Boosting Muscle Energy Stores

Dear Kelly,

I am a competitive cyclist up in Canada and I have been struggling the last year or so with my diet when it comes to nutrition off the bike.  I am 23 years old
and have extreme hyperthyroidism (graves disease ) as well as being a vegetarian.  Are there any techniques for endurance athletes that are vegetarian to boost muscle energy stores, or to help recover well after a long ride out?

Kelly’s Answer:

First, it is absolutely crucial to include a recovery snack/meal as soon as possible after training.  It should contain at least 45+ grams of carbs and 10+ grams of protein (a Clif Bar, for example).  Of course, you also need fluid and lytes.  You have a time frame of ~30 minutes immediately following a tough training session, when you’ve wiped out all the glycogen in your muscles, when your body’s glycogen-storing enzymes are in overdrive and will store any carbs you give them.  I recommend a recovery snack after all but the easiest of training sessions – even short, intense ones.  Then, in general, you do need to be proactive with getting enough protein in your everyday diet.  As a vegetarian, it can come from a variety of sources including beans, legumes, nuts, hemp, soy, peas, etc.

Second, if you’re willing to eat dairy and or eggs, you’ll have some advantages of animal-source proteins that you may not get in non-animal-source ones.  Whey protein, for example, from dairy, has been specifically shown to reduce muscle wasting in both athletes and individuals who have muscle-wasting medical conditions.  If you choose to use it, I recommend using undenatured whey protein so that you get even more antioxidant and immune benefits from the proteins that have not been altered and are closer to their raw form.  A smoothie with fruit, undenatured whey, organic coconut oil and honey is a great recovery snack.

Third, it sounds like you have incredibly high total calorie needs in general.  Many times, athletes significantly underestimate their needs, or overestimate their intake.  And, since a vegetarian diet can be high in bulk and low in calories, it may be hard for you to get all the calories you need day after day.  I recommend utilizing healthy fats to get a lot of bang for your buck in terms of calories.  At each meal of the day, I recommend that you try to add ~200 calories of healthy fats, such as ¼ cup nuts, 2 Tbsp olive oil or organic coconut oil, or ½ avocado.  These should be added to meals that already have adequate protein, carbs, and fat.  Additionally, make sure to eat snacks between your meals.  Protein’s important, but it’s total calories day after day, will make or break your energy stores.

Lastly, make sure you are supplementing well.  You have high nutrient needs, and your body simply cannot use the protein and calories you give it if it doesn’t have adequate amounts of vitamins and minerals.  I recommend a good multivitamin (my choice is Rainbow’s Light men’s), an extra B-complex, an additional 1000 IU of Vitamin D (I prefer D-3, but D-2 will also provide some benefit – D3 is not vegan), and omega-3s from fish oil or algae.

Please send us your questions for our Expert Sports Nutritionist, Kelli Jennings to “Ask the Sports Nutritionist“. Kelli Jennings is a Registered Dietitian with a passion for healthy eating, wellness, & sports nutrition. For more information go to www.apexnutritionllc.com.

We’re often asked about Nutella?  Is it good for Daily Nutrition, and for Training Nutrition.  Does it have a place?

Here’s what our expert sports nutritionist, Kelli has to say:

For TRAINING NUTRITION, it can have a place. As a high-carb food with mainly natural ingredients, you can use it with pre-training nutrition, during-training nutrition (during long training sessions), or within a post-training recovery snack. For example, a recovery snack of 8 oz. plain yogurt + 1 Tbsp Nutella + 1 Tbsp organic coconut oil (300 calories, 10 grams protein, 23 grams of carbs, and Medium Chain Triglycerides from coconut oil) isn’t a bad way to go, as long as you can control your portion of Nutella. For recovery, one goal in eating carbs is to replenish glycogen stores, and another is to give your energy-burning body a fuel source that’s not muscle. Recovery can be a good opportunity to eat a small portion of high-sugar foods that you don’t normally eat, but love.

For DAILY NUTRITION, not so much.  And, I really hate to do it as it happens to be something that tastes really good. Anyone who’s ever tried Nutella can tell-ya that it’s super yummy.

The problem?

Really, it’s not so much a hazelnut spread as a sugar spread. In fact, sugar is it’s #1 ingredient. Followed by palm oil. Then hazelnuts, cocoa, and skim milk (of course, it’s these ingredients that are advertised most on the packaging).

Protein? Just 3 grams (compared to 6-8 grams in peanut butter). Sugars? A whopping 21 grams (equivalent of more than 4 tsp per serving). What really gets me, is the recommedation on the label to eat it with a glass of skim milk, a glass of orange juice, and a slice of whole wheat bread for a balanced breakfast – since when is 80+ grams of carbs (mostly sugar) with 14 grams of protein balanced?

I will point out that it is free of hydrogenated oil and high fructose corn syrup – so, it could be worse. But instead, choose a natural nut butter, or even Peanut Butter & Company’s Dark Chocolate Dreams (12 grams carbs and 6 grams protein) for daily nutrition.

Please send us your questions for our Expert Sports Nutritionist, Kelli Jennings to “Ask the Sports Nutritionist“. Kelli Jennings is a Registered Dietitian with a passion for healthy eating, wellness, & sports nutrition. For more information go to www.apexnutritionllc.com.

