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holiday-treats

New-Trition: Cleaning Up Your Act

The winter holidays are often a barrage of non-stop feasting that spans from Thanksgiving to the Super Bowl. Week after week, you indulge yourself with goodies, justifying your poor food choices in the name of holiday cheer. You promise yourself to mend your ways as soon as the excitement dies down, but meanwhile the pounds creep on and bad nutrition becomes the new normal. Cleaning up your act is a process, but you can speed it up by taking some proactive steps.

Let It Go

Gifts of food abound during the holidays, and if you are like me, you still have plenty of sweets, snacks and junk food in your fridge and cupboards. To get your diet back on track, begin by banishing the bad stuff. If you cannot bear to throw perfectly good food in the trash, donate to your local food bank or homeless shelter. Or throw one final bash, featuring your holiday stash of goodies as the main course. Clean and organize your refrigerator to make room for fresh produce, filtered water and whole foods. Rearrange your cupboards so that healthy food options are at eye level.

Clean Routine

Sugary foods and carbohydrate-laden snacks and meals are holiday mainstays that can wreak havoc with your insulin balance. Going cold turkey on the simple carbs can cause discomfort and cravings that last for two or three days, but it is one of the quickest ways to normalize your blood sugar and reset your metabolism. Adding high intensity exercise can speed up the process. Create a menu plan for your week that includes fresh fruits and vegetables and healthy proteins, and stock your fridge with ingredients. Planning and preparing healthy snacks and meals ahead of time will keep you from being tempted to grab fast food.

Self-Defense

The end of the Holiday Season does not necessarily mark the end of the eating season. Valentine’s Day and Girl Scout Cookies loom on the horizon. Prepare for the onslaught by making committed decisions in advance. Instead of preparing special foods for Valentine’s Day, plan a romantic getaway or a movie date night. Ask your sweetie for flowers or jewelry instead of candy. Decide ahead of time to purchase only one box of Girl Scout cookies, and ration them out at the rate of one cookie per day. If you want to help out the Scouts, they accept donations in lieu of a cookie purchase.


Jay Del Vecchio is the Founder and CEO of the World Instructor Training Schools (W.I.T.S.). Jay is an advocate for establishing national standards for the health and fitness training industry. 

 

chocolate-bar-on-colored-background

Chocolate and Athletes

During a long bike ride, I snack on chocolate to boost my energy.

After a hard workout, chocolate milk is my go-to recovery food!

How bad—or good—is chocolate for me?

Most athletes love chocolate in any form: candy bars, chocolate chip cookies, squares of dark chocolate. Over 60% of all US candy sales are chocolate-based. But how good—or bad—is chocolate for our health? Is it as health-promoting as we want it to be? What about all the sugar and caffeine that comes with the chocolate? Is dark chocolate a far better choice than milk chocolate? Below are answers regarding chocolate and your sports diet.

Is dark chocolate really a “health food”?

Chocolate is made from the fruit of cacao trees. Like all fruit, the cacao bean is a rich source of health-protective phytochemicals (flavonoids) that are antioxidants and fight inflammation. Roasted beans are used to create cocoa. Two tablespoons of natural cocoa powder (the amount in one cup of homemade hot cocoa) offer the antioxidant power of 3/4 cup blueberries. Impressive!

The darker the chocolate, the better in terms of health-protective flavonoid content. Unfortunately, dark chocolate has a bitter taste, and many athletes prefer milk chocolate; it’s sweeter. That said, epidemiological surveys of large groups of people indicate those who regularly enjoy chocolate of any kind consume more flavonoids than non-chocolate eaters. This reduces their risk of heart disease. For example, in the Netherlands, elderly men who routinely ate chocolate-containing products had a 50% reduced risk of dying from heart disease (1).

Shouldn’t we stay away from sugary foods, like chocolate?

The US Dietary Guidelines recommend a limit of 10% of calories from refined sugar per day. For most athletes, that’s about 200 to 300 calories of carbohydrate (sugar) to fuel muscles. The better question is: What nutrients accompany the sugar? For example, “sugary” chocolate milk comes with high quality protein, calcium, vitamin D, riboflavin, and other life-sustaining nutrients. When used as a recovery fluid, it is far healthier than a sports drink, which is just sugar, water, and a dash of salt.

What about sugar spikes…?

Chocolate has a high fat content. Fat slows the rate sugar enters the blood stream and thus reduces the risk of sugar spikes. The Glycemic Index ranks from 0 to 100 the blood glucose response after consumption of 200 calories (50 grams) of carbohydrate (sugar, starch). Gatorade ranks high on the Glycemic Index (78), M&Ms rank lower (33), and dark chocolate ranks even lower (23). Given most of us—well, some of us—don’t eat 200 calories of sugar from just one food at one time, a preferable ranking is the Glycemic Load, based on a standard serving of the food. For example, the Glycemic Load of a standard serving (8-ounces) of Gatorade is 12, chocolate milk is 3.5, and an ounce of M&Ms is 3.

What about chocolate milk for post-exercise recovery?

