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egg-avo-breakfast

Breakfast and Lunch: Food for Thought

Enjoyment of food should be one of life’s pleasures. Unfortunately, I counsel too many athletes who scrutinize food and talk about eating nutrients (protein, carbs, and fat). They put a lot of energy into counting macros, calories and grams of sugar. Some find meals and snacks to be sources of anxiety, not enjoyment.

Way too many athletes and fitness exercisers consider breakfast and lunch to be somewhat optional. The goal of this article is to share food for thought about these two important meals of the day—and help you fuel your body adequately, enjoyably, and effectively for your sports-active lifestyle.

Breakfast thoughts

• Weight-conscious athletes: please don’t even try to restrict calories at breakfast (or lunch). You need energy during the active part of your day to refuel from your morning workout or fuel up for your afternoon session. Your best bet is to fuel well by day, eat a lighter dinner, and lose weight at night when you are sleeping! As one dieter reported,“I lost weight easily when I ate dinner for breakfast and breakfast for dinner.” Give that a try?

• Remember when orange juice was a standard part of breakfast? Today, many athletes have stopped drinking orange juice because “it has too much sugar.” That might be true for unfit people with bodies that metabolize sugar far differently than the bodies of athletes. But for athletes, OJ is OK—a quick, easy, and thirst-quenching form of fruit. The natural sugars in orange juice offer helpful fuel before or after a morning workout— while simultaneously providing a day’s supply of Vitamin C, plus potassium, folate, and other health-promoting nutrients.

Ironically, the same athletes who shun orange juice often fail to take the time to eat a whole orange (or other fruit) instead. All 100%-juices are an easy way to boost the intake of this important food group. Any form of fruit—juice, canned, dried, frozen—is better than no fruit!

• Many athletes take pride in cooking their steel-cut oats, believing they are far more nutrient-dense than good ol’ fashioned rolled oats. Both rolled and steel-cut oats have similar nutritional value. The difference is steel-cut oats are cut, instead of softened and then rolled, and take far more time to cook.

• Please don’t try to “stay away from” peanut butter, believing it to be “fattening.” Rather, enjoy peanut butter on toast and bagels, or blended into smoothies, or swirled into oatmeal. PB’s fat is health-protective, anti-inflammatory, and satiating. It’s slow to digest, which helps keep you feeling fed until lunch.

• Whole grain breakfast cereals that are enriched or fortified (as noted on the label) can be good sources of iron, needed to reduce your risk of developing iron-deficiency anemia. Athletes’ diets can easily be low in iron if they do not eat red meat or cook in a cast iron skillet. Hence, iron-fortified cereals topped with fruit (for vitamin C, to help absorb the iron), milk (dairy or soy, for calcium and protein), and almonds (for a bit more protein) offer an effective sports breakfast—as well as sports-snack.

• Almond milk on cereal or in your coffee is a nutritionally poor swap for dairy milk. Almond milk offers only 2 grams of low-quality protein, as compared to 8 grams of high-quality dairy protein. The protein in dairy milk is 80% casein and 20% whey—the stuff you get in protein powder! If you prefer plant-based milk, soy and pea milks are the best options for protein. Environmentalists, please note: Cars, not cows, will “ruin the planet.”

Lunch thoughts

• If you feel hungry an hour or two after lunch, you did not eat enough lunch. How much lunch is enough? By listening to your body’s signals, you can intuitively eat the right amount. The key is to pay attention to why you stop eating at lunchtime. Do you stop eating because 1) The food is gone? 2) You think you should? 3) You feel content and nicely satiated?

The correct answer is 3) You feel content. An adequate lunch will leave you feeling fed for three to four hours. You’ll no longer crave afternoon sweets within an hour or two post-lunch. A hearty lunch helps curb 3:00 pm snack attacks and helps you arrive home at the end of the day with the energy to cook a decent meal. You will eventually eat the calories, so why hold off until you can no longer white-knuckle the hunger?

• Despite popular belief, sandwich bread is NOT fattening; excess calories of any kind are fattening. You can even enjoy a bagel for breakfast and a sandwich for lunch without “getting fat”! Carb-rich bread will fuel your muscles far better than a carb-lite lunchtime salad.

• If you are among the many athletes who eat a salad for lunch—and then complain you are craving sweets and eating cookies an hour or two later, think again. While salads are a helpful way to boost your intake of veggies, you might be better off satiating your appetite with PB & J or a turkey/cheese/pesto sandwich made on Dave’s Killer Bread or other hearty bread. For veggies, simply, munch on cherry tomatoes, baby carrots, and pepper strips; far easier than making a salad!

• If you insist on eating a salad for lunch, make sure it is an “athlete’s meal” that offers a hefty dose of starchy veggies (sweet potato, beets, corn) and grains (farro, quinoa, pasta, a whole grain roll on the side). A bowlful of greens (50 calories) smothered with 350 calories of dressing will leave you with poorly fueled (i.e., tired) muscles.

To put the need for carbohydrates into perspective, a 150-pound athlete who trains hard for 1.5 to 2 hours a day should target at least 3 grams of carb per pound of body weight per day = 450 g carb = 1,800 calories from carbs/day = 500-600 calories carbs/ meal. A big spinach salad comes nowhere near that!

