Some Performance Food Guidelines
by: Nick Hill
So your a Motocrosser looking to get yourself around good eating habits. To become the best rider you can be, or to be a Champion. To be a top athlete in any sport takes a good knowledge of foods, training and practice drills. It takes serious dedication and even life changes to get on the right track. The harsh reality is that in each class there can only be one champion. Generally that is the person who is practicing & training the hardest and eating right. Especially in the higher classes.
I did some research to help get you one step closer to being on the right track. Eating right is probably the hardest thing about being an athlete. Unlike practicing, eating right sometimes isn't that much fun. I would much rather eat a big crunch from KFC then eat a bunch of veggies. But with riding, i'd practice all day long because it's fun. Get what i'm saying?
To get yourself on a good routine you can't really start everything at once. Well at least it's hard for me. What I normally do is start working out for a week or too and then start my Performance Diet. That way I have already gotten out of the I don't feel like training today mood which usually happens for the first two weeks. Then I can concentrate more on my diet on weeks three and four.
Once you get on your routine there should be nothing that can stop you. Just remember rain or shine, if you are scheduled to train or practice. You do what your supposed to do. Many Championships are won in the mud.
Here's some of the information that i've compiled from my research.
Daily Food Intake
Meal#1 (Breakfast) Start your day with a complete breakfast. That doesn't mean stuff yourself. Have something from as many food groups as possible. (ex. Dairy, Cereals, Grains, Fruits & Meats) A good way to simplify this is to make a Shake with your fruit, yogurt, egg whites and you could add Oat Meal or Granola.
Meal#2, 3, 4 & 5 approx. two to three hours between, are all similar to each other. Try to eat different foods in each meal because fruit, vegetable and grains have different vitamins and nutrients that the body needs.
(ex. Salad with Low Fat Dressing, Whole Wheat pasta with vegetables & 12 Grain Whole Wheat Bread)
Snack #6 - If you want to snack or have a sugar craving, Think nutritious, Try eating Fruits or Vegetables instead of Chips and Chocolate Bars. Another good option is a high fiber protein shake that will fill your hunger gap.
- Don't try to make yourself full every time you eat.
Some Food Facts
The more Refined foods (Bad Carbs) you eat (eg. White Sugar, White Pasta, White Rice, White Bread.......) the more quickly your body digests them causing Blood Sugar level spikes. Insulin levels rise to control your blood sugar level converting the carbs to unwanted fats and you will also feel tired .
Eating Unrefined foods (Good Carbs) lets your body digest them slowly (eg. Brown Sugar, Whole Wheat Pasta, Whole Wheat Bread...). Your blood sugar levels don't spike so your body doesn't create as much insulin. So you will in-fact have more energy from eating good foods.
Try to eat as many food groups as possible each day. Every food has different vitamins and nutrients. Try not to have a big serving of just one food group. (ex. Potatoes are great for you but have a high Glycemic Index (GI) so your body will process them quickly causing you to feel tired after)
For athletes figure out approximately how many calories you are burning and try to base your serving sizes on that. Remember days where your more active or your work outs are more intense you'll be using more calories.
How much Carbs/Protiens/Fats do you need to eat? Generally you want to eat a ratio of 45% - 55% Carbs/25% - 35% Protein/ 20% Fats.
So if you burn 3000 Calories a day and my goal is a 50%-30%-20%
Carbs .5 x 3000 = 1500cal / 4 = 375g
Proteins .3 x 3000 = 900cal / 4 = 225g
Fats .2 x 3000 = 600cal / 9 = 67g
Carbs are 4 Calories, Protein is 4 Calories, Fats are 9 Calories per gram
3500 Calories = 1 lb. Divide that by 7 days, and you have a reduction of 500 calories per day for a week. You can safely lose 1-2 lbs per week. It is recommended to reduce your calories by 500 per day, but never more than 1000 calorie deficit per day. Though never go under 1200 calories per day if you are a female, because your body will go into starvation mode and it is possible that you mind gain weight, besides doing damage to your body. (1500 if you are male.) Increase the number of calories if you particpate in any form of exercise. As your body needs 1200/1500 calories just to function. Of course it goes the other direction... Take in 500 calories more per day and you will gain a pound a week. For those of you who wish to gain some weight.
Basic Rules to Follow
- Eat a Complete Breakfast
- Eat Smaller Meals more often
- Try to eat 5 or 6 Meals a day
- Include a Lean Protein Source with each Meal
- Choose foods, especially carbs, rich in fiber (25 - 35g/day
- Drink a pre-workout shooter and/or a post-workout recovery shake.
- Add a multivitamin with anti-oxidant complex and an omega 3 / omega 6 blend into your daily routine
- Stay hydrated during the day with 0.5 - 1 oz of water per pound.
Hydration
The body needs a lot of water in order to maintain its daily functions efficiently. In addition, water helps to flush out harmful toxins, as well as prime the body for fat loss.
