Fueling Your Workouts With Food Webinar

By Maris Altieri RD, LMP Coordinator

Did you know that what you eat before, during and after workouts can affect your performance? Learn about the basics of building energizing and replenishing pre and post workout snacks in the webinar below. 

Class Materials: Fueling Your Workouts with Food PowerPoint, Homemade Energy Bars Recipe

FAQS:

What is the best way to replace fluids: water or sports drinks?

Sports drinks are not necessary for the average workout, and can add a large amount of added sugars and calories to your diet. The American College of Sports Medicine states “Electrolytes and carbohydrates in sports drinks are beneficial for individuals who engage in prolonged vigorous physical activity, particularly in warm to hot temperatures.”Examples of vigorous activities- football, marathon training and races, competitive soccer and tennis matches, long distance biking/cycling, basketball. Sports drinks are very popular in child sports teams but if your child is engaging in routine physical activity for less than three hours in normal weather conditions, the use of sports drinks in place of water is unnecessary. 

Do I need protein shakes to gain muscle?

Don’t let the market fool you! Drinking high protein shakes does not guarantee muscle growth. I see some protein shakes advertising having 40 grams high-quality protein, which is a fruitless claim because most adults can only absorb 25 grams of protein at a time. While it’s true that protein is essential for proper muscle repair and growth, this doesn’t mean that we need to add supplemental forms, which are unregulated by the FDA, into our diets. In fact, the majority of people in the US eat enough protein through food, and don’t need to supplement their protein intake. However, if you are someone that does struggle with eating an adequate amount of protein, which is especially important post-workout, supplementing your protein intake with a protein powder can be a good option for you. 

So how much protein should I eat?

Like everything else in the diet, it depends on your composition, activity levels, and a variety of other factors. The RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowance) for protein is as follows:

Sedentary Adult: 0.8g/kg body weight

Moderately Active-Active Adult: 1.0-1.2g/kg body weight

Elite Athlete: 1.5-2.0g/kg body weight (do not follow unless under supervision of a sports dietitian)

To calculate your needs, you should:

1. Divide your weight in pounds by 2.2 (there are 2.2 pounds) per 1 kilogram
2. Multiply by 0.8-1.2 g/kg depending on activity level

For example, an individual who is 150 lbs and is moderately active would need approximately 68 grams of protein per day.