Treatment Notebook: Athletic & Sports Nutrition

Diet & Nutrition

Iron Man/Triathlon Special
Requirements: Carb loading
7 days prior: maintain normal diet
w/moderate training.
3 days: increase CHO intake to
7-10g/kg, increase H2O intake to
max. glycogen storage & hydration.
Min fat & protein intake, reduce
fibrous foods, eat rice, pasta,
breads, cereals, & carb supp. Very
little exercise from this time to
event. Females respond less to
CHO loading and thus should be
prepared for adequate CHO during
event, loading +taper should be
practiced prior to event, no new
foods during CHO loading.
Dont gorge night before event.
Just Before: small snack to top up
liver, use sport drinks or bars. Drink
copious amounts of fluids in hours
prior to race. During Race: 1g/kg/hr
or 50-60g/hr of CHO. 600-1200ml/hr
H2O, 0.5-1g/hr Na. Cycle: 600 ml
sports drink + 600 ml water, sports
gel, breakfast bar or banana. Run:
4x125ml sports drink + 250-500ml
H2O, sports gels, solid foods only if
hungry.

Increased requirements for calories, protein, carbs d/t the increased metabolic activity and tissue
breakdown, nutrients are lost in chemical reactions, sweat & urine. After prolonged high intensity
exercise (-) net protein balance. Carbs are the major energy source, quickly turned into energy,
repletes glycogen & prevent further mm breakdown. Fats are slow burning energy, they are
important for cellular health & sustained energy. Fats help with absorption of fat soluble vitamins
Protein: endurance athletes: 1.2-1.4g/kg: body builders 1.6-1.8g/kg. 12-20% of diet, 1 hour
post workout meal with 3-4:1 carbs;protein. Hemp, chia, pumpkin seeds, whole soy, almonds,
walnuts, lentils, chickpeas, quinoa, broccoli, avocado, apples, flax oil, fish (20-25%) Eggs
(12-15%). In order of >[protein]/wt.
Carbs: 50-70% of calories, 1.0-1.5g/kg (endurance>body builders) consume in shake
immediately post exercise esp if there will be a round 2.
Fats: 10-30%, Omega 3> Omega 6 > Omega 9 > saturated fats
Can cause flare ups of health conditions so be sure to eliminate food allergies.
Dont skip breakfast, frequent small meals, dont over eat close to bedtime, no fried foods,
initially feel hungary think hydrations first.

Orthomolecular Medicine
Exercise increases our requirements for a wide range of micronutrients, micronutrient deficiencies
leads to impaired physical performance. Nutrient supplementation can correct deficiencies and
enhance physical performance by promoting maximal tissue saturation of nutrients. Athletes who
undergo prolonged exercise have an increased risk of infection b/c immune suppression.
Iron: common xu esp runners, swimmers & females, b/c increase loss in sweat, gi blood loss
more common in athletes. 105-180mg/day. Dont supplement if not xu, increases risk for CVD &
other chronic illnesses (pro-infla).
Mg: Co-factor in ATP production thus depleted with exercise and some loss through sweat. Mg
supplementation can increase aerobic performance, mm strength, and less exercise induced mm
injury. 4mg/kg/day

 Vitamin C: Pre & Post exercise supplementation reduce mm soreness b/c of its anti-oxidant action. 500mg 1 hr pre & 400mg
immediately post for mm soreness. 600 mg/day for 3 weeks prior to marathon for URI prevention.
Glutamine: 10g w/in 2 hr of marathon to prevent infx.
L-Arg & L-Ornithine: Arg promotes release of HGH, ornithine taken with arg stimulates production of creatine & creatine phosphate
which amplifies the effects of HGH and myogenisis. Increase lean body mass and decrease mm breakdown in wt trainers, 1g of
each on workout days.
Calcium: calcium loss increases in exercise thus increased risk of bone loss. 2000mg/day.
L-Carnitine: shuttle fatty acids into the mitochondria to be used for energy, can reduce exercise induced fatigue, esp aerobic
endurance type exercise, improves recovery of mm power, decreased post mm soreness. 2-4g/day.
Coenzyme Q10: cofactor in electron transport chain, thus plays a role in energy production (ATP). Has the potential to improve
athletic performance and decrease fatigue, more in untrained athletes @ 300mg/day for 10 days.
Zinc: Lost in sweat and urine is needed to achieve optimal athletic performance 15-30mg/day long term supplementation add 1-4
mg/day Cu to avoid zinc induced Cu xu.
Phosphatidylserine: 750 mg/day of soy derived phso.ser. Increased aerobic capacity.
Chromium: increases the action of insulin thus can increase the anabolic effects of wt training. 200 ug/day
Vitamin E: increase stamina, delay onset of fatigue, increase tolerance to hard training. 400IU/day

Special Considerations