Chocolate milk can be an enjoyable and nourishing treat that boosts intake of nutrients important for athletes. It has a low glycemic effect and is unlikely to contribute to sugar spikes Drinking chocolate milk after a hard workout effectively refuels and repairs your muscles, boosts your blood sugar, and replaces electrolytes lost in sweat. It’s a nutritionally preferable choice to a carb-only, sugar-based sports drink (2). And it is yummy chocolate—with purpose and meaning, and no guilt!!!

How much caffeine is in chocolate?

The amount of caffeine in chocolate depends on how much cocoa powder is in it. Milk chocolate is only 10 to 20% cocoa, regular dark chocolate is 50-69% cocoa, and strong dark chocolate has more than 70% cocoa. The higher the percentage of cocoa, the higher the caffeine. That said, the 20 milligrams of caffeine in an ounce of dark chocolate pales in comparison to the 200 mg. in a mug of coffee. Chocolate’s energy boost comes from sugar, more so than caffeine.

Is chocolate fattening?

Like any food that is eaten in excess, chocolate can be fattening. That said, data from 13,626 adults (>20 years old, nondiabetic) suggests chocolate consumption was not associated with obesity.

Is there a best time of the day to eat chocolate?

If you are destined to eat a treat, such as chocolate cake, enjoy it earlier in the day, as opposed to indulging at 8:00 p.m. when you are tired and lack the mental energy needed to stop yourself from over-indulging. You are going to eat the chocolate eventually, so why not enjoy it sooner than later?

Believe it or not, eating chocolate cake with breakfast might actually help dieters reach their weight loss goal. Research (3) with 193 adults on a reducing diet suggests those who had cake with breakfast had fewer cravings for carbohydrates and sweets later in the day. By front-loading their calories, they were less hungry and less likely to stray from their diet plan. They ate either a 300-calorie protein-based breakfast or a 600-calorie breakfast that included protein plus chocolate cake (or another dessert).

In the first 16 weeks, both groups lost an average of 33 pounds per person. But in the second half of the study, the no-cake group had poor compliance and regained an average of 22 pounds per person while the cake-eaters continued to lose another 15 pounds each. By 32-weeks, the cake eaters had lost about 40 pounds more than their peers. Does chocolate make for a more sustainable diet?

The bottom line

By no means is chocolate the key to a healthy sports diet, nor is eating lots of dark chocolate preferable to snacking on apples and bananas. It’s no secret: chocolate contains primarily nutrient-poor calories from sugar and fat. A Hershey’s Bar (43 g) has 220 calories—of which about 40% are from 21 grams of added sugar and about 55% of calories from fat. Hence, you want to enjoy chocolate in moderation, so it does not crowd-out other nutrient-dense foods. But even if you are a weight-conscious, health-conscious athlete, you can balance chocolate into your overall wholesome sports diet—and add a taste of pleasure to your day.


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.

References

1. Buijsse B, Feskens EJ, Kok FJ, Kromhout D. Cocoa intake, blood pressure, and cardiovascular mortality: the Zutphen Elderly Study. Arch Intern Med. 27;166(4):411-7, 2006.

2. Lunn WR, Pasiakos SM, Colletto MR, Karfonta KE, Carbone JW, Anderson JM, Rodriguez NR. Chocolate milk & endurance exercise recovery: protein balance, glycogen and performance. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 44(4):682-91,2012.

3. Jakubowicz D, O Froy, J Wainstein, M Boaz. Meal timing and composition influence ghrelin levels, appetite scores and weight loss maintenance in overweight and obese adults. Steroids 77(4): 323-331, 2012.

athlete riding indoor cycle

Fretting about Food & Physique?

Many athletes feel pressure to have a perfect body, perfect diet, and ideally, perfect performances. The stress-inducing trait of perfectionism often pushes athletes to not only become stronger and faster, but also leaner and food-phobic. We have seen perfection play out with football phenom Tom Brady. While he is a poster child for the benefits of eating ”perfectly,” he also has great mental strength that keeps him focused on his goals without getting side-tracked by comparisons.

Most of us are a bit more insecure than Tom and end up comparing ourselves to others. Take note: To compare is to despair! Please stop comparing your physique and your food choices to those of your teammates, friends, and family! Here are strategies to help you fret less and instead gain confidence with your food choices and your physique.

Body Comparisons

She’s leaner than I am…   
He’s got bigger muscles than I do…  
She’s prettier than I am…
He’s got a better 6-pack ab than I do

How often do you find yourself comparing your body to that of your teammates, friends, and social media influencers? If the answer is too often, just STOP IT! Your body is yours; it is good enough the way it is. You want to stop criticizing your body for being too fat, too slow, too short, too freckled—and instead be grateful for all the good things it does for you, like run marathons, row in regattas, win soccer games, and/or compete in triathlons. Those “thunder thighs” contribute to your ability to be a strong, powerful, and successful athlete. Thank them!

Few athletes have the “perfect body”; even the leanest athletes complain about undesired bumps and bulges. Athletes who whine about feeling fat are more likely feeling imperfect, inadequate, anxious, and/or out of control.

Recommendations: To achieve body acceptance, practice living on a fantasy island where you and your body are good enough—if not excellent—the way you are. If you wander off your island and start comparing yourself to others, you’ll undoubtedly end up despairing. Stay on your island!

