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About Squashtalk

Dr. Don Christie, a sports physician based in Lewiston, Maine, works closely with athletes of all levels, from high school to world-class elites.

By Donald Christie Jr. MD, CSCS. Oct 30, 2006 © 2006 , Lewiston Maine, USA. Sports Physician and Strength and Conditioning Specialist.

1. Food is fuel.  (Food = Fuel.)

2. Refuel “by the clock”: something to eat (a meal or a snack, according to the time of day), every 2½-3 hours, from breakfast till bedtime, including a high carb/moderate protein snack (or meal) within 30 minutes of completing activity.

3. Make up a food (fuel) budget – and live by it!

-- Make up a daily protein budget & consume over each of the 5-7 refuelings.  One gram of protein per pound of lean body mass should be an adequate daily total.
-- Make up a daily calorie (energy) budget: weight in pounds x 10 for minimal baseline need, plus a “fudge factor” to account for body composition and for growth & activity level (typically, 50-100% above baseline need).

4. Know what’s in your fuel, that is, where’s the protein, the carbs, the fat (oils).  Study “Nutrition Facts” labels and food tables.  Explore www.MyPyramid.gov.

5. Look at what you’re about to eat and ask, “Will this help me toward my goals?”    “Will this ‘refueling’ positively contribute to my development & training?”

6. Get the most of your fuel from real food, i.e., whole foods, unprocessed foods – ones you “process” in your own kitchen.  (Clean the “junk” out of your cupboards and icebox and restock with real food.)  Commercial snacks & meal replacements (e.g., Balance Bars, Clif Bars, Nitro-Tech Bars, Met-Rx, Slim Fast) are convenient & safe occasional substitutes for real food, but may lack important micronutrients (vitamins, minerals) as well as antioxidants, fiber, and essential ingredients called phytochemicals found in a balanced diet of real food.

7. Get your water from water and fruit, vegetables, and low-fat/nonfat milk.  (Note Hint     #4b and Exceptions #1&2 below.)

Helpful Hints

• Hint #1: Have 5-6 servings of low-fat/nonfat dairy products daily.  (Lactose-intolerant folks, speak with the doctor.)  They provide high quality protein – Little Miss Muffett’s curds and whey – and they don’t sell your bones short!
  
  
• Hint #2: Fruit & veggies – Have a serving or two of fruit and vegetables (fresh or fresh-frozen) with every refueling.
  
  
• Hint #3: Know about “Good Fat/Bad Fat.”  We absolutely need some fat, but try to consume the “good” fats & oils (olive, canola, flaxseed and fish oils; nuts) over “bad” fats (lard, butter, hard margarine, “trans” fats).
  
• Hint #4: Avoid unwanted (extra) calories beyond what your energy budget requires.
  
  - Obtain most of “budgeted” carbohydrate from fresh fruit & veggies.
  - Avoid fruit juice and “juice drinks,” which quickly “run up” the carb calorie count without your even knowing it.  Instead, have an orange, a pear, a peach, or an apple and a glassful of cold water.
  - Avoid eating more than a single serving of bread, pasta, rice, or potato – all high-carb foods.   (Pizza crust is bread… )

Exception #1: During very long and intense work-outs, drinking a sports drink – a commercial brand or homemade version (half-strength real OJ plus a pinch of salt per 8 oz. of drink) – can help maintain energy & quality of performance to the very end.

Exception #2: Athletes in a growth spurt or elite athletes in very hard training may have a daily energy budget of 4000-6000 calories.  They can disregard “4b” and “4c,” above, for they need extra helpings of pasta, pizza, rice, and potato to meet their energy needs.  Lucky them.

Comments?  Questions?  Want the right nutrition program to meet your goals?
E-mail: dchristie@adelphia.net.