Nutrition for Max Results

Allow me to summarize this article for those of us with busy schedules:

1) Eat wholesome, fiber rich carbohydrates to get more results.
2) You only need as much protein as your body can process in the moment.
3) For a list of foods I support download “Grocery List.”
4) To be educated; read on!

Most Nutritionists out there will tell you that about 60-70% of your diet should consist of carbohydrates. The fact of the matter is that all of us need carbohydrates, especially when we are training hard.

Carbohydrates are the gasoline of our muscles, except that you won’t need to refinance to fill up on them! Carbohydrates are stored in the muscles as fuel, protein is not. In fact any excess protein that your body does not need at the moment is just passed through your system.

In a landmark study; weight lifters who ate a high fat or high protein diet after exercising to exhaustion remained glycogen depleted for 5 days after their session (they had no energy). Compare these results to the people who reached for a high carbohydrate meal and replenished their bodies in 24 hrs. (1)

“Carbohydrates are important not only for endurance athletes but also those who train hard day after day and want to maintain high energy. If you eat a low carbohydrate diet, your muscles will feel chronically fatigued. You’ll train, but not at your best.” (2)

But there are diet fad’s that have come and gone which boasted a “no carb” approach. Some people were very successful in the short term with these programs. So what gives?

My personal opinion is that when many of us think of carbohydrates we think of the “junk foods”. In other words, we eat refined carbohydrates and sugars (i.e. white breads, soda, anything containing “high fructose corn syrup”) when we should be searching for darker, more dense, high fiber options (i.e. fruits, vegetables, any bread with a big red heart on the label from the American Heart Association).

Refined grain products and simple sugars are converted into fat very quickly. So by ridding our bodies of that sugar we can drop weight, for a while (and in my opinion very un-naturally and unsafely).

Don’t buy into the hype; a business can profit from marketing protein powders and diet fads much easier than by selling fruits, vegetables, and a well rounded diet… take it from an Agriculture Business graduate.

1- Bergstrom J., L. Hermansen, E. Hultman, et al. 1967. Diet, muscle glycogen, and Physical Performance. Acta Physiol Scand 71: 140-150.
2- Clark C. 1990. Sports Nutrition Guidebook 2nd Edition. 115.