Finally, a nutritionally sound article in a health magazine!

With so many fad diets and skinny cover models, it was nice to read an article on the importance of fat in a diet. A writer for Women's Health Magazine, wrote a nutritionally solid article, complete with reasons why fat is important, why low-fat diets aren't so great for you, and what fats to avoid.

There are various reasons to consume fat. This article mentions how fat is necessary for certain nutrients to bind to and be absorbed by the body. In addition to being a necessity for health, fat can satisfy hunger and without it, may leave you snacking more throughout the day. This article points out that although Americans consumed a lower percentage of calories from fat in 2000 compared to 1971, total calories consumed increased by more than 300. One point I found interesting to note, is the glucose stabilizing effect of meals containing both fats and carbs. The article states that this combination may prevent spikes and dips in the sugar levels in blood, which can cause hunger. The various types of fats are also discussed, including saturated, polyunsaturated, monounsaturated, omega-3, and omega-6 fatty acids. The benefits of these fats are briefly discussed, as are examples and serving sizes. This article did a great job of describing the importance of fat, as well as providing specific examples. I am happy to read an article that I find to be nutritionally helpful and not strictly based on weight loss. Kudos Women's Health Magazine!

Weight Gain in Former High School/Collegiate Athletes

As I was sitting in the airport, reading my Women's Health Magazine, I came across an article that seemed like perfect support for a project my physical performance class is working on. The project is a survey for current and former athletes from Meredith College, inquiring about their physical activity and nutritional habits. Our goal is to see if former athletes continue to be active and healthy post-college.

This article provides support for our survey. A woman gained 100lbs over the years post-high school by continuing to eat like she did in high school, but without keeping up with her activities of track, basketball, and softball. This also relates to one of my original posts about how sports nutritionists are needed to teach athletes how to stay healthy throughout their life and not just during their seasons. This woman worked out so much throughout high school, that she appeared healthy despite her unhealthy junk-food eating ways. It wasn't until she stopped being active that those habits really took their toll by adding extra weight, and causing high blood pressure and diabetes.

Once these medical conditions arose, she finally decided to take control of her health and her life. She began altering her habits by replacing her three daily sodas and bag of M&M's with fresh fruits and veggies and cooking at home. By adding 3 days/week of gym sessions, she lost 45 lbs and was ready to step up her routine even more. Almost a year later, she was off her blood pressure and diabetes medications and a few months after that, she was back to her college weight. This woman is the perfect example of an athlete who suffered from poor nutritional habits and once the physical activity ceased, tangible medical conditions manifested. Luckily, this woman realized her mistakes and took control of her life.

Through our survey, we hope to see that Meredith College did a better job of preparing their athletes for the real world.

Professionals Need Help Too!

I love finding articles that reinforce why sports nutritionists are needed. I was randomly perusing the Yahoo! homepage when I came across this beauty:

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-league-stew/justin-verlander-proves-not-liar-downs-taco-bell-171811206.html

Justin Verlander's (pitcher for the Detroit Tigers) "secret to success" is apparently consuming three crunchy taco supremes, a cheesy gordita crunch, and a mexican pizza before game night. This crazy amount of fast food is not only highly caloric with 1,630 calories, but also contains 96 g of fat and 2,300 mg of salt. That is almost double the recommended dietary intake of sodium and about 3 times the RDA of fat per DAY (from the USDA website). And that is just for one of his meals. Even if he ate relatively healthy the rest of the time, a regular consumption of this type of meal is surely going to reduce any chance of healthy aging. There are plenty of studies, including the well known Framingham Study, that show direct links between coronary heart disease and dietary intake of fat. Regardless the appearance, and apparently the performance, of an athlete, nutritional intake still determines actual health. 

Yet again, I say thank you, for this is why my career exists. And good luck to you Mr. Verlander, you may need it. 

Work Hard, Play Hard...er?

I came across an article in Women's Health Magazine the other day that was called Exercise and Alcohol: Running on Empty Bottles. This article highlights the somewhat perplexing paradox that the people who exercise the most (especially women) also drink the most. After examining my own habits and peers, I began to notice this association as well.

