Macronutrients

Carbohydrates, protein and fat – what are they, why do I need them, and what foods are they in?

When we talk about food and sports nutrition, we often talk about the 3 macronutrients: carbohydrate, protein and fat.  All of these are important for our health and for athletic performance.  The goal of this blog post is to make you understand why our bodies need these macronutrients, and what foods are good sources of each macronutrient.

 

Macronutrients – what are they?

 

Macronutrients are the main components that make up food.  They are carbohydrate, protein and fat.  All three of these macronutrients provide calories, meaning they all give your body the energy it needs to keep working, whether that is sitting at a desk or climbing pitch after pitch all day.

Each macronutrient also gives you more then just energy.  The macronutrients come in many different forms that also have special functions in the body that can benefit your climbing training and performance.

 

Carbohydrates – your body’s favourite source of energy

 

Even though all macronutrients give your body energy, your body prefers carbohydrate to the others for energy.  You’re body needs lots of fuel when you are training at high volumes and high intensity.  Just as a car runs better on a full tank of premium gasoline, your body performs better when you are fully fuelled with healthful carbohydrate foods.

 

What are carbohydrates?

Carbohydrates are sugar molecules and chains of sugar molecules.  Sugar, starch and fibre are all different types of carbohydrate.  Although fibre does not give your body energy (it provides almost no calories), it is important for your digestive system, helps regulate cholesterol, has a role in preventing certain diseases (such as cancer), and is used by bacteria in your gut to give you vitamins.

 

Why do I need carbohydrates?

All the cells in the body – from brain to muscle to immune system cells – prefer carbohydrate for energy.  Without the energy from carbohydrates, your brain may not be able to focus as well, your immune system may not be able to fight off colds and flu, and your muscles will not have enough energy to train or compete for long hours or at high levels.  Symptoms of low energy levels due to not getting enough energy through food are:

·      Poor strength

·      Poor endurance

·      Fatigue

·      Injury

·      Illness

·      Longer recovery time needed after training

·      Poor bone growth, menstrual problems and muscle loss in severe cases

 

When we eat carbohydrate foods, the carbohydrate is broken down in our body, and then put back together and stored in a form our body can use.  The body stores carbohydrate in the muscles and liver, but muscles store the most.  The stored carbohydrate is released during training to allow the muscles to work and to maintain blood sugar levels and delay fatigue.  Therefore, if you don’t eat carbohydrate foods, you will have low stores of carbohydrate in your liver and muscles – you will not be able to train as long or as hard.

You need carbohydrates because:

·      They are your body’s preferred source of energy.

·      Your muscles store a lot for training and competition.

·      Your muscles use a lot during training and competition.

·      Carbohydrates fuel your brain to help your focus and mental attitude (especially important in the sport of rock climbing).

·      Not getting enough carbohydrate increases your risk of illness and injury.

 

What foods are good sources of carbohydrate?

Carbohydrates come from foods such as vegetables, fruit, milk products and grain products.  Following Canada’s Food Guide, these are the first 3 food groups.  The best sources of carbohydrates are generally grain products such as breads, crackers, cereals, rices and pastas.  Vegetables such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn and squash are starchy and contain a lot of carbohydrate.  Meat alternatives such as beans, lentils and chickpeas are also great sources of carbohydrate.

 

Protein – repairing your muscle after intense training

 

What is protein?

Proteins are made up of chains of smaller molecules called amino acids.  There are both plant and animal sources of protein, made up of different combinations of the amino acids.  Whether your protein comes from plant or animal sources, all can be beneficial for athletic performance.

 

Why do I need protein?

Although protein can provide your body with energy, it is better used for giving you a sense of fullness after meals and repairing muscle after intense training.

Protein takes longer to empty from the stomach, and therefore sits in the stomach longer then carbohydrate.  This can be useful for a person who is trying to maintain a certain body weight – spreading out protein intake throughout the day by having a little bit of protein at each meal will help a person feel full for longer after meals.  A “little bit” of protein is only one serving – only 75 g or ½ cup of meat or ¾ cup of beans, lentils, tofu, etc.  For an athlete, a large amount of protein just before training will sit in the stomach and may cause nausea or unpleasant fullness during training.

When we train and exert our muscles, we are actually causing small tears in the muscle.  These tears are not bad because when they are repaired, the muscle grows bigger and stronger.  For the muscle to repair, it needs both carbohydrate and protein.  When we eat protein foods, the protein is broken down into its amino acids.  The amino acids travel to the torn muscle fibres, and help repair them while the carbohydrate slows down further breakdown of the muscle fibres.  This recovery of the muscle by team carbohydrate and protein is what strengthens the muscle after exercise.

