Nutrition Guide

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Introduction To the Athlete, The success of any training program relies heavily on aspects that are almost entirely out of the control of coaches and trainers, who cannot supervise what athletes do when they leave the training environment. This is where certain behaviors and habits can sabotage everything the athlete has worked so hard to accomplish. Proper nutrition plays a huge role in how the body recovers and responds to training. Eating well provides energy for workouts and the raw materials for building strong bones, muscles, and connective tissue. It also provides the foundation for a healthy immune system, meaning less training time missed due to sickness and a more consistent training effect. I often get questions from athletes concerning proper nutrition. These questions can seem daunting at times. We live in an exciting age where we can access information about any subject with the touch of a button. However, not all the information presented is truthful, reliable, or accurate. Advice about nutrition put forth on television, the internet, in magazines and newspapers is often flawed. It can be overwhelming to decipher and look critically at the information that bombards us on a daily basis. This informational guide has been created to give you easily understandable information that can be applied in everyday situations to give you the greatest chance of success. A great deal of time has been spent researching the latest nutritional information from the top organizations and individuals in the fields of strength and conditioning, nutrition, and health. However, this guide does not take the place of advice from a licensed nutritionist, dietitian, or doctor. The goal is that as competitive athletes you become knowledgeable about nutrition. By being a smarter shopper and by preparing your meals the correct way, or by choosing the right foods in the dining hall or when you are out to eat, you can improve your health, energy levels, and performance. I hope that you are dedicated to developing all aspects of healthy behavior. If you follow the guidelines in the pages that follow and continue to develop a greater understanding of the foods that you eat, you will give yourself the best chance of fulfilling your goals and achieving your maximum potential. Good Luck! Kyle Sottung Strength and Conditioning Coach

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Getting Started

Making the correct food choices is one of the hardest decisions faced by people today. With changes in lifestyle afforded by increasing technology, it has become easier to fall into the habit of eating poorly. Too often we reach for what is convenient and easy instead of what is healthy. Also, how we work and play is becoming increasingly sedentary. Today, we move less and eat more than ever before, with drastic negative consequences. In our country, about 2/3 of the population is considered overweight (Body Mass Index > 25), and 1/3 is considered obese (BMI > 30). Alarmingly, these numbers are the highest they have ever been. With a myriad of diets and fads being marketed to the general public, it can be difficult to discern between what is good and bad. However, you don’t need to be a scientist or a mathematician to count calories or determine exact ratios of nutrients in foods. If you can make simple changes to poor dietary habits, you can get great results. The key is having consistency with good eating behavior. Let’s make this as simple as possible: 7 easy steps that you can implement right away. This is not a cutting edge diet nor is it groundbreaking advice. It is a basic intervention utilizing time-tested, scientifically researched information. If you can apply these principles to your current diet about 90% of the time, you will be on your way to eating for optimum health and performance. (Note: bold and italicized words can be found on page 17)

7 Quick Steps to Eating Right

Step 1. Eat Mostly Whole, Natural Foods that are Minimally Processed Step 1 involves eating whole, natural, and fresh foods. By eliminating highly processed foods, you can get the most “bang” for your nutritional “buck”. Food processing can remove good qualities from food and replace them with artificial additives that can be useless, or worse yet, harmful to the body. By keeping your choices as pure and natural as possible, you can ensure high quality, nutrient dense food. Let’s start with the definition of food processing: the techniques and methods used to convert raw materials into food for human consumption. This definition encompasses many different processes (good and bad) that lead to a finished food product. It is important to understand the difference between good and bad food processing. For example, the butchering of an animal into parts you can purchase and cook, such as a steak or chicken breasts, adds convenience and only minimally alters the structure of the food, making it a helpful form of food processing. On the other hand, let’s look at the ingredients of a Pop-tart…Pop-tarts, warm out of the toaster, sweet frosting and fruit filling…mmm..Hey! Snap out of it! No offense to Kellogg’s (well, maybe a little), but Pop-tarts are about as processed as you get. The ingredients of a Pop-tart read as follows:

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ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACINAMIDE, REDUCED IRON, THIAMIN MONONITRATE [VITAMIN B1], RIBOFLAVIN

[VITAMIN B2], FOLIC ACID), CORN SYRUP, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, DEXTROSE, VEGETABLE OIL (SOYBEAN, PALM, COTTONSEED AND/OR HYDROGENATED COTTONSEED OIL† WITH TBHQ AND CITRIC ACID FOR FRESHNESS), SUGAR,

CRACKER MEAL, CONTAINS TWO PERCENT OR LESS OF WHEAT STARCH, SALT, DRIED STRAWBERRIES, DRIED APPLES,

DRIED PEARS, CORNSTARCH, LEAVENING (BAKING SODA, SODIUM ACID PYROPHOSPHATE, MONOCALCIUM PHOSPHATE), CITRIC ACID, MILLED CORN, MODIFIED WHEAT STARCH, GELATIN, CARAMEL COLOR, MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES,

SODIUM STEAROYL LACTYLATE, DATEM, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN AND/OR COTTONSEED OIL†, MODIFIED

CORN STARCH, XANTHAN GUM, SOY LECITHIN, COLOR ADDED, NIACINAMIDE, REDUCED IRON, RED #40, VITAMIN A PALMITATE, YELLOW #6, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B6), RIBOFLAVIN (VITAMIN B2), THIAMIN

HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B1), FOLIC ACID, TURMERIC COLOR, BLUE #1.

To think that all of these ingredients, many of them “modified”, “partially hydrogenated”, and “high fructose” (not to mention the ingredients you would only use in a chemistry lab or to dye Easter eggs) go into a Pop-tart can be alarming. But these ingredients are processed and manipulated for a reason: to give the food a pleasing look, a sweet and satisfying taste, and to allow it to stay fresh for much longer than it would otherwise. Learning to read nutrition labels and food ingredients can steer you down the right path to keeping your food as natural as possible. Please refer to the section entitled “How to be a Smart Food Label Reader” for more information. Now let’s think about the setup of your neighborhood grocery store. If you stay to the outside walls of the store, what type of foods are you likely to find? What about the middle of the store? Why do most supermarkets set up this way? Well, grocery stores aren’t dumb. They understand that the outside walls are the best places to keep refrigeration units that can be easily stocked from behind or are close to storage and receiving areas located in the back of the store. So the items that need to be consistently replaced and kept fresh are located on the periphery where they can be easily restocked to improve traffic flow in the store. The middle of the store is where you’ll find items that have a long shelf life (like Pop-tarts), meaning they can stay there without being replaced for a long time. The result is better traffic flow and easier access for customers and store employees. Use this information to guide your grocery shopping. Fresh produce, meats, and dairy will be found toward the outside of the store, and this is where you should be doing most of your buying. Also, more supermarkets are dedicating entire sections of the store to all-natural and organic foods. These foods are usually free of potentially harmful hormones, antibiotics, pesticides, and food dyes. The drawback is that these fresh foods usually don’t last as long as their processed counterparts (often due to the lack of chemical preservatives) and can be more expensive. But you wouldn’t put low-quality gas in your car if you wanted it to run optimally, so don’t put low-quality food in your body if you want it to perform at its peak. The key is to choose the most natural and minimally processed foods on the budget that you have.

Step 2. Eat Early, Eat Often

You can jumpstart your metabolism by eating a good breakfast and eating many (6 or 7) small meals throughout the day. Let’s take a trip into the past to find out some things about the ways our bodies work. Back when humans were hunting large animals and hadn’t perfected farming, we relied on getting

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our calories in large quantities at one sitting with long times in between meals. So our bodies developed a system of storing energy that could be utilized during those days between meals when we couldn’t get our energy through food. By storing energy as fat, we could survive much longer if we couldn’t find food. So early humans ate as much as they could because they never knew when the next opportunity to eat would be. Fast-forward to today, when technology has made it easy to produce food in large quantities. Most Americans are allowed an abundance of food, usually more than they need. And while weight gain and loss is not quite as simple as “calories in versus calories out”, a large amount of extra calories will likely be stored as fat. But instead of using that fat for future fuel when food is scarce, we can eat multiple times a day each and every day. Combine that with an increasingly sedentary lifestyle, and it’s no wonder that Americans are heavier than ever. It should seem counterintuitive to think that eating more frequently, at least every 3 hours (6-7 meals per day), would be beneficial for controlling weight. But eating more frequently can have many healthy benefits. The key to eating more frequently is to make sure that you are not overeating during your meals. In a world of “Super-Sized” meals, it can be easy to develop a warped sense of portion size. Keep the meals smaller and your body will thank you. Here are some benefits of eating smaller meals spread out through the day:

Reduces the feeling of being excessively hungry, which can decrease overeating. Overeating can cause an increase in insulin levels, signaling the body to store energy in the form of fat.

Avoids the body’s “starving” mode that can lead to the breakdown of muscle tissue. Decreases in muscle tissue can lead to a slower metabolism.

Your body uses fuel for digestion, a process called the “thermogenic effect of food”. By eating more frequently, you can keep your metabolism elevated all day.

Provides constant fuel for daily activity, so you can avoid the “highs” and “lows” of blood sugar and hormone levels that can zap your energy.

The longest you should go without eating is the time that you are sleeping. While you are sleeping, your body goes into fasting or “starving” mode, slowing metabolism and recovering from a long day of activity. But just because you are sleeping doesn’t mean your body is not using energy. It needs energy to keep your brain, heart, and other organs working, rebuilding tissues and filtering waste from your body. Upon waking in the morning, your body needs to replenish the energy it used. Eating breakfast jump-starts your body and brain, replenishing what your body has used during the fasting process. It starts your day by boosting your metabolism. In fact, many studies have found that people who eat breakfast tend to consume fewer calories throughout the day than those who skip breakfast. A good breakfast should consist of a lean source of protein, such as eggs, and slow burning carbohydrates, such as

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oatmeal, whole grain breads, and fruit (See steps 3 and 4 for more information on choosing proteins and carbohydrates). Here is a sample of what a normal day would look like under this plan. You should find the foods that work for you but follow similar timing of meals. Water should be taken in immediately upon waking, and consumed throughout the day:

Time/Meal What to Eat

7:00am Breakfast 2 eggs 1 cup oatmeal with raisins and apple At least 20 oz of water

9:30am Mid Morning Snack Banana Handful of Almonds or Walnuts

12:00pm Lunch Tuna w/ mustard, lettuce, tomato, on whole grain wrap Apple

2:30pm Mid Afternoon Snack All-natural Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich

5:00pm Dinner Mixed salad w/ vegetables and grilled chicken Small amount of salad dressing

7:30pm After Dinner Snack Low fat cottage cheese w/ fruit

Step 3. Be a Protein Pro

When you train or exercise you tear down muscle fibers that need to be rebuilt. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, and proteins make up the tissues in your body, including bones, muscles, even skin. By choosing the right sources and getting adequate protein intake, you can lay the foundation for a strong and healthy body. You should try to eat complete (containing all 9 essential amino acids), lean protein with every meal. The protein that comes from animal sources, such as chicken, beef, and fish, is complete. Plant sources almost always contain incomplete proteins (the main exception being soybeans). Therefore, vegetarians have to take extra care to ensure a balanced diet with adequate intake of all the essential amino acids. A key point in this recommendation is the concept of “lean” protein. This means that the food has a low amount of fat, particularly saturated fat. Knowing the difference between a good protein choice and a bad one requires a basic knowledge of reading food labels (see pages 14

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and 15 for more information). For example, a Big Mac from McDonalds has 25 grams of protein, but 30 grams of fat. A serving of Albacore tuna has 16 grams of protein with 1 gram of fat. Obviously the tuna would qualify as the lean choice. Some healthy choices for complete protein include:

lean cuts of beef (fat percentage is usually indicated on the package)

skinless white meat chicken or turkey

eggs (the whites are leanest, but the yolks have more nutrients)

fish such as salmon and tuna

low-fat dairy such as cottage cheese, low-fat or skim milk, and yogurt (be careful of high amounts of added sugar!)

