Nutrition Corner

Information

The latest nutrition trends in the realm of strength & conditioning

Website: http://strengthperformance.ning.com/group/nutritioncorner
Members: 301
Latest Activity: Mar 7

Click here to learn more about ONS Performance
The Vegetarian Experiment
(By TheFitnessChamp.com) - If you've read this site frequently enough, you can probably tell I am one for dietary experimentation. Well, my current experiment has taken me to a place where I am interested in learning more about the "herbivore vs carnivore" debate.

Within a week, I realized that quite a few of my friends (4-5) were vegetarians, not including my own dad. Each of these friends were what I would consider to be "healthy/athletic" people, both in-terms of lifestyle and body types. This caused me to want to investigate things a little further (which is why Google is my favorite website).

Rather than re-state all of my interesting findings one-by-one, and turn this into a scholarly research article, I'd rather give the top-line, most interesting findings, and share my sources.

Read More

The Raw Foods Experiment
(By TheFitnessChamp.com) - Former UFC Heavyweight Champ Brock Lesnar went from unstoppable force after his title unification win over Frank Mir last summer, to laid up in a hospital bed in early 2010.

What finally knocked Brock down to the canvas? His diet.

Lesnar developed a bacterial infection that turned into diverticulitis, which eventually ate a hole in his colon, spilling fecal matter into his abdomen (wow.) The situation compromised his immune system to the degree that he contracted mono, and his loved ones feared the worst.

In the May 2010 issue of Muscle & Body magazine, Brock is fairly open with what led to his illness.

Read More

Massive: Fish Tale
(By Muscle and FItness) - Because tilapia’s ratio of omega-6 fatty acids to omega-3 fatty acids is between 2:1 and 3:1, the researchers concluded that it’s a very unhealthy food. After all, a healthy diet should contain a ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fats of 1:1 or less. When the ratio is too high, the omega-6s compete with the omega-3s, causing inflammation in the body along with a host of health consequences like cardiovascular disease.

Tilapia, however, is a very low-fat fish. According to the USDA, 100 grams (about 3.5 ounces) of tilapia supplies less than 2 grams of total fat. Out of that total, the Wake Forest researchers say, there’s only about 300 mg of omega-3 fats along with 600-900 mg of omega-6 fats. So even when you eat a typical 7-ounce serving of fish, you get just 1,200-1,800 mg of omega-6 fats - far too little to knock your diet into the unhealthy range, especially if you supplement with fish oil as m&f recommends.

Learn More

Supplement Guide: Lycopene
(By Men's Fitness) - Where it comes from: Lycopene is a bright red carotene and carotenoid pigment found in the human skin, liver, adrenal glands, lungs, prostate and colon. It's most commonly known for its presence in red fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes, carrots, watermelons and papayas.

Studies have proven that lycopene possesses antioxidant properties and may hold keys to promoting general health. In the late 1980s, when lycopene's antioxidants were found to be twice that of beta-carotene, massive interest and studies were launched to find its role in cancer prevention.

Learn More

Acai Juice - The Straight Facts
(By sportsmemorabilia) - Acai is everywhere -- celebrities are drinking and eating the berries, doctors recommend it and of course tons of companies are in business to capitalize off the acai berry juice.

The acai fruit is mostly found on the beaches of Brazil and Peru. a few hundred years ago Brazilians began to harvest acai in an attempt to overcome a shortage of food. They originally extracted juice from the acai fruit to make red wine.

Learn More

Brown Rice Tied to Better Heart Health in Study
MONDAY, April 26 (HealthDay News) -- Two kinds of rice -- brown and half-milled rice -- may reduce the risk of heart disease and high blood pressure by interfering with a protein linked to those conditions, research suggests.

In a new study, researchers report that the findings could indicate that brown rice is better than white rice when it comes to protecting the body from high blood pressure and artherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries).
"Our research suggests that there is a potential ingredient in rice that may be a good starting point for looking into preventive medicine for cardiovascular diseases," said researcher Satoru Eguchi, an associate professor of physiology at Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia.

Eguchi and colleagues said their experiments show that an ingredient in brown rice appears to combat a protein known as angiotensin II that contributes to high blood pressure and clogged arteries.

The ingredient is in a layer of rice that is stripped away when brown rice is converted to white rice. But the layer can be preserved in half-milled (Haigamai) and incompletely milled (Kinmemai) rice, which are popular in Japan.

The study is slated to be released at the Experimental Biology annual conference, April 24-28, in Anaheim, Calif.