• Even if you want to build muscle, don’t over-eat protein to the extent it displaces carbohydrates. Poorly fueled muscles won’t be able to lift weights as well as when carb-loaded. Think again before filling up on a high protein, low carb green salad + big chicken breast + dressing for lunch. A sports diet should contain three times more calories from carbs than protein.

Bottom line

Please enjoy satisfying breakfasts and lunches that keep you feeling fed for three to four hours. You will feel happier, more energetic, have better workouts, be less ravenous at the end of the day—and be less likely to overeat the “wrong” food at night. Experiment?


Nancy Clark MS RD CSSD counsels both fitness exercisers and competitive athletes in the Boston-area (Newton; 617-795-1875). Her best-selling Sports Nutrition Guidebook is a popular resource, as is her online workshop. Visit NancyClarkRD.com for info.

gymnast-rings

Making Weight: Helpful or Harmful?

Many athletes fantasize about losing weight (“Wouldn’t it be nice to lose a few pounds…”). But some athletes have to lose weight in order to meet a specific division for their sport. Athletes such as boxers might have to make weight for a day only once or twice a year, but others such as wrestlers are wisest to keep their weight low for a season. And then there are figure skaters, dancers, and gymnasts who live in long-term “food jail” to maintain a sleek physique for months on end because they get judged on aesthetics. This article will not focus on the problems with long-term under-eating, but rather offer help for athletes who have to/want to lose weight for the short-term.

Weight classes exist to supposedly even the playing field so, for example, a wrestler or a rower competes against someone who is about the same physical size. A problem with weight-class sports is too many athletes target a minimal weight that is unlikely their best performance weight and focus on a number on a scale instead of ability to compete well.  They often resort to last-minute restrictive dieting and dehydrating to make weight. Inadequate recovery between weigh-ins and the event can contribute to early bonking, poor performance, and disappointments. One champion collegiate wrestler shared his winning advice, “I ate well, competed at my natural weight, and clobbered my starving opponents. Easy!” The same goes for athletes in running sports, who believe lighter equates to faster. Not always the case. There’s a lot to be said for running well-fueled at your natural weight.

So what are weight-class athletes supposed to do?

Obviously, they are not supposed to wait until the last few days before an event to lose weight by abstaining from food and water, over-exercising, and abusing their bodies. The better path is to start chipping away at weight loss weeks in advance. If you have to lose 10 pounds, give yourself at least 5 to 10 weeks to do so, if not more.

Ideally, athletes should first have their body fat accurately measured to determine if they even have fat to lose. Females should not drop below 12% body fat, males no less than 5%. Some athletes will need to lose muscle to be able to reach their weight goal.

What’s the best way to lose weight? Push yourself away from the dinner table before you eat your fill! Plain and simple, you have to eat less than your body requires.  Easier said than done. Hence, these tips might be helpful.

• Knock off only 300-500 calories/day from your typical daily intake. Do NOT chop your food intake in half or eat as little as possible! As an athlete, you need fuel to train.

• Fuel by day; diet by night. Plan to lose weight when you are sleeping—not when you are trying to train hard.

• Surround your workout with food, so that you fuel-up and refuel.

• Do NOT cut out all carbohydrates. Athletes need grains, veggies, and fruits to optimize their muscle glycogen stores. A very low-carb diet results in depleted glycogen,  “dead legs,” and inability to train hard.

• Enjoy carb-protein combinations: carbs to fuel muscles; protein to build and repair muscles. Protein is also satiating and can help curb hunger.

• When it’s crunch-time, to lose the last few pounds, some athletes target about 1.5 g carb, 1 g protein, and 0.5 g fat per pound of body weight (3 g carb, 2 g pro,  1 g fat/kg). This means a 150-lb (68 kg) athlete would target about 200 g carb, 135 g pro, and 70 g fat (~1,950-2,000 calories/day).

• Athletes who have to lose muscle mass to hit their weight target should cut back on their protein intake.

• Divide the calories into 4 food buckets and eat a meal at least every 4 hours. (The clock starts ticking when you get up in the morning). An athlete who trains from 6:30 to 7:30 a.m. could divide breakfast into 100-200 calories pre-workout at 6:00ish, then 400 calories post-workout at 8:00; eat early lunch (500 cal.) at 11:00ish; later lunch (400-500 cal.) at 3:00ish, and dinner at 6:00-7:00ish (500 cal.). The rest of the night, chew gum, drink herbal tea, go to bed early? (If you are ravenous, please eat a bit more.)

• If you don’t have fat to lose, plan in last-minute water-weight loss of 2% to 3% body weight. For a 150-lb athlete, that’s 3 to 4.5 pounds. Ways to reduce water-weight include depleting muscle glycogen with a low-carb diet (3 grams of water are stored with one gram of muscle glycogen), restricting fiber (to reduce gut contents),  sweating, and restricting fluids.

Rapid refueling pre-event

After weighing in, some weight-class athletes have only 1 to 2 hours to refuel and rehydrate before they compete; others have 12+ hours if they weigh-in the night before. To rapidly refuel, they should consume carbs they know they can tolerate well—and be sensible so they don’t vomit during the event. Enjoy (well-tolerated) salty foods like soup, pretzels, and crackers.

