Will the sodium from sports drinks make me retain water?

That depends.
No, if you're worried about excess fluid retention associated with increased blood pressure or body weight. The body very efficiently regulates blood sodium so the small amount in sports drinks (no more than a slice of bread or glass of milk) is insignificant.
Yes, if you consider what happens during exercise. By replacing sodium lost in sweat, it helps maintain extracellular fluid volume and stimulates drinking. This limits dehydration, heat illness and decreased performance.
-- Mark Davis Ph.D., Department of Exercise Science, School of PublicHealth, University of South Carolina

Nothing difficult about healthy eating

Healthy Eating Guidelines are intended to promote overall health while reducing the risk of developing nutrition-related diseases like cancer and heart disease. They are directed at all healthy individuals over the age of 14. There is nothing difficult about healthy eating. It is simply a common-sense approach to food that is easy to live with, once you get used to it.

Are dietary supplements risky?

This is how gssi.com answers this question
Dietary supplements-unlike medicines and other drugs-do not undergo rigorous testing and screening for efficacy and safety.
Some products sold as dietary supplements, especially those containing ephedrine, are associated with serious-and sometimes deadly-adverse side effects. Additional risky supplements include androstenedione and other "prohormone" precursors to testosterone, yohimbine, and products that contain kava.
Even supplements like vitamins, caffeine, creatine, and protein powders that are safe when taken in recommended doses could be harmful if taken in large doses for a long time.
Dietary supplements may contain substances not shown on the package label that may be harmful or can lead to a positive doping test in sport competitions.
How do you know if a product is safe? You don?t. However, vitamin and mineral supplements labeled USP (United States Pharmacopoeia) have passed tests for dissolution, disintegration, potency, and purity. In addition, nationally known food and drug manufacturers generally make supplements under the strict quality control procedures they already have in place.

Building Muscle: Protein vs. Carbohydrates

In keeping with conventional wisdom regarding nutrition, athletes traditionally devour plates of protein-rich foods. The theory was that if athletes ate a lot of protein, they would build a lot of muscle. There is a problem with this tradition, however. Extra protein does not build muscle bulk. On the other hand, a challenging strength training program, coupled with an increase in total daily caloric intake, will build muscle.
Carbohydrates are fundamental for strength training because unlike protein, carbohydrates are readily stored in your muscles for fuel during exercise. Adequate protein is important for building and protecting your muscles, but excessive amounts do not enhance gains in muscle or muscle strength. If you strength train on a regular basis, you should digest 0.5 to 0.7 grams of protein per pound of body weight per day (1.2 to 1.7 g/kg). You can do this by simply eating balanced meals and snacks that contain a source of protein such as meat, poultry, fish, dairy products and fortified soy products, eggs, nuts, tofu and dried beans.


Bottom Line: Remember to feed and water your body regularly to get the results you want. A solid strength training diet is just as important as a training plan when it comes to building strength to power up!

Strength Training Diet 101

Written by Leah Perrier R.D.
If you are an athlete who strength trains as part of your training program, you require the right fuel and fluids to make the most of your muscle and power building sessions. Knowing what to eat and how to stay properly hydrated are essential to creating a strength training diet that can help you reach your fitness goals. Follow these nutrition guidelines to make the most of your workouts.
Fueling up is key to any Strength Training Diet
Aim to go into your workout well nourished and well hydrated so that there is enough energy available in the bloodstream and muscles for an effective workout. Plan a pre-workout snack or meal. Fuel your body with foods that are high in carbohydrates and contain a lean source of protein for sustained energy. Some tried and trued protein and carbohydrate combinations include:
homemade smoothies made with milk, soy milk or yogurt and fruit or fruit juice
low fat cheese and crackers
carbohydrate based energy bars and granola bars
yogurt and fruit
½ whole grain bagel or bread with nut butter
Make fluids a priority throughout the day by drinking a cup of water with each meal and snack. To ensure your body is hydrated two to three hours before training, drink two to three cups of water at this time. Follow that by drinking an additional cup of water 10 to 20 minutes prior to your workout.
Give your muscles solid recovery fuel
Post-workout nutrition is an equally important part of any successful strength training diet. As with pre-workout nutrition, timing is just as important after a workout when it comes to recovering your muscle energy. Studies show that eating carbohydrates and protein within 30 minutes of completing a strength training workout is an effective way to restore amino acids and carbohydrate in the muscles. Get energy back to the muscles within 30 minutes and again within two hours to help rebuild muscle energy. Remember your fluids for recovery. Drink at least two cups of water after your workout to help replace the water you have lost in sweat.
http://www.healthcastle.com/sports_nutrition_strength_training_diet.shtml

