Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

animal source proteins - meat, fish, poultry, eggs, and dairy products. Th e remainder, up to 80 per cent, ca n be p rovided by pl ant so urces. Hi gh protein int ak e , especia lly from a n ima l so urces, tends to increase ch o lesterol leve ls in the blood, o verload th e kidneys, co ntri bu te to un wanted weight gai ns, a nd shorten lif e expectancy. High p rotein intake is also beli e ved to redu ce ca lci u m absorption necessary for stro ng bones. In cr easing th e proporti on o f plantsource protein i n th e di et o ffers th e foll owing benefits: o Generally lower ca lor ie co u nts. o High fib er co ntent. o Th e absen ce of choles terol. o Lower sa tura ted fat co ntent. o Increa sed co mplex carbohydrat e intake. (An i ma l-tissu e protein ha s no ca r bo hyd ra te content.) Amin o aci d s are cl assifi ed in tw o categories: o Essent ial. Ei ght (o r nine o r 10, acco rd ing to so me so urces) specific am ino acids a re referred to as essentia l because th ey ca n o nly be o bta ine d from dail y ingestion. Essentia l amin o aci ds are genera lly available in meat, fish, poultry, milk , cheese, eggs, and so ybeans. T hese food s are referred to as co m p lete prot ein sources. o N on-esse n tial. Mor e th an a doz en o the r amino ac ids ca n be manufactured by th e body from a regu lar , bal anceddiel. With the excep li on o f so vbea ns , no pa rt ic u la r plant-source food co ntai ns a ll o f the esse ntial a mi no aci ds. H o wever incom p lete protein so urces m ay be co m bine d to p ro vide a ll th e esse ntial a mi no ac ids . For exa m p le: co rn a n d bread. pea s and ri ce, grains an d legumes, ri ce and wh eat, rice a nd peas, and co rn an d legumes. Th e gen er a l recom men da tion for dail y protein intak e for adu lts is an amount eq ua l to 0.8 gram per 2.2 pounds (o ne kil ogram ) o f weight. This eq ua ls .36 gram per pound, just over o ne -th ird of a gram per pound of body weight. For exa m p le, a 200pounder requires abou t 72 grams of protein dail y. The requirement is a bout 50 grams per day for a 150pounder. (Higher protein intake about .45 gram per pound - is recommended for teenagers.) Mi lk is a n excell ent protein (a nd ca r bo hyd ra te) source. One quart co nta ins over 30 g ra ms o f protein. A 200pou nder ca n o bta in most of his dail y protein requi rement by drinking tw o quarts, (T hose a lle rgic to th e lactose of milk may co ns u me oth er dai ry products suc h as skim o r powdered milk , buttermilk. yogu rt. an d so me cheeses from which lactose has been removed o r altered th rough Iermentation.) Several mi lk m yths need to be d iscoun ted . Milk doe s not cu t th e win d . Mi lk doesn 't curd le in th e sto mach. M ilk doesn 't ca use co tton mouth, a d ry , uncomfortable feeling in th e mouth d urin g exerci se. That conditi on is ca used by stress and fluid loss. Additionall y. milk, because it is a lkaline. ma y neutralize excess sto m ach aci d. According to th e American Dietetic Association, a h ig h protein or protein-supp lem ented di et is n o t necessary for an athlete. Many other authorities feel that a normal di et provides a ll the protein necessary for muscle bui lding. Some recent studies have shown that protein supplem entation may help muscl e growth , but o n ly in athletes su bjecting th eir bodies to maximum stress. Even th en, the gains a re not significant except, perhaps, for a serious competitor in body building or wei ght liftin g . G en er all y, the expense o f su p p leme nts seems to o u tweigh th e ben ef its. if a ny . Carbohydrates Carbohydrat es (w h ich , lik e water, co ntai n a bo ut tw ice as man y h yd ro ge n ato ms as o xygen atoms ) a re th e body's primary so urce of qui ck ene rgy . Sou rces incl ude plant food (vegeta bles, fru its, g rai ns ), milk and she ll fish . Sugar a n d sta rc h ca r bohy dra tes pro vide ene rgy wh ile non-d igestible ce ll u lose (fi ber) ai ds elim ina tio n as it is processed through th e body. Carboh ydrates also regulat e p ro tein metabol ism. The bodv must have su fficient ca rbohyd ra tes to use protein fo r building a nd repairing muscl es a nd o ther tissue . Th is is a m aj o r reason why low-carboh ydrat e di ets sho u ld be avo ide d, es pecia lly by a th le tes. Ca rbo hyd ra tes ar e classified accordin g to th eir mol ecular structu re: o Sim p le (sugar) carbo hyd rates. Monosaccharides ca n be readily p rocessed a nd a bso r bed as blood gluco se. (So me sim p le car bo hydrates, su ch as refined sugar a nd ho ney, contain natura l glucose.) Disaccharides su ch as sucrose, lactos e, a nd rna lt os e a re br oken down