Fish Oils for athletes?

Article 6 for the Sun - April 2010

Many of my physically active clients are looking for a competitive edge in their training and recovery. Fish oils have been used by top level athletes for many years without any known negative athletic side effects.
Fish oils have powerful anti-inflammatory properties which may help an athlete recovery faster after hard workouts.
Other key benefits of taking fish oils or Omega-3 fatty acids are:

• Reduced post exercise muscle pain
• Increased training capacity due to better post workout recovery from subsequent sessions
• Source of ‘Good’ Poly-unsaturated fats which are desirable to consume as part of a healthy diet
• Beneficially for the cardiovascular system by helping to lower the bad cholesterol (LDL-C) and Triglyceride levels
• Reported increased mental alertness
• Healthy skin, hair and nails
• If athletes are considering taking Omega-3 fish oils consider the following;
• Choose a high pharmaceutical grade fish oil with the highest EPA and DHA levels possible (these are the active fatty acids in the supplement – aiming for at least 500mg/d)
• If the client also has joint pain to consider a combination joint care supplement that also contains Glucosamine (as the fish oils and glucosamine are reported to work well together)
• Take the prescribed amount daily – with meals (as taking between meals or with hot drinks has been noted to cause a ‘fishy’ breathe)
• Continue to eat a well balanced diet

If you want further advice regarding fish oil supplementation as part of your training please contact me for an appointment.
Rachel Scrivin
FoodFX Ltd
Sports Dietitian

Making weight for Sports
 

Article 5 for the Sun - April 2010
 

Many athletes at some point of their career may need to drop some weight or body fat in order to
compete at a certain weight class or grade. Coaches and parents may get concerned at how this can
safely be achieved and whether it is actually appropriate for the athlete.

Key things that need to be considered before an athlete drops weight are:

• Height and body frame size (larger framed athletes will struggle to lose weight)
• Current body fat levels (if body fat levels are low, then losing more body fat or weight maybe
  unrealistic as this may mean losing body lean or muscle)
• Age (it is usually inappropriate to suggest young athletes or adolescents lose weight as
  energy also needs to go into growth and repair of the body. However, some athletes are
  overweight for their age and height and it maybe healthy for them to lose some body fat)
• Athletes own experience at losing weight and competing at this level (often losing weight may
  reduce energy levels and muscle mass)
• Time frame to lose weight (set realistic time frames to lose weight so that body fat is lost not
  muscle)

If the athlete has considered the above and support people are happy with the decision then ensure
the following;

• Set realistic gradual body weight and body fat loss goals. Aim for 0.5-1kg a total body weight and 2-5mm skinfolds loss (body fat testing using callipers on 8 sites of the body) weekly.
• Choose a well balanced low fat diet with slightly lower energy intake than usually eaten whilst
  continuing training. If training can not be sustained and performance drops off, slightly more
  energy may need to be consumed.
• An accredited Sports Dietitian can design a healthy meal plan that incorporates your physique
  goals that will maintain energy levels for training whilst measuring weight and body fat loss.

Rachel Scrivin
Sports Dietitian

Food for Fitness -A training and competition guide for Rugby players
 

Posted 30/03/2010

Introduction
 

Putting time and effort into your eating is just as important as your physical training. Good nutrition helps your body to perform to its best and can improve training, competition play and recovery. Start implementing good nutritional practices into your lifestyle so that it is something that becomes a habit.

Building Blocks

You need to get the basic nutritional practices in place before you can start fine tuning your individual needs. Rugby players need to focus on nutrient dense food sources of carbohydrate (mostly wholegrains if possible), moderate amounts of lean protein and smaller amounts of fats, sugar and salt.

Rugby may not be as aerobically demanding as other sports; however the intake of nutrient dense carbohydrate still needs to be high in order to adequately train and recover between training sessions and prepare for weekly matches.

A single rugby match is unlikely to deplete fuel supply by the end of a match, however if you have eaten poorly through the week with training sessions, then you are unlikely to perform well during a whole match.

To expand on the above food choices, serving sizes can be incorporated to give a better understanding on how much to eat. There are four main food groups that we need to eat from each day:
• Breads and cereals
• Milk and dairy products (or alternatives)
• Fruits and vegetables
• Meats (or alternatives)

Pre-Season Rugby Nutritional Advice

Posted 15/03/2010

Many rugby players are dusting off their boots in preparation for another tough training and competition season. Going into my fourth season as the Nutritionist for BOP rugby (Steamers and Academy), the same nutritional issues have come to light at the start of the season.

Over the summer period many players relax and enjoy a good break from physical training and in addition their nutrition takes a break too. Some players start the year with higher body fat levels due to lack of training and consuming too many tasty treats or guzzling a few too many alcoholic drinks.

The first issue to address is how players are going to get back on track physically and nutritionally. Usually players need to start back at the basics.

1. Eat regular meals and snacks every 2-3 hours which consist of complex carbohydrate (such as low fat breakfast cereals, wholegrain breads, root vegetables, pasta, rice, couscous), low fat protein (such as lean meats, chicken, fish, eggs, dairy products, nuts, beans) and fruits/ veggies.
2. Choose fruit as the first choice for a snack and reduce the sugary, salty snack foods.
3. Have a pre-training snack consisting pre-dominantly of carbohydrate for cardio workouts (good choices are low fat muesli bars, bananas, crackers, sandwiches) or with a little protein for weights/ strength workouts (such as; low fat yoghurts, low fat milk, unsalted nuts).
4. Avoid nutritional supplements until you have had your food intake accurately assessed to ensure you are eating correctly first. Supplements are only going to be beneficial if the actual dietary intake is optimised.
5. Consume plenty of water throughout the day and additional water when training, roughly 300-600mls for every hour of training – more if you sweat a lot or the temperature is hot.
6. Cut down on added fats (spreads, dressings, cooking oils) and sugars (sugary drinks, added sugar to drinks).
7. Cut down the alcohol consumed or avoid altogether and replace with non-alcoholic alternatives.
   Start the season as you mean to continue by eating well and training smarter.

Rachel Scrivin
Sports Dietitian

The Bay of Plenty Rugby Union is proud to be associated with Rachel Scriven and Food FX for all our Nutritional services and advice. Go to www.foodfx.co.nz to learn more.