Recovery Nutrition

Recovery from intense physical training and competition requires time and a diet that replenishes muscle glycogen, body water, and electrolytes, as well as stores of triglyceride in skeletal muscle. Proper nutrition during the recovery period is essential for rapid and effective adaptation to the stress of intense exercise.
It should be recognized that an intense soccer game or a hard interval training session, although not involving extraordinary levels of total energy expenditure, can be as exhausting as running a marathon because of the depletion of muscle glycogen that can occur with high-intensity exercise. The time to replenish muscle glycogen stores is one reason why athletes are encouraged to take an easy day of training between hard workouts.
For muscle glycogen recovery, it is recommended that people do the following:
Within 15 min after stopping exercise, eat 50-100 grams of rapidly absorbed carbohydrate along with 10-20 grams of protein.
Continue eating 50-100 grams of carbohydrate plus 10-20 grams of protein every 2 hours until your next complete meal.
For the day, eat 400-800 grams of carbohydrate, the exact amount depending upon the intensity and volume of your training (e.g., more exercise requires more total carbohydrate and more rapidly absorbed carbohydrate plus protein).
For body water and salt restoration, it should be recognized that complete rehydration requires sufficient sodium and potassium replacement and extra water intake above that which is lost in sweat and urine during exercise. The most important method for rehydration after exercise is to drink large volumes of fluids and eat meals that contain sufficient salt. When athletes drink without eating salty foods for the two hours after exercise, a significant portion (25-50%) of what they drink will be excreted as urine. When athletes drink after exercise, their bodies retain approximately the following percentages of the beverages they consume: caffeinated diet-cola = 50-60%; water = 60-70%; sport drink = 65-75%.
In the past, little attention has been given to the amount of dietary fat needed for an athlete to recover from exercise. This lack of attention probably stemmed from the idea that the energy content of adipose tissue stores is so large that dietary fat must be nonessential for recovery from exercise. However, it is now recognized that the increase in body fat oxidation characteristic of an endurance-trained athlete is derived almost exclusively from triglyceride fat stored within the skeletal muscle fibers (i.e., intramyocellular triglyceride or intramuscular triglyceride, IMTG). Therefore, it is now clear that in order to fully restore IMTG after exercise training, athletes should eat more fat than is obtained in an extremely low-fat diet. However, it is not known how much dietary fat is optimal for recovery from exercise, and it is not clear if diets aimed at IMTG loading or promoting fat adaptation significantly improve performance. Therefore, athletes are generally advised to eat 50-100 grams of 'healthy' fats each day (~1g fat/kg body weight).
An important premise of these general recommendations is that the optimal mixture of nutrients to speed recovery from hard training and competition can be obtained by eating wholesome foods and beverages, provided correct choices are made regarding food type, amount, and timing. The primary advantages of properly formulated products marketed for 'sports nutrition and recovery' are convenience and good taste.Edward F. Coyle, Ph.D.

FAT METABOLISM DURING EXERCISE

KEY POINTS
1. People store large amounts of body fat in the form of triglycerides within fat (adipose) tissue as well as within muscle fibers (intramuscular triglycerides).When compared to carbohydrate stored as muscle glycogen, these fat stores are mobilized and oxidized at relatively slow rates during exercise.
2. As exercise progresses from low to moderate intensity, e.g., 25-65% VO2max, the rate of fatty acid mobilization from adipose tissue into blood plasma declines, whereas the rate of total fat oxidation increases due to a relatively large use of intramuscular triglycerides. Intramuscular triglycerides also account for the characteristic increase in fat oxidation as a result of habitual endurance-training programs.
3. Dietary carbohydrate intake has a large influence on fat mobilization and oxidation during exercise; when dietary carbohydrate produces sufficient carbohydrate reserves in the body, carbohydrate becomes the preferred fuel during exercise. This is especially important during intense exercise because only carbohydrate(not fat) can be mobilized and oxidized rapidly enough to meet the energy requirements for intense muscular contractions.
Edward F. Coyle, Ph.D.Professor, Department of Kinesiology and Health EducationThe University of Texas at AustinAustin,TexasMember, GSSI Sports Medicine Review Board
source- gssi.com