When you look in the mirror, greet yourself with a welcoming smile and grateful words. With time, you will start to internalize that your body is indeed good enough the way it is. While you may never attain the perfect physique, you can still be grateful for all your body does for you. 

Portion Comparisons

Do you eat like a bird compared to your teammates? Or maybe you feel self-conscious because you need to eat twice as much as your peers just to maintain your desired weight?  At team meals/social gatherings, many athletes monitor the quantity of food others are eating. Salads and small portions tend to get praised more than lumberjack servings. (I wish I had your discipline vs. You sure do eat a lot….) For athletes recovering from restrictive, dysfunctional eating, eating a sandwich, fruit, yogurt &pretzels for lunch seems embarrassing—way too much food—when it’s really what is needed to properly fuel up for an after-school practice or after-work trip to the gym.

When I educate my clients how many calories they “deserve” to eat, most are flabbergasted to learn athletic females commonly require 2,400+ calories to maintain weight; athletic males may require 2,800+ calories. That’s 600-700 calories four times a day: breakfast, early lunch, second lunch/afternoon snack, and dinner.

Recommendation: Please don’t start counting calories; your body is your best calorie counter. Rather, listen to your innate hunger and fullness cues. Eat when hungry; stop when content. Pay attention to why you stop eating: Do you think you should?  Is the food all gone? Or are you actually feeling content and comfortably fed?

Food Comparisons

I eat only healthy foods… 
I avoid sugar like the plague…
I won’t touch the pies at Thanksgiving.  

In the world of “clean eating”, athletes feel pressure to choose the “right” foods. That translates into no sugar, salt, red meat, white flour, packaged foods, fat, and no fun foods. The E in Eating stands for Enjoyment; you want to be able to enjoy (in appropriate portions) the foods you truly want to eat!

Believe it or not, it’s OK to balance fun foods into an overall good diet. The goal is 85-90% nutrient-rich whole grains, fruits, veggies, lean proteins and 10-15% fun food. You need not eat the perfect diet to have an excellent diet.

You want to eat a foundation of about 1,500 calories from a variety of nutrient-dense foods to consume the vitamins, minerals, and protein required for an effective sports diet. Because your body needs at least 2,400-2,800 calories a day, you have space in your diet for both health-promoting food and fun food. While you want to enjoy more of the best foods and less of the rest, you can balance fun foods into your sports diet. That is, an apple is a healthy food; a diet of all apples is a very unhealthy, unbalanced diet.

Recommendation: If you find yourself being judgmental about food, the problem is unlikely the food, but rather your relationship with the food—and fears it will make you get fat or ruin your health. Eating out of the same pot as your pals is a very healthy thing to do! A few fun meals will not ruin your health forever.

Nutrition Supplement Comparisons

I often counsel athletes who wonder if they can nourish their bodies with real food instead of taking supplements. As one athlete sheepishly asked, “I don’t take any vitamin pills. Should I? My teammates takes a handful of them..” Let me reassure you that opting out of supplements is okay (and can save you bundles of money). If you eat wisely 85-90% of the time, you are likely getting the vitamins and minerals and protein you need, with a few possible exceptions (iron, vitamin D).

Recommendation: If you question the adequacy of your diet, consult with a registered dietitian (RD) who is board certified as a specialist in sports dietetics (CSSD). Make an appointment today to learn how to choose food based on facts, not fears, and can fret less and enjoy better quality of life.


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.

athletes gym

News from ACSM: Tools to Enhance Performance

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM)  is the nation’s largest group of exercise physiologists, sports nutritionists, and a multitude of other sports medicine professionals. 

Each year, at ACSM’s Annual Meeting, members gather to share their latest research. Here are highlights of two talks (June 2022 meeting in San Diego) that might be of interest to serious athletes intent on improving their performance.

Coffee, Caffeine and Caffeinated foods: What Do Athletes Need to Know?

Speakers: Louise Burke PhD. Australian Catholic University and Ben Desbrow PhD, Griffith University, Australia

Guidelines regarding caffeine used to enhance athletic performance have changed significantly. Caffeine was once believed to be a diuretic, beneficial in high doses primarily for marathoners, and most effective when consumed an hour pre-event. Almost every aspect of those ideas has been replaced with newer knowledge

• Caffeine is not just for endurance athletes; it offers a three-percent improvement in performance in many real-life sporting events including shorter races and team sports. In addition, caffeine may help athletes such as body builders train harder.

• Caffeine offers similar benefits whether you take it one hour pre-exercise or only during exercise. Even low doses of caffeine are effective when consumed just prior to the onset of fatigue.

• Caffeine helps athletes train better when they are jetlagged or when their circadian rhythms are out of line.

• Caffeine comes in many forms, including caffeinated water, potato chips, gums, gels, sprays, pouches, strips, medications, pre-workout supplements, and pills. The caffeine content of commercial pre-workout supplements can vary from batch to batch (~40 mg difference per serving) Of the top 15 most popular pre-workout supplements, caffeine content ranged from about 90 to 390 mg/serving —and often contained more—or less—of what was listed on the nutrition facts panel.