• A large bolus of fluid gets absorbed faster than smaller amounts, so dehydrated athletes want to drink 20 to 30 ounces of fluid followed by repeated sips. Salty broth and lowfat chocolate milk retain water in the body better than sports drinks and plain water. Co-ingestion of some protein can help with glycogen restoration (Turkey sandwich? Chocolate milk?)

Post-event weight regain

While the standard advice for weight-class athletes to just lose the weight and keep it off makes sense intellectually, it is the opposite of what the body wants to do physiologically. After having been underfed, hungry athletes experience a very strong drive to eat, if not over-eat, and regain all the lost weight. This happens with most dieters, athletic or not.

The urge to devour food after having made weight is physiological, and not simply due to lack of will-power. Here’s the analogy: If you hold your breath for too long, you will uncontrollably gasp for air. If you rigorously restrict calories for too long, you will uncontrollably grab for food and easily binge-eat. No wonder eating disorders blossom in weight-focused sports!

The bottom line

Any way you look at it, losing weight when you really are not over-fat in the first place is not much fun. Yes, it creates a bond with other athletes doing the same thing—misery loves company—and is embedded into the culture of weight-focused sports. Ideally, it’s time to change that culture to focus more on health (both short and long term) and injury reduction. How about establishing height classes instead of weight classes?  Or at least offer better access to sports dietitians to help with the weight-reduction process? 


Nancy Clark MS RD CSSD  counsels both fitness exercisers and competitive athletes in the Boston-area (Newton; 617-795-1875). Her best-selling Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Guidebook is a popular resource, as is her online workshop. Visit www.NancyClarkRD.com for info.

References

Langan-Evans C. at al. 2021. Nutritional considerations for female athletes in weight category sports. European Journal of Sports Science

Burke, L, et al. 2021. ACSM Consensus Statement on Weight Loss in Weight-Category Sports. Current Sports Medicine Reports

Junk Food Concept

Blues-Busting Foods: Rx For Emotional Eating

For many, negative feelings, such as anxiety and depression, lead to out-of-control eating…and ensuing weight gain. Knowing which foods can bust the blues, without weight gain, could reduce the odds of emotional eating episodes. Meet the foods that may help.

Mac and cheese. Chocolate chip cookies. A pint of Ben and Jerry’s. Some call it “comfort food”; others say it’s “food as friend.” However you phrase it, turning to food to soothe unpleasant feelings—from depression and anxiety to anger, loneliness, even fatigue—is the key cause of Emotional Eating. As a matter of fact, our research revealed that eating to cope with negative feelings is the #1 reason we overeat; and the key cause of weight gain.

Theories abound about the causes of out-of-control eating. Is it linked to brain chemistry? Or is it a behavioral addiction? Or both? What is clear is that when some people experience unwelcomed feelings such as fear, anger, anxiety, or depression— because of physical (such as back pain), emotional (negative feelings), mental (stress-filled thoughts), or spiritual (emptiness) distress, they may turn to food to feel better. Why? Because food does, indeed, have the power to bust the blues! Here’s why.

Anatomy of Emotional Eating

Have you ever felt frustrated, and turned to carbohydrate-dense fries, cake, cookies, or potato chips—seemingly unable to stop until the whole bag (or bags) is gone? If so, it’s possible you’re self-medicating unpleasant feelings with food. How so? Certain hormones—naturally occurring “chemical messengers” released when you consume certain nutrients (such as carbohydrates, protein, fat, and so on) in food—have the power to “replace” negative emotions with feel-good feelings. This is because high-carb foods, such as chips, stimulate the production of serotonin, an emotion-friendly hormone that calms and soothes the psyche.

It seems so easy: load up on carbs, feel better. But you pay a price for this feel-good fix. This is because processed, sugar- and fat-laden junk food—from donuts, cookies, and cake, to chips, fries, candy bars, and soda—ultimately, are “downer” foods. This means these often tasty, high-carb foods may provide some short-term comfort by releasing soothing serotonin, but you won’t get long-term relief. Rather, sugar-laden comfort foods could worsen negative feelings, because after they drive up insulin (a hormone that controls blood sugar and energy absorption), your blood-sugar levels inevitably plummet, leaving you even more depressed and fatigued then prior to eating them.

Damage Control: Calming Carbs Without the Crash

If you’re an emotional eater—if you cope with unpleasant emotions by overeating and bingeing on high-carb, super-sweet foods—there are many proactive steps you can take to turn the tide. For starters, consider consuming some blues-busting foods that bring the benefits of serotonin—without the downside of the emotional “crash” and the weight gain that bingeing on processed, high-calorie, “downer” food (products) can cause.

Here are some quick-fix, mood-friendly foods and snacks that not only may bust the blues, they may crush cravings and curb your urge to splurge.

FLASH TIP: BE SURE TO WAIT AT LEAST 20 MINUTES AFTER YOU EAT TO GET THE CALMING AFFECTS OF SEROTONIN. THIS IS HOW LONG IT TAKES FOR YOUR BRAIN TO REGISTER THAT SEROTONIN IS WORKING ITS WONDERS.

Smoothie. Combine 2 cups chopped dark leafy greens, 1 cup blueberries, 3 walnut halves, 1 cup milk of choice (cow, soy, almond, rice), ½ cup juice of choice, 3 walnut halves, 1 teaspoon flax oil. Blend.

