Whether your inspiration comes from Wimbledon, Olympic fever or the prospect
of baring your body on a sun-drenched beach, now is the time to get active -
and into shape.
But as delegates at the British Dietetic Association were told recently, all
our efforts could be a waste of time if we ignore one key factor; the food
and drink we put into our mouths. Eating the wrong foods at the wrong time,
guzzling sports drinks and relying on supplements and protein shakes could
not only hamper our efforts to get fit but make us more prone to injury, and
less likely to shift the pounds.
The stark warning came from the dietitians to the British Olympic teams, who
also divulged an established, but little-known, fact; our Olympiads, at
least the ones who play by the rules, do not rely on the latest supplements
and compounds to propel them past the finishing line. Instead, they trust a
good, well-planned diet.
“It's always good to go back to basics and achieve what you want to achieve
through food and nutrition rather than relying on any on products,” says
Wendy Martinson, consultant sports nutritionist to the British Olympic
Association. She says that taking supplements poses a significant risk.
“Athletes really have to be careful about what they take because of a risk
of contamination by banned substances. Also, if you can achieve what you
want through food, why would you need to use a different product?”
She believes that this principle should not only be applied to super-athletes
aiming for gold, but also to those of us who want to improve our fitness or
tone up before a holiday. “Anyone who is involved in exercise should be
paying attention to what they eat and when they eat, whether it's to lose
weight, gain muscle mass or train for a fun run or half-marathon,” she says.
What about protein supplements and sports drinks? Although the latter may be
worth investing in, the former is a waste of money, say the experts.
Sports drinks
Countless varieties of sports drinks jostle for our attention, but are they
worth the money? It depends on the sport, says Jeanette Crosland, the
consultant sports dietitian to Paralympics GB. “Sports drinks are good for
intensive sport, but if you're doing half an hour of badminton, water will
be fine. But they're definitely not designed for kids to take in their
lunchboxes.”
The energy-packed drinks are an essential piece of kit for running a 10km
race, or for taking part in a triathlon or a sports match, especially in hot
weather, as they contain sodium, which helps to prevent dehydration by
replacing the amounts you lose when you sweat. Sodium is essential because
drinking large amounts of plain, unsalted water over a long period of
exertion (four to six hours) can dilute blood plasma and make you feel ill.
However, their high- energy content makes them very calorific, and will not
help if you're trying to lose weight.
“They're not designed for someone who is overweight and going to the gym for
half an hour, as one litre contains 240 to 300 calories. They could end up
drinking more than they are expending,” says Crosland.
The drinks come in a number of varieties: hypertonic, which is high energy,
and more suited to drinking after, but not during, intensive activity to aid
recovery; isotonic, which is suitable for most people engaged in intensive
exercise; and hypotonic, which is low energy and more suited to a workout at
the gym. Hypotonic brands include Lucozade Hydroactive.
But if you want to save money, or you don't like the taste of any of the
drinks on the market, you can make your own (see below).
Protein supplements and shakes
Go into any healthfood shop and you'll be confronted with rows of these
products, complete with pictures of muscle-bound male torsos. However,
according to Jane Griffin, a sports dietitian and author of Food for Sport
(Crowood Press, £12.99), you're probably best to give them a miss as you can
get all the protein you need from a well-balanced diet. They are principally
aimed at men trying to bulk up their muscles.
Griffin, who has worked with professional rugby teams, prefers a more
back-to-basics approach - milk. “There is no evidence to say that you need
more than 2g of protein per kg of body weight per day, so most people will
get enough in their diet. Most sports dietitians will be saying to people,
just eat all your food - you will get everything from that,” she says.
“Some companies bung in all sorts of things to their protein supplements and
they may be totally unnecessary. People look at them and see all these fancy
ingredients and think ‘ooh, this is the one for me'. But it's just a
marketing exercise really. When you look at the label you will probably find
that the first one or two ingredients are whey and casein, and those are the
proteins that you get in milk. Plus, milk con-tains other essential vitamins
and minerals. So if you are weight training, why not just drink more milk.”
Martinson says that timing is everything as muscles are especially permeable
to extra protein and carbohydrate for 30 minutes after exercise. If you're
chugging protein shakes at any other time than this, they simply won't have
an effect.
“Protein and carbohydrate pre and post- weight training will help your muscles
to recover more quickly, but you can get this from a milkshake, or just by
adding a banana to a pint of milk with a small amount of honey and drinking
half before and half after,” she says.
What to eat?
So what are the best foods for fitness? As always, a balanced diet is key.
Although fat and carbohydrates have received bad press of late, they are
both essential components of a diet, especially if you lead an active
lifestyle. Unsaturated fats, such as those in olive oil, are much better
than saturated. And don't skip the fruit and veg, as the antioxidants they
contain help muscles to recover after exercise and can protect against
injury.
Crosland says that calcium will help to protect your bones, and the iron in
red meat (eaten a couple of times a week) will prevent you from tiring
easily. But one of the most important factors, she says, is making sure that
you are mentally on the ball. “If your brain isn't properly fuelled from
food, you'll get tired. And being tired increases the risk of injury. You
may lose concentration and twist your ankle, or not notice a low-hanging
branch and end up hitting your head.”
Early-morning runs can prove a problem as many joggers don't like eating
breakfast before they go. Crosland advises having a glass of fruit juice to
give yourself an energy boost. And if you exercise straight after work, make
sure that you have a cereal bar or fruit snack mid-afternoon. For kids or
teens who train after school, make sure they have healthy snacks that they
can eat throughout the day.
When it comes to sport nutrition, the message is simple: looking at your diet
first is always key.
What is in a sports drink?
Lucozade Sport, 500ml
Energy 140 calories (28 per 100ml).
Sodium 50mg per 100ml.
Cost 69p for 500ml, £1.38 per litre
Suitable for All sports.
Why not try making your own...
Mix 500ml fruit juice (apple juice is not suitable) with 500ml water
or dilute 200ml full-sugar squash with 800ml water.
Add a pinch of salt (about a quarter of a teaspoon) and shake. Decant into a
smaller container if desired.
Energy 24 calories (2.4 per 100ml) for squash version; 225 calories
(22.5 per 100ml) for fruit juice version.
Sodium About 49mg per 100ml.
Cost juice version 45p per litre; squash version 24p per litre. 1-litre
juice carton costs 89p, 1-litre squash bottle, £1.18.
Suitable for All sports.
Source: Jane Griffin, consultant sports dietitian
What's good, what's not
Do it
Use a sports drink for intensive sports such as a 10km run, marathon, or a
tournament, or if you're exercising in hot weather.
Creatine, a protein found in meat, can be helpful if you're weight training,
as the protein helps muscles to recover.
Glucosamine or omega-3 for keeping joints supple.
Fruit and cereal bars will ensure that you are properly fuelled, helping to
prevent injury and post-gym snacking.
Skip it
Sports drinks for mild exercise.
Sports supplements such as protein, amino acid and whey supplements.
Chocolate and crisps are fat-heavy snacks and should be avoided before or
after exercise.
