Diet and performance.

The Food Guide Pyramid, promoting a high carbohydrate diet for health and performance, is nearly carved in stone. Despite recent claims that a high protein diet or higher fat intake might enhance sports performance, here is a study in support of what most runners have been doing all along. The result is a diet that promotes overall good health and sports performance.

Researchers from Brown University and the University of Rhode Island studied a group of female swimmers over two, 10-day periods with either intense training or tapering. Diet, the swimmers' subjective ratings of performance, and the coach's rating of their performance were recorded. Subjects were then grouped according to their recorded intake of carbohydrates (either low or high), and evaluated on ratings of performance. Subjects who consumed a diet relatively low in carbohydrates described their workouts as more difficult overall than the subjects who consumed a higher carbohydrate diet. Not only did the swimmers who ate more carbohydrates perceive their work to be easier, their coaches rated their performance higher.

These findings support the commonly held idea that a diet rich in carbohydrates can enhance your training. Lower intakes of carbohydrates can leave you feeling as if you're running on empty sooner, and even reduce the quality of your performance. Remember that carbohydrates include much more than bread and pasta. A high carbohydrate diet is one with plenty of vegetables, fruits, and high-fiber grains. Also don't forget the importance of hydrating with a sports drink that can help to keep your fuel level high while exercising intensely or for long periods.

(International Sports Journal, 1998, Vol. 2, No. 1, pp. 17-23)