My Nutrition Zone

If you are watching the Giro d'Italia and wonder how much the riders are eating here's a snapshot. In a similar ride the Tour of Spain the riders ate about 5000 -6000 calories a day. They did not lose muscle because the protein and carbohydrates were high enough to support metabolic demands. Take note endurance athletes!

Athletes and intermittent fasting, especially women is a bad idea.

This year’s National Nutrition Month theme is Personalize Your Plate. The way you eat doesn't need a label. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to nutrition and health. ... We are all unique with different bodies, goals, backgrounds and tastes! A registered dietitian nutritionist can tailor a healthful eating plan that is as special as you are.

Maybe it's not the gluten after all. There is no test for non-celiac gluten sensitivity, we can only go by symptoms. In this study 59 subjects were randomly assigned to eat muesli bars with either gluten, fructans, or neither (placebo) for seven days. The participants then crossed over into a muesli bar group, until they completed all 3 challenges ... Gut symptoms, especially bloating, were 15% worse after eating the fructan muesli bar compared to placebo. Fructans are found in wheat, barley, rye and oats, garlic, onions, artichokes, broccoli, asparagus, brussels sprouts, cabbage and pistachios. Your stomach woes might not be the gluten! https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29102613/

In this study don't let the word "elderly" fool you. Take a look at your diet now, don't wait. Loss of muscle and bone can be as much as 5% each decade after age 30. Master athletes, age 40 and up, endurance athletes and post menopause women are most susceptible. Age lowers your body's ability to breakdown and use protein for muscle synthesis.... It is best to divide your protein up throughout the day. Just eating protein is not enough to slow the process. Strength training 2-3 short bouts a week is needed which also helps tendons and ligaments. See more

Endurance athletes can improve running economy by 5-6.5 % with two days per week of heavy strength and plyometric training. Two reasons to Improve your running economy; go faster and avoid injuries. Both complex and heavy strength training resulted in greater improvements in eccentric strength and running economy compared to the concurrent low-intensity endurance-strength and endurance training.

We know the value of aerobic exercise training, however, current guidelines for resistance exercise training are lacking. The evidence supports many benefits to reducing chronic disease, building muscle, blood sugar control and bone health. Especially important as adults reach age 40 and up.

Currently, resistance training provides the most effective, low cost means to prevent loss of muscle. Resistance training - Start with higher reps low weight, let your body adapt then move to lower reps, heavy weight. Protein - Eat 1.6 - 2.0 gm/ kg bw evenly distributed throughout the day. ... Vitamin D - Get tested and know your levels. Aim for at least or greater than 50 ng/ml Omega 3 fatty Acids - fish oil. Might be most important for women! May need to supplement. 1000 mg/day Vegetarians can consume algae based supplements. Creatine - consider it in combination with resistance training. Physiological improvements extend to bone and brain tissue. It offers a safe, well-tolerated, and effective nutritional strategy to augment skeletal muscle adaptations.