Hot tips for nutrition

Hot Tips for Nutrition, Training, and Immune Function
David C. Nieman, Dr.P.H.Appalachian State University
Prolonged and intensive exertion causes numerous changes in immunity in multiple body compartments. These exercise-induced immune changes occur at the same time the human body is experiencing physiologic and oxidative stress, inflammation, and suppressed function against foreign pathogens. Risk of upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) is 2-6 times higher in endurance athletes compared to controls during the 1-2 week period following competitive race events. URTI risk may be compounded when the endurance athlete goes through repeated cycles of unusually heavy exertion, has been exposed to novel pathogens, and experienced other stressors to the immune system including lack of sleep, severe mental stress, malnutrition, or weight loss.
Although endurance athletes are at increased infection risk during heavy training or competitive cycles, they must exercise intensively to contend successfully. Can athletes use nutrient supplements to counter exercise-induced inflammation and immune alterations? Supplements studied thus far include zinc, dietary fat, plant sterols, antioxidants (e.g., vitamins C and E, beta-carotene, N-acetylcysteine, and butylated hydroxyanisole), glutamine, and carbohydrate. Antioxidants and glutamine have received much attention, but the data thus far do not support their role in negating immune changes after heavy exertion. Most of the focus on nutritional countermeasures has been on carbohydrate.
Research during the 1980s and early 1990s established that a reduction in blood glucose levels was linked to hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal activation, an increased release of adrenocorticotrophic hormone and cortisol, increased plasma growth hormone, decreased insulin, and a variable effect on blood epinephrine levels. Given the link between stress hormones and immune responses to prolonged and intensive exercise, carbohydrate compared to placebo ingestion should maintain plasma glucose concentrations, attenuate increases in stress hormones, and thereby diminish changes in immunity. Carbohydrate supplementation may also alter immunity following exercise by increasing the availability of energy substrate to immune cells. Glucose is the major energy substrate for immune cells.
Several studies with runners and cyclists have shown that carbohydrate beverage ingestion plays a role in attenuating changes in immunity when the athlete experiences physiologic stress and depletion of carbohydrate stores in response to high-intensity (~75-80% VO2max) exercise bouts lasting longer than two hours. In particular, carbohydrate ingestion (about one liter per hour of Gatorade) compared to a placebo has been linked to significantly lower blood cortisol and epinephrine levels, a reduced change in blood immune cell counts, lower pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, and diminished gene expression for IL-6 and IL-8 (two important cytokines) in the muscle. These data demonstrate that the endurance athlete ingesting carbohydrate during the race event experiences a much lower perturbation in hormonal and immune measures compared to the athlete avoiding carbohydrate. Overall, the hormonal and immune responses to carbohydrate compared to placebo ingestion indicate that physiologic stress is diminished.

Nutrition Needs

Nutrition Needs for Team Sport
Clyde Williams, Ph.D. and Ceri W. Nicholas, Ph.D.

KEY POINTS
High-carbohydrate, pre-exercise meals improve exercise capacity.
Carbohydrate-electrolyte drinks ingested during exercise are of benefit during competition and training.
Fluid ingestion during prolonged exercise helps delay the deterioration in motor skills.
Recovery is improved when about 50 g of carbohydrate are consumed immediately after prolonged exercise and at 1-h intervals thereafter.
During daily training or competition, recovery is likely to be improved when carbohydrate intake is increased to 10 g per kg body weight each day.
Rehydration is quickly achieved during recovery when athletes ingest fluids equivalent to at least 150% of the body weight lost during the exercise.

