Using Diet To Achieve Optimum Performance

You need a proper diet in order to achieve optimum performance.  

Did you know that your athletic performance is directly tied to your diet?  About 80% of your success depends on what kind of nutrition you’re putting into your body.

The Basics

 

There are 3 main nutrients that your body needs in order to achieve optimum performance.  They are carbohydrates, protein and fat. 

Carbohydrates: Carbs provide a quick source of energy to help fuel your muscles during workouts.  Your body breaks down carbs into sugars and then stores those sugars in your muscle and liver so it’s available when you need that energy.  If you eat more than your body can store in your muscle and liver it will be stored as fat.

NOTE: your body can actually use stored fat for energy as well.  This is called ketosis and it’s basically when you have no carbs stored so your body starts to use stored fat as an energy source.  This can be an amazing advantage for endurance athletes since your body can store way more fat than in can carbs.  You can do this by manipulating your diet or using exogenous ketones.  There are many health benefits associated with being in ketosis, but that’s a topic for another time ;)

Protein:  Protein contains amino acids which is the building blocks of muscle.  Whenever you workout you create ‘damage’ to the muscle and the only thing that can repair this ‘damage’ is protein.  I recommend a high quality protein shake right after your workout because a liquid source of protein will be absorbed much more quickly than a solid source.  Then within the next 2 hours have a whole food meal with healthy carbs (I recommend fruit or veggies) a healthy protein (eggs, poultry, fish, cottage cheese, nuts, edamame) and a healthy fat (olive oil, coconut oil, avocado, butter).  You basically have a 2 hour window right after your workout where your body will be able to get the greatest benefit from your nutrition.  

Fats:  Fats got a really bad name in the past.  We were told that if you eat fat you will get fat.  This lead to a lot of confusion and a HUGE increase in sugar intake because when you remove the fat from foods you need to add something back to make it palatable.  The result?  A startling increase in obesity and type 2 diabetes.  Our bodies absolutely need fat!  We just need to make sure we’re getting it from the right source.  Avoid anything hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated – these are trans fats and are terribly unhealthy.  When choosing a fat source think natural:  avocados, nut butters, butter (yes!  Butter is good for you!!), olive oil, coconut oil.  Basically if it comes from a natural source you can eat it, just be aware of portion sizes.

Figuring it all out.

For the most part people are very confused about nutrition that results in optimum performance because we’re exposed to so many mixed messages.  The diet industry is a multi-billion dollar industry and sadly your health is not a priority – your money is.  Keep is simple: start by making a conscious effort to only eat foods that you could find in nature.  Ask yourself: “if there were no such things as grocery stores would this food exist?”  If the answer is no, DO NOT eat it!  Once you get used to an all natural diet you can start playing around with nutrient percentages to see what works for you.  Some people thrive on a diet that’s higher in carbs and some people thrive on a diet that’s high in fat and moderate in protein and low in carbs (ketogenic diet).  You need to find what works for you and as long as you’re sticking to natural foods you will achieve optimum performance.