Tips from the Fuel Coach : trifuel.com

Tips from the Fuel Coach

It's a common question: How much - and how often - should athletes eat in order to sustain a consistent blood glucose level for training throughout the day? What is an appropriate meal frequency and meal size--and what should go into those meals?

Most athletes benefit from eating five to six times per day - three meals and two to three snacks. By distributing calories evenly over five to six meals and snacks, they may also reduce fluctuations in their body weight.

Eat Breakfast

Smart fueling starts with breakfast. Some athletes skip breakfast to lose body fat. They believe that eliminating an entire meal will cut out a large number of calories. But there is some evidence to suggest that people who skip breakfast are more likely to eat more snacks or higher-calorie meals throughout the rest of the day. (See Schlundt et al, 1992.) In addition to minimizing impulsive snacking, Schlundt et al. showed that eating breakfast helped reduce total fat intake.

In a more recent study, Mark Pereira, PhD, and colleagues, from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study, found that obesity and insulin resistance syndrome rates were 35% to 50% lower among people who ate breakfast every day compared to those who often skipped it. (See Pereira et al., 2003.)

Snacks and More

Smart fueling continues with a mid-morning snack, lunch, and a mid-afternoon snack. Distributing calories evenly throughout the day helps to maintain stable blood glucose levels for training (see Hawley and Burke, 1997) and may prevent overeating. An athlete who fasts from breakfast to dinner can still get hungry and run out of gas in the mid-afternoon due to inadequate calorie intake. By the end of the day, the famished athlete may grab whatever food is handy, often a high-calorie fast food meal - generating a "back-loading" of calories which works against weight control. As a result, the athlete may eat more calories than if these calories were spread over five or six smaller meals.

Eating a mixed meal or snack containing carbohydrate and protein about every three hours helps maintain the athlete's blood glucose level. Carbohydrate-rich foods raise blood glucose, while protein-rich foods help to keep blood glucose from falling and provide satiety. Hawley and Burke note that proper meal timing and frequency are critical for optimizing fuel availability to enhance athletic performance. (See Hawley and Burke, 1997.)

Others have found that some athletes with higher average within-day energy deficits (as measured by frequency and magnitude of deficit) have significantly higher body fat percentages. In a recent study by Deutz et al., the greater the energy deficit in gymnasts the higher the percentage of body fat. The authors theorized that the within-day energy restriction caused an adaptive reduction in resting energy expenditure and an increase in fat storage. They recommend that athletes get energy on time to prevent an energy deficit state during the day. (See Deutz et al, 2000.)

Unfortunately, the researchers did not actually measure energy intake or expenditure; they asked the athletes to indicate food intake and activity on a typical training day. More sophisticated testing of energy intake (weighed food records) and energy expenditure (doubly-labeled water) are necessary to determine whether within-day energy balance has an effect upon body composition.

Recording food intake will help athletes fine-tune when they eat, what they eat, and how much they eat. The key is to follow breakfast with frequent small meals so that the athlete isn't ravenous and inclined to back-load calories later in the day. By distributing calories evenly throughout day, athletes will have energy available when they need it for optimum performance.

Sample Meal Plan

(Provides about 2,400 calories)

6 AM Breakfast (500 calories):
1 poached egg
2 pieces whole grain toast (use added fat or jam sparingly)
1 piece fruit
1 cup 1% fat milk

9 AM Mid-morning snack (250 calories):
1 ounce string cheese
1 1/2 ounces pretzels

12 PM Lunch: (600 calories)
3 ounces lean meat, fish, or fowl
1 cup raw or cooked vegetables
1 piece fruit
2 pieces of whole-grain bread (use added fat sparingly)

3 PM Mid-afternoon snack (250 calories):
Graham cracker with peanut butter
(For convenience, meal replacement drink or bar)

6 PM Dinner (600 calories):
3 ounces lean meat, fish, or fowl
1 cup raw or cooked vegetables
1 piece fruit
1 cup of brown rice or whole grain pasta
1 cup 1% fat milk

References

Deutz RC et al., Relationship between energy deficits and body composition in elite female gymnasts and runners, Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 2000; 32:659-68.

Hawley JA and Burke LM, Effect of meal frequency and timing on physical performance, British Journal of Nutrition, 1997; 77 Suppl 1:S91-103.

Schlundt DG et al. The role of breakfast in the treatment of obesity: a randomized clinical trial. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 1992; 55:645-51.

Pereira MA et al., Eating breakfast may reduce risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, presented at the American Heart Association's 2003 Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention in Miami; as yet unpublished. www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3009715.