your very own PYRAMID PLAN
The USDA Food Guide Pyramid is a good plan for the average person, but it doesn’t supply enough nutrients for the avid exerciser. Liz Applegate, Ph.D., a lecturer at the University of California at Davis and an expert in sports nutrition, tells you what to eat—and when to eat it—to get the maximum energy benefit. Applegate’s pyramid plan augments the USDA diet to include fluids, good fats, antioxidents, fiber and calcium. She also includes a small junk-food allowance – hey, you deserve it!
FOOD
HEALTHY SNACKS JUNK FOOD
WHY YOU NEED IT
Fig Bars and dried fruit make great pre-workout snacks because they supply fast, easily digestible carbohydrates. Chips, cake, soda and doughnuts offer too few nutrients and too many calories. But let’s face it: A few cookies or chips now and then are not a huge deal as long as they don’t become staples. And giving in to craving, within reason, can often help temper a huge appetite. Research shows that monounsaturated fats, found in nuts, avocados, olives, olive oil, canola oil, flaxseed and flaxseed oil, may help fight inflammation and muscle soreness.
WHAT’S A SERVING
About 30 to 60 g carbohydrate per hour of exercise. 1 cookie 2 oz chips (baked if possible) 1 oz chocolate
HEALTHY FATS
1 oz nuts (about 18 almonds) 1/6 avocado 2 tsp canola, olive or flaxseed oil. (Note: Flaxseed oil should not be heated). 1 2 2 2 cup soybeans (edamame) soy burgers to 3 oz fish or lean meat eggs
PROTEIN
Fit people require more protein – 80 or more grams a day, depending on your weight. It’s especially important after workouts, when your body needs it to repair muscles. Include soy foods (like tofu), fish, eggs and lean meat in your post-workout meals whenever possible. If you’re strength training (and even if you’re not), calcium is vital because it helps strengthen bones. Consuming dairy products is the easiest way to ensure that you’re getting enough calcium. (Choose low-fat sources to keep your intake of saturated fat low.) Can’t eat dairy? Select calcium-fortified soy products, orange juice or cereal. Exercise makes you breathe heavily, so you take in more oxygen. Sounds great, but all that extra oxygen creates free radicals, which can damage muscle cells, and that means soreness. Counteract the process by eating lots of antioxidant-rich foods such as dark, leafy greens, red peppers, tomatoes and other colorful produce. Brightly colored fruits such as berries, kiwifruit, oranges, mangoes, pineapple and cantaloupe are also packed with antioxidants. Fruit juice counts in this category, but you’ll get more fiber and other nutrients from whole fruits. The more you exercise, the more you sweat. If you don’t replace those lost fluids, you’ll get dehydrated, causing fatigue and poor performance. Water is best, but if your workout lasts longer than an hour, rehydrate with an eight-ounce sports drink, which contains carbohydrates for energy and electrolytes to maintain salt balance. Grains contain important B vitamins such as thiamin, riboflavin, folic acid and niacin, which help your muscles convert carbohydrates into energy. They also replenish stores of glycogen, a type of stored fuel your muscles rely on when you’re working out. Whole grains also provide fiber, which promotes heart health.
CALCIUM-RICH FOODS
1 cup low-fat milk or soy milk 1 cup low-fat yogurt 1 1/2 oz low-fat cheese
ANTIOXIDANTRICH VEGETABLES
1 cup raw leafy greens 1/2 cup cooked or chopped raw vegetables
ANTIOXIDANTRICH FRUITS
1 medium piece of fruit (about the size of a tennis ball) 3/4 cup 100 percent juice 1/2 cup chopped fruit 8 oz
FLUIDS
CARBOHYDRATES
1/2 cup cooked pasta, beans, couscous or other grain 1 slice bread 1/2 bagel 1 oz cereal
HEALTHY SNACKS
Two servings every day you exercise.
JUNK
Three splurges per week
HEALTHY EATS
Three or more servings a week. If you’re watching your weight, stick to just three servings weekly.
PROTEIN
Two to four 2- to 3-ounce servings daily. Eat fish one or two times a week for its healthy omega-3 fats.
CALCIUM-RICH FOODS
Two to three servings daily.
ANTIOXIDANT-RICH VEGETABLES
Four to six servings daily.
ANTIOXIDANT-RICH FRUITS
Three to five servings daily
FLUIDS
10 - 12 servings daily
CARBOHYDRATES
Eight to 15 servings daily. At least half of those should be whole grains, and at least five weekly servings should be beans.