Athletic Nutrition 101 - Part II
This is Part II of a conversation on sports nutrition and supplementation for athletes with Jan Debenedetto of VitaQuest. Hear are some of his thoughts and recommendations on a supplemental nutritional regimen for athletes. Everything is safe, legal and has scientific support.
... Depending on the sport and training demands 1.4 > 2 grams/kg bodyweight of protein daily. That is too much to get by just eating. Also that much protein requires other nutrients to balance it out for over all health as well as effectiveness.
Post workout they should take a protein shake mixed in fruit juice that will also supply sugars. The body is in a very receptive state to protein and simple carb’s for a short period of time immediately following exercise vs. an hour or more afterwards. In other words the effects are substantially greater to do it immediately. It is like buying a stock, timing is critical. Whey protein is best for athletes owing to the higher concentration of the amino acid l-leucine. It is quite anabolic. The amounts depend on the athlete, but a rule of thumb is a~20 grams of protein and about 80 grams of simple carb’s. Then two hours after that eat dinner or a meal.
Protein will acidify the body and potassium and magnesium help to alkalize the body and are deficient in the American diet. They should either eat a bunch of fresh veggies and fruits for the K and Mg or supplement with potassium as potassium citrate (up to 1 gram daily) and magnesium as magnesium malate (~400 mg daily).
Glutamine is great stuff for a variety of reasons. Animal studies showed that it can block the effects of glucocorticoids (stress hormones) that stimulate myostatin (a protein in the body that catabolizes muscle tissue.) i.e. glutamine can block myostatin and that is a good thing. Intense exercise increases glucocorticoid production. I would recommend at least 5 grams prior to workouts. It also helps to boost immunity as it is fuel for immune cells.
Creatine is very important for short burst exercise. The ones I would recommend are EAS’s Phophagen Elite because it contains beta alanine which is a muscle buffer for fast twitch fibers. Another good one is TRAC by MHP (not the TRAC Extreme – I don’t like caffeine for daily consumption at that level) and also Magnesium Creatine. Literally hundreds of studies have shown the safety and efficacy of creatine.