 

You need protein because:

·      Protein helps keep you feeling full for longer, which may help on long outdoor trips when meals may be spread apart.

·      Protein along with carbohydrate rebuilds and repairs muscles after intense training.

·      Without protein and carbohydrate after training, muscles may not fully recover, and next day training may be impaired.

 

What foods are good sources of protein?

There are both animal and plant sources of protein.  Following Canada’s Food Guide, the last 2 food groups, milk and alternatives and meat and alternatives provide the most good quality protein.  Some breads and pastas also contribute protein.

 

Animal sources:

·      Beef

·      Poultry

·      Fish

·      Eggs

·      Cheese, milk, yogurt

 

Plant sources:

·      Chickpeas

·      Beans

·      Lentils

·      Soybeans, tofu

·      Peanuts, almonds, nut butters

·      Seeds

 

Fat – important for the normal functioning of your body and reducing risk of injury

 

What is fat?

Fat as a macronutrient is a group of more complex molecules.  Generally, fats are made up of long chains of carbons that house a lot of energy.  The number of carbons in the chain and the types of links between the carbons make up the different types of fats.  These types can be variations of saturated, polyunsaturated, monounsaturated, trans, omega-3, omega-6, etc.

 

Why do I need fat?

Fats have a lot of functions in the body.  When most people think of fat, they think of its storage form – the type of fat that is stored in the body under the skin.  But fats in food are very important.  All the cell membranes in our body are made up of fat – they protect the cell and help regulate what gets in and out.  This also helps cells in the body communicate, especially cells in the nervous system.  Fat molecules in our food carry and allow us to absorb important vitamins such as vitamins A, D, E and K.  Special fats, such as omega-3 fats also lower inflammation in the body – this not only decreases risk of heart disease, but also lowers risk of injury related to inflammation.

Remember how when we train, small tears form in the muscle?  Although this damage helps us build stronger muscle, it also causes some inflammation.  With overtraining (which happens when we put repeated burns on the same problem) this causes extra damage and leads to overuse injuries (those sore pulleys and tendons that never seem to heal).  Having some healthful omega-3 fats in the diet help to prevent this extra damage, and therefore help us recover better, and prevent injury.

 

You need fat because:

·      All your cells in your body are wrapped in an envelop of fat molecules.

·      Fat molecules help your cells in your body communicate.

·      Important vitamins are found in the fat portion of foods.  These vitamins need that fat to help them be transported into your body.

·      Omega-3 fats reduce inflammation, which helps you recover from training, and reduce the risk of injury.

 

What foods are good sources of healthful fats?

Because fats give us more energy then the other macronutrients (are higher in calories) we generally don’t need a lot of added fats in our diet.  So we need to make sure that the foods we are choosing are good sources of healthful fats.

Healthful fats contain lower levels of saturated and industry-produced trans fats, and higher levels of polyunsaturated, monounsaturated and omega-3 fats.  Cold-water fatty fish are great sources of healthful omega-3 fats.  If you are able to eat fish, aim for 2 to 3 meals with fish per week.

 

Good sources of healthful fats:

·      Fatty fish (cold water)

·      Flaxseed (must be ground up)

·      Walnuts

·      Canola and olive oils

·      Omega-3 enriched products, such as enriched eggs, milk and margarine

 

Cold-water fatty fish to have 2-3 times per week:

·      Mackerel

·      Chunk light tuna

·      Salmon

·      Atlantic herring

·      Lake trout

·      Sardines

 

Summary:

·      Carbohydrate is the most important macronutrient for athletic performance.

·      Your body prefers carbohydrate to other macronutrients for fuel.

·      Vegetables, fruit, milk and alternatives and meat alternatives are great sources of carbohydrates.

·      Protein stays in your stomach longer (is digested slower) so keeps you fuller for longer.

·      Protein right after a training sessions helps build and repair muscle, so that muscles grow stronger and you perform better in your next training session.  Get this protein from food from milk and alternatives or meat and alternatives.

·      Fats are important!  Your body needs them to absorb and transport certain vitamins, and your cells need them to communicate with the rest of you body.

·      Choose foods that are lower in saturated and industry-produced trans fats.  Regularly have sources of healthful fats such as cold-water fish, canola and olive oils, and nuts and seeds.  These are low in saturated fat and sources of omega-3 fats that help reduce inflammation and therefore risk of injury.

