Nutrition Myths

According to healthcastle.com, these are the top 3 nutrition myths.

Sugar Causes Diabetes
The most common nutrition myth is probably the misconception that sugar causes diabetes. If you have diabetes, you do need to watch your sugar and carbohydrate intake, with the help of your Registered Dietitian, to properly manage your blood sugar level. However, if you do not have diabetes, sugar intake will not cause diabetes. So far, a diet high in calories, being overweight and an inactive lifestyle are the main risk factors for Type 2 diabetes.

All Fats are bad
The fact is we all need fats. Fats help nutrient absorption, nerve transmission and maintain cell membrane integrity just to name a few functions. However, when consumed in excessive amounts, fats contribute to weight gain, heart disease and certain types of cancers. Not all fats are created equal. Some fats promote our health positively while some increase our risk for heart disease. It is a long-held nutrition myth that all fats are bad. The key is to replace bad fats (saturated fats and trans fats) with good fats (monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats) in our diet.

Brown Sugar is better than White Sugar
The brown sugar sold at the stores is actually white granulated sugar with added molasses. Yes, brown sugar contains minute amounts of minerals. But unless you eat a gigantic portion of brown sugar everyday - the mineral content difference between brown sugar and white sugar is absolutely insignificant. The idea that brown and white sugar have big differences is another common nutrition myth

Fun Facts for Athletes

Did you know?
Salt is needed for athletes in the heat.
Sweat is saltier during the early stages of training and heat acclimation than after an athlete is fit and fully acclimated to exercise in the heat.

Sweat contains more salt when you are starting to become acclimatized, and should decrease as you spend more time training and racing in the heat.

Depending on your sodium losses, you can replace your sodium sweat losses with the salt or sodium in your daily diet and by consuming a sports drink with adequate sodium.

Preventing low sodium in athletes

Preventing Low Sodium in Athletes
During ultra endurance events such as adventure racing and Ironman triathlons, inadequate repletion of sodium can lead to a dangerous condition known as hyponatremia. For most athletes engaged in prolonged exercise, however, the danger of this condition is relatively low if they remain well fuelled and hydrated. Here are some tips on how you can prevent this condition from happening:

Consume saltier foods such as pretzels, broth, sauces, salt bagels, V-8 juice leading up to race day or a long training session.
Hydrate during exercise with a sports drink that contains sodium.
If you are a salty sweater and you are involved in long distance events such as ultra marathons or triathlons, aim to consume 100-250 milligrams of sodium for every 8 ounces of water ingested during endurance training and racing. by- Leah Perrier R.D

Sodium in your diet

Having some salty foods and salting your food replaces some of the sodium lost in sweat. Besides having enough sodium in your diet, you can also consume a sports drink that contains adequate sodium. Check the sodium content of your favorite carbohydrate-electrolyte beverage. Pay attention to how many ounces you consume per hour and estimate your sodium intake per hour. You do not need to replace all of your sodium losses. You only need to consume enough sodium to prevent sodium levels from dropping too low. Sports drinks typically contain 20-60 milligrams of sodium per 100 milliliters.

Sodium and athletes

Salt, or sodium, is a required nutrient in the diet. It helps regulate fluid balance and promotes proper muscle function. Unfortunately, most North Americans have developed an appetite for at least three times the sodium they need. The actual sodium need varies slightly from person to person, but a range of 1,800 to 2,400 milligrams, or one teaspoon of salt, is considered to be a healthy daily dose.

Like fluid requirements, daily sodium needs can also vary greatly among athletes. Some athletes have a greater sodium need because they lose more sodium in sweat. The sodium needs amount that is recommended during exercise is dependent on the amount of sweat produced.

For example, let say that you sweat about 1.5 liters per hour, and your sodium losses per liter may be about 750 milligrams. This means that in one hour, you lose 1125 milligrams of sodium. If you train for three hours, your total sodium sweat losses are 3,375 milligrams of sodium. Clearly, on days when you put in even more hours of training, you will increase your total sodium sweat losses further. -Leah Perrier

Snacks during training

What are snacks I can pack for long (3-4 hour) training sessions?
Pack high carbohydrate, low fiber snacks to keep you fueled during long training sessions. Choose a combination of solid foods and fluids to meet both hydration and carbohydrate needs. Aim for 30-60 grams of carbohydrate every hour and replenish fluids at the rate of 5-10 ounces every 15-20 minutes. A combination of sports drinks, carbohydrate gels, energy bars, bagels or gingersnaps help meet your needs. Set your watch to beep every 15 minutes as a fluid and fuel reminder!
-- Chris Rosenbloom, PhD, RD, Chair, Department of Nutrition, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia

Determining Nutrition Requirements for Athletes

Janet Walberg Rankin, Ph.D., R.D.Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Nutrition can assist an athlete in attaining his performance potential. Although many athletes are convinced of the overall value of nutrition, many specific misunderstandings exist. Athletes look for nutrition information and assistance from coaches, athletic trainers and nutritionists. These individuals need to have a breadth of knowledge from an understanding of the basics of energy metabolism through the interpretation of the food guide pyramid.
The role of nutrition for any person is to maintain optimal health. Athletes look for additional benefits from their foods, including: fuel to delay fatigue, a tool to change body weight and composition, acceleration of recovery, reduction of illness, and prevention of decline in motor skills. Prediction of the limiting fuel for an activity is dependent on knowledge of energy metabolism and fuel utilization for exercise of different intensities and durations. An evaluation of the actual exercise workouts and competitions will help the counselor make decisions regarding fuel requirements for the athlete. Rapid loss of body weight can cause hazards to health as well as performance. Thus, reasonable recommendations regarding appropriate diets for weight gain or loss are critical. Total energy balance is the primary issue, but adequate carbohydrate and protein can also influence results. Athletes who participate in repeated events want to recover as quickly as possible between competitions. Consumption of fluid, carbohydrate and electrolytes provided in specific amounts and times can accelerate recovery. An increase in muscle protein balance is desirable for those participating in resistance exercise. Nutrition surrounding the workout may influence the lean tissue gains obtained from this training. An ill athlete should not compete; thus, every effort should be made to maintain a strong immune system. Nutritional strategies to reduce illness include avoiding rapid weight loss and maintaining body carbohydrate status. Motor skills deteriorate as athletes fatigue during a game or competition. Some evidence suggests that maintenance of carbohydrate intake and blood glucose will delay the fall in motor skill.
Challenges to good nutrition for active individuals include lack of time to attend to food preparation and selection, travel schedules, and performance pressure that may encourage athletes to attempt fad approaches or to take unproven or dangerous dietary supplements. It is the role of the diet counselor to assess the health and diet of the individual, develop a specific dietary plan, and educate the athlete on the value of these changes.