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Protein Nutrition and Endurance Exercise: What Does Science Say?
Martin J. Gibala, Ph.D., Department of Kinesiology, McMaster University
Introduction
Athletes, coaches and scientists have recognized for decades that training and nutrition are highly interrelated when it comes to improving performance. An accumulating body of scientific evidence now confirms that nutrition can profoundly influence the molecular and cellular processes that occur in muscle during exercise and recovery.1 This brief review analyzes the potential for performance enhancement through protein ingestion, whether during activity or by enhancing muscle recovery.
Protein Ingestion During Exercise
A properly formulated carbohydrate-electrolyte beverage (CEB) improves performance during exercise primarily because of two key ingredients: carbohydrate (CHO), which provides fuel for working muscles, and sodium, which helps to maintain fluid balance.2 Recently, two studies suggested that adding a small amount of protein (~2% whey protein) to a CEB produced improvements in endurance capacity compared to the sports drink alone.3,4 However, the practical relevance of these studies is hampered by the way the research was conducted. First, the rate of CHO delivered in the CEB was less than what is considered optimal for performance2; and second, the method of the performance test (exercise time to fatigue) did not mimic the manner in which athletes typically compete. In a recent study5, we addressed these issues by having trained cyclists ingest a CEB during exercise at a rate considered optimal for CHO delivery (60 gram per hour), and perform a task that closely simulated athletic competition.
Subjects performed an 80-km cycling time trial on three occasions and drank either a 6% CHO blend, a 6% CHO + 2% whey-protein blend, or a sweetened placebo. All of the subjects consumed the solutions at a rate of 1 liter per hour. The study was “double blind” meaning neither the athletes nor the researchers knew what drink was consumed during a given trial. The study was also counterbalanced so that the order in which the subjects received the three treatments was systematically varied to prevent test-order bias. The trials determined that the average performance time was identical during the CHO and CHO+protein trials (roughly 135 min) and both were significantly faster (by approximately 4%) than the placebo trial (141 min). This study5 demonstrated that when athletes ingested a CEB during exercise at a rate considered optimal for CHO delivery, protein provided no additional performance benefit during an event that simulated “real life” competition.
Amino Acid Supplementation During Exercise
In addition to whole proteins, many studies have examined whether consuming specific amino acids or amino-acid mixtures improves exercise performance. These studies have generally reported no benefit, although the issue of branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) supplementation remains debateable.6 In this author’s opinion, the most well-controlled studies show no effect of BCAA supplementation on performance.7 This view is supported by two recent studies8,9 that investigated the effect of this practice during exercise in the heat. The studies involved manipulations designed to reduce glycogen availability and induce dehydration. This technique was used in order to simulate the metabolic conditions athletes experience during the latter stages of prolonged exercise. Using a time trial and exercise to voluntary exhaustion9, both studies found no effect of BCAA ingestion on performance.
Protein Ingestion During Recovery and Acute Muscle Adaptations
Nutrition intake during the immediate post-exercise period may benefit the athlete in that it aids the synthesis of muscle proteins and the replenishment of muscle glycogen. Similar to the effect seen after resistance exercise10, consuming protein with CHO during recovery from endurance exercise promotes muscle repair.11 This effect may be due to a direct effect of amino acids (particularly BCAA) on signaling pathways that control muscle protein synthesis.12 A more controversial issue is whether consuming protein with CHO enhances muscle glycogen resynthesis during the first several hours of recovery from prolonged exercise. In this author’s opinion, which is consistent with leading researchers in the field13, most evidence suggests that ingesting a high amount of CHO at frequent intervals (e.g., ≥ 1.2 g CHO per kg body weight per hour) negates the benefits of added protein. However, if an athlete does not eat a sufficient amount of CHO during recovery, then consuming protein with CHO may augment glycogen synthesis. Thus, similar to the effect on endurance capacity, the beneficial effect of ingesting protein with CHO on glycogen storage may be due to higher energy (nutrient) intake per se rather than any unique physiological mechanism.
Protein Ingestion During Recovery and Subsequent Exercise Performance
Regardless of the potential changes in muscle, one key issue for some athletes is whether consuming protein with CHO during recovery improves subsequent endurance performance. One study14 reported that ingesting a CHO-protein drink during recovery from glycogen depleting exercise (activity lasting more than 90 minutes) markedly improved time to exhaustion during a subsequent exercise bout, as compared to a sports drink. However, the CHO-protein drink provided approximately three times as many calories as the sports drink and thus the improved endurance capacity was likely due to the higher energy intake. Another study15 that did not match energy intake compared chocolate milk, a dilute CHO sports drink and a drink matched to chocolate milk in terms of protein and CHO content. Endurance capacity was improved with chocolate milk and the sports drink compared to the third beverage, even though the latter provided CHO and protein equivalent to chocolate milk and more CHO and energy than the sports drink. The mechanisms that might explain the rather surprising findings from this study remain to be elucidated.
Studies that have compared a CHO-protein drink with a CHO drink that provided the same amount of energy, showed no difference in subsequent 5-km running time trial16 or a timed run to exhaustion17. Additional research in this area is warranted, but at present there is no compelling evidence that suggests consuming protein with CHO during recovery has a direct effect on subsequent exercise performance. Nonetheless, given that protein has been shown to promote muscle recovery after strenuous exercise11, it seems prudent for athletes to consume protein with CHO as part of their recovery nutrition strategy.
Conclusions
Some studies have suggested that consuming protein with CHO during exercise improves endurance performance while other studies have reported no benefits. Additional research will resolve this debate, but it should be remembered that there is no established mechanism by which protein intake during exercise should improve performance.
Recent evidence indicates that when CHO is consumed in sufficient amounts during exercise, adding protein provides no performance benefit and does not enhance muscle glycogen synthesis following exercise.
Consuming a small amount (10-20 grams) of high-quality protein after exercise promotes muscle protein synthesis compared to CHO alone and may enhance the body’s response to long-term training.
source- gssi.com