soybeans and tofu

Step 4. Carbs Are Not The Enemy….But Choose Wisely Choosing mostly complex carbohydrates with high nutrient contents over simple, processed carbohydrates with low nutrient contents can be beneficial to overall health and energy levels. Carbohydrates are the body’s primary fuel source. Some recent trends have portrayed carbohydrates as the enemy. No-carb or low-carb diets have become popular as a way to lose weight, and while many people do have success on these diets, many of those people relapse and end up right where they started. Athletes especially need carbohydrates to provide the energy for training, competition, and recovery. We briefly touched on slow burning carbohydrates in Step 2. Carbohydrates that come from fruit, vegetable, and whole grain sources are typically digested slowly in the body, leading to an increased thermogenic effect where more calories are burned. Carbohydrates that are quickly digested in the body can spike blood sugar levels and lead to a sugar “high” followed by a subsequent “crash”. This can sabotage your metabolism. However, following an intense workout, ingesting simple sugars such as glucose and sucrose are a good way to replenish depleted glycogen stores in your muscles. Please refer to the “Nutrition & Performance” section for more information. Basically, you should make sure that the majority of your carbohydrate intake comes from fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. These are usually the more nutrient dense foods, meaning they have a high amount of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals per calorie of energy. For example, a banana has 110 calories, zero fat, loads of potassium, vitamin B6, vitamin C, and 4g of fiber. On the other end of the spectrum, energy dense foods have high amounts of calories with little nutritional value. A great example is soda or energy drinks. A 20 ounce bottle of cola has about 210 calories and 50 grams of quick burning simple sugars with little nutritional value. Now you’re getting all those calories, chemicals, and caffeine without anything of real nutritional value. Make sure you are choosing your carbohydrates wisely for optimal results.

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Step 5. Divide and Conquer your Fats Fat has become a dirty word in today’s culture. But fat is a necessary component of all human diets, performing many important functions to keep you alive and healthy. Fats are more highly concentrated with energy than carbohydrates and protein, meaning that a small amount of fat goes a long way toward you daily calorie intake. But just like with carbohydrates, not all fats are created equal. Fats can be divided into three categories: saturated, polyunsaturated, and mononunsaturated. If you are following steps 3 and 4 properly, you are probably keeping your fat intake fairly low. The fat you are getting should be split equally between the three categories. All three are slightly different in their structure and where they can be found. Saturated fats are solid at room temperature and found mostly in meats, dairy, and certain tropical plant oils like palm and coconut oil. Polyunsaturated fats include heart healthy Omega-3 fatty acids and are found in fish, seafood, vegetable oils, and walnuts. Monounsaturated fats are typically found in olive and canola oils, peanuts, almonds, and avocados. Typically, a food label will list the total amount of fat in a food as well as a breakdown of saturated, polyunsaturated, and monounsaturated fats. Keep a balanced approach, dividing your intake evenly between the three categories, and you’ll be on your way to conquering the daunting world of fat!

A few quick notes on Cholesterol:

Cholesterol is a necessary substance in your body and performs many vital functions.

Cholesterol is made in the body but is also taken in when ingesting animal sources of food.

Too much bad cholesterol can lead to the hardening of arteries and heart disease.

Saturated fat and trans fat carry high amounts of cholesterol.

LDL cholesterol is “bad”, HDL cholesterol is “good”.

Genetics can predispose people to high cholesterol.

Exercise, healthy eating, and maintaining a healthy body weight are all ways to maintain healthy cholesterol levels.

Step 6. Boost your Liquid Assets In the business world, an asset is something owned by an individual or group that has value. In your diet, a wonderful asset exists which functions to regulate body temperature, transport vital nutrients and cells, remove waste, cushion joints, and helps facilitate just about every other function our body needs to perform. And yet we often ignore this asset because it’s just simply boring. It’s colorless, odorless, and tasteless. But when removed, the body begins to shut down and death is soon to follow. This asset is pure and simple water. Most people do not drink enough water. You may be going throughout your daily routine not knowing how much better you can feel if you were properly hydrated.

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The following are some symptoms of mild dehydration. Are you experiencing any of these?

