A review of the basics of the theory and practice of eating well for health and athletic performance
After a television series has aired for several years, often it seems that the writers begin to run out of ideas. The result is easy-to-produce episodes that consist primarily of flashbacks from previous episodes. Hopefully the break from having to produce an entirely new episode will enable the writers to overcome writer’s block and once again generate quality programming. Consider this article our “flashback” episode. ver the past two years BFS has published many articles for coaches and athletes about nutritional theory.
Topics have ranged from the importance of eating fruits and vegetables to the risk of failing drug tests due to tainted supplements. All these articles are available on our website, and we encourage you to read all of them and share them with your friends. If you haven’t had a chance to read these articles, or if you’ve missed one or two (shame on you!), here is a “Top Ten” list of OCourtney McMurtry, an elite figure skater formerly coached by BFS Editor Kim Goss when he lived in Dallas, recently sent us this photo of her in her prom dress. These athletes need to pay close attention to nutritional planning to achieve physical superiority and athletic success.
nutritional guidelines that summarizes the key points in these articles. Following them will vastly improve health and athletic performance.
1. Eat like a caveman. All your meals should contain at least one vegetable and a good protein source. General guideline: “If it wasn’t growing on the earth 10,000 years ago and you can’t kill it with a stick, don’t eat it!”
2. Avoid the five lethal foods Avoiding these foods (soda, French fries, potato chips, donuts, candy) helps reduce the consumption of refined sugar and processed foods. If you crave sugar, eat fruit.
3. Favor solid foods over liquid nutrition Solid foods are better sources of fiber, which offers many health benefits such as improved digestion.
4. Stay hydrated Your urine should be clear and odorless.
5. Consume protein from a variety of sources Limiting yourself to just beef, eggs and chicken can lead to food allergies. Consider other sources such as shrimp, scallops, turkey and buffalo.
6. Consult with a medical professional if you are considering going on a diet. Many diets have severe nutritional deficiencies that can cause health problems.
7. Consider supplementing your diet with a multivitamin/mineral The American Medical Association recommends such a nutritional aid to avoid nutrient deficiencies.
8. Use only pharmaceutical-grade nutritional aids One out of four supplements are tainted with substances that may cause you to fail a drug test.
9.Consult with a medical professional if you are considering taking high doses of nutritional aids High levels of some nutritional aids can cause health problems. It’s usually best to stick with the manufacturer’s guidelines.
10. Get an antioxidant scan A scan will determine the quality of your diet and can help you determine the effectiveness of any supplements you may be taking.
Innocent Ukpong, who is coached by Tim Swords (see page 8) made the successful transition from professional bodybuilder to Olympic weightlifter. It takes a lot of calories to support such muscle mass. (Bruce Klemens photo)
From Theory to Practice One of the problems we’ve found in helping athletes eat well is that even though they might understand these nutritional guidelines they still might have no idea about what to eat. One way to resolve this problem is to provide examples of what would constitute healthy meal plans. Figures 1-4 show four detailed diet plans, ranging from 1,100 to 3,200 calories. They were designed by strength coach Charles Poliquin and his team of doctors at the Poliquin Performance Center, and have been used by many of his elite athletes.
At this point, the final step is to have athletes begin planning their own meals and then keep a logbook of what they eat. Just the simple act of planning reduces the risk of eating poorly because it provides accountability. The plan doesn’t have to be elaborate, and there are many computer programs that will do it automatically. Figure 5 shows a simple form for this.
Breakfast: 3 oz. smoked salmon, sliced cucumbers and tomatoes Lunch: 4 oz. broiled sole or flounder cooked with 1 tsp. butter and sprinkled with Parmesan cheese (or other serving of seafood), 1/2 cup cooked vegetable, mixed green salad with 1 tsp. oil Dinner: 4 oz. wood-smoked or broiled salmon, 1/2 cup cooked brown rice or vermicelli pasta (Pastariso brand), 1/2 cup tomato sauce with extra oregano, thyme and garlic, grilled vegetables with 1 tsp. olive oil Snacks: Your choice of . . .