 

Conclusion

All of the macronutrients are important for your health and for your performance.  How much you need of each depends on your gender, body weight, how often you train, at what intensity, medical history, etc.  It’s important to get a variety of each macronutrient through food, and to choose healthful choices.  For more information and to help you figure out your exact needs and how these can fit into your everyday life, find a Sports Dietitian close to you.  In Canada, you can find one here:

·      Coaching Association of Canada

·      Dietitian’s of Canada

Carbohydrate	Protein	Fat
Your body’s favourite source of energy	Repairing your muscle after intense training	Important for the normal functioning of your body and reducing risk of injury
·      Whole wheat, whole grain or enriched breads, crackers, cereals and pastas ·      Rice ·      Buckwheat ·      Vegetables such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn and squash ·      Meat alternatives such as beans, lentils and chickpeas	Animal sources: ·      Lean cuts of beef ·      Chicken and turkey ·      Cold-water fish ·      Eggs ·      Cheese, milk, yogurt   Plant sources: ·      Chickpeas ·      Beans ·      Lentils ·      Soybeans, tofu ·      Peanuts, almonds, nut butters ·      Seeds	·      Ground up flaxseed ·      Walnuts ·      Canola and olive oils ·      Omega-3 enriched products, such as enriched eggs, milk and margarine ·      Mackerel ·      Chunk light tuna ·      Salmon ·      Atlantic herring ·      Lake trout ·      Sardines

Stay tuned!

The next blog post will be up shortly discussing what to eat before, during, and after training, sending or competition!

Mini Nutrition Guide

Mini Nutrition Guide to Albarracín Spain

As mentioned in the last posting, here is the mini nutrition guide for the Albarracín Spain climbing area. Here you will find information on shopping, food culture, and food and meal ideas when climbing in this area.

Because I like to use photos and tables to make the information easier to read, the mini guide has been made into a pdf format. You can download it for free by CLICKING HERE.

Comments and questions are welcome at onsitenutrition@gmail.com.

Thanks!

Krystal

Mini Nutrition Guides

Mini Nutrition Guides for the Traveling Climber

Just this spring, I spent 68 days traveling, climbing, and taking in the food culture throughout Europe.  I figured, while I was there, that I take notes on the food and culture that may help a traveling climber’s nutrition when abroad.

A recent research survey I did showed that on climbing trips, we climbers tend to choose less foods from all the food groups.  Instead of consuming available whole foods, which are packed with vitamins, minerals, and energy, we rely mostly on trail mix and protein bars for energy and nutrition.  This shows that our nutrition on climbing trips is lacking.

When we’re outdoors and active all day, our nutrition can help make our climbing day more successful, no matter what our level.  Knowing what foods are available at our favourite outdoor crags might help us make better food choices, and improve our nutrition on trips.

A future goal of mine is to one day offer detailed nutrition guides to popular climbing destinations world wide.  But, for now, this is my novice attempt.  On my recent 68-day long trip, I visited and compiled information for Albarracín Spain, Magic Woods Switzerland, and Fontainebleau France.  In the blog posts to come, you will find mini nutrition guides for these places that will include information on local foods and eating (gastronomy), eating out tips, supermarket and farmer’s markets, currency, language, stove fuels, potable water sources and camping recipes.

Although I take a sport nutrition approach to these mini nutrition guides, I also want to emphasize the love of food!!  Trying new foods is also a part of experiencing the culture of the areas we visit.  I hope for you to get the most out of your travels.

Because this is my first attempt, I would like to hear back from you.  Tell me what about these guides are useful, and what sucks.  I welcome any constructive criticism on these guides so that in the future, I can make them better.  Plus, the more criticism I get, the more reason for me to return to these European climbing spots (and what a shame that would be, lol).

The country specific posts are to come.  First, some general traveling tips.

Enjoy!

