Why is iron so important for athletes?

 

As an athlete, you hear a lot about eating enough calories, staying well hydrated and fueling your workouts appropriately with proper sport nutrition.

Although macronutrients are very important, let's not forget about the smaller nutrients - vitamins and minerals. Micronutrients play an important role in immune function, protection against oxidative damage, bone health and energy production.

Exercise stresses many metabolic pathways and increases the turnover and loss of micronutrients. As a result, a deficient intake or absorption issue can negatively impact health, body composition and performance. Although many vitamins and minerals are of concern - like B vitamins, zinc, magnesium, calcium and some antioxidants - many athletes struggle with consuming adequate iron.

Because iron is an essential mineral that assists in the transport of oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body, we can't expect our muscles to execute the work we ask of them if iron stores are depleted.

Recognizing how detrimental an iron deficiency (or even worse, anemia) is on athletic performance and overall health, athletes will benefit from regular blood testing every 3-6 months.

Remember: Test DON'T GUESS.

For more information about Athlete Blood Test, search HERE or you can send me an email. 

Healthy eating without following a diet plan

Healthy Eating Without Following a Diet Plan

(for the original source, visit USA Triathlon multisport zone)

By Marni Sumbal, MS, RD

All fitness enthusiasts and athletes must understand the importance of consuming a balanced, wholesome diet. And above all, this diet shouldn't leave you unsatisfied, without energy, feeling isolated, requiring an excessive amount of planning and prep or costing you a lot of money. It’s time to start thinking about food for fuel and health. 

Here are six tips for eating a healthy diet without following a diet plan.

1. What's your motivation to change? If you feel the need to eliminate or add certain foods to the diet, be sure to have a really good reason to do so. A good reason would be doctor's/dietitian's orders or lab work that reflects the need to place emphasis on certain areas of your diet. Weight loss is typically a top priority for most people wanting to change nutrition habits but a better focus would be on what you can do with your body when you start eating healthier. Maybe less sick days, reducing risk for cancer, being around longer for your grandkids/spouse, having more energy, taking better care of your body, performing better, having less focus on food and more focus on living life to the fullest? Whatever your reason may be, let a change in body composition be that added bonus as your health is always top priority.

2. Create a positive food environment. Stock your kitchen with everything you need to prepare wholesome foods at home and store leftovers in Tupperware. And don't forget the foods that you want to eat as well. I recommend shopping every three to four days when you are transitioning to a more real food diet so that you do not overwhelm yourself with a lot of produce and then find yourself throwing it out after a week. Think of what you can keep in your pantry, refrigerator and freezer for easy and healthy meal prep.

3. Don't be perfect; aim for progress.
Create a very simple lifestyle log to plan your day. The diet mentality is to log your day as or after it happened and this often doesn't initiate change but instead guilt, control and self-defeat. Instead, create a plan for yourself. When you think about what you will eat before or after workouts, for your three meals and then snacking with a purpose, you have a better opportunity to set yourself up for success. Not only do you have a plan for staying nourished and satisfied but you are now forced to make sure you have those food items available which reduces the risk for overeating later in the day as well as going long hours without eating (or eating on a whim). This also helps the athlete fuel better so that pre- and post-workout nutrition isn't an afterthought.

4. Rethink your plate.
I'm all about  a plant strong plate. You can pick your protein choice. Fill up your plate with fresh foods, packed with vitamins and minerals. Your plate should never limit fats, carbs or protein so find a way to create that beautiful plate that leaves you satisfied and feeling great about your meals. If you can't do this on your own, have a dietitian who specializes in sport nutrition help you plan your diet to support your active lifestyle and health goals.

5. Get in the kitchen!
Do I even need to give you a reason as to why you should cook more? Don't find the time to cook, make the time.

6. Give it time.
Don't expect to change everything overnight. Focus on a few changes every one to two weeks so you can make that lifestyle change. Be sure to have a strong, supportive team around you who will keep you motivated and inspired to learn how to eat for fuel and for health. Also keep in mind that even though you may find yourself questioning your new or improved eating habits, your diet is created by you and for you. You have your reason for your dietary changes and you are making these changes for the right reasons. You are not chasing a body image or wanting a quick fix but instead, you are taking the time to make a lifestyle change. Enjoy this wonderful journey that you are taking your body on as you learn how to eat for fuel and for health and how to develop a great relationship with food and your body.

Marni Sumbal, MS, RD, LD/N is the owner of Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition, LLC and holds a master of science in exercise physiology, is a USA Triathlon Certified Coach and a nine-time IRONMAN finisher. She enjoys public speaking, writing, plant-strong cooking and traveling. She will be racing in her 4th IM World Championship this October with her husband Karel. Learn more at trimarnicoach.com.

The views expressed in this article are the opinion of the author and not necessarily the practices of USA Triathlon. Before starting any new diet or exercise program, you should check with your physician and/or coach.

