Fueling Everyday Performance

This is an exciting week for amateur sports with the start of the 2012 Summer Olympics. We’ll watch insider peeks into the lives of the athletes and will cheer them on, hopefully to victory. We’ll hear stories of how they got onto their sport, their training schedule, their sacrifices and often their eating schedule and routine. Nutrition plays a key role in an athletes training and competition and can be the difference between Gold and not having the opportunity to stand on the medal podium. Athletes know that they need to eat the right combination of nutrients to work in synergy with other nutrients, to provide optimal fuel for optimal performance.

Nutrition fuels the body and makes it work most efficiently, when fueled well. Athletes know this. Most professional and collegiate sports teams have their team sports dietitian, as do the Olympic teams. Optimal nutrition, or fuel, helps athletes improve speed, agility, strength, and endurance. It enables them to train smarter and their bodies become very efficient so the same effort results in better performance.  Just like athletes, when we don’t fuel our body well, we tend to run sluggish and our performance is not up to par.

When everyday people fuel their body optimally, they also perform optimally and take less time to complete tasks. This equates to more productivity at work, and at home. It means that the mid-afternoon slump turns into completed tasks and the end of the workday arrives on time. Further, with optimal nutrition you are more engaged and engaging as your level of concentration is heightened.

There is not controversy about optimal nutrition for sport, at least not at the level of professional athletes and collegiate and Olympic athletes. It still exists at the purely amateur or recreational athlete level or at gyms. So what does the life of an athlete look like, in food? The following are examples of a “typical” day. Many variables come into play in their lives, just like yours, however athletes have placed such an importance on their training schedule, again including their nutrition, that they adjust as needed and don’t miss their workout, their optimal meal, or their optimal snack. Now to add a twist! The 2012 summer Olympics in London are being referred to as the “green games." In food, that means there is an exceptionally strong emphasis on sustainable, local produce, organic, less meat and more sustainable seafood. Also under consideration is Fairtrade coffee, tea, fruit juice, chocolate, and other products. So the average catering for the food vendors will not be possible to meet all of these stipulations, just as the average trip to the grocery store would make it challenging for you to meet these standards- for a much smaller crowd!

Throughout the day, drink plenty of water. You need between .5 to 1 ounce per pound of body weight. More during hot months and more if you work outside or workout.

Rise and shine:

• Oatmeal with dried fruit
• yogurt and a sprinkling of nuts 
• Cereal and milk with blueberries 
• Toast with peanut butter and banana

Mid-Day:

• Turkey sandwich on wheat with yogurt and mixed melon
• Almond butter on cinnamon raisin bread,
• apple and skim milk
• Pasta with sautéed broccoli, carrots, onions and mushrooms tossed with garlic and olive oil and grilled tilapia

Mid-Afternoon:

• Homemade smoothie with mixed berries, banana, yogurt, and flax
• Homemade trail mix of almonds, pecans, dried cranberries and apricots
• Cottage cheese with pineapple

Late Day: 

• Grilled lean steak, with baked potato and green beans with cranberries
• Sautéed shrimp with cous cous mixed with onions, peppers, and mushrooms 
• Portabella mushrooms with quinoa mixed with cucumbers, tomatoes, and black olives

Evening: Only if needed to meet calorie needs, choose one with water.

• Fruit with yogurt
• 4 peanut butter graham crackers
• Serving of nuts

What healthy ideas do you have for each of these meals/snacks? Have you visited your local farmers market recently? This is a great weekend to see what’s local!