Category Archives for "Nutrition"

The Endurance Diet with Matt Fitzgerald | EP#153

Author, coach, and nutritionist Matt Fitzgerald wrote the book “The Endurance Diet” after doing extensive investigations into what elite endurance athletes all over the world really eat. He discovered that even though their plates look very different, there are 5 core habit that they all adhere to to perform at the top of their game in performance, recovery, and overall health.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

• The 5 Core Habits: eat everything, eat quality, eat carb-centered, eat enough, eat individually
• Does elite athletes’ eating habits really apply to normal age-group triathletes?
• More advanced concepts beyond the 5 core habits: nutrition periodisation, fuelling workouts, fasted workouts/training low, supplements
• Matt’s thoughts on “trendy diets”

Continue reading

LCHF and fat adaptation in triathlon with Jesse Kropelnicki and Steph Lowe | EP#147

Jesse Kropelnicki and Steph Lowe discuss LCHF for triathletes and endurance athletes. This interview highlights that there’s not just one way to skin a cat with LCHF. Different triathletes will fall on different points on the spectrum of LCHF. The approaches of Jesse and Steph differ mostly in that Jesse prescribes a train-high, race-high approach, whereas Steph prescribes training low and racing moderately high.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

• Steph’s approach to LCHF (low-carb, high-fat diets): real food, avoid extremes, and train low, race high
• Jesse’s nutrition approach: “unprescribed LCHF” (less focus on macronutrients) in day-to-day nutrition, with train high (and train the gut), race high.
• Potential benefits of LCHF for endurance athletes.
• LCHF versus “clean eating” and non-LCHF with unprocessed foods
• Myths and misunderstandings around LCHF
• How the race-course is the world’s best lab for testing nutrition strategies and verifying that they work

Continue reading

Training The Gut | EP#122

How well you tolerate consuming sports drinks and energy gels and how well you can absorb the energy in them and use to fuel your performance are both trainable factors that are critical for endurance performance.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

• Training the Gut methods to improve your tolerance of sports nutrition products and reduce GI-distress.
• Training the Gut methods to improve how much carbohydrate you can absorb and use as fuel.
• A two-week Gut Training protocol/
• Why “Train low, race high” is not a smart, and definitely not evidence-based strategy.

Continue reading

Body composition and how to get to your triathlon race weight | EP#113

A research-based review of body composition and racing weight for triathletes.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

• Different methods to assess body composition and body fat percentage, and their limitations.
• How to get to your goal race weight and body composition using three simple principles: appropriate rate of weight loss, appropriate protein intake, and staying away from fads.
• Myths and risks to avoid when it comes to getting lean and losing weight
• What is the typical body composition (body fat percentage, weight, Fat Free Mass Index) of elite level triathletes?
• Periodisation of body composition and racing weight, and the importance of not staying at race weight year round.

Continue reading

Triathlon training and nutrition considerations for female athletes with Stacy Sims, PhD | EP#105

Stacy Sims, PhD, discusses female-specific considerations for training, nutrition, hydration and recovery. Women are not small men, so whether it’s training or nutrition, you should be aware of these important differences compared to the male college students that are typically research subjects in endurance sports.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

• Training, nutrition, hydration and recovery differences between men and women
• How to change your training and nutrition with your menstrual cycle
• How too much fructose may be giving you gastrointestinal problems
• Training during and after pregnancy
• Training and nutrition changes for menopausal women

Continue reading

Nutrition before, during and after workouts | EP#100

A research-based review of nutrition before, during and after endurance exercise and competition.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

• Hydration and carbohydrate before exercise
• Hydration and carbohydrate during exercise
• Hydration, carbohydrate, and protein after exercise
• Example meals, snacks, and supplements

Continue reading

Endurance Sports Nutrition with Monique Ryan | EP#99

Monique Ryan is a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN), author of the book “Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes”, and has been a member of the Performance Enhancement Team for both USA Triathlon and USA Cycling. She has a wealth of experience from working with both age-groupers and elites at the very top.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

• Common mistakes endurance athletes make with their nutrition (other than the things we already know about not eating enough veggies and too much processed food…)
• Is there a place for “labeled” or “named” diets in endurance sports nutrition
• Hydration – do we drink too much, too little, or just right?
• Supplements and deficiencies in endurance athletes
• Special considerations for females, masters athletes, vegetarians and vegans

Continue reading

Triathlon Nutrition: Calories, Carbs, Fats, and Proteins – Part 2 | EP#95

A research-based review of nutrition, including overall energy intake, energy balance, and macronutrients (fat, protein and carbs) for endurance athletes. Part two of two.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

• Protein for endurance athletes
• Fat for endurance athletes
• (Even more about) why you need to be a carb AND fat burner!
• How to calculate your macronutrient needs based on your overall energy intake

Continue reading

Triathlon Nutrition: Calories, Carbs, Fats, and Proteins – part 1 | EP#94

A research-based review of nutrition, including overall energy intake, energy balance, and macronutrients (fat, protein and carbs) for endurance athletes. Part one of two.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

• Energy balance
• Energy availability (you may be cutting yourself short even if intake equals energy expenditure)
• How the body uses different ratios of carbs and fats to fuel endurance performances
• Why you need to be a carb AND fat burner!
• Carbohydrate for endurance athletes

Continue reading

Overeating and The Hungry Brain with Stephan Guyenet | EP#73

Stephan Guyenet, Ph.D., explains how our appetites and food choices are led astray by ancient, instinctive brain circuits that play by the rules of a survival game that no longer exists. And these circuits don’t care about how you look in a tri suit next summer.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

• The Food Reward system
• The brains valuation of food and Optimal Foraging Theory
• Delay Discounting and the Stanford Marshmallow experiment
• How the lipostat works against your attempts to reduce body fat
• Satiety, and the factors that can increase (and decrease) our satiety per calorie

Continue reading