Training, food and work - catching up

I love this quote. I'm sure you agree if you love your job. 

This past week has been very busy for me (thus the lack of blogging) so I thought I'd catch you up....

MONDAY:
I love my PRN (as needed) position at Baptist Medical Center Beaches because it allows me to help out the other clinical RDs when they need time off work. This gives me only a handful of days each month to put on my clinical dietitian hat but because the human body is so amazing, I always learn something new, every time I see patients in the hospital. This week I worked Mon, Tues, Wed (on call only), Thurs and Fri so it was really nice to follow patients all week and to spread some good health and cheer to those who were not well during this time of the year. But of course, being a clinical RD requires a lot of brain power so that leaves little energy in the evening for blogging.

Delicious tempeh and broccoli stir fry with quinoa:
Tempeh
Broccoli
Mushrooms
Quinoa
Marinara sauce
1. Cooked tempeh in a little olive oil.
2. Steam broccoli and mushrooms.
3. Cook quinoa
4. Combine the veggies and tempeh and then for your serving, 1/2 - 1 cup quinoa on top of your veggie mix. Stir in marinara sauce to taste and enjoy!

TUESDAY:
Nothing beats a morning run followed by strength (or any workout) to make you appreciate a healthy body.
I did some dynamic stretching after warming up on the elliptical for 20 minutes and then hit the treadmill for some intervals.
Main set 6xs:
4 min @ half marathon pace w/ 1 min EZ recovery (straddle treadmill)
Strength work included circuits of monster walks (with band), Russian squats (holding dumbbell weight by chest), planks, single leg step ups on bench, side planks w/ leg lifts, leg drops and super mans. Many of the exercises are included in my 5-week Transition plan.

In the evening, Karel and I celebrated our Czech holiday dinner and finished it with some cookies (sent with love from Karel's mom in Czech) and watching Campy destroy his new toys.

Thank you Gloria, Ken and Frida for Campy's new shirt!

WEDNESDAY: 
After sleeping in and waking up without an alarm, we hit the road around 9am for a very hard 3:15hr ride. Karel really made me work hard on his wheel, alongside the wind that was at our face for the ride home.
Main set 2x's:
4 x 8 min (Z3 low, Z3 mid, Z3 upper, Z4 low - for each of the 8 minutes - using power) w/ 2 min EZ after each one (we took an extra 4 minutes recovery after #3 before we did Z4 low).
My power is very similar to Karel's power when I stay on his wheel so I was able to suffer right behind him during these intervals.
After the 40 minute set, we recovered for about 20 minutes riding in steady Z2 and then repeated the set.

THURSDAY: 
Before work, and after an interval run (Main set for 30 minutes, 2 min half marathon pace, 1 min "fast", 1 min EZ for 30 minutes), I did a segment on News4Jax on "Plates Not Pills - eat your vitamins"

WATCH HERE

FRIDAY: 
Karel joined me for a swim and we did a great main set:
Main set 3x's:
200 @ 85% effort, rest 30 sec.
4 x 50's w/ 10 sec rest, focusing on form, build to fast.
Rest as needed, then repeat 2 more times.
After our 3500 yrd swim we did an intense core/hip/glute workout for 20 min and then it was off to the hospital for me.....Karel had a RETUL bike fit scheduled later that morning.

Yummy morning oats (after pre swim snack, post swim snack)
1/2 cup dry oats
frozen peaches and strawberries
Cashews and almonds
1 tbsp chia seeds
Water for mixing

Campy is so nice...he let Madison sleep in his bed and roughed it up on the couch. 

Well, there you go....busy, healthy and happy.

Hope you are enjoying the weekend!

Plates not Pills - this blog will tell you why

Recently there has been more and more talk about eating our medicine instead of relying on pills (or believing in the hype) for an additional intake of vitamins and minerals to improve overall health. I agree that we should not be spending money on over the counter supplements as a first response to wanting to be healthy especially if you have access to a variety of real food options to boost your immune system.

Supplements are designed to supplement what you can not get in your diet and there are cases (ex. folic acid for pregnant women, B-vitamins for vegans, etc.) when a single vitamin or mineral supplement may be needed. Although I don't feel that athletes need supplements like antioxidants and anti-inflammatories to boost performance there are some supplements (ex. BCAAs, protein powders) that may assist in proper functioning of the body during times of extreme intentional training stress.

I love the concept of plates not pills because it emphasizes the opportunity for us to obtain a wide amount of vitamins and minerals from the food that we can put on our plate. However, this is often easier said than done because in our society there's a large majority who heavily rely on quick fixes and often do not make the time for balanced meals and real food eating.