• Each individual needs to learn from their own personal experiences the right caffeine source and dose for their bodies. Genetics influences the enzymes that break down caffeine.

• If you consume 1 cup of coffee in the morning, most of the caffeine will have dissipated by lunchtime. In general, caffeine stays in the body for about 7 hours. Its half-life (time taken for caffeine in the body to drop by half) ) might be five hours (or less) for some people, but ten hours (or more) for others.

• Female athletes should know that birth control pills almost double the half-life of caffeine, making it more effective for longer.

• If you happen to be a slow metabolizer and then take a pre-workout caffeine boost before your afternoon workout, you might have some caffeine “overlap” from your morning cup of brew. Even if you abstain from caffeine for 12 hours, circulating caffeine might still be detected in your blood due to caffeine accumulation with repeated caffeine consumption.

• Habitual caffeine intake does not seem to influence its ergogenic effect across a range of different sports. That means, if you regularly consume coffee every day, there’s no need for you to stop consuming caffeine for a few days prior to a competitive event. Caffeine withdrawal feels horrible and you’re unlikely to gain any benefits!

Biomarkers That Impact Training and Performance

Speaker: Shawn Arent, PhD, CSCS, FACSM, University of South Carolina

While caffeine is a drug that can be consumed to influence performance, biomarkers are substances in your body that are indicators of physiological processes. Endocrine biomarkers measure stress and adaptations to training.  Biochemical biomarkers measure muscle damage and inflammation. Nutritional biomarkers measure the impact of diet, such as on blood glucose and iron levels.  

Biomarkers are best used to document changes over time (as opposed to taking one measurement, such as serum ferritin, to see if the measurement simply falls within normal limits). Biomarker data can help assess changes in performance, recovery, and training optimization. Biomarkers might be able to predict and prevent illness. In an 8-week basic training study, a third of the soldiers whose biomarkers classified them as being over-reached experienced illness.

Biomarker research

The military and some professional athletes and teams are very interested in measuring biomarkers. Connecting biomarkers to measurables like performance, training, sleep, and diet provides context and meaning to the measurements. By keeping athletes healthy and in the game, the likelihood of a winning season improves.

• With biomarker research, we now know that food deprivation can be more detrimental to performance than sleep deprivation. Many markers can take a full month post-dietary restriction to get back to normal. With Army ranger training, a 1,000 calorie per day deficit reduced testosterone and increased cortisol.

• Biomarkers can document the physiological impact of restrictive food intake and show how much better athletes can recover when they are adequately fueled.

• Both physical and psychological stress impact biomarkers, as does travel through time zones. Seeing sleep data can help athletes learn the value of prioritizing sleep.

Wave of the future?

Athletes interested in getting their biomarkers measured should know this is an emerging field with yet unanswered questions, including:

What is the best time to measure biomarkers? (Should recovery markers be measured right after exercise or a day later?) 

How often should measurements be taken? (Might depend on who is paying the bill!)

Should athletes not exercise the day before blood draws/data collection?

Do biomarkers differ when measured under research conditions? (That is, does lab data compare to data collected at real-life competitive events?)

What is the minimal performance-enhancing level of a biomarker? Is higher better?  When is a level too low?

 Can biomarkers predict and prevent illness? And very importantly,

Will coaches (and athletes) be willing to alter their training schedules based on biomarkers? Coaches’ buy-in is essential, as is the athlete’s willingness to alter training plans.

With time and well-established protocols for measuring biomarkers, this evolving field will have a significant impact on improving the health and performance of members of the military, professional athletes, as well as curious consumers who can afford this luxury. 


Sports nutritionist Nancy Clark MS RD CSSD has a private practice in the Boston area. She is author of the best-selling Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Guidebook and co-leader of an online sports nutrition workshop. Visit www.NancyClarkRD.com for more information.

athlete riding indoor cycle

ADHD and (Adult) Athletes: Can diet help with management?

As a sports nutritionist, I commonly counsel athletes who have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder—generally referred to as ADHD (or ADD). ADHD is characterized by hyperactivity, impulsivity, and/or inattention. It affects 4-10% of all American children and an estimated 4.4% of adults (ages 18-44 years). ADHD usually peaks when kids are 7 or 8 years old. Some of the ADHD symptoms diminish with maturation but 65-85% of the kids with AHDH go on to become adults with ADHD.

Ideally, athletes with ADHD have gotten the help they need to learn how to manage their time and impulsiveness. Unfortunately, many youth athletes with ADHD just receive a lot of negative feedback because they have difficulty learning rules and strategies. This frustrates teammates and coaches. Older athletes with ADHD often use exercise to reduce their excess energy, calm their anxiety, and help them focus on the task at hand.

This article offers nutrition suggestions that might help coaches, friends, and parents, as well as athletes with ADHD, learn how to calm the annoying ADHD behaviors.

