Reply to Pacing Your Food by Mary Howley Ryan and Andrea Reichert.

Mary Howley Ryan, MS, RD

Beyond Broccoli Nutrition Counseling
mary@beyondbroccoli.com

Rebecca Huntington brings up some excellent points about fueling for exercise. She is right on about smaller, more frequent meals being a great strategy for many athletes as opposed to a few bigger meals. There are actually several nutrition related factors that make a difference in how you feel during your workout – and what works for one person or even one activity may not apply to other people or other activities. The other part that many recreational athletes don’t give a second thought to is what they did the day before. I’ll talk about that later.

First, when you eat prior to a workout you need to think about how hard you are going to be working to decide not only how much but what to eat. The morning mountain bike ride up Snow King Rebecca referred to in her blog consists of switchbacks up a very steep mountain face. I don’t remember the vertical (though I can see it as I write this!) but let’s just say it would kick the average visitor from sea level in the butt. This means Rebecca would be going hard enough that a big breakfast would not be the best choice since it is going to be difficult for her body to digest food easily and move uphill at the same time. The other considerations would be not getting too much fiber, fat or protein in the meal if she is going to eat within an hour of riding. In fact a light breakfast and a second water bottle containing some kind of sports beverage with carbs on the way up would probably work really well.

Now things get somewhat tricky with all of this and blanket nutrition recommendations don’t work for everyone. I remember watching aghast as one of my hockey teammates devoured a piece of steak and a baked potato less than 2 hours before a game and then it didn’t appear to affect her performance on the ice one bit! Meanwhile, even if I have 4 hours before our Monday night practices I can’t eat salmon or anything with red sauce or I’ll relive my dining experience during every sprint drill. However, I can eat a PBJ on whole wheat bread just an hour before and be fine, even though it has fiber, fat and protein. The point is you need to experiment with what your body handles best for each sport. In general though, a big meal will need at least 2 hours to digest well before high intensity exercise.

The other consideration when evaluating why you had a particularly painful or stellar workout is what you did the day before – especially if it is a morning activity. Your hydration status, glycogen stores (the storage form of carbohydrate that fuels your muscles and brain), sleep, and rest for the previous 24 hours affect your workout. If Rebecca had rested the day before or enjoyed a modest amount of activity with adequate fluid, fuel (before, during and after) and rest she’d wake up in a great place for her morning ride. What she eats for breakfast is definitely important but it’s not the only thing.

Even a “perfect breakfast” may not be enough to make up for several scenarios from the previous day. One example is going for a long ride then enjoying a cold beer and some pizza for dinner. The fat in the cheese (and meat toppings) on the pizza may have filled Rebecca up before she could eat enough carbs to replenish her depleted glycogen stores. The beer may also make her feel a bit bloated or full before drinking enough fluid to properly re-hydrate. Or if Rebecca decided to enjoy a nice healthy meal of grilled fish and a big salad after her long ride, she may have felt great afterwards but without carbohydrates to fill up those glycogen stores she may have run out of energy mid-ride the next morning, even after a good breakfast. Exercising after being sick and not eating much for a day or two is another scenario that can affect a workout. If glycogen stores are depleted it can take up to 24 hours to fully replace them and it can take that long to fully re-hydrate as well.

To wrap things up, think about small meals/snacks throughout the day timing the high fiber, fat and protein foods so you have time to at least digest some of it before going hard. Rebecca is right that this requires some advanced planning and a bit more thought at least until it becomes habit. Also remember that fluids and rest, as well as what you did and ate the day before, will affect how you feel during your workout.

Andrea Reichert, RD

Rebecca brought up some great questions and reactions to her recent jipped-off breakfast. Funny thing, I had a similar experience this morning. I ventured out for an 8-miler this morning in preparation for a race next weekend. Around 7:30 am I had 2 pieces of whole-grain toast with a little butter and jam and some coffee to go with it. Now to some that may sound like a decent breakfast, but that’s nothing for me, especially considering I eat more than that before going to the office. My run didn’t get started until 9:45 and nervous I didn’t have enough fuel in my system, I downed a gel. But, like Rebecca, I found myself feeling great during the run and did not experience the hypoglycemic response, aka bonk, I often do. It wasn’t until after the run I was seriously ready for a hearty breakfast.

Many athletes do seem to hold the notion they must stock up on fuel before an event, especially in carbohydrate-rich foods. This idea especially rings true if they believe in carbo-loading. The truth is, we need most of our fuel quite far in advance of a workout or an event, and just a little bit of fuel closer to it. (See below for a chart that recommends how much to eat before an event or workout). The thing to keep in mind is that a well-trained athlete can store at least 1500 glycogen-calories in their liver and muscles which is broken down and utilized for energy as needed during exercise.

To help explain Rebecca’s phenomenon in pre-exercise eating, here is a quick low-down on how our body metabolizes food. Carbohydrates are generally digested and used for energy within 2-4 hours from ingestion, unlike foods high in protein and/or fat, which take up to 7 hours. Large amounts of food consumed less than 2-4 hours pre-workout can actually hurt performance because they don’t have adequate time to be digested and absorbed. They basically end up sitting around in our stomach and small intestine until exercise is complete, as the body is utilizing its oxygen to fuel its muscles rather than its digestive system. That’s not to say you should or need to have an empty stomach before exercising, but it is important what and how much you put into it. The scant amount of oatmeal Rebecca consumed (granted it was _-1 cup), contains approximately 20 grams of carbohydrate and therefore’s the perfect amount if you look at the chart below. It is also higher in fiber, which contributes to a slower digestion and longer satiety. However too much fiber can also have a serious adverse affect that sends one racing for the bathroom rather than the finish line!

I must also give caffeine its-due credit in this situation. Well-controlled studies have shown that moderate amounts of caffeine drank prior to exercise actually contribute to enhanced performance. A few possible mechanisms behind this include caffeine’s stimulating effect on the central nervous system (think jitters), glycogen-sparing in muscle (less need for carbohydrate from the body), and increased anaerobic energy provision in skeletal muscle.

Remember that each individual has different nutritional needs, pre and post-workout, and our bodies operate amazingly, even under the most unsual of circumstances. Be sure to experiement with your personal nutrition routine before changing it up before an event.

Pre-Event Fueling

Snack: 1/2-1 hour before event
15-20 g Carb
<5% fat

Light Meal: 2-4 hours before event
30-40 g Carb
5-15% fat

Heavy Meal: 4-5 hours before event
50-60 g Carb
15-25% fat

Andrea Reichert loves running, cycling and anything outdoors (especially in the winter). She received a MPH in nutrition from the University of Minnesota. In college she was a rower, to which she attributes her initial interest in sports nutrition. Her new love is snowboarding and is a member of NSP. Other interests include cooking, sustainable agriculture, and traveling. She lives in Minneapolis where she works as a registered dietitian in an eating disorders unit. Feel free to contact her: areichert@spu.edu.