Avocado spread. Toast a piece of multi-grain bread or choose whole-grain rice crackers. Mash ½ avocado, add salt and pepper to taste. Spread the avocado on the bread. Or a tablespoon of nut butter (peanut, tahini, etc.) on it.

Popcorn. Pop some air-popped popcorn. Spritz lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle with a dash of salt and pepper. Toss.

Cereal. Enjoy a bowl of cracked oatmeal with a handful of blueberries and milk of choice.

Nuts/Seeds. Try a ¼ cup of raw, unroasted nuts or seeds of choice. A sampling: walnuts, cashews, almonds, pumpkin or sunflower seeds.

Veggies. Munch some carrots, celery, cherry tomatoes; crunch kale or Romaine lettuce leaves. Optional: Use the nut butter blend, above, as a dip or spread for your veggies.

Fish. Enjoy a tuna or salmon salad. Mix together water-packed tuna fish, 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, diced celery and red onion, juice from ½ lemon, salt and pepper.

Fruit. Have an apple, papaya, orange, frozen grapes, banana, kiwi, cherries, pineapple pieces, tangerine, or any other fruit you like.

Chocolate. Savor a piece or two of dark chocolate with 70% or higher cocoa content. Or make hot chocolate with 100% cocoa powder and milk of choice.

The take-away: Enhancing emotions by consuming fresh, whole, blues-busting foods—instead of processed foods that are high in sugar, fat, and calories—is a sound step toward overcoming Emotional Eating, the #1 overeating style our research on Whole Person Integrative Eating has revealed.

In other words, if you turn to food that enhances feel-good feelings, but that also nourishes your mind and body—without the “downer” crash—you’re more likely to lower your odds of Emotional Eating episodes. How so? You’ll keep your mind-body in balance.

Visit Deborah’s websitemakeweightlosslast.com, for free evidence-based, credible information and education about optimal eating for weight loss and well-being. You can also visit her blog, integrativeeating.com.


Originally printed on integrativeeating.com. Reprinted with permission from Deborah Kesten. 

Deborah Kesten, M.P.H., is an award-winning author, specializing in preventing and reversing obesity and heart disease. Her expertise includes the influence of epigenetics and diet on health, Lifestyle Medicine, and research on the Whole Person Integrative Eating dietary lifestyle to treat overeating, overweight, and obesity. She and her husband, behavioral scientist Larry Scherwitz, Ph.D., collaborate on research and writing projects. 

greenjuicesmoothie

Green juice vs. green smoothie: What are the health benefits?

Whether you’re a fan of a crisp, refreshing green juice or a velvety vegetable smoothie, here’s what you need to know about these two delicious, health-supporting beverages. 

Green juices and smoothies are an easy – and tasty – part of a Nutritarian diet. But while either will help you ramp up your intake of raw leafy greens and other veggies, there are a few things to remember: Don’t go overboard on the fruit. Do be aware of calorie density (more on this later). And don’t substitute them for your daily main dish salad. 

Supporting satiety and healthy blood glucose levels

Whether you call it a blended salad or a green smoothie, this mix of leafy greens, fruit and nuts and/or seeds is an excellent, portable morning meal. It contains all the fiber from the greens and fruit, plus fat from the nuts or seeds to keep you full and limit the rise in blood glucose from the fruit. 

On the other hand, a vegetable juice with a small amount of fruit, depending on size, may be as calorie-dense as the smoothie, but will not be a satisfying meal on its own. For this reason, if you have a substantial amount of weight to lose, I wouldn’t recommend juicing too often (in addition to your meals) because it will likely add too many extra calories without the feeling of satiety and compromise your weight loss efforts. 

Whether you’re making a smoothie or a juice, remember to put the focus on the vegetables, not the fruit, to limit calorie density and glycemic effects.

Intermittent fasting

If you do have weight to lose, a green juice can be used in place of a meal as part of an intermittent fasting program that reduces calorie intake dramatically a few days per week. A juice provides a rich source of nutrients in place of lunch or dinner on low-calorie days, and a smoothie works as a satiating, greens- and berries-packed breakfast.

Even if you don’t have weight to lose, episodic restriction of calories to extend the overnight fasting period enhances the body’s ability to heal and repair. The body has natural detoxification and repair mechanisms that kick in when we are in the fasting state. Occasionally replacing dinner with a vegetable juice is a great way to achieve this.

Micronutrient content and availability

Blending and juicing both disrupt the mechanical structure of plant cells, which increases the accessibility of many micronutrients. Many beneficial micronutrients – carotenoids, polyphenols, and folate for example – are often bound to structural components or large molecules within the plant cell like fiber, proteins, and starches. Processing, heating, and chewing break down these cellular structures to increase the availability of the bound micronutrients; however, many may not be accessible for our absorption by chewing alone. Blending increases our likelihood of absorbing these nutrients. Some micronutrients – those that are bound to fiber within the plant cell – may be removed with the fiber by juicing, and therefore be more available via blending than juicing.1

With green smoothies, you are adding nuts or seeds as a healthful fat source. Although blending alone increases the accessibility of carotenoids, since the presence of fats is known to increase carotenoid absorption from leafy greens,1,2 it is likely that nuts and seeds in a smoothie could increase absorption further. 