Top 5 healthiest foods

Top 5 Healthiest Foods - picked by Dietitians

Salmon Hands down! Salmon is my favorite food to substitute meats. It is a good source of protein and omega 3 fatty acids - which has been shown to decrease LDL cholesterol and raise HDL cholesterol. In 2002, the American Heart Association recommended eating at least 2 servings of fish a week, particularly fatty fish such as salmon. With increasing public concerns over farmed salmon, choose wild salmon. Most canned salmon are wild.

Soy
Soy products are great substitutes for animal products. I love cooking tofu with various tasty Asian sauces and also enjoy drinking soy milk. Soy beans contain high amounts of protein which comprise of all essential amino acids (the only such vegetable source to do so). Soy beans are also a rich source of calcium, iron, zinc, phosphorus, magnesium, B vitamins, omega 3 fatty acids and fiber. Numerous scientific studies demonstrated that a diet containing significant soy protein may benefit heart health. In addition, more and more studies are being published suggesting other health benefits of soy such as the prevention of prostate & breast cancer as well as osteoporosis.

Greens
Green vegetables such as kale, chard, collard greens, bok choy, broccoli, asparagus, green beans, etc... are packed with vitamins A and C, iron, calcium and phytonutrients. They are very filling, high in fiber and low in calories. Personally, I like eating them cooked so I usually stir fry them in a non-stick pan, but it is absolutely fine to eat them raw as well so go ahead and toss them into your salad and reap the nutritional benefits!

Berries
Berries by far are my favorite fruits! They are loaded with Vitamin C, folate, fiber and phytonutrients. Indeed, fresh berries are some of the most powerful disease-fighting foods available as they top the ORAC score chart (a method of measuring antioxidant activity). Berries are easy to prepare - just wash and rinse - no need to peel at all! In addition, you may serve berries (fresh or baked) as part of a dessert dish.

Whole Grains
Whole grains have some valuable antioxidants not found in fruits and vegetables. They also contain B vitamins, vitamin E, magnesium, iron and fiber. The new 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that all adults eat half their grains as whole grains - that's 3 to 5 servings of whole grains a day. To include more servings of whole grains in your diet, use whole-wheat flour in your recipes instead of white flour. Look for the word "whole" when purchasing packaged foods such as cereals, biscuits, pasta and breads. In addition, try adding wild rice, brown rice, quinoa or barley in your soup to increase whole grain intake.
source-http://www.healthcastle.com/best-healthiest-foods.shtml

Pre-workout Snack Guidelines

Food preferences for pre-workout snacks will vary depending on the individual, type of exercise and level of intensity. For example, endurance athletes can often eat more during a long slow cycle when their heart rate is lower, than while running or training at a higher heart rate. Experiment with the following guidelines to help determine an appropriate snack for you. Choose a snack that:
Contains a sufficient amount of fluid to maintain hydration.
Is low in fat and fiber to facilitate gastric emptying and minimize GI distress.
Is high in carbohydrates such as fruits, vegetables, whole-grain bread, rice, pasta, and cereals to maintain blood glucose levels, and maximize carbohydrate stores.
Contains some protein for staying power throughout your workout.
Is low in simple sugars such as candy. They can send your blood sugar level shooting down, leading to a severe drop in energy.
The more time you allow between eating and exercise, the larger the quantity of food you will be able to eat. Allow more digestion time before intense exercise than before low-level activity. Your muscles require more blood during intense exercise, and therefore less blood will be available to your stomach to help with digestion. If you have a finicky stomach, try a liquid snack prior to your workout. Liquid snacks such as smoothies or sports drinks tend to leave the stomach faster than solid foods do and will be easier to digest. Choosing the appropriate snacks will be dependant on the individual. Some people have a tough time digesting anything solid prior to a workout while and others can munch on an energy bar during intense activity such as running.