in a humid climate, use sports
beverages with salt/electrolytes and
take electrolyte supplements as
needed
• Do not over-hydrate before the event
• Do not rely on water as your sole fluid
• Consume 4-8 ounces of fluid every 20
minutes
• Eat salty foods like pretzels as needed
What About Supplements?
• Basic:
– Multivitamin/mineral
• Good eating, adequate
hydration and REST
are more important
than taking
supplements
Review
“We distinguish the excellent
man from the common man by
saying that the former is the
one who makes great demands
upon himself, and the latter
who makes no demands on
himself.”
Jose Ortega y Gasset (1883 - 1955)