One of the plausible explanations the article suggests is the "repentant party girl" model, ie the girl (or guy) who goes out on the town, and feels the need to "make up" for the indulgences the evening before by working out extra hard. I have to say, I knew these girls in college. Come to think of it, I was this girl in college. But in my experiences, the older and more mature a person becomes, the less this is the case. What I mean is that the focus tends to shift from party, college mode to work, real life mode. That being said, these people do exist across all spectrums. I just feel that this explanation is more of a fleeting period in life for many people.

Another theory the article addresses points to stress management. Some people work out in order to relieve tension. This also happens to be the same reason some people consume alcohol. Both these habits tend to relax and calm people who partake in them. So the question arises, are work out fiends also heavy drinkers because they need a stress reliever? If studies show, that heavy exercisers are also heavy drinkers in the same day, then I would disagree with this explanation. Personally, I feel energized and stress free post workout and do not need another way to relieve stress. But if studies show that people who exercise frequently, also drink frequently in general, then I could see how this may be related. Everyone needs some type of stress relief right?

The theory I find most interesting is that exercise may cause a cross-tolerance to alcohol. A study on rats suggests that a higher exposure of exercise may downplay the feel-good effects of alcohol. I am torn to the validity of this theory in humans. Once again from observations of peers, I have noticed that the higher amount of exercise a person participates in throughout the day, the lower the their tolerance to alcohol that evening. But I can understand how a person who consistently reaches for the endorphins and the highs of exercise, may become more unaffected by the "highs" that alcohol produces.

My own personal theory? Exercise releases endorphins that make us feel happy and energetic. These endorphins seem to increase our self-esteem, which in turn, increases our desire for social contact. I am curious as to if the association is actually between high amounts of exercise and high feelings of extraversion. Do people who exercise actually just feel a higher need to socialize? Or is the link truly to alcohol consumption?

Thoughts?

Here is the link just in case. Super interesting and thought-provoking.
http://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/exercise-and-alcohol?cm_mmc=Twitter-_-WomensHealth-_-Content-Health-_-exerciseAndAlcoholMarch#axzz1n3dWaZc9

But I'm Not Thirsty...

Last week in class, we talked about the importance of hydration for athletes. Yeah yeah, drink your 8 glasses of water a day, blah blah blah. That is what I thought as well. But apparently, water and sports drinks are far more important for athletes than I ever anticipated learning. Here’s why:

1. About 93% of blood is water and blood is the main transporter of oxygen and nutrients to and from cells. 
2. Water cushions the spinal cord and brain from sudden-impact injuries. 
3. Water is the key component in body temperature regulation.

On a regular basis, two hormones called antidiuretic hormone (ADH) and aldosterone, help to balance the amount of water and sodium in our blood. This balance is important to keep blood volume at the correct levels, which assists in temperature regulation.  When we work out for a long duration or high intensity, it is difficult for these hormones to maintain balance because of the high amount of fluid loss through sweat.

Sweat is an important mechanism for temperature control and contains both water and sodium. Many sports drinks contain electrolytes that help to replenish sodium and assist in regulating our blood volume. Without adequate hydration, the body may stop sweat production and could cause us to overheat.

Now did you know that being “thirsty” is an indicator that the body is already significantly dehydrated? By the time the “thirst” sensation arrives, the body has already lost between 1.5 and 2.0 liters of water (think of a large bottle of soda)!

Tips for staying hydrated:

• ·      14-22oz of fluid 1-1.5 hrs before exercise, then sip periodically until activity
• ·      During exercise, make a habit of sipping on beverages containing some carbohydrates (~7% carbs) and sodium (electrolytes)
• ·      Do NOT wait until you are thirsty to rehydrate

Let's just say, next time I pass the aid station during a race, my new answer will be "Yes please."

Need Some Motivation?

Don't forget to 'feel the burn' this weekend!

Meet Our Future Patients....

http://gma.yahoo.com/video/health-26594251/pageant-mom-s-go-go-juice-comes-under-fire-28232065.html


Are you kidding me??? Giving a 6 year old a combo of Mt Dew and Red Bull is horrible. It is a shame people are so ignorant. Is anyone else outraged by this video as much as me?