to glucos e. o Co m p lex (starch) carbo hy drates. Multiple-molecule carbo hydra tes are broken down into m on osaccha rides to o bta in g lucose. (T he m ol ecul ar struct ure o f cell u lose is so co m p lex th at the body is una ble to break it do wn. ) Comp lex ca rbo hy d ra tes a re ge ne ra lly p refe rred for severa l reasons: o Stable blood sugar. Complex carbohyd rat es break down slo wer. As a result. th e bl ood sugar level doesn' t shoot up sudden ly a nd possi bly tr igger th e relea se o f in su li n. Com plex carbohy drates ge nera lly produce longer lasting blood glucose eleva tio n , a quality preferred for an at h lete interested in mild o r serious ca r bo hy d ra te loading prior to co m pe titio n . H owever. recent test ing ind icates th at so me co m p lex ca rbohyd ra tes (wh ite potatoes , whole wheat or white bread. cooked carrots ) may mise blood suga r levels faster th an table su gar. o Relatively low calorie cont ent . o Den sit y for weight watchers. The fib er found in co m p lex carbohydrates tends to make them fill i ng fo od th at satisfi es th e a p pe tite. o Prot ein con ten t. Man y co m p lex ca rbo hy d ra tes co n ta in protein. o L ow fat co n ten t. (Com p lex carbo hyd ra tes tend to be hi gh in linoleicacid. th e o n ly fat the body ca n' t syn rhesize.) o A bsen ce of cho lesterol. o Possib le lowering of serum cholestero l. It is believed that a rea sona bleamoun t of fiber in the diet ca n lo wer blood serum cho lestero l up to 10 pe rce nt. o Q u ick er waste elimination. T he non -d igesti ve fib er co ntent o f p la nt food p rovides ro ugha ge tha t a bsor bs fluid , giving it m ore su bsta nce as it passes th rough the digestive system fairl y rapidly. sti m u la ti ng elim ina tio n . o Possib le redu ction of dep ression and sensitivity to pa in. Fat o Fat conta ins much less oxygen a nd much more h yd rogen than carbohydrate food . o Fat contai ns about twice as much en ergy per po und (o ver 4000 ca lories) as protei n or ca rbo hy drate foods . However, fat is less efficient for fueling intense effo rt because it requ ire s more oxygen for burning. o Fat is th e primary aero bic ene rgy so urce. It also serves as a longterm fu el so urce a fter m u scle g lycogen is depleted. o Fat brea ks down into glycerine and free fatty acids during digestion. o Fat pro vid es cus h io n in g or padd ing for vital organ s a nd th e m uscles. o Fa t o ffers in sulation agai ns t co ld . o Fat is ut ilized fo r horm one product ion . o Fat su p p lies o ils to th e skin . o Fat permits th e a bsorp tio n a nd u se of the n on -water-solubl e vi tam in s (A. D. E, K) by th e body. o Fat sources include butter. mar ga ri ne , meat, cream, mi lk , sa lad a nd cookin g o ils. Fat is al so found in meat, eggs. nuts , o li ves. wh ol e g ra ins and vegetables.' Hi gh fat intake is co ns ide red a health hazard. A high-fat di et ca n reduce o xygen su p p lied to th e cells accordi n g to resea rc h by th e National H eart, Lung, and Blood Institute. High fat co nt ent in th e blood apparent ly ca use s th e oxygen- carrying red ce lls to cl u m p together, reducing blood flow through th e small er ca p illaries. High fat intake is not necessary because th e body can synthesize almost a ll o f th e fat it needs from carboh ydrat es a nd protein food. The exce p tion is linol eic acid wh ich is a vai la bl e i n g ra ins, fruit s, a nd vegetables. (An o u nce o f oatmeal , for exa m p le, p rovides th e necessary da il y requirement ). Fat is ei the r saturat ed o r un satura ted. Satura tio n refers to a fur's a bi litv to hold h yd ro gen atoms . An im a lorigin fOIlS a re h ig h ly sa turated. Sa turated fa ts raise ser um cholesterol in th e blood. Serum choles terol is a fat that in sul at es the nerves, is used fo r bui ldi ng sex hormones, a nd help s prevent infections. H ow ever . a hi gh seru m cholesterol level is co nsi de red a hea lth hazard . Vitamins Vitamins help th e bod y m aintain and repair it self a nd also assist th e ene rgy syst em . Th e bod y doesn 't manufacture vitamins - they must be o btai ne d from th e di et a nd /or pills. While vit amins ca n be found in a ll foods, no one food or group of food s co ntai ns a ll essentia l vitamins. However, all th e n ecessary vitamins are a vaila ble in a sensible, balanced diet. Vit amin pills shou ld be taken as a su p p leme nt to, rath er th an as a rep lace ment for, a proper di et. An yone ma int ain ing a balan ced di et p ro ba bly doesn 't need vita min su pp lementation. A multiple vitamin p ill m ak es more se nse for tra velers . If n othin g else, a multiple vitamin ca n . serve as an emotional lift , even if i t serves n o n utrit ional purpose. G en erall y, ste p ped up tr ai ni ng in cr ea ses th e need fo r vita mi ns (p rima ri ly Bvco m p lex . C. an d E ). but th at same tra in ing u sua ll y st im u la tes in creased ea ting to sa tisfy th e need . Vita m i ns ma y be class ified in o ne o f two major ca tegories. o Wat e. 