Muscle weakness and cramping

Feeling of being tired and sleepy

Dizziness and lightheadedness

Headache

Dry, sticky mouth Athletes and exercisers especially need plenty of water because they lose sweat to their environment as a cooling mechanism. Avoid the symptoms above by taking in at least 20 ounces of water when you wake in the morning, followed by plenty more throughout the day, especially when training. A good way to tell if you are well hydrated is to check the color of your urine. You should be aiming for a clear or very pale yellow color. Most of what you drink should be non-calorie containing beverages such as water or green tea, which contains high levels of potent antioxidants. Often, we replace water in our diets with sugary sodas and juices. This adds water to our system, but it also adds a lot of unwanted calories and chemicals. Keep your juice as natural as possible (some juices don’t even contain any real juice!), and eliminate soda from your diet all together. That includes diet soda, which may not have calories but is still loaded with potentially harmful chemicals. Boost your hydration and you will reap the rewards and feel better all day long!

Step 7. Prepare for Success

You may have noticed that this guide makes no mention of counting calories or doing complex math to determine nutrient levels. The fact is, every individual’s body and body chemistry are different, meaning foods are handled differently in each person. Someone that eats whatever they want and doesn’t gain a pound is different than someone that puts on excess weight easily. The nice thing about the above steps is that they form the foundation for a healthy diet. If you aren’t practicing and mastering steps 1-6, trying to dissect your diet down to the smallest detail is basically pointless. Step 7 involves having the discipline to follow a routine of healthy eating. This involves preparation. If you had a test in school or a meeting at work and you came in unprepared, you were setting yourself up for failure. But if you came in well prepared, you knew you had the best chance for success. The same is true of healthy eating. Often, being unprepared leads to choosing convenience over health. It’s so easy to pick up fast food or order a pizza. To combat this, prepare your meals ahead of time in individual containers so you can grab and go. Think about what you have going on during the day and plan what you are going to eat and when. This way you are less likely to get off track. If your choices are limited, do your best at making the best choice possible. Most restaurants and fast food joints have nutritional information available if you ask for it. Another great way to avoid sabotaging your efforts is to keep your cupboard and refrigerator free from junk foods. You know that if it’s in your house, you will find a way to eat it! If you’re

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someone with super strong willpower, then this may not be an issue. But for most people, you can almost guarantee that some night, when you’re starving and there’s nothing else around, you will grab that box of cookies or tub of ice cream. Having a special occasion treat (birthday cake, pie on Thanksgiving) every now and then is not going to do irreversible damage, but remember it’s just that, a treat. It’s supposed to be special because you don’t do it everyday. This may be the last step, but it also may be the hardest. Without proper preparation, all of the other steps will be much harder to follow. Take some time each day to focus your attention on this critical step to guarantee your success!

Let’s Review

Follow these steps to ensure a balanced and healthy approach to nutrition!

Step 1: Eat Mostly Whole, Natural Foods that are Minimally Processed - Eat mostly whole, natural, fresh, high quality foods.

Step 2: Eat Early, Eat Often - Try to eat every three hours and immediately upon waking in the morning.

Step 3: Be a Protein Pro - Eat lean protein with every meal.

Step 4: Carbs are Not the Enemy…But Choose Wisely - Eat mostly complex carbohydrates from fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

Step 5: Divide and Conquer your Fats - Keep your total fat content low, but divide your fats evenly between saturated, polyunsaturated, and monounsaturated sources.

Step 6: Boost your Liquid Assets - Drink mostly non-calorie beverages and plenty of water (no soda!)

Step 7: Prepare for Success - Proper preparation will make steps 1-6 manageable.

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Preparing Healthy Food

You can undo many good qualities of food by cooking them improperly or adding ingredients that increase calories and saturated fat. Here are some food preparation tips to keep you meals healthy. 1. Cook Light: avoid deep frying foods and instead choose to grill, broil, or bake. Also, cook in small amounts of healthy oils instead of butter or margarine. 2. Don’t Smother: additions to your food, such as mayonnaise, cheese, salt, and butter, can add high amounts of fat and calories. Learn to enjoy the natural taste of food. 3. Modify Recipes: learn to substitute or modify your favorite recipes to limit bad ingredients and fats.

