3/27/15: What to Eat During a Day of Competition

    Last time, I addressed what to eat leading up to a day of racing. Now I will discuss what to eat during the day of competition itself. NOTE: Numbers presented here are for athletes competing in endurance based sports such as swimming or track and field where multiple events will be performed throughout the day with small breaks in-between.
    All of the specific measurements of macro-nutrients here were given to me by one of my strength training coaches, Chris Barber of the Center of Optimal Restoration clinic.
    First of all, the timing of meals during all-day competition is very important. A carbohydrate based breakfast should be eaten 2 hours before competition to give time to digest. This will create a source of energy to start your day off right. Examples of hardy breakfasts include toast with peanut butter, oatmeal, bananas, or even bacon and eggs if you have a little more time to digest (Life Hacker).
    Other meals depend on how much you are actually racing. Chris recommended eating a small meal (more like a snack) 45 minutes to an hour before a race to allow time to digest. This snack should have a ratio of 7-10 grams of carbohydrates for every gram of protein (stay away from lipids as they take a long time to digest and will make you feel heavy). It is also important to stay hydrated. Water and low-sugar juices will help keep you hydrated if you drink consistently and with every meal/snack.
    In a multi-day competition, the question is brought up of what to eat to help recover but also maintain energy levels. After each day of racing is done, your meals/snacks should still have a focus on carbohydrates, but with a ratio of 5 grams of carbs to every gram of protein (as opposed to 10:1). Some specific foods that will help you keep this balance are fruits, potatoes, pasta, white rice, liquids, and low-sugar cereals.
    When the competition is finished, types of foods eaten are not too important. It is vital to get back calories that you have burned and replace muscle broken down by the exercise. Hydration is also important for a full recovery.

SOURCES: Chris Barber, Athletic Trainer at the Center of Optimal Restoration Clinic
                    Life Hacker

3/7/15: Preliminary Research

    Some initial information I have learned from preliminary research: one of the most popular methods used to stock up glycogen stores is carb loading. There is no specific math behind carb loading other than consuming almost exclusively carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are long chain polysaccharides that can be broken down into simple sugars like glucose which is stored in the human body as glycogen.
    This method is used by marathon runners and cyclists before racing days. Note: carb loading is not something you should do more than just the day before racing. It is only used the day before because it is not healthy as a regular diet. Loading up on carbs, especially when large meals are consumed all at once, spikes insulin in the blood stream. Insulin is the hormone secreted by the pancreas that tells fat cells to take glycogen out of the blood stream for storage. Spiking insulin frequently can lead to the development of insulin resistance. This is when the fat storage cells no longer respond to the insulin and hence do not take glycogen out of the blood stream. After a while, the resistance to insulin's message becomes so strong that the body's insulin doesn't do anything. This is called Diabetes. So stay away from carb loading as an everyday diet. Only use it the day before competition if at all.