  • To date, no clear scientific evidence indicates ADHD is caused by diet, and no specific dietary regime has been identified that resolves ADHD. High quality ADHD research is hard to do because the added attention given to research subjects with ADHD (as opposed to the special diet) can encourage positive behavior changes. But we do know that when & what a person eats plays a significant role in ADHD management and is an important complimentary treatment in combination with medication.
  • ADHD treatment commonly includes medications such as Concerta, Ritalin & Adderall. These medications may enhance sports performance by improving concentration, creating a sense of euphoria, and decreasing pain. These meds are banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Hence, athletes who hope to compete at a high level are discouraged from taking ADHD medications.
  • To the detriment of ADHD athletes, their meds quickly blunt the appetite. Hence, they (like all athletes) should eat a good breakfast before taking the medication.
  • The medication-induced lack of appetite can thwart the (teen) athlete who wants to gain weight and add muscle. Teens taking ADHD meds should be followed by their pediatricians, to be sure they stay on their expected growth path. If they fall behind, they could meet with a registered dietitian (RD) with knowledge of sports nutritionist (CSSD) to help them reach their weight goals.
  • An easy way for “too thin” athletes to boost calories is to swap water for milk (except during exercise). The ADHD athlete who does not feel hungry might find it easier to drink a beverage with calories than eat solid food. Milk (or milk-based protein shake or fruit smoothie) provides fluid the athlete needs for hydration and simultaneously offers protein to help build muscles and stabilize blood glucose.
  • A well-balanced diet is important for all athletes, including those with ADHD. Everyone’s brain and body need nutrients to function well. No amount of vitamin pills can compensate for a lousy diet. Minimizing excess sugar, food additives, and artificial food dyes is good for everyone.
  • Eating on a regular schedule is very important. All too often, high school athletes with ADHD fall into the trap of eating too little at breakfast and lunch (due to meds), and then try to perform well during afterschool sports. An underfed brain gets restless, inattentive, and is less able to make good decisions. This can really undermine an athlete’s sports career
  • Adults with ADHD can also fall into the same pattern of under-fueling by day, “forgetting” to eat lunch, then by late afternoon are hangry and in starvation mode. We all know what happens when any athlete gets too hungry – impulsiveness, sugar cravings, too many treats, and fewer quality calories. This is a bad cycle for anyone and everyone.
  • All athletes should eat at least every four hours. The body needs fuel, even if the ADHD meds curb the desire to eat. ADHD athletes can set a timer: breakfast at 7:00, first lunch at 11:00, second lunch at 3:00 (renaming snack as second lunch leads to higher-quality food), dinner at 7.
  • For high school athletes with ADHD, the second lunch can be split into fueling up pre-practice and refueling afterwards. This reduces the risk of arriving home starving and looking for (ultra-processed) foods that are crunchy, salty, and/or sweet.
  • Athletes with ADHD are often picky eaters and tend to prefer unhealthy snacks. For guidance on how to manage picky eating, click here for adults and here for kids.
  • Fiber-rich fruits, vegetables, and whole grains can be low on an ADHD athlete’s food list. Their low fiber diet can lead to constipation. Fiber also feeds the zillions of microbes in their digestive tract that produce chemicals that can positively impact brain function and behavior. Everyone with ADHD should eat more fiber-rich foods like beans (hummus, refried beans in a burrito), seeds (chia, pumpkin, sunflower, sesame), and whole grains (oatmeal, brown rice, popcorn). They offer not only fiber but also magnesium, known to calm nerves.
  • With more research, we’ll learn if omega-3 fish oil supplements help manage the symptoms of ADHD. No harm in taking them. At least eat salmon, tuna, and oily fish as often as possible, preferably twice a week, if not more.
  • Picky eaters who do not eat red meats, beans, or dark leafy greens can easily become iron deficient. Iron deficiency symptoms include interrupted sleep, fatigue, inattention, and poor learning and can aggravate ADHD. Iron deficiency is common among athletes, especially females, and needs to be corrected with iron supplements.
  • While sugar has the reputation of “ramping kids up”, the research is not conclusive about whether sugar itself triggers hyperactivity. The current thinking is the excitement of a party ramps kids up, more so than the sugary frosted cake. Yes, some athletes are sugar-sensitive and know that sugar causes highs and crashes in their bodies. They should choose to limit their sugar intake and at least enjoy protein along with sweets, such as a glass of milk with the cookie, or eggs with a glazed donut. Moderation of sugar intake is likely more sustainable than elimination of all sugar-containing foods.

For more information about ADHD in kids, teens, and adults, please use these resources:

  • Feeding the Child with ADHD—a podcast with Jill Castle RD
  • Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD) – a national resource center

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.

vitamin-bottle

The (Current) Truth About Vitamin D

There are more health claims made about vitamin D than perhaps any other vitamin.  Media stories touting vitamin D for this ill or that are common, particularly in the age of COVID-19. We’re also frequently told Americans don’t get enough vitamin D, with surveys showing as many of 40% of individuals have below optimal amounts in the blood. So how do we get vitamin D and what claims are true and backed by research?  Let’s take a closer look at vitamin D to flesh out what we know for sure and where more research is needed. 

What is Vitamin D and How Do We Get It?

Molecularly, vitamin D is a group of fat-soluble compounds with a four ringed cholesterol backbone. What’s most important to know is that it comes in two forms — as vitamin D2 in food and as vitamin D3 in our skin.