Nutrition & Performance

Athletes have special needs when it comes to nutrition. Follow the simple steps listed below to ensure you are getting the most out of your training and performance: 1. Listen to your Body: each individual is different, so pay attention to the signals your body is giving you. If eating or not eating before exercise leads to lightheadedness, cramping, upset stomach, or low energy, switch up the program and find what works best. Once you find the plan that allows you to perform optimally, stick with it. 2. Time your Meals Carefully: eating a large meal immediately before strenuous activity can lead to cramping, upset stomach, or sluggishness. Try to ingest a small meal or snack that agrees with your stomach, allowing at least an hour to begin digestion. 3. Drink Plenty of Water: sweating is a way of regulating your body temperature during exercise. This increase in water loss can lead to dehydration if not replaced. Make sure to sip water continuously, as gulping or chugging water can lead to cramping or upset stomach. Gatorade and other electrolyte drinks should not be used as a substitute for water unless the physical activity will continue for over 1 hour. 4. Take Advantage of the Golden Hour: your body stores energy in your muscles in the form of glycogen. Within an hour of exercise, you should replenish these glycogen stores by ingesting simple, fast digesting sugars such as sucrose, glucose, and fructose. Also, ingesting protein can provide the raw ingredients for rebuilding muscle tissue that has been broken down during exercise.

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Dining Out

If you are someone who frequently eats at the campus dining hall or out at restaurants, you may have a harder time making the correct food choices. When you prepare your own food from scratch, you can control exactly what goes into it. When you are not involved in the process of making food, you have to do your homework to know what you are getting. Often when you are dining out, you are getting a combination of foods that have been prepared out of your control. These combinations might look healthy at first glance, but they may have high amounts of added sugar and fat. Here are a few examples:

Subway Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki 12 inch sub: 790 calories, 38 grams of sugar, and still made it on to the “healthy” menu because it is low in fat.

Chili’s Caesar Salad with Grilled Chicken: 1,010 calories, 76 grams of fat, and almost 2,000 grams of sodium…all from a salad!

Ruby Tuesday Turkey Burger with Baked Potato: 1,524 calories, 84 grams of fat! Many restaurants bill their food as “healthy”, but until you get the nutritional information in front of you, you really have no idea. Until recently, most restaurants and campus dining halls have not displayed nutritional information. However, now you can usually find nutritional information if you ask for it, and some places display this information prominently. Another pitfall that you may encounter when eating away from home is portion size. Especially at the dining hall, you have a wide variety of choices and can fill up your plate as many times as you want. Studies have shown that when the portions are large or people are allowed to get as much food as they want, they have a tendency to overeat. Restaurants, in an effort to add perceived value, offer incredibly large portion sizes, appetizers, desserts, and free bread. If you are not careful, you can get an amazingly excessive amount of calories at one meal. When ordering at a restaurant, ask if you can adjust the recipe to suit your needs. Order the meal without cheese, mayonnaise, and other fatty toppings. Ask if you can have the dressing for a salad on the side, and choose baked or grilled meat instead of fried. People also tend to overeat when they are allowed to select how much food they take. When eating at the dining hall, have an idea of what you would like to eat and stick to it. Don’t always rely on your appetite to direct your intake. It can take some time for your body to feel satiated after a meal, so if you are eating quickly you may not feel full right away. Ask for nutritional information for the prepared food if it is not displayed. Use these strategies to make sure that dining away from home isn’t sabotaging your overall goals.

