August 11, 2004
By LESLIE BECK

How to eat like an Olympian

Athletes at all competitive levels can improve their results by getting the right foods in the right amounts

When Olympic athletes are going for gold, everything they eat counts. Calories, carbohydrate, protein, fat and fluids are precisely measured and timed to give athletes a competitive edge.

Researchers have clearly documented that what an athlete eats and drinks affects body composition, fuel availability during exercise, and recovery time.

You don't have to be an elite or Olympic athlete to reap the beneficial effect of nutrition on exercise performance. Whether you're a recreational athlete or a competitive marathoner, eating the right foods in the right amounts can optimize your performance.

If you're serious about exercise, you're probably no stranger to protein. Protein-rich foods, protein bars and protein shakes are often recommended by trainers to help bulk up and recover from exercise.

Health-food stores are overflowing with protein powders that promise to help you achieve peak performance. With names like Mega Whey, Precision Protein and Pro Performance Whey Iso Burst, you'd think these products would guarantee you a ticket to Athens.

Don't get me wrong. Protein is a very important nutrient in an athlete's diet. Protein-rich foods such as meat, poultry, eggs, dairy, nuts, beans and tofu supply amino acids, the building blocks used for muscle growth and repair.

During the 1800s, it was widely believed that protein was the main fuel burned during exercise. But gone are the days when body builders downed precompetition meals of eggs and steak.

Today we know that almost all the energy used to fuel exercise -- be it weight training, running, tennis, or basketball -- comes from carbohydrates and fat.

During short bouts of exercise, protein contributes virtually no fuel to working muscles. If you're a long-distance runner or endurance cyclist, proteins stored in muscle contribute roughly 2 to 5 per cent of total calories burned.

Despite this fact, athletes do have higher protein requirements than sedentary people. Extra protein is needed to repair muscle damage that occurs during exercise and to support muscle building.

Sedentary individuals require 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. For a 130-pound (59-kilogram) woman, this translates into roughly 50 grams of protein.

Studies suggest that endurance athletes need to consume 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day.

Resistance exercise such as weightlifting is thought to increase protein needs even more. It's recommended that strength athletes consume 1.6 to 1.7 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day.

You don't need to resort to an Atkins-style diet to get the extra protein you need. Studies show that most athletes can easily meet their daily protein requirements from a mixed diet.

A 180-pound (82-kilogram) man who lifts weights at the gym needs 131 grams of protein per day. Three servings of dairy, a six-ounce serving of chicken, fish or meat at lunch and dinner, and an energy bar provides 123 grams. Grains and vegetables also supply some protein to the diet.

What about those protein shakes for sale at the gym? To date, there is no solid evidence that protein supplements or special blends of amino acids work any better at aiding muscle repair or growth than does protein in ordinary foods.

That's not to say there is no place for these products. If you're a vegetarian athlete who avoids animal foods, protein powders made from soy or whey (a byproduct of cheese making) can certainly help boost your protein intake.

While some protein is a good thing, more is not better. If you're trying to build muscle mass, increasing your protein intake beyond the recommended levels won't help because there's a limit to the rate at which protein can be synthesized into muscle.

Unlike carbohydrate and fat, the body can't store protein. The excess will either be burned for energy or, if you're getting the calories you need, it will be tucked away as fat.

Protein can't do its job without an adequate supply of carbohydrate-rich foods. If your calorie intake is too low, the extra protein you eat will be used for energy-burning purposes, rather than muscle building.

Too often I've counselled clients who were training hard and getting enough protein but they weren't seeing results at the gym. The problem -- too few calories from carbs, the primary fuel for muscle-building exercises. Eating more calories from whole grains and fruit enabled them to get the gains they wanted.

When it comes to fuelling exercise, timing is key. Since the body can't store protein, it makes sense to feed your muscles when they need it. A preworkout snack, eaten one to two hours before exercise, may help reduce muscle-tissue damage from weight training. And research suggests that as little as six grams of protein, consumed before strength training, can enhance postexercise muscle repair.

After any workout, eat a combination of protein and carbohydrate within 30 minutes, and again two hours later, to help your muscles recover, grow and re-energize for your next workout.

Good choices for pre- and postworkout snacks include ogurt and fruit, a smoothie, an energy bar or a sandwich with lean protein. If you opt for that protein powder, mix it with a source of carbohydrate, such as milk, soy beverage or unsweetened fruit juice.

If you train hard, eat a healthy diet, and spread your protein intake over the day, the results will follow.

Leslie Beck, a Toronto-based dietitian at the Medcan Clinic, is on CTV's Canada AM every Wednesday.

Protein-packed foods

Protein Food type, amount: (grams)

Meat, 3 oz. (90 grams):21-25

Chicken, 3 oz. (90 grams): 21

Salmon, 3 oz. (90 grams): 25

Tuna, 1/2 cup (125 ml): 20

Egg, 1 whole, large: 6

Egg, 1 white, large: 3

Milk, 1 cup (250 ml): 8

Yogurt, 3/4 cup (175 ml): 8

Cheese, cheddar, 1 ounce (30 g): 10

Black beans, cooked, 1 cup (250 ml): 16

Lentils, cooked, 1 cup (250 ml): 19

Soybeans, cooked, 1 cup (250 ml): 30

Almonds, 1/2 cup (125 ml): 12

Energy Bars, high carbohydrate (e.g. PowerBar): 7

Energy Bars, 40/30/30 (e.g. Zone Perfect Bar): 14-18

Energy Bars, high protein (e.g. Pure Protein): 21-35

Soy Protein Powder, plain, 1 scoop (28 g): 25

Whey Protein Powder, 1 scoop (28 g): 22-25

SOURCES: NUTRIENT VALUES OF SOME COMMON FOODS-HEALTH CANADA, LESLIE BECK, RD

reprinted with permission