Roasted garlic or almond butter on whole-grain cracker or celery; protein shake with freshly ground flaxseed added; handful of raw almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, brazil nuts or pumpkin seeds; fresh green vegetable juice; an organic apple, pear or grapes; sugar-free yogurt; rice cakes with nut butter; 1 whole-grain muffin with 1 tsp. no-sugar-added jam; guacamole and fat-free chips; fresh or dried organic fruit of any kind; 2 oz. cheese; 2 oz. lean hormone-free meat with mustard; hard-boiled egg Breakfast: 3 eggs, 3/4 cup oatmeal, I tsp. slivered almonds, I tsp. butter Lunch: 5 oz. turkey white meat, Dijon mustard, gravy, or other sugar-free sauce or condiment, 2 cups spinach salad with 2 Tbsp.
Caesar dressing, handful of cashews Dinner: 6 oz. almond-crusted broiled red snapper, I cup steamed broccoli, I baked yam, I tsp. butter Snacks: Your choice of . . . 1/2 small fruit, I oz. cheese, I small handful of nuts; I oz. cheese, 36 calories of crackers, I thin slice avocado; I oz. meat, I slice bread, I tsp. canola mayonnaise; I hard-boiled egg; small handful of grapes and nuts Beverages: Your choice of . . . Green drinks: Green Magma, Kyogreen or Green Kamut: I tsp. 1-3 times per day in water; Herbal teas: cinnamon, chamomile or green tea with cinnamon stick Beverages: Your choice of . . . Green drinks: Green Magma, Kyogreen or Green Kamut: 1 tsp.
1-3 times per day in water; Herbal teas: cinnamon, chamomile or green tea with cinnamon stick FIGURE 4 Breakfast: 1-8 oz steak, 1 handful of pecan nuts Lunch: 2 broiled lamb chops, 1 cup barley (herbs and rice wine vinegar), 8 cooked asparagus, spinach salad, 2 tsp. vinaigrette dressing Dinner: 6 oz. stir-fried fish with 1 cup snow pea pods, onions, bean sprouts, red pepper Snacks: Your choice of . . .
Handful of raw nuts (almonds, brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, sesame seeds, walnuts); small sugar-free yogurt; raw vegetables; 1 fruit (organic apple, pear or grapes); air-popped popcorn; fiber bar; hardboiled egg; sugar-free rice cakes with nut butter; roasted garlic or almond butter on celery; protein shakes with freshly ground flaxseeds added; 1 whole-grain muffin with 1 tsp. no-sugar-added jam; guacamole and fat-free chips; 2 oz. cheese; 2 oz. lean hormone-free meat Beverages: Your choice of . . . Green drinks: Green Magma, Kyogreen or Green Kamut: 1 tsp.
1-3 times per day in water; Herbal teas: cinnamon, chamomile or green tea with cinnamon stick Breakfast: 4-egg omelet with onions, pepper, tomato, mushrooms, 1/2 pink grapefruit, 1 Tbsp. almond butter on spelt bread Lunch: 8 oz. tuna, 1 Tbsp. mayonnaise, 2 avocado slices, onions, 2 pieces whole-grain bread, 4 oz. cole slaw, 1 apple Dinner: 8 oz. roast beef, 1 slice cheese, tomato, onion, lettuce, Dijon mustard, 1 cup brown rice, 1 orange Snacks: Your choice of . . .
Handful of raw nuts (almonds, brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, sesame seeds, walnuts); small sugar-free yogurt; raw vegetables; 1 fruit (organic apple, pear or grapes); air-popped popcorn; fiber bar; hardboiled egg; sugar-free rice cakes with nut butter; roasted garlic or almond butter on celery; protein shakes with freshly ground flaxseeds added; 1 whole-grain muffin with 1 tsp. no-sugar-added jam; guacamole and fat-free chips; 2 oz. cheese; 2 oz. lean hormone-free meat with mustard. Beverages: Your choice of . . . Green drinks: Green Magma, Kyogreen or Green Kamut: 1 tsp.
1-3 times per day in water; Herbal teas: cinnamon, chamomile or green tea with cinnamon stick DAILY FOOD PLANNER Day: ____________________ On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate your diet today? _____ A single diet plan does not work for everyone, and the research now available about proper nutrition is overwhelming. One extremely readable and practical book for coaches and high school students that provides easy-to-follow nutrition www.bigger fasterstronger.com guidelines and numerous sample diets is The German Body Comp Program, available through BFS.
And for serious athletes who want to learn more about good nutrition theory, two excellent books to start with are The Paleo Diet and the Paleo Diet for Athletes by Loren Cordain, PhD. Happy reading, good luck with your personal nutrition program, and don’t be a couch potato—no stale TV flashbacks for you!
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From BFS Magazine — May/June 2006. Part of the BFS Magazine Archive (1980–2014).