Vitamin D3
Our skin is our primary source of vitamin D, but it begins there as an unorganized and inactive form, requiring UV exposure to convert to usable vitamin D3. Conversion via UV light is exceedingly efficient, and it’s estimated brief exposure of the arms and face is equivalent to ingesting 200 international units day. Conversion varies however with skin type (darker skin converts more), latitude, season and time of day. Infants, disabled persons and older adults often have inadequate sun exposure as well, and the skin of those older than 70 also does not convert vitamin D as effectively. Interestingly, vitamin D also requires temperature to be activated, so you may not get as much of a benefit from sunlight in the winter months as you might expect.  

Vitamin D2
Because it is fat-soluble, dietary vitamin D2 is best absorbed with fat in the diet and fish is a common source. Uptake can be negatively impacted by disorders associated with fat malabsorption such as celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, pancreatic insufficiency, cystic fibrosis, short gut syndrome and cholestatic liver disease.

Vitamin D in the Body: What We Know It Does

Once activated and in the bloodstream — either by UV exposure or absorption through the diet — the liver converts vitamin D to 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D), and then the kidneys further convert it to 1,25 hydroxyvitamin D, the most active form of vitamin D in the body. For this reason, kidney and/or liver problems can also negatively impact vitamin D levels.

Interestingly, all cells in our bodies have receptors for vitamin D, and this has in part fueled the varying claims as to how it might impact health. What we know for certain is that it helps with calcium absorption in the gut, regulating calcium levels via the kidneys, and regulating parathyroid hormone. Vitamin D’s role in calcium regulation and absorption means it has a direct impact on healthy bone growth and turnover. For this reason, you often see it in calcium supplements.

Research has also shown a clear correlation between Vitamin D and muscle health, including research showing improved lower body strength. Some research has also shown vitamin D can help prevent falls in the elderly.

Notable Areas Where the Jury is Still Out

  • Vitamin D has been thought to lower the risk of cancer, but currently, there is insufficient evidence to support this, though there are many ongoing studies.
  • There is also insufficient evidence showing that vitamin D helps improve autoimmune conditions and respiratory conditions such as asthma, COPD and acute viral respiratory diseases.  In a large study from the UK, no association was found between vitamin D levels and risk of mortality from COVID-19.
  • Although low vitamin D levels have been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease in some studies, there is no evidence that vitamin D supplementation improves cardiovascular outcomes.
  • Similarly, a growing number of trials examining the effects of vitamin D supplementation on pregnancy and birth outcomes show conflicting results, with some showing reduction in risk of low birth weight, but more data is needed.

Naomi L. Albertson M.D. is Board Certified by the American Academy of Family Physicians and specializes in the non-surgical management of musculoskeletal problems, sports injuries, concussions, and the treatment of osteopenia and osteoporosis.

fresh foods

Jumpstart: 10 Quick Weight-Loss Tips

If you’ve ever lost and then regained weight, what’s the best way to stop overeating and keep weight off for good?

Rather than starting yet another diet, try tasting, really tasting your food—or meditating for a moment before eating. In other words, think outside the diet.

Welcome to the wonderful world of overeating research!

Our original research on Whole Person Integrative Eating (WPIE)1,2 unlocks some truly remarkable reasons you overeat and gain weight—and, conversely, how to overcome overeating, overweight, and obesity. Want to reap the rewards? Here are 10 tips—from our research and that of others—that could help you overcome overeating and reduce odds of being overweight or obese.

#1. Choose Chocolate

Savoring some chocolate might remind you of something you’d like to overeat—but don’t write off chocolate just yet as a (heavenly) food that could help you lose weight (yes, you read that right). In a study published in Archives of Internal Medicine, researchers showed that it’s possible to eat chocolate and weigh less if you choose the right kind—a cocoa content that’s 70% or higher, and the right amount—an ounce a day, about the size of a credit card. (Sorry, but more isn’t better `cause if you overeat chocolate, the calorie-count climbs too high to reap the rewards.) The secret to chocolate’s metabolic mystery? The antioxidant epicatechin, which revs up your metabolism.

#2. Feed Your Senses

Here’s your excuse to buy that favorite gourmet olive oil you’ve sniffed in one of those fancy olive-oil boutiques. Scientists in Germany have linked an aroma—specifically, the scent of olive oil—to eating and weighing less. Somehow, the scent of olive oil lead research participants to feel satiated sooner than those in the canola-oil scented group. And it gets better: those in the olive-oil group lost weight, while the canola-oil folks gained weight. Can “sense-filled” dining really up your odds of eating less? Yes, according to my research on Whole Person Integrative Eating,1,2“Sensory Disregard” is one of the 7 overeating styles we identified. To find out if aroma is a stay-slim tool that works for you, try your own experiment with scent-sory olive oil and other scintillating scents. 

#3. Nix Night Eating 

Call it nighttime hunger, nocturnal eating, or night eating syndrome (NES). Regardless of what it’s called, if you do a lot of overeating after you’ve had dinner or well into the wee small hours, it’s a triple weight-gain whammy! Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania reveal why: 1) your metabolic rate and digestion slow down at night; 2) consuming a lot of food at night wreaks havoc with hormones that control appetite, and; 3) eating when your body is meant to relax and restore itself busts your body’s built-in biological clock. The take-away: Simply put, human beings aren’t meant to eat a lot in the evening hours. It’s a formula for gaining weight and making it hard to lose weight.