Green juices pack in extra nutrients using a quantity of vegetables that would be difficult to eat in one sitting, or even in a smoothie. You can get two pounds of vegetables into one glass of juice. This lets you quickly increase the level of phytochemicals in your tissues or simply increase your intake of carotenoids, isothiocyanates, and other beneficial phytochemicals.

For those who have nutrient absorption problems, gastrointestinal conditions, or other medical conditions, vegetable juices (especially cruciferous vegetables) are often useful as a supplement to a healthful diet, providing additional beneficial nutrients to promote healing. For people with gastrointestinal issues, juicing can be a good way to rest the digestive system while maintaining a high intake of these beneficial nutrients.

Guidelines for juicing and blending

  • A green smoothie can be a meal substitute, while a vegetable juice is better viewed as a supplement to add extra leafy green-derived nutrients to a healthful diet.
  • Limit smoothies and green juices to one per day
  • It is important to chew some vegetables every day, so eat a raw salad daily.
  • Juices should be made up of one-third green cruciferous vegetables (such as kale, collards, and/or bok choy), one-third non-cruciferous green vegetables (such as lettuce, cucumber, and/or celery), and one third high-antioxidant flavorful vegetables (carrots, beets). 
  • Having a green juice occasionally instead of dinner can help you practice episodic caloric restriction and increase the body’s time in heal and repair mode.
  • Maximize the nutritional value and limit glycemic effects of both smoothies and juices, by using mostly leafy greens and other vegetables and adding only a small amount of fruit for flavor (such as half of a green apple or 1 cup of berries in a juice). 
  • Don’t juice spinach, parsley or Swiss chard because of their oxalic acid content (which limits calcium absorption). 

Sources
1. Food microstructure affects the bioavailability of several nutrients
2. Carotenoid bioavailability is higher from salads ingested with full-fat than with fat-reduced salad dressings as measured with electrochemical detection

Originally printed on Dr. Fuhrman’s blog. Reprinted with permission from Joel Fuhrman, MD.

Get $10 off $150 or more on Dr. Fuhrman’s website. Use coupon LS10OFF150.

Joel Fuhrman, M.Dis a board-certified family physician, seven-time New York Times bestselling author and internationally recognized expert on nutrition and natural healing, who specializes in preventing and reversing disease through nutritional methods. Dr. Fuhrman coined the term “Nutritarian” to describe his longevity-promoting, nutrient dense, plant-rich eating style. For over 30 years, Dr. Fuhrman has shown that it is possible to achieve sustainable weight loss and reverse heart disease, diabetes and many other illnesses using smart nutrition. In his medical practice, and through his books and PBS television specials, he continues to bring this life-saving message to hundreds of thousands of people around the world.

Hungry woman

New Year’s Resolutions and Eating Disorders

The beginning of every new year is flooded with talk of resolutions. The clean slate associated with a brand new calendar often inspires us to make changes in our lifestyles.  Typically, these resolutions are centered around health, and in many cases, the emphasis is on weight loss.  For those who struggle with eating disorders, this time of year can be especially difficult. 

podcast-mic

Sports Nutrition Podcasts: Listen Up!

Thanks to the Internet, we have abundant access to high quality, science-based nutrition podcasts. We also have access to a lot of questionable nutrition information. To help guide your nutrition education options, I have identified a few credible podcasts that focus on general nutrition, sports nutrition, dysfunctional eating, injury recovery, and other topics of interest to athletes who strive to improve their performance. In these podcasts, you’ll find trustworthy information about what, when, and how to fuel your body for optimal sports performance, good health, and high energy.

While you are spinning, running, walking the dog, or washing dishes,  I hope you enjoy listening to these podcasts (some of my personal favorites). They offer an amazing opportunity to learn (for free!!!) from some top-notch researchers and clinicians.

Podcasts focused on daily nutrition topics

SoundbitesRD.com/podcast, hosted by Melissa Joy Dobbins RD.

Posted twice a month; about an hour long. Melissa is among the first dietitians to jump into podcasting. She now has recorded more than 226 episodes and has thousands of listeners. Her information is popular with dietitians and the general public alike. You’ll learn about all things related to your daily diet, with a focus on current food topics and controversies. Melissa does an excellent job of delving into the science, psychology and strategies behind good food and nutrition. A few examples of topics covered include:
• Body Image and Your Relationship with Food
• The Science of Sweetness
• Difference Between Animal Welfare & Animal Rights

Spot On! Podcast, hosted by Joan Salge Blake RD.

Posted twice a month; about 30-45 minutes long. Joan teaches nutrition at Boston University. Hence, her podcast is geared towards college students, but is of interest to everyone. Joan’s lively, engaging style will hold your attention. She interviews top experts who offer accurate and practical health and wellness information on a variety of current topics and trends, including:
• What Really Is a Sustainable Diet?
• The Latest on Food Allergies
• Do You Need to Beef Up on Protein to Bulk Up?

Podcasts focused on Sports Nutrition

The Long Munch – Nutrition for Runners, Cyclists & Triathletes, hosted by two Australian sport dietitians: Stephanie Gaskell has a special interest in gastro-intestinal nutrition and Alan McCubbin researches hydration and sodium for endurance sports at Monash University. Posted weekly, about an hour long

To familiarize yourself with the rich variety of topics addressed on The Long Munch, I suggest you listen to the Birthday Year in Review. You’ll hear a 3-5 minute summary of each weekly podcast. You then can go back for more in-depth information by listening to the episodes that interest you. Sample topics include:
• Should I get regular blood tests? If so, what should I test for?
• How much sodium should I replace during exercise?
• Are sports drinks and gels bad for my teeth?

