Why Nutrition Matters

Choose Foods That...

• are nutrient dense
• are anti-inflammatory
• support good gut health
• give stable energy throughout the day
• encourage healthy hormonal balance
• give energy for training & competition (performance)

Nutrient Dense Foods

• Eat foods rich in micronutrition
• Micronutrition provides substrate for growth & repair
• Lots of nutrient bang for calorie buck
  • Vitamins
  • Minerals
  • Organic acids

Anti-Inflammatory Foods

• Inflammation is incurred from illness, training, injury or foods(!)
• Limit inflammation from foods
• Eat foods that support repair after training
• Remove foods for at least 3-4 weeks then reintroduce them one by one, noting intolerances or sensitivities
• Food sensitivities can be silent
• Foods known to cause inflammation
  • Grains (wheat, oats, barley, rye, etc)
  • Dairy (milk, cheese, yogurt, etc)
  • Excess sugar
  • Food allergies

Foods That Promote Good Gut Healthy

• Your immune system is linked to your gut
• The small intestine is responsible for nutrient absorption
• It should be selectively permeable
• You want a strong barrier
• Foods should feed the good bacteria
• A healthy gut keeps you from getting sick

Foods That Give Stable Energy Throughout the Day

• Consistent energy throughout the day
• Stable blood sugar is important
• No 3 p.m. crashes!
• Eat foods that don’t cause huge spikes in blood
sugar

Foods That Encourage Healthy Hormonal Balance

• Hormones are chemical messengers
• They aren’t "good" or "bad", but can be unbalanced
• Ex: cortisol (stress), melatonin (sleep), thyroid (metabolism)

Foods That Give Energy for Performance (Training & Competition)

• You want to burn fat at rest (stay lean)
• When active, you need to burn glycogen (< 60 min)
• For endurance sports, you need to burn glycogen but also fat. Ex: hybrid car
• Your body needs to efficiently burn fat for long distances!
• “Train low, compete high”

Energy

Glucose

• “Sugar”, stored glucose is called glycogen
• It's used for intense exercise or at the start of endurance event (lasts ~90 min)
• Muscles store up to 400 grams glycogen, liver up to 100 grams glycogen

Problem?

• You quickly burn through that glycogen
• Why not just eat a bunch of sugar during training or your event?
• Your gut can only handle / process so much at one time
• If fat-burning is inefficient, you must supply constant carbohydrate or...BONK

Fat

• Supplies tens of thousands of calories, even in lean people
• It's burned at rest or during low intensity endurance activity
• You must train this to be efficient by not constantly flooding body with excess glucose

Macronutrients

Carbohydrates

• Function = ENERGY
• Starches & sugars = carbs
• Many dietary approaches have way too many carbs & you never train your fat burning system
• Excess carbs are stored as body fat

Daily Carb Ranges (general, adjust up or down based on body size and training volume)

• 1 to 2 g / lb. bodyweight (2.2 to 4.4 g / kg bodyweight)
• Possibly more if running longer
• Post-workout = 50 to 100 g carbs, make up rest in meals

Eat

• Potatoes (white or sweet)
• White rice
• Carb-dense veggies (beets, butternut squash, carrots, plantains, taro, yuca)
• Fruit
• Gluten-free bread, pasta, oats okay but not best

Limit

• Gluten / wheat, rye, barley, other grains
• Baked goods & sweets
• Brown rice, quinoa (unless properly soaked & prepared)

What About Bread?

• Processed carbs, whole grains = pro-inflammatory
• Cheap carbs w/o a lot of nutrition
• Limit bread, pasta, crackers, cookies, cakes, etc.

Fats

• Functions = HIGH ENERGY, proper cell structure & function, hormone balance, fat-soluble vitamin absorption
• Healthy fats (solid) & oils (liquid)
• Fat doesn’t make you fat
  • Excess carbohydrate intake leads to body fat accumulation
• Should be in every meal

Daily Fat Ranges (general, adjust up or down based on body size and training volume)

• 1 to 2 g / lb. bodyweight (2.2 to 4.4 g / kg bodyweight)
• Possibly more if running longer
• Post-workout = avoid most fat, slows digestion

Eat

• Coconut milk, flakes, butter, oil
• Grass-fed butter or clarified butter (ghee)
• Olives & olive oil
• Nuts & nut butters
• Egg yolks
• Bacon

Limit

• Trans fats
• Hydrogenated oils
• Margarine & buttery spread
• Industrial oils (corn, soybean, canola, safflower, etc)

Best fats

• Coconut milk, flakes, butter, oil
• Grass-fed butter or clarified butter (ghee)
• Olives & olive oil
• Nuts & nut butters (not peanut butter)
• Egg yolks

Protein

• Function = BUILD & REPAIR, MUSCLE repair
• Meats, eggs, seafood = most protein
• If vegetarian, soaked & properly prepared beans & lentils are the next best
• Athletes need adequate protein!