#4. Dine by Design

When you eat in emotionally (think eating while surrounded with angry people) and aesthetically (visualize eating in your car in a traffic jam) unpleasant surroundings, my Whole Person Integrative Eating research1,2revealed you’re more likely to overeat. So think about the atmosphere in which you’ll be eating ahead of time. As often as possible, each time you eat, design a pleasing dining experience by creating an emotional and physical atmosphere that’s as pleasant as possible.

Which leads to…

#5. Pay Attention to How You Feel

Emotional eating—turning to food to soothe negative emotions or out-of-control food cravings—is the #1 predictor of overeating and weight gain, according to my Whole Person Integrative Eating research.1,2 To get control, try this: First, commit to getting in touch with your feelings before, during, and after eating. Next, make a conscious choice to eat when your emotions are balanced—not negative. Then recognize that one of the best reasons for eating is a healthy appetite, meaning, don’t let yourself get too hungry. The bottom line: Commit to eating for pleasure, with a healthy desire for food, and experience feel-good emotions when you eat and enjoy!

#6. Eat with Others

A famous study that began in the early 1960s in the small town of Roseto, Pennsylvania, explores the influence of human relationships and social support on the metabolism of high-fat, high-cholesterol, calorie-dense foods. Amazingly, this study suggests that when social support is present in our lives, especially when we eat, what we eat is somehow metabolized differently—so much so that it can keep you from getting sick. My more recent research on overeating1,2 revealed that eating alone more often than not—what I call Solo Dining—is yet another “new normal” eating style that strongly increases the odds of overeating. When it’s time to eat a meal, invite others to join you. Share mealtimes with friends, family, or coworkers as often as possible. Or if you have a pet, consider eating at the same time as your furry friend!

#7. Don’t Diet

Although dieting, judging food as “good” or “bad,” and thinking a lot about the “best” way to eat may not seem to have much in common, they are all characteristics of the overeating style I describe as “Food Fretting.”1,2If you see yourself in the food-fretter scenario, you’re at increased odds of overeating and weight gain. To get off the food-fretting treadmill, first and foremost, stop dieting. Instead, perceive food and eating as one of life’s greatest pleasures, and choose Integrative Eating as your most-of-the-time dietary lifestyle. Choose wisely (see “Get Fresh,” below) and enjoy.

#8. Get Fresh

If your most-of-the-time way of eating is, say, a donut and coffee for breakfast; a burger, fries, and coke for lunch; pizza for dinner; and chips as a snack, my research on Whole Person Integrative eating suggests that “fast foodism” is your main overeating style.1,2If a diet of mostly fast and processed foods is typical for you, consider getting in touch with your inner fresh-food fairy. You can do this by replacing sugar-, fat-, and salt-laden foodish foods—ingredients that can amp up your “overeating engine”—with more fresh fruits, veggies, whole grains, beans, and nuts and seeds, and lean, free-range, chemical-free animal foods. Worth a try, don’t you think?

#9. When You Eat, Eat

Do you ever eat while watching TV? Or while working at your computer? Or when you’re driving? If you eat while doing other things, you’re doing “task snacking,” a Whole Person Integrative Eating overeating style that is linked with overeating and increased odds of weight gain.1,2The antidote? Mindfulness eating. Give up eating while doing other activities. Instead, stay mindful, keep focused on your food, and do one thing at a time. In other words, eat when you eat!

#10. Quit Chemical Cuisine

Obesogens are the manmade chemicals—plastics and pesticides—which have found their way into our food supply and beverages. They wreak their havoc on both appetite and weight by mimicking estrogen, a hormone that can make you fat. The solution? One quick tip for avoiding “chemical cuisine” is to stay away from bisphenol A (BPA) found in canned foods, bottled beverages, meat packed in plastic, and more.

The key take-away is this: To attain and maintain weight loss…for life, think outside the diet by changing beliefs you have about dieting, losing weight, and keeping it off. Replace limiting weight-loss “think” with insights into the underlying reasons you overeat and gain weight—some of the overeating styles we just told you about. The 10 key weight-loss solutions are your first step in jump-starting a relationship to food and eating that can help you turn overeating into optimal, whole person integrative eating…and attaining and maintaining weight loss…for life.

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. 

References:

  1. Scherwitz L, Kesten D, “Seven Eating Styles Linked to Overeating, Overweight, and Obesity,” Explore: The   Journal of Science and Healing 1, no. 5 (2005): 342–59.
  2. Kesten D, Scherwitz L. “Whole Person Integrative Eating: A Program for Treating Overeating, Overweight, and Obesity,” Integrative Medicine: A Clinician’s Journal 14, no. 5 (October/November 2015): 42-50.
preworkout supplement

Commercial Sports Foods: A Matter of Preference

“I thought I was supposed to use gels during long runs. Can candy work just as well..?”

 “Are electrolyte tablets the best way to replace sodium loses from sweaty workouts?”

 “I get diarrhea when I use some commercial sports foods…help!”