'so lu ble (n ot stored in th e body). . o Fat-soluble (sto red til th e body ). Most vitamins a re water-soluble. Body fluids ca rr y th em where they're n e eded. Water-so l u b le vi tam in s should be ingested dai ly because they ca n ' t be stored by the body. Taking excess amounts . h o wever. offers no benefit because the body elim in a tes what it doesn 't use . Fat-so luble vitamins (A. D. E, K) can combi ne with fa t and be stored by th e body to be uti lized if daily intake is n ot adeq ua te. Excess ive a mo u nts of fat-solubl e vitamins (espe cia lly A an d D ) can lead to vitamin toxicity (p o iso n in g) if th ey accu m u la te in th e liver. Sym p to ms a re indigest ion an d a weak , sluggish feeling. Minerals Minerals fulfill severa l rol es in th e body. 'They're necessary for: o Producin g enzy m es a n d h ormones. o Building strong teeth a nd bo nes. o R egul at in g m u scle co ntractions. o Regulating m uscle temperat u re . o Converting food into ene rgy . o Releasing and usi ng energy. o R egula tin g the distr ibu tion o f body fluids. o Maintaining ner ve response. o Permitting ihe blood to ca rry o xyge n. o Perm itting blood clotti ng. Minerals, like vitami ns. a re micronutri ents. T hey are trace a mo unts of th eir namesak es. Pl ants a bso r b th e m inerals from th e soil they grow in. H umans th en a bsorb th e miner al s by eati ng th e pl ants or animals th at ea t th e plants . Minerals lost d uring a th le tic exertion ca n be rep len ishe d with fruit ju ices and a th letic (electrolyte/ glu co se) drinks. The a th letic drinks are specifically blended to help th e body rep lenish blood gluco se as well as th e minerals (known as electrolytes) th at help reg ul a te th e balan ce of fl uids in th e body. Sodium ch lo ride (sal t) and pota ssium, both lost in swea t a nd urine, are th e mos t important electrolytes. Another electro lyte, ch loride. is not so readil y lost during exertion. T he foll o wing minera ls are espe cia lly important to the a thlete: Calcium h elps build st rong bones an d teeth. Small amounts found in soft tissues hel p co ntrol m uscle co n tractions and o ther ch emical reactions , Ath letes don 't need to inc rease ca lci u m intake d uri ng hot weather since it isn' t lost in swea t or urine. Calcium so urce s include milk , dairy prod ucts, c heese. yogu r t. a n d g r een leafy vegetables. Ma gnesium. like potass i u m . is im po rtant for regulatin g m uscle contra cti ons and co nvert ing ca r bohy drates to en ergy. Deficiencies can cause fatigue and muscle cramps. Sodium ch lor ide, common ly known as salt. regulates th e amount and distribution of wat er in th e body. Sodium ch loride is th e most abu nda nt minerai in the blood. Sa lt defici en cy leads to muscle cramps, deh ydration. or even heat stroke. Po tassiu m regulates muscle temperature by stimulating th e widening of th e blood vessels to dissipa te heat. Potassium al so regulates th e tr ansfer of nerv e impulses. Inta ke sh ould be incr eased as a n exercise program becomes more stren uous to avoi d th e tired, rundown feel ing a ssoci ated with potassium deficien cy. Potassium sou rce s i n clude ba n ana s, rai sins. oranges, avoca dos, wat erm elon. soybeans, pota toes. liver. ch ic ken . m ilk, yogurt, pecans, walnuts, and sp inach . Iron , fo und mostl y in he m oglo bi n . a llows th e bl ood ' s red cell s to ca rry o xygen to th e workin g m us cles . ~ron so urce s i ncl ude red m eats (especia lly liver ). chicken . beans. nuts. rai sins. dates . prunes. aprico ts, sp i nach. a spa ra g u s, and enri ched cereals . (Studi es suggest th at iron and thiamine should sh o u ld no t be ingested with either tea o r coffee.) Phosphorus helps release energy from food and allows use of that energy by the cell s. Sources incl ude liver, poultry, fish, beef. milk. cheese, yog urt, and soybeans. • Championship Training, by Dean Miller and Len Weed , includes Brad Lackey's comp lete year-round train ing program as we ll as in -depth f itness and training info rm atio n for all sports. 112 pages. over 80 photos and illus tratio ns. To order, send $9.95 plus $1.50 postage and handling to Cl eansh eet E n te rprises, P.O . Box 241 C, Tar-ana , CA 91356. Califo rnia residents add 65( sales tax . • 23

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