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Be a Smart Nutrition Label Reader

You can obtain a lot of information from reading food labels. The key is knowing what you’re looking for. For example, if you compare a box of one product to another, it may appear that they have similar calorie counts. But on further review, you may see that one product has a much smaller serving size and therefore has much more calories than the other. Here are some easy things to look for when reading a nutrition label: 1. Serving Size: usually located at the top of the nutrition label. You might not think 100 calories seems like a bad number until you see that’s only for 3 crackers! Serving sizes are usually much smaller than you think. 2. Protein versus Fat: if you’re eating animal protein, compare the protein versus the saturated fat. A 10 ounce cut of prime rib has 63 grams of protein but 45 grams of saturated fat. A 8 ounce chicken breast has about 55 grams of protein with about 2 grams of saturated fat. 3. The breakdown of fat: is the food high in saturated fat or trans fat? If so, steer toward a leaner option or one with higher quantities of good fats (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated). 4. Sugar: try to keep your sugar intake limited to the times surrounding strenuous exercise to replenish your energy stores. Most other times, stick to the complex carbs. Exceptions: fruits have simple sugars but are handled differently in the body, so snack away! 5. Sodium: steer away from high amounts of sodium, which often indicates a highly processed food. 6. The Ingredients: some products that look healthy based on the nutrition facts can have some hidden dangers. By reading the ingredients, you can get to the source of all the information listed in the nutrition facts.

Avoid partially hydrogenated oils that lead to the presence of trans fats.

Avoid high fructose corn syrup that leads to the presence of processed sugar.

Avoid foods with many unrecognizable chemical names, as they are most likely added during processing and are not handled well in the body.

Avoid food dyes such as Red #40, Blue #1. These are chemicals added to improve the appearance of the food but offer no other nutritional value and may even be harmful in large quantities.

Avoid artificial sweeteners such as sucralose (Splenda) or aspartame (Equal). Remember, keep your food as natural as possible!

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Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 bun (76g)

Servings per container 6

Amount per serving

Calories 210 Calories from fat 25

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 2.5g 4%

Saturated Fat 1g 5%

Trans Fat 0g 0%

Cholesterol 0mg 0%

Sodium 300mg 13%

Total Carbohydrate 37g 4%

Dietary Fiber 3g 12%

Sugars 8g

Protein 8g

Vitamin A 0% _ Vitamin C 0%

Calcium 6% Iron 15%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie

diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower

depending on your intake.

INGREDIENTS: ENRICHED BLEACHED

FLOUR, WATER, FOLIC ACID, YEAST, WHEAT

GLUTEN, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP,

BROWN SUGAR, WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR,

HONEY, OATS, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED

SOYBEAN OIL, SALT, SUNFLOWER SEEDS,

RYE, AZODICARBONAMIDE, CALCIUM

SULFATE

Fat: Your fat intake should constitute about 30% of your daily caloric intake. Try to balance your fat intake between saturated, polyunsaturated, and monounsaturated fats. Avoid trans fats.

Sodium: the most common source is salt. Too much can lead to high blood pressure. Highly processed foods often have high levels.

Sugar: a carbohydrate, sugar consumption should be limited to times surrounding vigorous exercise, when glycogen stores become depleted.

Vitamins/Minerals: some labels present this information, some don’t. A well balanced diet should provide you with adequate amounts of all the vitamins & minerals.

The Ingredients: some products that look healthy based on the nutrition facts can have some hidden dangers. By reading the ingredients, you can get to the source of all the information listed above. Partially hydrogenated oils will lead to the presence of trans fats, high fructose corn syrup to the presence of sugar. Avoid foods with many unrecognizable chemical names, as they are most likely added during processing and are not handled well in the body. Also, avoid artificial ingredients, such as food dyes (i.e. Red 40, Blue 1) and artificial sweeteners (Splenda, sucralose). Keep it as natural as possible!

Serving Size: pay special attention to this amount. Chances are the serving size is quite a lot smaller than you think. All of the other information contained in a label is irrelevant if you don’t take into account the portion size.

Calories: Refers to the amount of energy in the food. Too many calories in your diet and that energy may be stored as fat. Empty calories are those which don’t contain beneficial nutrients. Nutrient dense foods will have a lot of bang for your caloric buck.

% Daily Values: these can be misleading because they are based on a 2,000 cal/day diet. You may have different energy needs and therefore these percentages won’t apply directly to you.

Cholesterol: An essential component of our cells, too much can clog arteries.

Carbohydrates: provide the bulk of our energy. The majority of our carb intake should come from whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. Fiber is necessary for digestive health.