If you are among the many athletes who have no idea which commercial sports foods are best to support your workouts, welcome to the club! Advertisements have led many active people—from serious competitors to anyone who breaks a sweat—to believe that pre-workout drinks, energy gels, and electrolyte replacers (among the many other commercial sports foods) are a necessary part of a sports diet. Guess what? Real foods can often work just as well.

While there is a time and a place for commercial sports foods, many athletes needlessly spend lots of money on them. The purpose of this article is to help you become an informed consumer, so you know what these products are (convenient, expensive)—and what they are not (essential for all exercisers). Whatever you do, test them during training, so you can learn if they settle well in your gut. You don’t want surprises during competitions!

Pre-Workout Supplements

When you feel low on energy and are dreading your afternoon training session, pre-workout products that promise explosive energy, sharp focus, and incredible results can be very tempting to buy. While simply eating a heartier breakfast, lunch, and pre-exercise snack can help prevent an afternoon droop, many athletes fail to appreciate the power of food. Instead, they look for “magic.”

  • The “magic” ingredient in most pre-workout products is caffeine. You could just as easily get stimulated with coffee or NoDoz. True energy comes with eating a pre-exercise banana, granola bar, or carb-based snack.
  • The best pre-workout snacks digest easily and don’t talk back to you. Standard supermarket foods (e.g., toast, oatmeal, animal crackers, dried pineapple, dates, banana, even a swig of maple syrup) are likely more familiar to your gut (less likely to cause intestinal upset) than unfamiliar commercial sport fuels.
  • Some pre-workout products tout they are sugar free, as if sugar is evil for athletes. Sugar (carbohydrate) is a true energizer in comparison to caffeine, which is just a stimulant. Carbs + caffeine will offer a better workout (for those who tolerate caffeine, that is)!
  • Some pre-workout products contain creatine, vitamins, beta-alanine, and/or other stuff that looks good on the label. The dose may be inadequate to make a significant difference in your performance. Do your homework to learn what is an effective dose.
  • Buyer beware, pre-workout products are poorly regulated. Who knows what the products contain. Claims that sound too good to be true should raise an eyebrow. Be sure your choice says NSF Certified for Sport or Informed Sport on the label.

Gels

During hard exercise lasting 1 to 2.5 hours, you’ll perform better if you consume ~30 to 60 grams (120-240 calories) carbohydrate per hour. Take your choice of gel, sport drink, or gummi bears!

  • During extended exercise lasting more than 2.5 hours (ultra-marathon, long bike ride), you want to target 60 to 90 g carb/h (240-360 calories), depending on the intensity of your exercise, your body size, sport, and intestinal tolerance.
  • Most gels offer 100 calories (25 g carb) in the form of some type of sugar, such as maltodextrin, sucrose, fructose, or glucose. The Nutrition Facts on the gel’s label can you help determine the right amount to consume.
  • Many athletes love the convenience of gels because they come in a good portion-size and are easy to carry. Others dislike them due to their consistency. For some athletes, gels digest poorly because they contain a type of sugar that can trigger bloat, diarrhea, and undesired pit stops. Always experiment with new gels during training!!!
  • Some popular alternatives to the 100 calories of carb (sugar) in a gel include gummy bears, Twizzlers, Swedish fish, gum drops, peppermint patties, maple sugar candy, even chocolate (though it melts in hot weather). The trick with choosing “real food” is to figure out how to carry it. Pockets help.

Electrolyte tablets

Electrolytes (electrically charged particles, most often known as sodium, calcium, magnesium, and potassium), are minerals abundant in food.

  • For sweaty athletes, sodium (a part of salt) is the main electrolyte of concern. Salty foods enhance fluid retention and help keep you better hydrated than plain water, which goes in one end and out the other.
  • Many electrolyte replacers are lower in sodium than you may think. By reading food labels, you’ll discover a slice of bread can have more sodium than 8-ounces of Gatorade.
  • Athletes who sweat heavily might lose about 500 to 1,000 mg sodium in an hour of vigorous exercise. Some options for replacing these sodium losses include:
Commercial Sports Food Sodium (mg) Salty food Sodium (mg)
Propel Electrolyte water, 8 oz

 

105 String cheese, 1 stick   220
Gatorade, 8 oz

 

110 Beef Jerky, 1 oz   600
Gu Salted Caramel, 1 gel 125 Salt sprinkled on food, ¼ tsp   600
Nuun, 8 oz

 

175 Broth, from 1 cube Herb-ox 1,100
  • Replacing sodium is most important for athletes who sweat heavily for extended periods in the heat. Yet, these athletes generally consume foods that contain sodium before, during and after exercise. For example, football players who refuel from morning practice with a high-sodium ham and cheese sandwich with mustard and dill pickles can bypass the Gatorade at lunch.
  • Consuming 500 mg. sodium before you exercise helps retain fluid, delay dehydration, and enhance endurance. Sprinkle salt on that pre-exercise omelet, pasta, or sweet potato before you exercise in the heat!

The Bottom Line

While commercial sports foods have their time and place for intense exercisers, not every athlete needs to pay the price for pre-wrapped convenience.


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 info.