Performance Nutrition Podcast, hosted by Dr, Marc Bubbs ND, CSCS.

Posted monthly; about 60 minutes long. Marc is Director of Performance Nutrition for Canada Basketball. In his podcast, he connects you with leading experts from around the globe and discusses nutrition topics related to performance. A sampling of topics:
• Nutrition & Training for Stronger Tendons & Ligaments
• Impact of Dehydration on Teams & Endurance Athletes
• The Misunderstood Science of Metabolism

Nail Your Nutrition Podcast, hosted by sports dietitians Marita Radloff RD & Sarah Schlichter.

Posted weekly; about 60 minutes long. Given the podcasters are athletes and moms, as well as  registered sports dietitians, they handily address a variety of topics from many perspectives, such as:
• Nutrients of Concern for Plant-based Athletes
• What my Eating Disorder Took from Me
• Taper nutrition for the marathon

Podcasts offering support to athletes struggling with food, injuries & life.

Voice in Sport hosted by Stefanie Strack, former athlete and advocate for advancing women in sports.

Posted weekly, about 45 minutes long. Stef interviews women who have excelled in sports, asking about their journeys. Her guests share untold stories on topics rarely discussed, such as their struggles with body image, dysfunctional eating, mental health, and nutrition. Young athletes will find hope and inspiration from this podcast by listening to how these women survived their tough journeys. Listeners will learn they are not the only ones having a hard time transitioning from high school sports to collegiate teams to pro sports. Sample episodes include:
• Andi Sullivan, soccer pro, talks about how she built confidence and improved her mental approach to sports.
• Elyse Kopecky, author of Run Fast, Cook Fast, Eat Slow, shares her experiences as a runner facing many injuries.
• Allie Ostrander, 3-times NCAA champion runner, shares her journey with disordered eating.

The Catalyst Health, Wellness and Performance Coaching Podcast, hosted by Brad Cooper.

About an hour long. Heath coach Brad Cooper interviews best-selling authors, world-renowned researchers, elite athletes, and respected coaches in an engaging format. The overall focus is on wellness; the varied topics will expand your self-care plans. A few episodes I really enjoyed:
• Conflict: Why We’re Trapped and How to Escape
• Redefining Rich: Keys to True Wealth
• Our Hungry Brain: Why We Choose Junk and How to Change

The Injured Athletes Club hosted by mental skills coach Carrie Jackson and health/fitness journalist and runner Cindy Kuma.

Posted weekly; about an hour long. Part of being an athlete includes being injured (boohoo). That’s why these two athletes joined forces to create a community that offers support and hope to help make the recovery journey easier. They interview athletes who have recovered from injury (and also injury after injury after injury…) Topics include:
• Surviving setbacks
• Recovery from RED-S
• Expanding your identity

I hope you find this list of easy-listening podcasts to be educational, helpful for enhancing your athletic performance and well-being, and hope-filled for facing the challenges presented to athletes of all ages and abilities. Listen-up!  


Nancy Clark MS RD CSSD counsels both fitness exercisers and competitive athletes in the Boston-area (Newton; 617-795-1875). Her best-selling Sports Nutrition Guidebook is a popular resource, as is her online workshop. Visit NancyClarkRD.com for more information.

male-trainer-senior-couple-client-large

Understanding Health Coaching – Letting the Client Lead

Health Coaches are trained to take an interesting approach in implementing a plan to help their clients. Successful Health Coaching programs have designs within that let the client set their own path to better health. That’s right. The client is often the one to determine which actions to take in obtaining, or retaining, the next level of better health that they hope to achieve. 

Does this sound crazy? Well, if you think about the way things work in the world of sports, it makes great sense. Coaches coach and players play. The “player” in this instance is the client and the client is playing the game of life. It is their life. It is the client’s game to play. A coach’s role is to prepare the player (or person with the desire to improve their health) for action. A coach is there to guide. A great coach is one that asks the right questions; questions that bring awareness to the client’s needs and ultimately provide answers which will empower the client to proclaim their own path forward.

This is not to say a coach does not have a philosophy to which they adhere, or a knowledge base used to guide their clients. Nor does it mean that a coach will not step in and offer a more sensical path if the client chooses a step that clearly is not beneficial, or worse, potentially harmful. It simply means that the client can take the lead in determining the direction of their greatest gift, their own health. Instead of leaning on the coach like a crutch for support, the “player” stands on their own two feet.

Being told what to do and how to act is not a very effective way for making wholesale lifestyle and/or behavioral changes. The growth must come from within. The client must see and feel the importance of each step for themselves. Empowering the client to be aware enough to see the next possible, available, or achievable step is rewarding and the key to long-term growth.  

It is common for a Health Coach, especially at the very beginning of the coach’s and client’s time together, to ask the client to simply observe their own behavior. As the great Yogi Berra once said, “You can observe a lot by just watching.” Seems simple, right? It is simple. The path to better health does not need to be complicated.

Pay attention to your own behavior and make note of what you observe. Or better yet, write down what you observe.