If your body isn't getting enough water, it does everything it can to hold on to the water it does have. That water is used for things, such as the body's organs., You will actually feel bloated when you drink water when you haven't been taking in enough water. The way to get rid of that bloating, believe it or not, is to take in enough water. This will rid you of that excess water that bloats you, and begin to help your body run more efficiently and priming it to begin dropping body fat.
Once you begin taking in enough water, your body starts dropping weight, possibly 4 or 5 pounds in the first week. Now, this is mostly water weight. However, doing so does optimizes your bodily functions, allowing it to run more efficiently and start burning stored body fat for energy.
- You can drink to much water so don't over do it.
Cold Water Vs. Warm Water
Depending on what your trying to do you may want to drink room temperature or cold water. Before your body can process the water it needs to warm the water closer to body temperature, Which burns more energy/calories. So if your trying to lose body fat drinking ice cold water might help. But during race day you want to conserve your energy so drinking room temperature water would be better.
Recommendations
Every morning when you wake up have 2 cups of water (16 ounces). To Get you Going. You should have in ounces the same as 3/4 your body weight to full body weight in water a day. So I'm 180 pounds I would have about 16 - 22 cups of water.
Sports Drinks (Gatorade) - 2 Cups 2 hours before, 4 - 6 Gulps During (or right before), 2 Cups for every pound Lost after.
- Dehydration Impairs Performance up to 25%
Glossary
Glycemic Index (GI) - GI measures how quickly a food that contains carbohydrate raises a fasting person's blood sugar levels and subsequent insulin in two hours. (Insulin is the hormone that activates cells to absorb sugar from the bloodstream, thus reducing blood sugar levels.) Lower the GI the better.
Carbohydrates - one of the three main classes of food and a source of energy. Carbohydrates are the sugars and starches found in breads, cereals, fruits, and vegetables, which, during digestion, are changed into a simple sugar called glucose. Glucose is stored in the liver until cells need it for energy.
Good Carbohydrates - Good carbohydrates are the ones found in nature and usually do not cause a high rise in blood sugar levels. Whole grains have a thick fiber coating that releases starches and sugars very slowly so blood sugar levels do not rise too high. (i.e., brown rice, whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta....)
Good carbs have these healthy characteristics:
- high in fiber: helps you stay full longer (and avoid overeating), provides sustained energy, lowers cholesterol levels, helps to remove toxins from the body
- low glycemic index: stabilizes blood sugar levels and insulin production
- high in nutrients: natural vitamins, minerals & phytonutrients promote health and help to prevent chronic disease
- low 'energy-density' (except nuts & seeds): provides sustained energy, promotes healthy weight loss and long-term weight maintenance
- greater 'thermic effect': naturally stimulates metabolism and promotes fat loss
Bad Carbohydrates - Bad carbohydrates are usually created by refining grains or other plants into "pure" starches or sugars (i.e., flour, white rice, cornmeal, table sugar and all other extracted sugars.) These refined carbohydrates pass immediately from the stomach into the intestines and cause a high rise in blood sugar.
Protein - Protein has a critical physiological function. Protein is primarily used in the body to
build, maintain, and repair body tissues. In the event that protein intake is greater than that
required by the body for this primary function, excessive protein is converted to energy for
immediate use or stored in the body as fat. Protein energy will be used only after other energy
sources (carbohydrate and fat) are exhausted or unavailable.
Good protein - Protein may come in many forms, but the better type of protein is low in saturated fat. Good protein choices include: fish, lean beef, lean ham, egg whites, whole eggs, chicken breast, turkey breast, pulses, beans, nuts, seeds, soy products and vegetarian protein foods such as quorn and seitan.
Fats - one of the three main classes of foods and a source of energy in the body. Fats help the body use some vitamins and keep the skin healthy. They also serve as energy stores for the body. In food, there are two types of fats: saturated and unsaturated
Best Fats Good Fats
Monounsaturated Fat Foods Polyunsaturated Fat Foods
- Avocado • Margarine (first ingredient is
- polyunsaturated oil)
- Oil (canola, olive, peanut, sesame) • Mayonnaise (regular or reduced-fat)
- Olives (all) • Miracle Whip Salad Dressing (regular or reduced-fat)
- Nuts • Nuts (walnuts)
- almonds, cashews • Oil (corn, safflower, soybean,
- filberts, hazelnuts cottonseed)
- macadamia nuts
- peanuts, pecans • Salad dressing (regular & reduced-fat)
- pistachios
- Peanut butter, old-fashioned • Seeds (pumpkin, sunflower)
- Sesame seeds
Bad Fats Bad Fats
Saturated Fats Trans Fats
- Bacon & Bacon grease • Hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fats
- Butter (stick, whipped, reduced-fat) • Margarine (stick)
- Coconut • Nondairy creamers
- Cream & half-and-half • Shortening
- Cream cheese
- Ice cream
- Lard & salt pork
- Palm & palm kernel oil
Great Website with lots of information - Gatorade Sports Science Institute - www.gssiweb.com with lots of information on Hydration, Food and Performance.
