Performance Nutrition

• Eat small meals 4-6 times daily.
  No more than three hours should pass between meals. Frequent meals help keep your energy levels more consistent, increase your energy-burning metabolism, and prevent you from getting excessively hungry (which causes you to consume more calories than necessary).



• Don't shop hungry.
  You'll end up with more of the "appealing foods" like junk food in your cart. Write out a grocery list ahead of time and stick to it.



• Avoid fad diets.
  Besides being unhealthy, they are most likely unsuccessful in the long run.






• Maintain or increase muscle mass.
  Weight training anyone? Muscle is metabolically active meaning it requires calories (one pound of muscle burns around 14-16 calories per day) while fat just sits there. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn.



• Publicize your fitness training goals to others.
  If friends and family know that you are after specific goals, you may be more apt to stick with it. It may also help them understand your efforts and offer you encouragement (and give them some encouragement to get started!).



• Eat foods high in fiber.
  If you aren’t getting enough fiber you may experience constipation, diarrhea, hemorrhoids, high cholesterol and high blood pressure. Fiber is found in all plant foods and can help fill you up, keep you regular, and reduce your risk of heart disease and colon cancer. Some reports state that people who eat more fiber are less prone to varicose veins. High fiber foods are those with at least two grams of fiber per serving. The recommended amount of fiber is 20 to 35 grams per day (the average intake of Americans is only 12 grams!) and should be a mix of soluble and insoluble. NOTE: Animal products like meat, cheese and eggs contain no fiber.
  
  • Soluble (dissolves in water):
    Beans, oats, oranges, strawberries and apples are especially high in soluble fiber. Only soluble fiber helps reduce blood cholesterol and helps control blood sugar levels.
  
  
  
  • Insoluble (does not dissolve in water):
    Insoluble fiber is found in wheat, corn, potatoes and the skins of fruits and vegetables and helps maintain regularity, prevent diverticulosis and hemorrhoids.. Salads are a common example of insoluble fiber. Just watch the dressing!
  
  
  
  It is interesting to note that a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that measuring how much dietary fiber a person eats may be an effective benchmark for weight gain—more so than counting fat grams. Researchers believe the more fiber you eat, the less weight you gain because the fiber seems to slow down the rate of digestion, making you feel full longer. Also, studies have shown that fiber reduces the body's absorption of calories as it makes its journey through the GI tract. Foods high in fiber usually have few, if any, calories. What's more, fiber-rich foods take a long time to chew, which slows down your rate of eating, allowing time for signals to reach your brain saying you're full before you stuff yourself. One last tip about fiber: include plenty of water to help prevent constipation and reduce the build up of gas, which could lead to bloating.