General Nutrition Traveling Tips

Checklist for the traveling climber

Here’s a list of food prep-related items to pack (Table 1):

Table 1. Traveling checklist.

r    Camping pots
r    Camping stove	A multi-fuel stove is ideal.  Some countries use different fuels, or certain fuels may be more economical.
r    Extra fuel bottles	Make sure they are empty when in transit.
r    Can opener
r    Lighters or strike-anywhere matches
r    Bowl	Can be used to mix ingredients and eat from.
r    Spork or Foon	Any form of spoon-fork hybrid.
r    A good knife and sharpener
r    Your favourite spices	Pack these in small containers or plastic bags.
r    Flaxseed	Only a few teaspoons per day are needed to help maintain bowel movements.
r    Enough dry food for 2 meals	This is so that when you arrive at your destination, you have a meal ready.  You may arrive when the stores are closed.
r    About $200 cash	In case you arrive and banks are closed.
r    Dromedary bag and water bottles	Empty if traveling by plane.
r    Gatorade or juice powder	These may be hard to find at some destinations.
r    Favourite sports/cereal/granola bars	These may not be available at some destinations.
r    Ziploc or other plastic bags	Good for packing leftovers and storing food from ripped store packaging.
r    Towels	To wash, dry, and handle hot pots.
r    Mug
r    Mini cutting board
r    Garbage bag
r    Hand sanitizer or wet naps
r    Bottle opener	For sampling local beer and wines J

Nutrition During Travel

Whether by plane, train or automobile, the pressurized cabins and the air conditioning can dehydrate you.  Dehydration en route can give you headaches, tiredness, and poor bowel movements.  Stay hydrated by drinking at least 1 cup of fluid every hour.  Water, juice, sport drinks, tea, and coffee all count.  This may make you pee more, but this encourages you to get up and stretch.  Moving and stretching is especially more important on long trips, when your muscles can become cramped or stiff.

If traveling by plane, remember to bring an EMPTY water bottle, and fill it once you’ve passed through security checks.  Any bottle containing liquids will be thrown out at the security check.

Check to see if your flights offer a meal service, or if your trains have a cafeteria on board.  You may want to pack your own snacks and meals on long traveling days.  You will be getting better nutrition packing food yourself when choosing foods from all the food groups.  Packing your own food also ensures that the food available to you won’t make you sick.

Tips for Safe Food so you don’t get sick

Some people may not tolerate foreign food well.  Follow these tips if you are concerned about getting sick from food.

If concerned about water:

·      Use bottled water for drinking, mixing sport drinks, rinsing cooking equipment, and brushing teeth.  Be aware that this may become costly.

·      You can boil water for 10 minutes, or purchase a water filter.

·      Be aware of ice cubes and ice drinks.  These may not be made from boiled or filtered water.

Inspect food products before purchase:

·      Make sure food and drink seals are unbroken before consuming contents.

·      Dents in cans may weaken the seal.

·      Avoid fruit with damaged skin.

When eating out:

·      Meals should be sold to you either steaming hot or refrigerated.  Avoid lukewarm foods.

·      Avoid food sold by street vendors.  Public food is less safe when not kept at the right temperature, when raw and prepared foods are mixed, and when served without utensils.

Foods that are less likely to make you sick:

·      Foods that have been thoroughly cooked (steaming hot).

·      Raw foods that have been washed in safe water.

·      Foods that can be peeled.

Foods most likely to make you sick:

·      Pre-prepared salads, rare meats, hamburger meat, cream fillings, fish.

The easiest way to prevent food borne illness:

·      Wash your hands before preparing food!

Organize your food

Eating foods from all the food groups gives us the energy, nutrients, vitamins and minerals needed to stay healthy and climb hard all trip long.  When you return to your campsite from the grocery store, separate your food into bags based on the following food groups (Table 2).

Table 2.  Food groups, what they do for us, and examples.
Vegetables and Fruit	Starch	Milk and Alternatives	Meat and Alternatives
·       Vitamins and minerals from these help prevent sickness and may help against oxidative stress. ·       Their fibre keeps the intestines healthy and our BMs regular.	·       Huge source of energy for our muscles and our mind. ·       Helps muscle recovery. ·       Enriched varieties give us needed vitamins and minerals.	·       Source of calcium for our skeleton. ·       Source of good quality protein for muscle recovery. ·       Liquid varieties help us hydrate.	·       Long lasting energy. ·       Increases satiety. ·       Good source of protein for muscle recovery. ·       Give us minerals that are important for all athletes.
Zucchini, squash, carrots, cauliflower, bananas, grapes, strawberries	Potatoes, corn, pasta, rice, couscous, cereals, flour, bread	Cow’s milk, soymilk, yogurt, cheeses, puddings	Ham, eggs, chicken, lentils, chickpeas, tofu, navy beans, kidney beans

If you organize your food into four different bags (one for each food group), then you just need to make sure you choose foods from each bag every day.  This is an easy start to making sure you are getting balanced nutrition while you are away.

Good resource for worldly climbers:

Survival Around the World, Australian Institute of Sport, 2004