Nutrition Basics
What should you eat if you're an athlete in training?
Dr. Linn Goldberg responds:
For male athletes who are trying to become as big and strong as possible, we tell them to eat daily about 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight and 26 times their weight in calories. For girls it's less calories, but it's based on the amount of exercise they do each day, because they're growing and they need the calories to burn. Female athletes still need higher amounts of protein than non-athletes. This is approximately 0.8 grams of protein per pound of body weight. So we have them increase the amount of protein to about one-and-a-half times the RDA equivalence so they're eating more protein, eating more carbohydrates, but eating less fat. Also important for the adolescent female athlete is to obtain enough calcium in her diet. She needs to take in about 1200-1500 mg. of calcium per day.
Dr. Diane Elliot responds:
Protein is used to repair and build muscles, and without enough protein, your muscles cannot benefit from your training. During intense exercise, your muscles burn carbohydrates for energy. Your muscles can only store enough carbohydrates for about two-hours of intense exercise. Eating a high carbohydrate diet keeps your muscles fueled so you won't run out of energy when exercising. A healthy, high-carbohydrate pre-game meal fills your muscles' fuel tank, and a high-carbohydrate plus high-protein meal after your workouts refills fuel stores and supplies nutrients to repair and build muscle. Drink enough water to replenish your system (at least 8 to 12 glasses)
or enough fluids so your urine is light yellow.
What should a non-athlete eat/drink to be healthy?
Dr. Kerry Kuehl responds:
You need a certain amount of protein everyday for muscle growth and development. If you weigh 130 pounds, you should get about 100 grams of protein a day and the best sources are milk, egg whites, chicken, fish, and turkey. SO you'd have to eat a can of tuna, which is about 30 grams, chicken breast is another 30 grams, and then four cups of milk to get 100 grams of protein per day.
What about the trendy high protein, low carbohydrate diet?
Dr. Kerry Kuehl responds:
The high protein, low carb diets are not really meant for young athletes. Carbohydrates are the high performance fuel used for more intense physical training and competition. Carbohydrates can be thought of as a high octane fuel. Fat is low octane fuel, used for lower levels of exertion. Carbohydrates burn hot like a torch, while fat burns slowly, like a candle. The protein we suggest is like the high protein diets, since protein is needed for muscle repair and growth, but the high fat in low carbohydrate diets do not aid physical performance. Also, the high fat, low carbohydrate fad diets do not contain all of the healthy nutrients found in fruits and vegetables that help in prevention of disease.