  • What do you see in your own life?
  • How well do you eat?
  • When do you eat?
  • What do you eat?
  • Do you snack?
  • What do you snack on?
  • When do cravings occur?
  • Do you notice your food when you eat (pay attention to how you see, smell, and chew your food)?
  • How well do you sleep?
  • What is your energy level like throughout the day?
  • Do you notice any sort of “crash” during the day?
  • How often does your mind drift?
  • Are your thoughts generally positive or negative?
  • Do you reach for technology often?
  • What are your relationships like?
  • What is your level of physical activity?
  • How does this activity make you feel – before, during and after?

…And on and on. These are just a few observable daily occurrences that a coach may suggest keeping an eye on to prime the pump, so to speak. 

Asking a client to be a witness to their own life, their actions and how it relates to their current state of health, to be a detective and gather evidence on their own behalf is a sure-fire way to have the client detect their own tendencies, positive and negative, invest in their own progress and unturn areas that can propel them towards improved health. 


Brian Prendergast is the Founder and Head Coach of High Five Health and Fitness, and Co-Creator/Co-Host of The Two Fit Crazies and a Microphone Podcast. Brian is a Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, Certified Personal Fitness Trainer and Group Fitness Instructor, and USA Track and Field (USATF) Level 1 Coach and Competitive Masters Runner.

female on track

Helping Athletes with Eating Disorders

An estimated 30% to 60% of female athletes struggle with food, as do 10% to 33% of male athletes. Many of these athletes believe they are not “sick enough” to seek treatment. Others are too ashamed to ask for help. And some believe getting treatment will hinder them from reaching athletic goals. They fear:

1) they will gain weight, and any added weight will impair their performance.
2) they will not be able to participate in training or competitions during treatment, hence will lose status with their team; and
3) they might displease their coaches and teammates.

But the questions they want to ponder are:

What do you think your future will look like with the eating disorder?
Are you satisfied with your current quality of life?

At the October 2022 Food and Nutrition Expo and Conference of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (the nation’s largest group of nutrition professionals), sports nutritionist Page Love MS RD CSSD (nutrifitga.com) of Atlanta and psychologist Ron Thompson PhD of Bloomington IN (rthomps2@att.net) addressed the topic of Athletes with Eating Disorders. They shared insights from their years of professional experience. This article passes along some of their words of wisdom and offers insights into why some athletes struggle with food, body image, and weight issues. and hopefully will nudge athletes’ friends, family, and loved ones to encourage these athletes to seek help.

• When dieting goes awry and eating disorders take hold, relationships and quality of life suffer, to say nothing of longevity as an athlete. Athletes with eating disorders (ED) can easily believe they have more reasons to keep the eating disorder than they do to give it up. Eating disorders can distract from difficult emotions; offer a source of power and control; give a sense of security; provide an excuse for anything and everything; sustain an identity; offer a way to be angry, self-abusive, special, rebellious, and competitive inside and outside of sport.

• Given many athletes with EDs are in denial of the seriousness of this mental health disease, Dr. Thompson has asked his clients, “Do you realize that people with your disorder sometimes die?” Indeed, athletes can—and have—died from eating disorders, often via suicide. Looking from the inside out, an athlete’s life can feel very stress-filled, despite the athlete appearing happy, bubbly, and “just fine” on the outside.

• Ideally, food should be one of life’s pleasures, as well as an enjoyable source of energizing fuel that enhances performance. If you stop eating at mealtimes just because you think you should, or because your allotted portion of food is all gone (but you are still hungry), you might want to ask yourself a few probing questions:

–What are your food rules and nutrition beliefs that restrict your food choices and portions?

For example, do you forbid yourself to eat second helpings?

–What percent of your time do you spend thinking about food and weight?

Thinking about food includes shopping for food, preparing food for yourself and others, reading cookbooks or other food- and diet-related publications, binge-eating, purging, and thinking about how much you ate at your last meal. When the answer is “I spend way too much time thinking about food; it dominates my thoughts”, you likely have a problematic relationship with food and are living in a state of hunger. That’s no fun, and also limits your ability to fully recover after a hard workout, heal the micro-injuries that occur during hard workouts, and perform optimally. “Normal eaters” think about food as they appropriately get hungry before a meal or snack.

–Do you enjoy eating socially with friends and teammates?

Or do you avoid such situations?

–Are your food allergies and intolerances real?

Or are they convenient excuses to avoid certain foods?

–Ladies, do you currently have regular menstrual periods?

Amenorrhea—loss of menses—can be a sign of under-eating, to the point of disrupting normal body functions.

–Gentlemen, are you experiencing reduced sex drive?

Loss of morning erections can be a sign of under-eating, to the point of disrupting normal body functions.

–Does your family have a history of eating issues, dieting practices, and/or mental health concerns?

If yes, how have those issues influenced your food habits?

• Chronically underfed bodies can end up “hibernating,” with slowed metabolic processes. Symptoms related to inadequate fueling include fatigue, lack of energy, dehydration, anemia, frequent injuries, amenorrhea, stress fractures, and “weird” eating habits. These are all good reasons to seek help from a registered dietitian who specializes in sports nutrition (RD CSSD). The referral network at eatright.org can help you find a local RD CSSD).