And of course, when it comes to research, this is tough to make any one conclusion from any one study. Often, major companies are sponsoring the research or promoting deceptive claims, so of course, those companies want research to show their products are helpful. Also, there are so many variables that can affect research that it's almost impossible to make a statement that is 100% backed by science/research. Therefore, rather than focusing  all our energy on what we shouldn't be doing, we should consider what may improve our health based on common lifestyle habits of the masses that appear to live a better quality of life.

If you are interested in research, there's a really cool study called the Adventist Health Studies (AHS) which "is a series of long-term medical research projects of Loma Linda University with the intent to measure the link between lifestyle, diet, disease and mortality of Seventh-day Adventists.
Due in part to their unique dietary habits, Seventh-day Adventists have a lower risk than other Americans of certain diseases. This provides a special opportunity to answer scientific questions about how diet and other health habits affect the risk of suffering from many chronic diseases.^"

When I read scientific articles or relate research to real-world settings, I really find value in looking how a large population or group (whether it's in our nation or in another country) is living life when it comes to being "healthy." Certainly, we have to consider economics, health care, stress, etc. in comparing or contrasting healthy living practices but when it comes to the AHS, there are five simple health behaviors promoted by the Seventh-day Adventist Church for more than 100 years which have been shown to increase life span up to 10 years.
They include the following:
-Not smoking
-Eating a plant based diet
-Eating nuts several times per week
-Regular exercise
-Maintaining a normal body life

So to clear up any confusion as to how easy it cane be to boost your intake of vitamins and minerals with real food instead of relying on these popular vitamin and mineral supplements (unless medically needed), here are a few ways to start:
(NOTE: some foods like vitamin K rich foods and grapefruits may interact with medications so always read the fine print. Also, many herbal supplements/teas can interact with medications).

All values obtained from USDA.

-Vitamin C: = 75- 90 mg

 

       1 large orange (184g) = 98mg vitamin C (all fruits and veggies are great for the immune system)


-Vitamin E: 15 mg

                   50g sunflower seeds = 18 mg vitamin E (nuts and seeds pack a great vitamin E punch)


-Folate (B9): 400 mcg (600 during pregnancy, 500 during lactation)

            1 cup pinto beans = 294 mcg folate (also found in many veggies and other beans/lentils as well as many processed foods like breads, cereals and grains. This has been a benefit in the processed food industry for there have been less neural tube defects in children since there has been more fortication in food. Be mindful that gluten-free foods are often not fortified as well, same with organic foods - check and compare labels, especially on cereals if using for fortification of vitamins and minerals)


-Selenium: 55 micrograms

1 brazil nut = 90 micrograms (many animal proteins will easily meet your selenium needs, as little as 5-6 ounces daily)

 

-Calcium: ~1000-1200 mg

 

 

8 ounce yogurt = 415 mg calcium

1.5 ounce cheese = 307 mg calcium
1 cup firm tofu = 500 mg calcium
1 cup milk = 300 mg calcium
1 cup chopped raw kale = 100 calcium
(it's recommend to obtain all of your calcium needs from foods due research linking calicum supplements with increased risk of cardiovascular events and kidney stones. When it comes to calcium, especially for males, more is not better. It's recommend to consume no more than 3 servings dairy a day which also meets 100% calcium).

 

B vitamins:

B1 = 1.1-1.2 mg
B2 = 1.1-1.3 mg
B3 (niacin) = 14-16 mg
B5 = 5 mg
B6 = 1.2-1.7 mg
B12 = 2.4 micrograms

 

 

1 tbsp BRAGG nutritional yeast

Vitamin B12 is naturally found in animal products, including fish, meat, poultry, eggs, milk, and milk products. Vitamin B12 is generally not present in plant foods, but fortified breakfast cereals are a readily available source of vitamin B12 (source)

 

 

 

 

FYI:

RDI is the general term for a set of reference values used for planning and assessing nutrient intakes of healthy people. These values, which vary by age and gender. Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) is the average daily level of intake sufficient to meet the nutrient requirements of nearly all (97%–98%) healthy individuals.

 

As you can see, in a varied, balanced diet you can obtain almost all of your vitamin and mineral needs and if you emphasize real food, you will also increase the chance of meeting your metabolic needs for increased performance gains with your training and racing.

 

The problem I find is that our society loves to disect food. If this were the case for every food, we would have nothing to eat because every food can potentially become "bad" if you eat too much of it.

 

Even if you weigh the pros and cons of almost any food (which nutrition gurus promoting fad diets love to do - primarily address all the cons with certain "bad" foods), the pros of consuming a varied real food diet typically outweigh any cons. The focus is on balance and that's the hardest concept to accept when you are learning how to have a healthy relationship with food.

 

This includes dairy, whole grains, nuts, seeds, beans and legumes, etc. which may have many heart-healthy benefits and are consumed by those who appear to have a reduced amount of disease and illness in life and increased quality of life when you look at quality, consistent research studies.

 

Happy eating!