Nutrient Timing:
Knowing when to eat is just as important as what you eat
When your performance goal is to gain lean muscle, you need to keep several factors in mind. First, total caloric needs should be determined based on your BMR. Second, if you are not taking in enough calories to meet the demands of your daily training, then your body is forced to sacrifice lean muscle tissue for energy. Third, the quality of the food is just as important as the quantity of food. Last, when you eat is just as important as what you eat.

Click here to read the complete article

Meal Frequency & Planning
In any performance nutrition program, whether it's fat loss, wanting to increase lean muscle or develop better nutritional habits, the most important element is meal frequency and planning.

Every athlete, regardless of the sport, should eat a minimum of 5-7 times per day (planning), every 3-4 hours (frequency). -Michael Bewley, Strength & Conditioning Coach, Certified Sports Nutritionist, University of Dayton Basketball

Click here to read the complete article

RSS

Loading feed

Comment Wall

Comment by Joshua on January 11, 2010 at 12:52pm: Major issues with athletes nutritional practices?

I wanted to ask other coaches what they have found to be the major flaws in their teams or their athletes nutritional schemes. Particularly in-season. What issues do you find you need to push over and over on your athletes? What is the most difficult habits to get your athletes to accept on a dietary front?

Comment by Yaw P. Baidoo on January 12, 2010 at 8:25am: I personally feel the main issue is the fact that they can't keep and follow a schedule. That alone effects nutrient timing and metabolism to the point that whatever we may provide to our athletes comes off as non effective.

Comment by Joshua on January 12, 2010 at 9:17am: I would agree with you. Pre and post workout nutrition being the biggest matters at hand. No matter how hard they train, how consistently they train, how well the program is designed, they will constantly skid their progressive wheels so to speak due to the less then optimal metabolic and biochemical state they train in and leave them selves in after workouts week after week.

This can be exacerbated when athletes miss meals or eat nutritionaly void junk food in place of real nutrient dense foods in their other daily meals across the week.

Now a days many athletes are getting the idea of how essential food and nutrition is to training and recovery. But in my experience it seems that this is till a minority of athletes, at that it seems that game day is the only day given major concern or planning to eating well.

Comment by Larry Warnock. LMT on January 12, 2010 at 9:51am: In my experience, athletes have very little or faulty information about nutrition. You can't just talk about it. They need information in writing, especially at the high school level. There is far too much advertising for junk stuff like protein powders, replacement junk, etc.

When an athlete is interested, we plot out a typical day's nutrition...three meals, three snacks..emphasis on the 30 minutes after workout or games. We break it down into carbs, protein and fat...this gives the athlete option to choose different foods as long as they stay within the basic parameters. When they have it this clear, they tend to follow it.

Comment by Nick Wilson on March 1, 2010 at 2:47pm: I realize that ONS is a sponsor of this website but what are other universities/groups using as pre/post workout supplements? I'm just curious what is/isn't working for everyone else.

Comment by Tom Williams on July 7, 2010 at 4:15am: Nick, I generally recommend Optimum Nutrition to my athletes. As a rule I get them on fish oils, a multi vit and a solid protein, normally Nitrocore. Anything else is then a case by case judgement call. Often I add 2:1:1 Recovery to their regime when we increase the amount of conditioning work during pre-season.

Comment by Chris Thompson on January 26, 2011 at 6:24pm: What type of Sports Nutrition certifications are out there? What would be required to attain one?

Comment by Tavis Piattoly on September 14, 2011 at 8:34am: Chris - I just joined so it's a late response. The best sports nutrition certification is the CSSD which is the Board Certified Sports Dietitian. If you are a Dietitian, you would be required to obtain 1000 hours of practical work in a Sports setting before being able to sit for the exam. There are other companies that have a certification (i.e. ISSN). I guess it depends on how you want to use it. Thanks

Comment by Drew Henley on November 27, 2011 at 12:41pm: If you like motivational quotes, visit http://goo.gl/FZbjy for "Words of Wisdom" for twenty of my favorite quotes.

Comment by Michael McElveen on December 5, 2011 at 11:39am: If you live in Florida, here are two good CEU courses on nutrition at the first of the year:

AASDN Nutrition Specialist Live Workshops

Boca Raton, FL - Jan. 28-29

Tampa, FL - Feb. 18-19

Both are posted on the Event page of this site: http://www.strengthperformance.com/events/event/listUpcoming

The workshop provides CEC's for ACE, ACSM, ADA, AFAA, NATA, NASM, NSCA and YMCA. The workshop and Nutrition Specialist Certification has been specifically designed to equip allied health professionals with the ability to provide nutrition education safely and professionally, while adhering to all state licensure laws and the American Dietetic Association guidelines. Florida law is among the strictest in the nation.