Protein: the building blocks of our body. Protein intake should consist of lean sources, with low amounts of saturated fat.

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Additional Resources

Check out the following websites, books, or articles to expand your knowledge about nutrition.

Articles

Site: http://www.johnberardi.com/articles/nutrition/index.htm Search this database of articles on a variety of nutritional subjects. Dr. Berardi’s 7 Rules of Good Nutrition are the foundation for this guide’s 7 Quick Steps to Eating Right. You may need to research concepts further as the articles can get meaty and scientific – a valuable resource in your arsenal.

Site: http://www.elitefts.com/documents/alwyn_fat_loss_rant.htm Site: http://www.alwyncosgrove.com/hierarchy-of-fat-loss.html

Alwyn Cosgrove is one of the most successful and progressive strength and conditioning coaches in the country. His no-nonsense advice can snap you out of poor eating and exercise behaviors.

Books

What to Eat, by Marion Nestle Site: http://www.whattoeatbook.com/

This book challenges the conventional way of thinking about all types of food by tracing the history of food production and government policy. It gives a fresh way of analyzing the way to eat, shop for, and prepare food based on sound scientific research.

In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto, by Michael Pollan Site: http://www.michaelpollan.com/indefense.php

This book utilizes a deceptively simple philosophy: “Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.” Pollan examines the difference between food and “edible food-like substances” that are derived not from nature but from food science. He offers great advice on how to change the way you choose and consume real food.

Websites

Site: http://www.drugfreesport.com/ This site contains useful information regarding dietary supplements and different types of drugs relevant to the athlete.

Site: http://www.menshealth.com/eatthis/index.php This is a decent site for obtaining nutritional information on the most popular restaurants, plus a listing of healthier alternatives and hidden dangers. More comprehensive access requires a membership, but plenty of free information is available.

Site: http://www.eatingwell.com/ For the epicures out there, this site can give provide you with healthy recipes and cooking techniques.

Albany Academy Hockey Nutrition Guide 16

Nutrition Definitions

Antioxidants A molecule capable of slowing or preventing the oxidation of other molecules that can cause chain reactions that damage cells.

Calorie A unit of measure that indicates how much energy your body gets from food.

Carbohydrates

The body's most readily available source of energy. Each gram of carbohydrate provides 4 calories of energy. Sugars are simple carbohydrates. Starches, such as breads, cereals and pasta, are complex carbohydrates.

Fat A concentrated energy source. Fat provides 9 calories per gram, more than twice as much energy as protein and carbohydrate.

Fiber Found in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, fiber is not digested in the body. It lowers cholesterol and blood sugar levels and helps move waste through the intestines.

HDL Cholesterol Often called “good” cholesterol, it removes bad cholesterol from the walls of arteries and returns it to the liver.

High Fructose Corn Syrup Any of a group of corn syrups which have undergone enzymatic processing in order to increase their fructose content. Used by companies as a cheap alternative to natural, pure sugar.

Hormones A hormone is a chemical messenger that carries a signal from one cell (or group of cells) to another via the blood. Hormones help to regulate many functions in the body.

Insulin Insulin is a hormone that triggers liver and muscle cells to take in glucose (sugar) and store it in the form of glycogen. It also triggers fat cells to take in blood lipids and store them as fat.

LDL Cholesterol Often called “bad” cholesterol, it transports cholesterol in the blood. High levels can lead to the build up of cholesterol in the arteries, called atherosclerosis.

Metabolism The whole range of biochemical processes that occur within the body to break down and utilize energy.

Minerals Inorganic (non-living) elements that are essential to nutrition. Examples include calcium and potassium.

Partially Hydrogenated A processing method that increases the shelf life of normal vegetable oils. Partial hydrogenation leads to trans fats.

Protein Made up of amino acids, proteins are the building blocks of the body. As an energy source, they supply 4 calories of energy for each gram, the same as carbohydrates.

Trans Fat Can be polyunsaturated or monounsaturated, but act like saturated fats in the body by raising bad cholesterol. A product of partial hydrogenation in most foods.

Vitamins A nutrient that is an organic compound required in tiny amounts for essential metabolic reactions in the body.