• Most of my clients report, “I know what I should eat. I just don’t do it.” Given today’s confusing food environment, any athlete with nutrition questions and weight concerns would be wise to meet with a sports RD to learn how to overcome barriers that limit optimal fueling. Don’t let (self-imposed) shame or embarrassment stop you. Eating “right” is not as simple as it once used to be.

• All food can fit into a balanced sports diet—even fatty foods. Athletes should consume at least half of their calories from (preferably nutrient-rich) carbohydrate, and at least 20% of calories from (preferably health-promoting) fat. A fat intake less than that increases the risk of inadequate energy intake.

• If you live in Food Jail and consume a very repetitive but “safe” diet, a sports RD can help you expand your menu so you can consume a wider variety of nutrients. If you want to try to do this on your own, start by making a list of your fear-foods (foods you are afraid to eat because they lack nutrient-density or because you deem them to be “fattening”). Challenge yourself to include at least one food each day into your meals and snacks, starting with the easiest and ending with the hardest foods. With time, you’ll be able to enjoy social eating with your friends and teammates.

• Notice that other athletes look forward to, let’s say, a special holiday gathering like a New Year’s Brunch—but you don’t because the foods will be way too fattening or you’re afraid you’ll end up eating way too much. Other athletes can eat holiday treats; why can’t you? Your body is not different from everyone else’s and will not “get fat on you.” The problem isn’t the food or your body, but more likely your self-imposed food rules.

• Few athletes will ever achieve a perfect body. Please don’t measure your self-worth as an athlete by your body weight or size. You may be an athletic person, but you are also a human, like the rest of us, and are excellent the way you are.


Nancy Clark MS RD CSSD counsels both fitness exercisers and competitive athletes in the Boston-area (Newton; 617-795-1875). Her best-selling Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Guidebook is a popular resource, as is her online workshop. Visit NancyClarkRD.com for info.

diet-calorie-counter-weight-loss-health

Restrictive Diets vs. Informed Dieting

Dieting has become so popular that it seems like I know someone who is on a diet of some sorts. While allergies can play a role in what choices you make in regards to your food intake, most of us make decisions based on clever sales tactics from the social media platforms, enthusiasts that claim it’s worked for them and some misinformed medical professionals who assert they have it all together.

The truth is there isn’t a one size fits all “diet” out there. Not everyone will receive the benefits of a keto, paleo, vegetarian, low carb, low fat, sugar free, intermittent fasting, detox, gluten free, dairy free, etc. diet. Listening to what others are promoting has little effect on it working for you. This is called restrictive eating.

Restrictive Eating

Restrictive eating is telling yourself you “can’t” have this or “shouldn’t ” eat that based on what everyone else is selling you. Restrictive eating messes with the cortisol and growth hormones in your body that ultimately make you want that food even more because you “can’t” have it. I’m not talking about allergies, I’m talking about the choices that we make because the most popular celebrities are promoting it, or your best friend from high school is improving her health and sharing it with the world on every social media platform. Restrictive eating often leaves your body depleted of important nutrients and minerals. Restrictive eating creates an unhealthy relationship with food, which is essential to our existence. Restrictive eating can also create social barriers as you refuse to eat others offerings or become judgmental towards what others are choosing to eat.

Informed Eating

Informed eating is a journey of listening to your body. It’s not listening to your brain, but your body. Let me share the difference. Your brain thrives on increasing the “feel good” hormones, even if it doesn’t make the best choice in doing so. For example, the brain loves addiction of any kind and it’s harmful to your health simply because you aren’t displaying command of your brain. Listening to your body takes time and skill, of which a lot of people aren’t willing to commit to for THEIR own good! Let me give you an example from my life…

My DREAM!

I love bread! I mean LOVE it! I could literally sit on the couch with a whole loaf of French bread and eat it without thinking twice, UNTIL I learned to listen to my body. I wasn’t willing to listen to the discomfort that followed, nor was I willing to make any changes. I want to help you understand what I did about it. I HAVE NOT taken bread out of my diet, however, I have made informed decisions about the consequences that could result if I ate the whole loaf. Now instead of questioning, I know exactly why I feel rotten or why I feel great when given the opportunity to indulge.

My point is, EVERYONE’S body is different BUT there is a diet that fits everyone. Wait for it…

No More “Dieting”

It’s called the informed diet! Not intuitive eating, not restrictive diets, not overloading or cutting out. It’s listening to your body and knowing how to care for it. BUT IT’S NOT EASY!

MODERATION is key to nutritional success. With an informed eating diet, it becomes your lifestyle and your choices are more congruent with how you feel, not how you look to others. Your emotions are regulated better, not suffering from indulging in some “bad” food that others have deemed “bad”. You learn to appreciate how food works for you in increasing your energy.

My charge to YOU

Clean up the habit of restrictive dieting. Clean up the habit of eating too much food. Clean up the habit of calling food “good” or bad”. Stand up and be a healthier YOU by truly listening to what your body needs and how it reacts to those foods. Be honest with yourself!

We should be seeking a way of life that will increase our ability to perform all that we desire with energy and health.


Diana Smithson is Owner of Stronger Today Fitness, a Small Group/Personal Training Studio in Surprise, AZ. Her passion for Fitness and Health creates excitement and encouragement to all she trains with. She enjoys being in the mountains, hanging with her family and sleeping.

Originally printed on strongertodayfitness.com. Reprinted with permission.