Daily Protein Ranges (general, adjust up or down based on body size and training volume)

• 0.8 to 1.25 g / lb. bodyweight (1.75 to 2.75 g / kg bodyweight)
• Post-workout = 30 to 60 g protein, make up rest in meals

Eat

• Red meat (beef, lamb)
• Chicken & turkey
• Pork
• Fish & seafood
• Eggs
• Beans & lentils (soaked & properly prepared not recommended as your only source)

Limit

• Soy products
• Processed meats
• Fatty, low-quality meats

Daily Nutrition

• Good choices daily set the stage for performance
• As much as possible, choose foods that are
  • whole, nutrient-dense
  • unprocessed
  • anti-inflammatory

Every Day, Eat...

• 3 large meals vs. many small
  • Takes burden off digestive system
• A meal = a balanced plate of protein, carbs, fat
  • 1-2 palm-sized portions of protein or as many eggs as you can fit in your hand per meal
  • Fill your plate with veggies (1-2 servings of fruit a day) per meal
  • Add fat in every meal: 1-2 thumb-sized portions of cooking fat, 1 closed handful of nuts, 1 open handful of olives or coconut flakes, 1/2-1 avocado, 1/4-1/2 can coconut milk
• Train more? Eat more.

Training & Recovery

• 3 meals + pre-workout + post-workout
• 3 meals + post-workout (if early AM training)
• If you train long (1 hr+), you must eat / drink during
• Post-workout = mandatory small meal

Pre-Workout

• Usually 30 to 90 min before workout
• Protein + fat, small portion
• Or protein + fat + carb, small portion
• If 3 to 4 hours prior to your workout, eat a regular meal
• Examples
  • jerky + a piece of fruit
  • hardboiled egg + nuts
  • shake with protein powder + coconut milk
  • leftover meat + olives

During Workout

Conclusion: You cannot take in as much nutrition as you’re using up!! (Source: Hammer Nutrition)

• If training 1 to 3 hours = complex carb + fast-digesting fat
• If training 3+ hours = complex carb + fast-digesting fat + protein
• Cannot replace what’s being burned in 1:1 ratio, stomach will fill up = cramps
• Solid or liquid food works
• 1 to 3 hours = complex carb + fast-digesting fat
• 3+ hours = complex carb + fast-digesting fat + protein
• Cannot replace what’s being burned in 1:1 ratio, stomach will fill up = cramps
• Complex carbs are best, not simple sugars
  • More easily digested, less stomach distress, fewer blood sugar peaks / crashes
  • Ex: Blended sweet potato with coconut milk

Post-Workout

• As soon as possible after workout is over
• Within 30 min is best
• Protein + carb
  • Ex: protein shake + starchy veggie like sweet potato
  • Leftover meat + potatoes
• 30 to 60 g protein, 50 to 100 g carbs
• Minimal fat, don’t want to slow digestion of post-workout nutrient assimilation

Hydration

• It's a necessary component of training
• Environmental conditions & unique physiology change needs per person
  • Hot, dry, humid conditions
  • Excessive sweater
  • Large body mass
• Roughly 20-25 ounces / hr (600-750 mL / hr)
• Hydrate especially when training is 30+ min
• Pre-workout: ~10-12 ounces / hr (300-350 mL / hr)
• During training: ~20-25 ounces / hr (600-750 mL / hr)
• Post-workout: ~16 ounces / hr
• Don’t wait until you feel thirsty!!

Dehydration

• No bueno!
• Affects mental acuity, power output, rate of perceived exertion (RPE), endurance
• Goal = lose < 2% bodyweight during training or event
• Drink before, during, after but don’t overdo it
• Use electrolytes

Electrolytes

• Sodium & potassium are most important
• These are lost through sweat
• Consume electrolytes in your water to prevent water loss during training
• Various forms...drops, tablets, coconut water + pinch of salt

Expedition

• Preparation = eat & drink as normal
  • Carb loading unnecessary
  • Test out foods prior to expedition
• Eat & drink according to long training reco’s
• Eat a bit of extra carbs ~30-60 min prior to run
• Find comfortable level of caloric & hydration intake
• Take in fluids (with electrolytes)
• Take in protein if over 3 hours running
• Take in slow-digesting carb & fast-digesting fat (coconut is great)
• Eat & drink even if you don’t feel hungry...
• ...but don’t over do it!
• Eat ASAP after you finish for the day
• Refueling is critical
• Bias toward whole, nutrient-dense foods
• Avoid foods you don’t tolerate well
• Plan, plan, plan

To Summarize

• Good performance hinges on the sum of good daily choices with food (and training and sleep)
• Perfection isn’t the answer
• Make great choices a majority of the time
• Even the best recommendations may not work exactly for you
• Test, TEST and RE-TEST
• Pay attention to how you feel, recover and perform in training
• Your best results depend on daily attention to:
  • food type
  • food timing
  • food ratios
  • food tolerances