Taking Care of You

WHAT IS PERFORMANCE NUTRITION?

As an avid Marathon Runner (with more than 30 full marathons and three time as many half marathons) I have learned that we athletes require much more nutrition than the average active adult. Our nutritional status is a major determinant of not only how well we can perform, but how well we can recover. We have learned, that most of the time, food alone cannot accommodate those needs. Our understanding of nutrition and human physiology - together with advances in laboratory testing - have given physicians the tools to take the complex task of optimizing sport performance through medical guidance and treatment.

It is widely believed that if an athlete consumes 100% RDA supplement / nutrition, him or her is getting adequate or therapeutic dosage. We have to remember that Recommended Daily Allowance is based on a typical 5'-10", 150 pound male with only day to day activity.   The widely held misconception that only 100% of the daily value amount of each essential nutrient is required for good health is NOT TRUE. As athletes and patients with an active lifestyle we consume and require much more than the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA's) established by the Food and Drug Administration. This is why specific laboratory test centering in the uptake, use and turnover of nutritional values is so important. With specific laboratory testing we can measure how your body has been utilizing mayor nutrients and fructose over the last 90 days and be able to customize an individual nutritional replacements panel.

Another important concept to understand is that no nutrient works alone. It's the interaction and mutual dependence between many of the nutrients that keep us healthy, gives us energy and keeps us in shape. A very good example is that for adequate Vitamin C utilizations an appropriate amount of Zinc is required. Regarding vitamin D, blood levels of at least 40 ng/mL of the active intermediate 25-hydroxyviatmin D are recommended and to be able to achieve this goal as much as 2000 to 4000 IU are needed as daily intake vs the Recommended Daily Allowance of Vitamin D of 600 to 800 IU.

So, do supplements give athletes an edge? The real question is which supplements and at what dose each athlete needs. All requirements are different and athletes are usually at different stages in their training. As each athletes evolve in their respective training and sport such does their body and metabolic needs evolve. Close nutritional, laboratory and physiological monitoring are crucial to train and perform at an elite level. The right nutritional formula and the necessary in training adjustments bring optimal gains for the training program. At times it is necessary for athletes to consume 300% to 600% of the daily recommended value of certain vitamins and minerals in order to supply their nutritional needs and be able to maintain consistent performance.

Many barriers that exit among the athletic community that prevent proper access and education regarding their nutritional needs are:

- Poor knowledge of foods and inadequate cooking skills

- Poor or outdated knowledge of sports nutrition

- Lack of access to medical professionals with advanced knowledge of sports nutrition

- Inadequate finances directed in addresses the athletes nutritional well being

- Busy lifestyle leading to inadequate time to obtain or consume appropriate foods

- Poor availability of good food choices

- Frequent travel

- Indiscriminate use of large amounts of supplements or failure to use evidence-based supplements and sports foods in the appropriate way

As you may imagine these barriers mentioned above are not only encountered by our elite athletes  but by most patients that come to our clinic. Come and join us to achieve a better life style and to better develop your  athletic endurance, stamina and competitiveness on your loved sport . At FiTbodymd me strive to not only educate and achieve unsurpassed performance on our elite athletes but to take that knowledge obtained from professional sports and teach it to all our patients who want to step up their game and achieve a higher state of well being and performance.