In all honesty, I’m thankful for the whole Loving the Bike Team. But I wanted to single out our resident Nutrition expert today as my way of thanking her for all the goodness she has brought to our sites.

Even while currently pregnant, Kelli keeps super active

Kelli Jennings and I met almost one year ago exactly.  She was working as a nutrition coach, and I was the fitness coach for an online company….and together we were the dream team of health and fitness.  Even though we had yet to meet in person, it didn’t take me long to fall victim to Kelli’s sweetness and extreme nutrition knowledge.  I know a little something about nutrition, and I knew right away that Kelli was the best at what she does.  We’ve become friends along the way, and she continues to bring great ideas, enthusiasm, and all the nutritional information and guidance I could ever imagine.

Apex Nutrition:

Although Kelli spends a bunch of her time helping us out at Loving the Bike and Loving the Run, her main business is Apex Nutrition. Apex is company that helps endurance athletes through coaching, information, and meal planning….but even if you don’t consider yourself this level of athlete, she can get you rocking with whatever you need.  She is truly an expert on anything to do with nutrition, and in today’s world with so many products, ideas, and plans related to nutrition, it’s so good to have Kelli on my side.  She’s honest, sincere, and incredibly personable, and if you’ve ever thought about getting help with your cycling performance, weight loss, or diet…..Kelli is the one to help make it happen.

Unfortunately Kelli can’t give out her expertise for free over at Apex Nutrition, but I’m telling you right now that what she has to offer is worth each and every penny. But she does have a discount available to our Loving the Bike readers. Once you purchase a plan from Kelli, she’s provide you with 2 weeks of free coaching.  To get this offer, all you have to do is fill out the coupon code (the graphic below the Paypal cart as indicated for a Coupon) information when purchasing your plan.  Enter Username: lovingthe and Password: bike….and you’re good to go.

There’s also a bunch of free tools available on her site.  Be sure to check out her calorie goal calculator, sports drink homebrew recipe, a sports nutrition pep talk.

Loving the BITE:

Kelli came up with the idea of us posting a weekly recipe that would be beneficial to our readers….and also the witty name of Loving the BITE.  These are not your typical run of the mill recipes.  Kelli provides recipes that will make you a healthier person and better cyclist….and best of all, she explains why the products used in the recipe are beneficial to you.  She goes above and beyond each week as she tells us about a great new recipe with incredible information and beautiful sense of humor.

Ask the Sports Nutritionist:

If all of this isn’t enough, Kelli agrees to answer each and every sports nutrition question that our reader have to ask.  In our “Ask the Sports Nutritionist” tab located on the left side of each page, we provide a new question and answer each week.  There are real life questions from our readers and Kelli gives her advice and comment in full detail.  Be sure to check them out and see if they are some of the same questions you’ve had about nutrition.  We encourage you to submit any of the sports nutrition questions you have, and take advantage of something that is not easy to come by….your own personal Nutrition Expert.

Your questions can be anything from something totally basic to an extremely detailed and complex question….Submit your questions to Kelli right here.

One Best Food

Question:

Due to work commitments and a varying shift pattern I find it difficult to stick to a strict diet and regime.  I eat healthily, have a varied diet and am fortunate to have a very good cook as a partner but what one thing should I try to eat more of which is going to give me ‘most bang for my buck’.

Kelli’s Answer:

I’ll admit, this one may be too hard for me!  Anyone who’s ever heard me talk about nutrition would know that I have trouble narrowing it down to any “one thing” that is most important to add to your diet.  As you said, you eat healthily and have a varied diet – that’s part of the key to wellness, getting all the nutrients you need from various foods.  That said, I’ll give you 3 things to focus on based on what I usually see missing or overflowing in clients’ diets…

1)      Add dark, bright, vibrant fruits and vegetables – living, raw foods have enzymes at work in them that promote gut health – and when our digestion’s tuned in, it promotes health and wellness throughout our bodies.  In addition, of course, these offer lots of phytochemicals (disease fighters), antioxidants (cell repairing and inhibitors of cholesterol plaque formation, and fiber, a key to wellness.

2)      Add healthy fats – we have been programmed to be afraid of fat, which, in my opinion, has devastated the health of our society as a whole.  Instead of being afraid of them, add them to EVERY meal (replace some of the carbs).  Add olive oil, organic coconut oil, nuts, nut butters, flaxseeds and other healthy fats to foods.  I mean, go ahead and drizzle a teaspoon or so of olive oil on after you’ve cooked your meal.  If you take out some of the carbs, especially from grains (something most of us get too much of), you’ll be okay with maintaining a healthy weight. (Again, carbs, even refined ones, are useful for training nutrition, but not needed in abundance for daily nutrition).  And, supplement fish oil if you don’t eat at least 12 oz. of fatty fish per week.

3)      Stay away from: Processed foods.  If it has ingredients you can’t pronounce or a list that’s longer than this post, put it back on the shelves.  If you can’t picture how it grows or is made, it doesn’t likely need to be in your diet.  In ways we don’t even know yet, I believe the chemical additives, colorings, fake fats, processed sugars, refined grains, etc, will come back to “bite” us generations from now much worse than butter ever did!

Please send us your questions for our Expert Sports Nutritionist, Kelli Jennings to “Ask the Sports Nutritionist“. Kelli Jennings is a Registered Dietitian with a passion for healthy eating, wellness, & sports nutrition.  For more information go to www.apexnutritionllc.com.